Much Ado About Draco

Chapter one: Of Quidditch in skirts and glowing boxershorts

"Hey Gin, where are you going?”

“Library” Ginny replied to her friend Sheila Wood.

“What, now, today? Girl, it’s SUNDAY!”

“So what?”

“Well, you’re not going to study, are you?”

Ginny sighed. Sheila was the laziest girl she had ever seen. She never seemed to study and always copied her homework if possible. But she somehow managed to get good grades and was almost always able to answer the questions in class. Ginny secretly admired her for that but would never have admitted it in front of Sheila. So she just said, “Well, the world’s unfair. There are those who have to study to be good at school, those who study and aren’t good at school, those who don’t study and don’t get good grades aaaand there is you.”

Sheila looked a bit startled for a moment but then her usual broad grin slid back on her face revealing her white teeth. “What do you mean ? That there are also persons who are so intelligent that they don’t need to study and are always surrounded by people who would die for listening to one of those very rare intelligent conversations, who get loveletters all the time 'cause they’ve got the brains to recite the bible backwards and in Arabic after taking a look at the index only once?”

Ginny was impressed again. How does that girl manage to speak so fast and much without breathing or turning blue? But instead of voicing her thoughts she just said: “Well, I guess the guys don’t like you because of your loose tongue. And about that intelligent conversation thing: I know you since you were three years old and the most intelligent thing you ever said was at age six when you asked Percy to shut up because you would get sick if you heard another word about the history of the-…”

“-yeah, okay, don’t say it, I 've still got a trauma!”

Ginny smiled. Sheila always said she had a trauma. But the reasons were always different ones: Potions, Percy, Draco Malfoy, Percy, homework, turtles (donÂ’t ask!), Percy, dungbombs, Draco Malfoy, Percy, Snape, Percy, Draco Malfoy, her brotherÂ’s talk about Quidditch, which was quite understandable, with Oliver Wood being her brother, Percy, Draco Malfoy and so on.

She seemed to have lots of traumas of Percy and Malfoy. Percy because he always bored off her pants when she was wearing some and Malfoy becauseÂ… well, Ginny thought to herself, maybe I did talk too much of him lately. But thatÂ’s her problem, I didnÂ’t force her to be my best friend.

Sheila waved her hand in front of Ginny's face. “Heeeeeeeeello, Giiiiiiiiiiinny, are you sleeping? Or thinking of that bastard again?”

“Huh?”

“Now really Gin, we oughta talk!”

Ginny sighed. “About what?”

She noticed that Sheila didn’t grin any more but that she was looking rather serious now. “You know, that …crap.”

“I don’t know what you mean!”

Ginny replied, knowing exactly that Sheila wanted to talk about Malfoy.

“You always change the topic when I try to speak about it. Are you serious about that? I mean he’s a Malfoy!”

“Oh, you were talking about him. You could have told me when I asked you.”

“Ginny!”

“Yes?” Ginny asked innocently. Now Sheila was obviously loosing her temper.

“You know what I think? That you are making a horrible mistake with all that and being your best friend I won’t sit here watching you daydreaming about the most horrible person who ever dared to place his bum on this damned earth, you hear me?”

Now I did go too far, Ginny thought because Sheila seldom swore.

“What, you are still in love with Potter?” a drawling voice coming from behind her exclaimed, trying to sound shocked. “You know, your chances are quite good, Weasley, considering the fact that I just found him snogging that Ravenclaw Seeker, Chang.”

Ginny spun around furiously to take a look at the person behind her although she already knew who it was. “I am NOT in love with Harry!” she almost shrieked. So much for that thing about acting absolutely cool when he’s around.

“Yeah, I totally agree. How stupid of me to think that. Tut-tut, really, I don’t know how I got the impression that you were- …”

“Shut up Malfoy”, she cut him short, “if you don’t know what you’re talking about, don’t talk. Even the ancient roman people knew that or don’t you know the sentence ‘si tacuisses, philosophum mansisses’? That means: if you would have been quiet you would still be considered as being wise. But then you don’t need to fear being thought of as an idiot now, ‘cause nobody ever thought you were clever!” she blurted out, secretly calling herself a liar. “You are just jealous because the girls are much more interested in Harry than they are in you. Maybe that’s because he has the looks!”

Liar! A voice in her head screamed again. HeÂ’s the cutest boy in school, plus he hasnÂ’t got a girlfriend.

Draco just smirked and said “Well, I never expected a Weasley telling me I was ugly. But then, I guess you are just not used to seeing someone handsome and for that I 'll forgive you.”

“Well, I’m honored, your majesty, and I beg your pardon for speaking the truth, it will never happen again!” Ginny said, trying to imitate one of those complicated bows that were common three hundred years ago but couldn’t keep her balance and fell down after stumbling for a while.

Draco laughed and turned to go away not noticing Ginny muttering something while pointing her wand at him.

“What was that?” Sheila asked, while she helped Ginny to come back to an erect position.

“That? Oh, just a luminous charm. Makes his underwear show little hearts and glow in the dark. I’d like to see his face when he notices that.”

“I’d say you would rather like to see the underwear! But I didn’t want to know how you hexed his clothes but what that little “fight” was?”

“Well, a fight of course. You know, that sort of thing that happens when two people who despise each other cross their ways. It's a rather common thing, you know.”

“I would say that you flirted.”

“Me? Flirting with Malfoy?”

“Yes!”

“Are you crazy? Are you feeling well? Have you got a headache? Did you dream of the big green wall with the yellow dots recently?”

“No. I just got the impression that you have taken a liking on Malfoy cuz you are talking about him quite often lately. And what has that thing with the green wall got to do with Malfoy?”

“Well, my great-grandaunt used to dream about a green wall with yellow dots when she started thinking of herself as pope Alexander XI. And I am NOT in love with Malfoy. He’s an arrogant, selfish, muggle-hating, always sneering idiot with glowing underwear!”

“Thanks to you” Sheila said laughing, “but my mom used to say that about Cesare Zabini too!”

“Yeah, and then she married your father. I can’t blame her for not liking that bastard.”

“Erm, yeah, but you know, when she said that she didn’t like him, she had a crush on him. And you … -ha, look, it is two o’clock, madam Pince did certainly close the library by now! Going to visit her mother!”

Ginny swore silently stormed in the direction of the Gryffindor common room, meeting Ron and Hermione who were looking for Harry. Ginny stopped and said “I don’t know whether it’s true but I think he’s having a little snogging session with Cho. Bye”

After that she said the password (Zorocoliginocology) which had to be changed soon because ninety percent of the Gryffindors werenÂ’t able to say it correctly. (Neville even had to spend a in the hallway once because the fat Lady wouldnÂ’t let him in after he had said zorororororlogy)

Sheila can be so annoying, Ginny thought when she rushed past her classmates who were busy with playing Exploding Snap. Sometimes I get the impression that she is able to read my mind and I certainly donÂ’t like that. I canÂ’t be alone in real live for two seconds, so I think it would be only fair to leave me alone in my thoughts.

You are being unfair! A voice in her head said. I would surely notice if she read your thoughts. She just knows you, sheÂ’s your friend! She would be a very bad friend if she wouldnÂ’t notice!

No, she wouldnÂ’t, Ginny thought back. I think it is not that obvious. When I talk about him, I am always using him in connection with words like crap, idiot, and so on. I donÂ’t walk around sighing (she sighed) and I donÂ’t sit around and say things like: if he wouldnÂ’t sneer all the time he could be quite cute and if he would be a bit nicer then he would be, ermÂ… a bit nicer?

Haha, intelligent, you don’t speak it out but hey, I’m part of your mind, I’m your conscious, I know what you’re thinking. Especially in History of magic classes I get to hear his name more often than Professor Binns says the word “and”, which would be quite often.

Oh, stop it, Ginny said entering her dorm. She slammed the door shut behind her, sat down on her bed, closed the red curtains and lay down to take a rest, more because she was angry than because she was tired.

But about two minutes later someone drew back the curtains hesitantly. “Hey Gin,” she heard Sheila's voice say. “Are you angry with me? I, I just thought you might want to talk to someone about it and you were just afraid that I might think you were stupid or something. I don’t think you’re stupid. Well, he’s not what you’d call a nice person, and he keeps making fun of you, your family, he’s insulting you and Ron all the time but in some way, he’s… erm well, at least he’s handsome.”

“Thanks a lot Sheila but I don’t know why you are telling me this. I already told you that I am not in love with him.”

Sheila sat down on the bed and looked at Ginny, wearing an almost hurt expression. “I know that you are Gin and I don’t know why you are refusing to admit it. You should have seen your face down there. As long as he was present you managed to look cool. Maybe a bit annoyed but as soon as he turned away and left your eyes went soft and dreamy just as they used to when you had a crush on Harry and he talked to you. Gin, I know you well enough to see when you’re in love with someone. What are you afraid of? I won’t tell Ron, I promise. And besides, I already know it, but I’d like you to admit it. I’d feel better then, I don’t know why. Please, Gin” Sheila gave Ginny a pleading look.

“Well, Sheila … I, I, erm, what do you want to hear? You said you already knew, so I don’t know what I should tell you.” She was feeling kind of helpless. Idiot, she thought, now she can be sure it’s true and she’ll tease you, tell Ron who will kill first Malfoy then me and then …

Nonsense. I think it was right to tell her, the omnipresent voice in her head announced. SheÂ’s your best friend.

Shut up.

No way.

Ah, go away, leave me alone!

IÂ’d love to, dear, if you tell me how to do that!

Ginny pulled a grimace and tried to turn her attention back to Sheila, who was watching her with great interest.

“Gin?”

“Hmm?”

“You like him?”

“Hmm.”

“I mean not his looks, but the character.”

“Hmm.”

“You’re not very informative. Does ‘hmm’ mean yes or no?”

“Hmm”

Sheila sighed, said something about being sorry and then slapped her friend in the face. Ginny jumped staring at SheilaÂ’s still raised hand.

“Hey, why ‘d you do that?”

“'Cuz you weren’t listening. And besides, I said I was sorry!”

“Ah, now I am relieved.”

“So, do you like him?”

“Erm…” Ginny blushed. What should she say? ‘He always treats me like crap, is mean and hates me and my family, is an awful git but else I like him’ wasn’t a very good option.

Why do you like him?

Cause heÂ’s cute and I guess he could be really nice.

Sure, youÂ’re right, as always.

Humph.

What does humph mean?

Ginny sighed. Life could be so cruel. Her best friend was posing uncomfortable questions and her (totally insane) conscious thought that she was an idiot.

“Well?” Sheila asked. She was getting slightly impatient because Ginny didn’t bother to answer.

“Well, I can’t think of anything that would make him a person to be liked easily but, erm, silent waters run deep. Hmm,” she smiled shyly at Sheila. “You couldn’t help me finding any positive aspects of him?”

“Well, he’s handsome.”

“And besides?”

“Uh…”

“I know: good Quidditch player!”

"Yeah, Gin, you’re right!”

“Any other ideas?”

“Good at school?”

“Is he?”

“Don’t know. Hmm, I guess we could count the fact that he once got mad at Crabbe and Goyle and jinxed them.”

“Yeah, I noticed that they still flinch every time he draws his wand!”

“Really? I guess we’re at the end now!”

“Well, what about him looking strikingly good in black silk?”

“We already had the handsome thing!”

“Yeah, but he’s good at Quidditch!”

“No news to me!”

“Yeah, and … oh my god!”

“What?”

“We, we got a match against Slytherin next week!”

“Yes, indeed, now I’m surprised. Where do you get all these news? I did hear that one only two months ago!”

“Oh, very funny, I’m on the team! You think I can concentrate?”

“Um, no!”

God! Ginny thought desperately. (Yes? said her conscious) She had learned to cope not being distracted by Harry but that had taken much effort and three months of practice.

She had been on the team since her fourth year as a Chaser then being only an average player but she was accepted on the team because they were in desperate need for Chasers. But over the years she had learned a lot and was now a very skilled player. She would have never dreamed of it when she was younger but the team now needed her just as much as it needed Harry. Somehow she liked the thought of being needed. Not just the little sister of six very protective older brothers but a VIQP (=very important quidditch player, *gg*) As she was thinking of that her mind was drifting away and she was sinking into the welcoming embrace of sleep. The last thing she saw was a glimpse of Sheila snoring quietly beside her.

After the fight he had had with the Weasley girl Draco took a walk and sat down in his favorite corner of the outside walls of Hogwarts. Somehow that niche was really comfortable and he felt cozy there. Even a Malfoy needs to feel cozy sometimes, he thought. But he didnÂ’t just like the niche because it was comfortable but because Crabbe and Goyle didnÂ’t know it. In his first few years at Hogwarts he had always been flanked by those two. And he had somehow felt superior with them, having someone to command and to give orders. But when he got older they started to bore and annoy him. Watching them eating was nauseating and listening to their senseless, stupid and bizarre conversation made you either confused, depressive, go mad or aggressive or all of it. So he tried to ignore them and hung around alone or with other Slytherin boys.

As weird as this might sound he thought, but Crabbe and Goyle were bad for my reputation. That was true because if you were thought of as someone to piss off others it wouldnÂ’t do you any good hanging around with two idiots. YouÂ’d end up being considered as a clown.

Draco started pulling small stones out of the wall and smashing them on the floor. He was very angry because that Weasley girl had jinxed his underwear and he hadnÂ’t been able to fix it yet. The library was already closed and he thought that it would be quite embarrassing to ask someone how to turn boxershorts that were showing little hearts and were glowing in the dark back to normal. So he had put on some other pair of boxers and had hidden the glowing ones while swearing to take revenge on Weasley.

Yeah, Weasley. He didnÂ’t know why but recently he enjoyed annoying her more than pissing off Potter and Weasley's brother, Weasley (haha, surprise, surprise) maybe that was because she was wittier than those two and worthier to battle because she was more intelligent. Not that heÂ’d ever like her but he appreciated equal opponents.

The only thing was that she had the habit to recite these damned Latin sentences like Carpe Diem and he had to look them up in the dictionary all the time. If he didnÂ’t, she could just as well say that Gryffindor password he had heard Potter complain about. Rumor was saying that it caused Longbottom to sleep in the hallway and even McGonagall had trouble with pronouncing it.

Suddenly a familiar voice disturbed his thoughts. “Draco! What are you doing here?”

Draco sighed at the sight of the speaker. “I was trying to be alone for five minutes.”

“Well, I saw you going here ten minutes ago, so your time’s out. You know what Blaise just told me? He said he had seen you wearing a glowing pair of boxershorts with little hearts on them! Is that true? That’d be soooo sweet! You have a pair of boxershorts with hearts?”

Draco frowned. Damn, he thought. “Well, Pansy, I, erm… someone um, jinxed them, you know. Oh, sod off, will you?”

“Jinxed? Oh, was that the Weasley girl? They say you had an argument with her and she kissed the floor!” Pansy said cheerfully.

Oh dear, Draco thought, if she isnÂ’t going to shut up within the next five seconds, IÂ’m gonna kill her!

“Draco, you look as if you had just bitten on a lemon!”

Draco cocked an eyebrow. Now this is surprising, I thought I always did! I shouldn’t have stopped practising that look in front of the mirror last year! “Pansy?”

“Yes?”

“I asked you to sod off, remember?”

“Oh, yes.”

He gratefully watched her leaving, thinking that she was almost as stupid as Crabbe and Goyle. Jesus, am I the only intelligent person in Slytherin? Are Potter and Weasley right? Does our house consist of idiots to ninety percent? No, it doesnÂ’t. Exceptions confirm the rule and those three are the exceptions.

Sighing he stood up and left for the Slytherin dungeon to play a game of chess. HeÂ’d do anything to get these disturbing thoughts off his mind, heÂ’d probably even kiss Potter. No, maybe that he wouldnÂ’t.

When he entered the Slytherin common room he looked for Blaise Zabini and found him sitting in an armchair near the fire. Where else? He thought because Blaise was almost always freezing and complaining about it.

“I hear you are telling stories about my underwear?” he said, looking grim.

“Erm, I just thought that it was very unusual, I mean, you and, erm hearts and so on, you know.”

Draco cocked an eyebrow. He didnÂ’t quite know what was so interesting about his underwear suddenly so that the whole school wanted to know what it looked like. And if he wanted to wear glow-in-the- dark boxers with hearts on them, that was his own business and Blaise neednÂ’t make a scandal of it.

“Is it some sort of sacrilege? Wearing funny boxershorts?” he asked in a voice that indicated clearly that he wanted to hear ‘no’ for the answer.

“Well, you know, it was just that I was a bit surprised and when Pansy asked me what kind of underwear you are wearing I couldn’t keep it, sorry.”

Now this is disgusting! Pansy Parkinson walks around asking other persons about my underwear. Yuck!

“You know Blaise, I’d appreciate it if you kept things like that for yourself in future, got it?” Blaise shifted uncomfortably in his chair and finally answered with a quiet ‘yes’

Draco smiled coldly and left the fireplace because he couldnÂ’t stand the heat. It wasnÂ’t as if he didnÂ’t like warmth but Blaise always magicked the fire to an abnormal temperature and sitting there was like sitting in an oven. Besides the fire smoked like hell. So the Slytherins used to sit only in the armchairs farthest away from the fire. But even in the far ends of the room it was boiling hot.

Ha, and those Gryffindors always think we are freezing all the time. Draco laughed in thoughts, opening the door to his dorm and sitting down on his bed. He opened a drawer of his bedside table and pulled out a book that was called “Collection of ancient Latin quotes” and tried to find ‘si tacuisses philosophum mansisses’. He always checked whether she had translated it right, because he might be able to piss her off if she hadn’t. But to his disappointment she had translated it correctly and he tossed the book away angrily.

This is so annoying! A Weasley knowing something better than I do! I should have taken those Latin lessons my mom nearly forced me to take.

Ginny woke up and noticed that Sheila was still sleeping by her side. Groggily she checked her watch and was sober in an instant. It was four in the afternoon. She had taken a nap! She hadnÂ’t done that since she was five years old.

Oh, hello sleepyhead, how do you do? Have you slept well? You know that I think you were being quite unfair? Your dreams are sooooooooooo boring, always the same. Drawling voice, steel-grey eyes, silvery-blond hair and so on.

Oh, would you leave me alone just once?

You know, I would be much happier being his conscious because he isnÂ’t as stupid, boring and ugly as you are!

“Shut up!” Ginny shrieked desperately.

Sheila immediately awoke and asked sleepily: “Wassup? Y’know I’s sleepin, y’don have ta shout, I wasn talkin!” she said, swallowing the endings of the words she was saying, stifling a yawn.

“I wasn’t talking to you, Sheila.”

“But with whom were you talking then? We’re the only ones in here”

“Erm, I was kind of talking to myself…”

“Huh?”

“Oh, forget it!” After some while she asked timidly “Sheila?”

“Hm?”

“You think I’m stupid?”

“No.”

“Boring?”

“No.”

“Erm, ugly?”

“No, for heavens sake, why do you ask?”

“Um, I was just interested.”

“I hope you won’t start being one of those silly cows who are always running through the corridors asking everybody whether they were beautiful!”

“I won’t do that, don’t worry. So I’m not ugly.”

“No, you are quite good-looking. You know, I would like to have your pale skin or red hair.”

“Oh no, that’d be horrible. Try to imagine your grin on my face. No, you should better be happy with dark skin and brown hair. Pale skin never tans, it only gets a sunburn. And that very easily!”

“Hmm, maybe you’re right. But with you it looks good.”

“Thanks”

“Gin?”

“Yeah?”

“You have to be on the Quidditch pitch in five minutes for practise.”

“What? Oh dear, oh dear, where are my Quidditch robes? I can’t find them! I’m going to be late. Harry will kill me!” She ran around in the room madly, trying to find her Quidditch robes.

Finally Sheila suggested that she should fly in her schoolrobes and take the short way to the pitch, which would be by broom and through the window. But Ginny replied shocked: “I’m wearing a skirt! I can’t fly in a skirt!”

“Well, looks like you have to!” So Ginny grabbed her broom and set off through the window.

IÂ’m wearing a skirt for Quidditch! I hope you wonÂ’t be able to see my underwear!

What if? Her nasty conscious replied. Someone might be able to see your underwear! ThatÂ’s nothing to worry about, the hospital wing is near the pitch, so he wonÂ’t suffer for long. In the worst case heÂ’d spend the rest of his life at St. MungoÂ’s but that shouldnÂ’t bother you, as long as you donÂ’t have to go there.

Ginny sighed. She did that quite often recently but thatÂ’s no wonder having a very nasty voice in your head that talked nonstop. Maybe she would be at St. MungoÂ’s sooner or later anyway if that wouldnÂ’t change. IÂ’m going mad, she thought desperately.

Not going mad, you were mad since the day you were born!

By then she had reached the Quidditch pitch and she saw that the rest of the team was already waiting for her. “Sorry guys, I wasn’t able to find my Quidditch robes!” she said as they eyed her curiously.

“Well, as you are here, we can start now,” Harry said. “We have an important match against Slytherin on Wednesday, so we have to work on our tactics and flying even harder!”

“Why is that game so important, Harry? It’s the first one this year!” Colin asked sheepishly. The rest of the team gave him surprised looks.

“Well, first because every match is important and second because it’s against Slytherin! Do you want to loose against that bunch of …”

“Bunch of what? I’d be careful what you say now Potter because if it’s something unpleasant I’ll tell Madam Hooch that you tried to steal that Practise lesson from us. But then, I think I’m going to tell her anyway!” the familiar drawling voice of Draco Malfoy announced, causing Ginny's heart to jump.

Harry spun around and glared at Draco. “I didn’t steal that lesson. I signed in for it last week.” He hissed. Harry hissed very rarely and if he did he was probably doing it because he talked in Parseltongue.

Draco smiled if you could call it that. In fact he just twitched the corners of his mouth but the rest of his face was looking bored as always. “Erm no, Potter. You signed up for next week, sorry. Now leave!” he commanded.

“I did not sign up for next week!” Harry said firmly. “You did. Go and ask Madam Pince!”

“No, I won’t because in time I’m back the time will be over!”

“Well then, Potter, what about a little match? It won’t count for the Quidditch cup but it will show who’s better.” Harry looked at him for a moment scowling but agreed.

“Everybody on his brooms” he shouted and opened the box with the Quaffle, Bludgers and Snitch.

Ginny stared at him for a second. He couldnÂ’t be doing this, could he? What was he thinking, for gods sake? The Slytherins would foul them all the time and there was no Madam Pince to stop them! And besides they werenÂ’t allowed to play matches if it wasnÂ’t for the cup.

But she didn’t have any time to think any more because the others were preparing to start the game. “OFF” Draco and Harry shouted in unison, and everybody kicked away from the ground.

Ginny was feeling a mixture of anger, nervosity and fear. She was in possession of the Quaffle right now after Colin had passed it to her. She made a somehow complicated maneuver to avoid a Bludger that was hit towards her and then passed the Quaffle to Persephone Johnson, the little sister of Angelina Johnson who wanted to pass it to Colin but one of the Slytherin Chasers caught it instead. He was now heading towards the goalpost but had to drop the Quaffle after being hit by a Bludger on the arm. Ginny quickly caught it and sped away with it, her heart racing.

Suddenly she didnÂ’t know where to go anymore because her way was blocked by the three Slytherin chasers. When she wanted to change her direction the two beaters flanked her sides. She stopped in midair, alarmed by the grim faces of her opponents. Having five Slytherins staring at you dangerously, you donÂ’t feel too comfortable. Where were the others? There was no one in sight. She had to get rid of the Quaffle and escape that situation veeeeeeeeery quickly.

Suddenly she got a glimpse of Harry who was circling above her, eyeing the Slytherins suspiciously and threw the Quaffle towards him. Harry caught it, looking a bit startled but he didnÂ’t have any time to do anything with it because Colin just took it out of Harry's hand and flew towards the goalpost at full speed. He just raised his hand to score a goal when they heard Madam Hooch yelling at them from the ground.

“Team captains down here NOW!” She yelled. Harry and Draco descended on the ground slowly, both looking kind of uncomfortable.

“Really, you should know better! You know very well that you are not allowed to play without a referee and even if I would agree to watch the game it wouldn’t be allowed by Professor Dumbledore. Detention for all of you, tomorrow night and 50 points will be taken from Gryffindor and Slytherin. And I will see the teamcaptains in Dumbledore's office in half an hour! Now go and change!”

With that she stomped off the pitch, her feet leaving deep prints on the muddy ground.

One after the other the players left the pitch, silently, everybody in his own thoughts. Just the moment when Ginny was opening the door to enter Hogwarts she felt herself being dragged in the shadows by someone. After her eyes got used to the darkness she saw that it was Draco.

“Good evening Miss Weasley!” he said grinning. “You got a nice pair of knickers there. But I still think that glowing underwear looks better. Did you ever try that?”

Ginny felt herself blushing and silently hoped she would get the chance to kill Sheila before her anger would vanish. After a moment she called Malfoy something very rude and tried to walk away.

But he held her back and said: “Tut, tut, Weasley, language! Where did you learn such words? Something like that isn’t appropriate for a young girl like you!”

“Malfoy, let go of me!”

He looked at her, pretending to think about it. “Why? That wouldn’t be any fun, would it?”

Ginny swallowed. He was still pressing her against the wall. She could feel his body so near to hers, she could even feel his ribcage slowly rising and sinking. Oh dear! I hope he doesnÂ’t feel my heartbeat, she thought.

Well, he doesnÂ’t have to. I bet he can hear it, even a deaf man would be able to hear it.

Ginny wanted to say something witty or intelligent but she wasnÂ’t able to think clear. She only felt his body against hers and that made her feel like something was running up and down her spine.

“Hey, what’s up with you today? First you fall down face forward without any reason, then you play Quidditch in a skirt – did I already mention I preferred glowing …”

“Yes.”

“Oh, then you are so confused you pass the Quaffle to Potter and then you just stare into nowhere when spoken to! You should go and see Madam Pomfrey.”

“Oh, that is sooooooooo sweet of you to be concerned about my health but I think that is just before you saw woman underwear for the first time in your life. It is only natural to be confused. Ron for example …”

She broke off. She was standing in a niche with Draco Malfoy, standing very close to him in fact and was telling him private things.

“Yes?” he said, interested. “What did Ron do?”

She pushed him away, slapping herself for it mentally and said something like that it wasnÂ’t his business and ran away.

Thirty minutes later she was taking a hot shower and had an argument with her conscious, as it called itself, again. Now really, you are such an idiot! YouÂ’ll never get that close to him again!

I know!

Why did you push him away then? I always thought you were a looser, but now I know you are even worse. You were lying in the arms of the man of your dreams and you ran away.

Hey, I wasnÂ’t lying in his arms!

Well, sorry, I must have gotten it all wrong. You werenÂ’t lying in his arms, sure, and did I tell you my mom was a big green turtle, my dad was a toaster and I am a part of a balcony. I just didnÂ’t tell you because I thought youÂ’d figure it out sooner or later without my help.

Aha, very funny. May I give you a good advice, your balconyship? Never tell Sheila about your mom being a turtle.

Why not?

Uh, never mind.

And with that she turned off the shower, got herself dressed and went to the Great Hall to get something to eat. It had been a very eventful day and she was almost starving.

Later that night when she was lying in bed, she was thinking of how nice it had been when she was so near Draco she pitied herself that that had been the first and very likely also the last time. Then she sank into a deep, dreamless sleep. At least, she didnÂ’t remember the dream if she had had one.

Draco sat in Dumbledore's office, trying to ignore Potter and studying the things that were lying on the headmasterÂ’s desk. It was in a state of complete disorder and Draco who was a very neat person wondered how Dumbledore knew where things were if he needed them. Perhaps he didnÂ’t.

They had been sitting there for nearly half an hour now and the headmaster still hadnÂ’t bothered to show up. That had caused Draco to make himself comfortable, meaning that he sat lazily in his chair, with his feet resting on the desk. Potter didnÂ’t look so comfortable. He sat bolt upright in his chair, fists clenched which made his knuckles go white.

Jesus, he isnÂ’t afraid of Dumbledore, is he? Draco thought. But he didnÂ’t like thinking of Potter. So his mind began to wander to the game earlier. Why had he asked Potter for a match? He knew that it was not allowed and he didnÂ’t really enjoy the presence of Potter. But something in his mind had kept telling him that it might piss off Weasley if Slytherin won. And he really wanted to piss her off.

Weasley again. She was strange. He didnÂ’t know what she was thinking of when she came to practise with a skirt. It had been quite a long skirt, okay, but it was still a skirt. She maybe wouldnÂ’t have done that if she had known that Creevey kept staring at her all the time, trying to get a glimpse of her underwear.

Draco thought that was childish. Only small children liked to look under girlÂ’s skirts. But then, Weasley had quite long legs andÂ…Hey, what am I thinking? I certainly am NOT interested in Weasley's legs. But then, it had been quite a nice feeling, being so close to her. Otherwise it might always be a nice feeling, being so close to a beautiful girl. He would never admit it to anyone but in fact she was quite beautiful and that annoyed him. It would be easier to be mean to her if she was ugly. He could tell her that. Surely she would be hurt, would she? Too bad sheÂ’s good-looking, he thought over and over again. Why canÂ’t I get my thoughts away from that damned Weasley girl?

He was very relieved when Dumbledore finally entered the room because that would distract him. At least, he hoped it would.

“You two are really horrible!” the headmaster sighed, sitting down. “Are there any school rules you haven’t broken yet?”

Potter shifted uneasily in his chair but Draco just smirked and said: “Well, let me think. I’ve got that big, ugly, hairy thing in my cupboard, I don’t starch the oversized white collar I am obviously wearing, I am engaged to three women at least and I don’t write to my mother every half a week. I do not-…”

“It’s okay, we have really gotten the point. You have been a very bad boy. But I don’t think you would find even one female human being that would be willing to marry you. And there is a school rule that we have to starch our collars? Ridiculous, since we don’t even have these ugly white things.”

“Well Potter, there is another rule that says that we should wear some.”

“I haven’t got time, so I just tell you that you might get detention for the rest of the year and will not be allowed to play Quidditch any more if anything like this happens again. Good day.” And with that the headmaster left.

Okay, he just said 53 words, and for that we had to wait three quarters of an hour. Great. I havenÂ’t got an idea how to spend my time better! Draco thought. When he and Potter left the office, Potter walked towards the Gryffindor, Draco towards the Slytherin common room.

But halfway to there Draco stopped. He really didnÂ’t have an idea what to do now. He didnÂ’t have any homework to do, he was not in the mood for reading and he did certainly not want to go to the boiling heat in the Slytherin common room. Maybe he should try to snog Cho Chang just to piss off Potter. But he didnÂ’t want to do that either because he preferred younger girls. Cho was a year older than he and Potter were but she still attended Hogwarts because she had taken a year off after that Hufflepuff guy whatÂ’s his name again? Diggory or something had died. Now she was in 7th year, too, something that came in handy for Potter.

But Draco Malfoy didnÂ’t go for older girls. He usually picked his dates from the 6th years. WeasleyÂ’s in 6th year! An unpleasant voice inside his head screamed. Draco moaned. Not her again he thought. He was beginning to think that she haunted him.

Maybe I should go and get some sleep and make sure to use a spell that I wonÂ’t dream anything. Just to be sureÂ… with that final thought he went to bed.

TO BE CONTINUED