Draco sighed and shook his head as he settled on the couch. This girl was exasperating! She had a temper to boot!
Inexplicably, Draco found himself laughing. She may be a Weasley, and an annoying one at that, he told himself, but she’s got spunk. She’s fun to tease. Always rises to the challenge. Sighing again, he rolled over and stared into the fire.
Across the room, Ginny was still fuming. He could hear her muttering under her breath and hitting the pillows rather harder than necessary. He could feel her shooting angry looks at his back.
Draco frowned. Why did I pick her up? he mused. Normally I would have just pushed her onto the floor. He shoved his hand through his hair in frustration. I’m just over-tired. That’s all. He could still feel her warmth on his arms and against his chest where she had pressed those tiny hands.
The thoughts did nothing to comfort him, though. They only reminded him of the moment she had noticed his face. Her big brown eyes had softened to reveal something not unlike pity. Then they had widened and she began struggling again.
She feels pity for me, which is bad enough, he thought, but she doesn’t want to. She’s embarrassed to think of me kindly. Draco huffed and adjusted his pillow. The weasel thinks she’s better than me! Draco Malfoy!
He sighed. She had every reason to feel that way. Even though Draco had not let in the Death Eaters last year (Voldemort had gotten another boy, Augustus Mortend, to do that) and then killed Dumbledore, he had poisoned that bottle of mead at Christmas time. It was a half-hearted attempt, most of the students had no idea it was him, and Draco never tried again; but the point was, he’d done it. He had made that attempt at following the Dark Lord.
To tell the truth, Draco had been afraid. Afraid that if he didn’t do something, the Dark Lord would become angry. It was only to protect his family, who Voldemort was threatening, that he even did as much as that.
Draco looked over at Ginny. She had stopped fidgeting, and, to all appearances, was asleep. But as he watched, she opened one chocolate eye and looked at him. She harrumphed and flipped her robes around herself.
Draco smirked and closed his eyes. The next thing he knew, the alarm clock on the mantle was ringing. Not ready to wake up, he squeezed his eyes tighter.
There was a rustling noise, combined with a good bit of huffing. Draco peeked out from under his robes, which he’d pulled up over his face, to see Ginny march over to the fireplace, reach up, and turn off the alarm. She then turned to face him.
Thinking he was still asleep, she watched him for a moment, her expression inscrutable. “What happened to you, Malfoy?” she whispered. She shook her head and moved to grab her school bag, which was on the floor beneath Draco’s head.
Draco pretended to stir and opened his eyes. He laughed at the startled look on her face as she jumped backwards. “What’s the matter Weasley? Afraid I might bite you?”
“I’m not afraid of ferrets,” Ginny growled at him. “I’d just rather not see one first thing in the morning.”
Really, this whole ferret thing was getting old. For Merlin’s sake, it happened three years ago! “Well, if I see one, I’ll be sure to let it know,” Draco responded dryly.
“I ought to hex you.”
“You wouldn’t dare try it.” Draco felt his eye twitch in anger.
“You’re obviously not up to a duel right now,” Ginny said calmly. “Have a rough night?”
Draco tried hard to keep his face passive. His anger was desperate to show itself. “Worried about me?” he asked casually.
“Worried about you?” She looked as if she’d swallowed a lemon. “Draco Malfoy? In your dreams!” She began shoving things in her bag (he’d knocked it over accidentally in the middle of the night).
Draco stood up and kicked her wand across the room. “Oops! Sorry!” he drawled lazily. Ginny seemed to stiffen. Her eyes stayed on him cautiously as he made his way to the door.
At the door, Draco spun with his wand extended in front of him. Ginny gasped and dived for her wand.
“Impedimenta!”
She seemed to hover for a second, her robes billowing out behind her, frozen in their movement, then fell to the floor with a thud. She scrabbled over to her wand, her bruised fingers struggling to hold on to it, causing him to wonder vaguely what had happened.
As she pointed it toward him, Draco said, “Honestly Weasley. You are too easy. If ever I wanted to really curse you, you’d be done.” With that he exited the room, leaving Ginny sprawled out clumsily on the floor.
She glared at him so that he actually felt heat on his back. “Pompous git,” he heard her mumble.
He laughed as he walked down the corridor. In the Great Hall, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy were waiting for him. Blaise Zabini was talking with a pretty fifth year girl.
“Where were you all night?” Pansy whined. “We waited and you never came!”
“Yeah,” Goyle added brilliantly.
“All night,” Crabbe repeated.
Draco slumped into his seat. “I lost track of time. It was after curfew and I had to spend the night in the Room of Requirement to avoid the teachers.”
“The teachers would never give you detention Drakie,” Pansy told him happily.
“Snape would,” Draco replied. “He’s been different to me ever since he became headmaster. It’s because I failed my task.”
Crabbe patted him on the arm, but was quickly distracted by the appearance of food on his plate.
Pansy brushed the hair off his forehead. “Let’s skip classes today, Drakie. We’ll do something fun. It’ll take your mind off of things and we’ll get to spend time together.”
Draco picked at the toast he’d just grabbed. “I’m too tired, Pansy. I’d rather just do the regular stuff.”
“But I missed you last night,” Pansy persisted, pressing her lips to his temple. “And we haven’t done anything together in ages!” Her fingers skimmed lightly up his arm.
Draco resisted the urge to pull away from his dark-haired girlfriend. The last time he’d done that, Pansy had yelled at him for three days straight. When she wasn’t yelling at him, she was whispering to anyone who would listen.
“I know, Pansy,” he said instead. “I’ve been… busy. You know that.”
Pansy gave him a look of frustration. “Yeah. I know,” she replied dully, turning to Daphne Greengrass. She didn’t talk to him for the rest of the day.
Draco shrugged in response to Crabbe and Goyle’s questioning looks. He really wasn’t that upset. He wanted to be left alone anyway. Thankfully the two boys were too dense to push the subject and turned back to their food, leaving Draco to his own thoughts.
Inexplicably, Draco found himself laughing. She may be a Weasley, and an annoying one at that, he told himself, but she’s got spunk. She’s fun to tease. Always rises to the challenge. Sighing again, he rolled over and stared into the fire.
Across the room, Ginny was still fuming. He could hear her muttering under her breath and hitting the pillows rather harder than necessary. He could feel her shooting angry looks at his back.
Draco frowned. Why did I pick her up? he mused. Normally I would have just pushed her onto the floor. He shoved his hand through his hair in frustration. I’m just over-tired. That’s all. He could still feel her warmth on his arms and against his chest where she had pressed those tiny hands.
The thoughts did nothing to comfort him, though. They only reminded him of the moment she had noticed his face. Her big brown eyes had softened to reveal something not unlike pity. Then they had widened and she began struggling again.
She feels pity for me, which is bad enough, he thought, but she doesn’t want to. She’s embarrassed to think of me kindly. Draco huffed and adjusted his pillow. The weasel thinks she’s better than me! Draco Malfoy!
He sighed. She had every reason to feel that way. Even though Draco had not let in the Death Eaters last year (Voldemort had gotten another boy, Augustus Mortend, to do that) and then killed Dumbledore, he had poisoned that bottle of mead at Christmas time. It was a half-hearted attempt, most of the students had no idea it was him, and Draco never tried again; but the point was, he’d done it. He had made that attempt at following the Dark Lord.
To tell the truth, Draco had been afraid. Afraid that if he didn’t do something, the Dark Lord would become angry. It was only to protect his family, who Voldemort was threatening, that he even did as much as that.
Draco looked over at Ginny. She had stopped fidgeting, and, to all appearances, was asleep. But as he watched, she opened one chocolate eye and looked at him. She harrumphed and flipped her robes around herself.
Draco smirked and closed his eyes. The next thing he knew, the alarm clock on the mantle was ringing. Not ready to wake up, he squeezed his eyes tighter.
There was a rustling noise, combined with a good bit of huffing. Draco peeked out from under his robes, which he’d pulled up over his face, to see Ginny march over to the fireplace, reach up, and turn off the alarm. She then turned to face him.
Thinking he was still asleep, she watched him for a moment, her expression inscrutable. “What happened to you, Malfoy?” she whispered. She shook her head and moved to grab her school bag, which was on the floor beneath Draco’s head.
Draco pretended to stir and opened his eyes. He laughed at the startled look on her face as she jumped backwards. “What’s the matter Weasley? Afraid I might bite you?”
“I’m not afraid of ferrets,” Ginny growled at him. “I’d just rather not see one first thing in the morning.”
Really, this whole ferret thing was getting old. For Merlin’s sake, it happened three years ago! “Well, if I see one, I’ll be sure to let it know,” Draco responded dryly.
“I ought to hex you.”
“You wouldn’t dare try it.” Draco felt his eye twitch in anger.
“You’re obviously not up to a duel right now,” Ginny said calmly. “Have a rough night?”
Draco tried hard to keep his face passive. His anger was desperate to show itself. “Worried about me?” he asked casually.
“Worried about you?” She looked as if she’d swallowed a lemon. “Draco Malfoy? In your dreams!” She began shoving things in her bag (he’d knocked it over accidentally in the middle of the night).
Draco stood up and kicked her wand across the room. “Oops! Sorry!” he drawled lazily. Ginny seemed to stiffen. Her eyes stayed on him cautiously as he made his way to the door.
At the door, Draco spun with his wand extended in front of him. Ginny gasped and dived for her wand.
“Impedimenta!”
She seemed to hover for a second, her robes billowing out behind her, frozen in their movement, then fell to the floor with a thud. She scrabbled over to her wand, her bruised fingers struggling to hold on to it, causing him to wonder vaguely what had happened.
As she pointed it toward him, Draco said, “Honestly Weasley. You are too easy. If ever I wanted to really curse you, you’d be done.” With that he exited the room, leaving Ginny sprawled out clumsily on the floor.
She glared at him so that he actually felt heat on his back. “Pompous git,” he heard her mumble.
He laughed as he walked down the corridor. In the Great Hall, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy were waiting for him. Blaise Zabini was talking with a pretty fifth year girl.
“Where were you all night?” Pansy whined. “We waited and you never came!”
“Yeah,” Goyle added brilliantly.
“All night,” Crabbe repeated.
Draco slumped into his seat. “I lost track of time. It was after curfew and I had to spend the night in the Room of Requirement to avoid the teachers.”
“The teachers would never give you detention Drakie,” Pansy told him happily.
“Snape would,” Draco replied. “He’s been different to me ever since he became headmaster. It’s because I failed my task.”
Crabbe patted him on the arm, but was quickly distracted by the appearance of food on his plate.
Pansy brushed the hair off his forehead. “Let’s skip classes today, Drakie. We’ll do something fun. It’ll take your mind off of things and we’ll get to spend time together.”
Draco picked at the toast he’d just grabbed. “I’m too tired, Pansy. I’d rather just do the regular stuff.”
“But I missed you last night,” Pansy persisted, pressing her lips to his temple. “And we haven’t done anything together in ages!” Her fingers skimmed lightly up his arm.
Draco resisted the urge to pull away from his dark-haired girlfriend. The last time he’d done that, Pansy had yelled at him for three days straight. When she wasn’t yelling at him, she was whispering to anyone who would listen.
“I know, Pansy,” he said instead. “I’ve been… busy. You know that.”
Pansy gave him a look of frustration. “Yeah. I know,” she replied dully, turning to Daphne Greengrass. She didn’t talk to him for the rest of the day.
Draco shrugged in response to Crabbe and Goyle’s questioning looks. He really wasn’t that upset. He wanted to be left alone anyway. Thankfully the two boys were too dense to push the subject and turned back to their food, leaving Draco to his own thoughts.
Author notes: I love hearing what you guys have to say. Don't be afraid to tell me. Really, just go type something in that pretty little box down there. I don't bite... it doesn't bite... No fear! Thanks to anah492, marahlynn, merriza, choravenclaw, darkloveangel, Rosalie, Dark__Angel, Temptation Bites, and Kalira for your reviews. I enjoyed every one!
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