I don't know what inspired me to write another one-shot, but I didn't feel like writing to Playing With Fire, due to lack of inspiration.

So, here is a Draco/Ginny one shot for all of you who would like to read it. Have fun, kiddies!

This story just kind of disregards the happenings in the book, because I don't feel like messing with Voldemort and all his stupidness. It's just kind of a sappy drabble I wrote in a matter of no time. It was originally called 'The Bet' but I thought that was rather boring, and didn't hold up to my fics being name after songs, so I changed it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A bet.

It had all started with a stupid bet. It was never meant to come this far. He wasn't supposed to feel for her. Not like this.

If he had known when things began that they would end this way, he never would have accepted the wager. Bedding the youngest Weasley for his best friend's new broom? It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. A win-win situation for him. What better way was there to piss off the famous Harry Potter and prove Zabini wrong all at once?

And that was just it, there wasn't one.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Good evening, Weaslette," Draco drawled lazily, approaching her while she did her Prefect rounds for the night.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't you be in your dorm, Malfoy?" she asked tiredly, lacking the energy to have a full-on argument with him.

"Head boy, love. I don't have to be in my dorm when I don't feel like it," he said, flashing an obnoxious smirk her way.

"Well, your holiness, could you go be Head Boy somewhere else?" Ginny asked shortly. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now."

Draco frowned. "Oh? I'm to be dealt with, am I?" he said in a dissatisfied tone. "I'm not sure I like that."

"Yeah?" Ginny replied boredly. "Well, I'm not sure I care."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In the beginning it had been a difficult endeavor for him. He wasn't expecting her to be so hard to crack. She had walls built up around her, which seemed increasingly impossible to break.

But Draco willed himself not to give up. No, he wouldn't give Zabini the satisfaction.

Finally when he thought he was running a hopeless cause, she caved into him and they became friends.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Why are teachers so awfully against their students?" Ginny asked in a groaning voice, letting her head tilt back over the edge of her chair. She sighed, staring at the dark ceiling, where little light was reflecting.

Draco laughed while twirling his quill between three fingers, hovering over the table. "Because it's their job," he replied coolly. "They were trained to make our lives hell."

Ginny leaned up and studied his smirking face, letting her eyes wander to his loosened tie. It was nearly ten thirty, and she was in the library alone with Draco Malfoy.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, breaking her thought train. Her eyes snapped up to meet his.

"Nothing," she replied, gently massaging the bridge of her nose, directly between her eyes. She had a headache from a few hours before which would not leave her alone. Her eyes were beginning to droop. "I should get to bed. I've got Potions early tomorrow."

Draco nodded, leaning back to stretch in his chair. "Same time tomorrow, then?" he asked when the legs of his chair were firmly in place on the ground. She nodded, yawning as she did so, causing Draco to chuckle softly. "Go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, Weaslette."

She nodded and stood, slinging the strap of her bag over her shoulder. "Yeah, tomorrow," she said. "Night Malfoy. I still hate you, just so you know."

"No worries," he responded, an idle smirk still on his lips. "I still hate you too."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It had become a regular parting salutation for them, though neither could remember who had started it. Every night they met to study, talk and just sit in the solitude of the others presence. The declaration of hatred each night was just an insurance policy that neither was getting in too deep. They knew whatever either might feel just couldn't be.

But that didn't stop them from feeling it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"What do you think Hogsmeade is like at midnight?" Ginny wondered aloud on a late December night over Christmas holidays. They had both stayed in the castle, for reasons they kept to themselves.

Draco shrugged. "Quiet, I would imagine. Nothing would be open," he said.

Ginny looked over at him and without thinking twice, jumped up and grabbed his wrist. "Come on, let's go," she said hastily, picking up her Gryffindor cloak.

"Go where?" he asked confusedly, picking up his Slytherin cloak anyway. She pulled him out of the library. "Where are you taking me?"

"We're going to Hogsmeade," she said with a glowing expression on her face. Draco tried to shake it from his head, but could not help admiring her beauty and bubbling fascination with the simple things in life.

"Are you crazy?" Draco asked incredulously. They were already heading down the hallway leading to the front doors of Hogwarts.

Ginny shrugged, throwing a grin back at him. "That's the general consensus," she said. "But I've never been officially diagnosed."

Draco couldn't help but laugh to himself at the girl's antics. When they stepped outside he took in a sharp breath. "Merlin, Weasley," he said incredulously. "It's freezing out here!"

"Ginny," she corrected, letting go of his wrist.


"What?" he asked, obviously confused.

Ginny sighed. "I said Ginny. Call me Ginny," she said. "It is my name, after all."

"Fine. It's freezing out here," he said again and then hesitated for a few moments. "Ginny."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Beside him she stirred, her eyes still closed. Draco shifted slightly, tightening his arm around her waist. He closed his eyes once more, letting his thoughts drift back to the night in Hogsmeade.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Merlin, it's beautiful," Ginny said, her eyes dancing with the lights lining the snow-covered streets of Hogsmeade. They were standing three inches apart, her eyes on the street, his on her.

"Yeah," he said dazedly in agreement, though he wasn't sure they were talking about the same thing.

Ginny took his hand without thinking, causing his heart to beat faster. "Let's see if anything is open," she said, beginning to walk. He went along with her.

"I wouldn't count on it," he said, looking around at the countless buildings with locked doors and lights turned out. As they walked, one stood out to him. "Hey, the Three Broomsticks is still open. Want to get a drink?"

"Sure," Ginny said, nodding at the idea. Her mouth was curved into a delicate smile.

Draco ignored the squirming sensation in his gut and lead her into the pub. He directed her toward a table in a dimly lit corner by a window and they were soon approached by Madam Rosmerta. Ginny ordered a hot chocolate and Draco ordered coffee. As they drank, they talked.

"Why are you so nice to me?" she asked him, looking up as she stirred her hot chocolate.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked stupidly, swallowing his mouthful of scalding coffee.

Ginny shrugged. "I just mean that you used to hate me. And you always said mean things to me. And then a couple of months you talked to me out of the blue," she said. "And now you're nice. And we're friends."

He shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "You're different than I thought you were."

She smiled. "Yeah. So are you."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Draco continued in his task however, constantly reminding himself that he was simply working toward his goal to win the bet. Blaise scoffed when he protested, claiming to have no feelings for Ginevra Weasley. It would still be some time before he realized how strong his 'nonexistent' feelings were.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The pair made it back to the castle and stood outside. Ginny was admiring the snow, and the way the light hit the lake, which was completely frozen over. Draco tipped his head to one side.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked.

Ginny shrugged and turned back to him. "I guess I'm a little cold," she said. "Why? Are you?"

He nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Let's go inside. My common room is empty. We can go in there, if you want?"

"Sure," Ginny said compliantly, not thinking twice. He turned to move inside the castle, but she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Wait," she said softly, not skipping a beat as she leaned up and kissed him softly.

After moments of hesitation, he kissed her back, taking in the splendor of her lips on his. She tasted like chocolate, and he couldn't get enough.

"Draco," Ginny breathed, minutes later. Their bodies were close, leaned against the railing of the steps leading to Hogwarts' front doors.

"Yeah?" Draco breathed back, his hands on her hips.

Draco's eyes ran over her face for moments. Her cheeks were flushed, nose red, and lips swollen. She was beautiful, and his heart skipped when she said, "I want you."

He nodded a bit too desperately, his mind wandering to his bet with Blaise for only a few seconds. "My dorm?" he asked. She nodded and he pulled her inside. It seemed like less than a minute later they were bustling into his bedroom and locking the door.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After that night they continued to spend time together, though it was then a bit more public than before. Blaise questioned Draco, wondering why he would bother with her after he'd won the bet. Draco shrugged it off as a good shag here and there, but was surprised when she stopped showing up for their late night rendezvous' in the library, and no longer looked at him when she hastily passed in the hallway.

Something was most certainly not right.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He caught her in the hallway on a Friday night, doing her rounds. It was late, and she looked like a zombie. Her hair was in a messy pony tail, her face pale and eyes now accommodating dark purple bags beneath the redness.

"Where have you been?" he asked, finally catching up with her. She kept walking, but his fingers stretched out to grip her upper arm. "Ginny. Stop."

She turned around and looked at him, her eyes hollow and angry. "What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked in a biting voice.

Draco was taken aback. Why was she so angry? He searched his mind, trying to remember anything he might have done to set her off. He thought of nothing. His eyebrows creased and he looked at her confusedly. "What's wrong?" he asked. "You haven't met me in over a week."

"What's your point?" Ginny asked, eyes blaring.

What had he done? His heart quickened slightly. "What's gotten into you?" he asked shortly, beginning to grow agitated at her sudden attitude.

"Not you lately, thank Merlin," she snapped, yanking her arm away from him.

"I'm so unbelievably lost right now, so I would advise that you start explaining what crawled up your arse and died," Draco shot back at her, crossing his arms.

Ginny's eyes flared, her cheeks reddening with anger. "Don't talk to me like that, Draco," she demanded in a fiercely intense voice. He knew she was serious, but his agitation continued to grow.

"Then tell me what the bloody hell is wrong with you!" he roared at her. Ginny nearly jumped back. He had never raised his voice to her in the months they had been friends, or whatever it was that they were to each other.

"You want to know what's wrong? Fine. I'll tell you," she snapped, speaking quickly. "Ron was in the library the other day, looking for Hermione and he heard voices, talking quietly in a corner. So in traditional Ron Weasley fashion, he eavesdropped. And surprise, guess who it was?" Draco stared at her blankly, his heart rate pounding. "What? No guesses from the all-knowing Malfoy?" Again, he stared at her with nothing to say, squirming beneath her boring eyes. "Well then I'll tell you. It was you and Zabini talking about some kind of bet."

Draco's jaw dropped.

"Do you want to explain, Malfoy? Or should I just hex you now and get it over with?" she asked pointedly, her hands on her hips. "When were you going to tell me that you were pretending to like me just to get in my pants, huh?"

He shook his head. "Ginny, it's not what you think," he said hastily. He was lying though. It was exactly what she thought.

Ginny stepped back. "Don't ever talk to me again, Malfoy," she said in a deathly low voice. Without another word, she turned on her heel and stomped away from him.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He had tried, harder than he thought he could, to comply with her demand. After nearly a month though, it was not working for him. He had already won his bet, but something felt empty. He didn't care about the broom that was sitting, unused, next to his bedside. He missed her.

His wits were still up to speed, however, and he knew that approaching her would worsen the situation. It was nearly April and they still hadn't spoken.

He knew what he had to do.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-


Draco sat quietly in the corner of the co-ed locker rooms, staring at the big green bow tied around the handle of Blaise's broom. With patience, he waited until the door swung open and a lone Gryffindor strode in, looking tired. Her eyes widened tremendously when she saw it. Wasting no time, Ginny picked up the broom and searched for a card or signature of any type. Upon finding none, she spun around and searched the room.

Her eyes darkened considerably. "From you?" she asked with a spot of venom in her tone.

He shook his hand and pushed off from the wall, taking a few steps toward him. "No," he said. "From Blaise."

"What?" she asked hostilely, eying him up and down.

"It's from Blaise," Draco said. "His gift to me for winning the bet."

Ginny's eyebrow's curved downward angrily. "You sodding idiot. Why are you bringing this up again?" she asked in a hurt voice, trying to sound more vicious than she did. "Is this some kind of sick pleasure to you?"

Draco shook his head. "No Ginny. I'm bringing it up because I lost the bet," he said. She cut him off, however.

"No you didn't. You shagged me didn't you? That was the big bet, wasn't it?" she asked, pressure building behind her shining eyes. "And you got the stupid broom. What more do you want from me?"

"I just want you," Draco said. "I lost the bet. The bet was to shag you, not to fall for you. And believe me, I wasn't planning on it."

Ginny shook her head and sniffed. "What are you gonna say, Draco? You love me?" she said forcefully. "Do you expect me to just fall into your arms so I can get hurt again?"

"I didn't mean to hurt you. Merlin, I didn't mean to feel for you. I just did. Do," he said, taking a few steps in her direction. "Ginny I do love you. I know you don't believe me, but it's true."

"How am I supposed to believe you?" she asked, softening her voice. "How am I ever supposed to trust that there isn't some ulterior motive behind all this?"

Draco pointed at the broom in her hand. "Because I got the broom. I won the bet. And I'm still here. I wouldn't be here if I didn't care," he said. "I just need you. I hate not being with you."

There was a clatter as the broom hit the floor and she fell, no, dove into his arms. There was no kissing, no talking, they just stood. Holding one another.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Good morning, love," Ginny said, her eyes fluttering open. There was a serene smile on her face from the night before.

Draco looked over at her. "Well it certainly is now," he said. "You've got good timing. We have to be ready in an hour."

Ginny sighed. "What are we going to do this summer?" she asked. "We won't be able to meet in school anymore."

"We'll spend every day meeting in Diagon Alley, and every night at Hogsmeade," he said. "Weekends we'll maybe even visit a library or two."

Ginny smiled, leaning in to kiss him. "Well I suppose that doesn't sound too awful," she said. "We should go ahead and get ready then."

Draco nodded, giving her a long look. "Care to join me for a shower?" he asked, smirking in a very Malfoy-like fashion. Ginny grinned and nodded. They both hopped out from under the covers and dashed toward the bathroom.

Oh yes, this would be a summer to remember.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Well this took me a couple of hours to complete. My second ever one-shot, and it's much more light-hearted than the one preceding it, don't you think?

I don't know how I feel about this one though.

What do YOU think?

Let me know in a review and I will give you a cookie! Make it a nice review and I will give you two cookies, flavor of your choice! Now you can't get much better than that.

Hope you had a good time!

Lady Cardea