Ginny Weasley and the Heirs of Darkness

Chapter Five: Fireplaces, Flagstones, and Flickering Lights

Most of Ginny's ire had dissolved by the time Harry and Ron returned to the Burrow with her books, but the days before she was to leave for prefects' training passed slowly, the air between the three of them sizzling with an uncomfortable uncertainty. On the morning of the day they were to head for Hogwarts, Ron retreated into his room, haphazardly packing his things, and Harry was forced to seek Ginny out. She had fully expected, after her outburst, to be once again ostracized from their little group, but apparently Harry valued their short relationship more than she had thought.

"Gin? Could I talk to you for a bit?" Once again, Harry's dark head of every-which-way hair was poking up through the hatch at the top of the treehouse ladder.

Hiding the book she'd been reading, which was called 'Hounding Hexes and Curses Without Countermeasures,' by Tabitha Drakesoot, Ginny gave him a wary smile. "Sure. I have a little bit of time before I leave."

Harry settled himself on a pile of pillows across from her, staring at his hands uncomfortably. "Look, Ginny, I'm not really sure what happened the other day at Diagon Alley, but if I made you mad, I'd like to apologize."

"It's alright, Harry," Ginny replied, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. In reality, it wasn't alright at all, but she was tired of being angry with him. She just wished he could see her perspective.

Harry's eyes lit, and Ginny was suddenly glad she'd lied to him. "Really? Great!" He snuck closer to her, casually tossing an arm over her shoulders. "What were you doing up here, anyway?"

Showing him the spine of the book while keeping her fingers laced over the title, Ginny replied lightly, "Oh, just some summer reading."

Harry gave a mock yawn. "You and Hermione both," he said, instantly bored. Books tended to do that to Harry. "Want to do something else instead?" he asked, mouth very close to Ginny's ear. He kissed her cheek, then ran his lips down her jaw and over to her mouth.

She giggled. "I think I could be persuaded." Even though they really hadn't resolved the issue, this was so much better than being angry with him.

The morning slipped away as if by magic, and suddenly Mrs. Weasley was yelling from the back door, "Ginny, time to leave for Hogwarts!"

Though the school was not normally connected to the Floo network for security reasons, and to prevent the wealthier students from taking afternoon trips into London, the four common room fireplaces were open for a brief period on the day when the prefects were meant to arrive for training. Ginny and Ron had been sent parchments with the precise time the fireplaces would open, and since their mother was paranoid, she wanted them to leave as soon as humanly possible.

Ron went first. Grinning to see his sister and Harry walk into the kitchen hand-in-hand, he gave Harry a cheery wave goodbye, then tossed the powder into the flames. "Gryffindor common room, Hogwarts," he said clearly. With a flicker and a great "whoosh," he was gone.

Giving her mother a pointed look, Ginny stepped in front of Harry, mostly blocking Mrs. Weasley's view of them. "Have a lovely three days," she said quietly.

He nodded. "You, too. I'll miss you."

"I know," she teased, smiling. She reached up and kissed him, prolonging it until she heard her mum clear her throat impatiently. Tossing Mrs. Weasley a saucy grin, Ginny flung her handful of powder into the fireplace. "Gr-"

"Gin, wait, we have something for you!" The twins had pounded down the stairs and burst into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley let out a sharp gasp, and Harry looked alarmed- he knew full well what happened when one said a destination improperly.

But it was too late to stop Ginny. "-mon room," she finished, stumbling forward into the flames.

Drat, now I've really done it, she thought irritably, watching the flickering lights of a thousand fireplaces whiz past. One in particular zoomed into bright focus; before she could even find her bearings, she was tumbling out through the vent, quite certain she was not in the common room of familiar Gryffindor Tower. The floor under her hands was hardwood, not flagstone, and the air had a vaguely musty paper-and-ink sort of smell, instead of the warm pine that permeated the Gryffindor lounge.

A pair of perfectly polished designer shoes was directly under her nose. "Hello," said an amused voice from above.

Ginny looked up, groaning internally when she saw the dancing eyes of Cho Chang looking down at her. Of all the people to look a fool in front of, Ginny would have preferred someone other than Miss Perfect Ravenclaw, thank you very much. She admired Cho, but the admiration was tinged with a vague irritation that anyone should have such a charmed existence. Smart, pretty, brilliant at Quidditch; was there anything Cho couldn't do well?

Brushing herself off, Ginny rose, summoning up every remaining shred of dignity. "Hello," she replied pleasantly, as if she were not an obviously out-of-place scarlet and gold Gryffindor in a sea of blue and bronze. "Afraid my brothers interrupted me when I was Flooing in, and I got a little bit off track. Sorry."

Unable to stop herself, Ginny's eyes were eagerly committing every corner of the room to memory. She had never been in the common room of one of the other houses before, and she wanted to cement the moment in her mind. Ravenclaw Wing, unlike Gryffindor Tower, was located entirely on one level, and greatly resembled a library, though it was filled with plushy blue couches and chairs, and the shelves lining the walls contained their fair share of games and other paraphernalia as well as a slew of books. The floors were a caramel-colored wood, with the occasional blue Persian rug. The windows were high, clerestory, and leaded in the Ravenclaw colors.

Cho smiled. "It's fine. At least you still ended up at Hogwarts- there are worse things that could have happened." She un-tucked a piece of parchment from her pocket and watched with satisfaction as a red line drew itself through the name Virginia Weasley. "Great, only two left to arrive. Welcome back, by the way."

"Thank you, you too," Ginny said. She indicated a nearby door that seemed to be an exit from the common room. "So, if I take that door, where will I end up?" she asked jokingly.

Cho's dark eyes sparkled with amusement. "Not the seventh-year boys' dorm, if that's what you were hoping for," she replied easily. "Corridor by the library. Take two lefts, and you'll be in familiar territory."

Ginny smiled gratefully, refraining from telling Cho that, thanks to the twins, no public part of Hogwarts was unfamiliar territory. "Alright. See you at dinner."

Happily ensconced in the Gryffindor fifth-year girls' dorm, Ginny hurriedly unpacked her clothes and reveled in the peace and quiet that was so rarely present in Gryffindor Tower. Ron's head poked in the door, interrupting her solitude. Just like home, she thought wryly.

"Hey, Gin, it's six, ready to go to dinner?"

"Yeah, hang on," she said, smirking at her brother. "Is Hermione here?"

Ron looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "Um, Ginny. It's Hermione. What do you think?" He grinned. "She's already at dinner, probably pretending to preside over a crew of first-years."

Ginny laughed. "Nice, Ron. Good to know you two are so madly in love."

He shrugged. "Is it not true? Come on, let's go. This is a good dinner, you don't want to miss it."

Trust Ron to deflect any type of conversation with a mention of food.

Halfway to the Great Hall, they heard drifting snippets of a rather energetic argument. Actually, it was less of an argument and more of someone being yelled at by a girl with a sharp, shrill voice.

Rounding the corner, the Weasley siblings were forced to smother a chuckle; in the middle of the hallway, looking as bored as a student in one of Professor Binns' classes, was Draco Malfoy, leaning elegantly against a pillar while Pansy Parkinson shrieked angrily in his ear.

"-and I can't believe, after all this time, Draco, that you wouldn't bother to tell me that-" Eyes falling on Ginny and Ron, Pansy's screeching ground to a halt, and she stood in the hallway, flushed and shaking.

"Lovers' quarrel, Malfoy?" Ron asked snidely as he and his sister passed the two Slytherins.

Draco's gaze didn't even flicker in Ron's direction- instead, his eyes were boring into Ginny. "Weasley," he drawled, ignoring both Ron and Pansy. "It was good to talk with you the other day."

Ginny felt the floor drop out from beneath her. Malfoy- he had known it was her? But how? Scrambling after her composure, she said coolly, "I'm sure it was. Now if you'll excuse me, my brother and I are wanted at the Gryffindor table." She glanced at Pansy. "You might want to ask your girlfriend to leave, Malfoy; dinner is meant for prefects only." With a toss of her sheet of bright hair, Ginny grabbed Ron's arm, pulling him away from the bickering pair before he could make the situation worse. Open mouth, insert foot was a specialty of Ron's, after all.

"Gin, slow down," he panted. "There's no need to run." He looked at her askance. "What was that all about? When did you see Malfoy?"

"Diagon Alley," she said, hoping her tone would indicate that the subject was closed.

"He didn't do anything to you, did he?" Ron inquired, mind conjuring up all sorts of evil things Malfoy could have said or done to his little sister.

"No," Ginny snapped, a sharp edge to her voice. "Leave it, Ron."

Ron raised his eyebrows but didn't push the topic.

The dinner was quiet and informal- all the long tables had been banished, replaced by small round tables, one for each House. Most of the professors were gone; only the four Heads of House- Flitwick, Snape, McGonagall and Sprout- were present, so there was an air of holiday about the meal. After everyone had finished the first course, Cho Chang rose from the Ravenclaw table, tapping a spoon against her goblet of pumpkin juice to draw attention.

"Excuse me for just a moment, everyone. Jaron and I," here she gestured for Jaron Stebbins, the Head Boy, to stand, "would like to welcome you all back to Hogwarts. We promise that although the next few days will be full of hard work," a chorus of groans, especially from the experienced prefects, "we've planned plenty of fun into the training schedule." She waved a sheet of parchment. "For those of you so inclined, we'll be going into Hogsmeade for an evening at the Three Broomsticks, with Hogwarts picking up the bill."

A round of applause reverberated throughout the Hall. Cho smiled. "But you have to sign up if you want the free butterbeer, so remember to see me tonight after dinner. Final note," she said, and her tone turned serious. "There will be no inter-house pranking of any kind this year." Her gaze raked sharply over the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables. "Anyone caught harassing a member of another house," she paused reflectively, "or, for that matter, their own, will lose their badge on account of un-prefect-like behavior. Am I understood?"

Nods all around. Cho smiled again, demeanor pleasant once more. "Good. Enjoy the rest of your meals, then, see me after dinner if you'd like to go tomorrow night, and feel free to direct any questions to either myself or Jaron. Thank you." She sat down.

Ginny frowned. Inter-house pranking? She wondered just what had gone on last year. Cho had definitely looked specifically at the Gryffindor table, and Ron, along with seventh-years Katie Bell and Skylar Kellog, had squirmed uncomfortably. Cho had looked at the Slytherins, too, but then, Slytherins weren't known to be the type to squirm. Blaise Zabini had been the picture of innocence, Jillian Iwasaki and Dmitri Baxter had just looked vaguely annoyed, and Draco Malfoy had met Cho's gaze, not the least bit unnerved.

Draco. Ginny's frown deepened into a scowl, especially when she glanced up and saw him looking at her. She held his eyes with her own for a moment, then glared nastily and looked away. Bastard. Her stomach turned, and she felt uneasy. She wasn't quite sure how to react to the fact that he'd known who she was during their Diagon Alley encounter, and she wondered if it was something she should be worried about. Was she going to be in trouble for stealing the clothes?

Unbidden, she looked toward the Slytherin table again. Draco was chatting quietly with his fellow sixth-year, Blaise, and Ginny took the moment to study him a little more closely.

The conclusions she had made at Diagon Alley were definitely correct. He was gorgeous, in an icy, fallen angel sort of way. Silver hair falling in eyes of the same peculiar shade, long limbs, mouth that seemed to smirk even while he was speaking seriously. Ginny sighed, wishing Harry could have come along- then maybe she wouldn't be thinking these things. She tried to picture Harry, but her eyes kept sliding back to Draco.

He glanced up sharply, catching her in mid-stare. Her instinct was to blush and look away, but steeling herself, she kept his gaze again. To her surprise, he mouthed something to her. Probably some nasty insult, she thought. But no, he was trying to communicate something.

"What?" she found herself mouthing back, much to her own consternation.

Draco shook his head. "After dinner."

Before Ginny could stop herself, she nodded. "After dinner."

"Who are you talking at, Gin?" Ron asked, mouth full as usual, his eyes following hers in the direction of the Slytherin table. Hermione pinched him.

"Don't talk with your mouth full."

Ron, ignoring his girlfriend, continued to press his sister for information. "Gin?"

"Blaise Zabini," Ginny lied smoothly. "I need to talk to her about something related to Bronwen," she finished evasively.

"Oh." Ron, looking bored, returned to his mashed potatoes. Poking her fork idly into her food, Ginny wondered why on earth Draco wanted to talk to her. Probably to accuse her of something, or make fun of her, or otherwise be an obnoxious prat. She was still very unsettled by the fact that he'd recognized her the other day, and even more unnerved by the fact that he hadn't said anything to the Belletons. At least, she hoped he hadn't- sudden visions of a bevy of redheaded Dark wizards descending on the Burrow flashed behind her eyes.

Ridiculous, Gin, she reminded herself. No, for some reason, whatever Draco wanted to say, he wanted it kept quiet. Interesting, and more than a little creepy. Resolving not to think about it until she had to, Ginny stabbed her fork into her quiche, feeling on edge. Draco was making her nervous- life had been a lot easier when he was just an abstract thing, her brother's enemy that she ignored when possible.

Instead of a very attractive mystery who was easing his way under her skin. "Dammit," she muttered, exasperated with herself.

"Hmm?" Hermione asked, looking up from her conversation with Professor McGonagall. "Are you feeling well, Ginny?" The professor, too, looked concerned.

"I'm fine," Ginny replied sweetly. "But thank you for asking." Trying to distract herself, she turned to Katie Bell, who was sitting to her left. "So, Katie. I heard you made team captain this year. Any plans for the team yet?"

The brunette seventh-year smiled. She was meant to graduate last year with Ginny's older brothers, but the ferocious spell of dragon pox had kept her out of school most of the year and prevented her from taking her N.E.W.T.s. She didn't seem to mind much, since it meant she could be Quidditch captain this term- that privilege had gone to Angelina Johnson the previous year. "Not yet. I think we have a very solid team this year, though, don't you?"

Ginny nodded. Ron, Katie, and Dean Thomas were Gryffindor's Chasers, Colin Creevey and Oliver Wood's cousin Mimi were the Beaters, and of course Harry was Seeker. "I'm a little worried about myself, but everyone else should be excellent. Keep the Quaffle on the other end of the field, Katie, and I'll be fine." She winked.

Katie laughed. "Well, I'm sure we'll try, but if it does come your way, I know you'll do well." The older girl patted her shoulder confidently. "It really is a good team. I see the Quidditch Cup in our future."

"I hope so!" Ginny gave Katie another grin. "How good are your Divination marks?"

Another laugh from the Quidditch captain. "Not good enough, unfortunately. Rephrase: I think we can win the Cup this year." Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Better?"

The Cup had, to everyone's amazement, gone to Hufflepuff last year. It was, Ginny had heard from Laurana Godswift, currently holding place of honor in Hufflepuff common room, with the words 'In memory of Cedric' engraved on the base.

Dinner wound to a close, and the Ravenclaw table was rapidly mobbed as everyone rushed to Cho, eager to sign up for the Three Broomsticks evening. Ginny wavered. On the one hand, it would be a fun time, and she genuinely liked her fellow Gryffindor prefects. On the other, though, it would be an opportunity to wander the castle alone. Especially since, as a prefect, she was trusted to be responsible. She muffled a giggle behind her hand. Fools. That decided it- tomorrow night would be her chance to explore the library's Restricted Section.

Circe save me, I'm turning into Hermione, she thought. Passing up butterbeer to go to the library? But she had things, Dark Arts things, she wanted to read up on.

"Ginny?" She turned to see Blaise Zabini standing behind her.

She smiled. "Hi, Blaise. How are you?"

Blaise shrugged fluidly. "I've been better," she said airily. "Prefects' training is a complete waste of time." She produced a flat, silver-wrapped package from her dragon-hide shoulder bag. "This is from Bronwen. She meant to owl it to you for your birthday, but it's a bit heavy, and you know how lazy Phaedra can be. So she sent it with me.

"I don't know what it is," she continued before Ginny could ask, "so don't blame me for its contents, alright?" Her dark green eyes shone merrily for a moment, proof that Blaise did have just a sliver of a sense of humor. "Bronwen was very secretive about it. Oh, I almost forgot," she added, digging deeper in the bag. "Card."

"Thanks." Ginny toyed with the paper. "I'm sure I'll like it."

Blaise waved a limp wrist. "Well, I hope so. Anyway, see you tomorrow at the meeting. Have a nice evening." She rejoined Pearl Gedgrave and Jillian Iwasaki, who had been waiting impatiently. The three male Slytherin prefects were nowhere to be seen, and Ginny almost slumped with relief. Not only had Ron just seen her speaking with Blaise, backing up what Ginny had said to him earlier, but if Draco Malfoy had already forgotten he wanted to speak to her, so much the better.

Though there was a twinge of disappointment in that somewhere. Ignoring it, Ginny tore eagerly into the package from Bronwen. She gasped with delight- Bronwen had found it, the book they'd been looking for! Using the wrapping paper to shield the cover from curious eyes, Ginny hugged the book to her chest happily. She knew what she'd be doing tonight.

"Weasley. I thought we were going to talk." She spun around to see Draco standing behind her, eyes glittering with malicious amusement. "But if you'd rather stand here in the Great Hall, grinning like an idiot, I suppose I could catch you later."

"No," Ginny snapped, smile rapidly fading. "Whatever you want to say, say it now."

Draco glanced to where Ron was standing, waiting with Hermione to sign up for the Hogsmeade evening. "Aren't you going to sign up?"

"Already have," Ginny lied, not wanting Draco to know her plans. "Now what do you want?"

He looked offended. Raising his hands as if to shield himself from her wrath, he said mildly, "Just a moment of your time, Weasley, is that so much to ask?"

"You have it. Use it wisely."

Draco dropped the joking manner, and he seemed strangely disappointed. "I want to know why you were impersonating Georgine Belleton in Diagon Alley the other day."

"Why do you care?" Ginny snapped, figuring it wasn't worthwhile to deny it.

He seemed somewhat taken aback, then his habitual sneer took up residence on his face. "Because I'm guessing you had a reason for it beyond the chance to toy with a few foreign witches, and I'm curious." His tone suggested that he'd be amused if she had done it just to toy with a few foreign witches.

"Money can't buy you all the answers, Malfoy," Ginny said snidely, sidestepping him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do."

Draco opened his mouth, then bit back whatever he was going to say. There was a long pause. "Weasley," he finally called, trying to stall her.

"What?" she asked, exasperated.

He grinned, and she couldn't repress the fleeting thought of, Could he be more gorgeous? "That's a good book."

Ginny looked down, realizing the paper had slipped off the cover, revealing 'Rationalizing the Dark Arts: An Auror Discusses the Need to Study the Other Side,' by Sirius Black. She gave him an appraising look. "You've read it?"

A miffed expression crossed his face. "Of course. I won't hold the fact that he's Potter's godfather against him- Black is a good writer."

Ginny nodded. Sirius had been cleared earlier in the year thanks to Dumbledore, but Harry still had to live with the Dursleys due to Sirius's uncertain financial situation. The royalties he received from the books he wrote before his Azkaban time just weren't sufficient to support him, and until Sirius was either reinstated as an Auror or could write another book, it seemed as if Harry would be forced to spend yet another summer with his Muggle relatives. "Have you read 'Dark Arts Explained: An Auror's Handbook?'"

"Yeah." Draco tapped the book in her hands with one long finger. "But this one is better."

"Really?" she asked, trying to ignore the nagging voice in the back of her head that whispered What are you doing, chatting with Draco Malfoy about Dark Arts manuals? "I thought the other one was pretty good."

"It was. But this one is better." He narrowed his eyes at her. "I thought this edition was out of print, though. Where'd you get it?"

Ginny was tempted to irritate him by being evasive, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. "Birthday present from Bronwen Zabini." Which reminded her, she hadn't opened the card.

Draco looked surprised, and Ginny realized he hadn't known she and Bronwen were friends. A smirk appeared. "You have better taste in friends than the rest of your family," he said with a pointed glance at Ron and Hermione.

Laughter sparked in Ginny's eyes, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of a genuine smile. "Thanks," she said dryly. "See you tomorrow, Malfoy," she finished, dismissing him. Before he could reply, she had swept out of the Great Hall, skimming the note from Bronwen as she walked- it was an excellent way to distract her mind from thoughts of Draco.

Gin! Can you believe I found the book? Turns out Daddy had two copies tucked away in the library, so I lifted one for you. Hope you enjoy... and can I borrow it when you're done? He might notice if they were both to disappear. Happy Belated Birthday, can't wait to see you soon! Much love, -Bronwen

Ginny smiled. She missed Bronwen; it would be good to talk with her again. Ginny fully intended to grab Fiona and Bronwen, closet them in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, and tell them everything about Draco.

And Harry, she reminded herself hurriedly. Of course she would tell them about Harry. They would be so pleased for her, because Ginny herself was so pleased with her new relationship. She was so happy with Harry.

And she was sure she'd remember why just as soon as she saw him again.

***

It was late, and the fire in the hearth had weakened, flickering into a heap of smoldering wood and ash. Draco yawned, stretching his arms over his head. The other five Slytherins had gone to bed ages before, and he had jumped at the chance to have the common room all to himself. Granted, he had the sixth-year boys' dormitory to himself, too, but the common room was infinitely preferable for lounging. His room was drafty despite the summer heat, and he liked the warmth of the fire. He'd been lying here far too long now, mulling over his conversation with Ginny, wishing he could have said things differently.

The remark about her family and their choices of friends had just slipped out; he really had gone up to her with the intention of not being insulting.

But old habits died hard- mocking Ron Weasley was almost second nature to him by this point. And to Draco's surprise, Ginny hadn't seemed incensed; in fact, she looked like she was desperately struggling to hide a giggle.

The edges of his mouth curled upwards into a Cheshire smirk. He'd been concerned, when they first started speaking, that maybe he'd imagined her sarcastic sense of humor. But it was definitely there; he'd been pleasantly surprised by her jab at his family's wealth.

Draco groaned, struck by a painful realization. He was walking directly down the path his father wanted him to take- he was developing a rather embarrassing crush on the youngest Weasley.

As he had reflected the day before, that was not entirely a problem. She was pretty, she was smart, she was unbelievably obnoxious, and most importantly, his father wholeheartedly approved of her.

But she was a Weasley.

He could get beyond that eventually. It was mostly just a matter of reminding himself that at least she was a pureblooded witch, and it wasn't her fault that her father was an eccentric Muggle-lover. The fact that she was friends with Bronwen Zabini had been the evening's most pleasant surprise, and Draco had briefly toyed with the idea of enlisting the assistance of his fellow Slytherin. But if the two of them were close enough to exchange birthday gifts- well, perhaps it was best if Bronwen weren't involved.

No, the real problem was the fact that she was a Gryffindor. He shuddered. He knew that "Weasley" and "Gryffindor" tended to go hand in hand, but the Gryffindor aspect disturbed him on a much deeper level. She had been born into Weasley; it couldn't be helped. But Gryffindor- that was a statement about her personality, her outlook on life, her sheer willingness to jump in front of a flying hex if it meant saving one of her stupid friends.

Having founded his Hogwarts career on a sincere disdain for all things scarlet-and-gold, Draco was more than a little concerned about how his reputation would suffer if he was seen dating a Gryffindor.

Cross that bridge when you arrive at it, he reminded himself. Right now, you and Ginny have barely managed to have a three-sentence conversation. Dating is a long way off.

Returning to the Gryffindor problem, Draco reminded himself that the Sorting Hat had strong tendencies toward nepotism. He could clearly remember the words it had spoken in his head: Another Malfoy, eh? "SLYTHERIN!" It certainly hadn't asked him where he wanted to be. Not that Draco would have chosen otherwise, and he was still eminently satisfied about being one of the more prominent members of Hogwarts' premiere house, but he reasoned that Ginny might not be the same way.

Preceded at Hogwarts by two Gryffindor parents and six Gryffindor brothers, it was no wonder she ended up in the house of morons. Raise someone as a Gryffindor, and they'll end up in Gryffindor, even if their personal tendencies declare otherwise. Ideally, she wasn't nearly as attached to the idea of "glorious death as heroic cannon fodder" as her housemates. And playing at being Georgine Belleton even indicated that she might be just a little bit sneaky.

With that somewhat comforting thought, Draco headed for bed.

***

Ginny, too, had stayed up long after Hermione, Ron, Katie, Skylar, and Warren had gone to sleep, watching the dying embers in the fireplace, petting Hermione's cat and attempting to read her new book. Distracted in spite of Sirius's fascinating words, Ginny mulled over the events surrounding dinner, instead.

She wasn't able to arrive at anything conclusive, but she was feeling frustrated. Damn Malfoy anyway. What on earth had possessed him to start being pleasant to her? It was disrupting the natural order of things. Somehow, he'd managed to be both charming and amusing, two things she was certain Draco had no right to be.

Flopping her head back against the arm of the couch, Ginny stared at the ceiling, hoping the wooden paneling would provide some sort of answer as to why she kept thinking about Draco Malfoy.

"Nothing at all," she said to Crookshanks, who was leaning happily into her scratching fingers. "Utterly useless, that ceiling."

Crookshanks just cocked his head to the side. "Mmrow?"

Ginny nodded. "I'm confused, too." With a sigh, she lifted the cat off her lap, then brushed the fur from her skirt. "Time for bed, I guess." She tucked Bronwen's note into the place where she'd left off reading, making her way to the fifth-year girls' dormitory. The windows had been thrown open, and the fresh night air was wafting in from the north. Ginny inhaled deeply, smiling to herself. There was nothing like sleeping with the window open, and she was sure she'd rest well.

"Pleasant dreams," she murmured to Crookshanks, who had followed her up the stairs and was making himself comfortable on Grace Pensfold's pillow.

Snuggling deep under her covers, Ginny pushed away all thoughts of Draco and was asleep in moments.

Maybe it had just been too overwhelming of a day, or maybe she'd been thinking too hard about things, but Ginny's sleep was plagued with dreams, all of which were less than pleasant. When she woke the next morning, pale and shaken, she only remembered one of them:

She'd been standing in the intersection of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, uncertain which way she wanted to go. Harry had come up to her and started pulling on her arm, but wherever he was trying to take her, she didn't want to follow; she dug her heels into the cobblestones and refused to budge. Annoyed, Harry stopped tugging her arm and kissed her instead; when she shoved him away, she realized he had turned into Draco, and he was staring oddly at her, expression almost wounded. She started to apologize, but before any words were said, she woke up.

"What on earth?" she wondered aloud.

"Ginny? Are you awake?" Hermione's voice called from outside her door. "You slept through breakfast, but I brought you some toast and juice; you could have them during the meeting."

Groaning, Ginny rolled out of her bed, glaring at the clock on her nightstand. "Yeah, thanks, Hermione. Just a minute."

"We'll be downstairs."

Tugging on a pair of black trousers, her beloved boots and a white T-shirt, Ginny grabbed her training binder and hurried down the steps. "Did I miss anything at breakfast?" she asked her brother and Hermione, swallowing the toast in three bites.

Hermione looked mildly horrified at this, but didn't comment. "Cho went over the day's events. We're meeting this morning to discuss the weekly procedures, then we break for lunch, then the afternoon is spent in small groups working on problem-solving techniques. And tonight, of course, we go to Hogsmeade." She looked askance at Ginny, as if wondering if Ginny were even capable of tying her own shoes. "You did remember to sign up."

"Not going, actually," Ginny replied, gulping her orange juice as they walked to the Prefects' Room, which was two doors down from the Arithmancy classroom. She took perverse delight in needling Hermione from time to time.

The older girl looked shocked. "Not going? But, it's an event meant for the prefects to get to know each other. And Cho and Jaron planned it, and-"

"If they wanted everyone to go, it would have been mandatory," Ginny replied logically. "I'm staying here. Leave it." Striding past Ron and Hermione, she ducked into the room, taking the empty seat next to Mandy Brocklehurst, a sixth-year Ravenclaw. Ginny was sure Hermione and her brother shared a significant glance over her behavior, but she really didn't care. She was still feeling rather unsettled by last night's dream.

As if thinking about him conjured him into existence, Draco appeared in the doorway with the other Slytherins. Seating themselves comfortably in the back, Ginny privately thought they made a rather amusing wall of sullen boredom. Except for Blaise, who seemed to take a perverse delight in the inner workings of school bureaucracy. If she'd had anyone to bet with, and any money to gamble, Ginny would have put ten Galleons on Blaise being Head Girl next year. She practically hung on Cho's every word.

"Alright, we have just a few things to tell you about. For those of you who missed breakfast-" Cho's eyes rested briefly on five of the Slytherins, Ginny, and an embarrassed Ravenclaw whose name Ginny had forgotten, "-we will be spending the morning going over parliamentary procedure and discussing how daily rounds work and how you are assigned to rounds partners." She smiled. "Then lunch, and then we'll work in small groups."

Taking a deep breath, she concluded, "The whole point of having all of you come this year, instead of just the fifth-years, is that we are trying to promote inter-house interaction. This means that rounds will always be done with someone from a different house, and each of the fifth-years will be paired with a sixth-year student from a different house, who will act as a sort of mentor." She winked at her classmates. "Seventh-years are excused- we all have N.E.W.T.s to prepare for. Questions?"

Silence.

"Alright, excellent. Jaron is going to lead us through a practice meeting now-"

Slouching in her seat, Ginny zoned out the sound of Cho's voice, pulled out her book and began to read.

A foot kicked the leg of her chair, and Ginny looked up, annoyed. She turned to see Draco leaning forward, forearms resting on his knees. "What do you want?" she hissed, hoping Jaron and Cho wouldn't notice. One particularly goody-goody Hufflepuff gave them a pleading glance, but Ginny just glared witheringly and the other girl turned away, cheeks flushed.

"Just curious as to where you're at in the book," he said, voice pitched low. He indicated the front of the room, where Cho was now taking the group through some sort of bulleted list. "Talking to me has to be better than listening to that."

Ginny couldn't stop a smile. "That depends entirely on whether what you have to say is worth my time," she whispered back.

He raised his eyebrows sardonically. "Everything I have to say is worth your time, Weasley."

"Oh, really? And in what way did that particular comment benefit me?"

Draco looked shocked. "You had the honor of speaking with me. What more do you want?"

Ginny was about to reply when she realized the room had become rather quiet. Cho was standing next to them, one foot tapping the floor impatiently. She cleared her throat. "Ginny and Draco. I'm sure what you have to say to each other is incredibly important," she said waspishly in her best Professor McGonagall impression, "but I'm also certain it can wait until after lunch."

Her glare sharpened. "You, Ginny, need to pay attention, since I presume you don't know these things yet. And, Draco. You're a sixth-year. You should know better." Her eyes twinkled slightly. "Although I'm pleased by the sight of inter-house camaraderie, save it until noontime, alright?"

Ginny ducked her head in embarrassment, feeling Ron's eyes boring into her, but Draco just grinned. "Absolutely, Cho, don't worry. Weasley can flirt with me at lunch."

Snickers came from around the room, but Ginny, who vowed to make Draco pay for that little comment later, had an uncomfortable feeling that none of her fellow Gryffindors were laughing.

***

As soon as Cho signaled that they could leave for lunch, Ginny was out of her chair and practically flying toward the Great Hall in an effort to avoid Ron's bevy of questions. Besides, she was starving- maybe she could grab a plate of food, sneak it out, and eat by herself in a nook somewhere. Anything to keep her brother off her back.

No such luck. "Gin! Wait up!"

Pretending she hadn't heard him probably wasn't such a good idea at this juncture. Fine, she'd let Ron play at being big brother, than she'd placate him gently and be on her way. Right. "Yeah?"

He jogged to catch up with her, taking her elbow. "What was that, earlier?"

Ginny sighed. "What was what?"

"Don't dodge the question. Why aren't you going into Hogsmeade tonight, and why the hell were you talking to Malfoy?" Ron's voice had raised in pitch, and a passing group of Hufflepuff prefects turned to stare at him. None of them really understood the intense hatred between Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses.

"I'm not going tonight because I have other plans, and I'll talk to whomever I wish, Ronald," Ginny said in a falsely pleasant voice.

"Other plans?" Ron asked, voice lower again, but no less angry. "And do those plans include Malfoy?"

Ginny felt suddenly weary with the whole affair. "Would it really matter that much if they did?"

Ron's eyes widened. "Yes! Bloody hell, Gin, you're my sister, you're a Gryffindor, you're my best friend's girlfriend now. My best friend, who, if you'll remember, has hated Malfoy since the day they met! And you have plans with him? Damn right it matters!"

Ginny looked away, feeling suddenly guilty. She didn't know where this little rebellious side of hers had come from. "Look, Ron, I'm sorry, okay? I don't have any plans with Malfoy, really. I just don't feel like going out." She smiled at him. "My plans include my book, a bubble bath and maybe a mug of pumpkin juice. Alright?" she asked, taking her brother's arm and steering him toward the Great Hall.

A nod. "Alright. But, Gin? About Harry-"

"He's my boyfriend, Ron. And he's practically a part of our family. I- I care about him." She blushed, and Ron saw the old version of his baby sister again. "So don't worry." A bright smile. "And we'll be seeing him tomorrow!"

Ron nodded again, and they arrived in the Great Hall. Her brother was instantly distracted by the prospect of food, and Ginny let out a sigh of relief as they settled themselves at the Gryffindor table. It had been easy, really- Ron had even forgotten to make her tell him why she'd been talking to Draco in the first place. Now if she could just manage to avoid Malfoy until they all went home again tomorrow afternoon, everything would be fine.

Her luck held. The afternoon activity saw Draco in a different group- Ginny was placed with Damian Godswift, the older brother of her friend Laurana, a seventh-year Ravenclaw named Sylvester Zinhart, and Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff entering her sixth year at Hogwarts. The four of them worked well together, and easily solved most of the problems Cho and Jaron had invented- nervous first-years, spells gone awry, medical emergencies, homework troubles. Ginny felt fairly comfortable with the idea of being a prefect- this stuff was easy enough.

Then, Jaron moved on to cover prefects' rounds. "Basically, you are paired with another prefect, and the two of you walk the main hallways of the castle once every two hours. This is new this year- Professor Dumbledore feels that there have been too many breaches in security recently, and having the prefects keep an eye on things will help. The ghosts and portraits will also be keeping track of castle goings-on, so feel free to check with them as needed." Jaron paused. "A side note: Peeves the Poltergeist has been banished from the castle this year," a general cheer from the entire room, and Jaron grinned, "so let a teacher know if you encounter him at all.

"We'll walk you all through the standard round tomorrow after breakfast, but for now let's hand out mentoring pairs, and then you can have the afternoon to yourselves before dinner and the trip to Hogsmeade." He consulted a list. "Alright, Cho and I worked hard to put these pairs together, so we ask that you give them a try before requesting a change. Agreed?"

Nods around the room. "Okay," Jaron continued. He began listing names, and Ginny let his voice fade into the background, figuring she'd hear her name when it was called. She just hoped she wasn't paired with Draco. Her brother would hit the roof, and besides, she wasn't sure she wanted to deal with Malfoy anymore. Not at the moment, at least- she still needed to exact revenge for his snide flirting comment.

"Hermione Granger and Damian Godswift," said Jaron. Ginny looked up, and snickered when she saw their faces. Hermione seemed smugly pleased at the prospect of whipping a young Slytherin into shape, and Damian looked as if he'd been sentenced to death by boredom.

"Draco Malfoy and-" Jaron paused to adjust the parchment he'd been holding, and Ginny could feel her heart pounding nervously, "-Emerald Bethoone." Ginny slumped, relieved and slightly disappointed, too. Emerald was a Ravenclaw, and a dormitory mate of Fiona's; she was a very spunky girl, and could probably handle Draco fairly easily.

"Ginny Weasley and Cho Chang." Ginny glanced over, surprised, as Cho sat down next to her.

"But you're a seventh year. And Head Girl, too! Aren't you too busy to mentor me?"

Cho smiled. "I'm covering for Mandy Brocklehurst. She's doing a special project with Professor Sinistra this year, and won't be able to work with you. And I do have the time, don't worry."

Ginny nodded- she had heard that Mandy was absolutely brilliant at Astronomy, and had already been scouted by the British Magical Astronomers Guild for a job after she graduated from Hogwarts.

"You don't mind, do you?" Cho asked, raising her eyebrows at Ginny.

"Of course not!" She paused. "So, what exactly do the mentors do?"

Cho rolled her eyes. "You weren't listening to a thing Jaron said, were you?" She shook her head. "I'm starting to wonder how you could possibly have been chosen to be a prefect, Ginny."

"I've wondered the same thing myself," Ginny joked. "Sorry," she added hastily, rather unapologetic.

The older girl smiled again. "It's alright. Basically, the first two times you have rounds, it will be with me, and we'll meet for lunch once or twice a month to discuss how things are going for you. Feel free to come to me with questions at any time. In essence, I'm here to help when you need it. Also, if you have any problems with students older than you are, it's good to have a close relationship with an upper class prefect who can help." She winked. "You're lucky, since I'm not just an older prefect, I'm Head Girl. So you shouldn't have any trouble."

Ginny nodded. "Excellent." She fidgeted a bit. "So, can I go now?"

Cho laughed, shaking her head again. "Yes, you may go. But, Ginny?" she asked as Ginny rose to leave.

"Yeah?"

"Why aren't you going to the Three Broomsticks tonight?" She glanced down at one of her many lists. "I think you and Draco Malfoy are the only ones," she mused aloud. Then her eyes lit, and she remembered catching them talking during the morning meeting. "Ah, I see." She smiled. "Well, that's nice, then."

Ginny shook her head vehemently. "No, it's not like that!" She frowned. "I didn't even know that he was staying, too."

A nod from Cho, who still looked dubious. "He didn't say why, either." The pretty Ravenclaw shook her head. "Just don't get into any mischief, alright? Professors McGonagall and Snape would be very unhappy with me if two of their charges were caught breaking into Dumbledore's office or some such nonsense."

Ginny just rolled her eyes ceiling-ward. "Don't worry about that. The day Draco Malfoy and I work together on something is the day Filch can do magic." With a grin, she slipped out the door.

Her comment to Cho had been saucily flippant, but Ginny couldn't help wondering whether she'd truly meant it or not. She sighed, purposefully walking in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. Maybe she would take that bubble bath after all- this would be a perfect opportunity to take advantage of her prefectural privileges, and wallow in the scented water of one of the tubs in the prefect girls' bathroom. Changing direction abruptly, Ginny went down the hall and into the bathroom, which was gorgeously aromatic and a little bit steamy from its last use. Drawing a curtain around a private marble tub, Ginny peeled off her clothes and drew herself a warm bath of vanilla- and cinnamon-scented water. She inhaled a deep gulp of hot steam, then exhaled indulgently, closing her eyes and resting the back of her neck against the tub's cool rim.

She was very, very glad to be away from the stress of the meetings. None of them were particularly taxing, but between the acute boredom and the unsettling sensation of two pairs of eyes constantly resting on her (Draco and Ron had only looked away to occasionally glare at each other), lolling lazily in the tub was a sheer delight. And by the time the water had cooled to an unpleasant temperature (she hadn't bothered to set the Warming Charm), everyone would be gone, off to Hogsmeade for their precious free butterbeer.

Ginny smiled, stretching her arms over her head and yawning. In moments, she was asleep, the water lapping gently at her chin.

***

Disentangling himself from Emerald's incessant stream of questions, Draco scanned the room for the unique shade of Ginny's bright red hair. He found it, but wrinkled his nose in disgust when he realized he'd spotted the wrong Weasley sibling.

"Where'd she go?" he asked Blaise, who was seated nearby with her partner, Hufflepuff Larry Wentworth.

"Where did who go?" Blaise asked.

"Ginny Weasley. I wanted to ask her something about that book. The one your sister gave her."

"Oh, was it a book?" Blaise asked, toying with a strand of her silky chocolate-colored hair. She narrowed her eyes, expression abruptly calculating. "Why the sudden interest in her, anyway, Draco?"

Draco gritted his teeth. "I told you, I wanted to ask her about the book."

"Mmmhmm," Blaise replied knowingly. "I could have Bronwen ask her, if you want."

"About the book?" Draco asked, playing dumb. He didn't like where Blaise was taking this.

Blaise sighed, rolling her eyes at Larry, who looked distinctly uncomfortable at being included in an exchange between two older Slytherins. "Can you believe how thick he is?" she asked casually. She turned back to Draco. "If she likes you or not," she purred, tone making it clear that she wondered how she'd never noticed before just how stupid Draco really was.

Draco put his hands on the back of Blaise's chair, trapping her, then leaned forward so their faces were very close. "Do that, Blaise, and you will regret it sincerely." He pulled away sharply, eyes like steel. "Do you honestly think I would feel anything but disdain for a Gryffindor Muggle-lover like Weasley?"

Blaise continued to look bored, still idly twisting the same lock of hair. Five years of sharing a common room with Draco had bred a certain familiarity with his moodiness, and she wasn't impressed, though she could tell Larry was about ready to bolt. "Look, Draco, I was just commenting on my observations." She glanced across the room at Ron Weasley. "And you know her brother's noticed it, too."

Draco was about to reply when he noticed a nearby Gryffindor eavesdropping on their conversation. "Something you'd like to add, Granger?" he asked nastily.

Hermione jumped, clearly surprised at being caught. She twisted slowly in her chair, wide hazel eyes shimmering with anger. "You had best leave Ginny alone, Malfoy." Her mouth turned down at the corners, and her jaw was set. "I doubt Harry would take kindly to you harassing his girlfriend."

Internally, Draco reeled as if he'd been slapped, but he kept his external composure. "Following someone around like a lost Kneazle doesn't indicate a relationship, Granger." He grinned evilly. "If it did, Colin Creevey would be Potter's 'girlfriend,' too."

Blaise giggled in true housemate solidarity, and Larry squirmed uncomfortably, obviously wishing he were anywhere but in the midst of this Gryffindor-Slytherin spat. Hermione stood, eyes blazing. "Ginny and Harry are dating, Malfoy," she hissed, staunchly defending her friends.

Draco raised one eyebrow, expression betraying nothing but a vague amusement. "And what would a Mudblood like you know about it?"

Larry's eyes had widened to the size of Bludgers, and Blaise inhaled a sharp breath. "Too far, Draco," she murmured. "That was too far." Ron, as if somehow attuned to insults directed at his precious Hermione, was across the room in three long strides, face flushed crimson with anger.

"You take that back right now, Malfoy," he said, voice taut, fists clenched at his sides.

Before anything more could be said, a loud slam sounded from the front of the room, and they all turned to see Cho Chang standing on a chair, her face pale and angry. "Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and all seventh-years, to your common rooms. Everyone else, stay." A large tome was on the floor near the chair; Cho had dropped it, causing the racket.

Silently, over half of the group of prefects filed out of the room, alternately staring at Cho's livid expression or those left behind. Larry Wentworth gazed at the Head Girl adoringly; he was sure she'd saved him from certain doom as a crossfire casualty.

Lowering herself primly from the chair, Cho took her time walking over to the group of Slytherins and Gryffindors. Giving each of them a measuring glance, she said tightly, "Warren, Pearl, you may leave as well. Damian, as Hermione's partner, I'd like you to stay- perhaps you can help me piece together what happened here."

Cho irritably pushed her black fringe out of her eyes, which were darkly serious. "I am ashamed of all of you," she said quietly, demeanor that of an angry mother. "If this is the behavior of upper class prefects, I'd hate to see this term's crew of first-years. Now, I can't afford to lose four sixth-year prefects. But all of you, who are in the runnings to be Head Girl or Head Boy next year, should more than know better."

She looked first to Draco. "I've already spoken with you once today." Her brow furrowed. "Your perspective on Gryffindors seems almost schizophrenic, Draco. First, you can't be stopped from chatting with one, then you've got another one so riled up that it has almost come to blows." Her eyes slid to Ron, whose hands were still tightly balled into fists. "Ron, sit down," she commanded. "I'll get to you in a moment."

Back to Draco, expression introspective. "Perhaps the two are related," she mused, taking in Draco's crossed arms and frigid posture. "In any case, I'm tired of it, and Jaron is, too." Gaze expanding to encompass all of them, she said coolly, "You will all act in a mature fashion from this point onward. If you don't, you'll find that all your rounds this term will be taken together. Don't think I won't do it.

"Now, Damian, please tell me what happened." She looked at Ron and Hermione, daring them to say that as a Slytherin, Damian wouldn't be impartial. To her surprise, they were both silent.

Damian frowned. "From what I could tell, Blaise and Draco were discussing something. Then Hermione joined the conversation, and she and Draco snapped at each other. Ron came over, yelling at Draco, and then you dropped the book."

Cho nodded.

"Tell her what Malfoy called Hermione, Godswift," Ron hissed.

Damian glanced at Draco, but there was no help from his fellow Slytherin; Malfoy was staring stonily ahead, almost as if he was bored by the entire situation. Damian sighed, embarrassed that this was happening to him in front of Blaise. "He called her a Mudblood."

Cho's eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched. "Thank you, Damian. Why don't you go to your common room now?" she requested, voice creepily pleasant. Damian nodded, gathering his things and making his escape quickly, before Cho could change her mind.

The Head Girl seemed exhausted by the foursome in front of her. "I hardly even know what to say to the four of you, except that your behavior horrifies me." She looked to Blaise. "You seem to be the least involved, but next time, perhaps you could attempt to head off the situation before it fully develops. And Ron, though your desire to defend Hermione is admirable, fistfights will get you nothing but a bed in the Hospital Wing, likely right next to your enemy. Hermione, in the future, please stay out of private conversations. The three of you may go.

"Draco, I'd like to speak with you for a moment."

The other three left, Blaise casting a sympathetic glance in Draco's direction as she disappeared through the door.

Cho gestured at a nearby chair, and Draco sat, long legs sticking out sullenly before him. Cho pulled up a second chair, leaning forward and examining him for a moment, as if he were a peculiar new species that she didn't quite understand. Finally, she said, "Draco, Mudblood is an absolutely disgusting word, and you had no right to use it. Particularly to a fellow prefect, no matter how much you dislike her."

"I know," he said simply, voice like ice.

She nodded. "I expect you do. So why did you say it?"

He raised his cool silver eyes to meet her onyx ones. A fluid shrug. "I felt like it," he said petulantly, sounding like a spoiled child. Which, Cho reflected, he really was.

"I see. And would this childish tantrum have anything to do with Ginny Weasley?"

Draco's gaze was sharper than glass. "What do you know about that?"

Cho gave him a knowing look. "Only what I've pieced together. I know that the two of you are the only ones not going into Hogsmeade this evening. I know that she told me that she thought she was the only one staying in the castle tonight." Cho was pretty sure Ginny had lied about that, but she didn't have any conclusive proof. "And I know that I heard her exchanging angry words about you with her brother before lunch today." She crossed her legs, leaning back. "So how long have you been seeing her in secret?" Not knowing that Ginny was dating Harry, Cho had arrived at what she thought was a perfectly logical conclusion.

Seeing this as his chance to at least partially dodge Cho's potential punishment, Draco gave her a pitiful look. "A few months. Weasley just guessed at it today, though he doesn't know for sure- Ginny hasn't said anything to him about it." He faked nervousness. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

Cho shook her head, looking pleased with herself. She'd just known there was something between Ginny and Draco. "No, I wouldn't want to make the situation any worse than it is already. Just try to keep a low profile for awhile, and stay out of Ron's way, alright?"

Draco nodded as if he'd been thoroughly chastened. "Absolutely." He rose to leave. "And, Cho?"

"Yes?" she asked, basking in her ability to competently act as Head Girl. "What is it?"

He forced a saintly smile. "Thanks."

Cho nodded magnanimously, and Draco slipped out the door, feeling evilly smug. Cho had practically engineered that conversation in his favor- so absorbed in her own perfect skills of deduction, she hadn't even bothered to find out what was really going on. Smirking, Draco made his way back to the Slytherin common room.

He was only two steps from the entrance when he recalled what had angered him in the first place. His stomach twisted. Could what Granger had said really be true? Was Ginny dating Potter?

The idea was disgusting, but few people would know better than Granger- she and Weasley were both stuck to Potter's side like scummy residue on the rim of a rusty cauldron.

"Find the advantageous aspects of the situation," Draco reminded himself in an echo of his father's words. Alright. Ginny might be with Potter now, but she'd soon see the error of that decision. And when she did, Potter would be crushed- doubly so when he found out his little girlfriend had gone running to his most bitter enemy. Draco smiled. Not only could he easily do this, he would enjoy it.

***

The Slytherin common room had already emptied out by the time Draco returned- all of his housemates had gone into Hogsmeade early, apparently, to have dinner before they went to the Three Broomsticks. Idly, he wondered if any of the other prefects had decided to do the same. If so, the prospect of having dinner alone with Ginny was a pleasing one. Double-checking his appearance in the large silver mirror over the fireplace- "Handsome as always, Draco, dear," it cooed in a saccharine tone- he made his way to the Great Hall, mentally crossing his fingers that she would be the only one there.

For the first time that day, luck was with him. Sitting by herself at the Gryffindor table, wet hair pulled back into a disheveled bun, was Ginny Weasley, one hand holding her book while the other used a fork to push green beans around on her plate. The Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables were utterly deserted.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, keeping his tone lightly charming.

Ginny didn't look up from her book. "Sure, Draco, go ahead," she said, voice distant, mind clearly absorbed in what she was reading.

Food appeared suddenly on Draco's plate, and he poked at it disdainfully, not really hungry. "Why aren't you going tonight?"

Ginny tore her eyes away from the page she was reading. "What?" she asked, sounding somewhat exasperated.

"I said, why aren't you going tonight?"

She snorted delicately. "Not because I wanted to have dinner with you, I can tell you that much." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why aren't you going?"

"I'm allergic to butterbeer," he replied, eyes dancing.

Ginny tucked her bookmark in place, finally putting the book down. Victory number one, Draco thought. "You are not," she returned, expression a mixture of irritation and amusement.

Draco shrugged. "Alright. Would you be more inclined to believe me if I said I'm allergic to Hufflepuffs?"

She just shook her head, munching on a piece of sliced apple thoughtfully. "Damian Godswift's sister is a Hufflepuff," she said, knowing from Laurana that Draco associated with both Godswift siblings, something that had surprised Ginny greatly. Maybe he really only hated Gryffindors.

But then why did he insist on talking to her all of a sudden? Was it something she'd done when they were speaking in Diagon Alley? She'd been pleasant to him, joking sarcastically, but...

A sudden realization hit her like the weight of a Ton-Tongue Toffee. Could Draco be... interested in her?

Not noticing that Ginny wasn't paying attention, Draco nodded gravely, replying, "Well, then it's a good thing Damian isn't allergic to Hufflepuffs, isn't it?"

Ginny giggled, distracted from her errant thoughts. "I suppose so," she said dryly, vowing to herself that she would stop overanalyzing the situation.

"You seem to have quite a skill for avoiding questions," Draco said, giving her a measuring look. "You never did tell me the real reason you're in the castle tonight."

"And you didn't tell me that same thing, Mr. I'm-allergic-to-Hufflepuffs," Ginny riposted.

"I asked you first," Draco said, eyes glittering with amusement.

She sighed, slouching comfortably in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest, food entirely forgotten. For some reason, she felt compelled to be honest with him. After all, if he went running to Cho or Jaron with the information, who were they more likely to believe, Draco or Ginny? She figured her position was fairly secure. "I'm going to do some research in the Restricted Section."

Draco nodded as if this were the most natural thing in the world. "On what?"

Ginny froze, realizing she hadn't thought her plan through very far. She toyed with a few responses and decided to be obnoxious- it seemed to amuse Draco. "Well, I don't know yet. Being as it's restricted and all, I guess I'll have to find out when I get there."

He laughed, and it was a genuine laugh, not the malicious chuckle that indicated he'd gotten the better of someone. "Sounds like a typical Gryffindor plan."

"What problem do you have with Gryffindors?" Ginny asked, eyeing him warily. She had to admit, she was curious as to why Draco seemed to hate all of her housemates.

"Just with your brother and Potter, Ginny," Draco corrected. His eyes had lost all trace of pleasantness, and his expression was hard. Instinctively, Ginny inched her chair away slightly.

"Harry- he's my boyfriend, Draco," she said warningly, feeling on edge.

"So I heard," he replied, voice cold. Ginny's eyes widened.

"From who?" she gasped. She and Harry- it was meant to be a secret until the beginning of term! Then why did you just tell Draco Malfoy? her inner voice nagged. Glaring it into submission, she looked pleadingly at Draco. "Where did you hear that?"

His eyes shone now with a twisted type of smug triumph. "Granger," he said disdainfully.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked dully, face betraying her shocked disappointment. "Why?"

"Perhaps she's not the loyal friend you imagine her to be," Draco sneered, suddenly transformed into his usually nasty self. He rose, food completely untouched. "Have a pleasant evening in the library, Weasley."

He stalked out of the Great Hall, leaving Ginny to stare after him, wondering what on earth had just happened.

***

I cannot do this, Draco thought as he returned to the Slytherin common room for the second time, feeling much less in control of the situation than he had when he'd left. Granted, yanking Ginny away from the disgustingly complacent Potter had its potential benefits, but he wasn't sure he wanted to just end up with Potter's leftovers.

No, he'd have to wait for Ginny to become bored with Potter on her own, as she inevitably would, and then present himself as a much more desirable alternative. Toying with her now was a waste of his time, and it made him feel vaguely vulnerable, an altogether unfamiliar and excessively unpleasant emotion.

After all, if Blaise had thought he was interested in Ginny- well, that wouldn't do. Better by far to keep his reputation intact. Instead, he would appear in her peripheral vision just often enough to remind her that he existed, enough for her to be thinking about him, but not enough for others, particularly Potter, to notice.

Then, when Ginny eventually made her appearance as Draco's girlfriend, it would shock everyone, particularly the scarheaded King of Gryffindor. Draco smirked. This was a much better plan.

***