Fire and Ice

Transfiguring Teapots

It had been seven weeks.

Seven, long, long, weeks. And Ginny was getting sick of it.

She knew it wasn't Draco's fault, she knew that, and she didn't blame him one bit. Merlin, she prayed for him. She wished she could make it better.

It was his father she blamed.

"Urgh, je vous déteste!" she growled under her breath as she harrumphed during Tranfiguration. After making her teapot appear, re-appear and appear again, Professor McGonagall allowed her to sit out and watch everybody else.

Parvati's head whipped back on laughter as her teapot appeared bright pink instead of its original blue. So effortless, not a care in the world. Ginny smiled lightly. Her life was stressful, and threatened at times (most recent her boyfriend's father), but she wouldn't change it for all the gold in the world.

She thought of her and Draco's last, fiery night together, so far away. Well, maybe I'd change a few things.

They couldn't even look at each other as they passed by in the hallways. Yesterday, her heart began beating furiously as she turned a corner, and she knew that he must be on the other side. Knowing her role, she kept her head down. Allowing herself one forbidden peek, she sighed mournfully and silently as she saw the pain under Draco's perfect mask of indifference. The pain only she was allowed to see.

Seven weeks.

Scared that she'd go mad with desire, Ginny tried to refrain from thinking about Draco, or their nights together, or the reason she'd stay up late at night, curtains drawn, trying to remember the scent of his hair. But on days like this, she couldn't help herself.

"Wands away, class." the Professor called. Ginny exhaled and slung her worn bag over her shoulder, as she headed to Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"Apparently we're gonna do duelling!" Colin said excitedly, falling into step next to her casually. Her escape from Herbology ages ago was lost in the past.

A glimmer of interest sparked Ginny's lifeless form. "Duelling? I love duelling."

"Me too!" Colin cried, evidently ecstatic at Ginny's enthusiastic response. They turned to the Defence Against the Dark Arts chambers.

***

"That was AWESOME!" People yelled as they walked out. Ginny huffed, out of breath from her duel, nodding happily with the rest. She Healed herself nimbly of the cuts and burns (courtesy of a quiet Hufflepuff) as they walked.

"Hey guys, rumour has it that there's gonna be a massive duelling match in a month's time! Champions of every class! So that'll be you, Ginny," her fellow Gryffindoor said, looking down to her. Blushing, she replied, "Only because my match didn't last as long. Way more people were better than me!"

"But you're really good at Healing yourself," another student argued, "so you'll last way longer in the arena. Besides, your three minutes was nothing compared to some- mine was over fifteen minutes!"

Everyone laughed.

"Rumour has it," a Gryffindoor boy (who asked Ginny out the year before) said in a dramatically low voice. Everyone leaned in conspirasively. "A Slytherin finished Harry Potter in three seconds. He left without a scratch. Guess who: Draco Malfoy."

Ooohs and aaahs omitted the group, combined with no way! and but Harry's...well, Harry Potter" "Hey, where's Ginny?" someone asked. Everyone turned, and shrugged when they couldn't see her.

She'd ran away as soon as she'd heard his name.