A/N: HARRY POTTER, names, characters and all related indicia are property of Warner Brothers. No infringement is intended by this use.
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" by Amy (w&m_law) and Tessie
"Ugh, I so hate mornings," Hermione grumbled, rolling over and shoving her head under her pillow.
"You just hate mornings because you were up all night with Ron," Lavender giggled from the other side of the room.
"That's my brother you are talking about," Ginny grumbled from the bed that Parvati normally slept in but that she had taken over during the Christmas holiday. She, Ron, Harry, Lavender, Hermione, plus a few others across the school had decided to spend the holidays at Hogwarts, due to the safety it provided and the outstanding feast served on Christmas morning.
"What….Bloody Hell! What is that noise?" Hermione shouted, throwing open the curtains surrounding the bed.
"Hermione, sounds like Ron's rubbing off on you!" Lavender tittered, also opening her curtains to see what was offending her roommate.
"It's a…a…bird!" they shouted in unison, rousing Ginny from her bed.
"A bird…in a tree?" she asked in confusion, looking for a note to explain what it was and why it was there.
"Isn't a bird in a tree worth two in a bush?" Hermione mused, drawing blank looks from the other two girls.
"Um…ok…. Hey look. There's something in the tree…" Lavender whispered, reaching into the tree as Hermione examined the bird, which was being chased and swatted at by Crookshanks. "It's a pear!"
"A pear tree? And I guess that's a partridge?" Ginny laughed, stopping abruptly when Hermione turned around, holding the bird in her hands.
"Yes, it is."
"A partridge in a pear tree!" Lavender gasped, collapsing onto the bed in hysterical laughter.
"But…who'd send us…"
"You, Ginny. There's a note…look…." Hermione said slowly, pointing to the bottom of the tree.
On the first day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
A Partridge in a Pear Tree
"She's the talk of the school! A secret admirer who sneaks into her room with a partridge in a pear tree…."
"I don't like it, Mione. What if he's a psychopath or something? A stalker. I've heard about them…" Ron worried, moving his rook to E5 on the chessboard.
"Not everyone has psychopaths coming into their room to slash their bed curtains, Ron. You're just special," she laughed, making his ears turn red. "It's still so romantic."
"You go for that sort of thing?" Ron choked, looking up suddenly.
"Well…not for me. It's sweet but if this proceeds according to the song… Who's going to clean up after all those geese?"
Just then, Ginny returned to the common room, quite exhausted after fielding questions about her 'gift' all day long. One thing was for sure, nothing stayed secret for long at Hogwarts. "Don't even…" she warned when she saw Ron open his mouth.
"Calm down, Gin. I was just going to say there's a box over there for you," he replied before returning his attention to the game.
"Did you find out?" Hermione asked, daring to broach the subject.
"No… I asked Neville but he said he had nothing to do with it. I'm just glad that…Eek!"
Ron and Hermione both looked up as two birds took to the air, flying around in the common room. Ginny's shriek brought others running down the stairs to see what was going on. A bit of a jam occurred on the stairs as other students stopped and stared at the matching doves flying wildly around before sailing out of the window that Ginny had hastily thrown open.
"Two turtle doves?" Hermione laughed, grasping Ron for support as Harry walked through the portrait door entrance, pausing at the feathers floating down from the ceiling.
"Argh! Who is doing this? Who?" Ginny demanded, spinning around.
"Not me!" Harry replied somewhat frightened of the Weasley temper.
"Is there a note?" Ron asked, his voice sounding a bit strained.
"Yes…"
On the second day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
"So, nothing today, then?"
"Nothing! And thank all that is holy. I'm getting sick of birds…" Ginny complained, walking with Hermione, Ron and Harry to Hagrid's hut to do some 'extra credit' work for Care of Magical Creatures.
"I don't know why you should be so upset… It's rather…"
"Romantic?" Ron mocked, interrupting Hermione.
"Amusing, Ronald. It's funny," she retorted crossly.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
Hermione smiled slightly, shyly taking his hand in hers. "It's okay."
"Hey guys!"
"Oohhh….Hagrid, what smells so good?" Ginny asked as they bustled inside, tossing their heavy cloaks onto the chairs by the fire. Gathering around his table, Hermione walked over to look at the items roasting over the fire.
"Well... ummm.... hens," Hagrid answered uncomfortably.
"Hens?" Ron asked, his voice taking on a higher pitch. "Not…French hens?"
"Blimey? How'd ya know, Ron? Three French hens... Found them in my pen this mornin' and well…I didn't know, Ginny."
Ginny groaned, "Not…again…"
Hagrid continued with his story, not noticing Harry's gasping laughter or Ron and Hermione's bewildered looks. "I, well, ummm, cooked 'em.. I know… I shouldn't 'ave gone and done that. I am so sorry Ginny.... They were.... yours," Hagrid finished, blushing with embarrassment over cooking her present.
"It's okay," she assured him softly, a strange look on her face.
Shuffling his enormous feet, Hagrid handed Ginny the note.
On the third day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
By the fourth day, Ginny was stomping and muttering everywhere she went. She was sick of birds, Christmas, stupid Muggle songs that made no sense and made sure that everyone she spoke with knew exactly how she felt.
"Finally!"
"What?" Hermione mumbled, climbing into bed after a long day spent making snowmen out on the lawn.
"A full day with no birds!" Ginny cheered, for once sounding pleased about something.
"It's only 11:50… You still have ten minutes," Lavender piped up.
"It's too late… Maybe he got the hint…" Ginny hoped, stretching out on the bed and staring up at the ceiling.
"Did anyone own up to it yet?"
"No, Lavender. I asked Dean… Said it wasn't him…" Ginny answered, adding softly, "eight minutes."
"Oh no…."
"What? Lavender… What 'oh no'?" Ginny gasped, sitting bolt upright. "Please…seven minutes left!"
"What's the fourth day, Hermione?" Lavender asked quietly, a floorboard creeping as she got out of her bed and walked over to the window.
"Four calling birds," Hermione replied, opening her curtains.
Lavender sighed, looking at was just outside the window, sitting on the sill. "There's…four for sure."
"No! No no no no!" Ginny cried, flying from her bed to stand beside Lavender at the window. "Don't open it. Don't let them in."
"It's cold out there, Ginny. They'll freeze to death!" Hermione protested, throwing open the latch.
The four birds however didn't fly into the room. Instead, they started to warble. "I think they qualify as calling birds, don't you?" Lavender sighed happily, feeling a bit like Snow White.
"There's a note…"
"Of course there's a note. There's always a note. Wouldn't be proper if there wasn't a note," Ginny muttered, wandering slowly back to her bed.
On the fourth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the fifth day, Ginny woke from a horrible nightmare about birds. The sun was just starting to rise above the horizon, the sky a mixture of pink, purple and gold. Sitting up slowly, she wasn't very surprised to find a small box lying on the foot of her bed, wrapped in gold paper with a silver bow.
Hermione, awake for some unknown reason, heard Ginny stirring and opened her curtains to see Ginny holding the box gingerly. "Oh, Ginny. What did he send this morning?" She asked, coming over and sitting next to Ginny on her bed.
"I am almost afraid to look," Ginny stated nervously.
"Oh don't be silly! Fifth day it's...Oh my he didn't?" the older girl asked excitedly, watching as Ginny unwrapped the gift. When Ginny finally opened the box, Hermione squealed in delight.... "He did!! Five gold rings."
Ginny sat dumbfounded. Carefully, she took out each ring and looked at it in awe. "There's probably a note..."
Hermione took the box, pulling a small folded piece of paper out. "Yeah, here…"
"Read it, Hermione?"
"Five golden rings cannot begin to tell your beauty...The diamond is for the way your eyes light up when you smile. The emerald is green, for the envy I feel when another guy looks at you. The sapphire is blue, and that is how I feel when I don't see you.
"The sardonyx is a pale shade of pink making me think of your beautiful lips, which I long to kiss. The ruby is the color of your hair, that I long to run my fingers through." Hermione finished, looking up in amazement. "Wow… Just….wow!"
"Yeah, that note was…much longer," Ginny whispered, though she couldn't fight the slight blush creeping into her cheeks or the twinkle in her eyes.
On the fifth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
5 Golden Rings
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
"I asked him… It's not him either!"
Hermione turned around from where she had been trying to get her hair under a semblance of control. "Well, who haven't we thought of?"
"Maybe it's Oliver Wood…" Lavender sighed from her bed, not looking up from the latest Witch Weekly.
"Oliver Wood is no longer at Hogwarts. He's a famous Quidditch player, he doesn't even know me…"
"He knows you. Maybe after he finished he realized how cute you were, how he couldn't live without you in his life…" Lavender laughed, deflecting a pillow thrown at her by Ginny.
Hermione interrupted, "OK, so maybe it's Oliver. But it's not Neville, Dean…"
"It better not be Seamus," Lavender growled, "I'll kill him!"
"Not Harry," Ginny added. "Most likely not Oliver "Wonder How Big is His" Wood…"
"Ginny!" Hermione gasped, before laughing. "It is an interesting name though…"
Just then, Ron burst in the door, his robes held out in front of him as if he was carrying something. "Your secret admirer has struck again Gin-gin. Hope you like eggs…" he trailed off, releasing a half dozen or more eggs from his robes. "Scrambled, over easy, fried…"
"Eggs? Eggs aren't on the list!" Ginny cried, watching as one rolled off the bed with a sickening splat.
"No but geese are," Ron laughed. "There are six of them down there. Eggs everywhere! This bloke must really love you, Ginny. SIX GEESE A LAYING!"
"Five golden rings…Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a parrrrrtridge in a pear tree!" Hermione and Lavender sang, quite off-key as Ron collapsed onto Hermione's bed laughing.
"This isn't funny!"
"Sure it is, Gin. The twins couldn't have even planned this out. Look, if you don't like this, when we find out who he is, I'll beat him up for you," Ron offered, slinging an arm around Hermione as she sat on the bed, still shaking with laughter.
On the sixth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
6 Geese a Laying
5 Golden Rings
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
"Hey, where are you going?" Ron yelled from where he was stretched out on the couch, his head in Hermione's lap.
"To the prefects bath, Ronald. Should I owl you when I get there?" Ginny asked snottily.
"Virginia, no need to get snitty. Go wherever you want, what do I care?"
Ron was cut off from saying anything further as Hermione clamped her hand over his mouth. "Be nice," she hissed.
Ginny rolled her eyes, then walked out the portrait door. She was looking forward to a nice, long, relaxing bath, without any distractions like singing birds or angry geese. Laughing, she remembered how the geese had followed Ron up the stairs, honking furiously and trapping him in the room until Harry had stunned them all.
Finally, she arrived at the bath and whispered the password. It appeared no one was using it, so she went in, securely locking the door behind her. As she tossed her towel over one of the hooks hanging on the wall she took off her robe without looking at the tub. Before she could undress any further, she heard fluttering. Wings fluttering. A bird fluttering its wings.
"Aaaah!" she screamed, startling the swans, who were happily paddling around in the bathwater. She crept back against the wall as the swans looked over, choosing to stay in the water, thank Merlin.
"Birds, I hate birds. Birds," she muttered, running from the room, her towel and robe left behind. "Birds…I HATE BIRDS!" she screamed, missing the note on the door.
On the seventh day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
7 Swans a Swimming
6 Geese a Laying
5 Golden Rings
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
The morning dawned cold and, thankfully, birdless. Ginny had had enough of the feathered creatures to last a lifetime.
"So, what are we going to do today?" asked Ron as they all gathered after breakfast in the common room.
"We could go outside for a snowball fight. There is a lot of fresh snow on the ground just waiting to be played in," Harry suggested hopefully.
"Oh! That sounds like fun. Boys against the girls," squealed Lavender.
"I don't know. I am kinda stressed from all the birds. I think I will stay inside," Ginny responded, stretching out on one of the couches.
"Come on, Gin-gin. It will be fun. It's a good way to relieve all the stress from the last few days…"
"You can hit Ron with all the snowballs you want. I won't mind at all," Hermione added, earning a frown from her boyfriend.
"And besides, the girls will need you. Not like you have any chance at winning," laughed Ron.
"Oh really? Don't think we have a chance? You are on, Ron. You and your friends."
They had been outside for about an hour when suddenly... "Eeewww!! What is that smell?" cried Lavender.
Giggling, Hermione whispered to Ginny, "Eight maids a milking."
They all turned around and looked over a snowdrift and sure enough, there were eight maids milking their cows.
"Oh, for crying out loud! This is getting totally ridiculous!" Ginny shouted as she started to stomp back to the castle.
"Wait, miss," called one of the maids. "I have a note for the pretty girl with the flaming red hair.
"Just give me the damn thing and go away!" Ginny exclaimed as she snatched the note and headed back to the castle.
"Excuse me. Who is responsible for the...cows?" demanded Professor McGonagall, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
Everyone turned and pointed at Ginny.
"Oh fine. Nice Gryffindor loyalty," Ginny spat at her classmates who were beside themselves with laughter.
"Detention, Miss Weasley, to clean up the cow… remnants and your friends can help you. I am sure Professor Sprout will find good use for it," said Professor McGonagall, a small smile creeping to her face.
For the first time in days... Ginny smiled.
On the eighth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
8 Maids a Milking
7 Swans a Swimming
6 Geese a Laying
5 Golden Rings
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
"Oh come on, Ginny. Smile. It's not that bad. At least you didn't get any birds today," Ron encouraged, his arm draped around her shoulders.
"That's because today is dancing girls," she whispered, her head dropping onto her brother's shoulder. "Have I mentioned how much I hate birds?" she moaned, smiling slightly when Ron dropped a light kiss onto the top of her head.
"Wait," Harry gasped. "Dancing girls? How… That's… Wait!"
"I know. Dancing girls is very sexist. I'm very proud of you, Harry," Hermione smiled, clapping Harry on the back.
"No! Three days worth of birds…"
"Six," Ginny moaned.
"Six days worth of birds and no Dancing Girls?!? What a jip!"
Ron snickered at Hermione's look of disgust, quieting when she glared at him. "Sexist. Dancing girls… sexist, male dominated society and all that. Bad… Really…bad," he sputtered.
"Hey! Harry, Ron!" Seamus yelled as he ran into the Hall. "You have to see this! Come on!"
The group jumped up, Ginny muttering, "Oh no, oh no, oh no…" all the way to their common room.
As they approached, whoops and 'yeah babies' could be heard emanating from the Tower. Seamus held the door open for them, with Ginny going in first, followed by Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"Now THIS is what I'm talking about!" Harry yelled.
"Nine…ladies…dancing?" Hermione drawled, quickly covering Ron's eyes.
Ginny fell into the nearest chair, rubbing her temples as the ladies, who looked as if they had apparated from a sheik's harem, continued belly dancing. "He's trying to impress me with this?"
"Um…" Harry noticed Ginny's distress and figured they should probably get the girls out of there. "Thanks ladies. I think that's enough for now. Maybe you should go…"
"We'll show you out!" Neville offered.
"Yeah, let us walk you down…" Dean exclaimed, trying to elbow Neville out of the way.
"Don't want you to get lost… Ow!" Seamus groaned as Lavender kicked him in the shin.
"Thank you, boys," one of the dancers responded, motioning for the other girls to leave. The last one stopped on the way out, handing Ginny a note.
On the ninth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
9 Ladies Dancing
8 Maids a Milking
7 Swans a Swimming
6 Geese a Laying
5 Golden Rings
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
The next day was rather quiet. No new birds, no dancing women (much to the boys' disappointment) and thankfully, no leaping lords. In the afternoon, Hermione, Lavender and Ginny went down to the Quidditch pitch to watch the game the guys had put together, Gryffindors versus Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws (as there were so few from those houses who stayed). They'd decided to switch up the positions a bit, so Ron was taking over as Chaser while Harry was one of the Beaters and Dean was Keeper. Madams Hooch, McGonagall, Sprout, Sinistra and Pomfrey had come out as well to watch the game, glad for once that it was all in fun and there would hopefully be no great injuries as a result.
When the score was 120-140, music began playing from the same system that allowed the commentary to be heard during regular games. Ginny stiffened as Hermione whispered, "10 lords a leaping…"
Sure enough, in the next second, ten men…in emerald green tights…ran onto the field and began leaping and jumping and doing all sorts of things that Harry and Ron would never, ever do. Lavender and Hannah Abbott fell backwards off the bleachers in hysterical laughter. The guys in the air stopped, looking down in horror though Justin nearly fell off his broom, as he too was overcome with laughter.
Just as Seamus and Dean began shouting lewd comments, the teachers ran onto the pitch, shooing the men off the field. "Go on! Get out of here! You're not…Ooh! Go you!" Professor McGonagall gasped as one of the leaping lords grabbed her to try and toss her in the air.
"One moment, madams," one of the other men shouted. "I have been given a note for the Fair Virginia Weasley," he said with great flourish.
"What a surprise," Ginny sighed as she walked slowly down the pitch. Christmas couldn't come fast enough.
On the tenth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
10 Lords a Leaping
9 Ladies Dancing
8 Maids a Milking
7 Swans a Swimming
6 Geese a Laying
5 Golden Rings
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the 11th day, Harry and Ron suggested they all go into Hogsmeade in the hopes they'd be left alone and Ginny would finally be able to relax. They walked slowly, enjoying the crisp and bright December day. Harry and Ginny lapsed back somewhat, quietly making fun of Hermione and Ron who were holding hands and whispering in one another's ears.
"So…" Harry started, changing the subject. "Any clue yet?"
"No, I've asked just about everyone. Only guys left are," she paused, thinking hard, "Ron, which is just eww, Goyle, Crabbe, Malfoy and Professor Snape."
"You asked Dumbledore?"
"No, of course not. I just…I doubt he'd say anything about wanting to kiss…run his fingers through my hair," she finished, dropping her head in embarrassment. "Though if it's Snape…well, just….ugh!"
"I'd be more worried about Crabbe and Goyle," Harry shuddered. "Then I'd worry about Ron who'd kill them."
"I'll kill Malfoy too!" Ron shouted, making it obvious that he'd been paying attention to their conversation.
As they entered, the town, Harry waved to a Hufflepuff fifth year who he'd been harboring a crush on. He ran over, leaving Ron with Hermione and Ginny…and a guy standing three feet behind Ginny, a guy with… oh no… bagpipes. As Ron watched, unable to move, the man lifted a pipe to his lips and began playing.
"Run!" Ginny shouted, dragging her brother and Hermione behind her. The man with the bagpipes followed them, which was amazingly hard considering the awkward instrument, somehow managing to keep playing as he chased behind them. Ginny darted into an alley, pulling Ron and Hermione in with her.
Ron shook his head in disbelief. "That has got to be…"
"The world's most annoying sound?" Ginny gasped, collapsing back against a wall out of view.
Hermione nodded. "Still, I think we may be safe…"
"Maybe," Ron huffed, trying to catch his breath. "I don't know. Lemme look," he whispered, peaking out around the corner. "Oh shite."
"He's still there?" Hermione asked, looking as well.
"Well…yeah, I think. I'd reckon," Ron answered, as Ginny prodded him.
"What do you mean you reckon?"
"Ginny, there's a whole bunch of them out there! I don't see him but I suspect he is one of them," he explained, looking back at her. "What do you want me to do?" he asked worriedly, clutching his wand.
"Nothing…" Ginny sighed in resignation. "Let's just go…get the note." She pushed past Ron and Hermione, walking into the center of the group of bagpipers. Lifting her hands, she motioned for them to quiet. "Thank you. I…You have something for me, don't you?"
"Miss Weasley?"
Ginny nodded and one of the pipers handed her a note. She opened it, seeing in the familiar scrawl the lines of the song for the eleventh day. Shaking her head, she shoved the note into her pocket and walked away.
On the eleventh day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
11 Pipers Piping
10 Lords a Leaping
9 Ladies Dancing
8 Maids a Milking
7 Swans a Swimming
6 Geese a Laying
5 Golden Rings
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
Finally, on day twelve, Ginny sat staring into space, pushing around the food on her plate. They'd gathered in the Hall for the traditional Christmas Eve feast. The day had been quiet. A gentle snow had been falling all day, keeping them inside. Hermione had spent most of her day in the library while Ron and Harry played chess. Ginny had been on guard, waiting for the 12 drummers to pop out from behind every corner.
But there had been nothing.
Nothing.
"Do you think he forgot?" she whispered so quietly, only Hermione heard her.
"Technically, he's got until midnight. Remember the birds…."
"Which ones?" Lavender laughed, sobering at the forlorn look on Ginny's face. "I'm confused here. I thought you hated this. You hate birds. You ran from the Pipers. You…"
"I…I didn't like it, but… I want my drummers!" she pouted, banging her fist on the table.
"Someone's gotten spoiled…" Hermione drawled. "You've been complaining about it, moaning and groaning and bitching about it, but you've also been enjoying it."
"You got used to the attention," Lavender added. "You liked the idea of someone wooing you like this."
"This was not wooing," Ron butt in. "This was stalking."
"It was wooing, Ron. Every woman likes to be wooed. Every woman wants to be wooed. It feels good to be wooed!" Hermione finished in a shout, drawing looks from the others at the table. "Well it does," she whispered furiously at Ron.
"Did I woo you?" he laughed.
"Yes, you wooed me. Of course you wooed me. But we're not talking about us, we're talking about Ginny and whoever is wooing her," Hermione said very quickly.
"Well, then…Who is wooing her?"
"That's the problem. We don't know," Lavender pointed out.
Ginny dropped her head on the table, her head pounding from all the talk of wooing and being wooed. "I just want my drummers," she mumbled, her voice muffled by the table.
"Miss Weasley? I believe this is for you," Professor Dumbledore called, holding up a box at the end of the table.
"Me?"
Dumbledore nodded, passing the box down the table. When she finally had it in her hands, she saw the note, her name scrawled in the same handwriting that had been on all the other notes.
"Must be awfully small drummers," Hermione smiled, taking the note from her.
The box wasn't your typical gift box where the lid lifts off and the present nests inside. Rather, it was made of wood, with two doors in front, a little latch keeping it closed and a hinged lid. She set the box securely on the table and lifted the latch. As the doors swung open, the lid lifted and she gasped in utter delight.
Inside the box were a dozen little figures, each with a very tiny little drum. It reminded her of the pictures she'd seen of the Little Drummer Boy from the Muggle Christmas song of the same name. All at once they started playing.
"Who? Who sent this?" Ginny asked, her voice rising. "Who?"
Looking around the table, she glanced from face to face for any indication of who was her secret admirer. No one moved, in fact most people looked back at her, shaking their heads.
All but one.
Draco Malfoy simply stared back at her, meeting her eyes but not moving one muscle. Until he stood up, slowly and walked over to her.
"You?"
Draco nodded, his breathing shallow as he waited for her reaction.
"Malfoy!" Ron and Harry yelled, Lavender and Hermione forcefully keeping them seated.
"Ssh!"
Ginny didn't know what to say. Malfoy was her admirer? Malfoy had sent her all those gifts? But… "Why?"
Draco glanced quickly at Ron and Harry before looking back to her. "Could we maybe…" he trailed off, gesturing towards the doors.
Nodding, Ginny stood, walking quickly to the doors, her legs only a little unsteady. She expected him to follow and he did, he was there when she turned back around to face him. "Why?"
"I… I thought…" he found himself without an adequate explanation, so he shrugged.
"What you wrote… In the fifth note, did you mean that?"
"Yes," he stated simply, looking her directly in the eyes. "Every word."
"Do you realize how many birds you sent me?" she laughed. "What a mess those cows made?"
"I guess…I guess I really didn't think of that. I'm…I'm…I'm sorry," he sputtered sadly, looking at his feet.
"Why, Mal… Draco?"
Draco looked up suddenly, crossing the room so he was so close she could feel his breath on her face. "I've been…watching you…from afar for six years now. I… I wanted to…but I couldn't. Your brother and Potter and… But I realized if I didn't do something soon, I was going to miss my chance."
"So you sent me birds? And cows? And belly dancers?"
"It was a stupid idea," he muttered dejectedly, turning to head down to the dungeons.
"Draco stop!" Ginny ordered, running over to him. "It was… It was…unorthodox and rather…strange. But it was sweet."
"You're not mad?"
"No… Thank you, Draco. It was… It will be a Christmas to remember," Ginny smiled up at him. "But…"
"But?"
"Yes, but… You've forgotten another Christmas tradition just as important as carols," Ginny whispered mischievously, a newfound confidence taking hold.
"Have I?" he asked in confusion.
"Uh huh…" she moved in closer to him, laying her hand on his arm and glancing upwards. "Mistletoe."
Draco looked up and sure enough there was mistletoe hanging over them. When he tilted his face back down, Ginny was so close and she smelled wonderful... like vanilla but there was something else. Something uniquely Ginny. Draco moved closer and slowly lowered his mouth to hers.
When their lips touched, Ginny felt her heart leap in her chest and she began tingling from head to foot. As the kiss deepened, Draco tightened the hold he had around her waist, pressing her closer as Ginny reached up and put her hand in his soft hair. She just knew it would be this soft.
The kiss finally ended and they pulled away, though Draco's hands were still splayed across her lower back and Ginny made no moves to remove her fingers from where they were resting on the back of his neck. He leaned into her, resting his forehead against hers, their breathing ragged. "You just don't know how long I have wanted to do that."
"Well, we are still standing under the mistletoe. Why don't you do it again and make up for lost time?" Ginny whispered breathlessly as she pulled him toward her again. Just before their lips met, she whispered, "Happy Christmas, Draco."
"Happy Christmas, Ginny," he responded before taking further advantage of the mistletoe.
On the twelfth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
12 Drummers Drumming
11 Pipers Piping
10 Lords a Leaping
9 Ladies Dancing
8 Maids a Milking
7 Swans a Swimming
6 Geese a Laying
5 Golden Rings
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree