A Fine Line

"I don't see why you're intent on avoiding me, Weasley," a crisp British accent broke the silence of the seemingly empty hall as Ginny turned the corner. Draco Malfoy was leaning against the cold wall, a smirk imprinted on his face. She jumped, dropping a tattered blue book on the ground.

"Good Lord, Malfoy!" she snapped, reaching to pick it up, "You don't need to scare me like that!" The Slytherin, however, was too fast for her. He already had the flimsy book open in his hands.

"Dear Diary," he read aloud, "Yesterday was horrible- oh tisk tisk Ginny, haven't we learned to be careful with journals?" Ginny went as red as her fiery-ginger hair, but with anger instead of embarrassment.

"Only with ones given out by your father," she shot back, snatching the precious diary from his hands. "Now if you don't mind, I'm starving and I'm not too keen on being kept from the Great Hall."

Draco laughed mockingly and began to walk beside her as she tried to hurry away. "You didn't mind missing a meal yesterday when we were in the broom closet." Ginny blushed, unable to regain her composure. "And I don't understand what you mean when you wrote 'Yesterday was horrible'-I had a great time."

Ginny stopped in her tracks and wheeled around to face him. "I don't know what you want, but what happened yesterday was an accident!" The worst, most dreadful accident in the world. How could she have let herself do that? "It was a mistake and I realize that now. Now we can go on with our lives and just- pretend it never happened!" There was a slight pleading tone in her voice, and Draco caught that.

He stepped closer to her so that their chests were almost touching. "The thing is, I'm not sure I want to…" Ginny felt a shudder go down her spine; as much as she despised him, she found herself back in the broom closet, his arms wrapped around her waist, breathing hard, their mouths joined and kissing with such fury and passion- she closed her eyes, trying to shut the memory out.

"Please Draco," she breathed, "I need to go…"

Draco cocked his head sideways, a strand of his sleek white-blonde hair falling in front of his face. "But can I let you?" It was almost a whisper. "And do you really want to?" Ginny stiffened; she opened her mouth, but no words formed. "Why did you do it?" Draco seemed to surprise himself as he asked this. Ginny didn't know what to say. Or perhaps, she didn't want to admit it to herself. The longing had been too much, she couldn't contain herself. Draco was dangerous, off-limits and forbidden territory. Is that why she lusted for him so? Her thoughts drifted toward Harry; not that Harry had been paying her much attention ever since he defeated Voldemort in the Great War. The subtle hints she had been dropping him didn't pay off, for his gaze seemed to be set on Luna most recently.

Her attention was thrust back to the question. Why did she do it? She supposed 'because I wanted to' wouldn't be the answer he was looking for. They were close, so close. She could feel his breath, smell his cologne. No, she couldn't get herself into anymore trouble. His intense gaze met hers, but Ginny forced herself to look away from those silver gray eyes. "I'm leaving now," she said softly, almost defeated-like and stepped around him.

Draco just sighed and stood where he was. "Give up on Potter!" he yelled after her. He watched in satisfaction as Ginny stopped cold. He decided to push it a little farther. "Everyone knows your obsessed with him, except for him. It's ridiculous." She swiveled around, furious. "He's never going to take a hint, so why not set your sights on something better?"

Ginny stomped towards him and stopped only when they were just as close as before. "I am not," she said in her most serious, threatening voice, "in love with Harry."

Draco's eyes were alight with alarming excitement as he whispered, "Then prove it."