Attention

Chapter Six

Ginny was impressed: not two minutes after Pansy had stalked out of the Great Hall, head held high, eyes dry, the explanation found its way over to the Gryffindor table via the Patil Pipeline.

'She's broken up with Malfoy.' Padma had raced over at a crouch.

'Broken--'

'Yes! Told him off and everything!'

The rest of the table took up the tale, not bothering to whisper.

'But they've been engaged since childhood, haven't they?'

'I hope his parents send him a Howler.'

'Do you think he'll try to get her back?'

'I wonder who he'll ask out next?'

'Did he really say he'd rather shag me?'

As Harry's shocked whisper made Ron guffaw and Hermione tut, Ginny's stomach lurched unpleasantly, and she tried to figure out why. Was it joy? Triumph? Fear? Maybe it was because Pansy had finally stood up for herself, and Ginny now had to think of her as human rather than part Hag. Maybe it was because that bastion of pure-blood supremacy, the Malfoy family, had taken a blow, and Ginny was celebrating. Maybe it was because Draco Malfoy would now be able to flirt with girls in public, and oh dear Merlin would he try it with her again?

She shuddered ever so slightly.

'Malfoy hates you, mate, don't worry about it,' Ron said reassuringly, and served himself seconds.

Harry continued to look uncomfortable. 'It's just disturbing.' He took the platter listlessly and glopped his own seconds onto his plate.

'I don't think you have to worry about Malfoy making any advances on you, Harry,' said Hermione. 'But really, it's about time.' She glared over at Malfoy. 'I know I don't like Pansy very much--'

'You hate her,' said Ron through a mouthful of beef.

'--but,' continued Hermione as if Ron hadn't spoken, 'no one deserves to be treated the way she was.'

Ginny nodded enthusiastically. 'Malfoy's pretty foul, yeah. Yesterday in the library--'

She broke off, suddenly unsure. She hadn't told Charlotte or Lisa (who were spending their lunch hour frantically finishing their Potions essays) about the incident in the library, mostly because they were terrible gossips and would probably assume that she'd enjoyed it, which she most certainly hadn't.

As no one had noticed her speaking--they never did, unless she could somehow help them get into trouble--Ginny simply fell silent, trying not to think.

She hadn't enjoyed the kiss.

Really.

She struggled with her conscience for an interminable two seconds.

All right, I enjoyed it, she confessed. It had been so long since anyone had kissed her, much less like that, crushing her lips, trying to possess her. She had enjoyed it, her body had gone all moist and tingly in certain spots and it had taken all her concentration to pull back and stop him.

But, she consoled herself, it was only her body reacting, this stupid podgy little body that never behaved, that always shook when she wanted to remain still, that never quite fit as well into her robes as the other girls her age. If only she'd gotten her father's tallness, rather than her mother's stockiness. If only her mother hadn't always stuffed them as children, if only...

Ginny looked over at Malfoy. She could no longer see the handprint. If he could remove it so easily, why hadn't he removed it last night? If he'd just got rid of it, then none of this would have happened; it wouldn't have been the last straw for Pansy's patience.

She spooned green beans onto her plate and forced her attention back to Hermione's rant.

'...and I confess that I didn't think she was aware of how many girls Malfoy had' --Hermione faltered, looking for a delicate term-- 'been with,' she finished, slightly pink.

'Shagged?' supplied Harry, raising an amused eyebrow at her.

'No, shagging is much friendlier,' said Ginny into her goblet of water.

All three heads whipped around to her. So they did listen.

'And how would you know?' asked Ron, swallowing hugely. 'You haven't--I mean--'

'Ho, ho,' Ginny replied, rolling her eyes and putting her goblet back down, 'poor Ron, worried about ickle Ginny's honour. I'm fine, thanks.'

Hermione seemed torn between laughter and shock--after all, Ginny hadn't denied anything. She raised her eyebrows questioningly at Ginny, who smirked ever so slightly. Hermione shook her head, clearly trying to smile conspiratorially and frown disapprovingly at the same time.

'Anyway,' Ginny continued, 'it's going to be quite a shock for the Malfoys, isn't it? Draco's the only heir, the Parkinsons have only one daughter... the Malfoy-Parkinson merger was predicted to be the biggest event of this century--well, next.'

'Merger?' Hermione said, suddenly aghast. 'They were engaged, and you're talking about it as if it's business!'

'Well, it is,' said Ginny matter-of-factly. 'Two fortunes, two businesses. The Parkinsons run Silvertongue Publishing, everyone knows that, and the Malfoys own those forests in Scandinavia, along with tons of other things, but it's the paper that's the big deal. Having the two fortunes together in one family would mean a lot of influence.'

'Silvertongue Publishing?' repeated Hermione. 'You mean...' She gestured helplessly at her bag.

Ginny nodded, forking some beans into her mouth and chewing rapidly. 'Our schoolbooks, exactly.'

'But that's--that's just--'

Ginny took another bite, waiting for Hermione's rambling shock to erupt, as it inevitably would.

'How do we know they're not biased?' she finally choked out.

'We don't.'

'Hermione, forget it,' said Ron, when Hermione began to swell.

'But--but--' she stuttered, enraged.

'Just drop it, okay?'

Hermione huffed, then fell blissfully silent.

Ginny caught Harry's eye, and they grinned at each other. Hermione was so predictable.