The importance of Being Virginia

To suffering t is is a limit; to fearing, none - Francis Bacon



Ginny yawned as she made her way to Potions. The trio were walking with her yapping on about something or another. They'd insisted that she walk with them this morning, acting like they were granting her some special privilege. As the trio sat down in their usual seats she realized that, like her year, they had assigned seats and potions partners. She'd have to go ask the Professor where she should sit. As she approached the desk, he looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. "Ah Ms. Weasley, how nice to see you. I hope your not having any problems adjusting to being in a different class."

If it had been anyone else they could have been sure that Snape was mocking them, but Ginny knew the question was sincere. Although he'd never admit it, she was one of his favorite students. She had always excelled in potions, although she only answered when called upon.

"Not at all, use used to being in a different class than the other students."

He had to stifle a chuckle, but permitted a small smile to play over his face. He really couldn't believe she was in Gryffindor, she would have made a wonderful Slytherin.
"Well, you'll get no argument from me on that. Now what brings you to my desk?"

"I just wanted to know where you wanted me to sit. I realized that there probably isn't anyone to pair me with, but as you know I prefer to work alone."

An evil smile broke out on his face. "It just so happens I do have someone whose without a partner, he also prefers to work alone. But you know that I love order above all things, so I'm sure you won't mind partnering with him."

Ginny allowed a small frown to play over her face. He knew very well she minded, but he was her teacher and she didn't have any say in the matter. "Of course not, Professor. Just point the way."

He pointed to an empty table on the Slytherin side, right at the front. Oh great, she thought, I not only have to have a partner, but it's a Slytherin too. This day just couldn't get any worse. She trudged dutifully over to the table, setting her books down and laying her head on the table. She just needed to rest her eyes for minute.

She was startled when she heard a voice above her.

"What the hell are you doing at my table?"

She looked up to find Draco staring at her isbelsbelief. She glanced over at Snape who was obviously enjoying this. She should have known he'd put her with Malfoy, he obviously had a twisted sense of humor.

"I know that you're a Gryffindor, so your mental faculties are somewhat limited, but the Gryffindor side of the room is over there. It's not your fault, they must have taught directions in sixth year."

She looked at him, yawned, and looked away.

Draco stood mouth hanging slightly open in shock. Over all the years and the many insults he'd delivered, he'd had a wide variety of reactions. But no one had ever yawned at him. He snapped is mouth shut. Insufferable little witch, he'd teach her to yawn at him. But before he could let out his no doubt, ingenious torrent of abuse, he was interrupted.

"Mr. Malfoy," Snape said, startling Draco, he hadn't even heard him approach. "I see you've met your new potions partner. Since you were the only partner less person in the class, I've placed her with you."

"But Professor, you know I don't need..."

"Nevertheless," Snape interrupted," you now have one. And I expect you to treat her with the respect she deserves as a fellow potion maker," Snape said in a warning tone.

Draco sat, dumbfounded, as Professor Snape walked away. He couldn't believe his ears. Snape was telling him to be nice and respectful to a Gryffindor? Snape had never said anything of the sort before, in fact he'd always encouraged Draco's rivalry with the Gryffindors. He turned to look at Ginny. What was so special about her? She had skipped a year, so she must be pretty good at potions. But surely not better than him. He'd always been the best student in the class. Even better than Granger. Not as the Gryffindors thought, because of Snape's favoritism. It was because he'd made several original potion's earning extra credit. Granger while she could memorize potions ingredients and how to put them together, had the imagination of a stool, and an unimaginative stool at that. So he had always been the best in the class, with no reason to worry, until now. Snape had said fellow potion's maker, not student. So she must have made some potions too. Well he'd be damned if he'd let some little sixth year Gryffindor take his top spot. He'd find out just how good she was then he'd be better. Which fit nicely into his plan to find out more about her. This latest find had just made him all the more puzzled by her. He watched her through the rest of the class, she seemed tired, but she never messed up the potion. When a message came for Snape and he left the room, Draco had his chance to find out what he was up against.

"So, Snape tells me that your a potion maker. I'm assuming he just meant one. What was it? Probably a skin care potion, " he said with a dismissing wave of his hand.

Ginny stopped chopping up her Yarrow root, turning to look at him curiously."Why would you care what I've made?" But before he could answer, a smile lit her face.

"You're...you're jealous," she said covering her mouth to try and stop the giggles that wanted desperately to escape. "I promise when Snape hands out the ribbon for Best wittle potions maker, he'll be pining it to your cute wittle wobes," she said before collapsing into a fit of giggles.

Draco's face flushed an angry red. "Me jealous of you? Ha!" Did I really just say ha, he thought with a frown. "Yes I've always wanted to be poor and speckled and obsessed with Potter."

"Of the two of us, I'm not the one obsessed with Harry," she said trying to fight off another fit of giggles.

"Obsse... I am not obsessed with Potter!"

"Then why are you always around him trying to piss him off?" Ginny asked.

Draco was just pissed of enough to answer truthfully. "Because everybody likes him, it's sickening. I had to dislike him, just on principal. Besides, he so nice. Nice people irritate me."

They both looked up as they saw Harry approaching.

"Hey Ginny, I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said with a narrowed glance at Draco.

Draco rolled his eyes. "It's a good thing your here to rescue her Potter, I was just about to gobble her up and use her bones to pick my teeth."

Ginny tried unsuccessfully to hide a giggle behind her hand. It really wasn't that funny, she thought. I must really be punchy.

Both Harry and Draco seemed to be equally disturbed that she found him funny.

"Don't worry Harry, I'm fine. Malfoy was just telling me how nice he thought you were," Ginny said with a twinkle in her eyes.

Draco had his mouth open to deny this when he saw the look of confusion on Harry's face. "I can't lie, I was just saying that."

Harry, looking more confused by the minute, turned to Ginny. "Ginny are you alright, you seem a little," he trailed off, failing to find an appropriate adjective.

"Sorry Harry," she said wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. "I'm a little punchy, I didn't get any sleep last night."

"Why didn't you get any sleep? Are you not feeling well," he asked anxiously.

"No, I'm fine, must be the excitement of the first day of school."

"Are you sure," he started.

"I'm fine," she interrupted. "You should probably get back to your table before Professor Snape gets back. Wouldn't want to lose points on the first day."

"Your right," he admitted, "I should get back, but If you need anything, I'll be right over there," he said shooting a glance at Draco.

"Thanks, Harry, but I'm sure that I can handle any of the no doubt, harrowing experiences, potions class might bring," she said wryly.

"Right of course," he said adjusting his glasses. "I didn't mean to imply you couldn't handle yourself. I just.."

"It's okay Harry," she interrupted with a smile. "But you really ought to get back to your table."

"Right, um, well, I'll see you later," he mumbled before making his way quickly to his desk.

Sighing, Ginny turned back to her yarrow root.

Draco, who'd been remarkably silent, now observed," So Potter has a crush on you. But you don't have one on him anymore." He smiled. "I foresee that I'm going to be able to get a lot out of this."

"What makes you think I don't like him?"

"Oh come on, that deliciously sarcastic putdown was worthy of me."

"That doesn't mean I don't like him, I just haven't had any sleep and I'm grumpy."

"I thought you were punchy?"

"I was. Now I'm grumpy," she said cutting her yarrow root with a little more force than necessary.

"Whatever you say, little gryff."

"I do have a name you know," she snapped.

"Oh yes, what did Potter call you, Ginny? Sounds like odleodle. I think I'll call you Virginia, it suits you better."

Her knife slipped, cutting her finger, but she didn't even spare it a glance. "Don't you ever, ever call me that again," she said her voice shaking.

"Why not? It's your name isn't it?" he asked puzzled.

"No. I'm not Virginia, I'm Ginny."

He looked down, seeing the blood running from her finger. "Shit. You cut your finger. I don't know what I was thinking letting you have a knife when you're half asleep. You'd better heal it, before you get blood in the potion," he said. But she didn't even seem to hear him.

She grabbed fists full of his robes.

He started to tell her not to get blood on him, but he stopped when he saw the look in her eyes.

"I'm Ginny," she said, voice desperate. "I'm Ginny."

"Alright, you're Ginny," he said in a calming tone.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then stepped back, letting go of his robes. "I'm sorry. I just, I don't like to be called that."

"Obviously," he replied drily.

She didn't reply, but took out her wand, tapping it to his robes and saying a quick cleaning spell.

She sat down tiredly, looking at her bleeding finger. She should probably heal it, but she was just to tired.

"Here," Draco said, taking her hand in his. With his pale white fingers, he wiped off the blood. He tapped his wand to her fingertip saying a healing spell, and laying her hand gently back on the table.

"Thanks," she said, looking at him curiously.

They were both startled when they heard someone yell," What in the bloody hell do you think your doing?"

Ginny looked up to find her brother towering over them, voice full of exasperation she said," Ron, what is your problem?"

"My problem is that Malfoy's over here holding my sister"s hand."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "He wasn't holding my hand, you wanker. I cut my finger and he healed it for me. And what does he get for his trouble? Some stupid git coming over and yelling at him! Is this how the rest of the year's going to be?" She stood up angrily. "I thought that maybe, if we were in the same year, you'd stop treating me like a stupid little girl. I don't know why I thought things would change after sixteen years. Well I'm sick of it Ron. Until you can treat me like an equal human being, and learn to mind your own business, I don't want you to talk to me."

"Look Ginny, I just.."

"I said I didn't want to talk to you," she interrupted. "Just go."

"Fine," he said angrily."If you're going to be that way, I don't want to talk to you either." He stomped off toward his desk.

Ginny looked around, noticing for the first time that everyone was watching. "Something I can do for you," she remarked acidly to the room at large.

Everyone quickly found something else to occupy their attention. They were all familiar with the Weasley temper and Ginny had it in spades.

Ginny turned, quickly chopping up the rest of her yarrow root, flinging it into the cauldron, and sitting down with a huff.

Draco wisely opted to stay quiet and the rest of the lesson went without incident.

The next class of the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Dumbledore had convinced Reamus to come back and teach this year. As in the last class, the only empty seat was next to Draco.

"Well," he said as she sat down beside him,"looks like you and I are desk buddies. I bet your brother and Potter are loving this."

She merely gave him a narrowed glance, and then turned her attention to the front of the room.

"Nice to see you all again," Reamus said with a smile. "For the next couple of weeks we will be reviewing all the things you have learned over the past six years, to make sure you haven't forgotten. The first thing...

Ginny stopped paying attention, lost in thoughts of how to get Harry's invisibility cloak. She needed it to get into the potions lab so she could make a stay awake potion. But what could she tell him was the reason she wanted it?

"Ms. Weasley, if you'd be so kind as to be the first to demonstrate," Reamus said gesturing to the front of the room.

"Sure," she said, getting up slowly from her chair. She had no idea what she was supposed to be demonstrating.

Reamus smiled and walked over to a door on the other side of the room. When it opened and a handsome young man stepped out, she froze.

Draco watched curiously as the young man stepped out of the closet. This was what she feared most of all? He wondered who it was. An old boyfriend maybe?

Ginny's world narrowed, the classroom fading away, it was just the two of them. Her and Tom. He was here standing in front of her, not a ghostly apparition, but flesh and blood.

Ginny's blood ran cold when he smiled. The smile was one of triumph. She was his again. She straightened and whipped out her wand. No she wasn't his, she wasn't anyone's. She'd die before she let him have her again.

Draco, along with everyone else, watched in shock as Ginny raised her wand and said in a bitter voice, " Crucio."

Ginny's heart dropped to her feet, when he just kept walking towards her, smiling, like she'd never said anything. All her years of studying had meant nothing. She was powerless before him. The years fell away like leaves and she was eleven years old again. She backed up until she hit the wall, sinking to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. As he walked toward her she called to the only person who had ever saved her.

" Harry, Harry, Help me. I can't stop him. He's too strong."

She heard Harry shout Ridickulus and watched as Reamus led the thing that had been Tom, back into the closet. Harry rushed to her side, enfolding her in his arms. He stroked her hair as he whispered in her ear," It's okay. It was just a boggart. He's gone, forever. He can't hurt you."

No she thought, he'll never be gone. To exhausted to care she laid her head on Harry's shoulder and she slept.

Ginny woke to the sound of voices.

"She'll be fine, she just needs a good night's sleep. Here you go, swallow this," she heard a voice say as a minty liquid was poured down her throat.
"There I just gave her a sleeping potion, that should knock her out for a good eight hours. She'll be right as rain in the morning."

Sleeping potion, there was something bad about those but she couldn't remember what. Suddenly her mind cleared and she shot up in bed, finger going to her throat, maybe it wasn't to late. But the second her finger entered her mouth, she felt strong hands pining her arms to the bed. She looked up seeing Harry and Ron were the ones holding her down.

"Let me go. You don't understand. I can't take sleeping potions. It makes me weak. I won't be able to stop him." She had taken a sleeping potion only once, three years ago shortly after the dreams had started. She'd thought that maybe it would stop the dreams, but all it had down was make her powerless. She'd done everything he'd told her to. When she'd woken up she'd sworn never to take one again.

She turned to Ron with pleading eyes. "How can you do this to me? You're my brother. How can you let him hurt me?

"Ginny, your confused no one's going to hurt you. You just need to sleep. I'll be right here, I won't let anyone hurt you."

She turned to Harry, surely he would understand. " Harry you can't let Tom have me, you can't. Your supposed to save me, you can't save me only to deliver me to him helpless."

"Ginny, Tom's been gone for five years. That was just a boggart. You're tired and confused, everything will be better in the morning, you'll see."

She tried to wrestle free, but the potion was starting to shroud her mind and weaken her limbs. "I'll never forgive either of you for this, Never."

Both boys flinched at her tone, but she didn't see them. She had already drifted away towards her nightmare.


Ginny slowly opened her eyes. She was laying in a field of blue flowers, under a cloudy sky.

"Beautiful at tht they?" said a voice off to her side.
She turnver ver to find him laying on his side, face inches from hers. "What are they?"

"They're forget me nots. I couldn't resist," he said with a chuckle. "But I believe that you prefer tiger lilies," he said and with a sweep of his hand they were surrounded by them.

"Why aren't we there?" She couldn't remember where there was, but she knew that's where they usually were.

He knew what she meant, they had always been in the chamber. Every night for the past three years. "Because you had more power and that's were you wanted to be. But not anymore, your precious Harry Potter and your dear brother have given me what I've been dreaming of. Now I can have you any where I want and any way I want," he said reaching his hand out to stroke her cheek as he pressed his lips to her.

Her thoughts were muddled as she opened her mouth sliding her tongue against his. She couldn't think of anything but how good it felt, to have her tongue touching his, to have his hands gently stroking her neck. Her mind was full of languid pleasure. He broke the kiss, whispering as he ran soft kisses down her neck. "I've waited so long, Virginia. So long for you to show your desire for me. So long for you to touch me," he said as she ran her hand down his chest.

His words confused her. How could she not want something so beautiful? How could she ever not want to run her hands over the sculptured plains of his chest. How could she have ever denied herself the power and pleasure, that his little gasp of breath gave her, when she rubbed her thumb gently in the hollow near his hip, as she was doing now. Some tiny voice, deep inside her was telling her she shouldn't do this. But she couldn't think why not. The little voice was drowned out in the well of pleasure as he slowly inched her shirt up, pressing soft kisses to her stomach. His fingers slowly caressing her rib cage, sent icy, almost painful shivers of pleasure through her.

"Touch me, Virginia," he said rolling onto his back. "Taste me."

And she did. She tasted the dark secrets of his body and he tasted hers. They spent hours tasting and touching, before they finally joined together. Afterwards they lay in each other's arms, watching the cloud's go by.

"Virginia, that was, as always amazing. I find I'm becoming impatient to experience the real thing. But I will soon enough. Yes very soon."

She frowned when he called her Virginia. There was something about that name that she didn't like. Her attention was caught by a big cloud floating by. It looked like some sort of snake, no there was another name for it, basilisk. And just like that they were back in the chamber, and she remembered.

Tom sighed, sitting up slowly. "I guess this means the sleeping potion is wearing off. All good things must come to an end I suppose," he said looking down at her with a smile.

"What did you do to me?" she asked, but her memories were slowly coming back.

"Nothing you didn't do to me, and with great skill, I might add. You almost made me feel alive again."

She cringed remembering exactly what he'd done, what she'd done.

"Oh, by the way, I found your little performance in class today highly amusing."

Ginny drew in a sharp breath. How could he know about that.

"Would you really use Crucio on me?" he asked in a slightly mocking tone.

"Yes," she said, thinking of what she'd just done. "Then I'd kill you."
He chuckled leaning over and bringing there faces close. "I believe you would use crucio on me, your very vindictive. It's one of your most attractive qualities. But we both know you'd never kill me. Neither one of us could live without the other."

"I've managed to live without you just fine for pastpast five years," she said through gritted teeth.

"And yet here I am," he said with a sweep os has hand.

"You're not real, you're just my fear."

"Well you can't kill fear, so I guess your stuck with me," he said with a chuckle as he leaned down to kiss her.




She woke abruptly, finding herself in the hospital wing, her brother and Harry asleep at the foot of her bed. She looked at them, their faces so innocent in sleep. But they weren't innocent. They'd done this to her. They'd made her do those things.

"Get out," said aid in a hard voice.

Harry woke abruptly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he leaned over and shook Ron awake.

"How are you feeling, Madam Pomphrey said.."

"Get out," she interrupted.

"Ginny what's the matter," Ron asked laying a hand on her arm.

"Don't touch me," she said, violently wrenching her arm from his grasp. "I hate you. I hate you both, and I want you to leave. Right now," she said her voice rising.

Both boys starto spo speak, but were interrupted asam Pam Pomphrey came into the room. "What's all this noise, I'll not have yelling in my infirmary!"

When Ginny saw Madam Pomphrey, her rage reached a whole new level. "Oh there's about to be a whole lot more yelling, you incompetent moron."

Both the boys and Madam Pomphrey looked at her in shock.

"How dare you speak to me like that. I'm a teacher here and you'll give me the respect I deserve."

"I'm giving you all the respect you deserve, as an incompetent, illiterate moron."

"Illiterate, how dare you.."

"Yes," Ginny interrupted, "I'm assuming that you can't read and that's why you failed to follow the instructions in my medical records."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'll show you what I'm talking about," Ginny said flinging off the covers and standing by the bed. She flung her hand out, saying, " Accio Cabinet."
They watched in shock as it slid quickly across the room, stopping at her out stretched hand. Everyone could do wandless magic, but it took a lot more effort and a lot more power than wand magic. For that reason it was rarely done and something of a shock to see. She quickly found her file and flung it at Madam Pomphrey. "Go ahead read it aloud so we can all appreciate your incompetence."

Frowning, Madam Pomphrey opened the folder and her face became pale as she read," Ms. Weasley has extremely adverse reactions to sleeping potions. Under no circumstances is she to be given any." It was signed by her Doctor from Ottery St. Catchpole.

"Hmm," Ginny tapped her finger to her lip," Extremely adverse reactions, and under no circumstances. If I were reading a medical report , I think that those would be phrases that might get my attention," she said scathingly. She turned and grabbed her wand and was halfway to the door, when Madam Pomphrey's voice stopped her.

"Wait just a minute, Ms. Weasley. I may have made a mistake but I'm still a teacher and you have no right to talk to me like that. I'm giving you detention."

Ginny turned slowly, a plan forming in her mind. She certainly wasn't going to ask Harry for his invisibility cloak now, so she still needed a way to get into the potions dungeon. "Detention? With you? Oh I'm quaking in fear just thinking about it, " she said voice dripping with sarcasm.

Madam Pomphrey narrowed her eyes. "I never said it was with me. As a teacher I have the right to assign you detention with any teacher I'd like. I think Snape w be be appropriate don't you?" That'll teach the little brat to mouth off to me, she thought.

Ginny struggled to hide a smile. "You wouldn't," she said with what she hoped was a convincing frown.

"I certainly would. Be in the Potion's Dungeon at eight o'clock sharp. I'll inform Professor Snape that you'll be there."

"Fine," she said shortly, walking quickly out of the room. She glanced down at her watch. She had just enough time to shower before breakfast. She didn't want to go, but she needed to eat to keep her strength up. She was going to need it.

Ginny strode into the dining hall, noticing that quite a few people were looking at her. She walked quickly to the end of the table, which was empty, she wasn't in any mood for company. She had just filled her plate and had a fork full of pancakes halfway to her mouwhenwhen she was interrupted.

"Hey, Ginny, can we talk?"

She turned to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing behind her. "No Harry, when I said I hated you both and told you to get out, I meant that I didn't want to see or talk to either of you. It's my fault for not being clear. Now that everything is all cleared up, you can all be on your wa

She turned back to her pancakes, this time they were actually touching her lip when Ron said," Look Gin we didn't know."

She slammed her fork down standing up abruptly. " No you didn't listen. You knew because I told you. But you never listen."

"Look you were tired and upset, I was just doing what I thought was best for you," Ron said defensively.

Ginny poked her finger into his chest. "You. You were doing what you, thought was best. But I think we've proved that what you think is best and what really is best are two different things. You have to stop trying to make decisions for me. I can take care of myself. This is just what I was taking about yesterday but I guess you weren't listening then either." She turned and picked up her plate. "Just leave me alone."

"Where are you going?" Ron called after her.

"As far away from you as I can possibly get." She walked to the other side of the room, sitting down at the end of the Slytherin table. She stabbed her pancakes viciously, but was interrupted before she could eat them, again.

"What do you think you're doing sitting here, Gryffindor?" asked a nasal voice.

Ginny looked up to find Pansy Parkinson, glaring at her from across the table. "Well at first glance, I appear to be eating. But if you look closely, I'm actually compiling a list of the most painful ways to get you to leave me alone. So far I only have six, but they're all wonderfully inventive."

Pansy paled before muttering something and hurrying to the other end of the table.

"You know," a voice said from behind her, "you're a very unusual person. Not at all like I expected."

She frowned as Draco sat down beside her. "Well join the club, I thought Slytherin's were supposed to be tough and scary, but Pansy just ran away from me and I was barely trying to scare her. I"ve got to tell you, I'm very disappointed."

"Don't you know? Your little display yesterday has half the school afraid of you. The story of how you used crucio on a handsome young man in Hogwarts robes, Slytherin robes no less, has them all quaking in their boots. The Slytherins in particular. And now you come and sit at our table. Which is an odd thing to do. Why are you sitting here, Imay may ask?" he said eyebrow raised.

"I'm trying to eat. And seeing as I'm in a dining hall, you wouldn't think it would be the virtual impossibility it's proved to be. I wanted to be left in peace, just me and my pancakes. Another assumption I had about Slytherins is that they were quiet and secretive, and generally kept to themselves. But from the irritatingly chatty experience I've had in the whole two minutes I've been here, I'd say I was wrong about that too. And I didn't put crucio on anyone, or I'd be in Azkaban. It was just a boggart."

"Ah, but you obviously didn't know it was a boggart or you would have used Riddickulus. So if that guy really had walked into the room, you'd have put crucio on him. Which I find as as surprising as he rest of the school. I doubt you'd risk Azkaban for an old boyfriend. Who is he?

"None of your business. Now go away I'm trying to eat."

"But I find you fascinating, you're completely unpredictable, and I just don't understand you at all. For example, I find it interesting that yesterday you yelled for Potter to save you, but today you don't appear to be speaking to him."

"I'm not speaking to Harry, because he didn't listen to me. And if you want to continue in my good graces, since you find me so fascinating. I suggest you not follow the same path as him, and leave me alone, so I can eat."

"Well I certainly don't want to be lumped into the same category as Potter, so I'll leave you alone with your pancakes. See you in class."

She shook her head as she watched him walk back to his end of the table. She really didn't understand his sudden interest in her. They'd never really spoken before. He'd insulted her but it was obviously just to get to Ron and Harry. His attention had never really been on her before. It was sure on her now, and she wasn't sure she liked it.


When Ginny entered the potions room that night, she found not only Snape, but Draco also.

Snape looked up when she entered the room. "Ah Ms. Weasley. I must say I was surprised when Madam Pomphrey told me she'd given you detention with me. What on earth did you do , I wonder, to make her mad enough to send you to me, the evil Professor Snape?" he asked drily

"Incompetence irritates me, and I let her know it."

"I myself have the same problem with her. I'm sure whatever you said to her was justified. Go ahead and do your homework."

"Actually sir," Ginny said, looking from Snape to Draco then back again, "I was hoping that I could experiment with modifying a potion."

"Really? What potion? Modify how?" Snape asked his interest spar

"I wanted to try and modify the alertness potion so it doesn't leave you so weak afterwards."

"And how were you planning on doing that?"

Ginny thought quickly. "Well I was thinking that first I could add some May apple, since it had strengthening properties. Also I know that one of the main ingredient, yoko bark, takes away a lot of minerals from your body which is one of the reason's your so weak. I thought maybe I could work on trying to find a way to slow that down or get rid of it all together."

"Very interesting, Ms. Weasley. I think that would be an excellent use of your time. I have a meeting with Dumbledore, you know where everything is. I'll be back in a little while. I trust that you'll be careful."

"Of course."

"Mr. Malfoy is here working on a potion also. I'm suggest that if either of you need any help you ask the other. You two are the best potions students in the school I think if you collaborate the results would exceed both your expectations."

Snape smiled as he walked down the hallway. Draco and Ginny were his two favorite students, he thought that they'd be good for each other, if they only had a chance to get to know each other. He'd make sure he stayed gone for a while. He snorted in disgust, Professor Snape, Hogwarts Love connection, who'd have thought?


Ginny and Draco stood silently for a moment.

"So what did Madam Pomphrey do to incur your mighty wrath? Forget to fluff your pillow?"

"Of course," she said with a smile. He was really quite amusing sometimes. "Nothing irritates me more than an unfluffed pillow."

She made her way into the storeroom, hoping he wouldn't follow her. As she put the ingredients in her pockets, she felt a twinge of guilt. Professor Snape trusted her, he was one of her favorite teachers, and she was stealing from him. She didn't want to, but she had to. She'd made a vow and she would keep it at any cost. She returned to the room with the ingredient for the potion. She hoped she didn't look as guilty as she felt. She sat her ingredient down at the table. The problem now was that she was going to actually have to try an modify the potion. She smiled as she started chopping ingredient. It had been a while since she'd experimented with a potion, she’d forgotten how much she enjoyed it.

He watched her as he stirred his potion. He'd been surprisingly glad to see her walk into the dungeon. Lately he'd found himself wishing for her company. He enjoyed their witty banter, he certainly didn't get that with anyone else. He'd have a better chance having an intelligent conversation with a rock than with Crabbe or Goyle. He supposed that his desire for her company was just an extension of his narcissism. She was similar to him in many ways. Their sense of humor was frighteningly alike. He couldn't believe he actually wanted to be friends with a Weasley. He watched her brow furrow and she looked up at him.

"Malfoy, I'm trying to find an energy supplement for the yoko bark, that doesn't have it's weakening effects. Have any ideas?"

"Well first of all, I think you should call me Draco."

"Really? And why is that?"

"Well I've decided that we should be friends."

She looked at him shaking her head and laughing. "You decided. Only you could hand down friendship like an imperial edict. Well you do make me laugh, and I could use that r now now. But isn't it in the Malfoy Family Rule Book, no befriending Weasleys? It's probably a footnote, wouldn't want to soil the page with the Weasley name. Rule number Sixteen, Do not consort with those below your station. Foot note: I.E. Weasleys."

He laughed. "I'm sure it's in there somewhere, but I've never been one to follow rules."

He did amuse her she couldn't think of any reason not to be friends with him, except one. "You don't follow rules, but do you follow? Planning on being a Deatheater like the old man? I'm sure that he could get you a top level position. Yay for nepotism."

He stood staring at her. Had she really just called his father a deatheater, then asked if he was going to be one? Just like that? Well he had to admire her nerve.

"Actually no. I'm not much of a follower, and I'm not one to bow and scrape. Something my father instilled in me, but apparently not in himself," he said in disgust.

"Well then Draco, I guess we can be friends."

"Well what should I call you? I really don't think Ginny suits you at all."

Privately she agreed with him. She'd always hated the name Ginny. It was a little girl name. And she had to admit is did sound vaguely poodlish. She came to a decision. She was getting rid of Tom's influence in her dreams, she would get rid of his influence on her life too. Her name was Virginia, and she wouldn't let him take away her name.

"Call me Virginia."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. " I believe you rather vehemently told me not to call you that, just the other day."

"I changed my mind."

"Alright, Virginia it is."

She smiled, this was the first step. Soon she'd get rid of Tom completely. But for now it was enough, she had taken back her name