An: Thank you for the lovely reviews. Sorry for the long delay in this chapter but I had to completely rewrite it. If you've read the original at ff.net you'll find this chapter different. Hopefully, it's an improvement. I would like to thank my beta Heaven85hk for the help she's been giving me.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did I wouldn't need to write Fanfiction!
Chapter 5
Draco slammed his hand down on the table as he let out a frustrated growl. He had lost again. He was now down $300,000 but that didn't matter. The fact that Ron was also playing at the table and he hadn't lost yet, annoyed Draco more than Pansy throwing herself at him. Draco's Slytherin mind was beginning to suspect that Ron was cheating but his heart wouldn't allow the thought. Since he had started dating Ginny, Draco had gotten to know the Weasley family quite well. They were the complete opposite to his family and he found that he was actually happy at the Burrow. At first he had a hard time adjusting to the atmosphere there but with Ginny's help, he survived. Ginny's brothers weren't fond of him and still weren't but they had learned to accept him. Draco was happier than he had even been in his life.
Ron wasn't gambling as large as Draco and as a result he had only won about $40,000 but he was all too willing to gloat about his winnings. Ron was always eager to rub something in Draco's face. He hated the fact that his sister had started to date the Slytherin. Hermione and Luna had both told Ron to back off and leave his sister alone but she wasn't their sister so they could never understand. Despite Draco's help during the war, he couldn't be trusted and least of all with Ginny. Ron also felt a bit intimidated by Draco's wealth. There were things Draco could give to Ginny that Ron couldn't afford to give to her. Every birthday and Christmas Draco's presents eclipsed his. Ron was all too
happy to have something over Draco.
Ginny had agreed to let Draco gamble on one condition, Ron be allowed to join. Draco consented and Sam set up a private poker table in one of the rooms of the Montecito. Ginny and Luna preferred to watch them play and each chose a seat beside their loved one. Luna had taken it upon herself to sample the different cocktails the Montecito had to offer and she was currently on her fifth. Alcohol had quite an interesting affect on Luna.
Ginny on the other hand was sipping soda water and occasionally tossing a few negative comments about Draco's hands. She was enjoying watching Draco squirm.
"Oh what a colourful hand!" Luna giggled from Ron's side. Everyone in the room ignored the tipsy blonde.
"Gin, why don't you stop her from drinking?" Draco asked whispered softly in her ear.
Ginny narrowed her eyes at Draco "Luna is perfectly fine and I'm not going to tell her what to do. I've had enough of that from my brothers."
"But that doesn't stop you from telling me what to do?" Draco fired back at her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ginny spat at him.
"If Granger were here she would tell you it was obvious." Draco declared angrily.
"Really, you think Hermione would side with you?" Ginny bristled.
"This isn't about sides Ginny." Draco reminded her.
"Then what is it about?" Ginny asked
"That's what I would like you to tell me! You've been angry at me since we started this trip." Draco declared a bit too loudly.
Everyone in the room stopped to look at the arguing couple. The dealer subtly indicated to Draco that it was his turn to play and Draco quickly made his move only to lose again. Draco let out an angry growl while Ginny smirked at his frustration.
"What did you do?" Draco accused Ginny softly.
Ginny gave him a confused look.
"The cards Ginny, what did you do to the cards?" Draco said only loud enough for Ginny to hear.
"I thought you wanted to gamble." Ginny replied innocently as she played with a thread on the edge of her skirt.
"Yes I did want to Gamble Ginny but I also wanted a fair chance of winning." Draco said through gritted teeth.
"What makes you think it's not fair?" Ginny said as she pouted her bottom lip slightly.
"I'm not one of your brothers. That look doesn't work on me." Draco reminded her.
Ginny looked down at the new hand that Draco had been dealt. "I suggest you drop the six, with your luck you'll never get the straight you're playing for." She said in a haughty voice as she turned away from him.
Draco groaned. Ginny could be very difficult when she was ready. The Weasley blood ran strong in her veins. Lately, Ginny had been acting very strange and he got the feeling that she was testing him.
Sam and Mike casually entered the room to check up on them. Mike went to have a quick word with the dealer while Sam went to check on Draco.
"Draco is everything running smoothly?" Sam asked in her charming tone.
"No, Ron here keeps winning. I think he is cheating!" Draco declared loudly.
"Cheating, Ron's cheating!" Luna giggled.
Ron frowned at Draco. "Mate you're the worst loser I've ever met." He said as he tried to keep his temper under control.
"Slytherins hate to lose!" Luna laughed.
Luna's comment elicited weird stares from Sam and Mike. "She's crazy when she's tipsy. Pretty soon she might start talking about witches and wizards" Ron said in a joking tone.
Sam gave Ron a disbelieving look and right on cue Luna started talking about charming the table to eat the cards.
Ginny was seething in her seat and pulled Draco to a secluded corner of the room.
"Whoa, Gin, I would love to do that now but you know I don't like an audience." Draco said cockily.
"Draco, what are you doing?" Ginny asked through clenched teeth
"Ensuring I win!" Draco replied dangerously. The Slytherin in him couldn't resist the cheat shot at Ron and he was fairly certain that Ginny had done something to guarantee Ron's victory. Draco was trying to outmanoeuvre Ginny at whatever game she was playing at.
"By accusing my brother of cheating." Ginny responded
"If you refuse to let me win then that's the only way." Draco responded
"What happened to love and family loyalty?" Ginny asked
"I thought my last name was Malfoy not Weasley?" Draco replied coldly
"Draco …." Ginny started to yell.
"Excuse me, is everything alright?" Sam said interrupting the arguing couple.
"Fine, can you give us some privacy please?" Ginny barked at her.
Sam, not wanting to cause a scene with her whale, respectfully left them alone but she made a mental note to deal with the red head later. Sam moved over to Mike where he was talking softly with the dealer.
Mike graduated from MIT with a degree in Mechanical Engineering but soon found his way to Las Vegas where he started working as a valet for the Montecito. He was soon moved into security because of his technical skills and Danny and Mike were good friends. In the security room Mike had been observing the game and being an experienced gambler, severely doubted Ron's ability to win so many games without some type of help but he couldn't see any possible way that he was cheating. He just seemed to be lucky.
Draco and Ginny were still in the corner of the room yelling at each other. Luna flinched every time Ron cracked his knuckles and even in her cloudy state of mind she was able to lay a hand on Ron and prevent him from interfering.
"Didn't I just explain myself?" Draco bellowed
"NO!" Ginny shouted back.
"Gin, I'm sorry. Look I'll end the game now and head back to our room ok?" Draco said. He had caved but he was familiar with Ginny's temper and aggravating it any more would get him no where.
"You don't get out of this that easily Draco Lucius Malfoy." Ginny said sternly.
"My full name, you haven't used that since Pansy came over for dinner!" Draco spat at her. He knew the mention of his ex-girlfriend would piss Ginny off more but he couldn't help it.
"That cow had her hooves all over you!" Ginny fired back, angry at the memory of that night. Ginny had innocently invited Pansy to the Manor for dinner. It was supposed to be a business dinner but the moment Pansy walked in with her non-existent shirt and see through top, business went straight out of Ginny's mind. Pansy made no attempt to hide her flirtations with Draco at dinner and the only thing that saved Pansy from being cursed out of the manor was the fact that Ginny needed to write an article about Pansy for her editor at the daily
"Look Gin …" Draco said as he tried to control his voice.
"Don't try to patronize me, Draco. I'm not Pansy and I will not hang off of your every word. I think you should apologize to Ron." Ginny said furiously.
"You want me to what?" Draco asked.
"Are you deaf ferret she said to apologize to me." Ron said smugly.
"Stay out of this." Both Ginny and Draco shouted at Ron.
"Apologize to Ron" Ginny reaffirmed to Draco
"You can't be serious Gin." Draco said as he frustratingly ran a hand through his perfect hair ruffling it a bit.
A furious Ginny crossed her arms in front of her chest and scowled at Draco. Draco slowly began to get uncomfortable with the look and fidgeted on the spot.
"Oh sod it!" Draco muttered to himself.
"Sam, I think we'll quit for the night!" Draco declared
"But Draco, if something is unsatisfactory I can change it." Sam offered while throwing a pointed glance at Ginny.
Draco was thinking of replying along the lines of killing Ron but he opted for another reply. "No, it is time for all of us to retire. I suspect we'll have a long day tomorrow."
The casino would have made very little from this endeavour and it was Sam's job to make sure the whales were comfortable and above all, gamble and lose big!
Draco stormed out of the room leaving a tipsy Luna and an angry Ginny and Ron behind.
"I don't know why you chose to date him," Ron said angrily to Ginny.
"Oh don't start with the I told you so speech. My personal life is none of your concern." Ginny said in an acid tone to her brother.
Ron was about to reply when Luna stepped in. "Let's get some sleep. Draco was right. Tomorrow will be a very long day." She said as she looped her hand into Ron's and guided him out of the room. Ginny surveyed the room once, then stomped haughtily out of the room, making sure to slam the door on the way out.
"She's got one hell of an attitude problem!" Sam declared as soon as Ginny left the room.
"It's not her I was concerned with. Her brother has the most uncanny streak of luck I have ever seen." Mike said.
"Was he cheating?" Sam asked
"Not from what I can tell but I'll review the tape from this room again. I'll check with Danny and see if he has any ideas." Mike mused.
Sam's phone started to ring. "I got to go Mike"
"See you later. I'll be upstairs if you need me." Mike said. He had a few quick words with the dealer before he left.
Ginny slammed the door shut in the hotel room she shared with Draco. He was already waiting for her on a chair.
"I hope you intend to sleep there tonight cause I'm taking the bed." Ginny stated as she sauntered towards the bathroom.
"Ginny, why are you acting like this?" Draco asked. He had cooled down a bit and he was attempting to reason with her.
Ginny held her nose in the air and ignored him. Draco sighed. Sleeping on the chair didn't appeal to him.
"Gin, I'm going to go find Potter." Draco hollered into the bathroom door. The shower was already on and Draco assumed that Ginny heard him.
Maybe if Draco could convince Harry to room with Hermione tonight he could get a bed to himself. Draco walked across the hall and knocked on Harry's room. There was no response. The door next to Harry's open and Ron's head popped out.
"He's not there." Ron stated gruffly.
"Thanks but I can see that." Draco replied sarcastically.
"Ferret if you break my sister's heart, I'll break yours." Ron said dangerously.
Draco ignored him. He had heard it all before. At least once a week one of Ginny's brothers threatened him. It had become a usual routine.
"If anyone asks, I'm at the bar." Draco called out as he rounded the corner and headed for the elevator.
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