Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot!!!!!
A/N: Thanks to my beta, Aliya.
Chapter 9
The next week passed quickly for Ginny. By this time, it was the day of the Valentine's Day Ball. She and Luna Lovegood, her best friend, were talking over breakfast.
"So, how are you getting along with Bryant? Has he blown up at you anymore?" Luna asked curiously.
"No, he's been totally sweet. I don't know what was wrong with him that day," Ginny replied with a perplexed sigh. "I don't get it. Is he sweet or isn't he?"
"I bet he was just really stressed about something, or he was really tired. I don't think he could act that sweet if he wasn't really a nice person," Luna put in her two cents.
"I guess so," Ginny agreed. "So, do you have everything for the dance?"
"Well, I'm not sure that I'm going," Luna admitted.
"What? Why not?" Ginny demanded.
"Because usually we hang out with each other, but since you have a date we can't do that. I'll have nothing to do," Luna told her friend.
"You could go with Ron," Ginny offered. "He was too depressed to ask anyone after Hermione told him she was going with Harry."
"Thanks, but I don't think he'll appreciate his little sister setting him up. Besides, he doesnâ€â"¢t even like me," Luna pointed out.
"He does too like you. He's just too shy to say anything to you about it," Ginny informed her.
"Really?" Luna asked, brightening.
"You like him, don't you?" Ginny inquired.
""no," Luna shot back quickly. A little too quickly in Ginny's opinion.
"Oh, come on. You can tell me. I'm your best friend," Ginny coaxed.
"I guess I might like him a little," Luna admitted.
"That's so cool. Maybe you'll end up getting married. Then we'll be related!" Ginny exclaimed excitedly.
"Ginny! All I said was that I like him a little. That doesn't mean you can start planning the wedding. If I started planning a wedding every time you admitted you liked someone, I would have millions of half-planned weddings laying around everywhere," Luna pointed out.
"That's not true! I haven't liked that many boys!" Ginny protested indignantly.
"Well, maybe not a million, but there were a lot," Luna amended.
"I bet you can't even name five off of the of your head," Ginny challenged.
"I can too. There was Harry and Michael, Colin for a little, Dean, Seamus, Jason, Oliver,
Malfoy-"
"I never told you that!" Ginny screeched in surprise.
"Told me what?" Luna asked, confused.
"I never told you that I have a crush on Draco!" Ginny shrieked.
"You actually like him?" Luna asked. "I was just kidding!"
"Oh," Ginny whispered, blushing deeply.
"You actually like him? I only said that because of what you found out over break!" Luna told her.
"Yes," Ginny admitted sheepishly.
"Really?" Luna asked.
"Yes, really," Ginny snapped. "Happy now?"
"Well, sorry," Luna mumbled sarcastically.
"Sorry, I don't mean to be snappy," Ginny apologized. "I don't see what's so unbelievable about me liking Draco."
"Sorry. I was just surprised," Luna said apologetically.
"It's alright. Now, back to what I was saying before. I guess you're right. I have liked many guys," Ginny admitted.
"Told you," Luna shot back, sticking out her tongue childishly.
"So, if you're not going to the Ball, want to help me get ready?" Ginny asked.
"Sure. I might end up going, but I'll still help you. You know I love helping you do your make-up and hair," Luna agreed.
"You should come, but for now, I have to go. I've got to finish a Potions essay before I go tonight. I probably won't have the energy to do it tomorrow. Meet me outside the Gryffindor Common Room at five," Ginny told her friend, standing up to leave.
"Alright see you later," Luna replied, also standing up. Then Ginny went up to her dormitory and finished her essay.
*~*~*~*
Later that day, Ginny stood outside of Gryffindor Tower, waiting for Luna. It was already past five, and she was getting a little nervous. The dance started at six. Where was she?
"Hey, Gin," Luna greeted when she, finally, rushed up to Ginny.
"Hi, Luna. What took you so long? The dance starts at six, and we still have to do my hair and make-up," Ginny panicked.
"Calm down, you'll be fine. We'll work fast," Luna soothed. "And to answer your question, I was late because I had to Transfigure some slippers into shoes for the Ball."
That was when Ginny took in her friend's appearance. She was wearing light blue dress robes, her hair was curled in ringlets and pulled up on the top of her head, and she had charmed her nails to be a sparkly, light blue color. Ginny had to admit, her friend looked good. "Oh, Luna, you look great," Ginny exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're coming to the Ball! You're going to be the center of attention."
"Thanks, Ginny," Luna said, blushing. "Now, let's go make you beautiful too."
When Ginny and Luna arrived in Ginny's dormitory, Luna pushed Ginny into a chair in front of her mirror. "So, what do you want to do with your hair?" Luna asked, getting down to business. "These are gorgeous dress robes, by the way."
"Thanks, Bill and Kiara gave them to me for Christmas," Ginny answered. "Here, use these hair clips somehow in my hair. They're from Charlie, so is the necklace."
"They're really pretty," Luna praised before getting to work.
After about twenty minutes, Luna had finished with Ginny's hair. She had curled it and clipped the front of both sides back with the clips. "It looks great!" Ginny exclaimed happily. "Thanks, Luna."
"It was nothing. Besides, I like doing this kind of stuff," Luna said modestly.
"It still looks great. Now, can you help me with my make-up?" Ginny asked.
"That's what I'm here for. Turn towards me," Luna commanded.
Ginny did as she was told and let Luna do her stuff. She had no doubts about her friend's skill. She was just talented with that kind of stuff.
When Luna finished, Ginny turned and looked in the mirror. She gasped out loud. "I actually look pretty," she squealed. "Thank you so much, Luna."
"I really didn't have to do much," Luna admitted.
"Yeah, right," Ginny scoffed. "I don't know what you did, but it looks great."
As Ginny stared at herself in the mirror, she tried to figure out what Luna had done to her. She could tell there was subtle make-up, but she couldn't tell what. Her favorite part, however, was the glitter that acted like eye shadow and then was sprinkled across her cheeks.
"Anytime, Gin," Luna said with a smile. "We should probably head down to the Great Hall. The dance is starting really soon."
"You're right, let's go," Ginny agreed.
*~*~*~*
Draco woke up on the day of the dance and didn't want to get out of bed. What was the point? The only good thing about the whole ball thing was that Ginny would be there. He might even get to dance with her once, if he was lucky and could hold off Bryant long enough.
Draco pulled himself out of bed and glanced at the clock. It read 2:15. He had slept later than usual, but that was fine with him. He liked wasting most of the day sleeping. What else was there to do?
For the rest of the time remaining before the dance, Draco worked on homework. He had fallen a little behind and had to catch up. It was dull and tedious work, but he had to do it sometime.
As the time of the dance drew close, Draco began to get ready. He put on black dress robes made especially for him, and slicked back his hair. It was a habit of his he couldn't seem to stop. His hands would automatically do his hair like that every morning. He had been doing it for so long.
When Draco was ready, he headed down to the Common Room to wait for Pansy. Yes, he had caved and asked her. He wouldn't very well show up at the dance without a date. It just wouldn't do. Besides, he figured if he had a date, it might make Ginny jealous. It was a long shot, but you never could tell with girls.
After waiting for nearly twenty minutes, Draco began to get impatient. Where was Pansy? They were now late for the dance, and he wanted to get there as soon as possible. He wanted to keep an eye on Bryant to make sure he didn't try anything. He also wanted to make sure he could get at least one dance with her. He was running out of time for that. What if she left before he got there? That's when he realized how ridiculous he sounded. She wouldn't leave before he got there. He could relax.
"Hi, Draco," Pansy greeted from behind Draco.
He flinched before turning around to look at his date. She was wearing the same pink robes that she had worn to the Yule Ball in their fourth year. They had been as unflattering then as they were now. "Hi, Pansy," he replied begrudgingly.
Pansy then walked over to Draco and pulled him in for a kiss. He broke away as soon as he could. "What's wrong?" Pansy asked with a pout. "Don't you love me anymore?"
"One, I never loved you, and, two, we're late for the Ball. Let's go," he commanded roughly.
"Fine then," Pansy pouted some more. Draco mentally rolled his eyes and led his date towards the Great Hall.
*~*~*~*
When Ginny and Luna arrived at the entrance to the Great Hall, Bryant was waiting for Ginny. "Hi, Bryant," she greeted cheerfully.
"Wow. Ginny, you look beautiful," Bryant complimented.
"Thanks," she replied, beginning to blush. "You don't look that bad yourself." Draco probably looks better, she added silently.
"So, are you ready to go in, milady?" he asked, offering her his arm.
"Why thank you, kind sir," Ginny answered with a giggle. She took his arm, and they entered the Great Hall.
Ginny gasped at the beauty of it. The teachers had really outdone themselves with all of the breath-taking decorations. There were glittering streamers hung everywhere and there were little fairies flying around everywhere, creating a romantic atmosphere. Instead of the four house tables, there were several smaller, round tables with tablecloths of red, pink, and white. The Great Hall was certainly a wonderful sight.
There weren't many people there, but Ginny scanned the crowd anyway to see if Draco was among them. She didn't see him anywhere. I wonder if he's even coming, she wondered curiously.
The Great Hall slowly began to fill up with people. Ginny and Luna talked, as Bryant watched and occasionally added something to their conversation. All the while, Ginny was looking for Draco to arrive. She finally spotted him about a half an hour later striding into the Great Hall with Pansy hanging off his arm.
"Attention, students. If everyone could take a seat at one of the many tables scattered around the room, we could get started with out meal," Dumbledore announced.
Bryant turned to Ginny and asked, "Would you mind if we sat with Draco and Pansy?"
"Not at all," she replied.
"Alright, let's go," he said and led her to Draco and Pansy's table.
"Hi, Draco, Pansy," Ginny greeted.
"Hi, Ginny," Draco answered with a smile. "Bryant," he added coldly.
"Draco, Pansy," Bryant greeted with a smug smile at Draco. "I see you both know my date, Ginny."
Ginny then took a seat next to Draco. Bryant sat down next to her, and Luna next to him. To everyone else, their table probably looked like an odd bunch to sit together.
"Alright. Could I have your attention for one minute? Thank you," Dumbledore said. "First, I would like to welcome you to the Valentine's Day Ball. I'm sure you'll all have a good time. Secondly, I would like to say dig in. That is all."
Everyone clapped as the food appeared on the tables. All through their dinner, Ginny was talking to Luna until Draco engaged her in conversation. After that, they talked for the rest of the meal, and when the meal was over, they got up to dance.
"I'm glad I got a chance to dance with you. I was hoping I would," Ginny said shyly.
"I was hoping we could dance together too. I really didn't want to come with Pansy. She annoys me so much, but I didn't want to come alone either," Draco told her.
The song ended before either Ginny or Draco wanted it to, but they knew they had to get back to their dates. Ginny could see that both Pansy and Bryant were jealous and angry. She didn't know where Luna had gone, but figured she would be fine on her own. "Hey, Bryant. Thanks for letting me dance with Draco. You want to dance?" she asked.
"I'd love to," he replied, taking her hand. "I'm so glad you agreed to come with me."
"I'm glad I agreed with you too," Ginny said softly, getting caught up in the moment. She then leaned in and kissed Bryant on the lips. He stiffened in shock before slowly beginning to kiss her back. The kiss ended before it could get too heated. They were in the middle of the dance floor, after all.
"That was amazing," Bryant whispered sweetly. It was a bold-faced lie, and he knew it. He hadn't felt anything, but Ginny didn't need to know that. If his plan was going to work, Ginny had to believe he liked her. Yeah, right, he scoffed mentally. Why would I like her?
"Yeah, it was," Ginny replied with a smile. So what if she was imagining Bryant as Draco at the time? It had still been amazing. Forcing her mind to focus on Bryant, she asked, "I never asked before, but I've been curious. Why did you transfer from Durmstrang?"
Bryant took a short moment to come up with a good excuse. "Well, Durmstrang is very dark magic oriented, and I didn't like being surrounded by all of the dark magic," he lied smoothly. In truth, he missed it terribly and wished he hadn't gotten caught. If he hadn't been, he would still be at Durmstrang instead of blood goody two shoes Hogwarts with Draco bloody Malfoy.
"That's cool, and I guess it makes sense. I don't think I'd like that school either, even after my first year," Ginny told him.
"What happened in your first year?" Bryant inquired, honestly curious.
"I was possessed by the memory of Voldemort in a diary from when he was in Hogwarts. He made me wreak havoc on all of the Muggle borns by setting loose a Basilisk. It's dead now, Harry killed it along with the diary," she explained quickly before she could begin to tear up.
"Wow," was all he could say. Inside, however, he thought it was pretty cool. "All that happened in your first year?"
Ginny nodded mournfully before turned away from her date. She didn't want him to see the tears in her eyes. He might think that she was weak, and she didn't want him to think that. She did like Bryant, even if she liked Draco more.
"So, what was it like, being possessed, I mean?" Bryant pushed the subject.
"Look, I really don't want to talk about it," Ginny snapped. "It was the worst time of my life. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get some fresh air. Alone."
Ginny slid out of Bryant's arms and ran out the doors of the Great Hall. Before she knew it, she was outside by the lake. She sat down on a dry patch of ground and pulled her knees to her chest. She buried her head in her knees and began to cry softly in to her arms. She didn't want to cry, but she couldn't help it. The memories were just too haunting.
After a few minutes, Ginny felt someone tap her on the shoulder. "Ginny," the person whispered tenderly. "Are you okay?"
She looked up to see Draco's concerned stare. She was surprised. She'd been expecting Bryant. "Hi, Draco," she replied softly.
"What happened? Did Bryant do anything to you?" he demanded. "If he did, I swear, I'll-"
"Don't worry, he didn't do anything," Ginny cut him off.
"What's wrong then?" Draco asked.
"He asked me about my first year here. I started to remember everything," she whimpered. "I'll be okay, though."
"Are you sure?" he inquired, pulling her into a hug. Ginny's body tingled with pleasure where her body touched his.
"I am now," she murmured happily, burying her head in his chest.
"What was that?" he asked, kissing her lightly on the top of the head. Everything just felt so right and perfect. Like all good things, however, the moment soon ended.
"Get your hands off of my date, Malfoy!" Bryant yelled as he ran over to them.
Ginny looked up quickly with wide eyes. She pulled away from Draco and turned to Bryant. "It's not what it looks like!" she exclaimed truthfully.
"Then what is it?" Bryant demanded coldly.
"He was just comforting me, that was all!" Ginny assured.
Bryant glared at Draco and didn't say anything. Then, after a minute, he brightened a bit. "I guess it's my fault," he concluded sheepishly. "I should have come out here earlier. Then I could have comforted you. You want to head back to the dance now, Ginny?"
"Alright," she agreed, happy that there had been no major scene. She didn't know how she would have handled it if there had been one.
Ginny then began making her way back to the castle to ensure that nothing else would transpire between Bryant and Draco. She heard the boys begin to follow her so she kept walking. What she didn't hear, however, was what Bryant whispered to Draco. "You touch her again, and, I swear, I will Crucio you. I don't care if I go to Azkaban. It'll be worth it," he snarled threateningly.
"I'd like to see you try," Draco snapped back in challenge. "Ginny's not going to be yours much longer so I'd enjoy my time with her, if I were you."
"What? You think you're going to win her over? Only in your dreams," Bryant taunted.
By this time, they were already back at the castle doors, and Ginny was examining them curiously. "Is something wrong?" she asked, snapping both boys back to reality.
"Of course not," Bryant lied. "Why would anything be wrong?"
Ginny shrugged and led her date back into the building. She shot one more grateful smile at Draco before the door closed to separate them. She and Bryant headed back into the Great Hall and were instantly pegged out by Pansy. She hurried up to them. "Have you two seen Draco?" she asked frantically.
"Nope, haven't seen him," Ginny covered up. She had a feeling the Draco didn't want to see Pansy at the moment, or ever.
"What are you talking about, Ginny?" Bryant asked innocently. "We just saw him outside the doors to the castle."
"Thanks, Bryant," she said before rushing off.
"What'd you do that for?" Ginny demanded. "You know he doesn't want to see her."
"What's your point?" Bryant sneered smugly. Of course he knew that Draco didn't want Pansy around. That's what made it fun.
Ginny glared at him before scanning the dance floor for Luna. She soon spotted her dancing with, surprisingly, Ron. Sighing, she turned back to Bryant.
"Can I talk to you, Ginny?" he asked suddenly.
"Sure," she agreed with a shrug, following him out of the Great Hall.
Bryant pulled her into a deserted classroom. He sat down on top of the teacher's desk in the front of the room. He turned to face Ginny, who stayed standing. "Can I ask you something?" Bryant said calmly.
"Sure," Ginny answered nonchalantly. She was still a little upset that he had interrupted her moment with Draco. She also felt a little guilty about it. That didn't make up for a very good mood.
"Can you promise me to stay away from Draco?" he asked.
"What? Have you gone mad?" Ginny demanded indignantly. "No way!"
"Why not?" Bryant growled.
"Because! He's my friend," she shot back.
"Are you sure that's all he is? Or do you want more? Do you?" he hissed, now off the desk and right in front of her face.
"Of course not," she lied convincingly.
"Liar," he accused.
"How can you say you like me so much, but not trust me?" she snapped.
"I do trust you!" he yelled in frustration.
"Then why can't you just let me be friends with Draco? Why do you have to be so possessive of me? I'm not even your girlfriend!" she yelled back. She then turned on her heel and ran all the way back to her dormitory.
When she got back, she threw herself on her bed and let her bitter tears fall. Who did Bryant think he was? He had no right to tell her who she could and couldn't hang out with.
At that moment, Ginny swore to herself that she would never talk to Bryant Parkinson ever again. If this was what he was like when they just went to a dumb dance together, she didn't want to see what he was like if they started dating. She wouldn't be able to hang out with anyone anymore. He would probably forbid her from seeing all of her friends that were girls too, you know, just in case.
Ginny sat up with renewed determination. She wouldn't let this affect her too much. She would just go on with her life and pretend the last few weeks with Bryant hadn't happened.
*~*~*~*
Draco sat outside the doors of Hogwarts castle, silently brooding. What was so great about Bryant that Ginny liked him so much? Where was his charm? The questions were playing over and over in Draco's head when he heard the castle doors open. He turned around hopefully, but was disappointed to see it was only Pansy.
"Draco, what's wrong?" she asked softly, sitting down next to him.
"Nothing," Draco lied irritably.
"Then how come you're out here instead of in the Great Hall with everyone else?" she inquired.
"Don't feel like seeing that git of a cousin of yours!" he spat vehemently. "There is just something about him that isn't right. Like, why is he at Hogwarts? His story about Durmstrang being attacked was pretty fishy. What about all of the other students? Where do they go now? And why-"
"Wait, he told you that Durmstrang was attacked?" Pansy clarified, cutting off his ramblings.
"Yeah. I accepted it as truth at the time, but, now, I'm not so sure," he answered.
"Why that little lying prat," she mumbled angrily. "You're right to doubt it."
"You know why he's here?" Draco asked, eyes widening in excitement.
"Well, yeah, he is my cousin. He was expelled," she informed him.
"He was expelled?!?!" Draco exclaimed in complete shock.
"Yeah. I don't know why, no one would tell me, but I know it's something pretty bad. You don't get expelled from Durmstrang for nothing," Pansy answered.
"You're the best, Pansy," Draco said, giving her a smile and a small hug.
"Yeah, sure, what about Ginny?" she snapped.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, clueless.
"She's the best in your eyes, isn't she?" Pansy said spitefully. "I know you like her, Draco. There's no use denying it."
Draco hesitated, trying to figure out how she knew that he liked Ginny. Was it really that obvious? "How'd you know?" he inquired, blushing slightly for one of the only times in his life.
"Draco, I've been watching you since I was like ten years old. I know things about you that other people don't know," she started. "I can tell by the way you look at her, you always seem to be doing that, and by how miserable you were when you had the fight. Not to mention how many times a day you play with your locket. We can't forget the fact that you didn't even deny the fact that you liked her. She's a Weasley, and you are just worried about how I knew that you liked her."
"So, do you think I'm obvious about it?" he wondered aloud worriedly.
"No. I've just grown to know you well enough to notice these things," Pansy, assured him.
"You know, Pansy, when you're not trying to hit on me, you're actually pretty cool to hang out with," he commented.
"Thanks, I guess," she said uncertainly. "I know I'm usually a pain, but I can't help it. That's just who I am."
"Well, um, thanks for the information," Draco repeated awkwardly. "I'll see you around."
"Yeah, see ya," she replied. "Oh, and Draco, if it doesn't work out with Ginny, you know where to find me."
Draco gave her one last smile before heading back to the Great Hall. He looked around for Ginny, but didn't see her anyway. He spotted Luna, and went to ask if she knew where Ginny was. "Hey, Lovegood. Do you know where Ginny is?" he inquired.
"No, I was looking for her, actually. I haven't seen her for awhile," Luna answered, continuing to look for her friend.
Draco sighed and headed back into the crowd to look for Ginny. That's when he spotted Bryant. He was dancing with a Ravenclaw seventh year. Draco went over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Where's Ginny?" he asked coldly.
"She went back to her dormitory. We had a fight so she left," Bryant informed him. "You'll be happy to know that our fight was about you. I told her that I didn't want her to hang out with you anymore, and she got mad."
"Really?" Draco asked, interested. "This will be easier than I thought."
"Oh, don't worry. I'm not giving up without a fight," Bryant growled in response before turning back to the Ravenclaw he was dancing with.
Draco glared at Bryant's back for a minute longer before turning away and heading back to his dormitory. He had some thinking to do. He had to find a way to figure out why Bryant was expelled from Durmstrang. He knew that Bryant himself would never tell him. If he knew that, then if would probably be easy for Draco to win over Ginny. To get expelled from Durmstrang, you had to do something pretty bad, and, if they wouldn't even tell Pansy, it had to be even worse.
When Draco arrived in his dormitory, he lay down on his bed and continued his thoughts. How could get access to Bryant's records? He guessed it wouldn't be too hard, he was Head Boy, after all. He just had to come up with an excuse to look at it. What excuse was there? He could say there was a family emergency, and he had to contact Bryant' parents. He scratched that option out right away. Snape would end up contacting the Parkinsons without Draco ever seeing the records. He could always sneak in and look at them, he mused.
That was probably the best option. He knew exactly where the records were. They were in a magically sealed filing cabinet in Snape's office. He also knew how to open that magical filing cabinet. It was a combination of a potion and a simple incantation. It would take him a few days before the potion would be done brewing. It was a fairly complex one and took great potions skill to brew. Draco, surprisingly enough, had the talent. That's how he passed Potions class, not just because he was Snape's favorite student.
Quickly pulling out his Advanced Potions book, Draco flipped to the page that the potion was on. He checked the ingredient list, and was happy to see he had all of the ingredients already. He decided that he would begin brewing the potion tomorrow. He then changed out of his dress robes, into pajamas, turned off the light, and slowly drifted into a dreamless sleep.
A/N: Hope you liked this chapter!!!!! Don't forget to review and tell me what you thought!!!!
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