Chapter Seven

“W-what? Where are we?” Ginny asked in a timid voice. She thought that she might perhaps brave the dark stairway and bolt back up to the door.

“My room.” Draco answered as he indicated the surroundings with a flip of his wrist.

The room was lavishly decorated. There were dark green velvet chairs and settees placed around a huge stone fireplace. There was a black fur rug thrown in front of it. Just taking notice of it made Ginny blush. She, of course, turned even redder when her eyes moved round the room to his bed. It was covered in a rich emerald comforter, with black and silver pillows tossed at the head of the bed. There were flags of the Slytherin crest scattered around the room, as well as a huge portrait of his parents above the mantle. They looked down their noses and talked about her in loud whispers. There was a door across the way, that Ginny assumed led to the rest of the Slytherin rooms. The door they entered was invisible from inside the room.

“Well?” Draco asked, propelling her into the room.

“I can’t believe you get your own room. That bites!” Ginny said with a scowl.

Draco laughed, “I’m Draco Lucius Malfoy….you can’t expect me to share quarters with the masses, do you?”

She just elbowed him and walked over to the settee closest to the fireplace. A house-elf came from out of no where and handed her a drink and started the fire. She smelled it and Draco laughed again.

“I assure you, my house-elves never poison pretty girls in my room.”

“Oh, so you have pretty girls here often do you?” Ginny glared at his back, since he had moved over to a shelf on the other side of the room. Music began playing and Ginny’s eyes got big as saucers.

She exclaimed, “Draco Malfoy! That’s an American muggle tune!” as soon as she recognized the lyrics:

“You have so many relationships in this life

Only one or two will last

You're going through all this pain and strife

Then you turn your back and they're gone so fast

And they're gone so fast

So hold on to the ones who really care

In the end they'll be the only ones there

When you get old and start losing your hair

Can you tell me who will still care

Can you tell me who will still care

Mmm bop,

ba duba dop Ba du bop,

ba duba dop Ba du bop,

ba duba dop Ba du”

Ginny started howling with laughter, “ Draco Malfoy is a Hanson fan!”

He sauntered over and sat down beside her, all the while humming along with the tune, “You won’t tell any of my fellow Death Eaters will you?” He flashed her a dead sexy grin and she collapsed on him in a fit of teary giggles.

There was a sudden flash of green light and a nasally voice filled the room, “What is that horrid noise, Draco? Do you have a pack of howling gytrashes in there with you? Is that supposed to be music?”

Lucius’s head was suspended in the fire place and he was looking around the room for the source of the irritating noise. His head swiveled to Draco as he continued, “How goes the bet with Potter, boy?”

Just then Ginny raised her head off of Draco’s lap and Lucius let a little surprised chuckle get past his thin lips before he sneered at the red-haired girl that could only be a Weasley. “Ah, never mind, I see it goes quite well. Carry on, Son.” With that the head was gone and the regular fire crackled again.

Draco was frozen in place, Well Pixie Dung, how the hell was he going to play this off?

Ginny sat up on the settee and stared pointedly into Draco’s gray eyes, as she crossed her arms over her chest, “What was that about, Draco Lucius Malfoy?”

“Um..umm..well….I- I don’t know. Seems my father must be in the wacky water again,” he said tipping an invisible glass to his lips several times.

“Uh-huh, try again, please,” Ginny said pulling her eye brows down into a menacing scowl, “That wouldn’t even placate Pug-Face Parkinson.” She moved as far away as she could from him, never letting her stare waver.

Draco sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Damn his Father.

“Never mind, I’ll go ask Harry.” Ginny jumped off the couch and headed for the door across the way.

“No, no, don’t leave me Ginny! Please, come on we can talk it out.” She had opened the door then and had entered what must be the Slytherin’s common room. Students were doing various things around the room. Ginny thought fleetingly that they looked so normal. She didn’t see any blood or carnage as she walked through the room. They did all turn to stare to her in bewilderment though.

Draco grabbed for her arm but she brushed it off and kept on going.

“Ginny, come back…please?” Draco said stepping in front of her. She stopped and planted her hands on her hips while giving him a scathing look that made the hair on his neck stand on end.

“Harry will give me what I want. I should have known you weren‘t a real man.” All the Slytherin’s raised their eyebrows and looked at each other wondering what Harry was going to give her that Draco evidently couldn’t. There were several snickers as well.

She stormed past him just as Blaise was entering their portrait hole. She brushed by him and scampered through the hole before Draco could catch her again. He stood at the hole running his hands through his hair, then turned to face his classmates.

“What are you looking at? Mind your own damn business!” and with that he stormed back into his room and slammed the door so hard it cried out in pain.

Well, hellhound piss, what was he going to do now?, he thought as he threw himself on the bed, pretending he didn’t hear the laughter still coming from the common room.

Harry saw her coming. Who could miss her entrance? Her robes were billowing behind her, as was her flaming coppery tresses. She looked like a fireball, and she was aimed right at him. He had a strong urge to duck and cover, but he was Harry Potter. He was a hero, a champion, a brave lad in his own right….but a wimp when it came to girls. Thank God, Voldemort wasn’t of the female persuasion or he would have been a goner already. He steeled his nerve and prepared for Ginny’s onslaught.

The other student’s in the Great Hall didn’t seem to notice her, not that she would care if they did. She strode right up to Harry and put her hands on her hips. She gave him her mother’s famous Fred-and -George-glare. She thought he was shaking a bit already and that gave her more confidence.

“What is going on with you and Draco Malfoy?” Now that statement got the attention of several of the students that were milling around the room.

“Huh?” he asked with a dumb look on his face.

Ginny tapped her foot impatiently, “I know you two have some kind of bet going on and that it somehow involves me. Spill.”

There were too many prying ears in the room. Harry was very aware that every one in the hall was listening to their conversation.

“Umm, let’s go somewhere else and talk….privately.” Harry said nodding his head a bit in the direction of the students in the room.

Just then the buzz in the room changed. Everyone was looking behind Ginny now and Harry got all red-faced and rose from his chair.

“Potter, mind if I steal Gin for a bit? No? Good, thanks,” Draco said, hooking one of his arms through hers and walking off without a care in the world. Ginny was furious! She was practically foaming at the mouth. She wanted to hash this out though so instead of having a hissy, she grabbed up Harry and dragged him along behind her. They made quite the spectacle. Sort of like a weird, wizard, mini-conga line.

Draco knew she was bringing Potter along, he didn’t care. He didn’t care if she brought Snape and the Giant Squid. He was NOT losing this bet or her. Well, not that he would care if he lost her. After all, it was all just a game to him. He didn’t really like her or anything. She was just another girl. He could have any girl. Any girl at all. He ignored the betraying voice in his own head that was mocking him for the lies he was shoving down his own throat.

The conga line stopped at the lake. Anytime Draco needed to think or be alone, he went to the lake. It was peaceful, serene and usually deserted.

“Alright, Ginny, tell Potter that you love me.” Draco said as soon as they stopped and he turned to face them.

She looked at him like he had runespoors coming out of his nose. “I will do no such thing. Why on earth would I do that?”

“Because you do.” He said firmly, pulling one of her arms.

“Oh bug off, Malfoy. She doesn’t love you, you evil prat!” Harry said pulling her other arm.

Draco tugged harder, “Yeah, she does. She’s crazy about me.”

Harry snorted, “She would be crazy to care about you. Give it up.” He pulled her again in his direction.

Ginny had had enough! She pulled her arms together in one swift, strong motion. The two boys banged heads together in front of her. She smiled in satisfaction as they both rubbed their noggins’ and let loose of her.

“I want to know what the bet was, and I want to know right now.”

Draco looked at her with wounded eyes, “You hurt me! I’m probably going to have a bump the size of Potter’s ego in the morning, marring up my perfect face.”

“Perfect face?” Harry said still rubbing his forehead, “You vain peacock! I think I have a concussion!”

Oh, they were so lucky she didn’t know any ‘Unforgivable Curses’. She would have taken great pleasure at that moment in using one, or two, maybe even all three of them.

“Alright! Enough! Harry, you first. Tell me what you bet on.”

Draco caught his eye and Harry knew that if he told her, the bet was off and he would lose. He couldn’t tell Ginny anything about the bet or he was going to be wearing a tea towel.

“Draco said he could get any girl to fall in love with him without using a love potion,” at Harry’s words, Draco’s mouth hit the ground. Harry continued, “I said he couldn’t, of course, and the bet was on.”

Ginny looked perplexed, “How did I get involved in this stupid wager?”

“You returned my notebook.” Draco said sheepishly but added for good measure, “but I was really glad it was you!”

Ginny looked fit to be tied, “Harry Potter, I am shocked that you would do that to some girl! Setting them up to get slathered on by Malfoy’s Slytherin spittle!” She shook her head at him in utter contempt.

“Hey, I didn’t slather on you even one time!” Draco countered.

“And you,” Ginny turned her brown eyes on him next, “pretending to be all nicey-nice to me. Helping me with my potion, trying to kiss me, listening to Hanson…”

At that Harry broke in with a loud guffaw, “HANSON??? Oh my gawd! Hanson? Do you like Air Supply too? Maybe Milli Vanilli?”

Draco and Ginny both said, “Shut up, Potter!”

Draco grabbed Ginny’s hand, “It started out a bet but I really do like you. You are smart, funny, beautiful…would you stop that Potter!” Draco interrupted when he saw Harry moving his hand like a puppet and mouthing blah blah blah, “I don’t care about the stinking bet. I just want you to love me.” He kissed her hand and gave her ‘the look’. You know, the one that melts asphalt. The one that is supposed to turn any female within a 200 mile radius into putty. The one that…..went right by Ginny like a snitch in a bad quidditch game.

“I don’t want anything to do with you two ever again. I HATE you both. You made your nasty little bed of lies and hurtfulness. Now you can sleep in it you…you…big ugly toad-faced baboons!” And with that, she stormed off to the castle leaving the boys standing by the lake.

Draco looked at Harry with skepticism, “We don’t have to lie in that bed together do we?”

“God I hope not, let‘s assume it‘s a bunk bed……just in case.”