Draco Malfoy emerged sputtering from the lake. Algae dripped from his platinum blond hair. Mud spotted his exquisitely tailored shirt. Rage oozed from every pore of his body. His eyes informed everyone present to his humiliation that someone would die.

Ginny Weasley looked on him in all his furious glory and laughed.

His lip curled up in a snarl as he stomped toward her. Other students moved out of his way as he stormed toward the object of his wrath. “How dare you,” he bellowed.

Completely ignoring the threat of impending doom, she reached out and brushed a smear of algae from his forehead. “Take a breath, Malfoy. I’m sure you’ll clean up just as pretty as you always do.”

“You...” He launched into a litany of curse words that by all rights should have turned the air green.

She batted her eyelashes at him. “I do believe you’re trying to hurt my feelings. Perhaps I should point out that your jaunt into the lake was not entirely my fault. The Felix Felicis, which I won by writing the best essay for Slughorn, must have inadvertently caused your accident.” She reached out and wiped a bit of muck off his shirt. “That might be why your scary Slytherin routine isn’t working on me either.”

He smacked her hand away from his shirt. “You hexed me. How is that not your fault?”

“I wasn’t aiming at you. I was aiming at Ron. Hermione ruined my fun by deflecting the hex, and it hit you.” She bit her lip in an attempt not to laugh.

He leaned closer so they were almost nose to nose. “There are two things I want to make very clear to you. I don’t care that you weren’t aiming at me. You knocked me into the lake in front of everyone. For that you must pay. I know the Felix Felicis is making you feel content and happy right now. It. Will. Wear. Off. Then you will see just how scary I can be.”

A trickle of unease broke through the happy glow of serenity Ginny was experiencing. She watched as Draco stalked toward the castle. Maybe the scary Slytherin remark had been a tiny bit unwise.

Ron sat up from where he’d been roaring on the ground with laughter. “That is the most wonderful site I’ve ever seen. My baby sister knocked Malfoy into the lake.” He swiped at the tears, which dampened his cheeks. “Too bad Harry wasn’t here to see it.”

Ginny pointed her wand at him. “Did you forget our new rule, Ron?”

Her brother pouted. “I’m not allowed to mention his name until he apologizes for what he said. Honestly, Gin he didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

Hermione poked Ron in the shoulder. “It’s very hurtful to hear that someone you like doesn’t think of you as a datable girl.”

“I know she had a crush on Harry. But it’s kind of like us, Hermione.” Ron shrugged. “We’re just friends, and it’s great.”

Hermione sighed.

“Can I blast him now?” Ginny asked.

Hermione stepped away from Ron. “Be my guest.”

Ron gaped at her. “Mione?”

“I’m a girl, you prat,” Hermione yelled.

Ron looked utterly confused as his sister blasted him into the lake.

Hermione and Ginny walked back to the castle together. “Ginny, you should be careful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Malfoy quite so mad.”

Ginny chuckled. “I only took half the Felix Felicis this morning. I’ll take a small sip each day for the rest of the week. Someone else will do something to brass off Malfoy and he’ll forget all about me.”

“Don’t wander around the castle alone,” Hermione warned.

Ginny slept fitfully that night dreaming of someone chasing her down a corridor. She woke in a foul mood. A tiny sip of the Felix Felicis made the world seem like a better place. As she walked to breakfast, she noticed people giving her a wide birth. Even her fellow Gryffindors didn’t linger in her presence.

In the Great Hall, Harry scooted close to her as she piled biscuits on her plate. “Gin, I’m sorry about what I said. I care about you, but I’ll always think of you as a sister.”

She set her pumpkin juice down and sighed. She supposed it wasn’t his fault that he didn’t view her as datable. “Maybe you could choose your words more carefully next time,” she suggested.

“Sorry.” He gave her a sheepish grin.

“When I’m completely hot in a few years, don’t expect me to give you another chance,” she told him with a wink.

He seemed startled by her comment. She didn’t care. “Any butter by you?” she asked.

He blinked and then grabbed a plate of butter. She leaned closer to take it from him. Just then a torrential downpour of ice cold water landed mainly on Harry. Ginny’s left sleeve became drenched, but she managed to throw herself to the side to avoid the main downpour.

Laughter from the Slytherin table told her who was responsible for the prank. Harry’s teeth chattered which delayed his ability to dry his clothes. This time lag allowed everyone present to see that Harry was wearing a Gilderoy Lockhart t-shirt under his white button down shirt.

Ginny wondered if Harry wasn’t interested in her because she was a girl. Catcalls sounded around the Great Hall.

She took pity on Harry and helped him dry off. “Your mum gave me this shirt,” Harry complained. “I only wear it when all my other undershirts are dirty.”

“Of course that’s why.” Ginny nodded sympathetically. Once Harry was dry, she dried her left sleeve and then took off for class.

When she was halfway to her destination, she realized she’d forgotten her bookbag. Sprinting back to the Great Hall, she tripped over something and went flying. Her hair flew in her face blocking her view of the person she slammed into and fell on top of. The warm body she was tangled with spouted fluent profanity.

As she tried to detangle her arms and legs, she realized she’d heard those words before. “Malfoy?” she asked.

The growl she heard from beneath her had her up in a flash. The Slytherin who lay on the ground with ink splattered on his crisp white shirt, gave her a look that would have made a lesser person whimper.

She stepped away from him. “Sorry to land on top of you like that. Someone hit me with a tripping jinx.”

“I hit you with the tripping jinx, you insufferable bint.”

The laughter poured from her mouth before she could stop it. “That didn’t work out how you planned, did it?”

He studied her while he seethed. “You held back some of the Felix Felicis, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I guess that’s why the water hit Harry this morning. I suppose that’s why you broke my fall.”

Draco was on his feet and towering over her. “You will run out of Felix Felicis eventually.”

Fascinated by the way his hair shone in the light, she reached out and brushed a few strands off his forehead. He went very still.

“Why do you keep touching me?” he bit out.

“I don’t know.” She laughed. “You just seem very touchable.”

Draco looked ready to burst a blood vessel.

“You’re upset.” She patted his chest. “We can discuss this later.” She moved around him and went to retrieve her bookbag.

She didn’t see hide nor hair of Draco for the rest of the day. Slightly disappointed, she wondered what he planned next.

The next morning, Ginny decided to forgo the Felix Felicis. She reasoned that Draco would plot to wait out her supply. If she was wrong, he’d successfully trip her, or perform some other type of prank. It might be best to get it over with.
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