Ginny stalked away from him, leaving him to continue his perusal of the library bookshelves.
Draco watched her walk away, a plethora of emotions swarming his mind. She had insulted him by basing every single one of her opinions of him on rumors and his reputation. Not that all of said information was inaccurate, but some things that were said were simply untrue. On another hand, he felt badly that she had walked away from him, her nose turned up to the air as if she were so much better than him. She wasn't. Her good-girl image and morals did not make her any better. If anything, her attitude toward anyone who believed or acted differently put her below those who were willing to live by different standards while respecting the concept of choice.
But he couldn't deny to himself how much he wanted her, and he couldn't pretend that her attitude toward him wasn't hurtful. The fact was, she did not know him, and yet she was still unwilling to give him the chance to prove that he was different from how he was perceived. It was also irritating that the girl he wanted more than anything was attached at the hip to his very worst enemy. This seemed to be something that he wouldn't move on from very easily... or ever.
After several minutes of loitering in the stacks, and no longer remembering what book he was looking for in the first place, he went to his table. He noticed immediately that her bag and robes were nowhere in sight, and he realized that she had already left the library. Disappointment flooded him, and he knew that there was little to no chance that he'd get an opportunity to talk to her alone again any time soon. She was hardly ever seen about without either her boyfriend or her brother, or both, attached to her. He would have to continue to watch her from afar and pray that some day he could get her by herself and show her that he wasn't the boy she thought he was.
Or, perhaps there was another option.
*****
The Gryffindor common room was a mad house. Ginny couldn't decide if she would rather be in the library with Draco or in her common room full of rowdy, obnoxious people. She was actually contemplating going back and ignoring anything that Draco said to her, leaving before anyone even realized she had made an appearance, but before she could turn and leave, someone lightly grabbed onto her arm.
"Ginny, you came!" an excited Harry said when he noticed his girlfriend had come. He engulfed her into a hug, kissing her cheek tenderly. "I couldn't stop thinking about you."
She smiled at her boyfriend, knowing that he was probably exaggerating and hadn't even thought of her one time. Well, maybe once. "I couldn't find the books I needed in the library," she lied, as those very same books currently sat, nestling against her jumper, inside her backpack. "I decided I missed you too much to just sit around."
Harry grinned broadly and looped his arm around her slim waist, dragging her to a sofa in the center of the room where Ron and Hermione were currently situated.
They sat together, chatting happily for over an hour with their friends before the party began to wind down. Ron and Hermione went to their respective dorms, as well as several other Gryffindors. Some members of the other Houses began to leave, as well, but no one noticed the pair of Slytherins that entered.
"You know, Gin, I've been thinking," Harry said, leaning in close to his girlfriend and kissing her on the side of the neck. "I really, really care about you." He used his tongue and teeth against her neck and pushed her to a laying position on the sofa. "I want to be with you, Gin," he murmured between kisses. "I want you to be my first."
Ginny planted her hands firmly against his chest. "Harry, we've talked about this," she said. "I told you I don't want to do that until after I get married."
"But, Gin, you know we're going to be together forever. I want to marry you, have kids with you. What difference does it make if we do this now or in a few years?"
She pushed him away completely. "The difference, Potter, is that if you loved me and cared about me the way that you say you do, you'd respect me enough to not put pressure on me!"'
"I'm not trying to put pressure on you."
"But you are, and I feel very uncomfortable," Ginny said firmly, standing up from her position on the sofa. "You tell me that you love me and that I'm worth anything, but yet you still don't have enough respect for me to not try to get into my knickers in the middle of the common room! Until you understand that loving and respecting go hand in hand, I think we should take a break."
"You're breaking up with me?" Harry asked incredulously. "After everything we've gone through, you're leaving me?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm not breaking up with you. I just need some time, and I think you do, too. Think about whether or not you're willing to wait for sex and decide if I'm worth that wait. But understand this," she said, softly brushing his cheek with her fingertips. "I do love you, and I hope that you feel like I'm worth it." Ginny gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before moving from the common room, down the stairs, and into her dormitory.
*****
Draco had a plan. He was going to go and stand at the entrance of the Gryffindor common room, and he was going to wait. At some point in time, someone would either enter or exit the raging party that was no doubt occurring, and when that happened, he would walk in and find Ginny. When he found her, he would talk to her, and he would tell her off. Or, perhaps, he would confess that he thought she was so gorgeous that if he looked at her for too long, his eyes might actually burn and that he would love nothing more than to kiss her. He sincerely hoped that he went with the former.
In any case, he needed backup. He needed a friend who already knew that he couldn't stop thinking about Ginny Weasley and had a very unhealthy obsession with her. This, of course, left very few options.
Blaise was sitting in front of the fire in the Slytherin common room, book in hand.
"Blaise!" Draco said in a way that demonstrated a little too openly how excited he was. "I need you to come with me to the Gryffindor party."
The darker boy lifted an eyebrow. "Well, I was trying to get ahead in Transfiguration," he said.
"I wasn't asking, Zabini," Draco said, tugging on the collar of his friend's robes. "Let's go." He continued to drag Blaise along for several minutes, until he was satisfied that his friend would not abandon him.
Blaise eyed his friend carefully, noticing that behind his scowl that there was an odd look of determination present. "Are you alright, mate?" he asked.
"That little harpy thinks she knows a thing or two about me," he sneered. "I'll show her."
"We are talking about Weaselette, right?"
"Obviously."
It didn't take much time for the portrait hole to open once the two Slytherin boys arrived. After only about five minutes, Cho Chang and a few other girls from Ravenclaw giggled their way from the party. They were so distracted that they failed to notice when Blaise and Draco snuck into the party behind them. The door slammed shut only a moment later, but they were already inside.
The party was still going strong, although it did look as though the action had died down some. There were still about fifteen or twenty people left at the party, some of which were dancing, and others who were lounging about on the comfortable-looking sofas and chairs around the fireplace. The whole room was decorated in solid reds and golds that made Draco actually feel nauseous.
After a few minutes of Draco's eyes scanning the room, he finally found what he was looking for. She was sitting on a sofa near the fireplace with Potter, and they were extremely close. He glanced around, wondering where the older Weasley was so that he could put a stop to their inappropriate displays of affection. He almost started to gag when he saw Potter lean in close to her, kissing her and touching her leg. He almost had a stroke when Harry got on top of her.
"Do you see that?" Blaise asked his friend, nodding in the direction of Harry and Ginny. "Is she going to quit being a member of the chastity club right now?"
"There's a club?"
Blaise rolled his eyes. "Let's go, mate. I don't even know why we're here in the first place. She isn't going to talk to you with Potter's tongue down her throat."
Just then, Ginny pushed Harry off her, and Draco watched as they talked for a few minutes. He tried to read lips, but the way the firelight reflected off of their faces, he was unable to decipher what was said. Regardless, Ginny looked irritated as she walked away from Harry and out of the common room. He noticed, though, that she had left her backpack by the sofa, and he decided that he would stay a bit longer with assumptions that she'd come back to retrieve her belongings eventually.
Harry stood from his seat, running his hands through his messy, jet black hair in obvious frustration of whatever just occurred. He began to pace around, and after a few minutes, he looked up and saw the two party-crashers as they stood huddled in the corner. He locked eyes with Draco for a brief moment, his expression turning almost dangerous, and he stalked over to them.
"Well, well," Harry said, looking back and forth between Blaise and Draco. "I don't remember inviting the two of you."
"You really should tighten up your security, then," Draco said.
"What do you want?" the Gryffindor boy asked impatiently.
The blond boy smirked. "Well, we heard through the grapevine that you and your Weasel had a bit of a lovers' spat. We were just coming to offer moral support."
"Stay away from my girlfriend, Malfoy. She hates you nearly as much as I do."
"A bit possessive, isn't he?" Draco asked of Blaise, who nodded in agreement. "Perhaps that is what made her walk away. Maybe he smothers her a bit too much."
"Malfoy, I'm warning you."
"What, Potter?" Draco said, straightening his spine as he stepped away from the supportive wall. "You going to stop me from talking to her? Does it frighten you that much when your little cling-on talks to other guys? If I had any interest in talking to that red-headed piece of rubbish, I would, and there isn't a bloody thing you could do to stop me."
Harry didn't hesitate before he lifted his hands and pushed, slamming Draco back into the wall. He held him there by the collar, shooting a look at Blaise that said to stay out of it. Truthfully, Harry did not know Blaise well enough to have a problem with him, so he really had no qualms with him being at the party or inside the common room. But his history with Draco was a lengthy one, and he was going to settle it himself. Whether or not violence was going to be involved was still a question that was up in the air.
Before a word could be said between the three boys, Harry was pushed away, violently. His grasp on Draco's neck was forfeited involuntarily as he was shoved.
"What is going on here?"
"Ginny, he was saying things about you!" Harry said, pointing his finger at Draco. "I was just trying to defend you."
Her glare did not lose in intensity. "Harry, anything he said is rubbish. You've never listened to him before, so why are you going to start now? And you!" she said, turning and pointing her figure at Draco. "What in the bloody hell are you even doing here?"
"I was bored?" Draco offered weakly, slightly wary of the raging redhead.
"This party is over!" Ginny shouted. "Everyone get the hell out!" Once the remaining ten or so students began to leave, she turned to Draco. "Blaise, you are included. Harry, go to bed. I'll talk to you in the morning."
Draco turned to leave, but he felt himself being shoved up against the same bloody wall, once again.
"You. Stay."
Harry raised an alarmed eyebrow. "What do you mean? What do you want to talk to him about, Gin?"
She pursed her lips. "Harry, remember what we talked about before? About respect?" At his nod, she continued. "Well, this is kind of an example of that. Being my boyfriend doesn't give you the authority to tell me what to do. This is one of the many reasons why I think a break for us is a good idea."
He gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead. "I do trust you, you know," he said softly. "I love you. Goodnight." And he left.
Blaise was already gone, and the common room was empty.
"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Ginny asked, significantly calmer than she was when Harry was there. She looked up at him, and her eyes were soft and sympathetic.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you."
His mouth was open, poised for speaking, but Ginny cut him off. "Can I say something?"
He nodded, and then nodded his head again toward the couch.
After they were seated, Ginny looked at him. "I know what it's like to have people talk about me, and I know what it's like when nasty rumors are spread. So, I wanted to apologize. I should know better than to assume bad things about you when I hardly even know you, and I really do feel badly that I passed judgment on you. So, I'm sorry."
Draco was floored. "I actually came here to tell you off about that," he said, amused. "But I guess you figured it out by yourself."
She smiled at him. "You don't know what it's like to have a bunch of brothers who were all so popular and well-known. It's irritating. I'm always just one of the Weasleys, or I'm 'Fred and George's little sister,' or 'Potter's girlfriend.'"
"I do know what it's like to have a notorious father, though," he said, not unkindly. "I do understand, you know."
Her smile grew. "That's good to know."
A stretch of time grew between them, and for several minutes, they sat in a comfortable silence.
"So, Potter was putting some serious moves on you. I guess you and he really don't -"
"No, I told you I'm waiting," she said, a little irritated. "And I've told him, but somehow he still doesn't get it."
Draco nodded. "So you broke up with him?"
Ginny shrugged. "No, not really. I just think he needs to think about some things. I don't think I'm really who he wants. Honestly, Harry makes me feel like a convenience sometimes. I don't know what to do."
"Do you love him?"
She nodded. "Always have."
"But?"
She smiled. "But, I don't know you well enough to continue this conversation." Ginny stood, stretching her arms above her head. "Goodnight, Draco."
The Slytherin boy stood, smiling as he realized that she called him by his first name. "'Night, Ginny," he said as they walked together toward the portrait hole. He turned toward her. "If you ever need to talk, you know where I live."
"I'll keep that in mind, then," she answered with a sincere grin. She watched as he turned down the corridor, glancing over his shoulder at her once more before disappearing.
Draco watched her walk away, a plethora of emotions swarming his mind. She had insulted him by basing every single one of her opinions of him on rumors and his reputation. Not that all of said information was inaccurate, but some things that were said were simply untrue. On another hand, he felt badly that she had walked away from him, her nose turned up to the air as if she were so much better than him. She wasn't. Her good-girl image and morals did not make her any better. If anything, her attitude toward anyone who believed or acted differently put her below those who were willing to live by different standards while respecting the concept of choice.
But he couldn't deny to himself how much he wanted her, and he couldn't pretend that her attitude toward him wasn't hurtful. The fact was, she did not know him, and yet she was still unwilling to give him the chance to prove that he was different from how he was perceived. It was also irritating that the girl he wanted more than anything was attached at the hip to his very worst enemy. This seemed to be something that he wouldn't move on from very easily... or ever.
After several minutes of loitering in the stacks, and no longer remembering what book he was looking for in the first place, he went to his table. He noticed immediately that her bag and robes were nowhere in sight, and he realized that she had already left the library. Disappointment flooded him, and he knew that there was little to no chance that he'd get an opportunity to talk to her alone again any time soon. She was hardly ever seen about without either her boyfriend or her brother, or both, attached to her. He would have to continue to watch her from afar and pray that some day he could get her by herself and show her that he wasn't the boy she thought he was.
Or, perhaps there was another option.
The Gryffindor common room was a mad house. Ginny couldn't decide if she would rather be in the library with Draco or in her common room full of rowdy, obnoxious people. She was actually contemplating going back and ignoring anything that Draco said to her, leaving before anyone even realized she had made an appearance, but before she could turn and leave, someone lightly grabbed onto her arm.
"Ginny, you came!" an excited Harry said when he noticed his girlfriend had come. He engulfed her into a hug, kissing her cheek tenderly. "I couldn't stop thinking about you."
She smiled at her boyfriend, knowing that he was probably exaggerating and hadn't even thought of her one time. Well, maybe once. "I couldn't find the books I needed in the library," she lied, as those very same books currently sat, nestling against her jumper, inside her backpack. "I decided I missed you too much to just sit around."
Harry grinned broadly and looped his arm around her slim waist, dragging her to a sofa in the center of the room where Ron and Hermione were currently situated.
They sat together, chatting happily for over an hour with their friends before the party began to wind down. Ron and Hermione went to their respective dorms, as well as several other Gryffindors. Some members of the other Houses began to leave, as well, but no one noticed the pair of Slytherins that entered.
"You know, Gin, I've been thinking," Harry said, leaning in close to his girlfriend and kissing her on the side of the neck. "I really, really care about you." He used his tongue and teeth against her neck and pushed her to a laying position on the sofa. "I want to be with you, Gin," he murmured between kisses. "I want you to be my first."
Ginny planted her hands firmly against his chest. "Harry, we've talked about this," she said. "I told you I don't want to do that until after I get married."
"But, Gin, you know we're going to be together forever. I want to marry you, have kids with you. What difference does it make if we do this now or in a few years?"
She pushed him away completely. "The difference, Potter, is that if you loved me and cared about me the way that you say you do, you'd respect me enough to not put pressure on me!"'
"I'm not trying to put pressure on you."
"But you are, and I feel very uncomfortable," Ginny said firmly, standing up from her position on the sofa. "You tell me that you love me and that I'm worth anything, but yet you still don't have enough respect for me to not try to get into my knickers in the middle of the common room! Until you understand that loving and respecting go hand in hand, I think we should take a break."
"You're breaking up with me?" Harry asked incredulously. "After everything we've gone through, you're leaving me?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm not breaking up with you. I just need some time, and I think you do, too. Think about whether or not you're willing to wait for sex and decide if I'm worth that wait. But understand this," she said, softly brushing his cheek with her fingertips. "I do love you, and I hope that you feel like I'm worth it." Ginny gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before moving from the common room, down the stairs, and into her dormitory.
Draco had a plan. He was going to go and stand at the entrance of the Gryffindor common room, and he was going to wait. At some point in time, someone would either enter or exit the raging party that was no doubt occurring, and when that happened, he would walk in and find Ginny. When he found her, he would talk to her, and he would tell her off. Or, perhaps, he would confess that he thought she was so gorgeous that if he looked at her for too long, his eyes might actually burn and that he would love nothing more than to kiss her. He sincerely hoped that he went with the former.
In any case, he needed backup. He needed a friend who already knew that he couldn't stop thinking about Ginny Weasley and had a very unhealthy obsession with her. This, of course, left very few options.
Blaise was sitting in front of the fire in the Slytherin common room, book in hand.
"Blaise!" Draco said in a way that demonstrated a little too openly how excited he was. "I need you to come with me to the Gryffindor party."
The darker boy lifted an eyebrow. "Well, I was trying to get ahead in Transfiguration," he said.
"I wasn't asking, Zabini," Draco said, tugging on the collar of his friend's robes. "Let's go." He continued to drag Blaise along for several minutes, until he was satisfied that his friend would not abandon him.
Blaise eyed his friend carefully, noticing that behind his scowl that there was an odd look of determination present. "Are you alright, mate?" he asked.
"That little harpy thinks she knows a thing or two about me," he sneered. "I'll show her."
"We are talking about Weaselette, right?"
"Obviously."
It didn't take much time for the portrait hole to open once the two Slytherin boys arrived. After only about five minutes, Cho Chang and a few other girls from Ravenclaw giggled their way from the party. They were so distracted that they failed to notice when Blaise and Draco snuck into the party behind them. The door slammed shut only a moment later, but they were already inside.
The party was still going strong, although it did look as though the action had died down some. There were still about fifteen or twenty people left at the party, some of which were dancing, and others who were lounging about on the comfortable-looking sofas and chairs around the fireplace. The whole room was decorated in solid reds and golds that made Draco actually feel nauseous.
After a few minutes of Draco's eyes scanning the room, he finally found what he was looking for. She was sitting on a sofa near the fireplace with Potter, and they were extremely close. He glanced around, wondering where the older Weasley was so that he could put a stop to their inappropriate displays of affection. He almost started to gag when he saw Potter lean in close to her, kissing her and touching her leg. He almost had a stroke when Harry got on top of her.
"Do you see that?" Blaise asked his friend, nodding in the direction of Harry and Ginny. "Is she going to quit being a member of the chastity club right now?"
"There's a club?"
Blaise rolled his eyes. "Let's go, mate. I don't even know why we're here in the first place. She isn't going to talk to you with Potter's tongue down her throat."
Just then, Ginny pushed Harry off her, and Draco watched as they talked for a few minutes. He tried to read lips, but the way the firelight reflected off of their faces, he was unable to decipher what was said. Regardless, Ginny looked irritated as she walked away from Harry and out of the common room. He noticed, though, that she had left her backpack by the sofa, and he decided that he would stay a bit longer with assumptions that she'd come back to retrieve her belongings eventually.
Harry stood from his seat, running his hands through his messy, jet black hair in obvious frustration of whatever just occurred. He began to pace around, and after a few minutes, he looked up and saw the two party-crashers as they stood huddled in the corner. He locked eyes with Draco for a brief moment, his expression turning almost dangerous, and he stalked over to them.
"Well, well," Harry said, looking back and forth between Blaise and Draco. "I don't remember inviting the two of you."
"You really should tighten up your security, then," Draco said.
"What do you want?" the Gryffindor boy asked impatiently.
The blond boy smirked. "Well, we heard through the grapevine that you and your Weasel had a bit of a lovers' spat. We were just coming to offer moral support."
"Stay away from my girlfriend, Malfoy. She hates you nearly as much as I do."
"A bit possessive, isn't he?" Draco asked of Blaise, who nodded in agreement. "Perhaps that is what made her walk away. Maybe he smothers her a bit too much."
"Malfoy, I'm warning you."
"What, Potter?" Draco said, straightening his spine as he stepped away from the supportive wall. "You going to stop me from talking to her? Does it frighten you that much when your little cling-on talks to other guys? If I had any interest in talking to that red-headed piece of rubbish, I would, and there isn't a bloody thing you could do to stop me."
Harry didn't hesitate before he lifted his hands and pushed, slamming Draco back into the wall. He held him there by the collar, shooting a look at Blaise that said to stay out of it. Truthfully, Harry did not know Blaise well enough to have a problem with him, so he really had no qualms with him being at the party or inside the common room. But his history with Draco was a lengthy one, and he was going to settle it himself. Whether or not violence was going to be involved was still a question that was up in the air.
Before a word could be said between the three boys, Harry was pushed away, violently. His grasp on Draco's neck was forfeited involuntarily as he was shoved.
"What is going on here?"
"Ginny, he was saying things about you!" Harry said, pointing his finger at Draco. "I was just trying to defend you."
Her glare did not lose in intensity. "Harry, anything he said is rubbish. You've never listened to him before, so why are you going to start now? And you!" she said, turning and pointing her figure at Draco. "What in the bloody hell are you even doing here?"
"I was bored?" Draco offered weakly, slightly wary of the raging redhead.
"This party is over!" Ginny shouted. "Everyone get the hell out!" Once the remaining ten or so students began to leave, she turned to Draco. "Blaise, you are included. Harry, go to bed. I'll talk to you in the morning."
Draco turned to leave, but he felt himself being shoved up against the same bloody wall, once again.
"You. Stay."
Harry raised an alarmed eyebrow. "What do you mean? What do you want to talk to him about, Gin?"
She pursed her lips. "Harry, remember what we talked about before? About respect?" At his nod, she continued. "Well, this is kind of an example of that. Being my boyfriend doesn't give you the authority to tell me what to do. This is one of the many reasons why I think a break for us is a good idea."
He gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead. "I do trust you, you know," he said softly. "I love you. Goodnight." And he left.
Blaise was already gone, and the common room was empty.
"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Ginny asked, significantly calmer than she was when Harry was there. She looked up at him, and her eyes were soft and sympathetic.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you."
His mouth was open, poised for speaking, but Ginny cut him off. "Can I say something?"
He nodded, and then nodded his head again toward the couch.
After they were seated, Ginny looked at him. "I know what it's like to have people talk about me, and I know what it's like when nasty rumors are spread. So, I wanted to apologize. I should know better than to assume bad things about you when I hardly even know you, and I really do feel badly that I passed judgment on you. So, I'm sorry."
Draco was floored. "I actually came here to tell you off about that," he said, amused. "But I guess you figured it out by yourself."
She smiled at him. "You don't know what it's like to have a bunch of brothers who were all so popular and well-known. It's irritating. I'm always just one of the Weasleys, or I'm 'Fred and George's little sister,' or 'Potter's girlfriend.'"
"I do know what it's like to have a notorious father, though," he said, not unkindly. "I do understand, you know."
Her smile grew. "That's good to know."
A stretch of time grew between them, and for several minutes, they sat in a comfortable silence.
"So, Potter was putting some serious moves on you. I guess you and he really don't -"
"No, I told you I'm waiting," she said, a little irritated. "And I've told him, but somehow he still doesn't get it."
Draco nodded. "So you broke up with him?"
Ginny shrugged. "No, not really. I just think he needs to think about some things. I don't think I'm really who he wants. Honestly, Harry makes me feel like a convenience sometimes. I don't know what to do."
"Do you love him?"
She nodded. "Always have."
"But?"
She smiled. "But, I don't know you well enough to continue this conversation." Ginny stood, stretching her arms above her head. "Goodnight, Draco."
The Slytherin boy stood, smiling as he realized that she called him by his first name. "'Night, Ginny," he said as they walked together toward the portrait hole. He turned toward her. "If you ever need to talk, you know where I live."
"I'll keep that in mind, then," she answered with a sincere grin. She watched as he turned down the corridor, glancing over his shoulder at her once more before disappearing.
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