Chapter 2: Stepping across the line
Exhausted, Ginny flopped backwards onto her single bed, nearly hitting her shin on her dresser. Her one-room flat was so small, she was barely able to squeeze in her bed, a small desk, a small dresser and a comfortable chair into the cramped quarters, but for all its faults, it was a comfortable kind of tight space, one where she felt safe and warm. It reminded her of growing up in the Burrow, and after long, hard days like this one, the warmth of that familiarity was the one thing that actually helped her get out of bed in the morning.
It wasn't just that she was unhappy at her pretentious school. Dealing with the different factions at Hogwarts and trying to stay out of everyone's way was difficult, especially as she had to reign in her temper and most of her personality to keep from crossing the line between peaceful invisibility and becoming a tortured pariah. Everything that happened in the school was abrasive to all of her instincts – she wanted shout at them all about how stupid and arrogant and false they all were, and how none of this actually mattered in the real world. But that would be tantamount to suicide, and so, she had to keep her mouth shut and her eyes blind to everything that happened. Today's outburst on the Quidditch Pitch was not unusual for her, needing a chance to vent her outrage and frustration over the whole ordeal, but it was the first time it had ever been witnessed by another student. She was lucky that Blaise Zabini seemed almost indifferent to – and even slightly amused by – her insults towards all Slytherins. But the oppressive need to keep quiet was one of the necessary, yet heavy, burdens she carried while attending Hogwarts.
But that wasn't the worst part about the whole situation. It was the loneliness. For a girl who had grown up surrounded by big brothers and her endearingly overbearing mother and eccentric but completely loveable father, living alone and gritting through the unpleasantness that was school was incredibly difficult. Her childhood had been mostly happy, despite being poor and the constant threat of Voldemort's forces deciding to blacklist her entire family. Through these difficulties, it was the knowledge that there was always someone around, someone to depend on, to share every trial and hardship with. But here, living in Hogsmeade, attending Hogwarts, she was essentially on her own.
The first few years hadn't been so bad. Her older brother Charlie had been with her, as he'd been working in Hogsmeade. But after she turned fifteen, he moved to Romania to work with dragons – an important part of Voldemort's reign on power was the constant threat of attack by dragons, which were completely controlled by Voldemort. She'd had fun living with Charlie, of course, but it still hadn't been the same as being at home with everyone. And now that he was gone, and she was living in her small one-room flat, after hard days like this, she ached for the companionship of her loving parents and irritating brothers.
She picked up the envelope that had been stuck to her door by her landlord; her weekly letter from her mum. She sighed, debating whether or not she wanted to read it. The letters were her lifeline to the happy days of summer that were now months away. She waited eagerly for them every week, cherished every word, and wanted to weep when they were finished, unsure if she would be able to make it through the long seven days before the next one arrived. Often, she tried to ration out portions of them, reading a few lines every day, but after this day, she felt as if she deserved a good helping of home, and decided to indulge in reading the entire letter.
Dear Ginny,
Hope you're settling in to school again. The house is never the same after you leave, but we all know that this is for the best. Our little girl, going to Hogwarts! I can only hope that you enjoy it there as much as your father and I did when we were young. That's where we met, you know. Gryffindors are supposed to be brave, chivalrous and have a lot of nerve – something you definitely need, going to the same school with some of those people. I hope you keep at it, Ginny, because we're all so proud of you for lasting as long as you have. Keep at it!
This is just a quick note, today, dear, because I have quite a bit of work to get through tonight, but I know how much you look forward to my little letters every week. I also wanted to let you know that, unfortunately, your father and I both have work engagements this year over your Christmas break, and it looks like you won't be able to come home after all. I know that after last year, we promised that this would definitely be the year we'd get you home to celebrate the holidays, but we're terribly sorry, dear.
However, on the bright side, both your dad and I are going to be in Hogsmeade for a few hours next Friday, so we'll be able to see each other for a short while. You'll still be in school, but I'm sure your teacher will excuse you if you ask politely (and please do stop trying to antagonize Professor Snape, he sends a note home every time you d and his Howlers upset the ghoul in the attic a great deal).
Hope you're keeping well, dear, and know that we're all proud of you. Make sure you wear your scarf when it starts to get colder out, I don't want you catching another cold.
See you soon.
Love,
Mum
Ginny was conflicted. She didn't know whether or not to feel elated that she'd get to see her parents so soon after summer vacation, or to feel completely depressed that she wasn't going to see them after that until they picked her up at Kings Cross in June. They'd always planned to have her home for Christmas, every year, but between the expense and their work schedules, it had never been possible. She always watched from her window, as the train station was in sight of her window, the students whose parents lived outside of Hogsmeade (of which there were only a few) lining up to board the Hogwarts Express, some complaining about the hassle of having to make the trip home for Christmas. It infuriated her.
She rolled over, and buried her face into the thin mattress. She still had a pile of homework to tackle, but she just wasn't up to it. Not after such a disappointing weekly letter. But her scholarship, even though it wasn't a very large yearly sum, depended on her marks and so with an exhausted groan, she sat up and forced herself to reach for her book bag.
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The next morning, Ginny arrived at school early. She'd given up on her broomstick half way to the school, the sputtering and constant vertical diving indicating that her aging Comet 64's time had almost come, and had walked the rest of the way, constantly dashing out of the way of the carriages carrying other students, as they splashed mud from yesterday rain in her direction. She tried to amuse herself with the image of some of the more pampered girls trudging through the muddy paths in their completely impractical high heels, but it wasn't enough to lift the sour mood hanging over her head when she'd awoken.
Walking to her first class of the morning, she met up with Claire.
"Ginny! Are you feeling all right? I haven't seen you since you ran out of the Great Hall yesterday!" she exclaimed, her bright blue eyes wide with worry. Ginny managed a weak smile.
"Just feeling a bit low, I guess," she confessed. She almost stopped herself, so accustomed to the idea that showing any weakness would usually result in someone taking advantage of that weakness (bloody Slytherins), but she felt as if she'd really met a genuine person, someone she could actually forge a friendship with. The shroud of loneliness that had been following her since she received her mother's note seemed to disappear slightly at that thought and evidence of the pretty girl's concern for her. It was Thursday; only a week and a day before she'd get to spend a precious few hours with her parents.
"The fact that we have Defence Against the Dark Arts right now probably doesn't help much, does it?" Claire said, with a slight laugh. Ginny sighed; her relationship with Snape really must have become something of a legend if this new student had already heard about it. It was unfortunate, but Ginny's ability to turn Snape's face an unhealthy shade of purple was widely known.
"I don't even know why they keep calling it "Defence Against the Dark Arts" because what they're teaching us is actually the Dark Arts. It should really be called How to Subdue Your Enemies Using Their Own Dirty Tricks," Ginny scoffed, remembering the last lesson in hexes they'd been given during her fifth year. Snape's hex, and he'd chosen her as his demonstration and had been completely enraged when she'd blocked the first one, had left her walking around with a slight limp for almost a week.
"Very interesting suggestion, Miss Weasley. Be sure to make that suggestion to the Headmaster next time you see her," an oily voice said, sounding not the least bit amused. Ginny cringed. It could only belong to one person.
"I thought you'd appreciate it, Professor," she said brightly, plastering on her phoniest smile.
"What I don't like, Miss Weasley, is your constant disregard for punctuality. My class started three minutes ago, and you're out here gossiping," he sneered, glaring at her. Claire, who had ducked slightly behind Ginny, was almost trembling.
"Professor Snape, that's amazing! I had no idea that you'd been able to master cloning yet! I've always heard how talented you are with Potions, but I had no idea you'd been able to accomplish something so advanced!" Ginny gushed suddenly, to the confusion of her audience.
"Weasley, what are you talking about?" he asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Well, sir, how else could your class have already started when you are out in the hall, gossiping with us girls?" Ginny asked innocently. She watched careful as Snape's nostrils flared, and his face began to turn a shade of deep puce.
"GET. IN. THE. CLASSROOM. NOW!" he yelled, biting off his words in an attempt to sound menacing.
"Of course, sir!" Ginny said brightly, walking towards the classroom, with a new bounce in her step, Claire following cautiously and trying to avoid making eye contact with the seething teacher. Nothing could brighten Ginny's day like an opportunity to harass the most despised teacher at Hogwarts. It was the only chance she had to be her true self within the school grounds.
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"Ugh. What have I learned from this? It's probably a bad idea to upset Snape so much so early in the day," Ginny groaned, sitting down across from Claire in the Great Hall. Snape had been so enraged with her earlier performance, he'd kept her after class, demanding her assistance with a great deal of cauldron-scrubbing, citing her expertise with the matter due to her experience at the Three Broomsticks. Lunch was almost over, and she'd barely had a chance to eat or to review for the quiz she had coming up in Herbology.
"Here, Ginny, I got you some hot chocolate. I figured you would probably need a little pick-me-up after that start to the day," Claire said, sliding a mug towards Ginny. Ginny stared gratefully from the steaming mug to the eager face of her new friend, and was almost speechless.
"Claire, I think you've just saved my life," she sighed appreciatively. It was the first nice thing that a fellow student had ever done for her.
"The way I see it, I owe you! I've been hearing about how amusing it is to see you take on Professor Snape, and I got to see it first hand! He was so angry with you, and you weren't even rude or anything," Claire exclaimed.
"That's the secret behind it all. The politer you are, the more upset he becomes. Especially if you act as innocent as possible, as if you don't think you're saying anything off beat. It really pushes his buttons," Ginny explained, gingerly sipping at her hot chocolate, while rolling her eyes as Snape's ridiculousness.
"Well, as amusing as it was, it's terrible that he kept you after class so long. You've missed almost all of lunch," Claire said, indicating the empty tray in front of her. She stood up, and picked it up, ready to deposit it so that it could be taken care of by the House Elves. Ginny made a face, and Claire was too busy focusing on that as she turned to step out of her chair, that she didn't even see the person coming behind her. She smashed into him, the remnants of her pumpkin juice splashing all over the victim, and the rest of the tray's contents crashing to the ground.
All movement in the Great Hall stopped, as all the students stared at the scene in shock and awe mixed with horror. For the person she'd so ungracefully bumped into was none other than Draco Malfoy.
The tall, imposing boy was standing completely still, and Ginny could feel her heart start to pound in her chest. This was terrible, what a thing for happen to Claire during her second week here! Draco was staring at her, an ice-cold yet unreadable expression on his face, and poor Claire was trembling under the weight of it.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!" she cried out, grabbing a napkin and reaching forward to dab at the bright orange stain splashed across his white shirt of his school uniform. He grabbed her hand by the wrist, holding it away from him as he continued to stare at her.
"How very careless of you," he said quietly. Ginny stood up, unsure of what to do. It's a girl this time, she thought to herself desperately. There's never been a girl to get a Howler before, surely he's not so cold-hearted as to target a new transfer student.
"I'm terribly sorry," Claire sputtered, her eyes brimming with tears. "I…I can pay to have it cleaned!"
At her offer, Malfoy's raised an eyebrow. Ginny took a hesitant step forward, the urge to step between him and her friend growing even stronger.
"That's not the problem here," he snarled, before he ripped open the buttons of his shirt, taking it off in one smooth, quick motion and throwing it at Claire, who yelped as it hit her face. "Now I'm cold. What happens if I were to catch a cold? The heir of the Malfoy family, catching a cold because of your carelessness? Do you have any idea how important my family is?"
"Draco, relax! She's cute! You should let this one slide," Goyle said, with a lecherous grin as he looked Claire up and down, moving in closer to check her out. "It's not right to push around such a pretty thing."
"Well? I'm still waiting for an answer," Draco snapped, taking a menacing step forward. The atmosphere in the room had grown so tense as all the students watched in horrified fascination. The only Slytherin to ever target a girl was just Pansy Parkinson, and while she was a force to be reckoned with, she didn't wield nearly as much power. This was a completely new phenomenon and everyone was entranced, waiting to see what would happen.
"I'm really sorry," Claire said, with a trembling lip, trying to escape Goyle as he moved close beside her.
"And that's going to smooth everything over?" Malfoy yelled, taking another step forward. Claire tried to step back, but was stopped by the table, and stumbled slightly. He smiled; the cold, cruel smile Ginny recognized from when he was about to do something particularly brutal to his chosen victim. Ginny, unable to bear the sight of Crabbe and Goyle closing in her from either side, trapping her so she had no choice but to face Malfoy, looked down at the table, and felt a chill run through her as her eyes fell on the discarded mug of hot chocolate that her first real friend at Hogwarts had given her. Lifting her head at that thought, and looking from Claire's tear-streaked face and desperate eyes to Malfoy's cold and calculating face, Ginny felt something snap.
"Stop it!" she yelled. Everyone that had been focusing their attention on Claire and Malfoy suddenly turned in stunned surprise to stare at Ginny. "Just stop it! She apologized and it really was an accident. Can't you see that you're scaring her?"
Malfoy turned his head, and focused his cold grey eyes on Ginny for the first time she could remember. Gasping at the sudden intensity she felt from them, Ginny realized one of the reasons Malfoy had so many people afraid of him was because he actually was frightening – his glare was enough to freeze your insides. She certainly felt frozen to the spot – both with fear and horror that she'd actually spoken what her mind had been screaming at her to say.
His eyes moved up and down Ginny's body, sizing her up. She trembled slightly, her mind reeling with quick consideration of all the consequences that lay ahead because of what she was about to do, but the sight of Claire's terrified face was enough to expel them from her mind. As her mother's letter had said, she was a Gryffindor, and they were supposed to be brave, nervy and chivalrous. So far, she'd done nothing within these school grounds to prove that she had those traits. Without any further thought, she dashed forward, positioning herself in between Claire and Malfoy, pushing Crabbe out of the way in the process.
"Leave her alone, or else," Ginny declared, lifting her chin up so she could meet him face-to-face, and try to show that she wasn't afraid (even though she was terrified). His eyes narrowed, and an incredibly tense moment of silence followed, broken only the sound of Claire crying, as they tried to stare each other down. He leaned forward over her, his height working to his advantage as he loomed over her, his face so close to hers it took every bit of courage she had not to cringe away from his intimidating presence.
"Or else what?" he asked coolly, with one eyebrow raised and a slight smirk on his face. Ginny felt her insides quake, but she lifted her face, staring back at him in stone-faced defiance, determined not to demonstrate how afraid she really was.
Finally, he took a step back, and with one last chilling look into Ginny's eyes, he walked away, his astonished friends following close behind. As soon as they left the Great Hall, there was an explosion of noise, and Ginny felt all the effect of her nerves and adrenaline rush straight to her head, and she nearly collapsed from the terror of it all.
Moving away from Claire, she managed to sit herself down in the first chair she saw. Gasping, remembering the look of rage in his eyes, she knew that she had definitely crossed a line.
All those years of keeping quiet and trying to fly under the radar were all wasted.
She was about to become a target for the entire student population of Hogwarts.
They were going to try to drive her out of the school.
What have I done?
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A/N: Thanks to all those reviewers who left such positive feedback! For those mentioning the plot ideas, I can't really take credit for it. To check out the series, Hana Yori Dango, that inspired this fic (and caused me to work out the AU I've created, in order to fit it into the HP world), please check out my LiveJournal (the link is on my bio page). Aspects of the plot that have been taken from HYD: 1) Claire bumping into Draco, and the scene that follows. This scene generally follows the events in the first episode of the Japanese live action version of the corresponding scene, and some pieces of the dialogue (particularly Goyle's comment that Claire is cute, and Draco's comment about being cold) come from that scene. 2)Ginny's reaction, and defense of her friend.
Exhausted, Ginny flopped backwards onto her single bed, nearly hitting her shin on her dresser. Her one-room flat was so small, she was barely able to squeeze in her bed, a small desk, a small dresser and a comfortable chair into the cramped quarters, but for all its faults, it was a comfortable kind of tight space, one where she felt safe and warm. It reminded her of growing up in the Burrow, and after long, hard days like this one, the warmth of that familiarity was the one thing that actually helped her get out of bed in the morning.
It wasn't just that she was unhappy at her pretentious school. Dealing with the different factions at Hogwarts and trying to stay out of everyone's way was difficult, especially as she had to reign in her temper and most of her personality to keep from crossing the line between peaceful invisibility and becoming a tortured pariah. Everything that happened in the school was abrasive to all of her instincts – she wanted shout at them all about how stupid and arrogant and false they all were, and how none of this actually mattered in the real world. But that would be tantamount to suicide, and so, she had to keep her mouth shut and her eyes blind to everything that happened. Today's outburst on the Quidditch Pitch was not unusual for her, needing a chance to vent her outrage and frustration over the whole ordeal, but it was the first time it had ever been witnessed by another student. She was lucky that Blaise Zabini seemed almost indifferent to – and even slightly amused by – her insults towards all Slytherins. But the oppressive need to keep quiet was one of the necessary, yet heavy, burdens she carried while attending Hogwarts.
But that wasn't the worst part about the whole situation. It was the loneliness. For a girl who had grown up surrounded by big brothers and her endearingly overbearing mother and eccentric but completely loveable father, living alone and gritting through the unpleasantness that was school was incredibly difficult. Her childhood had been mostly happy, despite being poor and the constant threat of Voldemort's forces deciding to blacklist her entire family. Through these difficulties, it was the knowledge that there was always someone around, someone to depend on, to share every trial and hardship with. But here, living in Hogsmeade, attending Hogwarts, she was essentially on her own.
The first few years hadn't been so bad. Her older brother Charlie had been with her, as he'd been working in Hogsmeade. But after she turned fifteen, he moved to Romania to work with dragons – an important part of Voldemort's reign on power was the constant threat of attack by dragons, which were completely controlled by Voldemort. She'd had fun living with Charlie, of course, but it still hadn't been the same as being at home with everyone. And now that he was gone, and she was living in her small one-room flat, after hard days like this, she ached for the companionship of her loving parents and irritating brothers.
She picked up the envelope that had been stuck to her door by her landlord; her weekly letter from her mum. She sighed, debating whether or not she wanted to read it. The letters were her lifeline to the happy days of summer that were now months away. She waited eagerly for them every week, cherished every word, and wanted to weep when they were finished, unsure if she would be able to make it through the long seven days before the next one arrived. Often, she tried to ration out portions of them, reading a few lines every day, but after this day, she felt as if she deserved a good helping of home, and decided to indulge in reading the entire letter.
Dear Ginny,
Hope you're settling in to school again. The house is never the same after you leave, but we all know that this is for the best. Our little girl, going to Hogwarts! I can only hope that you enjoy it there as much as your father and I did when we were young. That's where we met, you know. Gryffindors are supposed to be brave, chivalrous and have a lot of nerve – something you definitely need, going to the same school with some of those people. I hope you keep at it, Ginny, because we're all so proud of you for lasting as long as you have. Keep at it!
This is just a quick note, today, dear, because I have quite a bit of work to get through tonight, but I know how much you look forward to my little letters every week. I also wanted to let you know that, unfortunately, your father and I both have work engagements this year over your Christmas break, and it looks like you won't be able to come home after all. I know that after last year, we promised that this would definitely be the year we'd get you home to celebrate the holidays, but we're terribly sorry, dear.
However, on the bright side, both your dad and I are going to be in Hogsmeade for a few hours next Friday, so we'll be able to see each other for a short while. You'll still be in school, but I'm sure your teacher will excuse you if you ask politely (and please do stop trying to antagonize Professor Snape, he sends a note home every time you d and his Howlers upset the ghoul in the attic a great deal).
Hope you're keeping well, dear, and know that we're all proud of you. Make sure you wear your scarf when it starts to get colder out, I don't want you catching another cold.
See you soon.
Love,
Mum
Ginny was conflicted. She didn't know whether or not to feel elated that she'd get to see her parents so soon after summer vacation, or to feel completely depressed that she wasn't going to see them after that until they picked her up at Kings Cross in June. They'd always planned to have her home for Christmas, every year, but between the expense and their work schedules, it had never been possible. She always watched from her window, as the train station was in sight of her window, the students whose parents lived outside of Hogsmeade (of which there were only a few) lining up to board the Hogwarts Express, some complaining about the hassle of having to make the trip home for Christmas. It infuriated her.
She rolled over, and buried her face into the thin mattress. She still had a pile of homework to tackle, but she just wasn't up to it. Not after such a disappointing weekly letter. But her scholarship, even though it wasn't a very large yearly sum, depended on her marks and so with an exhausted groan, she sat up and forced herself to reach for her book bag.
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The next morning, Ginny arrived at school early. She'd given up on her broomstick half way to the school, the sputtering and constant vertical diving indicating that her aging Comet 64's time had almost come, and had walked the rest of the way, constantly dashing out of the way of the carriages carrying other students, as they splashed mud from yesterday rain in her direction. She tried to amuse herself with the image of some of the more pampered girls trudging through the muddy paths in their completely impractical high heels, but it wasn't enough to lift the sour mood hanging over her head when she'd awoken.
Walking to her first class of the morning, she met up with Claire.
"Ginny! Are you feeling all right? I haven't seen you since you ran out of the Great Hall yesterday!" she exclaimed, her bright blue eyes wide with worry. Ginny managed a weak smile.
"Just feeling a bit low, I guess," she confessed. She almost stopped herself, so accustomed to the idea that showing any weakness would usually result in someone taking advantage of that weakness (bloody Slytherins), but she felt as if she'd really met a genuine person, someone she could actually forge a friendship with. The shroud of loneliness that had been following her since she received her mother's note seemed to disappear slightly at that thought and evidence of the pretty girl's concern for her. It was Thursday; only a week and a day before she'd get to spend a precious few hours with her parents.
"The fact that we have Defence Against the Dark Arts right now probably doesn't help much, does it?" Claire said, with a slight laugh. Ginny sighed; her relationship with Snape really must have become something of a legend if this new student had already heard about it. It was unfortunate, but Ginny's ability to turn Snape's face an unhealthy shade of purple was widely known.
"I don't even know why they keep calling it "Defence Against the Dark Arts" because what they're teaching us is actually the Dark Arts. It should really be called How to Subdue Your Enemies Using Their Own Dirty Tricks," Ginny scoffed, remembering the last lesson in hexes they'd been given during her fifth year. Snape's hex, and he'd chosen her as his demonstration and had been completely enraged when she'd blocked the first one, had left her walking around with a slight limp for almost a week.
"Very interesting suggestion, Miss Weasley. Be sure to make that suggestion to the Headmaster next time you see her," an oily voice said, sounding not the least bit amused. Ginny cringed. It could only belong to one person.
"I thought you'd appreciate it, Professor," she said brightly, plastering on her phoniest smile.
"What I don't like, Miss Weasley, is your constant disregard for punctuality. My class started three minutes ago, and you're out here gossiping," he sneered, glaring at her. Claire, who had ducked slightly behind Ginny, was almost trembling.
"Professor Snape, that's amazing! I had no idea that you'd been able to master cloning yet! I've always heard how talented you are with Potions, but I had no idea you'd been able to accomplish something so advanced!" Ginny gushed suddenly, to the confusion of her audience.
"Weasley, what are you talking about?" he asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Well, sir, how else could your class have already started when you are out in the hall, gossiping with us girls?" Ginny asked innocently. She watched careful as Snape's nostrils flared, and his face began to turn a shade of deep puce.
"GET. IN. THE. CLASSROOM. NOW!" he yelled, biting off his words in an attempt to sound menacing.
"Of course, sir!" Ginny said brightly, walking towards the classroom, with a new bounce in her step, Claire following cautiously and trying to avoid making eye contact with the seething teacher. Nothing could brighten Ginny's day like an opportunity to harass the most despised teacher at Hogwarts. It was the only chance she had to be her true self within the school grounds.
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"Ugh. What have I learned from this? It's probably a bad idea to upset Snape so much so early in the day," Ginny groaned, sitting down across from Claire in the Great Hall. Snape had been so enraged with her earlier performance, he'd kept her after class, demanding her assistance with a great deal of cauldron-scrubbing, citing her expertise with the matter due to her experience at the Three Broomsticks. Lunch was almost over, and she'd barely had a chance to eat or to review for the quiz she had coming up in Herbology.
"Here, Ginny, I got you some hot chocolate. I figured you would probably need a little pick-me-up after that start to the day," Claire said, sliding a mug towards Ginny. Ginny stared gratefully from the steaming mug to the eager face of her new friend, and was almost speechless.
"Claire, I think you've just saved my life," she sighed appreciatively. It was the first nice thing that a fellow student had ever done for her.
"The way I see it, I owe you! I've been hearing about how amusing it is to see you take on Professor Snape, and I got to see it first hand! He was so angry with you, and you weren't even rude or anything," Claire exclaimed.
"That's the secret behind it all. The politer you are, the more upset he becomes. Especially if you act as innocent as possible, as if you don't think you're saying anything off beat. It really pushes his buttons," Ginny explained, gingerly sipping at her hot chocolate, while rolling her eyes as Snape's ridiculousness.
"Well, as amusing as it was, it's terrible that he kept you after class so long. You've missed almost all of lunch," Claire said, indicating the empty tray in front of her. She stood up, and picked it up, ready to deposit it so that it could be taken care of by the House Elves. Ginny made a face, and Claire was too busy focusing on that as she turned to step out of her chair, that she didn't even see the person coming behind her. She smashed into him, the remnants of her pumpkin juice splashing all over the victim, and the rest of the tray's contents crashing to the ground.
All movement in the Great Hall stopped, as all the students stared at the scene in shock and awe mixed with horror. For the person she'd so ungracefully bumped into was none other than Draco Malfoy.
The tall, imposing boy was standing completely still, and Ginny could feel her heart start to pound in her chest. This was terrible, what a thing for happen to Claire during her second week here! Draco was staring at her, an ice-cold yet unreadable expression on his face, and poor Claire was trembling under the weight of it.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!" she cried out, grabbing a napkin and reaching forward to dab at the bright orange stain splashed across his white shirt of his school uniform. He grabbed her hand by the wrist, holding it away from him as he continued to stare at her.
"How very careless of you," he said quietly. Ginny stood up, unsure of what to do. It's a girl this time, she thought to herself desperately. There's never been a girl to get a Howler before, surely he's not so cold-hearted as to target a new transfer student.
"I'm terribly sorry," Claire sputtered, her eyes brimming with tears. "I…I can pay to have it cleaned!"
At her offer, Malfoy's raised an eyebrow. Ginny took a hesitant step forward, the urge to step between him and her friend growing even stronger.
"That's not the problem here," he snarled, before he ripped open the buttons of his shirt, taking it off in one smooth, quick motion and throwing it at Claire, who yelped as it hit her face. "Now I'm cold. What happens if I were to catch a cold? The heir of the Malfoy family, catching a cold because of your carelessness? Do you have any idea how important my family is?"
"Draco, relax! She's cute! You should let this one slide," Goyle said, with a lecherous grin as he looked Claire up and down, moving in closer to check her out. "It's not right to push around such a pretty thing."
"Well? I'm still waiting for an answer," Draco snapped, taking a menacing step forward. The atmosphere in the room had grown so tense as all the students watched in horrified fascination. The only Slytherin to ever target a girl was just Pansy Parkinson, and while she was a force to be reckoned with, she didn't wield nearly as much power. This was a completely new phenomenon and everyone was entranced, waiting to see what would happen.
"I'm really sorry," Claire said, with a trembling lip, trying to escape Goyle as he moved close beside her.
"And that's going to smooth everything over?" Malfoy yelled, taking another step forward. Claire tried to step back, but was stopped by the table, and stumbled slightly. He smiled; the cold, cruel smile Ginny recognized from when he was about to do something particularly brutal to his chosen victim. Ginny, unable to bear the sight of Crabbe and Goyle closing in her from either side, trapping her so she had no choice but to face Malfoy, looked down at the table, and felt a chill run through her as her eyes fell on the discarded mug of hot chocolate that her first real friend at Hogwarts had given her. Lifting her head at that thought, and looking from Claire's tear-streaked face and desperate eyes to Malfoy's cold and calculating face, Ginny felt something snap.
"Stop it!" she yelled. Everyone that had been focusing their attention on Claire and Malfoy suddenly turned in stunned surprise to stare at Ginny. "Just stop it! She apologized and it really was an accident. Can't you see that you're scaring her?"
Malfoy turned his head, and focused his cold grey eyes on Ginny for the first time she could remember. Gasping at the sudden intensity she felt from them, Ginny realized one of the reasons Malfoy had so many people afraid of him was because he actually was frightening – his glare was enough to freeze your insides. She certainly felt frozen to the spot – both with fear and horror that she'd actually spoken what her mind had been screaming at her to say.
His eyes moved up and down Ginny's body, sizing her up. She trembled slightly, her mind reeling with quick consideration of all the consequences that lay ahead because of what she was about to do, but the sight of Claire's terrified face was enough to expel them from her mind. As her mother's letter had said, she was a Gryffindor, and they were supposed to be brave, nervy and chivalrous. So far, she'd done nothing within these school grounds to prove that she had those traits. Without any further thought, she dashed forward, positioning herself in between Claire and Malfoy, pushing Crabbe out of the way in the process.
"Leave her alone, or else," Ginny declared, lifting her chin up so she could meet him face-to-face, and try to show that she wasn't afraid (even though she was terrified). His eyes narrowed, and an incredibly tense moment of silence followed, broken only the sound of Claire crying, as they tried to stare each other down. He leaned forward over her, his height working to his advantage as he loomed over her, his face so close to hers it took every bit of courage she had not to cringe away from his intimidating presence.
"Or else what?" he asked coolly, with one eyebrow raised and a slight smirk on his face. Ginny felt her insides quake, but she lifted her face, staring back at him in stone-faced defiance, determined not to demonstrate how afraid she really was.
Finally, he took a step back, and with one last chilling look into Ginny's eyes, he walked away, his astonished friends following close behind. As soon as they left the Great Hall, there was an explosion of noise, and Ginny felt all the effect of her nerves and adrenaline rush straight to her head, and she nearly collapsed from the terror of it all.
Moving away from Claire, she managed to sit herself down in the first chair she saw. Gasping, remembering the look of rage in his eyes, she knew that she had definitely crossed a line.
All those years of keeping quiet and trying to fly under the radar were all wasted.
She was about to become a target for the entire student population of Hogwarts.
They were going to try to drive her out of the school.
What have I done?
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A/N: Thanks to all those reviewers who left such positive feedback! For those mentioning the plot ideas, I can't really take credit for it. To check out the series, Hana Yori Dango, that inspired this fic (and caused me to work out the AU I've created, in order to fit it into the HP world), please check out my LiveJournal (the link is on my bio page). Aspects of the plot that have been taken from HYD: 1) Claire bumping into Draco, and the scene that follows. This scene generally follows the events in the first episode of the Japanese live action version of the corresponding scene, and some pieces of the dialogue (particularly Goyle's comment that Claire is cute, and Draco's comment about being cold) come from that scene. 2)Ginny's reaction, and defense of her friend.
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