eleven. riding.
It was another week and another lesson. This week they would be focusing on recreational activities. While Ginny would have much preferred to play a game of Quidditch, apparently that was too low brow for upper-class society. As Narcissa had noted in that morning's lecture, those that did not have proper attire would be provided ones by the Conservatory. Surely enough, when Ginny returned to her room after finishing lunch, she found a complete outfit waiting on her bed. However, Ginny was baffled by the garments because the afternoon's lesson was focused on horseback riding. The outfit was lovely, with its heavy, deep purple skirt with structured pleats that flowed down and its matching double breasted, formfitting jacket, accompanied with an ebony riding hat. Her newly polished mahogany boots gleamed under the sun's blazing gaze coming through the window as they stood neatly to the left of the bench in front of her bed. The only thing she didn't understand was why they weren't wearing trousers. While the skirt did have a generous split to allow for wider movement, it still didn't seem very practical. These were just some of the thoughts still running through her mind as she and Draco headed out to the stables that afternoon.
Draco looked utterly dapper in his riding attire as he strolled a couple of steps in front of her. If she thought his Quidditch uniform looked good on him, this ensemble took it to another level. His exquisite light grey breeches outlined his bum wonderfully which were tucked into his sleek and shiny ebony riding boots. Each brass button on his navy blazer was carefully buttoned, with its primly pressed ash-colored lapels. Below, she could see a checkered green shirt with a tie of the same color paired with it. Underneath his right arm was his helmet and riding crop. She was pretty sure he didn't even have to ride the damn horse yet he would still win whatever competition he was in, just based on how good he looked. Life was not fair... or was it? At least she got to enjoy the view.
"How does any woman ride around in these heavy clothes?" Ginny complained as she made her way through the field as she picked up her skirt slightly. She quickly fell into step with his stride, hastening to keep up with him.
"Can you even breathe in that outfit?" Draco inquired with a smirk.
"What are you trying to say?" Ginny asked apprehensively, her eyes narrowing up at him. Didn't Draco know it was unwise to ask about a woman's weight?
"You're not wearing a corset, are you?" He drawled as he carefully placed his helmet on top of his platinum crown. Having tried her own hat earlier, Ginny was pleased to discover that there were charms cast on the headwear to prevent from ruining the wearer's hair.
"No," she said sharply, her eyes growing larger in anxiety. "It's just a rather rude thing to ask of a woman."
"Don't get your knickers in a twist. I would just like to point out that my mother isn't as much of a sadist as I had thought. There must be some sort of enhancement spell applied to the clothes without suffocating you," Draco explained, putting out the alarming fire that was catching in the pit of her stomach.
"Oh," she said lamely.
"But then," Draco added. "Once upon a time, apparently women didn't even wear undergarments," he smirked.
She smacked him on the arm forcefully. "See, now you're just being perverted."
"You started this conversation about clothes," Draco pointed out.
"Perhaps, and I'm now ending it," Ginny stated in finality. She paused for a minute as she carefully placed her hat atop her head along with her riding gloves. It was also a good opportunity to steal another glance at his bum.
"You can stop ogling now," Draco called out to her, walking in front of her once again. She was not doing anything of the sort! Well, perhaps, she was, but how did he know that? Once again she suspiciously wondered if he was skilled in Legilimency. He turned around, now walking backwards. His head cocked sideways and he remarked, "You know, it makes me feel objectified."
"I was not!" Ginny said a little too fiercely. She felt her face betraying her as it flushed red. "I'm just irritated at the fact that you look smart while I look antiquated in this Victorian garb."
He turned forward and began leading the way again. "So you noticed I look smart? So you were checking me out." Ginny could practically hear his smirk just from the tone of his voice.
"Why can't we wear pants?" Ginny pouted, evading his question with another question. She stole one last glance at his bottom half as he still strode in front of her.
"Because women ride side saddle," Draco responded as he put his own gloves on.
"Please tell me you're joking," Ginny pleaded as he slowed down in order for her to catch up. Her skirt rigidly moved around her as she moved to become shoulder to shoulder with Draco.
"Afraid not, Ginevra," Draco drawled. She always involuntarily shivered whenever he uttered her full name. He just had to know it had some sort of effect on her, no matter how much she tried look unperturbed.
"You would think it would be men riding side-saddle," she reasoned matter of factly. "Logically, it would make much more sense anatomically."
Draco stopped in his tracks, pausing to think about Ginny's statement, nearly causing her to ram into him as a result of his sudden halt. "Touché, Ginny. I've never thought about that." Indeed, he did look mildly impressed at this revelation.
"That's because logic has no place here at Charm School," Ginny scoffed. "And clearly a few wankers couldn't wrap their minds around the thought of a woman straddling a horse simply for transportation purposes. It probably would have exploded their peanut sized brains."
They continued to walk for a few more minutes, Ginny blindly following as Draco continued to lead the way. She hadn't the faintest idea where they were going. They had long passed the Quidditch Pitch and the pond adjacent to it. Minutes continued to pass until she asked impatiently, "Where are these stables, anyway? Why have I never seen them while I've been outside?"
"Because they're far past the Quidditch field," Draco answered.
"Just how much land do the Malfoys even own?" Ginny wondered out loud.
Draco had think about it for a minute, his expression to changing to that of one pondering. "This Manor alone is about 5,000 acres, give or take," he finally responded.
Ginny blanched at the answer. She was staying in some exotic land for the past month! "And now I regret asking," she groaned. "The Burrow is like a shoebox in comparison."
The arrived at the stables a short while later, and were one of the last couples to reach the destination. Draco tried not to laugh at the sight before him. The class stood beside the stables were the horses were normally housed. The horses were currently milling about in the large corral, which was also equipped with various bars and gates for jumping. Meanwhile, the students looked utterly ridiculous in their riding gear, especially the women. Why his mother hadn't allowed them to wear breeches just like the men, was beyond him. He knew that Narcissa herself refused to wear those impractical skirts in addition to riding side-saddle. Such a hypocrite, sometimes, Draco thought to himself.
He did notice that Ginny looked divine though, in spite of the costume-like outfit. Underneath her hat, her soft, wavy hair was pinned up in a bun, though wispy curls escaped, framing her face. She truly looked like a true lady in the making with her long, imperial skirt paired with the elegant coat. It was interesting seeing the juxtaposition of the masculine clothing on such a feminine figure like Ginny's. While she looked every bit the aristocrat, she brought a certain amount of strength in the outfit.
"Welcome to this afternoon's lesson, class," Narcissa began, causing Draco to slowly shift his focus to his mother, though his eyes lingered for several more moments on Ginny. "Now that we've gone through many of the critical topics for a successful couple, it is also important to partake in recreational activities."
Ginny had walked over to him, standing by his shoulder and whispered teasingly, "You mean you stuffy blue-bloods actually have fun?"
He looked down at her to see a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Why, of course not. It's simply a means to make connections with other likeminded wealthy folk."
"Figures," she muttered with a roll of her eyes, though he could detect the faintest smile on her face.
"Please join your partners and saddle up, all!" Narcissa called out. "We will simply be taking a leisurely ride through the woods because everyone is at different levels of experience."
Daphne, who looked glamourous in a deep red tweed skirt and matching jacket threw a pointed look at Ginny. Draco rolled his eyes. He figured she would have calmed down by now and laid off Ginny. Did she really have to rile up Ginny once again? To her credit, Ginny remained steadfast and stony faced, completely ignoring her for once. Maybe she had somehow matured in the month that had gone by.
The walked up to two horses, one a brown mare with big eyes and the other a white stallion, with a glossy coat of hair. Ginny squealed out of excitement, a noise that made Draco wince. It was such an unexpected noise coming from her, but he supposed many girls got pretty excited at seeing horses up close and in person.
Ginny strode up to the brown mare and patted its body, stroking it gently. The mare's large, dark eyes matched Ginny's own as she looked at the two horses in amazement. It was then that she apparently noticed just how beautiful the white stallion was. As if distracted by a shinier toy, Ginny went over to the stallion.
Draco tried to stop her, as that was his own horse, Thuban, and one that wasn't entirely friendly around new people. However, to his surprise the horse barely reacted, and let Ginny pet him. She sighed in contentment as she patted his nose, nuzzling her own face into his gleaming coat.
Draco sighed in defeat. "I guess I'll take the mare?"
"Perhaps," Ginny agreed with an evil smile. Draco rolled his eyes while he pulled his wand out from the inside of his jacket. He levitated the saddle that was meant for Ginny to the stallion and switched it with his own saddle. With another flourish, he buckled the extra strap underneath the horse's belly. He gently patted the horse for his very good behavior and gave Thuban a carrot from his pocket before walking back to the mare. As stubborn as ever, Ginny tried to hoist herself up, but kept slipping as she was unused to sitting atop a horse, or any type of vehicle for that matter, side saddle.
"Isn't there a damn stool around?" She grouched, slightly out of breath. Her hat had long fallen off, and the stray curls kept getting in her face.
"Afraid not," Draco answered, walking over to her to assist. While in the past she would have pushed him away as if he was patronizing her, she willingly accepted his assistance.
"Okay, ready?" Draco said, gesturing for her to get into place so he could help her up. Gently, he hoisted her up by her right foot, while she leaned onto his shoulders as she awkwardly perched herself on top of the horse. Draco gently moved her leg over one of the pummels while motioning for her to tuck the other leg underneath the second pummel. "They act as two hooks to keep your legs in place so you don't fall off. Make sure to grip them tightly with your leg, so you maintain your balance," Draco explained firmly, to which Ginny nodded.
Draco bent down to grab her hat and cane, he handed the two back to Ginny. While she easily placed the hat back onto her head, he couldn't help but notice that she looked regal above the horse and she probably didn't even realize it. Except for the puzzled expression cast over her face as she stared down at the cane in her hand. Looking up at him slightly alarmed she queried, "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"Relax," Draco explained, and the anxiety in her eyes quickly dissipated. "It's not for you to hit my horse. Because your leg isn't straddling on this side, you need the cane to nudge him to move in the direction you want to go to."
"Oh, thank goodness," Ginny sighed in relief. Draco handed her the reigns, which she took carefully. Trudging back to his own ride, he brought the mare closer to her the stallion. Using spare ropes around the mare, he connected her horse to his with a few easy flicks of his wand. Draco figured it would be easier this way since she was an inexperienced rider and clearly uncomfortable in the position she was sitting in. This way, he could easily lead her around and she wouldn't have to do too much work to direct the horse.
He then swiftly hoisted himself on top of the mare, and motioned for it to start moving. Ginny did the same, and soon they fell into place together, forming a sort of horse parade with the rest of the class. They were both agreeably enjoying the sunlight filtering through the cracks of the canopied forest while a pleasant breeze flowed through.
For all of her complaints, Ginny had to admit to herself she was enjoying the stroll through the forestry of Malfoy Manor. She was eternally thankful for the leisurely pace they were all trotting about at. Her heavy garments weren't as much of a hindrance as she assumed. Their conversation was pleasant while she got to explore never before seen parts of the estate while Draco filled her on the various landmarks they had seen. The Malfoy's Wiltshire estate was much more extensive than she had ever realized.
However, one thing was becoming a larger nuisance by the second. Her leg was beginning to stiffen from being in the same position for far too long. She could feel that familiar prickling up and down her leg which was the telltale sign that it was beginning to fall asleep.
"Honestly," Ginny grumbled, as she reached down to massage the impending numbness out of her leg. "This side saddle thing is nonsensical. An hour into this and I still feel like I can barely control what's happening."
"So, you like to be control, eh, Weasley?" A deep voice said to the right of her. She turned to look at Blaise, who had a wicked smile on his face. Taking his reigns into one hand, he cupped his mouth with the other and hollered, "You hear that Malfoy?"
Ginny rolled her eyes and tried her hardest not to turn beet red at his very obvious attempt at innuendo. She had a feeling that her cheeks still colored slightly as much as she willed them not to. She drew herself up as tall as she could, despite being atop the horse, and narrowed her eyes at him. "And so what if I do?" Ginny replied with a fierce glint in her eyes.
"Well… Um… I-I…" Blaise stuttered aimlessly, unable to string together a coherent sentence. Her false bravado had affected him in the way she had hoped.
"Thank Merlin, Gin!" Lena shouted from behind her, perched on her ebony horse. "I think this is the first time Blaise has been rendered speechless."
She also heard Draco chuckling next to her, the hearty sound ringing pleasantly in her ear. "I have to agree, Lena," Draco added once his laughter had subsided.
In time they made their round along the trail and began to head back in the direction towards the stables. Bringing up the tail of the large group, they arrived last to the stable. While many had returned their horses back to their proper stables, Ginny noticed that a crowd was forming near the coral. From her vantage point still sitting on the horse, she saw a red blur trotting around in the corral as onlookers clapped. It was then that she recognized it was Daphne working her way through the obstacle course. The brown and off-white patched horse she was riding was breezily jumping over the gates and barriers, some at least half a foot high. The crowd was cheering Daphne on, only adding fuel to her kindled ego.
Fumbling around for her wand, Ginny abruptly de-attached herself from Draco. She shoved her wand back into its rightful pocket and gently nudged Thuban over to Daphne. She faintly heard Draco beckon her to come back, but instead brushed it off. She was getting tired of Daphne's antics and this was the final straw. Ginny decided that someone needed to put her in her place, and apparently it was going to be her.
Ginny was right by the crowd now, and gave them all contemptuous glares in order to let her pass through. She trotted in with her nose held dismissively high in the air. Right before her eyes, Daphne easily hurdled over two tall gates, to which the crowd responded to with delight. Her eyes narrowed menacingly at her. That's it, she snapped inwardly. She eyed the distance between the gate and the ground carefully. If a cow like Daphne could accomplish this, why couldn't she? How hard could it be? After all, she was a natural born athlete. That had to help in some way, she reasoned.
"Oi, Daphne!" Ginny called out. A small voice in her mind was also telling her that she had gone past mental and into some indescribable state, but she stubbornly quashed it down. Daphne looked up at her from the adoring crowd in curiosity.
Gripping the reigns with determination, she nudged Thuban over to the gates. At first, he refused to move, seemingly getting irritated by her impatient requests, but eventually she ushered him to position in front of the double hurdle. With a firmer nudge, as she had seen Draco do with the mare, she ushered Thuban to jump over the gates. He proceeded to go from his leisurely stroll into a brisk run, coming quickly for the gates. Ginny grinned boastfully at Daphne as she saw they were going to make it over the first hurdle. Just as they were about to, she felt a strong jerk in the opposite direction. Thuban unpredictably bucked violently, brutally throwing Ginny backwards. She felt herself flying in slow motion as she heard the crowed gasp at the precise moment she hit the dirt. Hard.
As she laid there in a crumpled heap, Ginny was absolutely mortified. Riding a horse apparently was nothing like riding a broom. For one thing, her legs weren't securely straddling the horse to begin with, so she lost her balance even quicker than she should have. The world was still black to her as her eyes were squeezed shut, trying to overcome the spinning and the resounding pain erupting in her cranium. Luckily the helmets and hats were charmed with a Cushioning spell and protected her from any serious injury but she still felt it throbbing.
She heard voices cry out and one voice yelling menacingly. It was a familiar male voice. One that usually sounded like it was smirking but was now snarling angrily. One of her eyes opened slightly, and she saw Draco pushing Theo out of his way to run over to her. "Ginny! Ginny!" She heard him call out as he ran over to her. He quickly shrugged off his blazer and knelt down towards her, gently removing her helmet and placing the soft garment under her head.
"Ginny! Answer me!" He cried out in a panic. She was taken aback by the worried pitch in his voice. She forced herself to open her eyes on his behalf and could see his now large pewter eyes gazing at her with concern on his face. It was one of the rare moments Ginny saw his cool façade crumble. He had long cast aside his equipment and helmet, platinum locks falling in his face. She swore there was some sort of halo of light glowing around Draco, but the rational part of her reasoned that it was simply the sun behind him, and perhaps that her head injury was more serious than she thought.
"I'm fine," Ginny said hoarsely, coming back to reality. His eyes relaxed upon hearing her voice and he sat down next to her tiredly, running a hand through his hair.
"Damnit, Weasley, what the hell did you think you were doing?"
"So, it's Weasley now?" Ginny croaked, her throat feeling still feeling scratchy.
"Only when you do something as foolish as this," Draco reprimanded angrily.
She heard Blaise and Lena's voices as they had sifted their way through the crowd and over to them. She also heard Maxwell on their heels as well. The other couple also knelt down next to her, with Lena crying out, "Gin! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Ginny answered feebly. "Though I'm pretty sure my ego's been bruised."
Lena weakly laughed at her attempt to be humorous though she heard Draco mutter darkly, "You're damn lucky it's only your bloody ego."
"Give the woman some room to breathe, why don't you?" She heard Max holler. The rest of them quickly retreated, though Draco refused to budge.
"Silly Weasley," she heard Daphne's venomous voice ring out from above her. Dazedly looking up, she saw three blurred images of Daphne, eventually merging into one solid figure. "You think you're all high and mighty because you've somehow managed to charm Draco? Don't hold your breath. You'll end up just like your mother, marrying beneath you… Though I can't imagine what's beneath a Weasley."
Though her head was pounding despite the protection of the helmet, she fought through the ache and abruptly sat up. "Why, you little-" Ginny shouted, before nearly collapsing back, though Draco and Max caught her before she managed to collapse fully.
At this point Draco stood up with his wand, and proclaimed, "That's it. I'm Flooing the Healer."
"Oh Gods, Draco don't," Ginny nearly wailed. "I am a bloody Healer!"
"One who can barely keep her head up!" Draco snapped, looking down at her. Motioning for Blaise and Max to watch over her, he disappeared into the crowd. She groaned. The situation and escalated so quickly and unnecessarily. It was her own foolhardiness she had gotten into this situation. She arrogantly overestimated herself by thinking that she could accomplish the same feat Daphne had just done moments ago, though Greengrass probably had years of practice. This was Ginny's first time on an actual horse.
Daphne moved away, her sniveling cackle vibrating against her eardrums. She heard a few other laughs creating a chorus of irritating laughter, and Ginny assumed it must be her pack of cronies unabashedly supporting their dastardly leader.
"Miss Greengrass!" Ginny heard Mrs. Malfoy's shrill but deadly voice. The class, which had been buzzing at the whole commotion that had just played out in front of them, quickly stunned itself into silence. Even Daphne had the foresight to quiet down. "I will not tolerate your misbehavior in my Conservatory. Be sure to stop by my office before dinner to discuss this matter further."
"It's not like I did anything to hurt Weasley, Madam Malfoy!" Daphne pouted, unable to let Narcissa have the final word.
"You may have not," Narcissa answered coldly. "But, your verbal abuse will no longer be tolerated in this Conservatory and more importantly, in my home. After dinner."
Ginny heard footsteps retreat in the opposite direction, as the crowd began to disappear, the sounds growing faint. With the help of Blaise and Max, each gently holding her arms, she sat up, the pain in her head becoming slightly less. She no longer felt dizzy, but still slightly dazed. Ginny sat up for several moments until she felt comfortable enough to feel stable in her position. Looking at Lena, who was crouching in front of her, she said in a more steady voice, "Can you tell Draco to calm down and lay off with the Healer? I'm pretty sure I'm not suffering from any life-threatening injury or brain damage."
Lena nodded with a small smile and quickly scampered off in the direction Draco had gone off to. Max and Blaise slowly helped Ginny up and stayed at her side until she was steady enough to stand on her own. Blaise grabbed her helmet and crop as she leaned against the fence of the corral. Both men refused to leave her side as she continued to gather her wits about her. Max conjured up a goblet of water for her, which she gulped down effortlessly.
"You guys, I'm fine," Ginny exhaled deeply as she came up from air after draining the goblet of water. "I've suffered much worse during my Quidditch days at Hogwarts. I just need to make it back up to my room."
"Well, that is what we're here for," Blaise reassured gallantly. Banishing the goblet back to its proper place, they both accompanied her back to the manor, flanking her on each side. It felt like she had bodyguards escorting her back to the house.
"Don't listen to the wench," Max advised as they all fell into a slow rhythm, heading away from the stable.
"Gee," Ginny responded sardonically. "Is that how you talk about all of your friends?"
"Yes," Max replied without missing a beat. "When it accurately describes them."
Blaise chortled in agreement. "Max is right. Daphne is right jealous of you."
"Why would she be jealous of me?" Ginny asked in bewilderment as she turned to look up at Blaise.
"You really don't see it, do you," Max interjected, back on her left side.
"What do you mean?" Ginny inquired, growing more and more annoyed. While her migraine had largely subsided, there was still a dull pain ruminating in her head. Though her adrenaline initially kicked in, blocking much of her pain, she could now feel her back aching from pain and the stiffness in her legs. All of this vagueness was only making her more irritable. She just wanted to take a long nap and a warm bath, not try to read these blokes' minds.
"Do you like Draco?" Max asked, changing the subject. His brown eyes were looking down intensely into hers.
Ginny furrowed her brow, looking at Max with a mix of confusion and irritation. What did this question have to do with anything? "Well, by now I do. What does that matter?"
She noticed Max's jaw stiffen slightly, his face tightening. His normally cheerful brown eyes imperceptibly narrowed darkly. She couldn't exactly read the expression on his face but she was much too tired to figure the mysterious ways of men at this point.
"Because," Blaise cut in. "Daphne's peeved that you've apparently gotten Draco wrapped around your little finger."
"I do not!" Ginny shouted rather quickly. Seriously? Of all the things Daphne had taken issue with Ginny that was the thing that was bothering her to this day? She figured Daphne had finally let up once she realized Ginny was doing dismal in the program. Apparently, her recent success and peace with Draco had manifested a little green monster within Daphne Greengrass.
"If Daphne's problem is about Draco then she can have him," Ginny snipped a bit more forcefully than she intended.
"Oh, believe me she doesn't want him. She's not worried about your relationship per say," Max snorted contemptuously, suddenly coming out of his mysterious reverie. What relationship? Ginny contemplated this as the rose gardens began to come into view. Had Draco told his mates about the kiss? He didn't seem like the type to kiss and tell. More importantly, it was he who initiated it. Draco had his own overinflated pride on the line for his actions.
"She's just concerned you'll take over her high place in society," Blaise added, seeing the pensive expression on Ginny's face.
She figured fighting over so called power was better than fighting her for a man, Ginny reasoned. Although, the thought of Ginny usurping Daphne in a social environment made her giggle. It was so utterly outrageous, that even if she did polish her so-called edges, there was no way she would ever be able to climb up the Wizarding social ladder. Besides, Ginny had other pursuits and little interest in keeping her foot in the door that had fatefully creaked ajar for her.
"Like that would ever happen," Ginny snorted, brushing off their ridiculous theories aside.
They reached the doors, which Max opened like a gentleman for her. She thanked him as she increased her pace to head towards the staircase. Bidding the two men farewell, Ginny trotted up the staircase with urgency. Her garments and forehead were caked with dirt, her hair was much too disheveled for her own liking, and now everything was beginning to ache from all of the activity today. She fully intended to find out what came out of every tub spout as she lounged about in that luxurious tub.
Friday had finally rolled around. After Ginny's horseback riding fiasco, the rest of the week had been rather uneventful. Draco had been thoroughly angry with Ginny for being foolish, and was startled by the strong reaction the situation had elicited from him. He had known deep down that he cared for the red-head, but the silly incident only brought his feelings to the forefront. Once he was comforted by the fact that Ginny was going to be alright as he had stubbornly Flooed the Healer, it dawned on Draco how much his feelings for Ginny had intensified. Simply put, it terrified him. It terrified him to see her lying there, injured and helpless. Draco felt his feelings intensify sharply when she got knocked off the horse. It felt like his heart stopped. The feelings were so forceful, almost primal deep within. He had realized he had some type of feelings for her, but none that were this strong. That was not supposed to happen – bet or not. Most importantly Draco wasn't sure what Ginny thought of him. And what was more, he didn't want to face rejection.
Of course, he wasn't about to easily let Ginny know why he was so concerned for her, so instead he ended up lashing out at Daphne. They had had a screaming row by the pond the other day, which ended with Daphne stomping away angrily. Draco figured it was long overdue and she had this coming to her. While Ginny had never been one for maturity in their petty spats, Daphne always found a way to sink to a new low, and enough was enough.
Perhaps, it wasn't mature on Draco's part either, but at least Daphne had backed off of Ginny for the time being. The remainder of that week's lessons went as planned, and they had completed their exam for that week. Dinner had finished at least an hour ago, as many of the students had dispersed into the common room or ventured outside to enjoy the night. Ginny looked like she was about to fall asleep, so he suggested they make their way to the pair of staircases leading to the bedrooms. While Ginny relayed some story from earlier in the day, Draco kept pushing a thought around in his mind, not really paying attention to what she was saying. A couple of weeks had passed between their kiss, and Draco wanted to know how she felt. He couldn't very well ask that without looking desperate. He had contemplated for the last two days about asking her out on a date… or as much of a date they could have being confined in the Manor.
"…well, anyway, I had to tell Ron he was being a prat when I wrote back to him," Ginny said with a small yawn. "Thanks for walking me back, Draco, you really didn't have to. Good night!" Just as she turned around to head up the staircase towards the women's rooms, Draco grabbed her by her right hand. He didn't miss the heat that was generated upon their touch; it once again reminded him of the night of the kiss. She turned around, looking inquiringly into his slightly nervous slate pools. This was a novel concept for Draco: a nervous Malfoy, and he wasn't sure what to do in this uncharted territory.
"Hey, Ginny?" Draco began, his hand still tangled with hers. "Would you want to possibly hang out over the weekend?"
"We always hang out on the weekend," Ginny replied obviously. This was technically true. They studied, keeping sharp for the final exam or spent time with Lena and Blaise. But he wanted to change things up.
"No…" Draco said, letting out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "I mean, for dinner. Just us two."
"Oh…" Ginny said dumbly. Ginny's brown eyes grew wide upon realization as his words sunk in. Dinner. Just the two of them. He knew he was being vague, but surely she could gather what was happening, right? Draco could barely make out what was happening from the various emotions flickering across her face. "Oh."
"Well?" Draco prompted impatiently. It never took a woman this long to answer him. While he knew charm wouldn't affect Ginny the way it had with others, they had definitely crossed some type of threshold during the night of the Cotillion. She had playfully continued to banter with him, never engaging in anything more. Maybe it was just a way to blow off steam, his rational side had tried to reason. But, she would respond to his mixed signals as well, so it couldn't have all been for naught.
"I can't," Ginny slowly answered. Draco's stomach dropped at her rejection, and quickly tried to make his crestfallen expression disappear as he rearranged it to look expressionless. His eyes slumped in disappointment, the light dimming though he tried to keep his composure.
"Oh, that's fine," Draco muttered, dropping her hand. He turned to head up to his stairs.
"No!" Ginny cried suddenly. "That's not what I meant!"
Draco turned around, intrigued by what she had to say.
"What I meant was, I'm going home tomorrow morning. For Ron and Hermione's engagement party," Ginny explained. Curse her family for their numerous family functions. "How about during the week though? Take a break from studying?"
A flicker of a smile formed on Draco's face, accepting her invitation before heading up to the room he was supposed to share with Blaise.
A/N: Miscellaneous horse-riding knowledge and attire was found through Wikipedia, Google, Downton Abbey, YouTube and the one time I rode a horse (lol). Who knew writing fanfiction could be informative? Also, Thuban, a northern pole star in the Draco constellation, means "head of the serpent" and snake in Arabic, also known as Alpha Draconis. Thank you all so much again for your AMAZING reviews last chapter – I literally want to squeal with glee because they make my day.
