A Blank Verse Romance

Chapter Eight: A Useful Find

The next week up until the quidditch match where Ravenclaw would be playing Slytherin did not go well. All the Gryffindor girls in the sixth year had miseries and woes. No one in their house seemed to be completely in on what had happened, but rumors were flying around like owls during morning post.

For once, it was Colin who was not speaking to Mona. Every time he saw her he gave her his worst look, while she paled and looked down, wanting to talk to him, but not knowing how. She felt terrible, now realizing what she had done to Colin; he, on the other hand, had decided to give up on her and find sweeter pastures in the company of a giggly blonde Hufflepuff.

Josceline had the look of a pale corpse. The Sunday after the Hogsmeade visit, Draco had dumped her. Not just in a horrible way, but in front of everyone in the Great Hall after lunch. No one, not even dear sweet Bonnie could get her to eat and she was growing extremely thin. Bonnie's trouble only consisted of misery over seeing all of her friend's in such agony.

Ginny, however, probably had the worst situation of anyone. Her only glimmer of luck was the fact that her beloved Marc was completely ignorant (or just too darn thick!) of all the recent goings on. Besides her best friends having major issues, her hated room mate blaming her for her break up and her cat being worse than ever, Ginny still had Draco Malfoy to deal with.

So he liked her. Big deal. Things weren't really all that different than before. Except that whenever their hands brushed or he leaned over too close, Ginny felt awkward. Worst of all, he kept giving her little looks to remind her that he had been serious. It had also made Ginny begin to wonder whether that had been his entire plan in blackmailing her. When her thoughts began down that road, she reminded herself how extremely nasty he had been to her and dismissed the thought. It was agony not being able to figure out when this all began and, heaven forbid, if she had encouraged it in anyway!

In the library, Ginny was having a quiet discussion with P.C. about Josceline. She had taken to haunting the library in an attempt to avoid Josceline, whom she was sure would give her a duffing up if she got the chance.

"Can't you give her some slack?" Ginny was pleading in a whisper.

'She's already got enough slack up her knickers,' P.C. was saying into her head. 'Anyone can see that by the way she wears her skirts.' Ginny paused in her pen scratching. She had to finish another essay for Binns that was due on Tuesday.

"That's a strange observation for you Prince Charming." She emphasized his name, making him flatten his ears. She stroked his grey fuzzy head.

"I mean, you don't need to get on her case just for me. I'm handling it just fine. I think she really is a ..." she paused, searching for a word. "Erm, respectable person when she isn't angry or anything." P.C. made a noise that half sounded like a sneeze and a snort.

'I happen to like getting on her case. Besides, I hold a grudge against anyone who spoils my matches.'

"Did you know that playing with matches can get you burned?" She smiled at her little joke. "Besides, I told you. I already have a lovely boyfriend and I don't want you spoiling it. Who is it you have in mind anyway?" she asked slyly, knowing P.C. wouldn't answer her. Not truthfully anyway.

'The Malfoy boy,' he thought calmly. A huge blot of ink appeared in the middle of her essay. Looking sternly at her cat, she grabbed her blot cloth and quickly soaked up the ink.

"Are you out of your mind?" she hissed through her teeth, "You know I don't like him." A month ago she would have declared her utter and complete hatred of Draco. Now, she could only say she didn't like him. After all, they had a true and he wasn't so bad ...

'Does that stop him from liking you? Besides, he's handsome, he's rich, suave, tall --'

"Not that tall," Ginny cut in sharply. "He's barely taller than me."

'What kind of girl would notice that if she didn't like they guy?' P.C. was smiling again. It really was beginning to creep Ginny out. Seeing a smile on a cat was just not something you see everyday.

"You weren't talking to your cat just now were you?" said a voice. Ginny looked up to see Harry standing above her. She flushed faintly pink. It was awful being caught talking to P.C. when he was talking in her head.

"Er, yes actually. Just babbling, you know me." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Was there something you wanted?" she asked sincerely, measuring her essay and grinning when she realized it was two inches longer than she needed. She let the roll of parchment spring back into a roll.

"Actually, yes I was looking for you. I was wondering if I could take you up on that game of chess." He looked rather nervous and was scuffing one foot on the floor.

"Sure, Harry," she said, packing her things up. Carefully, she placed P.C. in her bag as well, hoping the cat had enough sense not to talk out loud. They had only gone down one corridor when a wave of Ravenclaws and Slytherins hit them. The match was going to start. Even though Ginny didn't usually go to matches that didn't involve Gryffindor, she had promised to be there for Marc.

"I promised someone I'd be at the match. Can I see you later maybe?"

"Don't you need your cloak? It's really cold out there." Ginny bit her lip. It was cold, but if she didn't go now she was going to be late. Gallantly, Harry removed his winter cloak with a flourish, draping it on her shoulders. "See you later then." He smiled at her.

"Thanks a million Harry!" she said, pecking him on the cheek and she ran outside with the few straggling Ravenclaws. The first icy blast of wind hit as soon as the doors opened. Ginny pulled Harry's cloak tighter around her, extremely grateful he had been there.

"You should be more careful," said a small voice. Ginny looked down at her bag to see a tiny grey head poking out of the top, squinting in the icry air.

"About what? You mean Harry?" she said reproachfully. In reply, the cat wiggled his eyebrows. "Look," she said, defending herself, "Harry and I are just friends. He's known that for years even if I only just did." In the back of her mind, the memory of the Hogsmeade trip was playing over and over. Harry had been around more than usual lately.

As they reached the quidditch stands, Ginny looked around, trying to find even a remotely familiar face that she could sit with. Eventually, with much relief, she found Tom and Mona were both there, snuggling close under a blanket.

"Mind if I join you?" They both looked up and nodded encouragingly as she sat down. It was apparent that Ginny's presence didn't bother them as they continued making out.

"And they're up!" shouted the enthusiastic voice of Lee Jordan. "It's Davies with the quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal. He shoots -- blocked by Slytherin keeper Miggsby." Ginny groaned along with the rest of the Ravenclaws. It had been quite a good shot, and he had barely missed a bludger as well.

"Quaffle is taken by Mobbs of Ravenclaw. And there she -- ouch! That came out of nowhere!" The crowd heard a sickening thud as one of the bludgers hit Draco right in the stomach. Ginny stood up unconsciously, biting her nails, as he swayed on his broom for a moment, looking slightly sick. Everyone around her was muttering, but didn't say anything about her strange behavior. He recovered quickly however and sped off towards the other end of the field.

"Those Slytherin Beaters mustn't be doing their job properly. Not that anyone minds. It's a joke professor!" Lee added quickly as McGonagall gave him her worst look. However, the game only lasted about ten more minutes, Slytherin scoring three more times, before the snitch was seen.

"And Chang has seen the snitch! She's off at rocketing speed, excellent flyer, what amazing control she has on that Comet. And Slytherin seeker Malfoy has seen it too! They're neck and neck, pulling into a superb dive!" The two seekers seemed to be spiraling straight towards the ground, in such a way that it seem they may not be able to pull up in time.

"Easy! Easy!" were the shouts from the Ravenclaw end. Ginny was standing along with the rest of the crowd this time. Draco had pulled ahead of Cho and then --

WHAM!

"And Chang catches the snitch! One hundred and fifty points to Ravenclaw! Ravenclaw is the winner! One hundred and fifty to forty!" Lee's commentary was lost in a wave of cheers and boos.

"We won! We won!" Tom was shouting next to her, jumping and hugging Mona. But Ginny didn't cheer. She was already heading down towards the field, towards where Draco had crashed. Unable to pull out of the dive soon enough, Draco had smashed, head first into the stone hard ground. His broom stick had snapped and was lying next to him.

When Ginny arrived on the field, she stopped. She couldn't just run up to Draco in front of everyone. Besides, those other Slytherin players around him were very large. Standing on tip toe, she could see he was lying face down and the grass around him was bright red.

"Lucky his neck isn't broken!" she heard Madame Pomphrey shout in annoyance as Draco was loaded onto a stretcher and carried away. Ginny felt horrible. Her stomach was all knotted up with worry. Even if she was mad at Draco, she still didn't want him dead.

A hand grabbed her shoulder making her jump. "Hey Ginny," said Marc, sweaty and panting slightly. "We won!"

"Yeah I saw. It was a great match." Glancing down, she saw his trouser leg was torn. Thinking quickly she added, "Shouldn't you have someone take a look at that?"

"This little thing? Nah, it's just a scratch," he said, but seeing Ginny's look of concern he kissed her lightly and said, "If it makes you feel better." She nodded and they followed the small group of Slytherins up to the hospital wing.

"Just dab a little of this ointment on it, would you?" Madame Pomphrey gestured to Ginny with a small blue bottle. Quickly, Ginny removed the too large cloak she was wearing.

"Ouch!" was Marc's indignant cry. She grinned at him. "That isn't your cloak is it?"

She had been glancing over at Draco's recumbent form and wasn't paying attention to Marc's question. "Hm? What? Oh, no it isn't. I borrowed it from Harry. Well, he is my friend," she said, slapping Marc's hand lightly when he frowned. "Don't get so jumpy." Recapping the ointment bottle, she replaced it to the shelf.

"Come on, lets get out of here. Those Slytherins are giving me the creeps." They were giving the two extremely murderous looks. Taking Marc's arm she kissed him and left the wing, with a last look at Draco's unmoved and pale form.

-*-*-*-

Creeek.

"Blast," Ginny muttered under her breath, cursing the squeaking stair. She hurried down the remaining stairs and peered around the common room. The fire was still lit, but no one was there to question where she was going at such a late hour. Except ...

"Where are you going Ginny?" Ginny stopped with a hand on the portrait hole. Cringing, she slowly turned to see Harry getting up from one of the chairs that was in shadow.

"Harry," she sighed, putting on a smile, "you gave me such a fright. Why are you up so late?" Arms crossed, he stood frowning at her.

"Where are you going Ginny?" he repeated. She scuffed her slippered foot on the floor.

"Out."

"Seriously. I've seen you leaving a few, well, a lot of time this late at night. I know I'm not your brother," he added quickly, "but that is the point. I don't want Ron worrying about you more than he already does. I haven't told him," he finished, staring at her. She studied his face for a moment. He didn't look angry, just concerned. Still, there was no question about telling him the truth. She could not.

"I, well, I'm in a ... erm, club?" she said lamely. Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "A writing club actually," she stumbled on quickly. "So I need to be going so I'm not late." She turned to leave when he put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. In slight agitation and anxiety, she turned around. This is why I liked him, she was thinking to herself. He had such intense green eyes; they seemed to radiate comfort and confidence.

"Don't do anything stupid," he said, kissed her forehead and went up to his dormitory. Had he really believed her story or was he just giving her time? She shook her head and continued on her visit to see Draco.

When she reached the Hospital Wing, the doors were locked. But not for nothing was Ginny Weasley the sister of the famous Gred and Forge! Pulling out a set of lock picks they had given her a few years ago, she quickly had the door open and was inside.

"Draco? Draco, are you asleep?" There was a nasty cut above his right eyebrow that was still bleeding slightly. She just stood there, watching him breathe, pushing his hair away from his face. His skin was pale and clammy to the touch. His arm reached out and took her hand.

"Hey," he said with his eyes still closed.

"Hey," Ginny said back. "How are you?"

"I'm alright, I've had worse," he murmured. Suddenly his eyes flew open and he stared directly into her eyes. "Would you do something for me Ginny? I know it's late, but you're already up."

She smiled at him shyly. "Sure. What do you need?"

"I have some homework that's due tomorrow and I didn't finish it. It's for Transfiguration. The book and papers are right next to my night stand."

"Of course. I'll be right back." Draco didn't let go of her hand. He pulled her close to him and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you," he said. Nodding mutely, Ginny left quickly. That was the second time he had kissed her. Again, she could still feel his soft lips where they had brushed her skin. It was a nice feeling, she realized with horror. I must get him to stop doing that, she thought to herself while making her way to the dungeons.

Once inside his dormitory, she found the papers he needed and glanced at the night stand. She smiled, remembering the first time she had come here and seen this stand. It was absolutely covered in pictured of Draco. Taking a closer look, she saw that none of them had his parents, friends or, indeed, anyone else.

Egotistical prat, she thought. One picture caught her eye. Picking it up, her eyes widened and began to dance with glee. It was a photo of Draco in leather trousers! And he was doing some extremely crap dancing to add to the effect. No one would believe this! Ginny slid the photo inside her dressing gown and headed back to the hospital wing.

This may come in handy later, she thought to herself grinning. She stopped dead in the corridor. Maybe she could use this photo to blackmail Draco into giving her the Book of Evil he had made. Then again, there was the story to consider. Ginny couldn't enter the contest now, it was too late. And the story was becoming very dear to her. Another time, she decided firmly.

Returning to Draco's bedside, he handed her something. It was Harry's cloak. She had apparently left it from earlier that afternoon.

"It's Harry's isn't it?" he said moodily, glancing up at her with a bemused expression.

"Yes," she said slowly, folding up the black material in her hands.

"Don't do anything stupid," he said in an eerie echo of what Harry had said earlier that night. What was the matter with everyone? Didn't they think she could take care of herself?

"Don't do anything stupid?" she asked, cheeks flushing slightly as her temper rose. "I'm not doing anything stupid. You, on the other hand, have been uncannily stupid! I think you should take a piece of your own advice and leave me alone."

He looked at her extremely hurt by this. "Ginny, I didn't mean it like that."

"Well, what did you mean by it?" she hissed angrily. "Go on. Tell me. What did you mean." He stared at her with a look of dangerous alarm.

"I was warning you to not make your boyfriend suspicious. Borrowing cloaks is a sentimental thing. Moreover, borrowing cloaks from life long crushes is not the sort of thing girls do everyday, is it?" The edge in his voice made Ginny flinch. He was quite right.

"There is nothing going on for him to be suspicious about. I think if anyone is going to make my boyfriend suspicious it is you! You're the one who keeps -- keeps, er ... playing with my emotions. You're trying to make me admit--!" and she stopped in horror at what she had been saying. Draco eye's were wide in amazement.

"I-I have to go," she said quickly, gathering up Harry's cloak and turning to leave the room. It was impossible. She can't have been thinking properly. She had almost admitted something that was not true. Was it? Did she like Draco?