Behind Close Doors: Part One of Three

-CJ Wellington

Part One: Where It All Starts…

Draco stirred from his sleep, awakened by a loud bang in the common room.

It was the night before Mid-Term Exams in October and the blonde was irritated that he had been woken up. When another bang kept him from falling back asleep, Draco threw back his covers and climbed out of his warm bed. His dorm mates snored loudly, oblivious to the sound right outsides their bedroom door.

"Bloody Hell" Draco groaned as he heard another bang.

Throwing open the bedroom door, Draco stepping into the common room and was surprised to find a red headed fifth year on the floor in the middle of the common room with a shattered vase lying next to her.

"Weasley, what the hell are you doing in Slytherin."

The fifth year quickly got up on her feet and tried to hide the fact that her cheeks were turning a shade darker than her auburn curls. "I left my jacket here from when I was tutoring this afternoon." Ginny stammered, holding up a navy blue pea-coat.

Draco crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. "Who in Slytherin are you tutoring? I highly doubt anyone in this House would take tutoring from a Gryffindor…not to mention a girl who associates herself with the Golden Trio."

"Well it is true; apparently there are a few Slytherins who are flunking Potions…funny how that is when the Professor is Head of the Slytherin House." The colored faded from Ginny's cheeks as she built up her confidence in front of Draco.

He waved off her comment, "This brings me to my second question then. Why are you just now coming to get your jacket…at a quarter after three in the morning?"

Ginny's cheeks flared up again, "I was up late studying for Herbology and I realized I had left it. We leave tomorrow after Exams to go home for Fall Break and Ron would be furious if he learned I had left my best winter jacket in the Slytherin Dungeons."

Draco laughed, "And sneaking back into our common room in the middle of the night seemed like the best option?"

"It was better than getting yelled at by Ron. He has quiet the temper when it comes to certain topics." Ginny mumbled defensively.

"You know, I could write you up for being out of your house past curfew, I am a Prefect this year." Draco smirked. Ginny's eyes began widen and she shook her head vigorously.

"Oh please don't do that. Mum would skin me alive if I got a detention." Ginny hurried over to Draco and grabbed his hand, "Please don't, and I promise I won't come back in here past visiting hours again."

Draco pulled his hand out of Ginny's grasp and stepped away from her, he didn't like the close proximity he was to the Gryffindor. "Fine, fine, just go; I have an Exam in four hours and I would like to get a half way decent sleep."

Relief washed over Ginny's face as she thanked Draco and hurried out of the common room. Draco shook his head and walked back into his dorm room. That was the first time he had ever spoken to the youngest Weasley, he had watched her follow the Golden Trio around for many years but had never spoken a word to her until that night. She was an interesting person, slightly on the annoying side but interesting none the less.

Climbing back into bed, Draco stretched out underneath his covers and placed the red head in the back of his mind, closing out the world and drifting into a restless sleep.

-CJW