Not So Ridiculous

Chapter 21: Truth Will Out

A/N: Sorry it's been taking me so long to update, ya'll, I have two chapters ready though so another one should be out soon.

NEXT DAY, IN POTIONS OF COURSE: Ginny's POV (Ooh, rare)

"That's the wrong ingredient!" I almost screeched as Malfoy began tipping the wrong bottle into the cauldron, "I thought you were supposed to be good at this!"

He huffed, and dropped his head into his arms on the table. "Sorry," he mumbled, the sound muffled against the wooden surface.

"I wish I was still partners with Hermione," I muttered sulkily.

Slughorn had decided that the original partnerships- Blaise and Hermione and Malfoy and I- would be preferable, because me and Hermione "spend too much time talking and not enough time working" whatever that could possibly mean. So now I had returned to work with Malfoy, and he wasn't making it easy. Today, especially, he didn't seem like himself. Especially, I noticed, he didn't have a snide remark to each of my comments.

I glanced at him while I poured a bit of the correct ingredient into the boiling liquid. "Are you hungover, or something?" I asked carefully, and he scoffed.

I wouldn't have been surprised; the ball had been quite a party, and he was a Slytherin, but based on his reaction it didn't seem to be the case.

"No," he replied simply, "I'm just thinking; about last night."

I raised my eyebrow. "The ball?" I asked, and he nodded, "Well I can't imagine it was exciting for you, I heard you and Blaise didn't even have dates. What did you do, dance with each other the entire night?"

He laughed sarcastically, his cheek still pressed against the table beside his arm. "No," he scowled, "I danced with a girl, even though it's none of your bloody business."

I chuckled at his response. "Tell me about her," I said quickly, and he glanced sideways at me briefly, "any girl that can stand you for an entire night has to have quite the patience factor."

"I couldn't tell who she was, with the mask," he admitted, raising an eyebrow, "and I was with her the entire night, and again I'm not sure why I'm telling you this because it's none of your concern."

I smirked. "Because you're subconsciously hoping I know her," I said simply.

He turned his head out of his arms, narrowing his eyes at me. "Okay, fine," he spat, but then his tone softened as he sat back up, "I'll tell you, perhaps because I am hoping you know her, which is unlikely."

"She had brown hair, like her eyes," he continued thoughtfully, and I doubt I had ever seen such an expression on him before, "and had a gold dress; it matched her-"

"Golden mask," we both said in unison.

I instantly let out a loud laugh, attracting the attention of some around us. I put my hand over my mouth in sheer amusement, but then released it. "You're in luck, Malfoy," I said, stifling a second fit of laughter.

His eyes widened. "It was you?" He asked, dumbstruck, and I shook my head furiously, wiping a tear from my eye. This is serious, I tried to tell myself, but it had more of a sarcastic tone in my head.

"Of course not!" I exclaimed honestly, "I like to think I'd recognize you from a mile away, by that albino cabbage patch on your head that you call hair."

He gasped. "Excuse me?" He asked, irritated, and I continued to laugh, "don't bring my hair into this, Gryffindor."

I raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with being a Gryffindor?" I played, now messing with him on purpose.