If you can't stand the heat…
Draco had no idea how it had all began, or why it had been allowed to continue, really. She was a Weasley, he was a Malfoy and, possibly because he associated domesticity with House Elves, he had certainly never considered cooking to be a fascinating and oddly alluring activity before. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor optionally spending time together went completely against the natural order of things. Yet, every Tuesday evening Ginevra Weasley and Draco Malfoy skipped dinner and met at eight o'clock in the Hogwarts kitchens.
The House Elves had long had an understanding with Ginny, and whilst they didn't really relish the fact the red-haired witch enjoyed cooking for herself, they appreciated her passion for food. It was in her third year that Ginny had started sneaking into the kitchens and stealing a little bit of space to cook in. It was a way for her to relax, to breathe and to think. It reminded her of home and of comfort. Now, in her sixth year of study, she didn't feel the need to escape there more than one evening a week; she had friends, Quidditch practise, more homework than she dared think about and boys to occupy her time. In fact, she hadn't been there for a couple of weeks the first time Draco had barged in on her cooking a tagine, however, the unexpected meeting had been oddly fun. The next Tuesday, and the Tuesday after that she had made sure she was there, just in case he returned. He always did.
And this was how, three months later, Draco had come to find himself with the sleeves of his crisp white shirt rolled up to his elbows and chopping onions whilst Ginny stood beside him crushing garlic cloves. This evening they were making chilli con carne, a favourite of one of her brothers apparently and a recipe that Weasley matriarch had perfected and taught to her only daughter.
Draco found he rather liked standing next to the petite redhead; being almost a foot taller than her he found he had a perfect view of her ample cleavage, particularly as she had donned a form-fitting t-shirt this evening. The bright blue of the material made her skin creamier and her hair glow brighter than it already was. In fact, the reason he'd stayed first time was because watching Ginny suck lemon juice off her fingertips and bend over to take pitta bread from the oven had been enough to send his hormones into overdrive. The appreciative moans, wayward smudges of flour and the way her little red apron cinched in her waist invaded his day dreams on a regular basis.
He knew he returned every week to watch the fascinating redhead move about the kitchen; her grace and comfort in that space held a kind of sensuality and magic that had nothing to do with her being a witch. However, he had no idea why she accepted his presence every Tuesday evening. Outside of the kitchens they ignored one another, pretending not to notice when they passed each other in the corridors. However, for a few hours a week he became utterly entranced by the sexy redhead and her throaty laughter.
"Do you like spicy food, Malfoy?"
Her large brown eyes danced with mirth.
"Oh, Weasley, you should know I like things hot…"
"Prat."
She shoved him slightly and bustled in between him and the counter to gain access to the onions he'd been dicing. As she scooped them up Draco couldn't help but notice how nice her pert bottom felt grazing the top of his thighs. He felt like a cad for enjoying her seemingly innocent touches but, hey, he was seventeen and she was…female; a rather attractive female.
Attractive for a Weasley, his unconscious thought uncharitably, however there was no malice there anymore.
The onions hit the hot oil with a satisfying sizzling sound; next she scraped in the garlic and added a handful of spices. The spicy, complex aroma filling the kitchen attacked their nostrils causing Ginny to let out a satisfied moan.
"Mmm, isn't that just…scintillating?"
Ginny snuck a peak out of the corner of her eye at the blond, hoping her reaction to the scent of her cooking had caused a reaction within him. She had been trying, and possibly failing, to seduce him for the past couple of weeks. Her tops had become a little tighter, her touches a little more lingering and her sneaky glances up at him a little more coquettish.
Draco cleared his throat and muttered something about the smell being just fine before he took a seat at the large oak table, where the bulge in his black slacks could go suitably unnoticed.
Sighing, Ginny added meat to the pan and browned it off, before throwing in roughly chopped mushrooms, kidney beans and a tin of chopped tomatoes. Glancing behind she noticed that, disappointingly, Draco had starting perusing The Daily Prophet – well, he was actually spending a majority of the time watching her from above said paper but being a fairly stealthy Slytherin she wasn't to know this – and felt something inside her snap. She was aware they came from opposite Houses and families and that, in all reality, they didn't really know much about one another but, damn it, she was attracted to him. Why was he resisting her every attempt at seduction? Why hadn't he made a move yet? She wasn't looking for marriage, for Merlin's sake, she was looking for a spine-tingling, pantie-soaking romp on the heated tiles of the kitchen floor and the bloody obstinate Slytherin wasn't complying!
Ginny Weasley was not a modest young woman. She knew she had her faults; she knew her thighs were bigger than she'd like, she knew her hair was more orange than red, she knew she talked too much and she knew had the temper of a miffed banshee. However, she also knew she had the kind of hourglass figure that made boys stare, that she could flirt like a siren and that she certainly was not the most unattractive girl that had, had a dalliance with Draco Malfoy. So why in the name of Circe was he being so difficult about this?
Being somewhat in possession of a Hippogriff-like pride, Ginny was feeling a little vengeful about being thoroughly snubbed by the blond and decided he could use a little punishment. Despite his earlier words, Ginny was well aware that Draco's delicate taste buds could not handle an overt amount of spice. Poor sod.
Into two large bowls Ginny spooned a heap of steaming rice, a couple of ladles full of chilli and drizzled some sour cream on top. Before handing Draco his meal, however, she picked up the tiny vial of habanero pepper essence which was the key ingredient in her mother's recipe but knowing she'd be cooking with Draco she had planned on forgoing this element. Without hesitation Ginny liberally sprinkled the fiery sauce onto the blond's portion and placed it in front of him, leaning over the table and giving him an eyeful (which he dutifully ignored) before settling down before her own meal.
"Thanks, Weasley, this smells great." Draco flashed a flirtatious smile; he had decided, whilst sat watching the redhead work, that if he was ever going to get a little taste of Ginevra Weasley herself he was going to have to charm – not literally – the pants right off her.
"Of course it does, Malfoy. Some of us have talents that extend beyond resting on our laurels!"
Draco was certain he neither had, nor rested, on laurels of any kind but hearing a little more bite in the redhead's quip than he had done for some time he chose not to continue the verbal sparring. Besides, he was far too hungry. Digging his spoon into the mountain of chilli, Draco took a mouthful so big that he was certain his mother would have died of shame had she seen him (not that the fact he was sitting opposite a Weasley, in a kitchen and had been said Weasley's sous chef this evening would have made her entirely comfortable anyway). The heat and spice didn't hit him straight away; there was a tangy flavour and a creaminess first but then came a sharp, poisonous kind of heat on his tongue. It felt as though his mouth were being stung with sour spice. Not caring how undignified he looked Draco spat out the mouthful, sputtering and coughing as he did so.
Ginny watched, amused. The blond's eyes had begun to tear up and he was actually sweating from the heat of one spoonful (which was to be expected as Molly Weasley only put three drops of the essence into an entire cauldron full of chilli).
"Weasley! What the hell!" As he downed his glass of water, Ginny's amusement had turned to uncontrollable laughter. It shouldn't be funny and she knew she shouldn't be cruel but the sight of Draco Malfoy with water dribbling down his chin as he attempted to waft air into his mouth with his hands was a sight she'd treasure forever.
Tears of mirth now rolling down Ginny's cheeks she finally felt Draco had been punished enough. He currently had his head directly beneath the tap, gargling massive gulps of water and spitting it back into the sink.
Dignified Malfoy genes, her freckled arse.
The House Elves had gone into hiding, either fearing Draco's reaction if he caught them giggling or just fearing Draco's pepper induced rage. Ginny opened a couple of cupboards before finding what she was looking for; coconut milk.
"Sure, sure, I'd love a bloody pina colada…just the ticket, Weasley!"
"How, in the name of Godric Gryffindor, do you still have the capacity for sarcasm?"
Pouring the milk into a small tumbler, she approached Draco.
"Look, stop rinsing now. Drink this." Her voice had become softer now, more tender. Draco's bloodshot watery eyes, and pink cheeks made him seem more innocent somehow, and it tugged at something within her.
He straightened up and accepted the glass, sipping tentatively.
"Sit down, Draco. Calm down." Not registering his surprise at the use of his given name he obeyed her and took his seat back at the table, pushing the infernal chilli as far away from himself as he could. The heat was beginning to dull. He watched as Ginny peeled a carrot, not having the energy to question her motives but finding himself fascinated with her graceful movements all over again. Well. Her graceful movements and her arse he admitted to himself.
Ginny sat upon the table, her feet propped up on Draco's chair between his legs.
"Here, take a bite of this."
Draco looked sceptical.
"It'll help get rid of the last of the burn, I promise."
Not knowing why he had come to trust the redhead so much he took the proffered vegetable and took a large bite. It made a satisfying crunch beneath his teeth and, true to Ginny's word, the last of the burn subsided.
"I guess I was a little liberal with the spices…"
Her words seemed contrite but the pink flush on her cheeks and the mischief dancing in her large brown eyes seemed to give her away. He wasn't quite sure why she'd felt the need to overload the dish with spicy pepper but he was certain – knowing her and her skills in the kitchen – that it would not have been a mistake.
"Well, lucky you had a few handy tips on how to fix it…even if it did take you a good five minutes to stop laughing first!"
"Oh, poor darling," her pink lips had formed an exaggerated pout, "anything else I can do to make you feel better?"
Draco stood, his face now inches away from Ginny's, and placed his hands on the table either side of her thighs. Ginny swallowed.
"You know, Ginny, I have heard of something that seems to have healing powers that I think might be just the ticket…"
"Oh?"
And without responding, Draco's tingling lips found hers. She froze for a second then seemed to awaken, her hands clutching at his neck, her legs wrapping themselves around his hips pulling him to her. His tongue danced along her lips, begging access to her mouth. Draco had been fantasizing about this for weeks; her taste, her smell. His hands ran over her bum and up her spine, firmly holding the redhead to him. He could feel her breasts heaving against his chest as he dragged his hand through her silky hair. Finally needing breath the two pulled away from their embrace, not quite being able to bring themselves to completely untangle their limbs from one another, Draco still had his hands upon Ginny's hips whilst she clutched at the front of his shirt. Their heavy breathing filled the kitchen.
"That's a great tip, Draco, but you know what they say…if you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen!" She giggled softly, mirth dancing across her features.
"I'll show you heat, you little witch!"
And he captured her mouth with his once more.
End
A/N: So this was written for the D/G Forum's Free Word Challenge. It's way over the word limit.
My words were pepper, spicy and tip.
Also, if you love Draco/Ginny fics we've been having a fic exchange over on the forum meaning there's lots of excellent new stuff to read/vote for so go check it out – there's a link on my bio page!
Tash.