Professor Draco Malfoy

Professor Draco Malfoy

Chapter Four: --Confusion

His body was pressed into hers, his breath warm on her face, not moving; just lying on top of her, staring searchingly into her eyes. She didn't know why, but she liked it. She liked the feeling of the man whose father had tried to kill her lying on top of her. She was staring into his eyes, silently willing him not to move, and to say something, when there was a knock on the door.

Quickly getting off of her, Malfoy stood up, and, while brushing off his robes, held a hand out to Ginny to help her up before going to the door and opening it. Professor Dumbledore stood in the doorway, looking at Malfoy. "Draco, I need to talk to you," he said, glancing pointedly at Ginny.

Still staring at Ginny, Malfoy said, "Come in headmaster."

Dumbledore looked at Ginny and said, "Miss Weasley, you may go now. I know that you have more time left to your detention, but you will be excused this time. I have something that I need to talk about with Professor Malfoy here."

Ginny merely nodded and left the room without another glance at Malfoy. Walking back to Gryffindor tower she thought hard about what had just happened. Ginny, she commanded herself firmly, you are not falling for Draco Malfoy. You hear that? You are not falling for him. It was no good. She could tell that she was falling for him, and there was no stopping it.

The next morning Ginny woke up late, and had to run downstairs to make sure that she was able to have breakfast before going to her first class. When she got to the Great Hall she glanced up at the high table and just looked at him for a moment. I don't understand it, she thought as she watched him talking to Professor Snape. He's been the guy I've hated most in the world for so long now, yet I find myself falling for him. How is that possible?

"Ginny," Meg said, waving her hand in front of Ginny's face, trying to get her attention. "What are you staring at Malfoy like that for? Trying to decide how to kill him in retaliation for whatever he did to you during detention?" She looked hopeful at that last comment, and Ginny laughed.

"Sorry Meg," Ginny said, snapping her attention back to her friends, "I was just spacing out."

"So? What'd he make you do?" Debby asked, looking curiously at Ginny.

"Organize his classroom," Ginny answered. "However, Dumbledore had to talk to him about something so he told me to leave early. That was a relief."

Her friends nodded, agreeing that it was lucky that she had been able to get out of Malfoy's sight. But at the moment, Ginny wasn't sure that she was glad that they had been interrupted. She didn't understand the way she felt about Malfoy, but she knew that she no longer hated him the way she had in the past. Quickly excusing herself, Ginny left the Great Hall and headed to Hagrid's house.

When she got there she saw Hagrid sitting on his front steps peeling potatoes. "'Ello Ginny!" He called, waving at the red haired girl walking towards him. "How are yer?"

"Hi Hagrid," she called back, smiling at him, "I'm good, except for that I had detention already." By this point she was standing right in front of him.

"Let me guess," he said, rolling his eyes, "that good-for-nothing Draco Malfoy was the one who gave you detention."

"Yes, he did," she replied, frowning slightly. Why on earth, she thought, do I care that Hagrid just insulted Malfoy? Arg! This is NOT happening to me! "Err, Hagrid," she said suddenly, "I just remembered something I have to do back at school. Sorry! I was going to stay and chat!"

"S'okay," he replied, returning to his potatoes. "See yer at class!"

"Bye," she muttered. Then she returned to the school and went back to her dormitory to lie down and think about Dra-Malfoy.

Just as she began to lie down on bed she heard a soft tap on the window. Groaning, she walked over and let the owl enter the room. She immediately recognized the school owl she had sent to her parents. Wondering what her anti-Malfoy family was going to have to say about the situation, Ginny opened the letter. In her mother's handwriting it read:

Dear Ginny,

We received your owl this morning. We are thrilled that the year is starting out well, but that piece of news that you delivered definitely brought down our spirits. You should have seen Ron's expression when I handed him the letter. It would have been funny if it hadn't been such a serious situation. I am sure that Professor Dumbledore had good reason for hiring, as Ron would say, "that slimy git," but I simply do not understand why on earth he would hire another Snape. We are all doing well, but we miss you. Hermione has been spending a lot of time here lately, although of course she goes to work every day. Harry and Ron are amazed at her determination to have this job. They thought that she would take at least a small break from all of her work, but not Hermione! We miss you and can't wait to see you at Christmas!

Love, Mum

Ginny laughed. She could very clearly imagine how Ron's face would have contorted as he read her letter. And as for her mother, who never insulted anyone, to have called Malfoy a slimy git, even covering it up by pretending to quote Ron, she must be really upset. Oh well, there was nothing they could do about it, so she paid the owl and let it go.

For the next few days nothing eventful happened except for Colin getting in major trouble for 'accidentally' turning Kildson's head into a lamp and Meg losing thirty points from Gryffindor for running in the halls in front of both Snape and Malfoy. Ginny managed to avoid running into Malfoy alone, but she couldn't avoid him forever. So, when she was heading towards DADA for their second class ever Ginny felt more nervous with every step she took. Her friends sensed her nervousness but assumed that she was worried that he was going to place another curse on her.

When they arrived at the classroom Ginny chose a desk all the way in the back of the room, as far away from Malfoy as possible. Malfoy walked in one minute late and sauntered to the front of the room where he turned around and faced them. Wow, Ginny thought while staring at him, He looks really- She cut herself off. No Ginny! You can't do this. He is a slimy git as Ron would say. You hate him. She sighed and shook her head slightly, running her hand through her hair.

Malfoy surveyed the class, his eyes resting on each student before moving on to the next. His eyes lingered on Ginny for a moment, his mouth twitching, before clearing his throat. "Today," he began slowly, sneering slightly, "we are not going to perform any more curses, as Dumbledore has requested that I refrain from inflicting them upon you for a little until you have learned more about blocking them. So, once again, I need a volunteer." No one raised their hands; in fact, they all shrunk back in their chairs. Malfoy sneered, smirking at their nervous faces. "No one?" he asked, leering at them, "No? Okay, I'll pick. Hmm..." he said, placing a finger on his chin and pretending to be thinking, "Let's have... Weasley."

Ginny glared at him and stalked up to the front of the room. "Now, now, Ginny," he said, grinning nastily at her and wrinkling his brow with distaste as her name passed through his lips, "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

Ginny just continued glaring, her friends following suit from their seats. "Now watch closely," Malfoy told the class. "Weasley here is going to focus on a happy memory--yes Mr. Creevey, just like with the Patronus charm, now don't talk--and she will make the happiness overcome the pain of the curse." He explained what he meant and then made Ginny try it. He put a simple hex on her, and she managed to overcome it, but where other teachers would have given her house points, Malfoy just scowled, and, of course, gave her a detention.

Ginny stormed back to her desk after being demonstrated upon and unfairly given detention, grabbed her books and started towards the door when Malfoy called out her name. "Weasley," he called, sneering at her when she turned around, "we need to arrange your detention."

Glaring at him, Ginny stalked back up to the front of the room. God he just killed her. "Malfoy," she said, glaring at him, and at the same time noticing his perfect mouth, "why do you keep giving me detention? What did I ever do to you?"

"Weasley," he replied, looking her straight in the face, "it is your fault that you have detention. Don't even try to blame me. Now, about your last detention...." He let his voice slowly fade away.

Ginny blushed, looking at the floor. "Err..." she muttered, knowing that if she looked up he would probably be smirking at her, relishing in her embarrassment. "Um..."

"Yes, that's right. You don't know what to say. Well let me tell you something: neither do I!" he admitted, now looking at the floor as well.

Ginny looked up at him and noticed that his ears were the tiniest bit red at the edges. He looked up, and their eyes locked. Then, before she could say anything, he grabbed her arm and brought his mouth down to hers, kissing her hard.