It was the challenge, more than the act of simply baiting him that made her do it. A bit of sport to break up the day. He absolutely could not stand it when she got the better of him, when she won, and this time, she was sure that she had. She’d attacked him where he was weakest. She had put a chink in his armor.

He was always perfect. Always. He and his combed hair, pressed robes, shined shoes and neatly knotted tie, every day without fail, appeared at breakfast, looking as if it took little or no effort at all to achieve the visage he presented the world with each day. And it never faltered. He never took off his robes, he appeared to never perspire, and he never, never loosened his tie. But today would be different. She had wrecked his image, she was sure of it. He absolutely would not look perfect today.

Ginny giggled to herself as she looked at the six articles of clothing she placed on the coverlet of her four-poster. She ran her fingers across the identical silver and green striped silk of his custom made ties. A squeal of triumph and glee erupted from her mouth and, as she did a little dance of victory, she put down the seventh item.

She’d taken all of them.

The first one, he’d known about. From their first time together. She’d put on his shirt after, and he’d commented that the green in his tie that had still been threaded through the collar looked sexy next to her hair. She’d asked him if she could keep it. A souvenir. He’d wrinkled his nose and chuckled and indulged her. After that, she decided that every time he fell asleep right afterwards, she’d take another one. A boy must pay for his crimes, after all.

Before she’d left late last night, (or early this morning – who knew?) she’d nicked the last one. She checked the wardrobe and drawers as well, just in case the spoiled brat had more than seven. She grinned as she went back to her dormitory. She knew he’d never ask anyone to borrow one, either. That would go against everything he stood for. He would have to come to breakfast tie-less.

And she knew that would drive him mad.

She bounced on her toes and clapped her hands like a small child on Christmas morning, swept all of the ties into her trunk so that her roommates wouldn’t see them, and began to get ready for the day.

***************************

She was about to turn into the Great Hall when she was stopped by a very irate and rumpled Blaise Zabini.

“Give them back, Ginny.”

“Pardon?”

“It isn’t funny anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Blaise. I haven’t the slightest notion of what you’re speaking.”

“Do you have one with you?”

“One what?”

“Ginny, seriously. Where are the ties?”

“Blaise, I simply do not know what you are on about.”

Blaise sighed heavily, putting his hands on her shoulders and crouching down slightly so that he was on her eye level. “I just want you to know, Ginny, you’ve broken him.”

She grinned, and a gleam of excitement sparkled in her eye. “Really?”

Blaise stood up and laughed. “Yes, the Princess is down in his room pitching one hell of a fit. Throwing things, swearing loudly, using all the big four-letter ones. A couple that’d do you proud, actually.”

“Hush, brat. Do you think he’ll actually come up without a tie on? Imperfect?” she whispered.

Blaise shrugged. “I dunno. I always though he was born with one on. You know how fussy the Princess is about his appearance. The only time I’ve ever seen him without one is in his Quidditch kit. We’ll see, though. You ought to win something for this though, Ginny, honestly. An honorary Slytherin house membership, maybe.”

They entered the Hall and turned to go to their separate tables, she noticed the stares of approval from the Slytherin table, and smiled to herself. This was going to be a bloody fantastic day.

She’d only eaten part of her porridge before the post was delivered, and to her immense delight, Ginny received a letter. She recognized the Eagle Owl that delivered it, stroked his feathers briefly, and took the parchment from his leg. She unrolled the parchment, and read the spiky writing.

You’ll have to try harder than that.

Amateur.

And you will be punished. Just wait.

DM

Ginny flushed, frowned and crumpled the note.

Just then, a pristine looking Draco Malfoy swept into the Hall, looking calm, unruffled, and wearing his shined shoes, pressed robes, and much to Ginny’s displeasure, a perfectly knotted necktie.

He sat down as the Slytherins around him all exchanged Galleons, settling up their bets covertly, while Blaise glared at Ginny, mouthing, “I lost to Goyle!”

Draco tucked into his breakfast and looked over at Ginny. She met his gaze, unamused. She felt him watching her while she ate, and was unsurprised when he met her outside the Great Hall after breakfast was over.

Without observing the habitual niceties, she launched into him.

“Did you transfigure something?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Morning, Ginevra.”

“Did I miss one?”

“I am well, yes, thank you for asking.”

“You couldn’t have borrowed one, could you?”

He frowned and looked at her, “Good Merlin, woman, to whom do you think you’re speaking?”

She grabbed the item in question and used it to pull him down to her eye level. “Then where did you get this? Whose is it?”

He removed her hand from his neckwear. “It is mine. I retrieved it from where you ‘hid’ it.”

Her eyes widened. “You were in my room? How? When?”

He laughed as he walked away. “You think you can outsmart a Slytherin, Ginny? Never.”

She called out after him. “Yes I can! Are we still meeting in the library to study later?”

He winked at her and nodded as he turned the corner.

****************************************

After her morning classes, instead if going to lunch, Ginny went up to her dorm room to see if he had, indeed, broken in. She went directly to her trunk and found no Slytherin ties, but a note that read,

Missing anything?

DM

Ginny threw the note down and started searching through her things. When she came to her small chest of drawers, she found yet another note in her empty underwear drawer.

Nicked your knickers.

What do you think of that?

DM

Ginny couldn’t help but laugh. She appreciated a good practical joke. She had lived with Fred and George, after all. But that didn’t mean she had to take it lying down. No. Not at all. A wicked smile crossed her face as she decided on her counter-attack.

***************************************

After her afternoon classes, Ginny sauntered into the library, and sat down next to Draco, face impassive. “Draco.”

“Ginevra. Been to your room yet?”

“Yes, you wanker.”

“Now, now, Ginevra. You’d better be nice or I’ll take the last pair you’ve got left, whether you’re wearing them or not.”

She crossed he legs in her very short school skirt. “Oh, I’m not wearing my last pair, Draco, I assure you. They are all alone in the drawer you cleaned out.” She batted her eyelashes at him, waiting for the implications of her statement to sink in. “Now buckle down. We have at least four hours of homework to get through.”

As Draco watched his apparently very wicked girlfriend sashay across the library and reach up the stacks for a book , standing on her tiptoes, making her skirt inch up her thighs almost to the point where he now knew there was nothing covering her bum, he thought that perhaps he should have let her have her little triumph. After all, it was only a tie. Because now he was facing four hours of study (like he’d be able to concentrate) with her knickerless bottom sitting right beside him. He should have let her win.

And then, as he saw the little temptress look at him over her shoulder, it occurred to him that she already had.