Chapter 2- A Peculiar Feeling
At practice that afternoon, Ginny leaned over to Natasha after spotting her boyfriend leaning against the wall of the practice room.
“What’s Draco doing here?”
Natasha shrugged, eyeing the cool blond with mild curiosity. “Maybe Patrick asked him to help out some.”
Ginny started to reply, but spotted something else of interest; a certain good friend of theirs couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Miss Kaydence Montespan.
“You think that Blaise could stare at her any harder?”
Natasha pretended to consider the possibility, weighing her cousin with an intense gaze. “I think his eyes are about to pop out of his head.”
Ginny nodded and sat up for a moment, looking around the room. “I don’t suppose he realizes that every other guy in the school between the ages of 11 and 19 seem to have found sudden business here, too. I mean, honestly, what possible reason could the Creevey brothers have for being here other than to stare at that girl?”
Natasha glanced around before fixing on Kaydence, her gaze moving between the beautiful blonde and her dark-skinned cousin. “To her credit, she seems to be ignoring it nobly. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was feeling a certain attraction to Blaise. Look at how she glances at him all the time.”
Ginny snorted, belying the fact that she’d noticed the mutual awareness, too. “Oh, please! He’s just the first male she set eyes on inside Hogwarts. Girls like that aren’t the one-man type.”
Natasha smirked but didn’t reply.
Later in practice, Ginny found Draco talking with Patrick and Blaise by the piano. The latter noticed her standing there and nodded in her direction. The trio split apart a few moments later, and Blaise and Draco headed in her direction.
“Hey, Red!” Blaise swung an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “What’s up?”
Ginny grinned and put her arm around Blaise’s waist, hugging him back. “Oh, nothing much. I just thought I’d say hello to my boyfriend.”
“And here I thought you had come to see me.” Blaise pulled away, looking dejected.
“Well, I figured that goes without saying.”
“Quite right- it does!” Blaise’s trademark grin popped back into place. “Everyone likes me!”
Draco snorted; Blaise glared at him. “Just because no one but Ginny likes you doesn’t mean you have to be jealous of my popularity. You’ve only brought it on yourself.”
Draco opened his mouth with a scathing reply, but the other man’s attention was already elsewhere.
“Now, if you two lovebirds will excuse me,” Blaise began, eyes on Kaya once again. “I have a certain young lady I’d like to talk to.” And he walked away.
Draco rolled his eyes and pulled Ginny into a hug. “Hello, stranger.”
Ginny smiled and stood on tip-toe to kiss him, quite content to forget all about Blaise and his current obsession to stay wrapped in Draco’s arms. Their relationship had come quite far over the summer, and wizarding society was finally beginning to accept them, albeit grudgingly. “Hello.”
“Surprised to see me?”
Ginny nodded, her face still inches from Draco’s. “Yeah, I figured you’d never come back after graduation.”
“That’s what I thought, too, but I can think of a few reasons to come visit every now and then.”
Ginny opened her mouth to reply, but instead pulled away from her boyfriend to locate the source of the obnoxiously cute giggling coming from behind her.
Blaise stood just a few feet away, obviously in the middle of telling a very entertaining joke. Kaya was right next to him, one hand lying delicately on his dark arm. She had that bright, charming smile on again, and her light, tinkling laughter was unnervingly pretty.
Draco followed her gaze and his evil Slytherin smirk of old appeared for a moment. “Uh oh,” he said, pulling Ginny’s eyes back to him. “Do I sense a green monster surfacing?”
Ginny snorted derisively. “Why would I be jealous of her?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Draco’s gray eyes were light but slightly mocking. “Maybe because you’re used to having all Blaise’s attention to yourself?”
“Puh-lease,” Ginny said, waving her hand dismissively. “I like Blaise and all, but if he wants to flirt he’s free to do it.”
“Then maybe because she’s so beautiful she’s attracted the attention of every male in the school?”
Ginny’s jaw dropped. “You think she’s beautiful?”
This is where Draco made his fatal mistake. He’d come a long way toward decency over the summer, he really had, but his old habits of bluntly assessing every woman in front of him were dying hard. “Look at her, Gin; she’s gorgeous.”
“I can’t believe you just said that!” Ginny’s voice leapt octaves in the middle of her sentence, and her ears began to turn a dull red. “Do you not understand women at all?”
Draco rolled his eyes long-sufferingly. “Did I say she’s prettier than you? No. Did I say I preferred her to you? No. If I did I’d be over there.”
“You’re not supposed to be looking at her at all!”
Draco just looked at her. “I’m a guy, Ginny. You can’t expect me not to notice her.”
“No, but you aren’t supposed to let on that you did, let alone that you think she’s freakin gorgeous!”
“People are starting to stare at you, honey.”
“I don’t care!”
Draco, seeing now how upset she actually was, reached to take his girlfriend’s hand; Ginny pulled away.
“No. Leave me alone.”
“Ginny-”
“I have to go rehearse some more. I’ll talk to you later. . .if I have time.”
Ginny stalked away just as Patrick decided what he wanted them to run through. She changed course to end up on the stage, and Kaya soon appeared beside her.
“Are you alright?” She asked, sounding extremely fake to Ginny’s angry ears. “I noticed you and Draco seemed to be fighting.”
“I’m fine,” Ginny replied shortly. Kaya's concern was most definitely put on. Luckily for both of them, the music started a moment later. Ginny just sang along mindlessly until the prelude part ended, then she began to warm up to her lyrics.
“What is this feeling, so sudden and new?
I felt the moment I laid eyes on you.
My pulse is rushing
My head is reeling
My face is flushing
What is this feeling?
Fervid as a flame
Does it have a name?
Yes”
Ginny fought back inexplicable anger as she realized that Kaya’s voice was just as good as her own.
“Loathing, unadulterated loathing
For your face
Your voice
Your clothing
Let’s just say I loathe it all
Every little trait however small
Makes my very flesh begin to crawl.
With simple utter loathing
There’s a strange exhilaration
In such total detestation
It’s so pure, so strong
Though, I do admit, it came on fast
Still I do believe that it can last
And I will be loathing, loathing you
My whole life long.”
At practice that afternoon, Ginny leaned over to Natasha after spotting her boyfriend leaning against the wall of the practice room.
“What’s Draco doing here?”
Natasha shrugged, eyeing the cool blond with mild curiosity. “Maybe Patrick asked him to help out some.”
Ginny started to reply, but spotted something else of interest; a certain good friend of theirs couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Miss Kaydence Montespan.
“You think that Blaise could stare at her any harder?”
Natasha pretended to consider the possibility, weighing her cousin with an intense gaze. “I think his eyes are about to pop out of his head.”
Ginny nodded and sat up for a moment, looking around the room. “I don’t suppose he realizes that every other guy in the school between the ages of 11 and 19 seem to have found sudden business here, too. I mean, honestly, what possible reason could the Creevey brothers have for being here other than to stare at that girl?”
Natasha glanced around before fixing on Kaydence, her gaze moving between the beautiful blonde and her dark-skinned cousin. “To her credit, she seems to be ignoring it nobly. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was feeling a certain attraction to Blaise. Look at how she glances at him all the time.”
Ginny snorted, belying the fact that she’d noticed the mutual awareness, too. “Oh, please! He’s just the first male she set eyes on inside Hogwarts. Girls like that aren’t the one-man type.”
Natasha smirked but didn’t reply.
Later in practice, Ginny found Draco talking with Patrick and Blaise by the piano. The latter noticed her standing there and nodded in her direction. The trio split apart a few moments later, and Blaise and Draco headed in her direction.
“Hey, Red!” Blaise swung an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “What’s up?”
Ginny grinned and put her arm around Blaise’s waist, hugging him back. “Oh, nothing much. I just thought I’d say hello to my boyfriend.”
“And here I thought you had come to see me.” Blaise pulled away, looking dejected.
“Well, I figured that goes without saying.”
“Quite right- it does!” Blaise’s trademark grin popped back into place. “Everyone likes me!”
Draco snorted; Blaise glared at him. “Just because no one but Ginny likes you doesn’t mean you have to be jealous of my popularity. You’ve only brought it on yourself.”
Draco opened his mouth with a scathing reply, but the other man’s attention was already elsewhere.
“Now, if you two lovebirds will excuse me,” Blaise began, eyes on Kaya once again. “I have a certain young lady I’d like to talk to.” And he walked away.
Draco rolled his eyes and pulled Ginny into a hug. “Hello, stranger.”
Ginny smiled and stood on tip-toe to kiss him, quite content to forget all about Blaise and his current obsession to stay wrapped in Draco’s arms. Their relationship had come quite far over the summer, and wizarding society was finally beginning to accept them, albeit grudgingly. “Hello.”
“Surprised to see me?”
Ginny nodded, her face still inches from Draco’s. “Yeah, I figured you’d never come back after graduation.”
“That’s what I thought, too, but I can think of a few reasons to come visit every now and then.”
Ginny opened her mouth to reply, but instead pulled away from her boyfriend to locate the source of the obnoxiously cute giggling coming from behind her.
Blaise stood just a few feet away, obviously in the middle of telling a very entertaining joke. Kaya was right next to him, one hand lying delicately on his dark arm. She had that bright, charming smile on again, and her light, tinkling laughter was unnervingly pretty.
Draco followed her gaze and his evil Slytherin smirk of old appeared for a moment. “Uh oh,” he said, pulling Ginny’s eyes back to him. “Do I sense a green monster surfacing?”
Ginny snorted derisively. “Why would I be jealous of her?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Draco’s gray eyes were light but slightly mocking. “Maybe because you’re used to having all Blaise’s attention to yourself?”
“Puh-lease,” Ginny said, waving her hand dismissively. “I like Blaise and all, but if he wants to flirt he’s free to do it.”
“Then maybe because she’s so beautiful she’s attracted the attention of every male in the school?”
Ginny’s jaw dropped. “You think she’s beautiful?”
This is where Draco made his fatal mistake. He’d come a long way toward decency over the summer, he really had, but his old habits of bluntly assessing every woman in front of him were dying hard. “Look at her, Gin; she’s gorgeous.”
“I can’t believe you just said that!” Ginny’s voice leapt octaves in the middle of her sentence, and her ears began to turn a dull red. “Do you not understand women at all?”
Draco rolled his eyes long-sufferingly. “Did I say she’s prettier than you? No. Did I say I preferred her to you? No. If I did I’d be over there.”
“You’re not supposed to be looking at her at all!”
Draco just looked at her. “I’m a guy, Ginny. You can’t expect me not to notice her.”
“No, but you aren’t supposed to let on that you did, let alone that you think she’s freakin gorgeous!”
“People are starting to stare at you, honey.”
“I don’t care!”
Draco, seeing now how upset she actually was, reached to take his girlfriend’s hand; Ginny pulled away.
“No. Leave me alone.”
“Ginny-”
“I have to go rehearse some more. I’ll talk to you later. . .if I have time.”
Ginny stalked away just as Patrick decided what he wanted them to run through. She changed course to end up on the stage, and Kaya soon appeared beside her.
“Are you alright?” She asked, sounding extremely fake to Ginny’s angry ears. “I noticed you and Draco seemed to be fighting.”
“I’m fine,” Ginny replied shortly. Kaya's concern was most definitely put on. Luckily for both of them, the music started a moment later. Ginny just sang along mindlessly until the prelude part ended, then she began to warm up to her lyrics.
“What is this feeling, so sudden and new?
I felt the moment I laid eyes on you.
My pulse is rushing
My head is reeling
My face is flushing
What is this feeling?
Fervid as a flame
Does it have a name?
Yes”
Ginny fought back inexplicable anger as she realized that Kaya’s voice was just as good as her own.
“Loathing, unadulterated loathing
For your face
Your voice
Your clothing
Let’s just say I loathe it all
Every little trait however small
Makes my very flesh begin to crawl.
With simple utter loathing
There’s a strange exhilaration
In such total detestation
It’s so pure, so strong
Though, I do admit, it came on fast
Still I do believe that it can last
And I will be loathing, loathing you
My whole life long.”
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