Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters. I do however, love the idea of Draco x Ginny together.

Credit: Rowan for the challenge, and Swissmiss for beta reading.

Like A Dragon

Part One: Discovered

Sixth year student Ginny Weasley climbed up the stairs to the owlery, a small scrap of bread she'd nabbed from dinner hidden inside her cloak pocket. All keen bird eyes opened and watched the visitor walk across the stone floor and stop directly in front of the largest bird in the tower: the majestic bald eagle.

Ginny smiled as she pulled out the piece of bread from her pocket and held it out to the eagle with her fingers spread wide. The eagle flicked its bright yellow eyes downward to the offering of food before locking its gaze back onto the warm brown eyes of the girl.

"Come on fella, here," Ginny cooed. She extended her hand a little further, hoping the eagle would take the bread. Five minutes passed by without notice and the eagle remained on top of its high perch, unmoving.

Ginny sighed and retracted her hand, pocketing the scrap of bread. She was about to stand up when a clipped voice startled her. She shrieked and fell back onto her bottom.

The floor in the owlery was filthy, covered with bird droppings, molted feathers and bones. Ginny landed in the muck, her clothing stained with the grime off of the floor.

"What are you doing up here so late, Weaselette? Isn't it past your bedtime?"

Ignoring the state of her clothes for the time being, Ginny gulped and slowly turned her head around to see Draco Malfoy standing not two feet away from her, his usual smirk in place. His light blonde hair was untied for a change, hanging loosely down to his shoulder blades. His face was criminally gorgeous. With a pointed nose, stormy grey eyes lit with intelligence and sarcastic wit, high cheekbones, natural body elegance and animal magnetism, Malfoy was likely the most beautiful boy in Hogwarts. Almost every female within the school sought after him, even some of the teachers.

Shuddering with revulsion from the mere thought of elderly witches lusting after Malfoy, Ginny pulled herself up off the floor and faced him. She brushed the debris off of her robes from what she had sat in, ignored the way her heart seemed to skip a beat in his presence and plastered on her best annoyed look.

"Get lost, Malfoy. Pugface Pansy's calling for you," she snapped.

Draco laughed at the girl's lame comeback. "Pathetic, Weaselette. Surely you can think of something more creative? I dumped that ugly whore the minute my father was sent to Azkaban."

Ginny's eyes widened just as Draco realized what he'd said. His laughter disappeared as he scowled. How on earth did he manage to just give away so much personal information in one sentence? And to a Weasel of all people! Not only had he clarified his enjoyment of his father being in prison, but his lack of relationship at the present time. What the hell had he been thinking?

Draco was so mortified by his slip-up; he didn't trust himself to say anything else.

Ginny slipped past him without any further insults issuing from his mouth.

x

"Wow, Ginny! You really drew these?" Colin Creevey asked in wonder.

Ginny blushed at her boyfriend's awestruck face and nodded shyly.

Colin closed the drawing pad and handed it back to her. He grinned as he stood up from the library desk and started collecting his school books. "You should show your work to the Daily Prophet, Ginny. I'm positive they'd want to print it," he gushed on while tucking in his chair.

Ginny snorted and shook her head. "No thanks, Colin. I don't draw to gain recognition. I do it for the enjoyment."

Colin picked up the last school book from the table and shrugged. "Suit yourself. I gotta run to my next class. What do you have now?"

"Nothing, it's my free period." She smiled slyly.

Colin rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'll see you in the dorm later, Ginny." He leant down and planted a quick kiss on her cheek before leaving.

Ginny giggled and waved goodbye. Once he was out of her sight, she dropped her hand and turned back to her drawing pad. She flipped it open to a new page and picked up her pencil. Leaning back on her chair's hind legs, Ginny stared up at the ceiling as she thought about what to draw.

A familiar pair of stormy grey eyes suddenly popped up into her head, startling her. Ginny squeaked as her chair landed back on its four legs with a loud screech.

The librarian, Madam Pince, lifted her head and glared at the girl from across the library in warning.

Ginny grinned sheepishly. She stared down at her open pad and commenced drawing. Time passed without notice and soon she had finished the outlines of her sketch. Ginny leant back in her chair. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she scrutinized her work. Finding it satisfactory, she signed her name down at the bottom and pocketed her pencil inside her cloak.

She closed her pad and picked it up. Pushing her chair out, Ginny made her way quietly out of the library so as not to disturb the librarian again. Stepping out into the main hallway, she didn't pay attention to where she was going and immediately collided with someone.

Ginny gasped as she fell on top of the unknown person, her drawing pad landing a foot away from her. The person underneath her groaned with pain. She winced in sympathy for them as she placed both her hands on the person's chest and lifted her head to see who it was. The uniform's green and silver color combination made Ginny's blood run cold and her body freeze in place.

Of all the people within the school, she'd managed to knock over a Slytherin. Crap, she thought as she shifted her eyes upwards to see which Slytherin it was. Double crap! Ginny cursed mentally as she was met with a pair of familiar, stormy grey eyes.

"Weaselette," Malfoy growled out venomously. "Get off me, right now!"

Shaking like a leaf, Ginny quickly complied. She scuttled off of him and stood up in fear, cautiously backing away from the criminally gorgeous, but angry-looking boy. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as she watched Malfoy pull himself up and stalk towards her like an enraged dragon about to breathe fire.

Run. The word echoed throughout Ginny's mind. Pivoting around on her foot, she took off down the hall, her long hair fluttering behind her as she dodged the crowds of students just released from their classes.

Draco clenched his fists and was about to take off after her when something in the corner of his eye caught his interest. Huffing like a dragon producing smoke, he turned and walked towards what looked to be some kind of notepad lying on the floor. Bending down on his knees, Draco reached out to pick it up when he stopped still.

Ginny's drawing pad had landed open when it had fallen, and the sketch on top depicted him, Draco Malfoy… smiling.