Ginny’s hand shook as she picked up her wand. Angry tears dripped over her lashes. To be forced to admit her attraction was horrifying. The way he toyed with her and then completely dismissed her was mortifying.

She retreated to her room and tried to analyze the situation. The rejection stung, but it would have been worse if he’d wanted to touch her. She told herself she would have stopped him, but that wasn’t necessarily true. Her brain seemed to shut down around him. It was maddening.

He might go around telling everyone that he could have her if he wanted. That was better than saying he’d had her and tossed her aside.

“Ginny?”

She looked up to find Hermione in her doorway. She waved her friend into the room.

Hermione sat next to her on the bed and frowned. “What did he do?”

Ginny dug her nails into her hands. “He forced veritaserum down my throat and asked what I was most ashamed of. I blurted out how attracted I was to him.”

“I’m sorry. That must have been humiliating.”

“Wait. It gets better. He asked if he could have me. I said probably. He laughed and walked away. I’m afraid he’s going to tell the entire school.”

“No he won’t,” Hermione said with utter certainty.

“You can’t know that,” Ginny snapped.

“Yes, I can.” Hermione pulled the vial out of her pocket. “I figured it out. The twins are brilliant. Draco will have a hard time talking when he turns into a ferret.”

“How do you know-”

Hermione cut her off. “The potion turns a person into what would be their animagus form if they had that skill. Since Malfoy turned into a ferret before, I’m sure it will happen again.”

“What would I have turned into?” Ginny asked.

“I don’t know. I think we should dose Draco in the Great Hall where everyone can see.”

“Maybe Goyle will sit on him. Then all my problems would be solved.”

Hermione chuckled. “Angering a Weasley is a dangerous thing.”

“How will you get the potion into his food?”

“I’ll go down to the kitchens and talk to the house elves. I’m sure Dobby would volunteer to put it in Draco’s food after all he suffered at Malfoy Manor.”

Ginny bit her lip. “Can you manage it for dinner tonight?”

“I’ll head down there right now.” Hermione stood and then hesitated. “Hold onto your feelings of humiliation and anger. Let them resurface whenever he’s around. Maybe that way you’ll block any other feelings you might have for him.”

***

Ginny walked into the Great Hall with Ron by her side. She’d shared an abbreviated version of her contact with Draco. Ron had been supportive and offered to stay by her side so she wouldn’t end up alone with Malfoy again.

“Thanks for walking with me,” Ginny said as they sat at their table.

“You know I’ll always stick by you, Gin.”

For once she was grateful for her brother’s protective nature. She picked at her shepherds pie. Her stomach rolled whenever she heard laughter from the Slytherin table.

Hermione entered the Great Hall and sat across from Ginny.

As if on cue, a commotion broke out at the Slytherin table. Draco was thrashing around, and he seemed to be growing larger.

Professor Snape approached the table shouting for answers as Draco’s face turned green and he increased in size. He cried out at his fingers grew longer and webbing grew between them creating wings. Smoke drifted from his lips as he exhaled.

Slytherins abandoned their table in a stampede. The rest of the students stared, transfixed by what was happening.

“Why is Malfoy turning into a Common Welsh Green Dragon?” Neville asked.

“I’m not sure,” Ginny replied truthfully.

“With his personality I would have thought he’d be a Hungarian Horntail,” Neville stated.

The dragon stopped growing when it was twenty feet tall. “I guess he’s a teenage dragon,” Hermione said. “He certainly isn’t full size.”

“He looks big enough to me,” Ron said. “Let’s get out of here.”

Ginny had the misfortune of being on the side of the table closer to the dragon. She began sidling towards the door when Malfoy roared. She heard the whoosh of wings and then she felt a blast of hot breath on her back.

“Don’t move, Miss Weasley,” Snape shouted from across the room. “Greens don’t normally eat humans. I believe he’s just attracted to the color of you hair.”

Ginny remembered that all dragons loved shiny things. Slowly she turned around to face the dragon. At the same time, she pulled the rubber band from her wrist that she used to hold her hair back. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and stuffed it down the back of her shirt.

“Look the shiny hair is gone. Why don’t you go hunt down a sheep?” she suggested.

The dragon tilted his head to the side, studying her. Leaning down, he sniffed the top of her head.

Ginny had no idea how the twin’s potion worked. Was Malfoy’s mind still intact, or had he taken on the personality of a dragon?

The dragon nudged her with his nose, pushing her back towards the table. She used the opportunity to climb on top of the table, intent on going over and making a run for it.

Hot breath on her back told her that escape wasn’t likely. “Do something,” she yelled to Snape.

“Nothing is working. Whoever invented this spell put something in to block all other magic,” Snape answered.

The next time she saw the twins she was going to hex them. She scrambled over the table and headed toward the door. The whoosh of wings told her Malfoy was closing in on her. The sensation of talons grasping her shoulders scared the hell out of her. Airborne, she struggled to break free of the dragon’s grasp. He flew out the doors of the great hall and squeezed out the main entrance of the castle.

“Damn it, Malfoy. If you eat me all six of my brother’s will come after you.”

The dragon seemed unimpressed. He headed for a dense clump of trees and dropped her a few feet from the ground. Her pulse pounded as she tried to make a run for it. Malfoy landed and roared a few inches from her face.

His breath was like a hot fog that surrounded her. The noise he made wasn’t terrible, but it was far too loud. As if by reflex, she reached out and slapped his snout. One second after making contact with his scaly skin, she deeply regretted her actions.

He butted her with his snout, knocking her flat on the ground.

She held up both hands in a sign or surrender. “Sorry. I won’t do that again.”

The dragon opened his mouth wide and came at her. She closed her eyes and braced herself for pain of sharp teeth sinking into her skin. When something hot, wet and squishy lapped from her shins up to her face, she bit her lip to keep from moaning in disgust.

Opening one eye, she saw the dragon looking down at her and panting like he was an overgrown dog. Carefully, she sat up.

“Miss Weasley,” Snape yelled. “Scratch his chest.”

She wondered if Snape was having fun at her expense. She climbed to her knees and reached up to scratch Draco’s chest. A growling purr reverberated through the dragon’s body.

“Good dragon,” she said as she regained her feet.

When she stopped scratching he looked disappointed. “This has been fun,” she told him as she backed away. “I have homework. If you don’t mind, I’ll just be going back to the castle.”

Draco whipped his tail around, blocking her escape.

“I don’t believe he means you harm. The spell should wear off soon,” Snape told her.

The dragon lay down and curled up like a cat. He pulled Ginny close by nudging her with his tail. She ended up standing with her back against his chest. Heat seeped from his body.
“At least I won’t be cold.”

“Ginny, are you all right?” Ron’s voice sounded frantic.

“I’m fine. Malfoy must like my hair. He wants me to scratch his chest.”

“Really?” Ron appeared among the dense trees. Hermione was behind him. Other gawkers became visible.

Not knowing what else to do, she waved and then reached up to give Draco a good scratch. The deep rumbling purr started again.

“Why did he pick you?” Pansy yelled from behind a tree.

“I’d be happy to trade places,” Ginny hollered back.

To Pansy’s credit, she walked out from behind the tree and glared at the dragon. Intent on claiming Draco’s affections, she stalked forward and said, “Draco, I’ll stay with you. Let Weasley go.”

Ginny tried to stand up, but Draco knocked her back against his body with a flick of his tail. Laughter was heard from among the trees.

“I guess we know who he’s been sneaking off to see,” Blaise stage whispered.

“Prat,” Pansy muttered as she stomped back to the trees. Ginny didn’t know if she meant Draco or Blaise.

The dragon nudged her with his head. “Fine.” She reached up to resume scratching. The low growling purr started again. “You’d better be nice to me when you shift back.”

Harry walked forward carrying a pitcher of water and a tray of food. “We don’t know how long you’ll be stuck out here.”

The dragon’s growl changed from a purr to something more menacing.

Harry froze. “I’ll just set this down over here.”

“Thanks, Harry.” She watched as he retreated to the trees.

She stopped scratching and put her hand on Draco’s snout. “I want that tray. I’ll get it and come back.”

Once again his tail prevented her from moving. He gave a short growl, which sounded like a warning. Then he released her.

Resigned to her fate, she walked to the tray, picked it up and returned to her spot sitting with her back against his chest. She drank from the pitcher of water and ate an apple. “You know you’re much nicer as a dragon than you are as a person,” she stated.

The sky began to dim. Lulled by the warmth of his body, Ginny dozed off. She hoped in the morning Draco would be back to his human form.

Sometime in the middle of the night, she felt herself being jostled around. Irritated that her sleep was being disturbed, she edged away from Draco. His tail wrapped around her waist and hauled her backwards. “Stop moving,” she muttered.

Warm breath fanned her neck. She shivered. She felt a light tug on her hair, and then the sensation of fingers combing through her hair.

Dragon’s didn’t have fingers.

“Malfoy?” she squeaked.

“Yes.” His tone was calm and content.

Why wasn’t he yelling at her? He had to know she was the one who dosed him with the potion.

Unsure of what to do, she rolled over slowly and looked at the blond boy who was playing with her hair.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

He stopped stroking her hair. “I feel...I don’t know. I feel...warm and...I don’t know.” He resumed stroking her hair.

“How do you feel about me?” she asked.

“I’m fascinated by your hair,” he told her.

She wondered if this was some residual effect of being a dragon.

“You should go back to sleep,” he told her.

He didn’t seem inclined to hurt her. Unable to come up with a plausible plan, she rolled over and closed her eyes. His arm snaked out and wrapped around her waist hauling her against his body. He continued to run his fingers through her hair until she fell asleep.

The sound of Snape’s voice woke her some time later.

“Miss Weasley, are you all right?”

She opened her eyes and yawned. “I’m fine.”

“Come here-”

Draco sat up, wrapped his arm around Ginny and said, “Mine.”

Snape’s scowled. “Mr. Malfoy, I expect you to come to your senses soon. Perhaps you should visit the medical wing.”

Ginny tried to stand up, but Draco grabbed her arm. “Don’t go.”

She blinked and sat next to him. “Do you want me to go to the medical wing with you?”

“Yes.” He stood and took her hand.

She suppressed a laugh at the expression of disgust on Snape’s face.

As they approached the castle, Draco glared at any males who came too close. When Harry emerged from the crowd and tried to hug her, Drace placed himself bodily in front of Ginny and growled.

Harry froze. “I guess that spell hasn’t completely worn off yet.”

Ron pushed past Harry, walked around Malfoy and hugged his sister. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. We’re going to the medical wing to have Draco checked out.”

“How come he can touch her but I can’t?” Harry asked.

“He’s family,” Draco stated. “He isn’t competition.”

Once they reached the hospital wing, Ginny sat next to Draco on a cot while Pomfrey checked him out from head to toe.

Snape came to supervise. He frowned when he saw Draco was still holding onto Ginny’s hand.

“His temperature is a bit high but other than that he’s fine.”

“If he’s fine, how do you explain that?” Snape pointed to their clasped hands.

“I think they look nice together,” Pomfrey stated.

“Merlin save me from romantic fools,” Snape muttered. “Both of you get to class.”

“It’s Saturday,” Pomfrey reminded him with a smile.

Snape reached up to rub the bridge of his nose. “I want you both out of my sight by the count of three. One, two...”
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