Disclaimer: I do not Harry Potter and or any of the characters, sadly.
"Weaslette," a familiar, deep velvet voice drawled from behind. The redheaded sixteen year-old turned to put Malfoy in his place yet once again.
"Whatever it is you're thinking, quit it. There's something I need to tell you." His grave face stunned the youngest Weasley and made her incapable of anything other than a small nod in his direction.
The Malfoy heir shifted his weight from one foot to the other, actually looking awkward for the first time. But, of course, that does nothing to his god-like features, Ginny thought to herself resignedly. Soft silver hair that hung a little over his mercury eyes, lightly tanned skin, lean, muscular body, a smile that made her insides melt and her knees weaken almost immediately and charisma that he was obviously born with—what did this guy have that didn't make him a god?
"As of right now, a serious spell is taking effect." He paused in search of the right words. Draco sincerely did not know how to say to the sixth year in front of him that there were about twenty blokes from all the houses in search for her and her hand in marriage.
Ginny rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest waiting to see if anything worth hearing would actually come out of the blond's mouth. "Could you speed this up, Malfoy? Hagrid gave us this free class in the woods to have a break from schoolwork and this definitely does not fall under any recreational activity." The sarcasm made her words' sting worse than it usually was but that was nothing the seventh year she was facing wasn't used to.
Though she secretly liked Draco Malfoy, she wouldn't stand being insulted or her friends being terrorized thus why she's always cold towards him. But…she has noticed some change in him. Sure, he still insulted Ron, Harry and Hermione, calling them the Golden Trio but he seemed to ignore her. She wasn't entirely sure if she was relieved or saddened by his change of behavior towards her.
Draco sighed, shoving his hands in his pants' front pockets. His usual gel-slicked hair and immaculate robes were absent for once due to Hagrid's orders—not that Ginny was complaining or would be any time soon. "In the centermost part of the forest, some of us gathered because of Blaise's bet with Potter. Scarface said that Zabini wasn't skilled enough with his wand after one of their merged classes and Zabini never backs from a challenge," he informed, finally finding the right way to tell the whole story.
Ginny was seeing where Malfoy was going with this and if she was somehow involved in this, it couldn't be good. "Go on, what happened next?" she demanded, stomping her foot impatiently.
Draco almost rolled his eyes at her immature behavior but held himself back. After what he was going to say, he didn't want her to have a reason to kill him.
"So today, Potter bet that Zabini couldn't cast some spell that made a person fall in love with the first name mentioned. Of course, Blaise pointed his wand towards Potter—he wasn't too happy about it before the incantation was over. Then, suddenly, he lost control and he cast the bloody spell on the whole group." He held up his hand when he saw the disgust in Ginny's face.
"I was able to evade it. Don't ask how. Anyway, I think it was Granger and Lovegood who started calling your name, probably thought you'd gotten lost and some creature Lovegood imagined ate you up. The next thing I knew, all the blokes around me started going wild and began to wail your name like some kind of offering. I thought I'd spare your sanity and warn you that about twenty sixth and seventh years from all four houses are out for you, all of them willing to kill each other to get what they want." He shrugged, already turning around to head out of the forest.
"How do I know that you haven't been hit?" Ginny couldn't help herself. How is it that twenty other guys were affected by the spell but not him? Was he some sort of powerful wizard she's never heard about?
The seventeen year-old turned around and smirked at Ginny. "Don't flatter yourself, Red. Do you honestly believe that if I were in love with you I wouldn't be all chocolates and roses?" he inquired with a raise of one of his perfect eyebrows. Until now, she wasn't sure if 'Red' was his nickname for her or a different insult directed to her hair.
The younger of the two blushed at his question, hitting herself mentally for the slip-up. "Thanks anyway, Malfoy." She nodded her head at him with a small smile. At least he was talking to her without that mocking smirk of his.
She started walking the opposite direction of Draco, mentally scolding herself. What was she thinking? Did she actually ask her archenemy if he was in love with her, regardless that she knew if he was it would only be spell-induced romance?
"Ew, if Harry was there then that means that Ron would have…" Ginny shuddered at the sick and twisted thought.
"Ginny! Ginny, oh sweet darling Ginny! Where are you?" She heard a familiar voice call out from her far right. If she thought about it hard enough, she'd have said that it might be Blaise Zabini's voice.
"What do you think you're doing, calling Ginny? You've done nothing but cause trouble for her. She's mine, Zabini. No amount of words from that filthy mouth of yours would ever get her." Harry's enraged voice floated towards her, making her eyebrows to furrow in confusion.
Had Malfoy actually been telling the truth? Maybe he was hit a little by the spell…no, she shouldn't be thinking about him. They hated each other—always had, always will. She really did believe though that he'd be the romantic type, more subtle than usual guys but romantic nonetheless. Ugh, what was wrong with her? She swore to herself that this was only a small crush. She couldn't deny (no one could deny) the fact that he was the hottest person she'd ever seen in her life. Oh Merlin.
She continued walking, hoping that she'd find Hermione and Luna before the guys found her and started some big fight.
"Are you kidding me? Ginevra's mine and you blokes can't do a thing about it." Another voice joined Harry and Zabini's argument.
"You can't be serious, have you seen how she looks at me from across the Great Hall? She's obviously in love with me, not with any of you losers." Was that Seamus Finnegan? Did he really like himself that much? To think that she thought Malfoy to have the most bloated ego in Hogwarts.
"Ginny's mine!"
"No, she's mine! You fuck off!"
"I'm ready to fight each of you for Ginny, you all leave her alone. We've been friends since she started in Hogwarts and you all will never have that."
Suddenly someone pulled her harshly and she could do nothing but try to resist the iron grip on her arm. "Let go of me, you bastard!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping that her friends would hear her cry for help.
"Ginny, your words. Anyway, all I'm asking of you is to tell off all these guys. Let them know once and for all that I have the most right on you and that they have no chance," Harry commanded, ignoring her struggling. She finally gave up then looked up at the guys standing in front of her expectantly.
There was Zabini, Neville, Collin, Dean, Finnegan and about five others including her brother—but he looked as if he was in a daze, as if the spell had a different side effect on him than the others. But still, ew. She recognized a few but couldn't put the names to their faces.
"Um…Harry? You're Pansy Parkinson's." Ginny tried to remind him about his girlfriend of six months before finally getting her arm back.
Harry looked horrified at the thought even if it actually was the truth. The Boy-Who-Lived had fallen for Slytherin's very own Ice Princess when he realized Cho Chang would never like him, Hermione loved Ron and Ginny had given up on him on her fourth year.
She swept her gaze around the group and saw that she knew some of the guys' girlfriends. "Ron, first of all, I am your sister and you liking me is just…disgusting. Second, you're with 'Mione and have been for the last two years, okay?"
She moved her gaze and her eyes fell on the familiar form of Luna's beau. "Zabini, this may surprise you but you're my best friend's boyfriend. You know Luna Lovegood, don't you?" She saw the confusion then the enlightenment on all the guys' faces.
"You're just saying that because you don't want to hurt our feelings. You don't have to do that, Gin. All you need to do is say who you like the best out of all of us so we can finally settle everything," Harry coerced, grinning brightly together with fifteen other boys.
"I'm serious, Harry, all of you. You're hurting your girlfriends, I can't stand that." Ginny glared at each of the guys in front of her.
Terror flashed through all their faces and they all began to talk at the same time.
"Luna Lovegood, eh?" Zabini confirmed with a raise of an eyebrow. Ginny nodded her head hesitantly. The boy started calling out her friend's name and walking away from the group but he didn't look as if he was giving up on her. Dear Merlin, what did she do?
"You said I'm with Parkinson?" Harry also questioned but before she could get a word in, he had already left.
Before long, only Ron and herself were left. She wasn't sure whether she should be happy or wary of her brother's presence. "Don't worry about me, Gin. That spell Zabini cast might have made me think I was in love with you but you're my sister…I think it's already starting to wear off. Just stay away for a while okay?" her brother pleaded with a smile.
She smiled back and walked away from the forest completely. She didn't think it would be a good idea to let him hear her voice just yet.
She thought that she had gotten rid of all the guys, that the spell had worn off just as it had with her brother but that didn't seem like the case when she walked inside the castle.
When she entered the Gryffindor common room, she heard muffled sobs. She noticed a motionless figure on the couch in front of the fireplace. Her knees were brought to her chest with her arms hugging them. She suddenly recognized the blonde hair that couldn't have belonged to anyone but Luna.
"Luna, is that you?" she called out quietly, not wanting to surprise to crying girl. She didn't expect Luna's reaction to her voice. Her slumped form suddenly straightened and she was on her feet before Ginny realized it with her wand pointed towards the redhead.
"Luna, what's wrong?" Ginny asked in fear. She knew that when Luna was in a bad mood, it isn't exactly the greatest plan to point a wand towards the girl as well.
"What's wrong? You actually have the nerve to ask me such a stupid question? Okay then, since you're acting naïve, I'll be a good friend. Do you know what's wrong with me? I'll tell you what's wrong with me! BLAISE DUMPED ME FOR YOU!" she screamed at Ginny, making her wince.
"What in the world are you talking about, Luna? I would never come in between you and Blaise," Ginny defended herself sharply, the infamous Weasley temper sparking and fueling her.
"Of course you wouldn't. Would you like to tell me why he broke up with me then? He made it clear that he couldn't keep on seeing me because he only had feelings for you. Do you know how stupid I feel right now? You've probably been seducing and flirting with him behind my back. How could you, Ginny?" Luna's wand lowered slightly but it was still directed at the only Weasley female.
"I didn't! I swear! Luna, I would never do that to anyone, much less you! Luna, you have to believe me, please?" Ginny frowned when she saw Luna shake her head. Did she really trust Blaise Zabini over her?
"I hate you, Ginny Weasley! I don't know what you gave me to eat to make me want to be friends with you in the first place! How dare you do this to me? Just because you don't have a boyfriend or any source of happiness doesn't mean that you can go and start ruining mine! I never want to talk to you Ginny Weasley, I HATE YOU!" Luna screamed with tears in her eyes.
The other girl couldn't believe what she had just heard. She felt her tears numbing her body and erasing the anger she had felt before. "You…hate me?" Ginny whispered, a lone tear streaming down her cheeks.
The blonde's eyes flashed dangerously under her bangs. "You still didn't get that? I said that I hate you! Now leave!"
Ginny turned around and left the common room, not wanting to be anywhere near Luna Lovegood any time soon. She walked out of the portrait and wiped away the water that had formed and threatened to spill. She had to get things back to normal. That stupid spell was making her life hell.
When she reached a corner, she was met with none other than Pansy Parkinson. A fuming, red-faced, murderous Pansy Parkinson. Suddenly things started to click.
"Please tell me Harry didn't break up with you? Humor me, please?" Ginny cried when she saw the malice in the older girl's glinting eyes.
"I didn't know you were a mind-reader, Weasley," Pansy spat with hatred lacing her words. It seemed hard to believe that this was the same person who hugged her the other day when Slytherin won over Ravenclaw in their Quidditch game.
"Could you please let me walk away here in one piece? I promise to avoid Harry and patch things up between the two of you. I haven't had a good thing happen to me today, Pansy, please?" Ginny saw the sympathy in Pansy's eyes before it was replaced with scorn. It was clear that she was hurt over Harry.
"Fine, I won't hurt you but you better find out why he ended us. He was vague and unreasonable; if I'm going to be dumped the least I deserve is an explanation. Good day to you, Weasley." She left Ginny in the hallway.
--
The next few days were cold and empty to Ginny. The only person who would talk to her was Hermione—to think that she wouldn't have either if Ron didn't snap out of the spell. She asked the brown-haired genius's help to find the counter spell of the one Zabini had cast. But three days after the incident and they still had nothing.
'Mione tried to tell Luna what happened but the girl wouldn't listen. Ginny felt even more depressed when she found out her best friend really didn't want to acknowledge her anymore.
She found herself alone most of the time. She avoided most people; her only haven was her dorm room because she wasn't close with any of the girls there. She went to the Great Hall very early and left just as quick, she walked briskly and made sure that she'd be at the back of the class, away from any of the affected guys and or angry ex-girlfriends.
After her DADA class, her last one for the day, she was already near the portrait leading to her common room when she felt someone behind her. She spun around, wand already in hand. She was surprised when she saw a scowling Draco Malfoy in front of her. Her heart started beating as if she had run a marathon when her eyes took in his handsome face.
"Weasley, have you and Granger found the spell to counter Zabini's?" He frowned even deeper when she shook her head sadly while pocketing her wand.
"If you do, I promise I'll do whatever you want for a month. Well, do you?" she suggested, a desperate feeling clouding over her.
"As tempting as that sounds, Red, I think I'll pass. But no, I don't," he replied bluntly when he saw the Weaslette's eyes light up. Something tugged his heart when he saw his smile; he stomped it down before he could put any thought into it.
She frowned and her shoulders slumped. "Then why are you here?" she questioned blankly.
The other snorted at her absentmindedness. "I wanted to know if you had the spell that would shut Zabini up once and for all." He shrugged.
"Oh, like you're the only one. Luna won't talk to me because Zabini broke up with her and Pansy is out to get me because Harry broke her heart. Not to mention all the glares I get from the girls I walk by. The chocolates, gifts, flowers and letters I get from the guys are driving me up the wall. You have it easy Malfoy, all you had to do was evade the bloody spell and you're all jolly good. I didn't have a say in this and now I'm some kind of…" She didn't even want to finish her sentence.
Malfoy smirked at her.
The truth was that he did get hit by the spell; he wasn't fast enough to defend himself. That was the reason he couldn't stop looking at her, thinking of nothing other than her. Hell, even his dreams were filled with only her. It was driving him insane but he liked it—this was the only time he could indulge himself in his attraction to the red-haired, blue-eyed angel he had noticed in his fifth year.
But he couldn't let her find out. They were born enemies and everything about her went against his principles. Sure, the war ended and his name was cleared when he joined the Light's side but that didn't change her being a Weasley and his being a Malfoy. If his father were still alive, he knew he'd be laughing at him—if he ever laughed, that is.
He now knew how he'd be if ever he was in love. But it was strange because other than a few more thoughts of Ginny Weasley, he couldn't really sense a change in him. No, that couldn't mean that…
He was overanalyzing things, the spell was doing things to him that he didn't appreciate. Damn. He really couldn't stand being with Ginny for long, everything about her just urged him to claim her as his own. He knew that she wouldn't agree with him on that note so he kept what he wanted an arm's length away at all times if possible. But it was taking a toll on him.
To top it all off, Blaise and some others in his circle could do nothing but talk about her. He wanted to Stupefy them all every time they opened their mouths about the redhead. If only he did have a right to call him his, he would curse them to the next century. But he didn't and so he couldn't, no matter how strongly he wanted to.
He admitted to himself that she was beautiful. Not hot, sexy, pretty or any of the other shallow adjectives. He found her breathtakingly goddess-like with her auburn hair, unlike the rest of her family's, deep chocolate brown eyes, pale flawless skin and the few freckles that were scattered across her face. She was the most beautiful girl Draco had ever seen. He wished he could tell her how he felt to be able to look at her everyday but he couldn't.
"Too bad, Weaslette. Tell me when you find the counter spell." He left without saying another word.
Ginny couldn't understand herself. She wanted him to like her then she didn't want him to. One moment she was in love with him and the next all she could think about is how to get revenge. What was wrong with her? She was partly sure that her friends didn't have these kinds of problems with their crushes.
--
Another day came and went and she found herself already in the Gryffindor common room before she realized she had left Professor McGonagall's classroom.
She walked dejectedly towards her dorm, not noticing Harry standing right in front of her. It was too late when she crashed into his stationary body.
"Hey, Gin. We haven't talked for a long time, have we?" he asked good-naturedly. But Ginny knew that he was still under the spell. If he wasn't, he'd be ignoring her right about now.
She shook her head, holding her bag tighter towards her. "You broke up with Pansy, why?" she asked back instead.
Harry looked surprised. "Of course I did, I had to. You said so yourself, you couldn't stand guys who hurt their girlfriends. If I had continued to let Parkinson think that I still wanted her, wouldn't that hurt her when she finds out it's not the truth? I wouldn't want to do anything that could make you mad at me. Honestly, Gin." He smiled at her but it wasn't his usual grin, this one made fear stall her heart. She knew what the black-haired, green-eyed boy could do. He was the one who defeated Voldemort after all.
"Harry, get away from me," Ginny hissed, taking a step backward to make sure he didn't invade her personal space.
Instead of listening to her, he took a step forward. "Why in the world would I do that, Gin?"
Ginny's eyes widened. "Harry, I mean it, don't take another step towards me or else, I swear, I'll throw a curse at you." She didn't want to hurt Harry, she was his friend after all, but if he didn't stop, she'd have no other choice but to do so.
That made him stop for a few seconds or so but he shrugged then moved forward again. He really wasn't taking her seriously.
Suddenly, Harry's hands had death grips on her upper arms, rendering her unable to move. Before long, he crushed his lips on hers and she couldn't stop the tears that spilled and streamed down her cheeks. She struggled with all her might but Harry was much too strong for her. Harry didn't stop kissing her. His arms went to her waist and tightened to a point that she couldn't breathe properly anymore. He started to grope her and touch her in places she never wanted to be touched by him or any other guy who wasn't her husband.
She finally found enough strength to push Harry to the floor. He was too distracted to realize that Ginny had actually gotten away from him.
Ginny darted towards the portrait. It opened a little and she forced her body to fit through it. When she reached the corridor, she started running the fastest her legs could go. She had absolutely no idea where she was headed but she needed to get away from Harry. He looked just about ready to rape her back in the common room.
Where was everybody? Oh shit, she remembered. There was game today, for the first time after classes, and everyone had to be watching. Who was playing again? Oh who cares!
"Ginny! Ginny! Where are you going?" Harry's voice echoed throughout the walls, making Ginny's blood freeze even more.
She didn't answer; she was saving all her energy to try to outrun the boy chasing her. The next thing she realized, she was already on the fields. Most teachers and students were in the stands, cheering for the players, flying gracefully on their brooms. No one seemed to notice her. She was getting irritated. Sure, the game was played in the air but that didn't mean that they had to be blind to everything else around them!
"Get away from me! I said get away from me!" Ginny shrieked hysterically when she saw Harry step onto the grounds.
"Oh, don't be like that, Gin. You know you want me," the boy said in a deeper, huskier tone. He sounded as if he hadn't run after her at all.
Ginny tripped then and she was on her butt when Harry stood over her. 'Damn, this is not a good time to be clichéd, Ginny! You need to get away from him!' she scolded herself as she tried to get away from the wizard towering over her.
"Harry Potter, I said GET THE BLOODY HELL AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her tears continuing their way down their cheeks.
But that didn't stop him from lunging on her and pinning her arms on top of her head. She continued to struggle as he straddled her and tried to grope her again. She didn't notice the collective gasps above or the angry yells of the professors for Harry to stop that instant. In the far background, the guys began to argue about Ginny again but they were overwhelmed by all the screams and shouts to be heard by anyone other than themselves.
"Stupefy!" someone yelled and Harry's eyes rolled back in his head and he became unconscious almost instantaneously.
She continued sobbing as she crawled under Harry to get away from him. She looked at his prone form and shook her head continuously as the pictures of what had happened didn't stop flashing through her head.
"Ginny! Oh Ginny, did he hurt you?" a familiar, comforting voice asked beside her. Ginny turned her head dazedly to the right and saw Luna out of breath but very concerned.
"L-luna?" The tears fell even more steadily now.
"Yes, Gin, it's me. Come on, we need to get you to Madame Pomfrey. Can you stand up?" she asked again before yelling to someone if they could come carry her.
"What did he do to you?" a cold voice inquired after a few numb moments. Ginny felt as if she was literally flying, like on a broom.
She didn't know what it was about the voice that made her want to tell everything but she liked the feeling—and the smooth but angered voice in her ear.
"He tried to kiss me and…grope me. He wouldn't listen and…he just kept on…" Ginny shook her head as if it was too much to bear. Nothing serious happened but the fact that someone she trusted almost raped her made it just as traumatizing as if she actually had been violated.
'That bloody bastard, I'll get him! He better be ready to be blasted off this planet. Who the hell does he think he is, trying to rape Ginny as if he had a valid reason? He'll pay for this. I swear he will fucking pay for this.' Draco snarled in his head, carefully holding unto Ginny as she slowly began to slip into unconsciousness on his broom. Whatever he thought about not liking Ginny flew out of his mind when he saw Potter trying to…
He had to shake his head when his blood started to boil and the urge to kill Scarface intensified. He needed to get Ginny to Madame Pomfrey; he could take care of that sadist later.
"We're almost there, Red. Come on, don't sleep on me now, we need you to be conscious if you want to get better. Red?"
But Ginny was already gone. Though she wasn't completely peaceful, the warm arms embracing her, giving her warmth made her forget of the awful thing that just occurred. She wanted to believe that Draco was the one with her now…but she knew that could never happen.
--
Ginny opened her eyes to a white ceiling. She moved her head slowly, feeling the pain in her neck and temples. Scratch that, everywhere and everything was white.
"I must be in the Hospital Wing," she thought aloud, trying her best to forget what happened.
"Oh, it's good to see you finally awake, dear," Madame Pomfrey greeted, pulling open the curtain that was used to cover her from the rest of the room.
"How long have I been out?" It felt like everything just happened that afternoon.
"This is your fourth day here, Miss Weasley. Though today is a Friday and it is only seven in the morning, I wouldn't advise you to go to class. You have some serious bruises on you neck, arms and legs and they haven't fully healed yet."
"You mean I can leave today?" Ginny asked happily. She just remembered that Luna had talked to her after the incident; she wanted to speak with her as soon as possible.
The older woman looked at her worriedly. "Yes, you can, dear. But first you must drink this." She handed Ginny a vial of some yellow-colored liquid. Ginny opened it and gulped it all down, cringing at the bitter taste that overwhelmed her taste buds.
"Come back if you experience any more pain, alright, dear?"
Ginny smiled and nodded then she looked down on herself. She wasn't wearing the clothes she had on when she ran out into that Quidditch game four days ago! "Um…Madam Pomfrey, how'd I…?" She motioned to her changed clothes—clothes that weren't hers. The outfit she had on was a skirt that reached only to the middle of her thigh and a simple black and silver shirt with swirls. Even the ballet flats on the side of her bed weren't hers.
"Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood came here yesterday to change you into those clothes. Okay, you may leave now, Miss Weasley." She smiled at the younger girl after she checked the papers in her hands.
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey." With that, she tested out her legs and feet before grudgingly wearing the ballet flats and walking out of the Hospital Wing.
She saw Luna and Hermione going in her direction. They didn't seem to notice her. She cleared her throat loudly to catch their attention. When both heads snapped towards her, she saw the smiles that broke out on both of her friends' faces.
"Just where did you get these clothes?" she asked them with mock irritation, the smile on her face giving her away.
"Ginny!" Hermione and Luna exclaimed, running towards their redheaded friend and hugging the life out of her.
"Okay, okay, I know you missed me and all but I do need to breathe too you know?" They let go of her.
"I can't believe you don't recognize that shirt, Gin! You practically forced me to buy it in Hogsmeade about a year ago. 'Mione's won't fit on you so I had to get some of my smaller clothes and that was the only one that would match with the skirt," Luna answered, wrinkling her nose in envy at Ginny's petite frame.
"Oh, and good news, Gin! Professor Dumbledore was able to cast the counter spell on all those guys. Everything's back to normal now," Hermione informed, nudging Luna in the side.
The blonde girl blushed and looked at her friend guiltily. "Yes, Blaise came up to me the other day and said how sorry he was and that he wasn't in control of his actions. But we're back together now!" Luna squealed happily, jumping up and down. Then she stopped and gave Ginny a look that said they'd talk later. Ginny smiled widely at both of her friends.
"I predict that you, Ginny, are going to have a great day today," Hermione commented from beside Luna, making the other girl laugh in understanding. But Ginny was still shocked that Hermione had said something that didn't have a thing to do about logic. Did she really say 'predict' or was she just going crazy?
Just then, two strong arms encircled themselves around Ginny's waist. She was pulled into a lean body that she wasn't familiar with—not that she was familiar with any guy's chest of course. But she wasn't complaining.
"Look at what we have here, little Red's back and kicking," Draco murmured near her ear, making her shiver unconsciously.
She saw that Blaise and Luna were grinning at them. Hermione rolled her eyes but looked approving enough at the guy behind her.
"Um…Malfoy, what are you doing?" Ginny asked quietly, her eyes searching for an answer in any of the three people in front of her. It's not that she didn't like the feeling of being in his arms—it felt quite familiar if Ginny thought about it—but it isn't everyday the guy you secretly love but act you hate hugs you.
"We're back to Malfoy, are we?"
"Mate, she wasn't in her right mind when you asked her. Do you think she still remembers?" Blaise asked with a laugh, looking apologetically at Ginny. She nodded in understanding; she didn't feel angry at him at all.
"Asked me what? Remember what?"
Luna tugged on Blaise's arm before smiling at her and leaving with Hermione close behind. She didn't realize that she was still in Draco's arms until he released her.
He held her hand and led her to the lake. He sat her under one of the trees and went down beside her.
"Don't you have classes today, Malfoy?"
He shrugged. "Don't care."
Ginny rolled her eyes, leaning into the tree trunk behind her.
"Do you honestly have no idea of what Blaise was talking about?" he asked seriously, looking at the pristine lake that glimmered under the sun's golden rays.
"Of course I don't."
"I asked you to be my girlfriend and you agreed," he stated quietly, still not looking at her when he said it.
"What?!" Ginny sat up straight and hit Draco on the arm.
He was forced to look at her with a raised brow. "What was that for? You did, it's not my fault that you said yes," he defended himself.
Ginny blushed as the whole thing came crashing down on her. "Tell me my exact words."
"'Of course, Draco'." He rolled his eyes at her disbelief.
"Malfoy, anyone could say that. Maybe you're mixing me up with one of your other flings." Ginny folded her arms across her chest, wishing her heart would stop beating so wildly. What if he was telling the truth?
"I don't have any other girlfriends, Red."
"I don't believe you, Ferret."
Draco leaned back and rolled his eyes her again. "I'm telling the truth." He looked away, not wanting to see the rejection in her chocolate eyes.
Ginny hesitated briefly. She knew that if she was going to do this and felt something then she knew she could trust him but if she didn't then he was lying. She wouldn't know what to do if the latter happened.
She stood up and Draco's eyes followed her movements. He was surprised when she walked in front of him and kneeled down. "What are you doing?"
Ginny merely shook her head before leaning in to capture Draco's lips. His eyes widened but then softened when he heard her sigh. He quickly took control of the kiss, making sure that it was passionate but soft at the same time; he didn't want to scare her off by letting her feel just how much he wanted to eat her up—metaphorically speaking.
Ginny felt herself being lowered to the warm ground, Draco hands roaming her body lightly. She moaned when one of his hands went up her skirt. Oh wait; she was still wearing Luna's clothes. Who cares anyway? Definitely not her—and undoubtedly not Draco.
He pulled away when the need for oxygen became too much. They were both panting and he looked into her eyes with so much…love. It made Ginny's eyes fill with tears.
Draco saw this and his heart felt broken for the first time. "Why are you crying?" he asked, somewhat coldly.
Ginny only shook her head and brought Draco's body closer to her own. For the life of him, Draco was being surprised by this girl in one day more than any other person in his life.
"I love you, Draco," Ginny whispered, finally understanding the feeling that made her look forward to seeing Draco the next day despite his torturous ways.
The blond's eyes widened, he never thought he'd ever get an answer to his confession when he was watching over her in the Hospital Wing. He realized that he couldn't handle seeing Ginny with anyone other than him that night and whispered what his heart was telling him in her ear. But of course, she was asleep.
He smiled. "I love you too, Ginny."
Ginny was ecstatic, that was the first time he ever called her by her real name! "You called me Ginny!" she cried out joyfully.
"Oh yes, why doesn't it surprise me that you're happier over my saying your name than my confessing that I love you?" he asked sarcastically. He got up and held his hand out for Ginny. He knew that she wasn't ready for an intimate relationship yet. He was willing to wait, at least he had told her of how he felt. He could now breathe well. Plus, he did love how her name felt on his tongue.
Ginny took his hand and stood up as well, fixing her skirt to make sure no one would see what was underneath. "Oh, Draco." She loved saying his name as well; she was looking forward to saying it more and more everyday.
"Oh, what happened to Harry? Is he alright?" she asked when they were walking back to the school. Even if he had hurt her, he was still her friend. Draco understood that, a little. But the ways of Slytherin and Gryffindor were different so the actions he took were within reason…and nature.
"Let's just say that he's been taken care of." Draco wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Ginny leaned into him, enjoying his warmth.
But that didn't stop her from getting a little mad at him. "Draco!"
He laughed for the first time since Ginny met him. How she loved his laugh. She couldn't help but laugh with him, who would have thought that Draco Malfoy had a contagious laugh? She knew Draco had changed into a better person since the war. She trusted him.
"It was fun though," he added with a smile.
"Draco!" Ginny grinned at him as well. Was it her or was all she had in the past two minutes were only his name?
"What? It's true."
"You joking about me being your girlfriend, weren't you? It was just your subtle way of saying you love me." Ginny asked when she remembered how they had confessed to each other earlier.
"No, I was watching over you when you were still unconscious and I had an urge to ask you. So I did, it surprised me actually that you answered back."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Fine, you are my boyfriend now anyway." She stopped walking and turned towards her boyfriend. "You were hit by the spell, am I right or am I right?"
"Well, given those choices, I'd have to say 'or'. Why? What's it to you?" He smirked at his girlfriend fondly.
So he had a sense of humor after all, other than the sarcastic type. Ginny didn't know if that was a confirmation or not so she tried again. "I mean, you couldn't have possibly realized your feelings for me if you hadn't known what it felt like being in love."
"How would you know?"
Ginny winced when she realized how mean she sounded. "Okay fine, I'm sorry. I just really want to know if I could have had a chance with you even without the spell." She bowed her head down, waiting for the inevitably painful answer.
Draco laughed at her. She lifted her head and immediately Draco caught her lips with his own. When they separated, they smiled at each other. "I was hit by the spell." He saw the frown that formed on her lips.
"But the only thing it made me realize was that if I didn't have you, I'd either be locked up in Azkaban or in St. Mungo's sooner than later." He smiled when she hugged him again.
"I love you, Draco."
"I love you, Red."
"Draco!" Again, she seemed only capable of saying his name when she was around him. It felt great!
"What? It's my special nickname for you. It's not an insult, I swear. Your hair is the only one that doesn't have that…" Ginny raised an eyebrow and glared at him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way."
Ginny smiled. "Thanks."
"For what?" Was she thanking him for apologizing? Well, okay, that makes sense.
"For saving me." She smiled gratefully at him, pulling his arm to make him walk again.
"How'd you find out about that?" he asked in a horrified tone. He was sure she didn't see him when he Stupefy-ed Potter. He wasn't sure whether or not he wanted her to think he had a heart.
"You watched over me right? So it's just reasonable to say that you're the one who saved me from Harry." Ginny looked smug but just as beautiful as she always had been.
He rolled his eyes at his own mistake. "I love you, Ginny," he finally gave in, kissing her sweetly on her cheek, their walk never slowing.
She giggled and kissed him back just as sweetly.
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A/N: How was it? Was it any good? I'd love to hear all your comments!