A/N: I think that this is the best chapter yet. I REALLY hope that you like this. I loved writing it. R&R! JRK owns Harry Potter and all related characters!
Ginny POV:
She was getting nervous for that night. She and the staff had been working very hard for tonight, she felt that this was a very big deal. She knew that a lot of students were really looking forward to tonight, finals had been over for two days and the rest of the students had been buzzing in anticipation for tonight. To hear so many people talk about the ball, made her even more nervous that tonight something would go wrong.
She had just finished packing her trunk to leave tomorrow morning to go back to the Burrow, and was heading to the Great Hall to get something to eat. She stepped inside the huge doors and took a look around.
Huge conifer trees lined the walls, covered in ornaments, tinsel, and icicles that were charmed to not melt, which was a relief. She would have loathed cleaning up water puddles all over the Hall. As her eyes roamed the hall, she passed over the tables of the four houses. She did a double take at the Slytherin table, there was a familiar head of blond hair that she saw. Her mouth fell open, Draco Malfoy was sitting at the table. She pinched herself, making sure that she wasn't dreaming. It hurt. She slowly made her way over to the table, maybe someone was messing with her, or she was seeing things. The ball wasn't until tonight, he wasn't supposed to be here until tonight. She came up next to the person who was sitting tall at the table over a plate of food.
"Draco?" She said, still unable to believe that he was really here. He turned to look at her and was met with a broad smile showing pearly white teeth.
"Hey there love." He said, and she flung her arms around his neck. He was warm, she noted as her bare forearms touched his neck.
"When did you get here? I thought that you were going to get her just before the feast?" She said, pulling her arms off him and sliding onto the bench next to him.
"Well I talked with Professor McGonagall, and she said that you've been working so hard, and she said that you could use a break. I asked if I could come early and she thought that it was a good idea. Told work I was going to take a break for a couple days, and here I am." He finished speaking and continued to eat.
"That's brilliant!" Ginny said, grinning. He smiled at her. She grabbed a plate and put some food on it, ignoring the stares that were coming from the students that were trickling into the Great Hall.
"So what would you like to do today?" Draco asked her as he finished his food. Ginny replied with a shrug.
"I don't know, there's not much in the way of the ball anymore, and since there aren't any classes today, there isn't much to do at all." She said, taking a pause between bites.
"We could go fly?" Draco suggested, getting a look from Ginny that shot down his idea. "Yeah, I didn't think so." He said, and Ginny nodded. She finished her food quickly and they sat in silence at the table, thinking.
"Well… We could take a walk down to the lake? Just to think a bit more about what we could do?" Draco shrugged and nodded.
"Yeah, that works." He smiled and grabbed a scarf from next to him that Ginny hadn't noticed. They stood at the same time and walked out of the castle together. They stepped outside into the cold air, and a light layer of snow crunched under their feet. They made the walk to the lake, being careful to avoid any ice on the ground. The came to the bank of the lake, which had a thin layer of ice over it, the dark water still visible. The middle of the lake was not yet frozen, and for a second they saw a large tentacle come out of the water.
"Huh, so… there is a Giant Squid…" Draco said, raising his eyebrows.
"Really? You didn't believe that he was real?" Ginny said, looking over at him, and he shook his head.
"No, not really." He said, shrugging his shoulders. Ginny laughed lightly and bumped his arm with her elbow. He smiled and looked at her, they locked eyes for a moment before Ginny looked away, blushing deeply. Draco let out a soft hum on accident, and Ginny looked back up at his face.
"What?" Ginny asked, and Draco shook his head, looking back at the dark water in front of them. Ginny shivered a little, and crossed her arms in front of her. She felt an arm go around her shoulders, and smiled. She leaned into the tall man next to her, and the arm squeezed her gently. She felt comfortable standing like this, and if it wasn't so cold outside, she thought, she would be able to stay like this forever. She glanced at the face of the man next to her, he was looking at the icy lake in front of them. He looked down at her face and leaned down, placing his chin on her hair. She smiled and placed one arm around his waist.
"It's good to see you." Ginny said, and she felt him nod. She began to shiver more in earnest and she nodded when Draco suggested that they head inside for something warm to drink.
Draco POV:
They spent the rest of the day drinking hot chocolate in the library talking and playing chess. Before they knew it, Ginny left to go get ready for the ball. Even though there was to be a feast before the ball, everyone was going to wear their ball clothes to it. Draco picked up a book, he had a while before he needed to get ready. He wondered silently to himself why women needed so long to get ready for things.
He got odd looks from the few students that passed through the library, and he meet each look with an even stare of his own. Eventually, he stood up with a sigh and snapped his book shut, he was tired of people looking at him.
He strode out of the library and made his way to the Headmistress' office, she had agreed to let him stow his dress robes in her office so that he could stay the day. He got dressed quickly in the private bathroom and brushed his teeth and hair. He flashed himself a grin in the mirror, he was actually excited for this thing. Ginny had worked very hard on everything, and he was already proud of her.
He made his way to the doors outside of the Great Hall, where he and Ginny had agreed earlier he should meet her. He watched students walk into the Great Hall, the buzz of conversation slowly becoming louder. Eventually, he saw Ginny making her way down the stairs.
He felt his heart skip a beat in his chest, and his breath got caught in his throat. He saw her smile at him, and he was suddenly conscious that his mouth was open in a small 'o', he snapped his mouth shut and instead turned the corners of his mouth up into a smile.
"You look…" He couldn't seem to find the right word, and he knew that he was taking too long when Ginny's eyebrows raised slowly and her smile faltered a little. "Stunning." Draco said finally, and Ginny laughed.
"And you look alright too." Ginny said, making a gesture toward the Great Hall. "Should we go inside?" She asked, and Draco offered her his arm in response. She slid her hand into the crook he made and they walked together into the Great Hall.
It looked amazing, he thought as he looked around. Everything looked perfect, and he knew that this was the hard work of the woman on his arm, he looked over at her and noticed that she was watching him for a reaction.
"It looks great." He said, as they found their seats. They sat down next to Luna and Neville, who each gave him a nod and then struck up conversation with Ginny. She turned back to Draco a bit into the feast and gave him a sorry smile.
"Hey, I'm sorry, I don't mean to neglect you." She joked, and Draco smiled and waved a hand at her.
"Don't even worry about it, we have all Christmas Holiday to catch up." He said, and she gave him a quizzical glance.
"What do you mean? You have work, and I'm staying at the Borrow, not the… Wait… Are you saying…?" She trailed off, and Draco grinned sheepishly.
"It was going to be a surprise…" He said. "I'm taking the Holiday off and staying at the Burrow." He said, and Ginny grinned.
"That's wonderful news!" She said. Draco gazed at her, she was so beautiful when she smiled. He realized he was staring and stood abruptly.
"Fancy some fresh air?" He said, and her eyebrows furrowed, but she nodded anyway and stood to join him after telling Luna that they would be back in a moment. They walked outside of the Great Hall, and immediately it felt cooler withought all the bodies that had been in the other room. Draco let out a nervous and frustrated sigh, earning a concerned look from Ginny.
"Are you alright?" She asked, placing a hand on his arm. He looked at her, and he felt his heart skip not for the first time that night.
"What is this?" He blurted out, and his face drained of color once he realized what he said. Ginny looked at him, taken aback. "I just.. I need to know." He said, his voice trailing off softly. He saw her face soften a little, and she gave him a small smile.
"I care for you." She said carefully. A flash of pain crossed his face, he should never have asked, he thought. She grabbed one of his hands and he looked down into her eyes.
"Ginny, I just want to know, should I even try?" He asked, letting the pain he felt show in his voice. He watched her for a moment before she smiled.
"I would be hurt if you didn't." She said, reaching up and giving him a lingering kiss on the cheek.
Ginny POV:
She didn't mean to hurt him at all, she wanted this to happen. She cared for him so much. She didn't want what they had to be ruined though. She wanted to kiss him so much, so she compromised with herself.
She kissed his cheek, letting her lips linger for a moment. She put her feet flat on the ground, and looked up at him. He still looked upset, even though she thought she had made it better.
"Look," She said softly. "I hate being away from you, I'm excited that you're here with me tonight, I'm happy that you're staying at the Burrow over the holiday. Let's figure this out over the holiday… what about that?" She said cautiously, she saw Draco think for a moment, then he nodded, pulling her into a hug. He cleared his throat then took a step back.
"I have something for you." He said, putting his hand into his pocket and pulling out a small package and handed it to her. She smiled and tilted her head slightly.
"It's not Christmas yet.." She joked, opening the package to reveal a beautiful necklace. "Draco…" She said, lost for words. He smiled at her, and she gave him a tight hug. "When did you get this?" She asked. He took a moment before answering.
"Since a couple days before you moved into the Manor." He said. Ginny stared at him for a moment.
"That's a long time." She said seriously, handing it to him. "Will you help me put it on?" She asked softly. He nodded and stepped behind her as she lifted her hair to make it easier for him. She felt his hands rest softly on the nape of her neck before he stepped back. She let her hair back down and turned back to face him, smiling. She fingered the pendant around her neck, and blushed furiously when Draco met her gaze intensely.
"We should head back inside." She said abruptly, looking down. Draco cleared his throat and grabbed her hand softly, they walked together back to the Ball.
Draco POV:
The night passed by quickly, and slightly awkwardly. He was still unsure what they were, but what she had said to him earlier had been enough to encourage him. He was fine with figuring out what they were over the Holiday. She had worked hard for this night, and he felt horrible for almost ruining it.
He should never have brought their relationship up, now it was awkward and he wished that it wasn't. They had danced a few times, but it was stiff.
"Dance?" He asked, holding out his hand. She grabbed it and smiled, he pulled her to him, making her trip a little on purpose. He caught her, making her laugh, and led her to the dancefloor. It was a slow song, so he pulled her close, and when it was still stiff he took a step back, and grabbed her hands.
"What?" She asked him.
"We can not be awkward the whole time." He said plainly. He shook her hands. "We need to loosen up." He said, shaking her hands until she laughed and gave in. Then they danced for the last few songs. They said bye to their friends before they walked out of the Great Hall together. They stood in silence for a moment before Ginny spoke.
"Well.. I'll see you in the morning?" She said, grinning. Draco nodded and took a step toward her. He pulled her into a tight hug.
"Thank you for letting me be your date. I had fun." Draco said into her ear, and she answered with a laugh.
"I wouldn't want it to be anyone else." She said, giving him a squeeze. He smiled and began to pull away before changing his mind.
He pulled her back into the hug, and they stood in silence for a few moments.
"Goodnight, love." He said, giving her a kiss on her forehead. He pulled away slowly, Ginny was smiling at him.
" 'Night" She said, giving one of his hands a gentle squeeze before turning and making her way up the stairs that Draco knew would lead up to Gryffindor Tower. He saw her disappear around a bend before he let out a soft sigh. He made his way to the room he had used so much during his sixth year at Hogwarts, he had been told it was repaired and that he could stay the night there. He was looking forward to this holiday, he was going to be spending the whole time with his best friend. He smiled as he settled into the bed the room had provided for him. He loved that family, and he loved that girl he had just spent the night at the ball with. He opened his eyes suddenly at his realization. His heart sped up as he thought the words again. He smiled, he wanted to say it out loud, then he realized, he was in a room by himself. Nobody would hear him, he could say whatever he wanted, as loud as he wanted. He took a deep breath, and spoke the words as a whisper with his exhale.
"I love Ginny Weasley" He heard himself say, and then the room fell silent once again. He grinned, it felt good to say it out loud, he thought as his heart slowed down.
"I love Ginny." He whispered once more before falling into a blissful sleep. He would make sure to tell her, but tonight hadn't been that night. It had been the night he admitted it to himself.
A/N: AHHHHH! RIGHT? HE SAID IT! Much Loves! -Bookworm