The Adventure
By RowlingIdol
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own the song `Hot N Cold'. This chapter contains slight language. Review if you wish! They are most appreciated.
Chapter 3: Hot N Cold
"Ginny? Ginny. Ginny!"
"Huh?"
"Are you even listening to me?"
Ginny shook her head and turned to her left. Hermione was waving a piece of paper in front of her face.
"I asked you a question!"
"Sorry." Ginny mumbled, looking down. "I didn't hear it."
"How did you get done so fast?" Hermione complained, waving Ginny's finished assignment in her face.
"I don't know. He did them so quickly… And I just barely got through mine." Ginny said.
"Do you think he cheated?" Hermione whispered.
"No! No of course not! I was right there!" Ginny said defensively. Her hands clenched into fists.
"Geez Gin it was just question." Ron said. "Here, lemme see your answer sheet!" Hermione whipped the paper out of Ron's grasp and handed it back to Ginny.
"You are not copying off anyone Ronald." Hermione said. She slumped in her seat.
"I can't believe he did those so fast." She muttered.
"I better check your answers Ginny." Ron said, winking at his sister.
Ginny rolled her eyes and passed her paper over. Ron hurriedly started copying Draco's answers.
"Well you better be careful of him." Harry said. "I know that…" He paused, a hard silence filling the room for several minutes. He swallowed hard. "I know that things are different now…. But please…. Be careful…. For me."
There was more silence in the room. Even Ron had stopped his frantic scribbling for a moment.
"For us." Harry said, noting the uncomfortable feeling in the air.
"Harry's right." Hermione said. "We don't know if he can be trusted. Let's just keep a wary eye" She said.
"If I get a 100 on this assignment I definitely will trust his smarts." Ron grinned, holding up his finished assignment.
Hermione gasped.
"RONALD! I told you- NO CHEATING!"
~*~*~*~
The following Monday the sample assignment was due. The teacher collected the papers from the assigned groups. He glanced at the papers and made comments to each group.
"Hmm hmm… Good effort…" He commented to some. "Ah mmmm… A little work on our penmanship hmmm yes?" The teacher said to Ron whose ears immediately flamed red.
"However, good answers…" He muttered, examining the paper closely. Ron beamed. Hermione glowered.
When the teacher collected Draco and Ginny's assignments he smiled at the papers and then at the two of them.
"Good job good job!" He said, admiring the papers. "I see I made a good choice in pairing you two up." He nodded to them and continued on down the row of students.
"You call this an apostrophe? Oh dear oh dear…." He muttered.
"Please open your pamphlets and read the chapter on preparing quills and inkwells for the test. I will have your graded papers at the end of the next hour. Begin now." He said, settling into his desk chair.
There were groans as students grudgingly got out their thick NEWT prep pamphlets. Hermione was whispering to Ron and Harry if they thought it would be okay if she read ahead, having already read the assigned chapter at breakfast.
"Psst."
Ginny thought she heard something but she ignored it. She folded open her new pamphlet and smoothed the spine of the book so it would lay open easier.
"Psssssst…"
There is was again. There as probably a draft in the room. Or it could have been the noise of the construction of the castle outside.
"PSST!"
Ginny felt something hot on her left ear, her hair being blown by the motion, tickling her cheek. She turned her head only to find herself practically nose to nose with Draco.
"Stop that!" She said, leaning away from him.
"I was only trying to get your attention." He said.
"What? No swans today?" She said. He smirked and leaned back in his desk.
"Oh there are swans today." He said fully grinning now.
"Then where are they." She said, annoyed.
"You'll find out later." Was all he said, waving his hand in a carefree manner.
"Whatever. We're supposed to be reading." she said, turning back around.
"But I didn't get to ask you my question yet." He said. Ginny ignored him. He leaned forward as he had done previously, hovering behind her left shoulder. He blew at her ear. Her hair fluttered against her freckled cheek.
"I said stop it!" Ginny hissed moving away from him.
"Answer my question and maybe I will." He said.
"Fine." she said, grabbing her book and twisting in her seat to face Draco.
"So your brother seemed pleased about his assignment, did he not?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ginny sighed and turned to look towards her brother and her friends. Harry had looked up and gave her an ear to ear smile. He then noticed her body twisted towards Draco, her open pamphlet lying on his desk. His eyes narrowed and he shot a look Draco's way, but Draco had already hidden his face behind his pamphlet. Harry frowned and turned back to his own book, his head occasionally turning in their direction.
"Fine. So he grabbed my assignment and MIGHT have copied…. A little." Ginny admitted. Draco smirked from behind his pamphlet
"If it makes you feel any better, Hermione was sore that you finished the assignment before she did." Ginny told the book.
"Really now?" Draco drawled, lowering the book, eyes sparkling. "Jealous huh?"
"She thinks YOU were the one that cheated." Ginny told him smiling a little.
"Well, I had some NEWT prep before I came back to school…." Draco said.
"So you did cheat…" Ginny said, frowning. Draco frowned as well.
"No no. I didn't cheat. My mother hired a tutor to review my schoolings before I returned. She didn't want me to be behind when I returned to school."
"Oh." Ginny said. That made sense. Anything to get the Malfoy name back up into the good graces of society she assumed.
"Are you mad?" she whispered to him. She bit her lip and looked up at him. Draco felt a weird sensation run through his body.
It felt like a warm liquid had washed over him. It soothed him and made his muscles feel relaxed. He swear he could feel himself sliding down his chair. Was…. Was he… Melting?
`Snap out of it!' a voice in his head screamed. He sat straight up, spooking Ginny in the process. She jumped back at the quick motion.
"Oh…. Oh you are mad…" Ginny said, making a move to turn back around in her seat.
Before he knew what he was doing he reached out for her and touched her shoulder.
Her shoulder felt warm to him. He didn't have time to let his fingers linger because she had turned back around to face him.
"I'm not mad…. Sorry…" Draco said. "I just um…. Remembered something." He said.
"Oh." Ginny said, blinking her eyes a couple of times. Her curiosity got the better of her. "What?'
"That um… Well… Next weekend sure is coming up fast." He said quickly. Ginny went red.
"That it is…." She murmured. She smiled to herself and turned back around in her seat.
Silence had finally taken over the classroom as students were immersed in reading the rules and regulations of how their quills and inkwells needed to be set up on their tables when it came for the NEWT testing day. There was also a long list of the ministry accepted quills and ink brands.
"Are you still going?" Came a voice close to Ginny's left ear again. She could feel her face become warm.
She nodded her head, her loose curls bobbing in response.
"Good." Draco replied. Ginny was about to turn around again when the bell rang. Students clamored for their book bags.
"Wait wait please!" called the teacher. "'Please collect your graded assignment on the way out!"
Hermione made a beeline to the front, leaving Ron to collect her books for her.
Draco followed Ginny up to the front so they could get their assignment.
"Miss Weasley… Mr. Malfoy… Splendid jobs, splendid jobs!" the teacher said, smiling at them. Ginny took her assignment from the teacher and reveled in the red star scribbled at the top. She smiled at the teacher.
"Thank you." She told him.
"You are very very welcome. And nice swans!" The teacher said.
Draco began to laugh, which he quickly tried to hide as a cough. Ginny frowned.
"Swans?" Ginny asked confused.
"Yes! Your hair!" The teacher said.
Ginny reached a hand up to her head and felt around. Somehow, Draco had tangled several of his mini paper swans amongst her curls. She turned and gave Draco a glare. He stared down at her, grinning widely. She hurried out of the classroom, running her fingers frantically through her hair as she went.
~*~*~*~
"So he didn't cheat." Ginny said, plopping herself down in the Gryffindor common room.
"At this point, I don't care if he did. Look at my grade!" Ron announced, holding up his assignment. Hermione frowned at Ron before turning back to Ginny.
"How did you find this out?"
"I asked, obviously." Ginny shrugged, like it was no big deal.
"His mother got him a tutor before he returned to school. He apparently went over some NEWT prep with the tutor." Ginny said.
"Are you sure he wasn't lying to you?" Harry said, striding into the room.
"Why would he lie to me?" Ginny asked, frowning.
"I'm just saying Gin." Harry said, hopping the back of the couch she and Hermione were sitting on, nestling himself between them. "He's not exactly the type of guy one can easily trust right away."
Ginny folded her arms across her chest and inched slightly away from Harry.
"So Gin. What are you doing next weekend?" Harry prompted.
"Oh! Um…. Next weekend?" Ginny squeaked.
"Yeah. First Hogsmeade trip of the year!" He said.
"Yay! That means shopping for parchment!" Hermione squealed. Ron imitated vomiting behind Hermione to Harry and Ginny. They smiled. Hermione turned to face Ron who quickly stopped.
"Hooray!" Ron said in a fake attempt at enthusiasm, raising his arms in sort of a sarcastic cheer. Hermione beamed.
"I knew it was Hogsmeade weekend." Ginny said. "I'm already going with….." She froze. "People." She blurted.
"Oh." Harry said sadly.
"Well…. Would you like to go with me Sunday? Like…. To dinner?" Harry asked. Ginny froze again. She could feel Ron and Hermione's eyes on her.
"Um… Uh…. Okay I guess." She stammered.
"Great!" Harry said. "I will um… make a reservation? That cool?" He asked, jumping up off the couch.
"Yeah, sure. Uh huh." Ginny said, trying to look happy. Harry beamed and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head before he headed towards the portrait hole.
"I've got to go talk to Professor McGonagall. I'll see you guys later!" He said.
"Later mate!" Ron said, waving after him.
"Bye guys. Bye Gin! Nice swans by the way." He said, winking at her before leaving the common room.
Ginny's hands flew to her hair again. She had missed a couple of the birds.
"Fucking bastard!" She grumbled to herself, shaking her hair on her way up to her dorm room.
~*~*~*~
After a long weekend, classes resumed with the anxiousness of the upcoming fun weekend ahead. Students were allowed to go to Hogsmeade Saturday and Sunday, as long as they were back by curfew. Teachers would be in abundance, everyone still being wary of large group outings after the battles that had ensued not long ago.
Hermione was raving about how she couldn't wait to get her hands on the top grade inkwell listed in the NEWT prep handbook.
"To your seats everyone! Quickly quickly!" The NEWT prep teacher called. "Class has started!"
Ginny hurried back to her seat after quickly promising Hermione they'd go to the quill shop when they got to Hogsmeade.
The teacher began droning on about the dress code expected of those taking the NEWTs. Who knew wearing red could cause students to become disoriented and panicked during test taking? Ginny hoped her hair wouldn't be a problem.
There was a grumbling noise from behind Ginny. She turned and looked at Draco.
"You okay?" She asked.
"Oh I'm FINE." Draco said rudely to her. She frowned and turned back around. He had been so warm and friendly, and yet annoying, to her last Monday. Today he was icy and grumpy. She was dying to know what was bothering him. She turned around again.
"You don't sound fine." She hissed.
"Hmm. One would be fine." he replied. Ginny's eyes narrowed. He was being cryptic. Something definitely was up.
"Why are you so down?" She said, trying to play nice.
"Let me think. I significantly remember you agreeing to go to Hogsmeade this weekend but I can't help but hear with every other word out of Potter's mouth that YOU'RE going with him to Hogsmeade this weekend." Draco spat at her.
"Yeah. On SUNDAY." Ginny said. He was totally over thinking this entire situation.
"I thought we were going." Draco repeated. He was whining like a little bitch now.
"We are."
"But you're going with Potter."
"I am."
"Are you in or out?"
"For what?" Ginny asked, getting confused.
"For our deal."
"Huh?"
"To Hogsmeade. As friends. Are you in or out?"
"I still want to go if that's what you mean." She said. "And may I remind you, you were never specific on the day you wanted to go to Hogsmeade."
Draco's face became cold again.
"Fine. Since you have your DATE with Potter Sunday, we'll go Saturday." Draco said darkly, looking away from her.
Ginny looked down at her hands. She had thought the dinner plans Harry was making was going to be another awkward double date with Ron and Hermione but the more she pieced together- all Harry had gone on about regarding this weekend was involving the two of them.
"I didn't know he meant just the two of us." Ginny told Draco. "Believe me. I'm not thrilled with this. But I can't back out or else I'm going to get flack from Hermione until the next Hogsmeade trip."
Draco mulled over the situation before nodding his head.
"Okay. Fine." He said. Ginny turned back around in her seat.
~*~*~*~
Draco crossed his arms over his chest and glared in Potters direction.
He didn't like his only friend at school hanging around Potter. All Ginny ever did was complain about him anyways. And as immature as it sounded, Draco did NOT like to share. Especially with Potter. Especially sharing Ginny with Potter.
He gripped his NEWT pamphlet, ready to smack himself in the head, much like he had done two weeks ago in the library.
`Damn it Draco! Get a hold of yourself! You've been friends with girls before! You never thought anything of them!' He told himself.
He reflected back on all the females he had ever been considered friends with. There was Pansy. Oh Pansy…
Draco smirked thinking on where she was now. She was engaged to a nephew of the late Igor Karkaroff. She had bragged about it to him before he had left back to school.
`You're going back to that shithole?' Pansy had asked him in shock. `I'm glad I'm not going back. I've got a wedding to plan.'
`You met the guy a month ago! In a bar!' Draco had said.
`So? He has money.' Pansy had shrugged.
`I have money.' Draco shot back.
`Yeah but your family doesn't want anything to do with those of us who are left.' Pansy pointed out.
`So you don't want anything to do with me because of my parents?' Draco had asked.
`Come on Drakey-poo. We had our fun. But its time I move on.' Pansy had said, patting his cheek.
Draco sighed. Mostly it had been nothing but fooling around between the two of them. A shag there, a shoulder to cry on here… Nothing formal.
Daphne Greengrass was Pansy's partner in crime. Merlin knows what she was up to. Her sister Astoria had come back to school but she hardly paid Draco any attention. She was at least nicer to him than the other Slytherin students.
He hadn't been around the Greengrass sisters much. Granted they were pretty (for Slytherins), Daphne was… Well…. Pretty stupid.
`I hate that stupid Weasel' Draco had said one lunchtime after Ron had been rude to him in class.
`Hahaha! Weasel! That's funny! `Cause his last name is like…. Weasley!' Daphne had said. Pansy then had proceeded to smack Daphne upside the head.
`Can it, you nit!' Pansy had said.
`Ow that hurrrrrrt!' Daphne had complained.
`Stop being such a ditz you're a Slytherin for Merlin's sake!' Pansy yelled.
Draco smiled. As different as Pansy and Daphne were they were still best friends. Pansy was probably going to have Daphne at her wedding.
But no matter what Draco recalled about his female acquaintances, he had to admit that he never had felt how he was feeling now. It was stupid. Very stupid.
Pansy was the closest thing he ever had to a girlfriend but he had never taken her on a date. Unless you counted the Yule Ball a date. They never had held hands in public, let alone in private. The shaggings were mostly a release, an escape, from his crazy life at home and the whole Dark Arts business.
It wasn't like he didn't like girls that way. He did. Oh yes he did. But Ginny Weasley? Come on! The freckles. The red hair. The second hand clothes and books. The plump mother of hers. Her Muggle obsessed father. Not to mention a gang of tall, angry, red headed brothers, plus Potter, who were very protective of her.
She was the wrong girl at the right time.
The time when he was turning his life around. When things could only look up, not down. She was hot. He was cold. What a cruel world it was.
~*~*~*~
The bell signaled the end of class.
"Spider monkeys!" Ron yelled, the bell waking him out of a dream. Students snickered as they gathered their books.
"Ron how could you fall asleep! Those rules were very important!" Hermione scolded.
He stretched, giving a huge yawn.
"Doesn't matter `Mione. I'm sure you will remind at least 100 more times between now and the NEWTs." He said. Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but quickly shut it.
"You coming Ginny?" Harry asked, coming around to her side of the classroom. "I will carry your books for you." He said.
"I'm fine. You guys go to dinner without me. I need to ask the teacher a question about one of the rules." She lied.
"Okay. I will take your books then. Save you a spot?" He said, reaching for her bag.
"Sure I guess." Ginny said, shrugging.
"All right. See you at dinner." Harry said. He reached down and grabbed her faded book bag off the floor, gave her cheek a quick peck before heading out the door. Ginny sighed and let her head fall onto her desk with a loud `thud'.
"Ow!" She said, sitting back up again, rubbing her forehead.
"Hurt yourself?" Draco drawled, still sitting in his seat behind her. She turned to face him.
"What's it matter to you?: She asked, holding her head.
"Better catch up to Potter so he can kiss it all better." He snapped.
"You know you really should see a doctor." Ginny spat.
"Me? You're the one who hit your head." Draco said.
"You're so bi-polar today." Ginny said. "You're like a rollercoaster with your mood swings. I
want off this ride." She stood up, and huffed out of the classroom. Draco scrambled after her.
"So does this mean you don't want to go to Hogsmeade anymore?" He asked panicked. They were in the hall now, crowded with the students headed to their houses to get ready for dinner.
"I didn't say that." Ginny said.
"Then what do you mean?" He asked.
"I'm sick of your attitude. Either you're going to be friends with me or you're not. Make up your mind." She said.
Draco grabbed her arm and pulled her into a side hallway.
"You change your mind like a girl changes clothes." Ginny told him. He looked puzzled.
"Which is a LOT." Ginny said.
"Well I wouldn't know since I'm not a girl." He said.
"You sure PMS like one." Ginny said.
"PM what?"
"Whatever. I should know that you're not going to change." Ginny said, pulling her arm out of his grasp to get away. He grabbed it back and pulled her close to him.
"You don't think I've changed?" He hissed.
"You're not acting like it now." She said.
"I've changed a LOT I will have you know." Draco said. "Us being here right now is proof enough. Do you deny that?"
She was quiet as they stood in the empty hallway together.
"No. I don't deny it. You have changed…"
"See?" Draco pressed.
"But you sure are acting a lot like you were before Voldemorts return." She said.
She had a point. He was being grouchy and rude. Not at all he wanted to be acting towards Ginny.
"All right…. I'm sorry. I'll try to be more like I was before." He said. Ginny raised her eyebrow.
"I mean before this week…. Not a couple of years ago." He stuttered.
"All right." Ginny said.
"Do you still want to go to Hogsmeade?" Draco asked hopefully.
"I said I'd go. I haven't changed my mind on that." She said.
"Good." Draco said.
"So….. Where did you want to meet?" She asked.
"What?"
"In Hogsmeade. Where do you want to meet?" She asked again.
"Oh! Um…. The town square I guess?" Draco said, remembering the fountain at the middle of the village.
"Okay. I will see you there at noon." she said. She walked off without another word.
~*~*~*~
Author's Note: Next two chapters will be doozies can tell you that. This was my filler chapter I guess. I hope you readers don't hate the fact that things will speed up. It was bound to anyways. And its not like its been a day story wise. Its been a couple of weeks. Plus… Well…. You're just going to have to find out now won't you? And I'm seriously thinking about naming the NEWT prep teacher Mr. Repeto, because I make him repeat words a lot, LOL.
Also- I haven't decided if this takes place the September of 1998, months after the Battle of Hogwarts, or its in September of 1999, a year and some months after the Battle of Hogwarts. I'm going off of September of 98. I hope that's not pushing the story. I appreciate all the reviews so far. Thanks for reading and please continue to do so! :)
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