Chapter Four
It was over as quickly as it had begun.Ginny touched her lips reverently as she shivered in the nook. She'd finally realized how cold it was this morning, without him hovering over her as he had been. She wrapped her cloak around her arms and stood up to gather what books she had taken with her.
As she got up, something a bit smaller than a bottle cap fell off of her, glinting in the light as it hit the ground. Ginny stooped to pick it up and looked at it curiously.At first she thought it was a pin, but soon realized it was a necklace charm.It was silver, with a dark, nearly opaque, purple stone in the center.The stone seemed to swirl as she held it in her hand. 'I'll have to get this back to him, he must have dropped it. Curious... why would Draco even have a necklace?' she thought as she dropped it into her pocket and made her back into the castle.
Ginny looked at her watch.It was already 8:30, and if she was going to anything today, now would be the time to decide.She still had to do her potions homework; she headed for the Gryffindor common room.Still a bit flustered from before, she hardly noticed Harry in the corner as she walked toward her dorm. Instead, she was stopped by Seamus, who tapped her shoulder as she'd started up the stairs.
He looked a bit nervous as he looked at her, like a first year asking Snape for his grade.She had softened considerably from their conversation before.Maybe it was because she had time to settle down, or maybe it because of something else, but she felt lighter than normal.
"Seamus, I'm sorry I snapped at you before.You really didn't deserve that; I just blew things out of proportion."
She gave him a soft smile, which relieved him greatly.His posture relaxed and he slid his arms around her waist. "You know, Ginny, I really hoping you'd say something like that." He gave her a chaste kiss on the lips, which made her smile. He stepped back and offered her his hand."A game of chess?"
"Sure, but I'm warning you, I'm not nearly as good as Ron!" she grinned.
Ginny left Seamus around three to finish her schoolwork in the library.She approached Harry and Hermione, who were sitting at a table in the western corner of the library. Hermione was pouring over a rather large, dusty book, while Harry twiddled with his quill distractedly. He seemed to have some trouble concentrating, and Ginny's though was affirmed when he stood up, threw his arms (and his quill) in the air.
"I don't see why I even try! Snape hates me, and I can't write this stupid essay without my head exploding!"Harry started pacing in frustration while Hermione looked on at him sympathetically.
"It'll be alright, Harry, you know you'll do fine once you calm down. You're just too stressed today. What's been upsetting you?"
"Hello!" Ginny greeted."Mind if I sit with you?" She smiled earnestly, but noticed that Harry was glaring at her cheerfulness.She sat tentatively in the seat across from him.Of course, he wasn't sitting at the moment.
"Stupid... git..." Harry muttered as he paced."I swear, if he does one more thing..."
Hermione stood up. She put her hands on Harry's shoulders, guided him to his seat, and sat him down. He grumbled under his breath still, but at least he'd stopped pacing.
"Really, Harry, the potions assignment won't be that bad, and Snape really didn't do anything out of the ordinary today.I don't understand what could upset you so much." He just sighed and rolled his eyes at her as she continued,"Just a rough day I suppose? I'm sure he'll be fine tomorrow, don't you think, Ginny?"
Harry raised his head from where it had lain in his arms, looked at Ginny bleakly.
"I don't think I'm going to be okay for a very long time," he said before she could answer. He then packed up his books and grabbed his quill from the floor. "I'm going to the common room, I'll see you girls later." He left the library.
Hermione turned to Ginny. "He's been acting strange ever since yesterday.I don't know what's up with him." She shrugged in resignation and dipped her quill into the inkwell.
Ginny gave her a half smile, and took out her potions books and some parchment."I don't know what to tell you.I haven't been around him since the party yesterday.I know he lost a couple games of poker, but I'm guessing it's something slightly more serious."
"I don't know.I guess he'll be all right. He always pulls through in the end," Hermione smiled, then lifted a knowing eyebrow and nudged Ginny's side."So, how's Seamus?"
Ginny turned a bit pink and burst into a fit of giggles."Hermione!"Once she'd stopped laughing, she said, "Well, he's nice..."
"Is that all?Is he a good kisser? Back when Lavender was dating him she raved about him..."
Ginny gave her a look. "Oh, come on, 'Mione, Lavender would rave about any guy she was dating! Puts her in the spotlight."
"I suppose so, but..." Hermione gave Ginny a devious grin. "Is he?"
"'Mione!"She rolled her eyes, but Hermione seemed insistent for information.And after all, who else would Ginny gossip with? Ron? "I don't know,"she said, her thoughts suddenly drifting to a certain blonde Slytherin."We haven't really kissed yet."
She found herself daydreaming about what had happened in the nood, and shook it off in time to catch Hermione in mid-sentence.
"... and I wouldn't have thought it either, would you?I mean has he asked you to go with him to Hogsmeade or anything?"
"Why would Draco -" Ginny caught herself as Hermione looked at her in confusion.
"I mean, Seamus and I aren't really... well, I don't know what we are.He's obviously interested in me, but no, he hasn't asked me to Hogsmeade."
"Oh." Hermione looked slightly disappointed that there were no other details than that but then something occurred to her. "What did you say about Malfoy, Ginny?"
Ginny stuttered slightly, trying to regain her composure. "D-Draco?I didn't say anything about -"
"Oh, yes you did!" Hermione shook her finger at her. "You started to say something about Malfoy, and you called him Draco!"
Ginny nearly died of embarrassment.Sure, she could tell Hermione about Seamus, but could she really tell her that her best friend's enemy nearly kissed her?
"Well, I..."
"Just spit it out, Ginny.What happened?"
Ginny gave in and told her, recalling everything from the crash in the hallway to what happened outside the castle.
Hermione scowled. "You can't possibly be falling for this, canyou Ginny? What if he's just setting you up for something?You can't be thinking of being with Malfoy?!"
"Wait, wait! I never said that. I'm not thinking about being with him, and I know he could be trying to set me up for some evil Death Eater scheme or something.I'm not falling for anything.I'm just... wondering, that's all..."
Realization dawned on Hermione."But you did like it, didn't you... you wanted him to kiss you?"Ginny looked slightly guilty. Hermione sighed."Just be careful, Gin. Malfoy is dangerous.We don't know what he could be thinking.Stay with Seamus.He's a nice, cute, safe guy who cares about you... all right?"
Ginny nodded reluctantly. They talked for a bit more before Hermione decided to get back to the common room and asked if Ginny was still going to be in the library.
"Yeah, I've got to finish my essay for Snape still, I'll be up soon."
Hermione nodded and stood up. "I finished mine earlier today, you can use this book I found.It was quite helpful." She handed Ginny a book that was from "The Complete Squib's Guide" series. This one was called "Everything You Never Needed to Know About Tactile Potions". Ginny accepted it and waved a goodbye to her friend.
She worked hard and finished her essay just as the clock struck nine. She stifled a yawn as she headed to her dorm.Cindy, the girl from the bed to the left of hers, was talking to Linda. They were both sitting on Cindy's bed asLinda gestured wildly with her hands in between painting her nails a shocking purple.
"Yeah, he's been down all day. Lavender and Parvati think it's 'cause he likes someone.I'll bet it's Lavender... everyone loves Lavender."
Ginny hadn't been listening much before, but now her interest was peaked.They were talking about Harry! She listened closer, trying not to look too obvious by drawing on a small sketch pad.
"Yeah, from what I hear he's definitely taken with someone..." Cindy continued. "Hmm... Lavender... or Ginny!She was in love with him..."
"Oh, do you think?No... Harry wouldn't. He knows Seamus likes her. Who would it be then? It has to be Lavender!"
"Don't you remember?Lavender still likes Seamus. Why would Harry go after someone taken like that?"
'Lavender still likes Seamus?' Ginny echoed.'Seamus doesn't still like her, does he?'
"Does she still like him? I mean, it has been two months..." Cindy always seemed to know everything about everyone. Sometimes she even found out things about people they hadn't know themselves.
Ginny rolled her eyes. 'She's the Gryffindor 6th year version of Rita Skeeter, this one...'
"Of course! Don't you see the way she looks at him?You can just tell!As for Harry..."
"I... wait... oh my gosh!"Linda leaned over to whisper something in her friend's ear.
Cindy giggled. "That's brilliant! Of course... oh, she'll be ever so pleased when she finds out.I mean, she spends so much time with him that... wouldn't she have to?"
Ginny wondered who they could be talking about.Nearly every girl at Hogwarts had had a crush on Harry at some point.Ginny gave up on listening to their pointless gossip and went to brush her teeth.
When Ginny came back, the girls were still giggling and huddled on Cindy's bed.Eventually the two girls went to bed, and Ginny was allowed to attempt sleep. She thought of Harry's odd behavior, the stupid gossip, Seamus and her potions essay. Somehow, though, her thoughts drifted back to the moment she'd shared with Malfoy at the beginning of the morning.
'Stop it!' she told herself. 'Why are you even making a big deal out of this? Just forget about it. Forget about the way his lips brushed against your ear as he whispered and sent you tingling, and how his scent drove your senses wild when he hovered over you like that.Forget the warmth of having him near you, and forget anything ever happened.Nothing really happened anyway.Just don't think about the way he...'
Ginny groaned, thumping her head on her pillow. She was going to have to stop thinking so irrationally about such a slimy git. She just had to. 'Tomorrow,' she told herself, 'tomorrow I'm going to make a move with Seamus... tomorrow I'll kiss Seamus.That'll fix everything.'