After arriving in Snape's classroom for her detention, Ginny threw herself into a desk and waited for her tormentor to arrive. It was not going to be a good night. It was bad enough being held captive by the most unrelenting professor in the school instead of relaxing in front of the fire with her friends or catching up on homework, but her boyfriend could at least pretend to be sympathetic. When Harry had found out that her and Lavender had gotten in trouble for fighting in the halls, he had looked almost… pleased. Not happy, just like he enjoyed the idea of two girls fighting over him. Idiot.

Ginny ground her teeth together. She had smacked him over the head with her Transfiguration book for that look, and it wasn't an accident that it happened to be the biggest text she had this year.

You think she'd be able to stand her boyfriend, and yet, more often then not, she couldn't. They had only started dating again two weeks ago, and he had already managed to make her regret her decision. The last time they'd dated, she'd been completely happy, and this time she found she avoided him as much as she could get away with. He just… irriated her. It was the littlest things that seemed to annoy her, like how he threw his arm around her neck and rested against her as he would a wall, or when he ate off her plate at meals without asking, or discluded her in some conversations when Ron and Hermione always stayed. She had promised herself she'd give him a try, and she was so obviously unhappy, so why was she with him? Should she just--

The door opened and in walked Draco Malfoy, looking furious at the whole world. She stared wide-eyed as he stalked over to the professors' desk and took a seat.

"You're to clean the cauldrons with no wand. Leave when you're done." The directions were delivered in a sharp voice and he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Where's Snape?"

"He had to meet the Headmaster and sent me instead." Again, said in an irritated voice.

"Brown?" Now he opened an eye to glare at her.

"If you two can't stand in a hallway without fighting, he's not going to put you in detention together." The look he gave her made her feel like an idiot, so she stopped talking and took up the brush and began to wash, trying hard to ignore the fact that his anger was most likely directed at her, and it hurt to think that she deserves it.

About twenty minutes had past when he spoke, almost making her jump as his voice broke the silence. His voice was oozing indifference and malice, "I told you that you would get back with Pothead."

She just looked at him incredulously, and he shrugged.

"I told you, you're weak." She did remember that conversation, when she had run into him after seeing Harry with Lavender. She felt her cheeks flush.

"I can't believe you're criticizing my relationship with Harry, when you did the exact same thing. You think you're so much better, but you're not." She strived to match his tone of indifference, but probably failed.

"It was not the same!" He sat straight up, furious an she was surprised by the intensity in his voice.

"No, you're right. Given your reputation, I probably should have expected it from you." She snapped.

"I didn't date you for four months, cheating on you the entire time, only to have you catch me and then try to turn your own brother against you."

"No, you agreed to help me get back at Harry by pretending to date me, but the only one who we made a fool out of was me. I had actually started to care for you, and then I catch you with that Slytherin slut-!" Her task all but forgotten, she stood and she began stomping towards him to get right in his face.

"I told you that it was an accident!"

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you let Chastity put her hands on your -!"

"I wanted it to be you, and that's more then Scarhead can say! If I thought you'd be willing to take her place, I wouldn't let another girl near me!"

Ginny stood shocked. She didn't want to hear this. She didn't want to even let herself consider—"I don't believe you." She crossed her arms stubbornly across her chest.

He let out a scoff. "That's because you only believe what you want to. Maybe you and Harry actually do deserve each other." The sound of skin hitting skin echoed in the classroom, and Ginny didn't realize she had slapped him until she felt her palm tingling and the red mark on his normally pale skin.

His eyes narrowed and he grabbed her hand, roughly pulling her closer. Ginny opened her mouth to say something, anything, not sure if she wanted to apologize or demand her release her. Then he leaned forward, and he was so close she could feel his breath caressing her face. Her eyelids began to droop and her breathing, which had been erratic and fast in her anger, slowed and became heavy. And when she was sure he was going to kiss her, he released her abruptly, causing her to stumble backwards.

He pointed his wand at the remaining caldrons and they were cleaned instantly. He was almost out of the room before he turned back to her. "It was more then just a game to me." And then he was gone.

She was left alone with spotless caldrons and too many emotions to comprehend.

OoOoOoO

After her confrontation with Draco, Ginny decided that avoiding him was the best solution. It had hurt, hearing that he thought she and Harry belong together. Probably because he had such a low opinion of Potter, and by saying they deserve each other put her right there with him. She didn't want to believe that Draco had started caring for her too, because that would complicate things. Does it count as cheating if you two are only pretending to date, but aren't really in a relationship?

The next day, Ginny sat in the library alone trying to work on an essay for Charms when Blaise Zabini entered and made a beeline straight for her. "Let's talk."

She looked at him, more then a little nervous, "About what?"

"Draco." Her lips tightened, and she saw Blaise notice and his eyes narrowed.

"What about Draco?"

"You need to talk to him." He demanded in his silky voice.

"I talked to him last night." She bit back.

"Let me rephrase: you need to listen to him."

"I don't want to hear anything he has to say." Dropping nonchalance, Blaise slammed his hand on the table, earning a 'Shh!' from the librarian, which he ignored.

"He cared about you!"

"You don't know that! You don't know anything about this, Blaise. Don't make assumptions that aren't true."

"But you don't know if they're false either! I've known Draco for years and not once have I seen him defend a Gryffindor the way he did for you in front other his housemates. I saw him smile more with you in three weeks than in a whole year without you, and I've never seen a person more remorseful then he was in that day you ran out of his room."

"But-" She felt overwhelmed.

"Maybe I don't know everything that happened between you two, but I'm not blind and I know him better then anyone."

She didn't have a chance to respond, and if she did she didn't know what she would have said, before he stood. "People make mistakes."

"Blaise…"

"Just think it over, and then go find him."

Ginny watched him go, her head turning round and round with indecision.

\

What should she do?

A/N: Even I'm getting confused at this point, so I'm going to be wrapping this up here pretty soon! Please be a pal and review! It's the least you can do! I mean, I've got the tough job of actually writing the chapters, all you got to do is provide the encouragement!