A/N: Apologies ahead of time for errors (not that they would be the first) as editing for this chapter happened swiftly in order to get the posted. With HBP, I'm sure you can understand my lack of attention... right? :)

Chapter 12

Ginny Schemes

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“Weasley?” Draco looked up to see the redhead smiling at him. In every meeting that they’d had since school started she was either irked at him or laughing at him. If she ever smiled at him it was always because she had done something particularly evil that was probably going to make his life miserable. The smile she wore now was of that exact nature. He saw the familiar flicker of mischievousness in her eyes.
        
She sat down directly across from him. “So what are you studying?” she said conversationally.
        
This was definitely unusual. She never spent time on idle chitchat with him. He wasn’t sure what to expect when she told him to meet her here for a talk, but he had assumed that it would at least have something to do with last night’s activities.
        
“I was working on History of Magic,” he replied slowly. He was staring intently at her searching for some clue as to what was going in her head. He hadn’t noticed Ron Weasley approach them.
        
“Gin, are you all right?” he asked his sister with concern. He glared at Draco. “Is this git bothering you?”
        
“I’m fine Ron, thanks.” She smiled pleasantly at her brother.
        
“What are you doing here with him?” he snarled.
        
“I just came here to tell Malfoy something,” she answered innocently returning her gaze to Draco. “I just wanted to tell him that last night’s demonstration was,” she paused a moment allowing a wicked grin to slowly spread across her face, “satisfactory.”
        
Satisfactory? Draco was speechless. He didn’t even have the ability to tell Ron to bugger off.
        
“Demonstration? What demonstration?” Ron was growing irate. Ginny was still calm. In actuality, she looked positively pleased that Ron was about to explode.
        
“A potion demonstration,” she said without missing a beat. She was still smiling playfully at Draco. After a moment, she turned to her brother. “If you recall, Ron, I have Advanced Potions with Malfoy and we have assignments to do. But thank you for your concern.”
        
“If he’s bothering you, Gin -” he started still glaring at Malfoy.
        
“Ron, I am perfectly capable of handling Malfoy on my own.”

Draco wondered if there was a double meaning behind those words. He was amused at the thought.
        
“What are you smirking at, Malfoy?” Ron was still glaring at him, but Draco had his eyes on Ginny.
        
“Your little sister doesn’t seem to need your assistance, Weasley. You heard her. She is perfectly capable of handling me on her own,” he repeated, mild amusement was apparent in his voice. He glanced at Ginny and broadened his grin.
        
“Well, if you two don’t mind, I have some studying to do.” Ginny got up to leave. Ron gave her a look of puzzlement as he returned to his seat muttering to himself. Draco was sure that he heard a few insults directed at him, however, he was too busy watching Ginny leave to care. She turned one last time before she exited the library and winked slyly at him.
        
He took a moment to pick his jaw up off the floor before he gathered his things and followed her. She was waiting for him at the end of the hall, casually leaning with her back against the stone wall.
        
He approached her, slowly.
        
“Satisfactory, you say?” He continued sauntering steadily toward her. She remained leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and a trace of wickedness still in her smile.
        
“I’d say that was an invitation for another demonstration.” He stopped only inches from her, placing one hand on the wall and leaning toward her.
        
She revealed her wand and pointed it at him.
        
“Petrificus Totalis!” she murmured before he was able to say another word. His arms snapped to his sides causing his rigid form to fall forward. He felt a sharp pain as his head cracked against the wall. He chastised himself for forgetting to stay armed and alert when he was around her.
        
“I wasn’t inviting you to do anything,” she said, the same wicked smirk still playing on her lips. “Just because I kissed you last night, doesn’t mean I like you.” She stepped back and allowed her eyes to travel over his rigid form. “But,” she drawled, “you are kind of cute.”
        
Cute? Cute was not a word that was ever used to describe Draco Malfoy. He was handsome, debonair, attractive, good-looking, or even gorgeous, but cute? He didn’t think it was even a word he used in his vocabulary.
        
Ginny was baiting him. He was sure of it. She was definitely a conniving little fox. She initiated the kiss last night. Informing him that his ‘demonstration’ last night was satisfactory had been a purposeful taunt on her part because satisfactory was another word he found quite unsuitable to describe anything he did. And now she was claiming she didn’t even like him! What kind of game was she playing?
        
“In fact, you might actually be rather dashing if it weren’t for that oversized head of yours,” Ginny continued.
        
Dashing was more like it, but oversized head? His head was perfectly proportionate to...ah, the size of his ego. Clever. He wished he had the ability to respond. Damn the body-binding hex.
        
“Someone really should put a shrinking spell on it.” She raised her wand. If Draco could actually wince he might have at that moment. He was relieved when she lowered her wand again.
        
“But, I suppose you probably have enough small body parts,” she said momentarily glancing down at his mid section so he would catch her exact meaning.
        
What was it that he liked about this evil redhead again?
        
She took a step toward him balancing on her toes. Draco could feel her breath tickling his earlobe. He breathed in the aroma of her flowery shampoo. “Or do you?” she whispered naughtily.
        
Ah, yes. That was it.
        
She moved away from him again. If only he had the use of his arms, he would have grabbed her and snogged her senseless right there. He was really going to have to start disarming her before he approached her. Then again, she had already proven she could be just as dangerous without a wand.
        
“Oi! Ginny!”
        
It was the overprotective brother. Probably a good thing he couldn’t have snogged her senseless right there, Ron would have probably killed him. But what a way to die!
        
“What’s going on here?”
        
“Nothing. Malfoy decided to take a rest against the wall,” he heard her say with a slight giggle. “Finite Incantatum!”
        
Draco crumbled to the floor.
        
“What was he doing to you?” he asked, obviously not convinced by her first answer. “Why did you have to put him in a full body bind? If he touched you I’ll -”
        
“Relax, Weasley,” Draco said pulling himself off the floor. “Your precocious little sister was proving just how well she could handle me on her own. Don’t worry, I haven’t touched a single Weasley-red hair on her head.” Though he had a sudden desire to run his fingers through that flaming red hair of hers.
        
“Come on, Ron,” Ginny urged. “Let’s get back to the common room.”
        
“But what the bloody hell is that git smiling about?” Ron asked as she started tugging at his arm.
        
“Nothing, I’m sure. He’s a bit nutters. I’ve heard he’s seeing a Headhealer,” he heard her say as she pulled Ron away. She flashed Draco an impish grin over her shoulder as she escorted her brother down the hall toward the Gryffindor towers.
        
He was certainly not going to let her get away with that stunt. He had the feeling the little minx was fully aware there would be retaliation. She was teasing him, practically daring him to make another move. She wasn’t making things easy for him, but she was definitely making things interesting.

~*~*~
       
        
Ginny was quite pleased with her performance. The look on Malfoy’s face when she informed him of his merely satisfactory demonstration was classic. He was definitely interested in another snogging session, that much she could tell. It was a good thing she had put him in a full body bind, as she was sorely tempted to oblige. However, she was sure that she was now asking for a large helping of trouble. She had shown interest.
        
What was meant to be a simple ruse to determine whether or not Malfoy liked her had escalated into another game of sorts. Initially she was going to flirt a little and see his reaction. She hadn’t expected Ron to be there, but her twisted little mind couldn’t help but improvise. She got a little too caught up in her own scheme and had probably taken it a little too far, but she couldn’t deny the thrill she got from toying with him. She was surprised at her own audaciousness.
        
Oh, how she hated the fact that she was attracted to him. She was supposed to detest the bastard. Over the years he had caused her enough humiliation and irritation to last a lifetime. She believed he needed to be taught a lesson, hence the reason for blackmail in the first place. He had years of payback coming to him and she wasn't going to let the fact that she was lusting after him change that.
        
Perhaps she could use this supposed interest that he had in her to exact her revenge on him. She could lead him on and if he really did like her she could break his heart, assuming he had one. The question was: Could she really bring herself to do it? Did she have the willpower to do it? Especially when what she really wanted to do was drag him into a broom closet and just get this craziness out of her system. The only problem was that she was she wasn't quite sure she could get enough.
        
She had to get a hold of herself. This was simply a matter of control. She could do anything if she put her mind to it, or so her dad would tell her. Though, she was sure that her dad didn't have blackmail and manipulation in mind when he gave her that piece of advice.
        
Blackmailing him was one thing. But purposely leading him on with the intent of maliciously toying with his feelings? Well, perhaps it was a bit too cruel. Then again, he hadn't exactly been a prince to her. Far from it. Maybe she could mess with him, just a little. At least until she found out whether what seemed to be between them was simply a mutual physical attraction or if there was something more to it that that, as far as he was concerned anyway. She had nothing more than shameful physical desire for him. That was it.
        
They had nothing in common besides this strange mutual attraction. Though, she supposed he was tolerable as an advanced potions partner, and a pretty good Quidditch player. He had shown that he could be semi-decent at rare points in time. Ginny Weasley! she scolded herself. Don’t even start thinking that Colin may be right about him. Colin is completely clueless as to how dastardly that pureblooded prick can be!
        
There were things that Colin didn’t know about why she detested Malfoy. He had gone along with the blackmailing scheme because he was aware of Malfoy’s general asinine behavior and thought the idea was good for a laugh.
        
Before she had become a victim of blackmail herself she had fully intended on releasing the photos to the general student population after she spent the school year making him do her bidding. Had she been successful she might have considered that enough to sooth her thirst for vengeance. However, Malfoy had to complicate things. He had started by giving her that damnable kiss in the empty classroom. If he would have never done that she wouldn’t be obsessing over the sweet taste of his lips on hers and she could just get her revenge and be done with it!
           
A small voice in her head told her to forget the whole thing. Call it even, just like Colin suggested. Walk away before things got even more complicated. But her stubbornness just couldn’t allow him to get away with everything that easily. She would merely need to put aside her desire for another lip-lock with him and concentrate on her new scheme.
~*~*~


A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews! I will try to get the next installment up soon now that the site has been reopened :)
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