Poisoned

Chapter Three

Where Draco starts acting on some changes and talks to Ginny

Hogwarts was the same school; he was standing in the same castle he had stood the five years before; the symbol on his robes showed he was in the same house he had always dreamed about being in. So why did things seemed so damn different?

He couldn't understand, but it frightened him, just as the thought of going back to his common room frightened him. He was tired of pretending he wanted to hear the news the other boys would have received from home; he was tired of listening to them asking him if everything was alright.

Nothing seemed alright, but it was nobody's business how he felt. He had left Professor Snape's office in that morning worse than he was when he entered. He didn't have any plans for a career, he didn't know what he was really good at; he just knew he had given up on following his father's footsteps and thought that maybe Snape could advise him on what to do.

Draco thought the teacher would try to talk him out of it; after all, the friendship between Lucius and Snape was legendary. Even still it was worth a try, since he didn't know whom else he could ask for advice and he trusted Snape wouldn't report their conversation to his father. That's why he was very surprised when he could swear he had seen a glimpse of pride in the teacher's eyes after he had confessed his intentions, but it was so quick that he couldn't be sure; though he was sure he didn't like what he heard next, "If that's the case, you must reconsider your choices and work harder from now on." Snape knew he had struck a nerve. As the Head of House, he knew perfectly well that it would be easier to tame a dragon than to have Draco working hard on anything. "If you want to pursuit a career that will allow you to maintain the same life style you're used to, then you have to aim a career in the Ministry, or an administrative job in Gringotts. Either way you'll need a NEWT in Charms, but as you know, you'd need at least an "Exceeds Expectations" for that, which is not the case." He lifted an eyebrow and said almost as if he was proposing a challenge, "Perhaps you could talk to Professor Flitwick and ask him if there is anything you can do to attend his classes even with your 'Acceptable'."

So that afternoon he had talked to Professor Flitwick. He thought swallowing his pride would be the hardest thing, but that hadn't been worse than enduring the teacher looking at him like he was imagining Draco planning something mischievous. Because of his gentle-looking face, his squeaky voice and his short height, people usually forgot he was a Ravenclaw and therefore, very clever. Draco had usually forgotten it too, so he had doubted he would have any success at convincing Flitwick of giving him another chance.

However Professor Snape seemed to have figured that out before Draco, because it seemed like Professor Flitwick was half convinced already. Even so, the looks he had cast the boy were far from letting him feel comfortable.

"You are aware that none of your closest friends are enrolled in Advanced Charms, aren't you?" Professor Flitwick had asked after a long pause when he seemed to be considering the situation.

Of course Draco knew that, especially because he thought his closest friends shouldn't be enrolled in anything, since they didn't seem to have any learning capacity. But he understood why the teacher would ask him that, since Draco couldn't be found anywhere without Crabbe and Goyle around him in the previous years.

"You are intelligent, so I think you could follow the classes without much problem... if you compromise enough, naturally."

"Naturally." Draco fought the urge to sigh heavily in discontent, imagining how much work he would have to put up to achieve the required grade.

"So it's settled." Flitwick seemed absolutely content with the turn of the events. "I hope you understand that I have to give you extra homework, so you can catch up with the lessons from the previous years. And bear in mind that if I sense you're not putting yourself into it, our arrangement is cancelled."

Draco had already imagined something like that, so he shook hands with the teacher and promised to do his best. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he had to try.

The thought that he didn't know exactly why he would need Charms crossed his mind, but he tried to forget it. Any career worth having would require it, Professor Snape had said. And Draco might not know what career to choose, but he knew he wanted to step away from his father as much as he could, and that had to be enough to make him tolerate any kind of hard work that would certainly appear.

He sat down behind the statue next to the Great Hall, his head between his hands, sighing heavily and feeling pathetic. At times like these he missed the old Malfoy. Certainly the old him wouldn't miss dinner hiding behind a statue to deal with an existential crisis.

Therefore, the old him wouldn't have noticed that the tired voice in front of the Great Hall belonged to the youngest Weasley talking to that annoying little friend of hers. "No, Gin, you've just missed dinner." Was it possible that Draco had been there lost in thoughts for so long? He had been battling with himself whether he should face dinner or not since he saw Parkinson and Zabini entering the Great Hall and now they were all leaving. "Where have you been?"

"Studying Charms." She sounded positively desolated. "There's so much to study and I never-" She sighed. "I never studied properly."

"You never needed to; you're too good in Charms," Colin said, not knowing that he had just given Draco the beginning of a most brilliant idea. "You should be studying Potions; we're way behind in Potions."

"And Transfiguration, and Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures, and Defence Against the Dark Arts- we're way behind in everything!"

Colin seemed to ponder for a second, and then agreed. "But that's no reason for you to miss dinner and look so desperate." He followed her as she stepped slowly to the statue Draco was hiding behind and sat on its foot. "Here, let's go to the common room and I'll make you a schedule like the one I prepared for myself, I'll tell you, it's the best thing for OWL year-"

She didn't hear what else Colin said, worried her head would explode if she thought about studying any more that night. "I think I'll pass. I don't want to think for the rest of the week, and I need to eat something, so... can we prepare my schedule some other day?"

The boy agreed and apologised for not going to the kitchens with her, but he had yet to study Transfiguration or he would ruin his schedule. Ginny smiled and told him not to worry, although there was no need to ask him such a thing since he soon resumed his way to the Gryffindor common room with the same unperturbed expression he had before talking to her.

She heard the voices of her friends approaching, but she didn't want to talk to anyone, so she retreated to behind the statue until she was sure she couldn't be seen. She knew her friends would be worried and would want to know why she had missed dinner to study a subject she never had problems with, and she didn't want to think why, since the situation seemed too absurd even to her.

She was so lost in thought she didn't even notice the boy sitting beside her, eyeing her with interest, with the look of someone who had just had the perfect plan. "OWL year's already getting to you, huh?" he said with a playful smile, startling her. "I don't blame you, it gets to everyone, eventually."

"What are you doing here?"

"You know, I think I can help you," he stated, his smile growing wider and a twinkle in his eye that made her curious enough to want to listen.

*~~*~~*~~*

"I see how you can help me, but I don't understand how I can help you," Ginny said, still confused.

Actually, she didn't even know what she was doing in the kitchens having dinner with Draco Malfoy, let alone considering the proposition he was making her.

He sighed as if he was talking to a difficult child. "I have problems in Charms and apparently you're quite good at it."

"How do you know that?" She was suspicious.

"It's... general knowledge," he said as if it wasn't of any importance whatsoever. "Just as it's general knowledge I'm fantastic in Potions."

"Not really." She shook her head. "I didn't know you were so good at it."

"Please, Weasley, I'm better than good." Modesty was not a Malfoy quality. "And besides, it doesn't matter how I know it, but that I know it."

That arrogant tone managed to get her angry, so she said brusquely, "I know nothing of Advanced Charms." Well, that wasn't entirely true, but Ginny was sure she didn't know enough to help him.

"I will learn Advanced Charms this year, what I need is help with the content of the previous years." Draco had thought that considering his proposal it would be obvious, but apparently she was thicker than he had imagined. Maybe that wasn't such a great idea, after all. Even still, it was the only one he had at the moment, so he reinforced, "All you need to do is revise Charms, as you already would this year. This way we can help each other."

She highly doubted he would want any help from her, let alone help her after last term. "Is this some kind of plan to get even after my Bat Bogey Hex?"

He shivered just at the memory of that blasted hex. It took several minutes for Madam Pomfrey to reverse the effect, but it felt like hours. "I'm not seeking revenge." Indeed he wasn't, and he couldn't explain why. "I have other things on my mind now."

"Like improving your abilities so you can become a more effective Death Eater?" Ginny was appalled. "Do you honestly believe I would help you in that?"

"What does it matter why I want to improve my abilities, as you say?" Draco said it so vigorously he scared a couple of house elves who were close to their table. "We can help each other, and trust me, you're getting a much better deal, since I can help you in other subjects you've mentioned you have problems with. And I've taken my OWLs already, so I can prepare you for that as well. Why don't you just think of how good it will be for you and stop trying to read so much into my plan?"

She had stopped with her fork midway to her mouth and was eyeing him suspiciously. He sighed and gave her the answer she seemed to be waiting for, "The world out there requires many abilities, and I don't want an ordinary existence after leaving school."

"You won't have an ordinary existence, as you call it. You're probably the richest wizard in England-"

"My father is the richest wizard in England," Draco corrected. "But just suppose I want to make my own life, away from my father's influence-"

Her disbelief was showing on her face, and Draco didn't like that. Why was he trying to explain himself to someone he'd spent so long despising? "Think whatever you like, Weasley. Just give me an answer today so I can talk to Professor Snape and Professor Flitwick first thing in the morning."

"Why would you talk to them?" She had given up eating and was just paying attention to what he was saying. It shocked her so much she didn't even feel hungry anymore.

"Think, Weasley, just think!" He was sure he was dealing with someone who was mentally challenged. Even Crabbe and Goyle were easier to convince. "We talk to the teachers, tell them about our plan, ask them for lesson planning and such, they see we are really putting effort into it and we get on their good sides. I'm sure you'd like to know how it feels to be on Professor Snape's good side, wouldn't you?"

Well, she couldn't deny she was curious about that. Not to mention she needed all the help she could get, since Harry had apparently given up on the DA. And now that Draco proposed to talk to the teachers, she was beginning to trust him a little more. He couldn't cause her any harm when the teachers were aware of their arrangements, right?

"I'll go with you," she decided.

"Where?"

"To talk to the teachers. I want to be there when you're talking to them."

Draco felt like he had won a battle. Things seemed to be brightening up already. "Sure, you can come along."

She nodded and resumed eating, still looking suspicious, but now less so. Between bites she asked, "Are you any good in Defence Against the Dark Arts?"

He gave her a nasty smile. "I'm better with Dark Arts."

"I thought so." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I could use some help with that too. Oh! And Herbology, I suck at Herbology."

"What would you need Herbology for? No one needs Herbology."

"You didn't get an OWL in that, did you?" Ginny asked, amused, but Draco ignored her.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts would compromise another night of the week but I could do that, I suppose." He shrugged.

"Oh, yes." She realised just then. "I still have Quidditch practice three times a week."

"Oh, you seem very joyful about it," he mocked. "Don't you like being a part of the Quidditch team?"

"I do, it's just that it's a lot of work." She sighed. "And honestly, it was so much easier when I was a seeker. Now that I'm a chaser the practice is more tiring."

"Potter is back to being the seeker, huh?" he asked more to himself than to her, but she answered anyway.

"He's much better than me, so it was expected."

"You made great catches, yourself." Ginny smiled, amazed that he was actually complimenting her, but soon he added, "But of course Potter had to come back to continue showing off."

"He's not in the team to show off!" She felt her temperature rise with the undeserved insult. "He's very talented-"

"I see you still keep yourself busy defending the almighty Potter." Draco raised an eyebrow, smiling ironically. "I thought that crush would have passed by now."

She avoided his eyes, and heard him chuckle. "That's pathetic. You're still in love with a boy who doesn't even know you exist."

"I'm not in love with him!" She looked at Draco, angry. "He's my friend."

"Yes, and he's such a great friend that I see you two talking all the time." He took a sip of his juice as if waiting for his words to sink in. "Wake up, Weasley. He doesn't even give you a second glance."

"I know he doesn't, and I don't care." Realising that conversation had gone too far, she decided to end it. "And it's none of your business, so just eat."

"Oh, bossy, aren't you?" he mocked. "But it won't work with me. If I wanted to eat without having a decent conversation, I would be dinning with Crabbe and Goyle."

She suppressed a smile because she didn't want him to notice he had complimented her for the second time. "Do you call this a decent conversation? You're taking turns on insulting me and insulting Harry."

"Come on, I only insulted him once, and we've been talking for what, twenty minutes?" He shook his head. "It must be a record for me."

Draco realised he had amused her with his self-deprecating comment, and felt oddly glad for that, so he thought better to change the subject. "Anyway, I'm sure we can work out a schedule that would be good for both of us."

"Not to mention I can't let my brother know you're helping me."

He smirked. "No, we can't let that happen, can we?"

"No, we can't. I'm willing to help you, but there's no need to involve my friends in it."

"Excuse me, but I'll be helping you as well, you better remember that." He sounded insulted.

She apologised, clearly disagreeing, but he decided to let it pass. "We can't raise any suspicion, so we must go on quietly, and not draw any attention to ourselves. You could, for instance, stop picking on my friends."

He gasped. "What, stop doing the thing that gives me so much joy?" Picking on them wasn't giving Draco any joy lately and he had even stopped doing so, but he wouldn't let her know it.

"Pick on me instead," she said coyly.

"Weasley, I already pick on you." He seemed bored.

She sighed heavily. He was right, so she shrugged. "Well, I had to try."

She looked so innocent he felt like laughing, but suppressed it before he ruined the cold-hearted image he struggled so hard to keep. He resumed eating as if nothing had happened, but something was already happening. He just couldn't point out what exactly it was just yet, but he knew that his plan, somehow, would work out in more ways than one.