Fall From Grace

Chapter Two - Back to Hogwarts

"Do you think I have a theme song?" Hermione was bored of hearing about Ron's day with the Cannon's and was beginning to wish she had never got him the present. The Hogwarts Express was usually a place where she could have a normal conversation but after Ron got back they had talked about nothing else.

"Where did that come from?" Ginny laughed.

"It was on a Muggle Radio show. They had to give their friends a theme tune. What's mine?" Hermione shrugged.

"Muggle or wizard songs?" Ron asked

"Either." Hermione was pleased to hear him join in.

"Well, what's mine?" Ron scratched his head, looking worried at what they might say.

"Learn to Fly by the Foo Fighters," Harry said desperately trying not to laugh.

"Who?"

"They're a Muggle band, well I'm not sure about the drummer but I think they are Muggle. Really good too." Harry began to hum Ron's theme tune.

"But I can fly!" Ron protested, "Harry's is that fella...oh...umm...the one with the leather pants. Anyway the song's called Hero. That's Harry's."

"Funny, Weasley. What's Hermione's then?" Harry scowled at his best friend.

"I don't know. What's mine?" Ginny smiled nervously.

"Herm's could be Learn to Read," Ron laughed.

"Ron, that's not a song!" Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother.

"Hermione what do you think yours is?" Harry asked.

"Oh I don't know. Erm...can't you do someone before me, I'll have a think." Hermione started to grind her teeth.

"There is no-one else. You have to face the music. Literally." Ron started laughing and no-one noticed as Ginny left the carriage.

She was muttering to herself as she wandered down the long train, "Ginny? Who's Ginny? What there was someone in our carriage? All I wanted was bloody theme song."

"Every little thing she does is magic..." Ginny whipped round to see who had started singing. Malfoy was grinning behind her.

"What are you singing for?" she asked.

"I thought you wanted a theme tune. It's suits you." Malfoy winked and started singing again, "Every little thing just turns me on."

"Sincerely Malfoy, shut up." Ginny looked behind him, "Where are your thugs, sorry do I mean friends?"

"Asleep. Drooling nearly as much as you do over Potter." Malfoy pushed a strand of hair behind her ears, "Shame he's too in love with Hermione to notice."

"He's...I...don't drool..." Tears began to form in Ginny's eyes and she turned around and fell into the nearest compartment. It was empty and so there was nobody there to stop her fall.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she said to herself rubbing her head where she banged it. The school year had got off to a flying start.

%%%

Although she was supposed to be in her dorm after the feast Ginny wanted to go for a walk. The new Head Girl, Hermione who else and the Head Boy who Ginny didn't know were in McGonagall's office learning their new duties so she knew she had at least fifteen minutes. Hogwarts was so much more peaceful at night. The way the castle seemed to light up all of it's own accord. Ginny silently crept outside and sat on one of the statues near the doorway. She closed her eyes. The night and all it's sounds were so comforting. The stars had a music that she was sure she could only hear. They understood her even if Harry Potter didn't. She was half way through her nightly 'you-don't-fancy-Harry-so-get-over-it' internal speech when there was the soft scrape of someone walking across the gravel towards her. Ginny kept her eyes shut hoping that the statue was far enough into the shadow for who ever it was not to see her. That's when it started, very low and quiet at first but the person was singing she was sure of it. So deep and calming the voice washed over her. The song was almost silent and Ginny couldn't tell what it was, at first.

"Every little thing she does is magic, every little thing just turns me on, even through my life before was tragic my love for her goes on."

Ginny's eyes flew open. She opened her mouth and the word involuntarily flew out, "Malfoy."

"Honestly Miss Weasley. I could give you detention and take at least fifty points off Gryffindor for this," Malfoy smirked, his lazy half smile disappearing as he came further into the shadow.

"Please don't," she begged. "I'm going back in now. I can't loose that many points not on the first day."

"My hands are tied by the Head Boy code of honour." Malfoy shook his head as if there was nothing he could do.

"You're head boy?" Ginny gasped instantly regretting it.

"Well they needed somebody to balance out that Mudblood Granger." Malfoy laughed, "Who else would it be? Potter?"

"Of course not," Ginny said delighted to see the shock on his face. "You could keep people in line so much better than him."

"I could?" Malfoy looked puzzled, "And why is that?"

"Do you really need telling, Malfoy?" Ginny dropped her voice to a husky whisper, "You are strong, powerful, and..." She brought her face closer to his.

"Yes...?" Malfoy was whispering too now but he sounded much higher pitched than usual.

Ginny waited rolling her tongue around the word that was playing on her lips, "charismatic." She leaned upward and brought her lips slowly to his. So soft. She couldn't believe it. And she found it harder to believe he was kissing her back. She pulled away slowly.

"Night Draco," she whispered, turned and got a quickly to the Gryffindor common room as possible.

'Ginny Weasley' the voice in her head was saying, 'You slut. You did that just to get out of losing points for Gryffindor.'

"Well," Ginny replied out loud smiling. "It worked."

%%%

Knowing that Harry, Ron and Hermione had gone down to breakfast, as always, without her Ginny decided to spend a little longer in the Gryffindor common room. She was also hoping to avoid Malfoy like the plague. She giggled to herself at the memory; this new body was amazing. Who would have thought a growth spurt would have had such a peculiar effect on the men at Hogwarts. The other day Dean Thomas had walked towards her dorm as she came out in just her night dress, his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. The only person who hadn't seemed to notice her new self was Harry.

Ginny glanced down the front of her robes smiling, she couldn't see her toes, and it was a good feeling. She grinned again before jumping out of the portrait and towards the great hall. She was still smiling when she heard the voice behind her.

"I just don't think that he is a very good teaching aid." Remus Lupin was talking to Dumbledore in the alcove on the stairs.

"Who else would take on an ex-Azkaban charge?" Dumbledore sighed, "And you know Sirius can't take a class by himself."

Ginny tried not to giggle as she remembered how Sirius Black had filled in for Professor Flitwick on the last day of last year. Her class was supposed to be charming a parrot to talk, a favourite with Muggles Sirius had mentioned before Christine, Hufflepuff, had put her hand up.

"Why do you know how to do this?" She smiled shyly, "It seems you could charm just about anybody to do anything you want?"

At this point Sirius had turned bright pink and started to panic, "Well yes I ca...no I'm a professor so I have no charm, like Snape. Oh no I didn't just say...everybody needs charm...s. Needs charms to get by in life even me. Especially me. Not especially I mean, I've had girls...women. Excuse me."

He then turned and walked out of the room and got Hagrid to finish the class while he told a very intimidated first year class about Flobberworms. They had been scared of Hagrid due to his size but then having the Sirius Black talk to them no one person said a word for the rest of the lesson, and Sirius was very glad for it.

"He just walks around sniffing the kids and telling me that Draco Malfoy is evil. Every lesson. I can't teach like this." Ginny heard Lupin and Dumbledore walk in the opposite direction and felt somebody breathe on the back of her neck.

"Why don't you take a long walk of a short cliff Malfoy," she said turning around.

"Miss Weasley. I should take points off Gryffindor for such an insult." A cheeky smile played around Sirius' lips, "but I think Mr Malfoy should take your excellent advice so I'll let it slide. This time."

"Sorry Siriu...Professor Black," Ginny smiled back at him, over the last summer Sirius and she had become close friends.

His years in Azkaban meant he couldn't act like the older man he was supposed to be and Ginny had grown up, quickly. The minutes Voldemort had discovered Peter had a life-debt he had sent him to the Ministry of Magic and Sirius was given a full pardon. Narrow-minded as the Wizarding world was, Sirius had not been able to find a job and had spent summer living with Remus or at the Weasleys. Apparently Molly knew his sister very well.

"Are you coming to breakfast? I believe Christine wanted to sit with you." Ginny fluttered her eyelashes sweetly.

Sirius's face fell, he looked like he was being forced into a pit of Snakes.

"Ginny, I should probably not...you're taking the mick out of me!" He laughed and shook his head as if he couldn't believe she was saying it. "I like your gall girl! To the Great Hall?" He asked with a wink and linked her arm.

Ginny and Sirius skipped, arms linked until they reached the doors and instantly they stopped and began to act normal again.

"See you later," whispered Sirius. "In charms."

Ginny strolled over to the Gryffindor and sat down grinning. She looked around the hall at everybody else until her eyes met Malfoy's. He smiled at back at her and turned to his food, going slightly less pale. 'Oops,' thought Ginny, 'he thinks I was smiling at him...'

%%%

"Harry..." Ron paused looking at his Divination homework, "Do you think Ginny's different?"

Like she's become a little hottie yeah, "Erm...she's taller." Harry answered not daring to let his best friend know what he was really thinking.

"How about...Hermione?" Ron's ears went a little pink.

"Ah, so on to the real questions. She's...filled out." Harry stumbled on the last words.

"Yeah." Ron smiled, "You can see how...*cough* I wouldn't have noticed. She's got lighter hair. Must be magic."

"Yeah. Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline," Harry smirked, those adverts really annoyed him.

"Muggle joke?" Ron nodded, "She looks more...feminine."

"Who?" Hermione sat next to them leaning over Ron's shoulder to look at his parchment, her soft hair brushed against his check and he couldn't speak. "I think you mean Phrenology. Geloscopy is studying the future using laughter. You are studying head shapes."

"Hermione you aren't even taking this class surly I would be the one to know if..."

"She's right," Harry cut over Ron.

"...you are right or not...and you are," Ron beamed, glad he had avoided making an idiot of himself.

"Who's more feminine?" Hermione asked again.

"Oh...Seamus." Harry grinned as Ron started to giggle, "He's looking very...pretty."

"Fine!" Hermione stood up. "Don't tell me I have somewhere more important to be anyway!"

She stood up cursing the boys for being so secretive. The Fat Lady tutted as Hermione left the Common Room.

"Fighting with the boys, dear?" she asked with a warm smile on her face.

"No. He just...They don't...like me like me." Hermione sighed inwardly th tiny voice in her head screaming 'your talking to a painting', "I better get off."

"I know a boy who likes you the way you want." The Fat Lady smiled, "not that I'm one to gossip and if you have to go..."

"No. Tell me." Hermione had turned around and put her hands on her hips.

"Well a friend of mine is hung in Professor Lupin's chambers and he and Sirius Black were having a very...interesting debate last night."

"What does that have to do with me?" Hermione was beginning to get agitated.

"Seems you are exactly Remus Lupin's type. 'If I were ten years younger' I believe is the direct quote...Someone is coming Miss Granger, perhaps you should go."

"Yes," Hermione muttered and moved away from the door and started to walk in a trance down the corridor. She barely noticed where she was going. In fact if it wasn't for the golden name plate at the door she wouldn't have known what floor she was on and looking at the name plate she realised that normally she couldn't have gotten here. Why then did finding R.J. Lupin's door become so easy?

"Hermione!" Professor Lupin looked shocked as he opened his door, "I didn't hear you knock. How can I help you?"

"Well. I know I saw you over the summer but, I'm glad you've come back to Hogwarts. You're...special." Hermione nodded hoping her voice didn't sound as shaky as it felt.

"Thank you." Lupin paused studying the girl carefully. Did she know what Sirius had made him say last night?

It started off as a joke. A game that Muggle school children play on long coach journeys. Pepsi or Coke? Pizza or Burgers? Football or rugby? (A/N Is this just a British game or just an up-North thing? Answers in your review please!) That sort of thing but, as always, Sirius had put a new spin on it. His choices were much more personal. Sex or Money, Sex or love, Sex or chocolate. By the time he had run out of ideas they were onto just probing questions. If you had to pick one member of the Hogwarts staff to have an affair with who would it be? At least Remus had Sirius' answer (Prof. Sprout) as black mail. And then the question that was causing all this worry. 'One student'...Hermione.

Remus shuddered at the idea that Hermione could possibly know he had picked her. It was just a game, he would never have acted on it and she would never reciprocate his feelings.

"Well. That's it then." Hermione's eyes filled with tears, "If you don't want me...to...stay. I'll go."

"Are you alright?" he asked as she burst into tears."Come in." Remus never had much practice with crying girls and he wasn't sure what he should do. Instinctively he put an arm around Hermione's shoulder as she entered his sitting room.

%%%

Damn girl. Malfoy was storming around the Slytherin common room acting as if somebody had just snapped his broomstick. The vibrations of his bad mood were causing all the objects on the Slytherin fireplace to shake violently and the mirror above it was vibrating too.

"Dracoooooo!" Pansy stroked his arm. He jumped like he'd been electrocuted and grabbed her by the throat. He pushed her against the wall.

"DON'T EVER TOUCH ME!" He hissed into her ear before releasing his powerful grip. Quidditch had done his body a lot of good.

"I just wanted to suggest you went outside," she said rubbing her throat, "there are other people who want to use this common room. Or we could go to the astronomy tower?" Pansy bit her lower lip in a vain attempt to look sexy. It didn't work.

"You..." Malfoy spat out, "Stay here. I'm going." He turned on his heel and left the dungeons his cloak billowing around him.

The Slytherin common room was always a horrible place to get out of but because Malfoy was in such a foul mood it took him twice as long as usual. He was halfway along a corridor he had never seen when he heard voices.

"Thank you Ginny. I'll see you tomorrow night then." Madam Pomfrey nodded at Malfoy as she round the corner in her usual brisk manner.

Malfoy was firstly shocked to hear that Ginny...er...that damned Weasley girl was out after curfew and secondly that Madam Pomfrey was out of the hospital wing at all.

"Ginny, Ginny, Ginny," he sighed an evil smile playing on his pale lips. "You're out of bed after curfew. May I see the note the teacher responsible has given you?"

"I was talking with Madam Pomfrey. She just walked past you." Ginny's eyes flared.

"Erm..." Malfoy shook his head as if remembering what just happened, "I don't think so. Nope, I haven't seen Madam Pomfrey with you at all."

"You git," Ginny raged. "You absolute git. You saw Madam Pomfrey. You're doing this just to get back at me for the other night...or maybe you want a re-run of the other night?" Ginny cocked one eyebrow and moved closer to him, she pushed one strand of his silver-blonde hair behind his ear and leaned in for a kiss.

"Does McGonagall appreciate you prostituting yourself for Gryffindor?" Malfoy sneered taking a step back. "You've just lost 25 house points. I'll inform you Head of House. I suggest you get back to bed."

"Yes Malfoy." Ginny dropped her eyes to the floor before walking to the end of the corridor as soon as she was out of Malfoy's sight the tears streamed down her face and she ran all the way back to the Gryffindor tower.

A grin burst on to Draco Malfoy's face. He had said No. 'Look at me now Father,' he wanted to scream, 'who's weak now?' He was a Slytherin who would not be manipulated by a nice ass and a good set of... "Cold Shower" the voice inside his head screamed as Malfoy ran to the prefects bathroom to wash the thoughts of Ginny Weasley out of his head.