Unrequited
Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was knotted in a ridiculous mess around her shoulders as she rushed into the Common Room. She kept her gaze lowered on the floor, hoping that no one would stop her as she brushed past the few stranglers not yet in their beds as she made her way to her own. Only a few steps away from the girls' dormitories and his voice rang out across the way, causing her to stop dead in her tracks.
"Where have you been all night?" There was a suspicious tone in his voice, as though he knew perfectly well where she had just come from, and for a fleeting moment, she felt her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of crimson than what they were at present. As she whirled around on her toes to face him, she boldly folded her arms across her chest.
"Why should it matter to you where I've been? Keeping tabs on me now, are you?" she practically spat the words at him, so angry as she was to have to be answering to him, of all people.
The pair of them stood their ground, staring each other down until he finally broke the silence, deciding to be the bigger person. The words came out a little softer this time, though it was still quite clear to her that he was forcing himself to remain calm. "I'm not keeping tabs on you, it really doesn't matter to me where you've been. You just look like hell and I was wondering what had happened."
She lifted her chin a little higher, sniffing at the thought of him really being worried about her. Please. He was only prying her for information, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing her true whereabouts for the evening. It was none of his business if her cheeks had reddened from the secret, passionate kisses she had been given seconds before. Nor was it any of his concern if her hair was wild and frizzy because of the way her beau's fingers had gotten tangled in the long strands as they fondled each other frantically, knowing the risk of them getting caught together at that moment was great.
"Thanks for worrying about me," she mumbled sarcastically as she turned back around to continue on towards her bed, "but I was down in the library and got shooed away by Madam Pince in a hurry. I didn't want to linger in the halls and have Filch chasing after me...you know how that goes..."
She tossed a casual glance back over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing at him before she slipped behind the door of the girls' dormitory and left him staring after her. The other girls in her room where already nestled into their beds, the soft and steady rhythm of their breathing a good indication that they were fast asleep. Quickly, she discarded her robes and pulled her nightgown down over her head before slipping between the sheets.
A tiny sigh escaped her lips as she settled back onto her mattress, her hands toying absentmindedly with the covers as she stared up at the ceiling, picturing him. No matter what she did, the boy was always on her mind and she found it most difficult to concentrate on anything. She knew her friends were really starting to take notice of her suddenly strange behavior, but she didn't seem able to control herself, or her thoughts.
During mealtimes, she would completely zone out of the conversations going on around her so that she could replay the last conversation she had with him, over and over again. Once or twice, she had even laughed upon remembering something sweet and funny he had said to her, only to get dirty looks from the others as apparently, something that they had said was definitely not a laughing matter. Even her grades were starting to slip, and that was something that was entirely out of the ordinary for her.
Rolling onto her side, she forced her eyes shut and tried to clear her mind, willing her brain to shut down and fall into a deep sleep. But the harder she seemed to force thoughts of him away, the more those thoughts seemed determined to ruin what could have otherwise been a pleasant night. Now, however, she would be forced to toss and turn, managing only a few hours of sleep and awaking the next morning with dark circles looming underneath her eyes.
When at last she didn't think she could take the sleepless torture a moment longer, she kicked the covers off of her body and darted across the room to press her ear against the door. All was quiet outside, and the other girls in her room were still snoring their pretty little heads off. It was now or never.
Not even giving her brash behavior another thought, she pulled open the door and crept down towards the Common Room. There was a dim light shining under the crack in the door, but when she stuck her head out into the room, it was seemingly deserted. A mischievous smile crossed her face and she hurried over to the door to shove it open. She ignored the rude comments the Fat Lady called back at her for disturbing her sleep once more and continued on down the hall to where she had met with him earlier that evening – their secret place.
It was definitely dangerous the way they held their secret meetings right in the middle of Hogwarts at nightfall, with Filch patrolling the halls and coming within inches of catching them, but perhaps being caught was part of the thrill of their love. It was adventurous and wild and totally uninhabited. There was no chance of them meeting in a more public and dignified manner, as someone would be sure to spot them and then all hell would break loose at seeing them together.
As she reached the landing between the two knights, she backed herself up between them, letting the shadows cloak her from the eyes of any passers by – not that it would do her any good if Mrs. Norris was lurking around. She held her breath, tittering on the edge as she wondered whether or not he too would risk coming down to their place once again in the hopes of finding her waiting for him. At that exact moment, she could hear footsteps echoing down the hall and she squeezed her eyes shut, her hands flying up to cover her mouth lest she scream from the anticipation building up inside of her.
Warm hands brushed across her middle, immediately making her heart pound harder and faster inside her chest. Without opening her eyes, her hands instinctively found their way to wrap around his neck, drawing him in closer to her so that she could deepen the kiss with her tongue. She felt a tiny breeze flutter across her skin, as though something heavy had fallen down around their feet, but she wasn't bothered at that moment to see what it had been.
Her fingers tugged gently on the ends of his hair, silently begging him to stop teasing and give her more of the ecstasy he was offering. His tongue toyed playfully with hers, a low giggle erupting from the back of her throat. These kisses were far from the heated and erotic ones he had given her less than an hour before, but she was enjoying them all the same. Every time he touched her, he ignited a new sensation and feeling inside of her body.
The sound of footsteps echoing down the hall filled her ears once more and a tiny gasp escaped her throat as thoughts of Filch grabbing hold of them flooded into her mind. Her beau seemed to be thinking the same thing, as she felt his body stiffen against hers when the sound drew nearer and nearer to the spot where they were hiding. She was silently willing whoever it was to just go away and leave them in peace, but when the sound still did not fade, she was forced to open her eyes.
It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the shadows, and he was already stepping out into the light when she let out an ear-piercing shriek that was sure to draw Filch's attention if he wasn't already headed their way. Her blood was boiling up inside of her as she advanced towards him, he who had only moments before pressed those soft lips of his against her own.
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" she spat the words at him, pointing an accusatory finger in his direction. She no longer cared about the penalties of being caught. Let Filch spot them. Let all her friends catch her. Who cared?
Confusion clouded his eyes as he took a step back, running a hand through his hair. Clearly, he was at a loss for words. He gave a tiny shrug of his shoulders, before responding, "What do you think I'm doing? Why did you sneak down here in the middle of the night? You were snogging me too, you know!"
The sound of footsteps stopped and out of nowhere a silhouette formed at the end of the corridor. They could not clearly make out the face from the distance, but it was evident that the intruder was not Filch. It was then that the trespasser made his presence known.
"KISSING?" his voice bellowed down the hall towards them. "Did I catch that last part right, the two of you were KISSING?"
He was now advancing towards them quickly, his hands balled up into fists as his side. Her eyes widened in shock as the two boys faced each other, wands held at the ready. "No!" she shouted angrily, forcing them apart to put herself in-between them as she looked back and forth at them wildly. "Stop it, both of you!"
"Stop what? I wasn't the one kissing him."
She shook her head. "You don't understand. I thought he was you!" She pointed her finger at the other, a scowl immediately crossing his face as she glanced down at the cloak clutched tightly in his spare hand. "You ass."
The rage boiling inside her was about to explode. She couldn't believe the audacity of that git to use his Invisibility Cloak to sneak up on her, and then pretend to be someone who he clearly wasn't. What in hell had he been thinking to do something like that to her?
"You expect me to believe that shit? After finding you the way I did? You must think I'm stupid, Weasley." His eyes flashed dangerously as he lifted his wand a little higher, the incantation only but a whisper on his lips. The look on his face was deadly and Ginny knew he was serious. The only reason he had yet to mutter the spell was the fact he was battling his emotions for her and his dislike for him, weighing the outcomes in his head.
"Draco," Ginny's voice was a soft whisper as she pleaded with him. He cast one vicious look in her direction before lowering his wand and quickly turning on his heel as Mrs. Norris brushed impatiently against his ankles. "Just wait," he muttered under his breath and took off in the opposite direction.
Ginny was half tempted to chase after him, but knew that it was no use. Whatever magic had been between them was no more, the spell had been broken. She would no longer have a few stolen kisses with him in the corridors between classes. She would no longer look forward to finding him waiting for her after classes. She would no longer have him, period.
The feelings that she knew she shouldn't have been feeling for Draco were magnified that much more by knowing that she definitely could and would not have him now. Her eyes shot daggers at Harry as she turned back to say something to him, then decided he wasn't worth the effort. She was half way up the corridor before his angry voice chased after her.
"All this time you've been putting me off for Malfoy?" Harry shouted bitterly. Ginny stopped at his words, turned back around to face him, an annoyed glare crossing her face.
"Grow up, Harry. Get over your childish fantasy of being with me. It will never happen. And now, thanks to you, I'll never get what I want either."
