I Wish…
Chapter Five
I Must Be Going Crazy
Ginny was about three seconds away from closing her hands around her brother's neck and throttling him until his face matched his hair.
She was trying to calmly do her Potions assignment and she was actually succeeding in doing so when Ron had decided he was going come into the Common Room so he could act like a total prat. They had no classes until Herbology mid-day and Ginny wanted to finish so she'd have some free time to spend with Draco.
Wait a second…
Rephrase that. She wanted some free time to annoy Draco into telling her stuff. Yes, that was better.
"Look, Gin, I'm sure that Malfoy's a great guy, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way-"
"I get the point Ron." She interrupted. "But just-"
"But, he's just using you. Malfoys hate us Weasleys. They'd never want to go out with us. And I'm sure you realize that this relationship can't last and that you're really being a prat just thinking of going out with-"
"Excuse me? I'm the prat? Who's the one standing in front of the fireplace, blocking their sister's light and telling them that their boyfriend is an idiot while said sister is trying to finish their Potions assignment from Slimeball Snape so she can go hang out with said boyfriend?" Ginny asked with a raised eyebrow. Ron copied her expression.
"You're going to go see Malfoy? Now?"
"When I finish my assignment. Now if you would move, I'd be able to." Instead of moving, like she'd asked, Ron walked closer and grabbed both her hands. Ginny sighed. He was really pushing his luck.
"Gin, I just don't want you to get hurt by that... That monster. That absolutely unbearable womanizing bloody idiot of a monster."
"Draco is not a monster." Ginny said with a calmness that she didn't feel. "He's a nice, kind, slightly sadistic, but overall caring person. He just doesn't like you."
Ron turned red, from either embarrassment or anger. Ginny didn't know or really care. The only thing she cared about was her assignment. If he'd let her finish.
"Gin, why won't you listen to reason?"
"Ron, why won't you listen to me? I like Draco, I really do, and I'm happy being with him. Why can't you just accept that?" For some reason, she felt tears coming on. Someone must be peeling onions somewhere and her sensitive tear glands were acting up. Yes, that's right. "If it was anybody else, you would have skinned them alive by now. Ron, I'm sixteen. I can handle myself. Draco likes me and I like him and I want to stay with him. He makes me happy. Why can't you see that? Instead all I get is lectures and lectures and lectures. Do you think I'm really listening? I love Draco. Nothing you do or say will change that."
Stupid tears. She almost believed herself.
Ron looked even redder than before. "Fine. Love him if you feel like. I don't care. But don't come crying to me when you go off to 'meet him' and find him snogging some other which and trying to get in her pants. Then we'll see if he loves you."
"Ron, I hate you!" Ginny screamed, shoving her papers and books off her lap and standing up. She swatted at her tears angrily and raced past him, down the stairs, out through the portrait and let her legs just take her wherever.
~ * ~
Draco Malfoy was thinking about that stupid Weasley girl again.
And, much to his annoyance, his mind quickly corrected him, Her name is Ginny and she's not stupid.
Okay, she wasn't stupid. But she did frustrate the hell out of him. Why the hell did she care so bloody much about him? She was the one who had arranged this whole deal. He hadn't even gotten his pay-off yet.
When he did manage to piss of his father… Would that be it? Would he really just turn around and never speak to Ginevra Weasley again? Well, at least, not civilly?
Draco was afraid to know the answer to that question. If yes, well, he hadn't seen her yet today and he already felt like he was in a crappy mood. For some reason, the sight of her made him… What? Happy now? He didn't think it'd be very appealing to feel like crap every single day of his life.
Then again, if no, she'd just keep getting closer and closer until that was it. There'd be no masks left for him to hide behind and he'd be completely open for her to make or break him. He really, really didn't like the prospect of someone having that kind of power over him.
Truth be told, it made him piss his pants just thinking about it.
Draco sighed in frustration, running a hand through his blond hair. That girl made him so confused. Why had he agreed to all this in the first place? Why couldn't she just be some slut like Pansy Parkins who he could use for a good time, then leave without a second thought? Why couldn't she just-
"Omph!"
"Ahh!" Draco's arms instinctively wrapped around the girl who'd just crashed into him, keeping her from falling. His eyes immediately met with a crown of red hair and his heart felt lighter.
Dammit, who was he? Shakespeare. He made a mental note never to say anything like that again. Heart felt lighter. Pssh.
"We have got to stop meeting like this, Ginevra. I don't think my poor ribs could take it." Draco raised an eyebrow as Ginny looked up at him, surprised to see that tears were in her eyes. "What happened, Gin?"
She gave him an incredulous look and he wondered why until he realized he'd just called her by a nickname. This girl was having some weird effects on him. He blushed and looked away gruffly. "I asked a question, Weasel."
He listened intently as she calmly, almost too calmly, related the whole story. Her tears were gone when she finished, replaced with a stifled anger that smoldered in her eyes. That girl could kill if she was up to it.
"Well, it sounds to me that your brother is the biggest git in the whole bloody universe." He said, snidely, wanting a reaction out of her. An angry and argumentative Ginny was better than a crying one.
To his utter surprise, she said, "Exactly."
"You know, there is a lack of sisterly love in your relationship." She laughed and Draco decided he loved a smiling Ginny better than an angry and argumentative one.
Wait. When had the word 'love' sneaked into that thought?
"Shut up." She said, smiling.
"The day a Malfoy listens to a Weasley will be the day Potter gets his head out of his arse and stops dating Cho Chang to admit his feelings for Granger." He replied. She stared up at him.
"Wow. You're good at reading people, aren't you? Not many people realize that Harry's head over heels for Hermione." There was a pause. "Can you read yourself that well?"
Draco's senses immediately went on red alert. She was trying to get to him again. Hiding any sign of discomfort, he replied coolly, "I really don't want to."
Then he was walking briskly down the hallway and away from her. He just knew that if he stayed and she looked at him with those eyes, he would tell her everything. And there was no way he was doing that.
Before he could make his oh-so-cool getaway, someone latched onto his arm and demanded, "Talk to me!"
Draco raised an eyebrow. What was her problem? She hated his guts just like every Weasley and like Potter and the Mudblood, too. So why the hell wouldn't she leave him alone. He didn't want to talk. Especially not to her.
"Why do you care so much?" He asked at last. Maybe, just maybe, if she gave him a good answer to that, then he'd tell her one thing. Only one. Most likely that he had ten mirrors in his room at home, but, hey, that was something.
But, the silence dragged on. Ginny stared at her feet and released his hand. Draco knew she wouldn't answer. So, he did the logical thing to do when a conversation was over.
He left.