Defense Against You

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II. Just My Luck

The first day of regular classes for Ginny went by smoothly--the first part anyway. It went downhill right after lunch. She had Transfiguration first class with McGonagall, then Charms with Flitwick, right after charms came Arithmancy with Hermione (she enjoyed that class for the first time in seven years since she started at Hogwarts!) then History of Magic with the ever so boring Binns (honestly, will that old ghost ever resign?) before lunch break. After lunch she was off to double Potions with Snape (one of her least favourite subjects--not to mention one of her least favourite professors), as usual Snape was back to picking on each Gryffindor student and favouring his Slytherin students. After leaving Snape's class, she thought that was the only glitch in her somewhat good first day.

But she spoke too soon.

Her next class was Defense Against the Dark Arts and she couldn't wait to meet the new teacher. From what she heard so far, the new teacher was yet another guy (she missed out catching a glimpse of him last night when the new teachers---there were four that retired last year, so four were introduced this year to replace them---were being introduced because she was too busy catching up with her best friend). Though, unlike their previous teachers, this one was more closer to their age and he sure knows how to stir up some fun in his class--not to mention stir up the hearts of his female students. Well...at least that was what she was told by those people who has had him for a teacher earlier in the day.

With glowing praises like that Ginny couldn't wait to meet him and sit in his class.

Maybe this class will make up for my first crappy class with Snape, she thought to herself as she entered her Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. She took a seat at the very back of the room nearest to the door because she wanted to be the first one out of the room after class.

Ginny got comfortable in her seat while watching the classroom fill-up with other students. She noticed a couple more Gryffindor seventh years come in shortly after her and took a seat at the front of the class. But the next set of students that came in made Ginny squirm. To her dismay she had Defense Against the Dark Arts with Slytherin--again--this year. She doesn't particularly enjoy joint classes with them; they are a loud, boisterous, obnoxious bunch that often picked on her friends. They could try picking on her, but they wouldn't dare unless they wanted to answer to Derek--their fellow Slytherin who replaced Draco Malfoy in the hottie department (think Brad Pitt--a Muggle movie actor whom Hermione introduced to her when they watched a movie of his over the summer about a group of men who plotted to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously--when picturing Derek).

She went out with Derek Boones for a couple of months last year, but he was an incorrigible player and she dumped him on the spot when she caught him playing tonsil hockey with some girl from Ravenclaw. Although their parting wasn't amicable, Derek remained cordial to her and protected her against his sleazy housemates' insults. She was thankful to him for doing that. It helped alleviate some of her problems concerning other students--mostly Slytherins--belittling her and her family. Though, she has this nagging feeling that Derek was doing it on purpose just to get back on her good graces. However, Ginny was no fool. She lived by her motto: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Finally all the students filled up the empty seats. They were talking amongst themselves while they waited for their teacher to arrive. Seems like he was running late for his first day of teaching their class.

"Hey Ginny," Colin Creevey, a fellow Gryffindor, nudged her arm.

"Yeah?" she turned her head to address the boy seated beside her.

"Is it true you shared a compartment yesterday with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" he asked with genuine interest that was visible on his face.

"You mean Malfoy?" she almost chocked on her saliva. "Please tell me you're kidding, Colin!" she grabbed her friend's arm, squeezing it tighter and tighter until his left arm started to turn an ugly shade of purple.

"Why? What's so bad about having me for a teacher, Weasley?" an all too familiar male voice drawled from behind her.

Ginny froze and she quickly let go of Colin's arm--to his relief. She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. God, what did she do to deserve an awful afternoon class schedule? Having Potions with Snape was bad enough, did she have to end her afternoon with yet another teacher she doesn't particularly like? She counted one to three before turning to face the boy--who was a boy no longer considering how much he has grown over the summer--who threw insult after insult at Ron, Hermione, and Harry (even to her whenever she was unfortunate enough to be within range of Draco Malfoy's nasty tongue) during their years attending Hogwarts together.

"Well, well, well Draco Malfoy. Fancy having you for our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Tell me, are you Professor Snape's enemy now, instead of being his golden boy since you obviously took over the class he wanted to take over since probably the beginning of time, hm?" she raised a neatly tweezed eyebrow at him in challenge.

So, the youngest Weasley has spunk. Who would've thought? instead of taking offense, Draco bared his pearly white teeth at his student and in his most authoritative voice he said loud enough for the whole class to hear, "Twenty-five points from Gryffindor for talking back to a teacher in class."

A chorus of disgruntled groans echoed around the room whilst a few Slytherin students sniggered. Ginny couldn't believe what she just cost her house to lose. Twenty-five points her cute little arse! Class hasn't even started yet, and he couldn't possibly take points off Gryffindor for what she did--even if she was the one who was wrong--but seriously, Draco Malfoy as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Hell would freeze over before she starts to take him seriously!

"But class hasn't even started yet!" she protested, "And you asked me a question I was only inclined to respond to, although my response didn't quite answer your query, still, you got the gist of it," she bitched at him.

"Class starts as soon as my presence is in the room," he informed her--and the rest of his students--before heading to the front of the room. He stopped midway to look back at her over his shoulder, a mischievous gleam visible in his eyes. "And see me after class, Ms. Weasley. That little outburst of yours just caused you a detention," he informed her calmly, but the menacing tone he tried to mask didn't go unnoticed to Ginny's ears.

What? Detention on my first day back? Damn, did I really do something bad to be punished like this? her mind screamed as she gaped after the blond haired Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She was boiling mad at that point and would've voiced out another outburst if Colin hadn't clamped his hand on her arm, giving it a warning squeeze telling her to quit goading Draco. She might get a few more points taken off Gryffindor if she continued answering him back.

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"Arrrg!" Ginny screamed, pulling her hairs out in frustration. "Damn that insufferable git! He's been picking on me all week, I just know it," she paced Hermione's quarters Saturday afternoon when her friend invited her over for some tea.

"Maybe you're just overreacting, Gin. He can't possibly be picking on you only," she reasoned matter-of-factly.

"Oh no, Mione. I know he singled me out. Just because we got on the wrong foot to start our first class doesn't automatically give him the license to torment me for the rest of the year!" she complained.

"You honestly believe that?" her friend questioned after she gave up trying to convince Ginny she was mistaken.

"Of course!" she exclaimed indignantly.

"Ginny, you know teachers can't be singling out any students," she pointed out. "They may favor some of their students, but they can't alienate the rest."

"Ha! Tell that to Malfoy--and Snape too. Seems like those two has a penchant for making my life miserable," she snorted. Ginny stopped pacing now and sat down on the chair opposite from Hermione. She crossed her arms over her chest and sulked.

She hates Draco Malfoy with a vengeance now more than ever before.

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to be continued...