A/N: Of course I must extend my wonderful thanks to my lovely beta-reader Greeny (Rachel)… you are the best, girl! And now I warn you all to brace yourselves for some serious sap and fluff!! :-) Well, I suppose it's not too too sappy (but maybe for some of you… Ashii, don't dry heave on me now!! LOL!!)… perhaps I'll use the word 'romantic' as opposed to fluffy to describe the contents of this chapter… besides, it sounds better! Anyway, I now give you chapter nine!! I hope that all of you following my story like it!!! And that it lives up the standards I seem to have set!! And I now leave with you my final words… please be sure to read, review and most importantly… ENJOY!!
All things Harry Potter belong to the wonderful JK Rowling… :-)
Chapter 9: Holiday Plans
Draco and Ginny walked along the main road of Hogsmeade's center together… linked together… arm in arm. Ginny was wearing the new velvet cloak that Draco had bought her and he held his head up high in that arrogant, aristocratic sort of manner that he was so good at portraying. Only a Slytherin…
They walked by a flower shop. In the window, there were all sorts of flowers… both magical and non-magical. Ginny stopped and gazed inside while Draco just stared at their reflections in the glass. They were really quite an attractive couple. She was so beautiful… her red hair flowing down her back and her skin looked like milky white porcelain with the exception of a few freckles sprinkled across her nose. He was pleased with his own looks as well. His blond hair had a slightly mussed appearance that most of the girls seemed to go wild for… and he had a nice 'Seeker' build that could still be seen despite his heavy cloak. He marveled at how flawless his finely chiseled facial features were. He returned his stare back to Ginny and smirked suddenly.
Ginny looked up at him… staring at him through her reflection in the glass. The girl smiled and turned to look at him with her own eyes. Draco leaned down and kissed the tip of Ginny's nose causing her to blush. At that moment, he walked inside the flower shop and minutes later returned by her side handing her a beautiful rose. The rose was such a deep shade of purple that it almost appeared to be black. Ginny held the flower to her nose and breathed in deeply… drinking in the delicious scent. She sighed.
"Thank you…" she whispered.
"It's nothing… I just wanted you to have it."
The two continued on their walk through the village. Several students stopped to stare at them as they meandered along the roads. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff girls were whispering wildly while the Gryffindors were gaping in utter astonishment. The Slytherins… both males and females… all seemed to sneer in disgust. But neither Draco nor Ginny paid them any mind… they did not care. They were content to just spend some time together.
***
Harry stood in line at Honeydukes anxiously awaiting to purchase some sweets for his friends. Both Ron and Hermione had decided not to go to Hogsmeade. Hermione wanted to stay in and study and she had somehow managed to talk Ron into studying with her… though Harry was sure that Ron did not really mind 'studying' with Hermione… he knew all too well that he fancied her and besides, his act of being annoyed by Hermione's demands was absolutely terrible. He smiled to himself.
"What'll it be deary?" and old witch asked.
Harry looked at the sweets displayed at the counter, "I'll have one bag of melonberry sugarquills… and… three chocolate frogs… and… one bag of caramel crèmes… and… one bag of lemon drops… please."
Harry paid for the sweets and then scowled to himself. He was still very upset that Ginny had refused to go to Hogsmeade with him. He was sure that she fancied him as much as he fancied her… but was mortified and humiliated to learn that she actually fancied someone else. Then, to make matters worse, she told him off in front of everyone in the library.
Harry walked out of Honeydukes and planned to make the trek back to the castle so that he could share all the newly purchased sweets with his friends. He stopped suddenly, however, and nearly dropped his purchases onto the ground, which was lightly dusted with snow. There, across the street, he saw Ginny Weasley… and she was linked arm in arm with… Draco Malfoy?
Harry took off his glasses and wiped them clean. When he put them back on, the scene had not changed. Ginny was with Draco… and she looked… happy. Draco looked happy. Harry sneered and narrowed his eyes.
'How could she choose Malfoy over me? It doesn't make any sense! None at all!' he thought to himself. He immediately wondered as to what Ron would think about this… Ron would definitely be outraged and rightly so. All of a sudden, Harry felt a knot form in his stomach. He could not tell Ron… it was just too embarrassing. Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, being beaten in the games of love by Draco Malfoy, Death-Eater to be extraordinaire?! He felt utterly humiliated.
About a block away, Pansy Parkinson watched Harry as he stood there in surprise and disgust while looking at Ginny and Draco. An evil smile curled on her lips.
***
Draco sat there listening to Ginny play the beautiful piano. His eyes were completely closed as he listened. The music pulsed through him… it was flowing within him along with his blood. He could feel it reverberating in his chest. The emotion inside him swelled and he suddenly felt as if all his breath was taken away. He gasped for the precious air… trying desperately to breathe. He felt faint. The music stopped just then.
"Are you all right?" Ginny asked.
Draco's eyes snapped open, "Yes," he drawled.
Ginny pursed her lips, "Oh… you seemed to have trouble breathing… I thought that you took ill or something."
Draco smiled, "No… it's just the music… your playing really has an affect on me."
Ginny grinned, "I see…" her eyes sparkled.
At that moment, Draco walked over to her and sat down on the piano bench with her, "Mind if I play something?"
"Not at all…" The red-haired girl stood up and sat down on one of the pillows on the floor.
Draco heaved a sigh and placed his hands on the piano keys. He began to press them one by one and an eerie melody spilled forth. It rushed at Ginny like a flowing river… sweeping her up in its currents. She gasped. The minor sounds echoing throughout the room gave her bones a chill and she shivered.
Suddenly, Ginny felt compelled to walk over to him… to touch him. She stood up and walked behind him… her eyes watching with amazement at how deftly his fingers moved across the black and white keys. Then, she wrapped her arms around him, but he continued to play. She leaned her head against his back allowing her senses to be overwhelmed by the feel of him as well as by the intoxicating music he was creating. Her breathing became erratic, but he still continued to play. He was lost in the music. Her hands moved along his chest and she gently kissed the back of his neck. The music became stronger, more powerful. Her hands moved down to his thighs… she squeezed. Draco continued to play; his breathing was very rapid, however… more than usual when he played. Suddenly, she found her hand brushing him between his legs. She could feel his excitement, causing her to gasp. The music grew even more emotional and finally it came to its climax and ended. When Draco stopped playing, he was panting… sweat was dripping along the sides of his face.
He turned around just then and looked deeply into Ginny's eyes, "That was amazing…"
Ginny furrowed her eyebrows, "What?"
"I don't know what you just did to me… but it was amazing…"
Ginny laughed, "I just touched you while you were playing is all… you didn't even really 'climax' or anything." She smiled coyly… for she knew exactly the effect she had just had on him… not only had his emotions been apparent in a physical nature, but they had been apparent in the music he played as well.
"It was more than that… you have no idea!"
Ginny giggled, "Well… I must say that whatever that was that you played… it was wonderful… it touched me unlike anything I've ever heard you play before."
Draco smirked, "Consider it one of my Christmas presents to you."
Ginny arched an eyebrow causing Draco to chuckle.
"That… is how I feel for you."
Ginny just smiled. She truly loved this side of Draco… the passionate, emotional side. The side that did not seem to care as to how he came across to anyone… all that mattered was that he expressed his feelings to her… and her alone. She felt so special.
"Well, that was wonderful… thank you."
Ginny leaned toward him, but Draco grasped her and kissed her hard on the mouth. He suddenly forced her down onto the floor, smothering her body with his. She groaned at his slight forcefulness, which caused him to almost snarl with animalistic pleasure… he deepened the kiss. She responded by parting her lips… inviting him to explore every inch of her mouth and tongue. He obliged. He then planted vampire-like kisses along her sensitive neck causing her to gasp in both pain and pleasure.
Suddenly, Draco pulled away.
"What's the matter?" Ginny asked, while trying to catch her breath.
"If we don't stop… you'll lose more than just your breath…" he panted.
Ginny blushed. Her body was longing for his… she just wanted him to take her… but she knew that he was waiting for the right time. He really wanted her first time to be extra special.
She sat up and looked down at her opened blouse and gasped. Then she also realized that her bra had been unclasped. She smiled sheepishly to herself. When did he manage to do all that?
"So… when are you going home for the holidays?" Draco asked.
Ginny fixed her skirt, which had been pushed up almost to her waist. "Tomorrow… late morning…"
"I'll miss you…"
Ginny smiled, "I'll miss you too. But you have classes to take, right?"
Draco nodded, "Yeh… I'm really looking forward to them, actually… I just wish that Pansy Parkinson wasn't taking them with me… she'll probably end up my study partner or something."
Ginny winced, "Well… hopefully it won't be that bad."
Draco noticed her flinch at the sound of Pansy's name, "You don't have to worry about her, you know…"
The red-head looked over at him, "I know… I trust you…"
Draco helped the girl up and hugged her tightly, "That means a lot to me… thank you…"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Yes… a slightly sappy ending to a fairly sappy chapter!! Don't say I didn't warn you, though! :-) Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed my little musical scene with Draco and Ginny! See, I told you all that there would be some Draco/Ginny interactions… and I also warned you all that it would be SOFT!! And soft it was!! But, hopefully it satisfied somewhat… Of course, it will be a little while before anymore happens… after all, it's the winter holiday's for them and Draco has his animagus class to look forward to! Just to let all of you know… the next two chapters are fairly dedicated to the whole animagus topic… I hope that it came out all right in the end because I sort of came up with my own theory on how one should be taught the skills of the animagus… I'm sure you will all let me know whether you like (or dislike… eeek) my ideas once I post them!! :-) And now… what are your thoughts on Harry and Pansy… what sort of roles do you all think they will play in the upcoming chapters?! I'm curious to know your guesses!!
Again… I would like to thank those of you who've reviewed my story so far. It's so great to get the feedback from everyone… and I must say that everyone has been so kind and encouraging… THANKS!!
Dukerbrown ~ I'm so glad you reviewed!! And yeah… I don't like Pansy very much either (well, in my own story at least!)… she's pretty conniving and manipulative. Be sure to read on so that you can find out what will happen next… I hope that you are still enjoying my story after reading this latest chapter!! Please keep on reading and reviewing!!
:) ~ Thanks so very much… I'm glad you like my story! Please continue to read and review!!
Lady Obsidian ~ Hey there… thanks for your compliments!! Yes, I'm rather happy with the way this story has finally turned out… though it was difficult road in the beginning for some reason… but at least I didn't abandon it!! Now I hope that you liked this last chapter as much as the earlier ones! Keep on reading and reviewing!! :-)
Ang3l666 ~ Yes… last chapter was a bit on the shorter side… this one was longer!! So, what did you think of Draco's and Ginny's little outing in Hogsmeade together…?? :-) What do you think will happen now as a result??? As for the animagus stuff… the next two chapters will be chock full of it! I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on my ideas concerning the skill, etc. I had to give lots of thought to how I wanted it to be and I'm rather happy with my choices… hopefully you will be too! Anyway, I hope you liked this last chapter… in the meantime, continue to read and of course review!! :-)
Greeny ~ Rachel… my lovely beta-reader!! :-) So… what's the change in this chapter?? Can you find it?? All of your compliments are so very sweet and so very encouraging… I've told you so many times that this story was really difficult for me to finish up for some reason… but I at least I did it… thanks to your encouragement!! You really are the best!! So, what do you think of my final version for this most recent posting? I hope you liked it!! :-) Love ya, girl!
SicDreamsInc ~ Kerri my darling!! Yeah… it took a little bit to get things going… but I should be posting weekly now!! :-) So what did you think of this chapter? I hope that you liked it and all… and what are your thoughts on Pansy now? What do you think is going on in that crazy ol' head of hers? And yes, I'm rather fond of my Blaise in this story… he's getting a break from the role he played in ToS… and he's a rather nice supporting character here rather than the raging lunatic villain he played before. I hope that you only like him more by the end… too bad he's not a major character though… oh well… Anyway, what did you think of my music scene in this chapter? I hope it satisfied! Again, I thank you for all your wonderful compliments… please continue to read and review!! :-)
WashoopiCandi ~ First of all, I'd like to extend a special thanks to you for adding me to your "favorite authors" list… I'm so very very flattered!! :-) I'm glad that you like my musical idea… I hope you liked the music scene in this particular chapter… I thought that it got rather intense myself… wonder what everyone else thinks?? :-) Anyway, I'm glad that you like my story so far… hope you liked this chapter too!! Please keep on reading and reviewing!!
Saherah ~ Hey! Well… Harry isn't really evil in this story (or is he?)… he's mainly jealous… can you blame him? And after reading book 5, I found that Harry was really an angry kid with lots of issues he needs to sort out (typical 15 year old!!)… I remember having tons of issues to sort out at that age and I too was rather angry at everything… In my story, I also sort of using the whole hero thing as a means for him to deal with everything and feel better about himself… plus he's always got Ron and Hermione boosting his confidence and ego… but with their budding relationship (definitely in my story… and most likely in JK's), he's going to feel a bit left out… and with Cho out of the picture… who else would he turn to? Ginny… well, that's my take on it anyway… just a thought… :-) Regardless, I hope that you are enjoying my story… and thanks so very much for your compliments as well! As for Pansy's fate… keep reading!!! And of course… don't forget to review!! :-)
AnniBug ~ Ann!! I'm so glad you liked my last chapter… what do you think of this one?? Ohh… and I promise I'll get to your newest chap this weekend and send you back my comments, etc.!! So, what did you think of my music scene… rather soft… but the action and intensity was still there (or at least I hope so!!). And I have to agree with you on the way Ginny said 'Potter' last chap!! Anyway, I hope that you liked my newest installment!! Please continue to read and review!! :-)
SaintlySmile ~ Rachel!! Ohh… there is definitely going to be more to Pansy than you've already seen thus far… just you wait! And now there's Harry to add to the mix!! It's getting a little complicated… but not too much so! :-) Anyway, I'm thrilled that you like my story so far… and I hope that you liked this chapter too… and don't forget that I had that music scene!!! Hope you liked it! Anyhow… please keep on reading and of course reviewing!! :-)
Crazi River ~ Hey there… glad you started reading my story… I hope that when you catch up and all, that you like it!! Please keep on reading and reviewing!!
Lady Bug ~ (aka Lady of Magic!!) YOU ARE MY 100TH REVIEWER!!! Hey there girl! I'm glad you liked the last chapter… now what are your thoughts on this one? I hope that you liked it!! And I'm happy to say that this chapter was longer than the last!! Heehee!! :-) Continue to read and review!!
Ashii Black ~ Hey there sweets!! Yeah… sorry to say that there will be more fluff… but the non-fluff will start happening at around chapters 12, 13 and 14 (there will be minor foreshadowing, nothing crazy) and then just you wait until chapter 15!! It'll be pretty blatant then (and won't resolve until near the end of chapter 16 and then there's the epilogue… haha!!)… and hopefully you'll like my non-fluff idea… well, for someone who's as sappy and romantic as I! LOL!! :-) And I'm sorry that I can't stretch out the darker stuff (though it probably won't totally classify as 'dark' compared to some of the stuff you like… but I'm trying! Heehee!!) more… but this story didn't call for it, well not in the way that I'm writing it anyway! :-) Again… your ending scene is hilarious… and you know that I'm dying for you to finish my song!! I must say that it's pretty cool that I'm able to draw in quite a variety of people who all have such a variety of tastes… it's very cool and very encouraging, let me tell you!! So, thanks so very much for all your continuous support… I hope that you liked this last very romantic *cough… fluffy… cough… sappy* chapter and you know that I hope you stick with me 'til the end… I just love your reviews!! It's definitely an 'opposites becoming friends' thing… I like your analogy there, girl!! :-) Anyhow… until your next review! Love ya, girl!!
sOs ~ Sameru and Myorae… you two are funny! I'm glad that you are liking my story so far… hope you liked this newest installment!! :-) Please keep on reading and reviewing!!
A special thanks is extended to Hedwig07 and to WashoopiCandi for adding me to their "favorite authors" list (*many hugs to both of you*)!
Again I'd like to re-iterate… I hope that everyone will continue to enjoy what I write… Also remember that more and longer reviews means that I'll be more likely to post another chapter quickly!!! :-)