-x-
Shades of Green
Chapter Twelve: A Lifetime Piling Up
-x-
The three broomsticks was decorated much better than anyone would have expected, the ceiling was ominously enchanted to reflect a full moon under a pitch black sky. Sounds of werewolves howling and hissing of snakes could be heard throughout the entrance way, making it feel as though you were surrounded by the creatures of the night.
It seemed like all of Hogwarts was here today, behind various masks and costumes were a gaggle of familiar faces all having fun, all carefree.
It was nights like these that everyone could celebrate and be happy about, considering not too long ago they weren't even fathomable, let alone possible.
Ginny felt Draco's eyes on her the entire time, his gaze practically burned through her skin, it was so intense.
Only Draco could look at her like that and make her feel so many different things all at the same time.
Ginny sighed, who was she even kidding anymore? Draco Malfoy was someone she should have no attraction to, no feelings for, but there was no use denying it anymore, they just were.
They were all passing around an unlabeled bottle of something, looking extremely sketchy and not discreetly at all. That was the thing with her friends, they just never thought they'd get caught do anything.
Ginny took a sip of the firewhiskey before handing it to Daphne. She stared around the room, she saw Emily Abbot and Jax Avery holding hands, much to a lot of people's dislike and distaste.
She spotted Astoria and her gang of fifth year girls, all dressed in various slutty outfits just barely resembling magical creatures.
Along with them, stood Cassius Dolohov and a few of the boys he was friends with in his year. He gave her a small smirk and a head nod from across the room. Ginny put up a hand in acknowledgement.
Curtis Flint hung in the corner with Gary Mulciber and Randall Macnair. All three of whom Ginny could not stand to even look at let alone be around. Surprisingly, Marcus Flint was also beside his younger brother, he was flanked by two other boys that weren't Crabbe and Goyle but resembled them quite a bit.
Unfortunately, Marcus spotted Draco and decided to make his way over to them. Ginny made sure to turn her back to the boy so he wouldn't have any reason to speak to her.
"Captain! Fancy meeting you here." He slurred, clearly drunk.
Draco nodded, "Enjoying yourself?" He asked disinterestedly.
"Totally, look at all these half naked witches." He grinned toothily.
Ginny inwardly blanched.
He took a moment to look at the redhead beside the Quidditch Captain. "Well, Weasley. Didn't you clean up deliciously." He eyed her hungrily.
Ginny gave him a look of disgust,
"Not even a hello?" His brows furrowed.
Ginny just turned her face from him.
Draco took a step closer to her. "Do you have a particular purpose for being here, Flint?" He asked his grey eyes flashing dangerously.
"Just to greet my former teammates." He looked at Kennedy. "Woah, Rosier. You're—"
"I wouldn't direct any kind of comments towards her if I were you." Terence warned, before taking the blonde by the hand.
"Oh so hostile, since when did you grow a pair, Higgs." Marcus chuckled nastily.
Kennedy eyed Marcus up and down before walking away, pulling Terence behind her.
"Wonder what their problem was." He said drunkenly. "You'd think Rosier would want the compliment, considering that's probably why she dressed like a whore anyway—
"Can you go now?" Ginny had finally had enough, he was beginning to get on her nerves. "No one wants you here."
"My, my. Little Weasley's got a mouth on her, huh?" As he eyed the redhead, Draco slowly began to move in front of her. "Wonder what else you can do with that pretty little mouth of yours—
All it took was for his hand to reach towards Ginny for Draco to punch the older boy square in the jaw.
As Marcus fell to the floor, Draco didn't so much as flinch, instead just shaking out his fist. Marcus, on the other hand, held his bruised chin and split lip in confusion and anger. "What the fuck, Malfoy! Have you lost it!" He yelled to the blonde.
Draco crouched down to be at eye level with Marcus, "Don't you ever speak of Ginny like that again." He hissed, his tone was positively venomous. "You hear me?"
Everyone around could tell Draco was not playing any games. "And if you ever even think about touching her… well, you of all people know what I'm capable of, Flint." He threatened for good measure.
Marcus must have known whatever it was that Draco was referencing because he paled under his steel gaze. "Alright, mate. Chill out." He put his hands up. "It was a joke." He got up from the floor.
"Apologize."
"Draco it's fine, I don't—
Draco gave her a look that cut her off mid-speech.
He then looked at Marcus expectantly.
"Sorry." The former quidditch captain muttered, before walking away.
Daphne and Romilda stared at Draco with matching wide eyed expressions, while Ginny tried to hide her shell shock.
Draco looked to Adrian and Blaise, who knew he wanted to be left alone with Ginny for a moment. They both took the girls, steering them from the scene.
Ginny just stared at the man in front of her, he looked so angry, with his jaw clenched, the muscle jumping up and down. His fists were balled up at his side, one of his knuckles was split open but he didn't notice.
Ginny grabbed his hand, bringing the knuckle into view. "We need to fix this—
He hadn't even felt it, instead he just pulled her into a quiet corner by the entrance, isolated from everyone else. He had heard her older brother and Potter might be here tonight, the last thing he needed was to get into another fight tonight.
"You're okay, right?" He asked.
Ginny nodded, "Yeah, of course. I'm fine." She told him immediately. "You're not. Let me mend it." She stared at his open knuckle.
He disregarded it for the moment, "I'm sorry for—
Ginny shook her head, "It wasn't your fault." She told him. "But you didn't need to hit him, Draco. I appreciate you defending me and all but it wasn't necessary." She really wasn't a big fan of using violence as a way to solve problems.
Draco shrugged. "It just happened." He said.
She nodded, "Can I please fix your hand?" She chewed her lip.
He sighed, "It's fine. But if it's really bothering you that much…." He held his hand out to her, palm down.
She took his bigger one in hers, drawing her wand embarrassingly from the bust of her dress.
"Don't look at me like that." She blushed, as he stared at her amusedly.
"Creative." He just smirked.
"Dresses don't come with wand pockets." She said shyly.
"Just let me place it back in there." He grinned.
Ginny's blush deepened, "Quit it, I need to concentrate." She chastised him.
"It's a simple stitching spell, not like you're trying to reconnect a splinched limb there, princess." He drawled.
She gave him a look, "Shh."
She whispered a quick healing spell over his knuckle, she let out a breath as the skin reattached itself over the bone. After the momentary redness disappeared, it looked as if nothing had ever happened.
She went to take her hand back, but he gripped it. "Thank you." He kissed the back of her hand gently.
Ginny felt everything in her body tingle.
Everything.
She put her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a soft hug. "Thank you, too." She said quietly into his chest.
He put his chin over her head for a second, before letting her go. "Come on, wouldn't want people to start talking now, would we?" He gave her half a smile.
She could barely hold herself up when he did that, with how weak in the knees she would get.
She shook her head, "Especially after that display." She rolled her eyes.
Draco just smirked, "Don't girls like that shit? When a bloke defends their honor and what not?" He asked her jokingly.
Ginny laughed, "It was so romantic, I could hardly contain myself." She swooned playfully.
He discreetly put a hand at the small of her back, "Good, just the reaction I was hoping to get." He winked.
-x-
"Terence, I know how to handle myself, you know that, right?" Kennedy asked the blue eyed boy in front of her.
Terence nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Believe me, Rosie. I know you're as tough as they come." He said, a little annoyed. "But its okay to let someone help you out once in a while."
She wanted to argue with him, but she felt bad doing it. Terence was just doing what he thought was right.
She just ran a hand over her face, "Listen, I'm gonna go to the washroom. I'll meet you in a few." She excused herself before Terence could say anything else.
She walked into the ladies room, going over to one of the mirrors and staring at herself. She took a few deep breaths in, for some reason, the entire episode with Marcus left her feeling a little anxious. The way Terence reacted, it almost felt like he was trying to be her boyfriend or something. And Kennedy really wasn't even the least bit sure that that was something she wanted right now.
She genuinely liked Terence, he was a nice guy and so gorgeous, but she just wasn't sure about anything at the current moment. That conversation with Ron replayed in her head all the time, when he told her he needed time to figure things out and when she told him she would wait for him. He said he liked her, that he felt all the same things as her.
That meant something, didn't it?
Lately though, she found herself wondering how much of that conversation really happened and how much she fantasized. Because it happened so briefly it felt like so long ago, they'd barely had any contact since. Something didn't feel all the way right.
She heard footsteps coming towards the door and a voice that sounded distinctly like Hermione Granger's.
Without thinking, Kennedy jumped into a stall. It was rather peculiar that Hermione Granger would be at an off grounds party. Since when did the head girl have a fun bone in her body. She was so serious all the time, everything was about school and Harry Potter with her.
"…Yes, but this really isn't my type of setting to be honest." The head girl said to someone. "Harry's not particularly enjoying himself very much either."
"Right, but it hasn't even been an hour yet, Hermione." A girl, whose voice Kennedy didn't recognize, said.
"I know, but I just don't think we'll be staying much longer." She said honestly. "Plus, I think Harry would like to visit his parents tonight. This is the anniversary of their death, after all." She said, a bit condescendingly.
Kennedy rolled her eyes to herself, Hermione just gave off this annoying vibe that made her seem like she thought she was so much better than everyone else.
"Well… how does one argue with that." The other girl said, she seemed a little put off by the statement too.
"You can leave too, if you'd like." Hermione offered.
"I want to, I'm not having much fun either. But Ron's having a blast, there's no way he'd want to leave."
Kennedy felt her heart speed up tenfold, there was no way that they weren't talking about Ron Weasley. And it didn't take a genius to figure out who this other girl must be.
Luna Lovegood, of course.
It all made so much sense now, why Ron hadn't really tried to talk to her lately or given her any updates. Why he acted so aloof and indifferent when he would see her. How rushed and formal the few and far between conversations they'd had have been.
He never intended on breaking up with Luna, he never set her straight. He had just said all that to Kennedy that night because he thought he would get what he wanted by saying it.
Kennedy shook her head, she felt so stupid for ever believing him. Ever thinking he might be different than everyone else.
"Well, Ron does enjoy a good party." Hermione said, "No reason why you should have a miserable time though. He'll be fine on his own." She assured the other girl.
"Well, that's what I'm afraid of." Luna said, "He has quite a wandering eye and he is such a flirt." She said, the irritation was obvious in the otherwise serene blonde's voice.
"In that case, perhaps you should stay and keep an eye on him."
She heard Luna laugh, "I know I should but we've been good lately." Well, that was not what Kennedy had been expecting to hear.
"Really? Has our Ronald changed his tune all of a sudden?" Hermione asked surprised.
"He hasn't said it, but he's been a lot more…committal lately." She could practically hear Lovegood blushing.
"Really? Well that's good news."
"Yes, we've both never been happier. Things are so incre…" Their voices trailed away as the pair left the restroom.
Kennedy took a moment took compose herself, she had never been so angry and hurt in her entire life. Who did Ron Weasley think he was anyway?
She shook her head, taking a deep breath in before looking in the mirror.
"You're Kennedy Rosier, beautiful, talented, intelligent and brave." She told her reflection. "And one boy or even a million can't change that." She nodded confidently.
She needlessly washed her hands under the cool tap water.
It was time to finally give Terence a real chance, at least he cared enough about her to be honest. She knew he really loved her, he'd waited for her since third year. She didn't want to keep him waiting any longer. It just wasn't fair.
-x-
Hermione hadn't bothered changing out of the red dress she had put on and Harry didn't go back to take off his tux. Instead, they made a quick trip out of Hogsmeade and out to Godric's Hollow.
Harry shrugged off his jacket, putting it around his girl's shoulders. "Thank you, I'm sorry I had to be such a—
Hermione reached up, putting her lips over his own. "These are the moments I wouldn't trade for anything, Harry." She smiled at him, one of those genuine, beautiful, warm Hermione smiles and Harry was reminded all over again why she was everything to him.
"Not for some stupid party with people I don't really want to be around in an effort to appear as if we are "social." She rolled her eyes. "It's never really been my scene."
"And this is?" He gestured around the cemetery playfully.
She gave a small laugh. "Not quite what I meant, but anywhere with you is just fine." She said honestly.
He wrapped an arm around her, tucking her underneath it. "Remember the last time we were here?" He asked her.
"Christmas, was it?" Of course she remembered, how could she forget?
It was the night Bathilda Bagshot ended up really being Nagini in disguise and they had barely made it out of Godric's Hollow with their lives.
He nodded, his eyes darkening at the memory. "You're always right, Hermione." He murmured.
She sighed. "It's in the past now, love." She said softly. "We have to start rebuilding, moving on, letting go." It was hard, harder for Harry than anyone else.
It literally meant a lifetime he was letting go. Forgetting what the last seventeen years had been.
He nodded, "I know."
She laid her head against his chest as they stopped at the redesigned gravestones, since that faeful Christmas, since the War had ended, Harry had chosen to get his parents eternal resting place a bit of a facelift. He had yet to see it until today, though.
"Hey Mom, Dad." His voice was awkward and cracking.
He never knew how to start these conversations.
"I haven't been here in a while, huh?"
He knew he wasn't going to get a response back, but he still paused for one anyway.
"Well, I thought you should meet someone…"
Hermione stared at him quizzically, she had been to his parents graves before…
"You know my friend Hermione… but do you know my girlfriend Hermione." He looked down at her, through twinkling green eyes.
Hermione laughed. "You're ridiculous." She commented.
"I love her." He said, to whom, he still wasn't sure.
Somewhere inside of him, he wanted to think that his parents could hear him.
Hermione felt her face growing warm under his intense emerald gaze.
"And I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her." He reached down and pressed a kiss into her forehead.
"Hello, Mr and Mrs. Potter." Hermione said, her voice hoarse with emotion. "I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough for putting someone like Harry in my life. And I can say with full certainty that it has to be your guidance and eternal presence that has kept him so positive and full of love, despite everything he's gone through." She felt tears springing up in her eyes.
"As much as he says that he couldn't have done this alone, I believe the opposite. Harry has always done everything he has been expected to do and so much more." She hid her face in his chest, tears soaking his vest.
He rubbed her arm up and down, "If anything ever happened to you, if there was ever a day where I lost you…" She stared up at him through wet brown eyes, "Harry, I wouldn't be able to live in a world without you in it, you know that right?" She asked him, her cheeks pink and tears stained.
Harry moved to stand in front of her, "And you won't have to. I'm not going anywhere, Hermione." He lovingly tucked her hair behind her ear. "It's all over now." He promised.
Hermione nodded, letting Harry wipe away a few stray tears. "I'm sorry I can't be braver." She said with a laugh. "That while we're visiting your parents on the night of their death, you have to console me."
He shook his head, "You're my family now, Hermione." And in truth, she probably had been for a really long time. "I wanna give you something…"
Hermione stared at him in confusion, subconsciously touching the necklace he had already given her.
When he began fishing in his pocket, her anticipation just mounted even further. It wasn't like Harry to keep things from her long enough to be able to surprise her.
So what was he playing at?
"I've been thinking about this for a while…I just always lose the courage to do it when the time seems right." He admitted, running a free hand through his messy black hair. "Now, I realize this may not be the most romantic of settings but I just, I need to do this before I chicken out again." And before Hermione could say anything else, Harry was down on one knee.
In his hand, was a small, silver box.
Hermione felt her heart speed up by about a million beats, she knew if this wasn't such a profound moment, she'd probably faint.
"Hermione Granger, I don't need to date a million girls to figure out you're the one for me. There isn't anyone else I'd rather spend my life with… anyone one else I could ever imagine being with." He opened the box, revealing a stunning diamond ring.
Princess cut solitaire, moderately sized and perfect for her finger. Everything Hermione had ever imagined her engagement ring to look like.
"Will you marry me?"
And there it was.
As he stared up at her through those brilliant green eyes, Hermione felt as if the entire wordl fell away. Nothing surrounded her but Harry, his love, his energy, his everything.
"But… don't you think we're too young, that things are moving too fast?" She didn't feel any of those things, it felt right to say yes. But it was in her nature to question everything.
"We've known each other since we were eleven, we've been through more than any other couple has in the world and have a love story that fairytale characters would be jealous of…I don't think it's even possible to rush this." He grinned.
"So?"
He had never seen Hermione smile as big or as happily as she had in that moment. "Yes! Of course! Harry, yes!" She didn't wait for him to get up before jumping into his arms.
And as he fell backwards onto the grass, her falling on top of him, the both collapsed into a fit of giggles and chuckles.
She rolled off of him, laying on her back in her pretty red dress that would be stained by the time she got up.
He reached over, clasping her hand in his own. "I didn't know real love until you and Ron came into my lives." He told her, his voice was low and scratchy.
She turned her face to look at him, "And it's such a shame, because I don't know a person you deserves it more." She said with a small frown.
He brought her knuckles up to his lips. "Do you want a big wedding?" He changed the subject.
Hermione shook her head. "Just you, my parents, Ron, the Weasleys and a few other people would be okay with me." She shrugged.
"Over Christmas then?" He asked her.
She smiled. "Of course, but what's the rush Harry. We finally have all the time in the world." She looked at him questioningly.
"I'm just tired of waiting, I want us to start our lives together. None of this even matters, frivolous parties, press releases, all this media nonsense." He hated the notoriety, he always had.
"I only want you and I want you now." There was honesty in his voice but something else too.
Desire.
They had always talked about waiting until marriage.
Maybe part of Harry's urgency was his male hormones raging.
Hermione held back a giggle. "As you wish, Mr. Potter. I'm all yours." She winked.
He rolled her back on top of him, refraining from doing anything more than kiss her as they were still technically in the presence of his parents.
-x-
Ron Weasley hung back by a dark corner at the three broomsticks, glaring over his drink at the sight across the room from him.
He had been having a really great time, the party was absolutely spectacular, plus he had a great buzz going and the people around him were a good time. It was all positive vibes and fun until his eyes fell on a certain blonde chaser and her newest boy toy.
Kennedy was with that fool Higgs and his gang of Slytherin bullies she looked genuinely happy.
It made Ron's stomach turn in the worst possible way and suppressing the urge to punch that grinning smug idiot was getting harder and harder with each sip he took.
Sure, he had told Kennedy he would take care of the Luna situation in due time but it was easier said than done. He and Luna had way too much history between them for things to be simple. And not to mention he did have real feelings for the spacy blonde ravenclaw. She was always there when he needed her, she understood him, she knew who he was and he never had to be anyone but himself around her.
He loved that.
It was hard to let it go.
But whenever he was around Kennedy, it was hard to think straight. He wondered if it was just lust, maybe he needed to shag her and get on with his life.
He'd get it out of his system, whatever this was, and then he could move on fully invested in Luna.
Win-Win.
Except Ron knew it wasn't just that, he just did.
If it was lust, it definitely would have worn off by now. And if it wasn't serious, he would never think of risking what he had with Luna for it.
Because as much as he denied he was in a relationship, he knew this thing with Luna was still some kind of commitment.
They'd been into each other since fifth year, it was only about time they started something.
Luna had left the party about an hour after Hermione and Harry had, making Ron promise he would be on his best behavior if she left him behind. The redhead nodded, kissing her on the forehead and sending her on her way.
He had no intentions of breaking that promise, which is why when he saw Kennedy Rosier leave the three broomsticks, unaccompanied, he really shouldn't have followed her out.
"Kennedy!" He called after her, as she left the door way.
She turned around, her long hair moving with her.
She was so beautiful…
Her expression darkened at the sight of him, Ron figured he probably deserved it.
"Hello." She said icily.
Ron walked up to her, when she backed away from him, he let there be a comfortable distance between them. Even though he hated it.
He wanted to reach out and touch her, feel her warmth because it had been so long.
But he didn't, because he knew he'd probably lose the hand.
"You look nice… Gwenog Jones?"
She nodded tightly, looking away.
This wasn't going to be easy, then again, nothing with Kennedy was easy.
He waited for her to say something, anything, but she didn't. And as the seconds turned into minutes, he knew she was slipping away.
"I'm sorry I haven't been in touch lately." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "I know I said I was going to work things—
She cut him off with a rather nasty glare. "You owe me no explanations." She wanted to be as far away from him as possible right now.
Ron fidgeted with his hands, "Kennedy…please." He wasn't sure of what to say.
He knew this should have been a profound moment, he should have found every right word in the English language and strung them together poetically to get the girl he wanted. Yet… here he was, staring at his shoes, waiting for the moment where he would finally be able to get it together.
It didn't come.
She shook her head, "This… it's nothing." She gestured between them. "And whatever happened in the room of requirement was also nothing." She said, he voice was cold and emotionless.
His eyes snapped up to her face, "How can you say that?" He practically demanded.
She took a few steps closer to him, "Because, it's the truth." She looked him right in the eyes, with an unwavering ice blue gaze that shot a shiver down his spine.
"This was silly, you're my best friend's older brother and I'm a Slytherin." She shrugged a shoulder. "There's no way it would ever work." She gave an unamused laugh, before walking past him.
"Kennedy, I'm sorry!" But she didn't turn around.
And he knew, that for all the things he could have said that shouldn't have been it.
-x-
Terence was hanging by the stage, talking to Cassius and Draco and laughing. For some reason, his ease made Kennedy feel a little better too. If there was one thing she had alays been able to count on Terence Higgs for, it was a good laugh.
She walked over to the boys, trying to make sure no remnants of her fight with Ron were displayed on her face. She needed to get Weasley out of her system once and for all, he just wasn't worth it.
"Hey Rosie." Cassius held a hand up to her.
Kennedy gave him a brilliant smile, before turning her attention to Terence. "Been lookin for ya." She winked.
He looked a little surprised, his beautiful blue eyes wide. "Have you now?" He put an arm around her shoulders.
She leaned into his chest a little, he felt comfortable and warm. And for some reason, she just needed to be comforted like this right now.
Cassius and Draco exchanged glances before excusing themselves.
Terence moved them into a corner that was a little less noisy, "Everything alright?" he peered down at the girl beside him.
Kennedy removed her face from his chest, "I'm sorry I've been so all over the place lately, Ter." She said with a small shy smile.
Terence felt his heart speed up at her words, "Yeah?" He asked timidly.
Kennedy nodded, "I'm not the easiest to deal with." She admitted, "But I do like you." She looked up at him, her blue eyes clear as day.
Terence raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure…" He asked, the roots of her blonde hair were beginning to show.
Kennedy thought about, was she sure? Not really but at least Terence knew what he wanted. She refused to wait around while Ron figured out the same. Especially since she was almost certain of how it would all end anyway.
She was going to save herself the trouble and the heartache.
She smiled, one of those brilliant Kennedy Rosier smiles. "I'm sure." She affirmed.
"You wanna try this then?"
"I do, I think it's about time."
Terence's face broke into a huge grin, before Kennedy had the time to react the boy had swept her up into his arms, lifting her off the ground. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear you say that, Rosie." He held her in his strong grip, hugging her close to him.
Kennedy knew there wasn't something all the way right about this, but was sure it would all work itself out. Soon, she would forget all about Ron and be able to give Terence the attention he needs.
This was just the first step.
She smiled and when he leaned in to kiss her, Kennedy tried her best to forget about Ronald Weasley, she tried even harder not to compare the two boys.
But in the end, she found herself a little disappointed. Though she convinced herself that that would all go away soon enough.
-x-
"You know, I've barely seen Rosie all night." Daphne commented, as they waited for their friends to come together so they could all leave.
It was now nearing four a.m almost, it was about time.
Ginny nodded, "Me either, really." She agreed.
For the most part, her Romilda and Daphne had been on the dance floor as usual. The band had been playing some really good songs. She tried to maintain a healthy amount of physical distance between herself and Draco Malfoy, considering her brother was at the same party.
Her run in with Ron wasn't nearly as bad as she had thought it would be, it was halfway through the night and they exchanged hello's and a quick conversation. Her older brother was pretty sloshed by that point, he was in a genuinely good mood. Curiously, though, he didn't see Luna Lovegood anywhere around.
She had remembered running into Hermione and Luna t the beginning of the night, and that had been nice. It felt good catching up with the two girls again. But she didn't seem much of them after that.
To make things worse, she would see Ron with a different girl every time her glance fell on him. It was disappointing to say the least. Not that he was doing anytign with them, but still, flirting while his girlfriend (or whatever she was, because who really knew with the two of them) was certainly still wrong.
Still, her brother wasn't known for long term commitments, so she couldn''t realy hold it against him. And, technically, he did tell Luna that they weren't exclusive, so really…who could the blonde blame but herself at the end.
For someone who had never been popular witht eh ladies, Ron was certainly using his newfound fame to his advantage. It would be a pity to see it all go away once the hype died down, as it inevitably would.
Ginny let her gaze fall on Draco, she had inadvertently keeping tabs on him all night. Not that she had any right or reason to do so. Still, she knew, especially in her inebriated state, she would not be pleased to see him chatting up another witch.
To her surprise and delight, he hadn't really given any of the females that approached him the time of day. In fact, he had seemed perfectly content with spending the entire night with his buddies, drinking and laughing. It was actually pleasant to see him like that, for ocne he didn't look as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Part of her attraction to Draco was his brooding mystery, he was so unpredicatable and hard to read. She just couldn't resist that. But what she realized tonight, was that a happy Draco was far surpassed that.
She could stare at that boy's smile all night and she knew she wouldn't get tired.
She hated feeling like this about Draco, it was a constant battle between suppressing her feelings or letting them overwhelm her. There was no median, nothing in the middle. It was always one extreme or the other.
She either had to hate him or be ridiculously obsessed with him, it could never be something mild or normal.
And after everything that had happened in the last month, she didn't even want to like him or be attracted to him. Because even though he apologized, he still handled everything so wrong for so long.
As Astoria and her gang of fifth year Barbies were leaving, she made sure to stop by and say goodbye to Draco, making it seem as though they were really talking to Cassius.
When Astoria put her arms around Draco, it really made Ginny's skin crawl. And then the little wench had the nerve to put her hand on his cheek and bring it down to her pixie level. She placed a kiss on it and even from across the room she could see the red stain he left on his cheek.
For some reason, probably the alcohol, jealousy bubbled in the pit of her stomach. Stupid Astoria Greengrass really needed to take a hint and move on, Draco clearly wasn't interested.
Was he?
"Hello, Ginevra." Romilda waved a hand in front of the redhead.
Ginny snapped out of her jealousy infused rage immediately, cutting her eyes away from Draco Malfoy. "Yes?" She cleared her throat.
Romilda just smirked, before pointing in a general area behind Ginny's head.
What Ginny turned around to was a spectacular public display of affection, starring her best friend Kennedy Rosier.
It was a rather adorable moment, six foot five, muscular, broad shouldered Terence lifting beautifully thin and delicate Kennedy into the air and kissing her.
They both looked genuinely happy.
"Well, would ya looked at that." Daphne crossed her arms beside Ginny, "Looks like that's a thing now."
"About time too." Romilda flanked her other side.
Ginny smiled, "I'll say." She agreed, watching as Terence cheesily spun Kennedy around in his arms.
"And all is right in the world." Cassius' voice said behind them, slow clapping for dramatic effect.
Ginny didn't need to turn around to know Draco was near her, she especially didn't need to when he stood behind her. She was convinced she'd know his body in a crowd of a hundred people. Something about him always felt different.
Blaise stood beside Romilda, "It's a bit much." He said.
"Oh Blaisius, can't you ever just be happy for someone?" Daphne rolled her eyes.
"That's rich coming from the queen of mean."
"Good one, Zab, you come up with it all—
"Children." Draco interrupted, "Please, behave yourselves." He drawled.
At the sound of his silky voice, Ginny felt a shiver run down her spine. She hated him for having such a profound effect on her.
It was absolutely ridiculous.
They all watched as Terence and Kennedy stared at each other with goofy smiles and wide eyes, "They are gonna make the most beautiful babies." Romilda commented.
"That's for sure." Daphne agreed grudgingly, because it really went against her nature to say anything good about Kennedy.
The two were usually fighting.
"I'd give you more than that, Daph. I just need thirty minutes and a contrace—
"In your dreams, Dolohov." Daphne cut him off with a glare.
"Our babies would be infinitely more beautiful." She heard Draco whisper, his cool breath tickling her ear.
Ginny felt her heart speed up, did he really just say that?
Was she hearing things?
That was not something Draco Malfoy would say…
His fingers touched the bottom most ringlets of her soft red hair, carefully he wove them in and out.
She knew it was because he was drunk, intoxicated Draco was slightly less guarded, less inhibited. It didn't mean anything, she kept trying to remind herself.
But when his fingers grazed the small of her back, she couldn't really think straight.
All she could remember was how his lips felt against hers and that delightful feeling of his body pinning her between himself and the wall. And that's all she wanted, to feel him like that again.
"All right, enough is enough." Blaise announced. "I'm heading back to the castle, screw this whole we came as a team we must leave as one motif, it's all too Gryffindor for me anyway."
And with that, he shoved his hands in his pocket and began to walk towards the exit.
Cassius looked around before shrugging a shoulder, "I'm with Zab, Terence and Rosie will most certainly find their own way back." He said with a smirk.
"Cass, get Zab to wait. We'll come with." Daphne called behind the young Keeper.
Cassius turned around, the same smirk still on his face. "Anything for you, darling." He winked in an obnoxious way that made them all roll their eyes.
Draco put a comforting hand on Ginny's back, ushering her forward. "Kennedy is a big girl, she'll be okay." He gestured towards the couple.
Ginny nodded, clearly they were a thing now. She just couldn't wait to get the details out of the blonde tomorrow.
She stifled a yawn behind her hand as Draco led her to the exit.
For some reason, she couldn't help but feel safe around him. It was probably the most contradictory feeling, because for all the things that Draco was, surely safe was not one of them. He was the opposite, always had been. Yet, being around him, she never felt more okay, more right.
And that feeling, the realization that she might be falling for Draco Malfoy of all people, absolutely terrified her.
-x-
A/N: Hello! I'm sorry about the lengthy separation here but life just never stops, does it. I won't bore you with excuses or reasons as to why I couldn't update as it doesn't really make a difference anyway. Instead, I can only apologize and hope you're all not too angry with me ;)
Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading/favoriting/following and of course reviewing. It's such a great feeling when you come home from a long day and see such encouraging words from all you lovely people. You're amazing!
I hope this chapter was okay, it wasn't as Ginny/Draco heavy, but I think I still snuck in some cute parts. I think we were well past due for a H/Hr scene, so hopefully the one in this chapter suffices. The engagement might seem rushed, but in my head it isn't at all, it's Harry and Hermionne, could anything in their relationship be rushed at this point? Lol
Well, I hope you guys were satisfied and I do hope to hear from everyone. I love hearing what you all have to say to me, it's so encouraging and means the world!
Without further ado, the personal thank you portion of this A/N will commence:
HT188: Thank you for the kind words and for always reviewing the story, you are one of my loyal readers that has been there from the beginning so I can't thank you enough for that. I'm glad you liked the costumes and hopefully you like this chapter as well! Thanks again, I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Strawberriesforever: I agree, I think that if Draco and Ginny were to be together it would never be sweet and nice all the time, in fact most of the time it would be difficult and frustrating and intense. I'm happy that you like the story and I appreciate your taking the time out to review, it means a lot, truly. Thank you for the review, it made me smile, I hope to hear from you soon!
LivexxLaughxxLovexx: Glad you liked the chapter, there is more Ginny and Draco to come, the build up is slow but it will be well worth it, I promise. Thanks for the review, I hope to hear from you very soon!
Whyeren: Thank you for the very kind words! I really appreciate them. I know Ron comes off as a total ass, but I am going to give some insight into him in the later chapters. Thanks for the review! I really hope you stick with the story and I hear from you in the upcoming chapters!
Juliana: Awe, it's always really good to hear when someone says you made their day, so I'm really happy to know that. I hope you liked this chapter as much as you liked the one before and I do look forward to hearing from you very soon! Thank you for the review!
OnceASltherinAlwaysASltherin: The Halloween party was kind of intense, huh? I hope you liked the chapter and everything that happened, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Thanks for always reviewing and keeping up, it really means the world to me!
kiss the shadows: I'm glad you liked the D/G scene, I felt like it was about time to give their interactions a little sexy substance. I hope you like this chapter, I'm trying to build this relationship as best as possible so bear with me. Thank you for the review, and I hope to hear from you very soon!
DGblue: I know, but if they didn't deny it then the story would be kind of boring huh? Terence is sweet, isn't he. A bit too sweet for our Kennedy Rosier ;) but is she finally coming around? Only time can tell, right. I hope you liked this chapter and I hope to hear from you soon!
Henrietta Lee: Woah is the reaction I was hoping to get so I guess I did an okay job! Thanks for the review, hope you liked this chapter and I hope I'll hear from you in the near future!
Guest: Yes, that interaction was a long time coming, I'll agree. It seems that the consensus is a Kennedy and Terence coupling, so maybe this chapter will make some people happy. Yes, Ron is a bit of an ass sometimes but he means well. Thanks for the review, I hope this chapter was okay and I hope to hear what you thought of it!
veronica21: Great to hear from you again! How's the internship going? Mine is really working me pretty hard, lol. I tried to keep Astoria at a minimum in this chapter, her character annoys even me and I really have to be in the mood to write her haha. Doesn't it! I thought that Lana was perfect for the vibe I want to give this story, kind of dark and mysterious but sexy. Thanks so much for the review and always reading, hope everything is going well for you! I hope I'll hear from you soon!
GDforever96: Aw, I always love hearing when someone says they were so hooked on the story they couldn't stop reading! It means so much. I'm so happy you like it, it really is so encouraging. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well and I do look forward to hearing from you very soon, I'd love to know your thoughts on the Halloween party
Ju Piazzalunga: Aw, I'm sorry for the long wait but here's the chapter! I hope you liked it and it was what you were hoping for. I am going to try my best to get the next chapter up by next Tuesday around this time, if all goes well. Hoping to hear your thoughts on this chapter soon!
DracoDormiens17: Yes, Ron is rather tiring but who knows maybe he'll get it together. I am seeing that a lot of people like Kennedy and Terence together, they're the popular ship with in this story which actually makes me so excited and happy. Kennedy is kind of like my baby in a way because I created her and wasn't sure what anyone would think of her. I'm so glad people like her character and even more so enough to ship her! Thanks for the review, it's always good to hear from you!
