For everyone who ships H/Hr, don't worry, I know what I'm doing, okay??? Anyways, thanks for the smashing reviews & here's another update for y'all. (Got time, will write!)
CHAPTER 5 Fights and Flowers
Breakfast the following morning was awkward, with both Harry and Ron ignoring Ginny. She ate as fast as she could and then quickly dashed off to her first class. Usually she met up with some of the other 5th years to study before Monday morning potions, but today, she would just be extra early.
"Hey," an angry voice rang out as Ginny clattered down the steps to the dungeon. She turned and found her self face to face with Pansy Parkinson. "Hey."
"Yes?" Ginny asked testily.
"Did Draco ask you to the dance?" Pansy stepped closer to Ginny.
"What?"
"That's what everyone is saying."
Ginny shrugged. "People say a lot of things."
"Did he?"
"Why don't you ask him?"
Pansy's lips narrowed and her nostril's flared. "Because for some reason he won't talk to me!"
"That's not my problem," Ginny shrugged. "I don't control him."
"It's going to be your problem," Pansy hissed, standing straighter, but failing to become taller than Ginny.
"Somehow, I'm just not scared," she said coldly.
Pansy yanked her robe out of her pocket.
"Ms. Parkinson!" Snape's voice pierced the still air.
Ginny let a smile cross her lips. "Not scared at all," she whispered.
"What is going on?" Snape demanded, stepping between them.
"Just going to class to meet my study group, Professor," Ginny told him. "And having this lovely little chat with Pansy."
Snape frowned at her but said nothing. "Move along, Ms. Parkinson."
Snape was never as hard on Ginny as he had been on Fred, George, Ron, Harry, or even Hermione. She always did well in his class, because she was actually interested. Some of the potions seemed like they might be valuable one day. Ginny followed Snape down the dungeon stairs and waited until he had unlocked the door. "Thank you, sir."
"Why are you here so early, Ms. Weasley?" he demanded, letting her in.
"Just meeting some of the other students to study," she reminded him again, dropping her bag beside her usual desk.
"This early?" His tone was bored and uninterested, but Ginny knew better.
"Harry and Ron aren't speaking to me," she shrugged. "Breakfast was a bit uncomfortable." She knew that if Pansy was hearing rumors, Snape probably was too.
Snape looked as if he was going to say more, but when Helena Hedricks, Bianca, Colin, and Winston Morehouse filed in sleepily, he nodded his head curtly and left the room.
"What's going on?" Colin asked, dropping his bag beside hers.
"Nothing," Ginny shook her head. "Why?"
"I heard that Malfoy asked you to the Ball."
"From who?" she demanded, and Bianca and Helena looked up with interest.
"Doesn't matter. Is it true?"
"Well, yes."
"You said you'd go with me!"
"We said we'd go together if we didn't have dates by Wednesday. It's Tuesday!"
"I know," he smiled. "It's okay. Zoë asked me."
"Ah," Ginny raised an eyebrow. "I see."
***
Wednesday morning, at the breakfast table while Ginny and Zoë talked about their dress robes, an eagle owl swooped in shortly after the regular post had been delivered, carrying a large package. Ginny paid it no attention until it dropped the parcel on the table in front of her.
"What's that?" Zoë asked, leaning forward.
"I don't know," she shrugged. "I'm not expecting anything."
"It has your name on it."
Ginny glanced down the table and saw Ron and Harry glaring at her. With a sigh, she pulled the paper off the package. As she opened the top, an enormous bouquet of salmon colored roses and white oriental lilies popped out.
"Wow!" Bianca announced, scooting closer. "Who are those from?"
"Who do we know with an eagle owl?" Zoë smiled.
"And who would be sending Ginny flowers?" Colin chimed in.
"Really. Roses and lilies in the middle of winter?" Bianca raised an eyebrow.
There was no card, but Ginny could feel the silver eyes burning into her back, and slowly she turned around in her seat, finding Draco staring at her from across the room.
"I don't remember Pansy ever getting such flowers," Zoë crowed.
"Thank you," Ginny mouthed, her face flushed.
Draco gave a short nod and went back to his breakfast.
When she finished eating, Draco was gone, so Ginny hurried up to her room to place the flowers and then headed back down to search for him. But it was Ron who Ginny spotted first talking loudly to Harry and Hermione at the bottom of the stairs.
". . . what that bloody git thinks he's doing!"
"Well, he is taking her to the Ball," Hermione told him dryly.
"But he's Malfoy! For all we know, he's probably a Death Eater!" Ron snapped.
Ginny was about to fly down the stairs and let Ron have it, but someone beat her to it.
"So now I'm a Death Eater?!" Draco's silky voice asked fiercely. He stepped up to Ron, and although he wasn't quite as tall as Ron, he didn't back down.
Ron looked a bit put out at having Draco Malfoy directly in his face. "Stay away from my sister!" he managed to snap.
Harry looked on, mildly impressed, but Hermione took his arm and said, "Oh Ron. Just stop."
"You don't know a single thing about me," Draco hissed. "And I'm not going to stay away from her, so deal with it!"
"Right," Ron scoffed. "I'm supposed to believe that you're not jumping into your daddy's footprints?"
Ginny stepped up to the group. "Shut it Ron!"
Angrily, Draco wrenched up the left sleeve of his sweater and bared his forearm to the group. "You won't ever see that mark on me!" He yanked his sleeve back down and glared at Ron so fiercely, Ginny was surprised he didn't pull out his wand and hex her brother into oblivion. He cast an unreadable look at Ginny and then turned and left.
"Good job," Ginny snapped furiously. "You can't even be civil towards my date, can you?"
"You're going with Malfoy!" he spat back. "It's not like you're going with someone I don't really know or just barely dislike! No! You had to pick that stupid prat! Just wait until mum and dad find out!"
"Why don't you go tell them then?" Ginny shouted. "Run on and tattle Ron!"
She threw a furious glance over her shoulder as she took off in the direction Draco had headed.
Ginny found Draco in the 4th floor corridor, heading she assumed, to the library. "Hey!"
He turned to face her, but said nothing.
"I'm sorry about Ron. He's so . . . protective."
"Didn't seem that way when he sent Potter to ask you for a date."
Ginny sighed. "Thank you for the flowers. They're gorgeous."
He nodded curtly, his blond hair dancing across his eyes.
"So, you're not going to cancel our date because of my brother, are you?"
"No," he snorted. "Nobody tells me what to do."
"Right," she felt a small weight lift from her chest. "That's good."
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