Author's Notes: This is a one-shot thing-a-ma-bob. Heehee. I do enjoy this little story. For the most part. I'm not going to build off of this. At all. I hope you like it, even if it's a tad rushed. Whatever. Enjoy? Sure.
Disclaimer: Erm, the characters and such not all belong to J.K. Rowling. ALL of it. :) I just string them along in a pretty game. Heehee.
Warnings: Only a one-shot. Not much bad language. Whatever. Love on it. :) Watch for typos.
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He was beautiful, she realized.
Absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, really. Especially tonight. He donned only his usual black, silk robes that he ordered each year, but that was enough to keep her eyes glued on him. He was taller this year, she noticed. He was taller and leaner and, surprisingly, not all bones and skin anymore. Though, she knew that at the start of the term. She just never cared.
Tonight was different. His hair was relaxed, broken from its usual perfection, and he had to shake his head lightly every few minutes or so to keep the blonde locks from blinding him temporarily. He smirked arrogantly at multiple girls, each batting their eyelashes at him with a girlish sigh. They had noticed, too.
"Ginny?" she jumped, turning to her date for the night.
"Yes, Harry?" she asked, watching as a light blush stretched out across his cheeks and nose.
"Never mind, Ginny," he said with a smile- one that made him seem like the boy he was.
'That's the problem,' she mused, looking away from The Boy Who Lived once again, 'he's a boy. He's not.'
And her eyes found their way to him once again as he whispered something into Pansy Parkinson's ear, causing her to bite her lip. Pansy, however, soon lost her attention in him when she saw the redhead from over his shoulder. She smirked arrogantly- his smirk, Ginny realized- and leaned up to pull Draco down into a kiss.
Ginny blushed and turned to Harry once again. "Doyouwanttodance?" she asked in a hurry.
"What?" Harry asked, befuddled by her words.
"Do you- erm- want to dance with me, Harry?" Ginny asked, blushing still from being caught by the Slytherin girl.
"Oh, uh... sure," Harry said shyly, chancing a look over his shoulder before standing and brushing himself off lightly.
Ginny accepted the arm that he held out to her, and she was easily pulled into the dance. Somewhere down the line, Harry had become an excellent dancer- strong enough to lean on and not clumsy enough to step on her feet. He wasn't the most confident person when it came to such things, but he didn't have to be for her to have fun with him. They chatted quietly, laughing every once in a while at something the other had said, though, truth be told, Ginny was glad she had come with him only as a friend.
For the vast majority of her lifetime, Ginny Weasley had imagined herself in love with Harry Potter. She had planned the names of their children, their honeymoon location, and her dress all at a fairly young age. However, not all that long ago, the feelings had just... gone away. She just let go of them, and they drifted off. That had been five months ago exactly- July 31, Harry's birthday, had been the beginning of the end for Ginny's feelings for the boy.
Then, after coming to school, she found some else who could hold her attention just as well, if not better.
As they danced, Ginny couldn't help but notice that she could see him directly behind Harry if she looked over her dance partner's shoulder. She could see him, speaking to Blaise Zabini and shooting glares at Seamus Finnegan. She had often wondered just how he managed to make eye contact with everyone except her. Not once had she seen the color of his eyes, she mused now. Not once had she seen into his soul, as the old saying went.
Was it coincidence or just a cruelty of his? Was he purposely denying her the chance to see into his soul? Was that his game.
She wouldn't let him win.
"Gin?" she jumped slightly in Harry's arms, noting that it was the second time that night he'd snapped her out of a reverie of hers.
"Yes, Harry?" she asked, hoping that she was the vision of innocence.
"Are you thirsty?" he asked, most of his shyness gone.
"Oh, yes! I'll go with you," she said, grateful for the escape from the dance floor.
The two moved slowly, casually towards the food table, chatting about this and that. When they arrived at the punch bowl, Ginny was shocked to see him there, too. This time he was talking to a Ravenclaw girl in her own year.
'He would never speak that way to a Gryffindor- snap out of it,' she told herself, forcing her eyes to the glass Harry had given her.
"Hey, Gin," Harry said. "Wasn't Malfoy over there about a minute ago? By the dance floor?"
Ginny nodded slowly. "Yes, I get the idea that I saw him one or twice in that general area. Why?"
Harry shrugged. "No reason, I guess I'm just glad that Ron and Hermione are, erm... busy. Ron would have blown up about stalkers and the like, or something along those lines."
Ginny laughed. "You're right, it's a good thing her and Hermione have... better things to do tonight."
They chuckled a bit together, and Ginny was grateful for a reason to keep her eyes on him still. He really was beautiful, in his own masculine way. She stared at him, willing him to turn and catch her eyes- hoping against all hope that he'd come to her next. Just hoping.
And then it happened.
He turned slowly, just as she was about to rip her eyes away, and he caught her. He saw her stare, and he returned it. His silver-gray eyes didn't move from her own chocolate ones, and she found herself wishing he would look away. She felt the world moving around her, but she couldn't move her eyes. Soon enough, after shooting her a smirk, he turned his head to a younger Slytherin girl who took it upon herself to glare daggers at the girl Weasley.
"The great prat," Harry laughed lightly. "He really does think he rules the world with an iron fist, doesn't he?"
Ginny looked at him curiously, confusion etched across her face deeply. "What? Who?"
"Malfoy, Gin," Harry said slowly. "That look he sent you... Ron would have had an aneurysm."
"Ron's not here, Harry," Ginny said softly. "And the look wasn't that bad- just like a staring contest, really."
"I'm guessing that I'm not allowed to tell Ron, eh?"
"If you do, I'll hunt you down," Ginny joked, earning a laugh out of the green-eyed boy.
He shrugged- a move Ginny realized he did often. "I'll just have to watch myself then."
Ginny stood still, smiling at his words as she looked down at her cup- it was still full. 'He has silver eyes,' she thought slowly. 'Silver isn't a normal color, and I know that Lucius's are more blue, and Narcissa's are more green...'
She had known and watched the elder Malfoys as often as possible since the incident in her second year. Every chance she got at Ministry gatherings, she'd watch them with nerves and anger. Nerves for fear of Lucius trying something else again; anger for what he had done before. She also envied the beauty that was Narcissa Malfoy- for she was indeed a beauty.
Draco was a beauty, too.
Once again, she was pulled from her daydream, but, this time, not by Harry. Dean Thomas had been running from an enraged Seamus Finnegan (who now had pink hair), and he had bumped into her, spilling the full cup of punch down her pale blue dress robes.
She didn't have any time to think as both he and Seamus began fawning over her, Harry telling them to 'Sod off you great gits- you're the reason for this mess!'. She felt realization fall onto her shoulders and she laughed lightly. She assured them multiple times that she was fine before performing a cleaning spell.
"See?" she asked sweetly. "All better- go on, you fools- have fun!"
The three boys all laughed with her as Dean and Seamus went back to their dates- the Irish boy's hair still bubble gum pink. Ginny shook her head at them before turning to her own date.
"Harry, I do have to use the loo, so I'll see you in a few moments, okay?" Harry nodded with a smile and she took off, feeling a burning sensation of eyes on her back.
She stood in the loo, several minutes later, thinking about those eyes. She knew they were his. Not Harry's. His. They had been better than she expected. Beautiful- just like him. Even without a stain on her robes, she couldn't help but look in the mirror at the short, voluptuous young woman before her and feel mediocre. She had never felt ugly, per se, but she had never felt beautiful, either. She never was beautiful, she always said. Cute, yes; beautiful, no.
She left the loo to find Harry, as he was her date, and tell him that she was sorry for leaving, but she was tired. He would understand, she knew, as he was Harry. Harry always understood. It was that naive part of him that allowed him to be that way. His boyish demeanor, even.
In a way, she still loved Harry. She got the idea that she always would- just not in the same way, really. Not like that. Not anymore.
Mostly because she was obsessed with a beautiful young man now, as opposed to the heroic boy.
As she walked back towards the ball, she felt a hand on her shoulder pull her away. Outside, she was shocked to see, was where they ended up. Even more shocking was the pair of silver eyes she was looking at.
"Malfoy," she breathed, holding his gaze. "To what do I owe this honor?"
"You tell me, Weaslette," he breathed. "Why were you staring at me?"
"Why did you stare back?" she asked in response, horrified beyond her wildest dreams.
Draco was silent, but he stared. His eyes forced themselves into her soul- not searching for, but, rather, demanding answers. He peered down that long, aristocratic nose of his at Ginny Weasley as she stood, looking at her own feet now that her nerves caught up with her, fidgeting all the while.
"You amuse me," he said in a low voice, grabbing her attention.
"Is that what I am?" she spat out. "Entertainment?"
He held a smirk on his face as her Weasley temper built, bubbling over the edge. She balled her hands into fists at her sides, and her cheeks were just barely tinged with red, but Draco could not tell if it was from anger or embarrassment.
"I'll tell you this, Draco Malfoy," she said, taking a step and poking him hard on the chest. "I am not here for your amusement. I am a human being, and I refuse to take this from you of all people, as you are nothing more than a spoiled, rotten, git of giant proportions!"
Draco stared at her, eyes laughing as she continued on her little rant, mentioning things he had long forgotten and using words that would make a sailor blush shades of red even Ron Weasley hadn't become. Every so often, she'd poke his chest to emphasize her point, though it wasn't quite hard enough to push him back. She kept chewing his ear off, but he did nothing to stop her.
"You," he finally said, using caution with the redhead, "talk entirely too much."
She spluttered at his words, glaring darkly at him. "At least I don't snog random people in public instead!"
"Oh?" Draco asked, not bothering to keep from raising a delicate eyebrow. "Well, why not, Weasel? I bet you don't know how to kiss, do you?"
Ginny flushed even further, not bothering to say anything as she attempted to get away from the Slytherin. He wouldn't let that, though, as he held fast to her wrist and drew her to him once again,holding her wrist at her side as he leaned forward.
"W-what are you doing Malfoy?" she tried to say, only it came out in cracked, weak sounds that she could barely make out.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Weaslette?" he whispered before covering her lips with his own.
Ginny stiffened at first, totally surprised by his actions as he slowly caressed her lips slowly. She took only a second to respond, letting the one hand Draco didn't have in his grasp reach up and pull his head down closer. He let go of her other hand instantly, using his two free hands to maneuver her against the castle wall slowly, leading to an all-out snogfest of sorts.
Eventually, the two broke away, Draco nipping lightly at her lower lip as he pulled back. Ginny tried to say something, but her mind could barely string together two words- let alone an actual thought. The two stood there, completely confused at their own actions, but not caring to understand. Ginny finally spoke up quietly.
"Why?" she croaked out.
"I wanted to," Draco whispered.
"Since when?" she laughed lightly, trying to hold in a dry sob.
Draco shrugged, lightly tracing circles on her sides. "Help can come from unexpected places, Weaslette."
She moved to look at him curiously just as cheers threw up from inside the castle and a chiming noise echoed throughout the school, bouncing off of walls and carrying on about the grounds.
"Happy New Year, then, Malfoy," Ginny said, moving to slide out and return to Harry who was (undoubtedly) worried about her.
Draco had different plans, though, as he held tight to her waist. "Yeah, Happy New Year, Weaslette," he murmured before crashing his lips down upon hers yet again.
Ginny grinned against those lips, pulling their owner closer as the rest of the students inside continued their parties. Only one smiled lazily as he saw the end of the scene between the two bizarrely happy students, and he made sure to keep quiet as he brushed his dark hair from his emerald green eyes, shoved his hands in his pockets, and sauntered off.
'The wonder of New Years,' he told himself, chuckling as soon as he was out of earshot.
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Author's Notes: How was that? Reviews are yummy, flames are not.