Defend

Chapter Twenty-Two First Time For Everything

 "I swear, can you stop eating your quills!" Draco yells at me.

 "I told you Fred and George gave me a huge batch of sugar quills for Christmas. And besides I can do whatever I want, because tomorrow is—" I stop short.

 "Tomorrow is what?" he squints at me suspiciously.

 "Nothing." I confirm.

 He pushes me back onto the couch and tickles my stomach until I'm laughing so hard I can barely breathe.

 "Draco— Draco— please stop." I wheeze between laughs.

 "Not until you tell me what tomorrow is," he laughs.

 "It's um, a test in Transfiguration."

 "No, it's not."

 "Oh, then I guess not."

 He tickles me again and I get butterflies. "Are you lying to me?" He grins, continuing to tickle me.

 "Maybe."

 He holds my chin. "Don't lie to me..."

 "I'm not."

 He leans down and puts his head in my lap. I pet his hair and resist the urge to remind him of when he became a ferret. "I'll tell you tomorrow."

 "Mm, alright," he says, gazing at my bloodstained tie.

 The tie is now stained permanently, and the stains are fading from a dark red to a brown. It's smeared across the Slytherin logo, now saying Slytin.

~~~~

 I walk down the hallway and see Draco talking to Ginny. Draco sees me and quickly walks away.

 I approach Ginny sceptically. "What was Draco talking about?"

 She smiles. "Nothing."

 I frown. "Alright..."

~~~~

 I wake up the next morning and smile.

 "Happy birthday." I whisper to myself.

~~~~

 "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Ginny yells in my ear at breakfast.

 "Now I know how the fat lady feels about me," I say, rubbing my ear, but I accept her embrace. "Thank you, though!"

 "I have a present for you," she smiles.

 "Oo, what is it?"

 "I know it's not much, but this isn't from me. This is from the entire DA."

 "Lemme see!"

 She hands me a piece of parchment. Every person from the DA signed it with a nice message. I smile and squeeze Ginny. "Thank you! I love it!"

 "And from me," Ginny hands me a silver necklace with a tiny emerald heart at the bottom. I immediately snap it on.

 "Oh Ginny, I love it!"

 "Open it."

 "What, how..." I look at the heart and spot a little hinge. I pry it open carefully with my thumbnail to reveal a little picture of Ginny on one side of the locket and me on the other. We're waving at each other. I tuck it inside my shirt and hug Ginny. "Oh my goodness I love it so much!"

 "Of course! You're so welcome!"

 I turn back to my seat when Draco comes in with disheveled hair.

 "Why are you so late?"