After a millennia, or perhaps a minute, I noticed his hair turning paler and the falling droplets of his melting mask. I caught his face in my hand.
"Time to go." I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice.
"I suppose so, though I can't say I'm unhappy to see you yourself again." I hoped the dim room was enough to cover my blush. I pulled him out of the room with me, giggling like kids.
I pushed the heavy door open before letting it slam close behind us. Outside of the deafening hall, the silent hallway felt eerie.
As I turned to face Malfoy, I realized I was still grasping his wrist. I gave it a light squeeze and rubbed my pointer finger against his arm gently.
"This okay?" I whispered.
"More than okay," he sputtered, his voice hoarse. He lifted his other hand to the nape of my neck and pulled my hair out of its twist. Malfoy leaned towards me, and I felt his hair tickle my cheek as he kissed my jaw. I shivered involuntarily against him and he laughed quietly against my neck.
"You sure you can handle this, Pet?" he joked in my ear. Was I still capable of breathing? Inhale, exhale Ginny.
"If not, I'll die trying," I murmured with a mock salute. My laugh died on his lips. The shock of his lips across mine was replaced with warmth that spread to my fingertips. I pulled his face further down towards me, and he closed his arms around my waist. I met his eyes shyly when we pulled apart for air, surprised to see him as out of breath as I.
I initiated the next kiss, swiping my tongue across his bottom lip before pulling his mouth back on mine. He groaned and gathered me in his arms, pulling me up into his embrace. I wrapped my legs around his waist and let Malfoy lead us to the stone wall. My back pressed into the wall while my hands ran through his hair. The tenderness of our initial kiss had been replaced by hunger. I was a second away from unbuttoning his shirt when I heard a meow echo. Still holding me, Malfoy ducked us behind the nearest statue. We sat down on the floor and stared at each other in alarm. I tried to breathe quietly through my nose, but it felt as if my heartbeat was so loud it filled the hallway.
"Is that McGo- " Malfoy threw a hand over my mouth. After daring a peek he turned back and nodded. It was like McGonagall had ninja instincts of when students may be getting up to mischief. Finally, a door slammed as she passed into a room and Malfoy released his hand from my mouth.
"That was close." I sighed. Malfoy's lips upturned.
"Who, us? Not close enough, I'd say." Malfoy rebuffed. I elbowed his arm.
"Smartass."
"I suppose the busiest hallway in the castle isn't the most inconspicuous place to make out… Ever wanted to visit the Slytherin common room?" he offered. It was strange how natural trusting him came to me. Besides, I really did want to see how the other side lived. And kiss him again. Mostly that.
"Wow, letting the enemy in, Malfoy? Aren't you worried I'll steal your secrets or something?" Malfoy rolled his eyes, a lopsided grin threatening to light up his face.
"Tsk, tsk, Pet. Never tell your enemy your plan. You'd make a terrible supervillain." Malfoy got up and held out a hand for me.
"Good thing we're not enemies then." I clutched his hand and rose to my feet.
"Yeah, it really is." Malfoy kept hold of my hand and crept us down the hallway. He opened an old door that revealed barely lit stairs. He escorted me down staircase after staircase, before walking swiftly near the passage for Potions. Instead of entering the classroom, though, we ambled further towards the dungeons and took a sharp right. A blank stretch of stone wall lay in front of us.
Was this a joke? I scrutinized Malfoy, who was cast in shadows. He thought for a second before pronouncing:
"Oderint dum metuant," he enunciated carefully, "it's latin for Let them hate, so long as they fear." Geez. The current Gryffindor password was tapeworm.
"It'd be for the best if you forget that," he declared. I mimed zipping my mouth shut.
"Forget what?" I asked, eyes wide and innocent.
"That's the spirit."
Before my eyes, the stone shifted inwards and suddenly there was a door under an arch. Malfoy opened the door and leaned against it.
"Ladies first."
I couldn't deny I was curious. I idled in the doorway before taking the plunge.
Wow.
I hadn't thought the Slytherin common room would be so hauntingly beautiful. The only lighting came from warm lamps spread across the room. The common room was filled with leather couches, regal brown furniture and molding, and a ridiculous amount of thick books.
"Well?" he inquired from behind me, wrapping his arms around my stomach and resting his head on mine. I leaned into him, and was rewarded with a tight squeeze.
"It's lovely. Though I should have suspected so if it was up to your standards." I felt his chuckle down my spine.
That's when I noticed the giant floor-to-ceiling glass windows lining the far wall, offering a rare view of the Black lake. Were we really so far underground? I ran towards it and pressed a hand to the cool glass. Some dark sea creature swimming idly by came over and pressed a tentacle towards me.
"Wicked."
Malfoy wandered behind me and pointed out the different sea creatures and their respective abilities. Who knew abstract sea creature recognition was part of his skill set. He was going on about some gruesome sea creature when I turned around and slowly unbuttoned the top of his shirt. He froze mid sentence and looked down at my lips.
"You were saying?" I pressed, biting my lower lip.
Malfoy grabbed my wrists and pulled me closer, his eyes never leaving my lips.
"I have no fucking idea." My chuckle died on his lips as he crushed his lips on mine. My hands reached for his chest, rising up to rake my nails through his hair. He let out a groan. He reached around my waist and pulled me even closer.
His kisses explore my mouth, before venturing to my cheek, and lowering down to my neck.. A moan escaped my lips and encouraged Malfoy to be bolder with his kisses, biting the delicate skin of my collarbone.
My skin was on fire. I wanted to feel his skin against mine. I muttered something unintelligible, my brain scrambled.
"What's that?" he pulled back to listen, eyebrows scrunched in concern. I grabbed a fist of his shirt and tried to communicate with my eyes.
"I- you-," I let out breathlessly.
"English, Pet. Words would be helpful." his eyes glinted mischievously. Was he really going to make me form words? I was barely coherent. Every second away from his mouth felt like losing oxygen.
"Your shirt. Off, please." The sly grin at the edge of his mouth turned to a full fledged smile. For someone so hot, his smile was too cute. He started unbuttoning his shirt with so much gusto it was impressive.
"Holy-" my jaw dropped. Lean muscle carved into his frame, and it took all my willpower to not gawk at the V-line of his hips.
"See something you like, Weasley?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me. Despite his words, a line of pink tinged his cheeks.
"You should burn all your shirts." I managed to choke out, my eyes still glued to him. Was it suddenly ten degrees warmer here? Or was it just him?
He reached for my hands and placed them around his neck before resting his own around my waist. I steadied myself against Malfoy, letting my face rest against his chest. He smelled divine, woody, warm, and minty all at once. He swayed our bodies, whispered into my hair "for the dance we never finished."
A door slammed open, with none other than Blaise Zabini strolling through the room. Malfoy cursed under his breath, and stepped in front of me protectively. Ironic considering he was the shirtless one.
Blaise stretched out on the couch like a cat before noticing Malfoy and I by the window. He chortled, letting out a low whistle.
"Get a room," Blaise muttered, eyes flicking between me and Malfoy.
"I don't know if you noticed, but this is a room, and was pretty private before you barged in." Malfoy retorted, arms crossed. Apparently being thick as thieves wouldn't stop these two from bickering like children.
"Last time I checked this is a communal space," replied Blaise, looking smugly around him as if the room would agree.
"Communal space, my ass. Is there something you need, Zabini?"
"To bother you, obviously. Someone here has to keep Slytherin from multiplying like rabbits. Put on a shirt, Draco, before you scar my innocent soul." Malfoy snorted at "innocent," but put back on his shirt from the floor.
"Weasley, tell me you have better options than this asshole? I'm sure you could find someone into angry redheads." I couldn't help but laugh as Malfoy huffed and Blaise raised a smug eyebrow at me. Their humor was infectious.
"Believe it or not Zabini, I entered on my own free will."
"Funny and pretty, if you don't ask her out I will." Blaise and I shared a smile at the way Malfoy's jaw ticked at that.
"Fuck off, Blaise." Blaise lifted a hand to his mouth in faux shock.
"Language! Weasley, does he kiss you with that mouth? Here, you'll need this after spending an evening with this dork." Suddenly a flask was sailing across the room and I pulled it out of the air. I lifted the cool metal to my nose, smelling cinnamon and whiskey.
"Firewhiskey? Where'd you even get this?" Was there nothing off limits to Slytherins?
"I'll never tell my secrets-"
"He bribes a guy in town," Malfoy interrupted. Malfoy took the flask from my hand and downed a gulp before returning it to me. Why was his ability to shoot firewhiskey casually so attractive? I took a sip myself, and it burned my throat raw making me cough into my fist.
"Traitor!" Blaise accused half-heartedly, "the witch hath put you under her spell. This calls for-"
"Oh for the love of Merlin, Blaise, not-"
"WIZARD CHESS BALANCE" Blaise jumped off the couch and pumped a fist in the air. I looked between the two of them in confusion, Blaise literally jumping for joy while Malfoy put his face in his hands.
As I soon learned, Wizard Chess Balance is a ridiculous version of wizard chess that Zabini and Malfoy created as kids when they grew bored of their parent's dinner parties. The rules followed basic wizard chess rules, with the addition of: 'everytime you lose a non-pawn piece, you have to balance an object on your head. If either player drops what's on their head, they instantly lose.'
An hour later I screeched as Malfoy's bishop demolished my rook. I released a string of curses, before placing yet another blanket on my head.
"Stay on your toes, folks, could this be the end of the road for Weasley?" a drunk Blaise narrated. I shot Blaise a deadly look, which is probably less threatening with the additional blanket because he doesn't look the least bit abashed. Malfoy cocked his head to the side, trying to maintain his composure at the sight of me with 3 blankets on my head.
"You're going down, blankethead" he said seriously.
"Over my dead body, pillow face" I grumbled. Malfoy was shockingly talented at keeping the two throw pillows on his head.
Malfoy stifled a yawn as he considered his next move. As I regarded him, I don't know if it's the firewhiskey or the sleep exhaustion that fueled my next thought: I could fall in love with this boy.
He looked angelic under the bask of warm lamp light, blushing when he caught me gazing at him. He shot me a lopsided grin before he running a hand through the ends of his mussed hair, and I swear my heart stopped dead in its tracks.
Electricity buzzed through me even after his attention refocused on the board, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't the firewhiskey releasing a flutter of butterflies through my chest.