CHAPTER 2
"TALKING" ((THINKING))
The next morning at breakfast, Ginny sat down with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They didn't notice her until she asked Hermione to pass the orange juice.
"Oh, hello Ginny!" chorused the trio.
"Hello," replied Ginny with a fake smile on her face. As soon as they turned away, which they always did, her face fell and she picked at her food.
Ginny wasn't exactly popular, and she didn't have a lot of friends. Her closest friends were Harry, Hermione, and Ron, but they didn't know anything about her and usually ignored her, as they were doing now. She looked toward the Slytherin table and saw Draco. ((Slimy git,)) she thought. The night before he had been less than grateful for her help. She would have to see him tonight again. She sighed. ((Why me?)) she wondered. Suddenly she noticed that she was still staring at Draco… and he was staring right back! Someone tapped her on the shoulder. Ginny spun around and saw that Hermione, Ron, and Harry were all staring at her.
"Are you okay?" asked Ron.
"Of course I am!" replied Ginny with a smile on her face.
"You were staring at Malfoy!" yelled Ron.
Ginny's smile quickly became a frown. "I was not!" she hissed. Ron opened his mouth to say something when the mail came. To Ginny's surprise, she got a note. She took this as an opportunity to get away from Ron, and left him staring after her with his mouth still open.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Draco looked up from his breakfast. ((I wonder if that girl is still staring at me,)) he thought. But when he looked toward the Gryffindors, he didn't see her. And then he saw her leaving the table with a piece of paper clutched in her hand. The other Weasley was staring after her with his mouth open as Potty and the Mudblood exchanged similar looks of confusion. Draco smirked, got up from the table, and walked out of the Great Hall to get ready for class.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ginny unfolded the note and frowned. She didn't recognize the handwriting. She began to read it.
Weasley,
Meet me in my room at 8:00 PM tonight.
Ginny's eyes got wider.
No, Weasley. I haven't changed my mind about having you in my room. I just don't want my house to see me interacting with the likes of you. Anyway…
Ginny scoffed.
My room is located on the 5th floor in the 6th corridor. Second room to the right. Don't get lost. I have absolutely no desire to spend my night waiting for you to show up.
Draco Malfoy
Ginny rolled her eyes. ((How dare he?!)) she fumed. She started tearing the note into pieces as she ran to her room to get her stuff ready for class, but because she was busy paying attention to the tearing of the note and not where she was going, she smacked into something very solid.
"OOF!" she breathed as she fell to the floor.
"Sorry," mumbled the person she smacked into. It was a man's voice.
"No, I wasn't-," she looked up and saw Harry Potter staring back at her with startling green eyes. She shook her head to wake herself up. "Anyway… Sorry Harry."
"Uh, Ginny? Is there something wrong?" he asked. "You've been acting… different."
"You can tell Ron that I am perfectly fine, thank you very much," she snapped. "And also that he shouldn't send his friends to check up on his sister, who might I add, is not a baby anymore," she added as she left Harry looking embarrassed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The morning went as normally as always for Draco. Go to class, please the teachers, harass students not worthy of the titles "witch" or "wizard; that sort of stuff. As he was leaving Potions, Professor Snape asked him how tutoring was going. Draco scowled.
"Mr. Malfoy, I expect you to be able to make that potion by NEWTS. If you can't, not only will you fail," the Potions Master lectured, "but you will also embarrass me and become a disgrace to all Slytherins. "I'm sure that being the first Slytherin Head Boy in 7 years, you do have some expectations for yourself. Keep in mind that if you do fail, you have no chance of being Head Boy again next year."
Draco nodded and left the dungeons.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Before Ginny knew it, dinner was over and she had one hour to do her own homework before going to Draco's room to tutor him. When she finished, as she was packing up her books, Ron, Hermione, and Harry entered the common room. Ron immediately began scanning the room. Ginny wanted to hide, but knew her red hair would giver her away. Ron stomped over to her. Ginny recoiled as she knew what was coming.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley," Ron announced. "You have been avoiding me!"
"I have not!" snapped Ginny, but it was a complete lie. Each time she saw Rom that day she ran in the other direction.
"Then where have you been?" Ron demanded. "Snogging Malfoy?!"
Ginny balled her hands into fists. She looked at Harry and Hermione and they began to look at the ceiling. Ginny bit her lip in fury and slapped Ron across the face.
"HOW DARE YOU?!" she spat. "How dare you accuse me of anything? Let alone something so horrid!"
"You-," Ron started.
"You are not my baby-sitter and I am not a child!" exclaimed Ginny. "Is your life so uneventful that you have to butt into mine?!"
"I-," Ron stammered.
"Don't speak!" she hissed as she grabbed her bag, pushed past Harry and Hermione, who had been staring mouths open since she slapped Ron, and stomped out of the portrait hole.