A/N: Quick to update, no? Well...Last chapter earned us a bit o' unintended flames [or at least that's how it sounded to Dolly]
Llama: Stop being so paranoid! Nobody flamed!
…But rest assured, Ginny will end up with...
Llama: What's the matter with you? I know it's a bit obvious, but why the heck blurt it out! *whispers* We might lose a few readers, after all.
Dolly: *whispers* No we won't, they love us and our story...Don't sweat it... *sweatsweat*
Llama: Uh huh. Anywho, here's a new chapter. ENJOY!
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"TALKING" ((THINKING))
For the past weekend, Draco had dodged every possible attempt at bumping into the new big thing, or more appropriately, new couple at Hogwarts. Apparently, Ginny and Neville were the hottest topic in everyone's discussions. Even the teachers were talking about them, for crying out loud.
Every time Draco saw her, she was either beside him in a group or walking arm-in-arm with him in the corridors. He couldn't get her alone, not that he wanted to, but if he tried he couldn't; they were like freakin' connected at the hip!
And to add insult to injury, the only thing that they ever had together, just the two of them, was now tainted with the squib's presence. Tutoring would never be the same; it would be the three of them once Monday arrived… That is, unless he did something about it and more importantly to Neville.
That's when everything came into place-the day he saw Harry Potter in a different light. It was Sunday, two days after the New Year's Ball and Draco was wandering through the corridors with his head down when he literally crashed into a heated Harry Potter.
"What's your problem, Potter?" Draco sneered, "Aren't glasses supposed to help you?"
"Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry fumed, "We barely even touched!"
"Hmph, if you call this barely touching," Draco pushed Harry rather roughly, "Then yes, we barely touched."
Harry stumbled backwards, but caught himself in time to pull Draco down with him. Harry pinned him down with his knee, alternating to his foot as he pushed himself upright.
Harry was now standing above him with his wand pointed to Draco's face. Draco rolled his eyes, lifted Harry's foot, and stood up, brushing himself off.
"Seriously, Potter, we are no longer first years."
Harry stayed determined, but loosened his grip on his wand. Draco looked up and asked, "Dang, what is your problem?! Your face looks all screwed up, are you constipated or something?"
Harry grew angrier and Draco could've sworn he saw smoke coming out of his ears. But, surprisingly, Harry didn't hex him, instead answered his first question.
"You wouldn't be happy either if you saw your girlfriend all over another guy," Harry said through clenched teeth.
"Girlfriend?" Draco snorted. "I'm not the commitment kind of guy. That way you'll be able to jump from one girl to another as often as you change your underwear."
"I guess that means you never change your undies," Harry mumbled.
"What did you say, Potter?" Draco shouted, fist raised.
"Never mind, you wouldn't understand," Harry choked out.
Draco thought for a second and came to a realization. "Are you talking about yourself?" He thought some more. "Mudblood?! Are you referring to Mudblood as your girlfriend?!" Draco's face morphed into disgust.
Don't call her that!" Harry yelled.
Draco just waved his hand and kept talking.
"Now, who's this guy?" he narrowed his eyes at Harry.
Harry was taken aback. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, I might have a similar problem, what's it to you?"
"Tell me!"
"It's none of your business!"
"Just-" Harry's face suddenly relaxed, but then tensed up again as he understood. "Is this…Is this about Ginny?!"
Draco scowled and crossed his arms over his chest in answer.
"Malfoy!" Harry shouted.
Draco pushed him to the wall by his neck and pointed his wand to Harry's lightning shaped scar.
"Do you want another one of those, Potter?" he spat viciously.
Harry scowled and pushed Draco off of him. He brushed off his robes and said, "It's not like the whole school doesn't already know, with you behaving like you did at the ball."
Draco clenched his fists. "I'm warning you, Potter…" he snarled.
"Touchy subject?"
Draco growled.
"Alright, I see," Harry raised his hands in surrender.
Draco huffed.
"It seems we have similar problems, don't we?" Harry said.
"I don't have a problem!" Draco snapped.
"Call it what you like, Malfoy, but it is a problem. I mean, I don't like the fact that Hermione is all over that…that…guy."
"Who?" Draco pressed. He wanted to know if it was the same guy who was stealing Ginny. If it was, he might be able to get some help sabotaging things. He knew that not a lot of guys would be happy with one guy taking all the girls.
"Well, if you must know…" Harry began, "It's my former friend Neville Longbottom."
"I knew it!" Draco shouted out.
"Excuse me?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"There's something about him," Draco continued. "Something that is attracting all the girls. It must be some kind of a spell!" he shouted, eyes glittering as if he had made a life-saving discovery.
"Are you blind, Malfoy?" Harry waved a hand in front of Draco's face. Draco quickly smacked it away. Harry rolled his eyes and continued.
"Neville's changed… looks-wise."
"I see no difference," Draco huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Apparently, all the girls have seen it," Harry replied, once again rolling his eyes.
"Well, who cares what they think?!" Draco shouted, hands on his hips.
"We do! That's the problem."
Draco snorted. "Speak for yourself, Potty. I couldn't care less!"
"Sure," Harry's voice dripped with sarcasm, "It doesn't bother you one bit that Ginny and Neville are inseparable."
"No…"
"You know, they go back to the tower awfully early each night, but that doesn't bother you… Of course, you don't hear the screams…" Harry trailed off, feeling dirty making up such things about his best friend's baby sister and hoping that Draco could imagine the rest without him explaining. Luckily, it seemed to do the trick.
Draco growled. "I have to do something about this," he snarled, clenching his fists and looking toward the ceiling.
"We should work together!" Harry shouted enthusiastically.
Draco's head snapped back to face Harry.
"Pssht! Work with you? You'll only bring me down! Tadao!" Draco stated proudly as he dramatically straightened himself so it was obvious that he towered over Harry (because Harry's an ugly little midget that likes to pick mushrooms).
Harry was obviously disappointed.
"It was just a thought…" he started.
"Wait! I have the best idea! Why not-just this once, of course-we put your scar-head to use for the first time and work together to find a way to bring down that squib, Longbottom?!" Draco stood with his hands on his hips.
"Oh, the cleverness of me!" he beamed (yes, Peter Pan).
"That's exactly what I just said!" Harry said in his own defense.
"Say what?" Draco raised an eyebrow. Harry just shook his head and patted Draco on the back as the blonde complimented himself.
"Whoa-there, Golden Boy! Hands-off!" Draco suddenly shrieked.
Harry obeyed and Draco continued to praise himself and pat himself on the back where Harry had left off.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ginny! Wake up! Come on, honey! It's Monday!" screamed the picture of Mrs. Weasley on Ginny's nightstand.
"Mum…" Ginny mumbled as she covered her head with the pillow. "Five more minutes!"
"Don't make me come out of this frame!" Mrs. Weasley threatened as he shook her finger at Ginny.
"Oh, all right!"
In ten minutes Ginny was walking down to the common room.
"He-ey Ginny!" she heard someone call.
She smiled as she turned to face Neville as usual. But, it wasn't Neville. Nope, it was Harry. Just Harry.
"Morning Harry," she chimed.
"Can I walk you to breakfast?" he offered her the crook of his elbow.
"Actually, Harry…I was waiting for-"
"Neville?" Ginny thought she saw his eyes flicker.
"He's already gone with Hermione," Harry faked a smile.
"Oh, I see. Alright, let's go then!"
Neville came down the stairs to see his crush walk out of the portrait hole, arm-in-arm with Harry Potter.
"Potter…" Neville breathed dangerously
A/N: There you go folks! So, how'd you like that? Nice touch we had there at the end, eh? I love those parts, don't you Llama? It's like the last chap-
Llama: Yeah, sure *waves arms as if to shoo away her pointless blather*
Dolly: What's her prob? Anywho, I'm sure I'm speaking for both of us when I say, thank you to all the people who have stayed with us...*hears a little shuffling behind her where Llama happened to be situated* What you doing down there, Llama?
Llama: Nothing!
*Dolly creeps over above Llama, who was sitting on the floor, and gasps*
Dolly: Is-is t-that.....THE GINNY PIñATA?
Llama: *irritated, stares up at her with a demented look to her usually pleasant features* What's it to yah?
Dolly: *horrified* What- why-how...
Llama: *waves her arms about, indicating for her to go on*
Dolly: WHY ARE YOU…