Hot Gimmick
Mei Queen
Chapter 5: Encounters
Ginny reclined on her bed early the next Saturday morning, watching the sunlight slowly filter in through the curtains in her dorm.
It had been about a week since the Shrieking Shack, but it felt like it had happened yesterday. She had come back to find her wand neatly placed on her bed, as if nothing had happened at all. But something so definitely had. She could still remember the feeling of utter powerlessness so vividly. Girls like Ginny weren't supposed to have rapes attempted against them. It didn't happen. Why the hell had she been in the DA if not for the purposes of learning good self-defence? She'd always been praised for her killer Bat-Bogey Hex, and yet the minute that wand had been taken…she had nothing. She had been relying completely on magic for her safety.
She allowed depressing thoughts of what would have happened if Draco had not shown up to drift through her brain. The thoughts were very gloomy, indeed.
Ginevra Weasley had always flattered herself for having good judgment in people. Usually within about five minutes of knowing them, she could tell whether she would like them. Within ten minutes, she could tell whether they were ultimately a good person.
With Draco Malfoy, she had been wrong on both counts.
Why has he been helping me? Ginny asked curiously, trying to idly count the stones in the ceiling. He owes me nothing. Why does he even care? A year ago, I don't think he even knew I existed.
Ginny grabbed crankily at the chocolates sitting beside her bed, a "for the sake of Merlin, calm down!" gift from Draco.
Draco had been more upset than she was on their way back to the castle, but he was actually angry at the boys for putting Ginny into that compromising of a situation. At Ginny's own request, he had stopped his irritated ranting about it after a few days. Surprisingly, Ginny was angry as well- but only at herself...and it was something she just could not let go of.
There is something about women that makes them fundamentally different creatures than men: the bizarre and unhelpful ability to turn every situation, no matter how big or small, into something that ultimately revolves around themselves.
Sometimes, it's a great thing.
Other times, like now, all it does it cause the woman in question to suffer major bouts of self-loathing and doubt.
Ginevra had been forced, thanks to that uncomfortable encounter, to doubt herself for about a week straight. She didn't know what power she actually had. She had been constantly calling herself an idiot for not noticing something amiss with Neville beforehand. She had replayed the past few weeks with Neville over and over in her head, and mentally screamed at herself for her stupidity.
Of course, none of this made the slightest bit of difference.
Draco heaved a large sigh, and sat up in his four-poster. His forest green satin sheets were mussed from the tossing and turning he had been doing in his sleep for the past few days. He couldn't sleep through a night since his own house had attacked Ginny Weasley.
Draco Malfoy was not the sentimental type, make no mistake.
But there was something about Ginevra. She wasn't stupid, like other girls. She wasn't looking to end up in bed with him (a un-attainability that, admittedly, made her even more attractive, if it were possible). She also didn't want his money.
It was slightly disconcerting.
At least he knew exactly what the other girls were in it for before the relationship even started. Their flings were safe. Predictable.
There was not one bloody thing about Ginevra Weasley that was predictable.
He was supposed to be blackmailing her. He could be blackmailing her if he simply decided to put out the effort, but he found that he just could not be bothered. He much preferred her depending on him and relying on him of her own volition. It was easier.
At least, that's what he'd been desperately trying to tell himself for the past week.
But during the latest hours of the night, when he realized he should probably be thinking of the point deductions he had made that day or the upcoming Quidditch game he needed to do well in, he found one thought resounding over and over inside his brain- What if he wanted Ginny to depend on him because…he actually cared about her?
Finally having had enough of listening to his own frustrating thoughts, Draco threw off the sheets and left his dorm. Going into his Common Room, he stumbled upon Pansy Parkinson sitting in one of the chairs by the fireplace.
It had been awkward enough shipping some of his former best mates to the Headmaster's office for certain expulsion after the incident, but he and Pansy had never quite found their level ground yet. He was very thankful for the tip-off she had given him, but he still wasn't quite sure how to act around her. It wasn't such a long time ago that Pansy herself had been fawning all over Draco.
Pansy made it easier for Draco, however, by choosing to break the awkward silence herself. "You know, we've been friends …or friendly acquaintances, I suppose…for a long time. I don't want to let this awkward situation come between that."
Draco nodded in relief. "I don't, either. So what do you make of the upcoming ball? Are you going to go?"
Pansy smiled. "Yep, I think so, actually. Some cocky fifth year asked me, and I figured I'd humour him. After all, I can't have you now, can I?"
Choosing to ignore the last bit of her comment, he replied, "Robbing the cradle now, are we?"
Pansy giggled. She couldn't help it. He was the funniest person she knew. She had liked Draco so long that she had absolutely convinced herself it was love. She had adored everything he said, valued every compliment he gave, basked in the moments he was happy with her because they were always few and far between. But she knew that she had to face facts. Draco was smitten. With another girl. And no amount of flirting or brazen sultriness would change that. Moreover, if she tried sexual tactics to win him over, she would end up disappointed, and mostly in herself. She had been fighting a losing battle, and it was time to let it go.
"I'm sorry I said that, Draco," Pansy said softly, her bright chocolate eyes focused on her lap.
"Sorry you said that a fifth year asked you?" Draco asked uneasily, knowing perfectly well what she was referring to.
Not humouring him with an answer, Pansy willed herself not to cry as she choked out the words, "I've cared about you for a long time. I'm not going to lie about that. But I have found that I value your friendship…or what our friendship could become, given time and effort… much more."
He felt his knees get slightly weak. He hated it when girls cried, as Pansy looked dangerously close to doing so. Not knowing what else to do, he sat down across from her, grabbing one of her hands to give her support as she finished what she had to say.
"As much as I would like to live in ignorance of the fact and harbour this silly crush on you forever, you have fallen for someone else. Someone else that, I expect, has fallen for you as well. And as bizarre of a match as it is, and as ridiculous of a family as she has, I can't make myself the person that prevents the happiness of a friend for purely selfish reasons."
Quickly reaching over to give her a hug, he mumbled into her hair, "Thank you, Pansy. You don't know how much this means to me. I know I'm not the most emotional or… nice... guy. Well, actually, I'm mostly just a git all the time, and I'm aware of that…but it means a lot to know I have someone here that has my best interests at heart. Especially since I just shipped off my best mates, I could definitely do with someone who cares."
Pansy smiled. She knew she had done the right thing. Most of the time, Pansy Parkinson was a selfish, cold-hearted…witch. But today… today when she had actually graciously stepped aside to allow a relationship she thought completely ludicrous, she actually felt much better about herself. Even though she would probably never thank Ginevra Weasley to her face for standing up for her, she still appreciated it. Because of Ginny, she was finally able to let go of a crush she had desperately hung on to all her life.
Pulling back to meet Pansy's eyes, Draco found himself unable to resist and asked curiously, "And what makes you think she feels the same, exactly?"
Ginny had been unable to meet Neville's eyes in the Common Room and hallways since the previous Saturday. Neville was, naturally, walking on eggshells around her, wondering if Ginevra was only waiting to tell about his involvement in the incident until she was really buggered off, or whether she would tell at all.
Walking up to the Owlery Sunday morning to send a letter to her mum, Ginny overheard voices in the passageway ahead. Quickly jumping behind a suit of armour, she perked up her ears to try to hear what was happening.
The first voice was angry as it asked, "What were you doing in my trunk? My stuff had been moved! You were the only one in the dorms all day; I already asked Dean and Seamus!"
Dean and Seamus? Ginny thought curiously. And that's not Ron's voice…it must be Harry. Bugger, he sounds bloody scary when he's angry.
The response came out slightly stuttered. "W-well…I n-needed to s-see s-something."
Neville, Ginny thought, gasping silently.
"What, exactly?"
"U-um. T-the cloak! Y-yep. I w-wanted to nick s-some food from the k-kitchens."
"Don't give me that. I heard you. You had the map. What or who did you want to see?"
Before Neville tried to answer, however, Ginny stepped out from behind the suit of armour and went up to the boys. "He wanted to find a way into Hogsmeade."
Harry looked from Neville to Ginny in bewilderment. He had no idea where she had come from, and had no clue how Ginny would know anything about what Neville was doing. Shaking off his confusion, Harry turned to Neville and slowly asked, "What did you need to do in Hogsmeade?"
Neville, meanwhile, was looking at Ginevra suspiciously. Why was she standing up for him? She was giving him an alibi.
Ginny seamlessly answered Harry's next question as well. "He wanted to know how to get us to Hogsmeade for our date."
Harry Potter felt like his eyes would fall out of his skull, he was bugging them out so much. A date? Ginny and…Neville? That is just…wrong.
Neville had finally caught on to what Ginny was doing, and began nodding at her story. "Yup, that's right. Last weekend. I'm sorry I didn't ask, Harry. But I didn't know when you'd be back from classes, and I wanted to be sure I knew."
Harry nodded weakly without a word, then turned and dazedly began walking back to the Common Room.
Neville and Ginny were left alone in a hallway again. Just as Neville opened up his mouth to thank her, Ginny looked up at him and said softly, "Don't worry about it. You gave me back my wand, so I s'pose it's fair. But I do need to know one thing."
He nodded for her to continue.
She asked quickly, "Why did you do it?"
Neville's dark eyes clouded over sadly. He had felt so guilty since he had set Ginny up. He had honestly had a wonderful time with her before sending her to certain doom, and he was really sad when he had to do it. But something in him felt so furious with his mother and her father. Something in him had wanted revenge. Wordlessly, he took a creased photo out of his pocket and let it flutter to the ground.
By the time Ginny leaned down and picked it up, Neville had already begun walking back towards the dormitory.
Looking down at the Christmas photo from 1975, Ginny felt like she would be sick. Instead, however, everything went dark. She had blacked out.
Draco Malfoy had had a lovely Sunday morning. He had woken up early, grabbed his Nimbus and headed out to the Quidditch pitch. He practiced deep dives and Wronski Feints until the sun came up, and then walked slowly up to the school. Draco was not usually a morning person, but there was something about the sunrise that made it so easy for him to wake up. The colours, the smells, the sounds. Everything about the early morning made a person really feel alive, and Draco Malfoy was no different.
Walking back to the Slytherin dormitories, he decided to take a long shower before settling in with a book. Maybe he would owl Ginevra later and have her come by tonight. He hadn't seen her in a few days, mainly since last Saturday. She had been going through some serious self-pity in the past week, and it was hard to convince her to do anything. Draco didn't like to resort to the blackmail issue of the relationship, but he found that lately he had to just to get her to leave her bed.
The warm water felt soothing as it splashed over Draco's fair skin. Malfoys naturally didn't believe in leaving the house or working outside, so his whole family was as fair (or more) as he. Drying off with one of his favourite deep green fluffy towels, he quickly got dressed.
Picking a book from his shelf, he settled into one of the squishy armchairs by the window of his chamber.
Just as he was really getting to a good part, he heard a knock on his door.
Not bothering to get up, he simply called, "It's unlocked."
Pansy walked in, looking slightly nervous.
Draco felt déjà vu as he looked up from his book to see Pansy across the room, looking like she was, again, the bearer of bad news. "What's wrong?"
Pansy opened and closed her mouth a few times, looking like she was trying to formulate the words that would most painlessly convey what she was about to say. "I, um. I just heard from a passer-by that Ginny is in the Charms corridor, passed out. Apparently the last person who talked to her was Longbottom."
Draco quirked an eyebrow, but got up from his chair. "Did this passer-by bother to get her into the Hospital Wing?"
Pansy nervously twiddled her thumbs as she shook her head.
Draco sighed and rolled his eyes, leaving his chamber to…once again…rescue Ginevra Weasley.
Ginny woke up feeling extremely disoriented. Everywhere she looked, all she could see was white. It was bizarre. It felt like she was dreaming, or maybe she had gone to heaven. Did I die? She asked herself, completely confused.
Looking to the side of her bed, she noticed Draco Malfoy dozing in a chair, one of his hands holding hers.
She smiled affectionately despite herself. Obviously I'm not in heaven if he's here. But that also means I'm not dead. Oh. I'm in the Hospital Wing.
Looking around the Wing a little more, she noticed that she and Draco were its only inhabitants. Probably a good thing. No awkward questions about why a Gryffindor and the worst boy in Slytherin are sitting and holding hands.
"Good morning, Red," she heard softly from her side.
Ginny looked back, smiling. "Good morning. What happened?"
"You passed out. I wasn't there, but I found you in the corridor. Pansy mentioned something about Longbottom being involved?"
"Oh yeah. He gave me this," Ginny said sadly, picking a creased photo out of her pocket and handing it to Draco.
She watched as his steely eyes bulged slightly. "So that's why he did it. When did your parents get married, Red?"
"I believe this was the year they got married," Ginny said softly, trying not to think about whether Alice was the only person that her father had kissed outside of wedlock, and whether they had gone any further than kissing. Oh God, I think I'm going to be sick.
Noticing her nauseated expression, Draco quickly changed the subject. "You were actually right about Pansy Parkinson, you know."
Ginny smiled gratefully at the change, saying tauntingly, "Look who's being civil with Pansy now!"
"Actually," Draco said softly. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that. She was the one who tipped me off to you being in the Shrieking Shack. Pansy and I have actually decided to give real friendship a go."
She could feel her smile. It was all the way across her face. She couldn't remember being this happy about anything in a long time. Ginny had finally gotten Draco Malfoy to stop using someone. It may not have been something as miraculous as getting him to join the Order of the Phoenix, granted, but it at least showed Ginny that he was trying. He made an effort.
Draco continued speaking quickly, a big grin on his face. "So that means you've got to go to the ball with me!"
She had forgotten that part of their bargain. Ginny had no idea how to cancel on Harry, seeing as she had already given him the impression that she was dating Neville just this morning. Maybe she would just say she was going with Neville, and then show up with Draco. That could work.
"Yes, I guess it does," Ginny said softly. Suddenly, she realized she was actually looking forward to going to the ball with Draco. Now that his idiot cronies had been expelled, she wasn't as scared to be seen on his arm. Naturally, Ron, Harry and Hermione's reactions would all be simply horrid, but it wouldn't be as bad as the leers and taunting of some of Draco's more obscene pals.
"I had one more thing I wanted to ask you when you woke up, Red," Draco said, slightly nervously.
Ginny nodded for him to continue, fascinated that she had actually seen Draco being nervous, not at all a normal thing for him.
"What are you doing over Halloween?" he asked quickly, as if getting it off his chest that fast would make it less difficult.
"U-um. I don't know. Hadn't thought. Nothing, I s'pose. I think there's a Hogsmeade weekend around then, but that's it," Ginny replied, tapping her finger on her chin thoughtfully.
"Oh. Well. I was wondering if you might like to come on a mini-break with me."
Ginny's chocolate eyes regarded Draco suspiciously. Why does he want me to come with him? If it comes down to it, I'll have to say yes anyway just because of the blackmail deal. But…what's wrong with me? I actually kind of want to go…just because I want to go.
"Mini-break, eh? Where?"
Draco smiled at the fact that she was somewhat open to the idea, and answered, "The Manor. My parents go to Germany for Halloween every year. I don't really know why. It's their favourite weekend to travel. But I always go home Halloween weekend, my dad writes to the school to get them to let me out. It could be fun. Three-day weekend with no classes, servants, Egyptian cotton sheets…"
Ginny blushed slightly at the thought of what he probably wanted to do with those nice, silky sheets, but found herself nodding. "That would be fun," she said with a grin. And it was about a minute later, during which Draco had excitedly left the Wing and she had had medicine shoved down her throat, when she realized that she had actually meant every word.
Authoress' Note: I'm so profoundly sorry for how long it took to update, and I really hope it was worth it for everyone! Please review and let me know what you all thought! I just deleted my MySpace so I will hopefully be having more free time to write and update often! Also, a bit of shameless advertising- if you haven't read and reviewed my latest, "Unwritten", it's only two chapters and is a pretty fun J/L read, if I do say so myself! I hope you'll check it out!
Thank you all so much for your support and for not giving up on me!