Better Luck Next Time, Prince Charming

Chapter One

A Most Profound Quiet

Ginny could hardly believe the string of bad luck that had followed her throughout the day: she had been late to two of her morning classes, tripped on the way into the Great Hall, and now she sat in Potions, her eyes fixated on Professor Snape, with her mouth wide open.

"Are you deaf?" he sneered, tilting his head. "Or did you just choose to ignore me, Miss. Weasley?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. She could feel the heat on her face, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She didn't even need to look around the room to know who was laughing at her - they were always laughing.

"You weren't listening - such a shame," Snape said softly. "I think a detention for tonight is in order."

"What?" Ginny said angrily. "That's not fair! I wasn't late."

"You just failed to pay attention," he said smoothly.

Ginny muttered something under her breath.

"What was that?" said Snape.

"Nothing," she hissed through clenched teeth.

The rest of the lesson went quite slowly, much to Ginny's dismay, and when they were finally able to leave, she was stopped by Professor Snape once more. She stood in front of his desk as he graded papers, neither saying a word for some time.

"I will not be here when you arrive tonight," Snape muttered, barely looking up.

"Then why-"

"However," he pressed on, "I have someone coming to fill in. You may leave now, Miss. Weasley."

Ginny didn't even bother to retort as she gathered her things and left. On her way back to the Gryffindor common room she was stopped by a snide comment that had her itching to grab her wand.

"Maybe you can persuade Snape to not give you a detention if you suck his-"

"Watch it, Pansy," someone said as they walked closer to Ginny. "Weasley doesn't sleep with teachers. She just sleeps with the students."

Blaise Zabini smirked at her as his arm slid around Pansy's shoulders in a friendly manner.

"Nice insult," Ginny hissed. "How did you even hear about my detention? You're not even in the same class as me."

"You know Hogwarts," said Pansy snidely. "Even the walls have ears."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you had nothing better to do than stand by the door and listen while he embarrassed me in front of everyone."

Blaise chuckled lightly. "I'm sure Pansy had nothing better to do, Weasley."

"You're not being very nice, Zabini. Or have you forgotten how upset the little Gryffindors get when you taunt them?"

Ginny stared behind her as an unfamiliar voice entered the conversation, and her eyes narrowed at who joined them. He looked around at everyone and smirked.

Ginny groaned. "What are you doing here?"

"Free corridor," Malfoy said smugly, glancing at her. "I was just catching up with my friends, Weasley. You know, something you don't have many of."

Ginny scowled at him.

"She has detention tonight with Snape," said Pansy, smirking. "I told her that maybe he'd reconsider if she su-"

Malfoy cringed. "Pansy, please, I don't need to hear that. Why you're prepared to go that far to make even her uncomfortable is beyond me."

"Since when do you care about how I feel?" Ginny snapped at him.

Malfoy turned slowly, his eyes cold as he said, "I don't care for filth. I just didn't care to hear about my Head of House like that. It's most unsettling."

Ginny didn't say anything as she left the three Slytherins standing in the hallway and headed to the Great Hall for lunch. She took her usual seat beside Hermione and sighed.
"Bad morning?" the brunette asked. "You look really angry."

"Professor Snape just gave me detention tonight, that's all."

"What did you do?" Harry asked, leaning forward so that he could see her. He watched her face closely.

"I wasn't paying attention," said Ginny sullenly. "It didn't help that Zabini and Parkinson found out about it."

"How did they find out?" Ron asked.

"You know, nothing is secret here for long," said Hermione tersely.

"It didn't help that Malfoy happened to come by too," said Ginny, groaning. "I didn't need the added insult."

"What did he say?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Don't worry about it," said Ginny dismissively. "I've got to get to the library and do some work for Transfiguration that I missed. I'll see you guys later."

A pair of gray eyes watched her as she left.

***

The library was empty, so she took a seat in the furthest corner away from the door and sat down. She threw her things on the table and was just about to open her book when she heard the door slam.

"Nobody knows we're here," said a quiet voice.

"This is wrong," said another.

There was a movement of chairs and a low hissing noise that turned into a slow moan, and some other sounds that Ginny really didn't want to hear, and then silence. She had moved to the floor, out of view if they had looked in her direction.

"You have to relax," said the male softly.

"I'm not nervous."

"Please. Your leg's twitching, you're nervous."

"Blaise-"

Ginny's eyes widened as she realized whose voice it was, and her stomach knotted. Slowly, she reached a hand out to grab her things, when she felt something wrap around her wrist.

"It seems we have company," he hissed, pulling her up. "What are you doing down there, Weasley?"

"I fell," said the petite redhead.

"Oh, that's bullshit," snarled the female. Ginny saw her legs swinging against the table she was sitting on, but couldn't see her body. "We interrupted your study session, and you were just going to wait it out until we stopped fuc-"

"Easy," said Blaise as he craned his neck. "We don't need her telling the whole school about us, do we?"

Pansy Parkinson slipped into view now, her long, dark hair tousled, her eyes flashing with anger. "If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I will personally make your life a living hell. Do you understand?"

"I won't," Ginny said as she gathered her things. "Who would believe me?"

"Good," spat Pansy. "Because if Draco knew-"

"Malfoy?" Ginny said, whirling around, her eyes wide. "What does he have to do with - Oh, I see."

"Do we have your word?" Blaise asked, frowning at her.

Ginny nodded and picked up her things. Once out in the hallway, she leaned against the wall, struggling to wrap her head around what had just happened. She hadn't realized how late it had gotten until she heard the students being let out of class.

Her mind was occupied as she made her way to the dungeons.

***

She stood at the door to the Potions classroom, her eyes on the knob. She stared at it before turning it and opening the door. Her eyes fell on the tables first, and then the desk, where someone sat.

He looked up and smirked, his gray eyes cold.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in."