Her laugh was what he noticed first of all. But in his Slytherin mind set, he learned to hate that sparkling laughter that filled the halls as she glided by with her group of friends. He detested the rich, warm sound that reverberated from her chest, and despised the wide, loving smile that enveloped her face. But secretly he knew he was only kidding himself.
Day by day he would notice how much he would look forward to hearing that sound that heralded her presence in the Great Hall. How he would search for her in a crowd, and how he could now spot that long ginger hair from a mile away. He hadn't liked to dwell on what these things could mean. He had convinced himself long ago that he could not like a blood traitor; he could NOT love a Weasley. But now… he was not so sure.
If he hadn't known better, he would have said that Ginny Weasley had hexed him to forever desire her, but this seemed extremely unlikely, especially as she didn't even notice him. And oh how that information stung him! He was a Malfoy, he was used to being respected, served and feared, how could this girl, this…. Weasley act as if he didn't even exist! And there it was again… the ache, the longing, the desire that, he decided, was entirely of his own making. He hated feeling this way, the unrequited love burning in his chest until he felt he would die unless he saw her.
Today he was with his usual cronies Crab, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson; they were exiting the Great Hall after lunch with the intention of heading back to the Slytherin common room. The four of them were striding out of the hall, when suddenly he heard it…. The laughter he both cherished and loathed. This was followed by of flash of red that he saw gliding towards him, the golden richness of that hair flowing from her shoulders like a waterfall of rose petals. The world all but stopped as he saw her, flanked by some of her Gryffindor friends and Loony Lovegood. Those soft lips curved in a divine smile. Draco stopped moving, stunned at her beauty. She was walking directly towards him, and he relished every moment, imagining that she was doing this only for him. His well trained emotions were fighting to react to the spectacle in front of him, but his Malfoy iron grip was resolved, and as a result his face maintained its disinterested expression. She was still walking towards him, but didn't seem to notice this at all. Damn that girl! Did she see him at all!
She was still smiling at one of her friends, but slowly, (maddeningly slowly in Draco's eyes) she turned her face forward, and saw the small ensemble of Slytherins that had stopped by the entrance to the Great Hall. She searched each face one by one almost as if searching each for malice. She was searching his face now, and he felt his knees buckle under her scrutiny. His over powering sense of want broke through his iron grip, and as she looked at him in his ice blue eyes, his need for her poured from its perpetual prison and flowed into his eyes.
She saw. She saw how much he wanted her, how much he loved her. She blinked and gasped. Unable to believe what she had seen… he loved her! She found her self feeling faint at the intensity of his gaze, and she wordlessly spoke his name. He saw how she mouthed that word, Draco, but never before had it meant so much to him. The way she looked at him, it was as if she had just woken up from a long sleep, it was as if she were looking at him for the first time. She was still walking, but neither of them seemed to notice. She walked past him now, their eye contact broken briefly. Draco turned, unstoppably and watched her walk away, she turned to and watched him until eventually she was out of sight.
"Oh my, my! Did you see the way that Weasel was looking at Draco!" It was the shrill voice of Pansy, as she smirked after the group of Gryffindors. She looked at Draco, who had somehow managed to wrestle his emotions under control again.
"She bloody wishes!" he said, in a non-plussed voice, "I don't care for Weasels." The other three snickered and the Slytherins made their way back to their common room.
Back in the hall, it was Luna of all people who mentioned something to Ginny.
"Did you see Malfoy? He looked at you. He looked like he was in pain…"
In pain…thought Ginny, yes he was in pain.
"I wonder if he was attacked by a Nargle," continued Luna, "I mean they traditionally like mistletoe but they do attack when provoked in dark places."
Dark places. That sounds like Malfoy, thought Ginny.
Draco was in a dark place, but not one of his making. He was in the Owlery posting a letter home. It was barely sunrise, but he was accustomed to getting up this early due to the rigorous totalitarian regime that his father enforced at home. He was glad that his father did not know what was going on inside him at that particular moment; he'd have some choice words about the way he was feeling that's for sure. He tied on the scroll with deadly precision, and watched as the bird swooped out of the window heading for the Malfoy Mansion. He waited for a moment enjoying, the isolation and the quiet of the dark room. He was not left alone for long however.
The door to the Owlery opened slowly, and he noticed that her ginger hair looked almost black in the dim light. He froze, not knowing where to put himself. She stepped into the dark room and saw that she was not alone. She gasped uncontrollably when she recognised who it was. She hadn't seen since that moment in the corridor. Draco, turned away from her, but made no suggestion that he was going to leave. Ginny, sighed, and turned to grab an owl in order to send her own note home. There seemed to be only one owl left, and it appeared to be sleeping. Ginny was unwilling to wake it from its slumber but had no option other than to do so. Reluctantly she prodded the bird; it did not seem to enjoy its sudden awakening and lashed out at Ginny's out stretched hand with its sharp claws. Ginny let out a short cry of pain as it ripped through the skin on the back of her hand. At this unexpected cry, Draco turned round to investigate.
He saw her huddled over clutching her hand which was rapidly becoming engulfed with blood. Without thinking, he moved over to her and asked if she was okay.
She looked puzzled at first, puzzled that this Malfoy, this Slytherin was being so concerned for her well being. But soon the pain was so much she didn't care; all she wanted was someone to help. He reached up gently and took her hand. He saw her wince in pain as he took it, but her eyes stayed with him. They watched him take out a handkerchief and place it ever so carefully on the wound, the white almost immediately turning crimson.
He took her injured hand and placed it firmly between both of his own. Draco stared longingly into Ginny's eyes and said,
"We have to keep pressure on it to stop the bleeding." Ginny nodded with understanding but the pain was etched distinctly in her expression. A single tear escaped from her eye. Draco watched in awe, as the tear fell slowly down her cheek, he followed its glistening path down to her mouth; there it clung, suspended in time. He found he could not stop himself, he leaned over to her face and kissed away her tear, as if trying to kiss away her pain, for he would have done anything to make her smile at that moment… the moment where she was only his.
He slowly pulled away, trying to relish the moment. He could still taste the salt of her tear on his lips. He looked into her eyes and was met with a mess of confusion.
Oh god, he thought… what have done! How could he have risked so much of himself just for the taste of her tear? This was no calculated move; he had moved with instinct and not thought about his actions. His usual calm demeanour was a long lost memory and now he was in a fit of emotional turmoil.
"I am so sorry." He said without thinking and turned his face away from her. He could almost hear his father's disapproval at these words. "WHY ARE YOU APOLOGIZING TO A WEASLEY!" he was yelling. But Draco did not care anymore. He had suppressed his feelings for her for too long now.
Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly felt something touch his cheek. It was Ginny's slender hand, it was caressing his face. She gently turned his face back towards her. As she did she leaned her face forwards, she paused as their lips were no more than a millimetre apart. Draco looked deep into her eyes and saw no fear. His breathing deepened, as she tormented him with being so close. The very air around them seemed to quiver with excitement, as a small smile formed on Ginny's lips. With anticipation pulsing through his veins, and the tension mounting, Draco fought back the urge to ravage her immediately.
Ginny, who was running on a sudden explosion of lust, gently leaned that millimetre further. Their lips barely brushed each other as she tenderly kissed his bottom lip. Feeling her soft lips against his skin caused a torrent of feelings, ranging from a breathless skip of his heart, to a thousand tiny explosions to occur under his skin. He gasped uncontrollably as she pulled away, he realised suddenly that he was panting for breath. He had never been reduced to this state before by a single kiss, he saw the control Ginny held over him and smirked at the realisation that he had never been under anyone's power like this before.
Perhaps it was time to assert his authority.
With no time to waste, he grabbed Ginny firmly and kissed her again. But this was unlike the first tender touch they shared; this was far more passionate but he needed her, he wanted her. He had to feel her warmth, the softness of her skin, the soft shudders of pleasure that his body made because of her contact. Ginny gave in to his advantages and kissed back with equal passion. Parting her lips slightly, enjoying the feeling of their increased closeness, soon the kiss became more than a kiss and Draco's hands wandered over Ginny's body. There exchange became more heated, and Draco lifted Ginny into his arms, he backed her against the old wall of the Owlery always kissing her fervently. Draco pinned Ginny's arms above her head. Ginny did not resist. He couldn't seem to get enough of her; he wanted her close to him. Draco brought his hands up to meet Ginny's and tenderly caressed her. Ginny winced slightly as he cradled her injured hand. He held her hands against the wall for a moment, but then their fingers linked together as the initial lust subsided, and a gentle, calm feeling passed through them both. Draco pulled away from her… they were both panting this time. Draco's ice blue eyes were searching Ginny's and what he witnessed there he would never forget. They were wide and beautiful. They invited him in to share her soul. And there…a flicker, a spark, a glimmer of some powerful emotion that he did not see much of in his life. It invited him to stay, to be warm, and safe, and desired. She wanted to love him, just as he loved her…
The bell rag and the class rooms emptied. The whole student body of Hogwarts seemed to be crammed into the narrow hall ways, everyone trying to fight their way to the Great Hall for lunch. A familiar sound caught Draco's attention…. That accursed laughter, that brilliant smile. He turned and saw her; he recalled the taste of her mouth, that look in her eyes, the touch of her skin… Draco touched his own skin… the deep scar on his left arm, that revolting skull the mouth wide and repulsive with the snake protruding. The Dark Mark. It ached slightly, and he stared at it with disgust… she would never be his now… he would never allow it.