Compaq Normal Preferred Customer 2 578 2003-07-25T18:09:00Z 2003-07-25T18:09:00Z 5 1423 6297 Puget Sound Refrigeration 185 63 7666 9.3821
By the way, the passed 6 chapters have gone back and forth between Draco and Ginny's POV, now it's getting too hard so the POVs will change within the chapter.
~*~
There was only a mere week left until the dance. And she still hadn't found the book.
Draco had almost given up on her. Not that he really wanted to go to the dance, that wasn't it at all. It was just that he thought he'd seen more determination in her than this. But no matter what the outcome of this little escapade was, he lost. If she didn't find it, then she wasn't the girl he thought she was. If she did find it, he had to go to the stupid dance.
He almost wasn't sure what was worse.
To top it off, Millicent Bulstrode had been pestering him to go to the dance with her. He could only say no in so many ways.
Sitting alone in the common room, he weighed his options. He could just let it go, and give up on the dance altogether. He'd been thinking of giving Fire some hints as to how to go about getting her hands on the book. But now Millicent would get angry with him for going with someone else, and Millicent isn't a person you want angry with you.
Plus he still got that strange feeling when he talked to Fire. Even though it was just her words, there was something about her, something that made him run to his computer every hour to check if she was online. He wanted desperately to meet her now, to see if she was the same in person. Because if she made him feel this way through only her words, ho could only imagine what her touch might feel like.
But he'd started this stupid book thing, and chances of her finding it looked slim.
Sighing, Draco took up a seat by the fire in his favorite plush green armchair. He had mounds of Potions homework to do, anyway.
Today just wasn't his day.
-
Ginny was sitting alone in the common room, staring off into space. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were on the other side, talking and laughing about something Ginny obviously didn't know about. They never seemed to include her in things unless she invited herself along, which was dreadfully embarrassing for the young Weasley. Not to mention the fact that Hermione only spent time with her if Harry and Ron weren't around.
She'd left her computer upstairs. Standing up, she walked out of the room in the direction of the girls' rooms; not thinking anyone had even noticed her leave.
"Ginny!"
She turned around to see Hermione trailing behind her. "Hi Hermione. What's up?"
Hermione shook her head and motioned up the stairs toward Ginny's bedroom. "Let's talk in there."
Mystified, Ginny followed her into her own bedroom. After entering the room, Ginny shut the door. She then turned around to face Hermione.
"You know Harry really wants to go with you." Hermione's voice was direct, as if stating that the world is round, rather than Harry's feelings.
A confused look crossed Ginny's face nonetheless. "Go with me? Go with me where?"
Exasperated, Hermione exclaimed, "To the dance! He was just telling Ron that he couldn't believe you hadn't asked him yet. And he wanted to know if you weren't planning on going or something."
Ginny scowled. Harry sure was growing an ego lately, to think that she had to ask him or else she wasn't going. The nerve of him, talking about her like that with Ron and Hermione. It was true, at the rate things were going, she probably wouldn't be going to the dance with who she wanted to. She'd tried everything, and yet she still didn't have the book in her possession. She didn't want to just give up, but things were looking pretty bad.
"Ginny?"
Snapping her attention back to Hermione, she noted the look on her face. She was looking at Ginny with an anxious expression, almost like she wanted her to break down and go to the dance with Harry.
"Well, Hermione, see, I was maybe going to go with somebody else. But now I'm not sure, and see, oh all right." The moment she said it, she instantly regretted it.
Hermione clapped her hands together gleefully and ran off in search of Harry, ready to tell him the good news. Ginny groaned and sat on her bed. She couldn't believe her bad luck. Now she was going to have to go with Harry, something she really didn't want to do.
Today just wasn't her day.
-
Looking at the clock on his nightstand, Draco deducted that it was seven o'clock. He grabbed his computer and clicked on the chat button for the hundredth time that day. By now, he just had expected a let down.
But to his excitement, it said otherwise.
Firefly is online.
He jumped, typing a message almost instantly to her.
IceyGaze: Where have you been all day?
Firefly: [sigh] Around.
Draco decided to, for once, go out on a limb. It wasn't very often that he showed his feelings openly to someone, but he was getting rather attached to this Firefly of his.
IceyGaze: Oh. Well…I missed you.
Firefly: I still haven't found the book.
IceyGaze: I assumed as much.
Firefly: I'm on the verge of defeat.
She was going to give up? He couldn't possibly let her do that. Visions of Millicent danced in his head, making him shudder.
IceyGaze: You're just going to give up?
Firefly: Well, you were right, I can't find it. You don't even want to go to the dance anyway, I'm literally doing you a favor by giving in.
Some favor, Draco thought bitterly. Somehow this favor didn't strike him as one he wanted to accept. Biting his lip, he decided to encourage her a bit more.
IceyGaze: You were really excited about this before. If it means that much to you to go, I'd be more than happy to accompany you. There ARE ways of finding that book. I just don't think you are trying hard enough.
Firefly: I've tried as hard as I could! I've done everything! There's nothing left for me to do!
IceyGaze: Well that doesn't sound like the Fire I know. I thought you had more in you than that.
Firefly: Well this task was just a little much for me I guess.
Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing. She had practically changed personas overnight. She used to be the one begging to meet him, now it was completely backwards. What was going on?
-
Ginny felt horrible. She hated to turn him down like this, but there was nothing else she could do. She was sure half the school already knew she was going with Harry. Why oh why did she ever let that slip to Hermione? She never wanted to go with Harry in the first place.
Now, even after all her work, the countless trips to the library, and trying spell after spell, if she DID find the book she was still stuck going with Harry.
One night she'd thought she would just try a summoning spell. It seemed so obvious! She stood in her common room and shouted, "Accio 'Magic and Lust'!" It took her thirty-four tries before she realized there was a charm blocker on the book for that very reason.
After that night she tried finding spells, duplicating spells, everything she could think of. But nothing worked.
And now, horror upon horrors, her dream was coming true. Ice was actually treating her with warmth. Being flirty with HER. Showing interest in her.
But she was going to the dance with stupid Harry Potter. Not that she didn't value his friendship, that wasn't it at all. In fact, a year ago, she would have died to be in the position she was in now. But he'd just really messed up her plans this time.
Firefly: I'm sorry, Ice, I've got to go now. I'll talk to you tomorrow?
IceyGaze: Whatever. You're acting strangely tonight anyway.
Ginny cringed. She was going to have to fix this somehow; she just wasn't quite sure how to do it tonight.
Firefly: I'm sorry. Goodnight.
IceyGaze: Yeah.
Ginny felt a tear sneak down her cheek. She just didn't know how to make this right.