Trademark smirks and Temperamental redheads

Chapter Eight -Spring warms the heart (Fifth Year)

The Christmas vacations had ended, and the Hogwarts hallways were once again filled with the chatter of students as they made their way to classes. Ginny had been especially surprised to see her friend Sara walking hand in hand with Terry Boot, the Ravenclaw Prefect. Sara had later explained to her excited friends that they'd met during her ski trip in Switzerland. Terry had offered to give her skiing lessons and they'd ended up falling in love in the snowy-white mountaintops of the Swiss Alps. They'd even shared a romantic flight above the picturesque landscape on his broomstick.

Ginny was glad Sara had returned to normal, and the three friends reverted back to their daily routines contentedly. Snickering in Divination, giving each other worried glances during Transfiguration, and shooting death glares at Snape's backside in Potions.

It was with a lighthearted, cheery mood, that Ginny welcomed the spring; as the snow melted away and the Giant Squid was once again able to reign the lake, covering it's vast surface with tiny ripples.

Spring had a much welcomed effect on the student populace at Hogwarts, and many an amorous couple could be spotted around the lake and in shady corners of the school grounds.

It was a time for declarations of love, and for those less plucky, a time for anonymous love letters containing various corny phrases including but not limited to: my love burns hot as a Dragon's fire; your hair is like golden snitches flying in the sun; your eyes are as blue as a pixie; your father must've been one hell of a wizard, he took the stars from the night sky and put them in your eyes; who needs the Cheering Charm when they can just look at you; and your beauty is more powerful than any Imperius Curse." These letters usually ended in: I will be waiting in the Astronomy Tower, meet me there at midnight.

So why was Ginny surprised when she returned to the Gryffindor Common Room one day in time to overhear Harry talking to Ron about a secret Valentine?

~~~

"What do you mean you think?" Ron asked him skeptically.

"Well, I just think that she's more of a sister to me than anything else," Harry replied, not meeting the taller boy's eyes.

"It's just a date at Hogsmeade Harry. Take her for a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, buy her some sweets at Honeydukes, that sort of thing," Ron said, goading Harry.

"I don't know..."

"You promised you'd ask her out this year! I even got the Valentine card ready and everything. You can't back out of it now! Think about how happy she'll be," Ron pressed.

Ginny felt she had a good idea just what the two boys were talking about, she could feel her face growing hot with anger. How dare Ron do this to her, did he honestly think he had the right to interfere with her affairs like this? And Harry, had the fame really gone to his head that he'd agree to play along with such a charade? This wasn't the Harry Potter she'd pined after for four long years, her hands shook slightly as she stepped forward to make her presence known.

"Hello Ron, Harry." She nodded her head stiffly at them. "What a pleasant evening, perfect for discussing pranks to play on your baby sister isn't it Ron?" she glared at him then, satisfied when he cowered slightly and stared down at his feet.

"Ginny, it's not what you think-" Harry tried to explain.

"Really?" Ginny cut him off, turning her silent glare on him. Harry followed Ron's lead and stared at his feet.

A chilly silence descended on the Gryffindor common room, despite its warm decorations of scarlet and gold. Hermione appeared at the foot of the staircase to the girls' dormitories then, looking distractedly from one guilty face to the next.

"Ron," Hermione said in a quiet voice. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Not now Hermione, I'm a bit busy. Why don't you go to the library and read a nice book," Ron replied distractedly as he watched Harry and Ginny's exchange. Hermione glared at him furiously, which would have been much more effective had Ron actually been looking in her direction.

"Hmph! Fine then!" Hermione said in a huff, and left through the portrait hole.

"Ron?" Ginny began, never taking her eyes off Harry.

"Yeh?" Ron asked, backing away slightly.

"I sent Hermione a valentine confessing your undying love for her."

"What?! You what...Ginny!" Ron scurried out of the portrait hole after Hermione.

Harry's gaze settled on the portrait hole, desperately wishing Ron had taken him along as well. He looked up to see Ginny's icy glare, taking on the expression of a cornered animal.

"Ginny, I'm sorry. Ron thought you'd like- "

"I'm not interested in what that prat thinks," Ginny ground out icily, making a mental note to deal with Ron later. "I want to know what you think. Did you think it was funny to have me following after you like a little puppy all these years? Was it funny for you when the whole school laughed at me for my valentine in second year? Did you enjoy it when I defended you against Malfoy and let him taunt me like that? It was all entertainment to you wasn't it?"

"Ginny it wasn't like that," Harry protested weakly. Ginny shook her head at him in disgust, blocking out his words. She didn't hear what he said to her, noticing only that her body was shaking. It took her a few moments to realize why.

Ginny was angry, furious in fact, at Harry for not giving a damn about her, at Ron for sticking his nose in things that didn't concern him; but mostly at herself, as she felt the tears well up in her eyes. Why did she cry for him when he couldn't even bring himself to care about her feelings?

Determined to keep her composure while in Harry's presence, she walked calmly to the portrait hole. Ignoring the loud beating of her heart echoing in her ears, she managed to climb gracefully out of the hole. Once outside, she promptly dropped all façades and took off down the corridor as if she had Fluffy on her tail.

Ginny slowed down on her way to the library and hesitated, deciding it'd be better for her to go out onto the school grounds. Ron and Hermione were probably still in the library trying to confess their love for each other. She was not in the mood to watch as those two stuttered at each other, although in Ron's case it'd be more appropriate to use the word 'splutter'.

~~~

Draco was sitting atop the gnarled branches of his old oak tree, gazing into the murky depths of the lake. He had quickly adopted the oak after the incident with Ginny Weasley in second year, making regular visits here when he wanted to think or be alone. From his elevated position on the branch, he quickly noticed the Weasley gil as she hurried from the main building and crossed the grounds to the lake.

She sat by the edge of the lake, absently picking up a few small rocks, and tossing them into the water. A particularly large one just managed to miss the Giant Squid's tentacle by a half inch.

"I doubt the squid appreciates your efforts to create dents on its body Weasley. May I suggest you cease your rock tossing, before it decides to take you for a swim at the bottom of the lake?"

"All the better for you isn't it Malfoy? Why would you care if I was attacked by it?" she replied bitterly.

"Well because Weasley, then I'd have to discard my valuable clothing in order to jump into the lake after you." At the mild look of surprise on the redhead's face, he continued hesitantly. What the hell was up with him? "As much as I'd love the prospect of one less Weasley to put up with, it is my duty as a Prefect to aid those in need."

"What if I told you I would willingly allow the Giant Squid to drag me into the water? Then you'd have no business saving me." Draco's eyes flickered slightly at the Weasley's morbid words.

"Why the sudden attraction to suicide, Weasley? You've finally realized the great Harry Potter isn't all he's cut out to be?" As soon as the words were uttered, Draco knew he had screwed something up.

Weasley turned on him. Her eyes glazed over with fury - mixed with her fiery red hair, it made a fierce combination.

"Don't. Ever. Mention his name to me again Malfoy. I want nothing to do with that inconsiderate idiot! If you ever say another word to me about him, I will hex you so many times, you'll never be able to fix that perfectly aristocratic nose of yours again!" She stomped her foot a few times for emphasis and looked like she was trying to tear her hair out. Draco just stared at her in bewilderment.

"I hate being a Weasley! Why? Why can't I just be me? Just Ginny, instead of 'Ron's little sister', or 'the youngest Weasley' or 'Harry Potter's fan club'." She was kneeled on the ground, her hair covering her face; her hands still busy trying to tear it out.

Draco looked at her, and before he knew what he was doing, he had wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him. She struggled violently, thrashing two tight fists against his chest. But Draco only tightened his grip on her, after an eternity, she finally gave up and sank into his embrace. He could hear her softly whimpering against him, he patted her shoulder awkwardly, having never experienced the need to comfort anyone before.

They stayed that way for a long time until her weeping had subsided. Draco silently breathed a sigh of relief; he was not used to sudden outbursts like this. He slowly moved away from her, until he was holding her at arm's length, trying to see her face through her knotted hair.

"Weasley?" he whispered softly, afraid that anything louder would cause another outbreak from the delicate form in his arms. He brushed her hair aside, tucking it behind her ears, her eyes were swollen and her face flushed.

"I'm fine," she whispered just as softly. She raised her eyes to meet his, and gave him a small hesitant smile. "Thank you."

He stared into her eyes, momentarily speechless. He looked away uncomfortably.

"Er, do you, maybe, want to sit up there?" he asked uncertainly, pointing to the branches of his oak. "It has a nice view, maybe it'd help you feel better."

She gave a small nod, and he easily helped her up. Once again, he leaned against the trunk as she held onto his arm for support.

"I'm sorry." Draco looked up at her, unsure of what she meant. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you like that. Ron and Harry, they -" she paused.

"You don't have to tell me Weasley." She looked back at him, and then looked out towards the lake.

"He promised Ron to ask me out this year, even though he doesn't actually like me." She looked down at her hands then, her eyes unmoving. "I just felt...so betrayed. I know Ron's just trying to help, but sometimes, I just want to whack him over the head with a particularly heavy book."

"Well if it was me, I'd just stick his head down a toilet and flush it a couple of times. It could help to clear his mind a little, that is, if there's anything in that big empty head of his in the first place."

"Malfoy!" she looked up at him reproachfully, which wasn't very effective as he could see the traces of a smile trying to form at the corners of her lips.

"What?" he asked innocently, his mouth forming a defiant smirk. Weasley smiled at him, before looking out into the darkness.

"Do you remember when I was a first-year? We sat here, just like this. And you told me that he didn't care about me. Maybe I should have listened to you after all," she said, slightly bitter.

"I'd say 'I told you so' but I don't want you bawling on me again," Draco smirked, as she punched him on the shoulder, looking indignant. "Wasn't that when you were telling me about your cat, Tom?"

She looked at him guiltily. "Well, Tom wasn't really a cat."

"Oh?" he inquired with an interested expression.

"More of an enchanted diary."

"Virginia. My father -" he paused suddenly, had he just called her by her first name? He winced, waiting for her reaction. But she merely shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. It's passed now, I don't want to blame anyone, it was my own foolishness that got me into this mess anyway."

"Do you...do you still think about him?" Draco asked uncertainly. She was silent a while before replying.

"Sometimes, I have dreams, about when I was in the Chamber of Secrets. It was before Harry came to rescue me, I don't really remember much of it, just that I was in a dark chamber, beneath a huge statue of Salazar Slytherin. And then Tom just appeared in front of me, slowly becoming more and more solid, and I could feel myself getting weaker. It felt like a part of me was being drawn out, and I felt so tired, so weak, I couldn't understand it. It had been...wonderful, having his diary to write in. He'd taken in all my woes and troubles, and comforted me, I thought I had found solace with him. He was my first friend." She turned to look at Draco, tears once again spilling down her face.

But she wasn't the frantic Ginny she'd been a moment ago, her face was calm, with a weary acceptance of what had happened to her. Draco briefly felt a slight stirring at the pit of his stomach. He remembered laughing at her suffering, when the story of the Chamber of Secrets had been revealed at the end of second year. He had a sudden urge to launch his head into the trunk of the oak, how could his father have caused such anguish to this gentle creature in front of him?

He leaned forward slightly, gently urging her into his arms, she rested her head against his chest, holding tightly onto him.

"Why do you call me Virginia?" she asked suddenly.

Draco shrugged, he didn't even know himself. "I guess because Potter and your brothers all call you 'Ginny', I don't want to be like them, I'm special," he finished childishly, a small grin on his face.

"I like you calling me Virginia. It's...nice. I feel all grown up and special," she said after a while, she looked up at him and smiled, red eyes and damp cheeks.

"Virginia," he whispered softly. "It's late, you'll be missed in the common room. Are you ready to go back?"

She nodded, and he jumped down from the branch, turning around to catch her and place her lightly on the ground.

"I'll walk you back to Gryffindor Tower," he said, eyes questioning.

She nodded and they walked back together, both silently thinking about the night's events. When they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ginny stopped and turned around to face him.

"Will you forget about this tomorrow? Will we go back to hating each other?" she asked, studying his eyes, waiting for him to respond.

"Is that what you want?" he asked instead.

"No," she answered simply.

He let out a long breath, running his hand through his thickly gelled hair. He could feel her studying him intently, as if trying to figure out his secrets. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew he would no longer be able to look at her and feel the disgust he had held for the Weasleys for so long.

He placed his palm on her right cheek, brushing the soft skin there with his thumb. They looked at each other for a long time, as if deciding whether this was real or a dream. Finally, he dropped his hand and turned around, walking briskly down the dark corridor, heading for the Slytherin common room.

"Then we won't," he stated curtly. "I'll see you around Virginia."