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Right Under His Nose
Chapter Nine: Twitchy Little Ferrets Aren't Any Fun at All
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A/N: Hello, all. Thanks for waiting. :)
Thanks for the stream of reviews. It's difficult to put into words the happiness you guys give me. I guess all I can do is be incredibly thankful... and update as quickly as possible! :)
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“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”
Only one person had that voice. Harry’s stomach froze in horror as he dropped Ginny’s hand and turned, only to be greeted with cold gray eyes and a champion, much practiced sneer.
Draco Malfoy stood behind them in the corridor.
Harry felt the blood drain from his face. Malfoy was here… Malfoy….
Malfoy, who always knew everything going on both inside and outside Hogwarts. Malfoy, who would relish telling everyone what he had just seen. Malfoy, whose father was a Death Eater. Malfoy, whose father would relay the information to Voldemort…
Voldemort, who would now know that Harry cared about Ginny…
Bleeding hell, Potter.
“What do you want, Malfoy?” Harry nearly jumped as he heard Ginny speak in a cold, clipped voice. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she fixed Malfoy with a hard glare. Merely smirking, Malfoy gestured at their hands.
“Glad to see your mindless worshipping has paid off, Weasel. Finally gotten into Potty’s pants, have you? Your Mudblood boyfriend must be heartbroken.”
Harry wasn’t even aware that he had started toward Malfoy until he felt Ginny pulling him back by his sweater. Malfoy smirked again.
“There is nothing going on between me and Harry,” Ginny lied smoothly. “We’re friends. Surely you’re familiar with the concept?” A smirk that could rival Malfoy’s spread across her face. “Oh, wait, I forgot. You don’t have any friends, how terribly tragic.”
Despite his anger, Harry couldn’t help but laugh. Perhaps this could work… maybe they could throw Malfoy off... he would never know the truth…
That’s it, Potter. Because denial always works.
“Oh, come off it, Weasel. I have more friends than you have Galleons... although that’s not saying much.” Harry saw Ginny’s fists clench at the same time as his. He had just opened his mouth to speak when Malfoy cut him off.
“Do you think I’m stupid? I saw what you just did. Hand-holding, how romantic.” Malfoy clutched at his heart in a mock swoon and Harry resisted the urge to snap his wrist.
“Of course, this is what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it, Weasel? To be Potter’s girlfriend, after all those years of trailing after him like some sort of lovesick dog””
“You would know all about people trailing after you, Malfoy,” said Harry. “Speaking of, where are Crabbe and Goyle?”
“Don’t try to change the subject, Potty. This is a very interesting new development””
“There’s no development.”
“Do you really expect me to believe that? This will be front-page news, Potty. Imagine how interesting this will be to… certain people.”
He's bluffing.
Harry struggled to keep his face impassive. Next to him, Ginny’s breathing was becoming more and more irregular.
“Certain people have no evidence,” she said suddenly in a harsh voice. “No one will believe you, Malfoy, because Harry and I are just friends.”
“Weasel, friends don’t hold each other’s hands””
“Well, you wouldn’t know, would you?” Harry interjected. He turned, gesturing to Ginny. “Come on, Ginny, let’s go.”
They had just started walking away when Malfoy called out at their backs. “They’ll be very interested, Potter. All of them.”
“Who will be interested in what?”
Ron and Hermione appeared in front of Harry and Ginny, Prefect badges on.
“We heard voices,” Hermione said, eyes darting around quickly, taking in the situation, “and we came to tell you to get to your common rooms, because curfew’s in ten minutes””
“You can’t tell me what to do, Mudblood,” Malfoy sneered. Ron gave a twitch.
“Ten points from Slytherin, Malfoy. Keep your fat mouth shut.”
“Get out of my sight, Weasel. One of you is too much already.”
“Ten more points.”
Malfoy’s eyes narrowed and he glared at Ron. “You think you can take points off me?”
“Looks like I just did.”
“You seem to forget, Weasel, that I am a Prefect as well.” Malfoy turned to Harry, his glare full of loathing. Harry glowered back.
“And because I’m a Prefect…” Malfoy said, pausing for what he obviously thought was dramatic effect, “I am forced to take fifty points off Gryffindor.”
“What?!” Four voices rang through the halls. Harry’s stomach fell as his anger rose even higher… Malfoy couldn’t do that… he couldn’t…
What a little bas”
“Malfoy, you forget that you have to have a reason for taking off points,” said Hermione smoothly. “And taking off points just because you feel like it doesn’t work. Umbridge is gone, remember?”
“Oh, Mudblood, I have a reason,” Malfoy said. He smirked at Harry, then shifted his glance back to Ron. Harry shot a worried look at Ginny, who looked back with equal concern in her eyes.
“And what’s that?”
“Potty and Weasel here were just coming back from a little private snog session. As you know, Mudblood, those are illegal””
“What?” Ron bellowed, jumping away from Hermione to stare at Harry and Ginny. Harry felt Hermione’s sudden, wide-eyed stare. Quickly he shifted his gaze to hers and tried to tell her with his eyes that Malfoy was lying.
“You’re lying!” Ron shouted. Malfoy grimaced at the volume of his voice. “He’s lying,” Ron said more softly, sounding like he was trying to convince himself. He turned to Harry, a pleading look in his eye. “Tell me he’s lying.”
Harry couldn’t find his voice. And anyway, he wouldn’t have been able to lie to Ron even if he wanted to. Luckily, Ginny spoke for him. “Of course he’s lying, Ron,” she said. “Harry and I weren’t snogging at all. We were just in the library.” After gesturing to the bag with her hands, she turned to Malfoy. “Go and check with Madam Pince if you want,” she said. “Otherwise get back to your common room and stop thinking up ridiculous lies.”
“You can’t boss me around, Weasel””
“Oh yes she bloody well can,” Ron said angrily “Get out of my sight, Malfoy.”
“Live in denial all you want, Weasel. I know what I saw””
“You saw a pair of friends walking back to their common room, Malfoy,” Ginny said coldly. Clasping her hands together, she turned to Ron and Hermione. “Let’s go,” she said. “I need to get some homework done.”
“We can’t,” Hermione said. “We’re still patrolling””
“Oh, good. Give them more time to snog a little before bed, then.”
“Shut up, Malfoy. No one believes you.”
“Don’t you dare tell me to shut up, Mudblood””
“Don’t you dare call her that, you””
Harry held up his hands. “Ron,” he said, using a line he had picked up from Hermione long ago, “he’s not worth it. Let’s just go.” He took a step forward and gestured for Ron to do the same. Finally, after one last glare at Malfoy, Ron began to walk with Harry, Ginny, and Hermione.
“The Prophet will be very interested in this, Potter!” Malfoy called at Harry’s turned back. Harry pretended not to hear him.
None of them spoke until it was very clear that they weren’t within earshot of Malfoy anymore. Ron slammed his fist into his hand and turned to Harry.
“What was he talking about?” he asked in a very loud voice. “Of all the stories… I can’t believe him… the arrogant wanker””
“Ron!” Hermione scolded. “Don’t swear.”
“Hermione, come on””
“No. You shouldn’t let him get to you like he does. It only encourages him.”
“So, what, I’m just supposed to let him call you names? I’m supposed to sit back and let him spout lies about my best friend and my little sister?” Slowly, Ron stopped walking and turned to Harry, uncertainty in his eyes. “He was spouting lies, right?”
Harry opened his mouth, but no words would come. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t lie to Ron… not after everything they’d done, everything they’d been through…
“Ron, we had just come back from the library,” said Ginny, interjecting for Harry once again. She shot Harry a look that warned him not to say anything and continued. “Harry was helping me pick out books I might need for a Transfiguration essay.”
Ron’s eyes narrowed. “Couldn’t what’s-his-name help you with that?”
“You mean Dean?” Ginny retorted, rolling her eyes. Ron and Harry’s fists clenched simultaneously. “Honestly, Ron, don’t think you can pull that one on me. You’ve known him for longer than I have. He’s only been your roommate for the past six years.”
“Yeah, well””
“Ron, just because Dean’s my boyfriend doesn’t mean that I have to spend every second of the day with him. I can spend time with my friends, too. And Harry is my friend.”
Harry nodded emphatically, ignoring Hermione’s increasingly irritated glances. He’d have to tell her what really happened later on.
“All right,” Ron said slowly, as though he still didn’t really believe them. Harry trained his eyes on his feet.
The silence grew to be quite uncomfortable as they all climbed the staircase leading to the fifth floor. Harry opened and shut his mouth, trying to think of something to say and failing miserably. Once they reached the fourth floor staircase, however, Hermione paused.
“Ron, we really should get back. We still have the whole of the fourth and fifth floors to patrol.” Her voice rang throughout the empty corridor and she turned to face Harry and Ginny. “Sorry, but we’ve got to finish our rounds. See you back in the common room?”
“Yeah,” said Ginny casually. “See you.”
“Bye.” Harry watched as Ron and Hermione turned and made their way down the corridor. After glancing back and Harry and Ginny, Ron turned and whispered something in Hermione’s ear, grinning broadly. Harry heard Hermione hiss “Ron!” and reach out to smack him on the shoulder. Ginny giggled and started up the staircase.
“They never stop, do they?” she asked, starting to climb. Harry shrugged, then realized that she couldn’t see him.
“I guess not,” he answered halfheartedly. On instinct, he cleared his throat.
Potter, now is not the time.
Ginny stopped climbing and craned her neck around to see him. Harry glanced around to see if anyone was near, then leapt up the final two stairs and captured Ginny’s lips with his before she could protest. Quickly he dropped back. The kiss was over almost before it began, but it still left him breathless.
“Harry,” Ginny said admonishingly, raising a hand to her face and looking around. “You… we… can’t. We can’t. Don’t you understand?”
Slightly stung, Harry bit back “Of course I understand, Ginny.”
Her eyes widened. “Of course, how could I forget? You’re Harry Potter… you always understand everything…” Her words drifted off as she glared at Harry, then swung around and continued up the stairs without a backward glance. Sighing, Harry reached out and grabbed her hand. Feeling the resistance, she turned again.
“Don’t… don’t leave it like this,” he said in a tired voice. He didn’t want to fight with her just because they were both acting like prats. Ginny dropped down a step and sighed as well.
“I know… I’m sorry,” she said. They stood together quietly for a minute before Ginny opened her mouth again. “But… you do understand, don’t you? Malfoy’s going to””
“Tell his father and the school.”
“Exactly. Which means that we””
“Have to stay away from each other.”
“Exactly.” Ginny’s voice was quiet and sad, and it pained Harry to hear her speak in such a way. “Harry… this is dangerous. He’s dangerous. He’ll tell his father, and then his father will tell Voldemort…” She shook her head and stared at a portrait. Harry still wasn’t used to hearing Ginny speak Voldemort’s name without a stutter… after all, few people did. All it made him want to do was reach out and kiss her, but he knew he couldn’t.
“We have to stay away from each other,” Ginny whispered, avoiding his gaze. “At least until the holidays. He’s going to spread this all over school, and then if a newspaper article comes out…”
“I understand.”
Quietly they stood on the stairway, shyly looking at each other. Harry could have stayed there all night, but after a while the portraits started shouting at them.
“You scurvy braggart, it is your duty to escort your gentle lady back to your House!”
“Wotcha doin’, standin’ dere on de steps lak tha’?”
“Oh, look, how terribly sweet! Young students in love!”
The last comment made Harry blush furiously. When he caught sight of Ginny’s red cheeks, he couldn’t help but laugh. Ginny giggled as well. Both grinning, they made their way back to the common room.
All too soon they stood in front of the Fat Lady. Ginny turned, twisting her hands together while Harry shuffled his feet.
“So I guess… this is good night,” she ventured in a quiet voice. Harry nodded.
“Maybe we should go in separately,” she ventured again, the tips of her ears turning pink.
“You go first.”
“No, I’ll stay””
“Go.” Harry finally looked up and caught her eye. He opened his mouth and again wished he knew how to put the things he felt into words. Instead, he shrugged and said “Wouldn’t want you to break curfew.”
Lips curving upward, Ginny gave him the same kind of smile that she did when he had taken her bag for her. Silently she leaned forward and kissed him. It was chaste, but his cheeks were still red when she pulled away.
“I’ll talk to you on the train,” she whispered. Harry stepped back as she turned to the portrait hold and said, in a louder voice, “Holly branch.” Glancing over her shoulder, Ginny gave him one last grin before the portrait swung shut behind her.
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A/N: Not my best work... :(. Originally this chapter was much longer... I was going to include the next day and all the events leading up to the train ride home for Christmas. But then I decided to just post what I had, because all those events leading up to the train ride home are taking longer than I expected. But don't fear! They'll be up ASAP.
Also, a few of you have asked me to read your stories and review for them. I'm honored that you value my opinion! Thanks!
Speaking of reviews... please? :)
PS- I basically rewrote my story "My Juliet." It's now called "His Juliet" and has been validated. (http://fanfiction.mugglenet.com/viewstory.php?sid=15645) Please--- go read it! Shameless advertising, I know, but I really love my readers and I want to know what you all think about my first official piece of fanfiction. :)
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