Draco couldn't wait to show Ginny off to all of their friends. She looked great in that dress, but he wasn't so sure about his own appearance. He was wearing a silk black shirt, with black pants and black shoes, and he did have a cigarette before Ginny swiped it from him.
"Name and age? And ma'am, put out your cigarette."
Draco recognized the voice of Professor Snape. He decided to play cool and pretend he didn't recognize the man as Ginny dropped her cigarette and ground it into the dirt, pouting..
"Draco Malfoy, twenty three."
Ginny put her hand on Draco's arm gently before she answered.
"Virginia Weasley, twenty two."
Professor Snape looked at them sharply.
"Ah, yes. I remember you, Weasley. Your whole family was a nuisance!"
Ginny smiled her famous Weasley smile, and Draco could see Professor Snape's eye twitch, a sign of weakness.
"I realize that, Professor Snape, and I am truly sorry for our behavior when we were schooled here. I can only warn you that the next generation of Weasleys is on its way. Have a good night, sir!"
Ginny gave Draco a tug and they climbed into a carriage that stood waiting to take them to the castle.
******************************
Ginny couldn't believe she had just spoken to Professor Snape without stuttering or faltering even once! It made her nervous.
"Draco, who do you think will be there?" Ginny asked, laying a hand gingerly on Draco's leg.
Ginny felt him tense up, and immediately removed her hand.
"Well, I don't know who's going to be there, Ginny. I guess a lot of our friends will be there."
Ginny sighed and looked out the carriage window. She could see Hogwarts Castle just ahead of them in the approaching twilight. The carriage was moving quickly, yet she felt no wind.
"Maybe Pansy will be there."
Draco's pale cheeks flushed pink, and Ginny grinned. She enjoyed seeing him in discomfort for some reason.
"I hope she isn't." Draco mumbled as the carriage pulled to a stop in front of the castle.
Draco and Ginny stepped out of the carriage, and went up to the Hogwarts steps. A tall, stately wizard with long silver hair and beard greeted them, his blue eyes twinkling from underneath bushy silver eyebrows. He wore a traditional wizard's robe of deep sea blue, little golden stars and moons sewn into the fabric, and a matching tall pointed cap.
"Welcome! Welcome! Welcome, to the reunion of Hogwarts students of years 2006-7!" He said, with a sweeping of his wand to send glittery sparks flying into the air.
Ginny laughed out loud, catching a few of the sparks in her hands.
"Professor Dumbledore! It's wonderful to see you!" She cried, as the elderly wizard took her hands in his and looked at her with a genuine, wide smile.
"It's good to see you too, Virgina. But If I recall, you prefer Ginny? Or was it Gin? Or both? I suppose it was both. Well, Ginny, you have turned out to be a very beautiful young woman. Much like your mother was..."
Ginny's eyes began tearing, and she smiled sadly at Professor Dumbledore.
"Thank you, sir. At least I know I have something in common with her."
Ginny embraced the old man, catching him off guard, and gave his a swift kiss on the cheek.
"Well then, you're welcome!"
Ginny laughed, and entered the castle. She would wait for Draco to get done with his little meeting.
******************************
Draco stepped up to the door, hoping Professor Dumbledore hadn't noticed him.
"Draco Malfoy, come here!" The old man called.
Draco stopepd short, and dragged a hand nervously through his hair.
"Hello Professor Dumbledore." He said, standing up straight.
Professor Dumbledore examined Draco's face.
"You seem different...Aha! I can tell!" The old man leaned in closer and whispered: "You have an object of affections, don't you?"
Draco took a surprised step back. What was the old codger talking about?
"What are you talking about, old man?" Draco sneered.
Professor Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes twinkling.
"I can tell, just by looking at you. Did you know...that you don't look a thing like either of your parents?"
Draco had thought so, but hearing it from the slightly mad old man told him it was true.
"People say I look like-"
"Your father, yes yes. But your face...is too different. Of course your father has the same color hair, but then I have similar hair myself. You look like your grandfather, a wonderful man really. He was brilliant in his prime, helped develope the firebolt you know!"
Draco didn't know.
"No, I didn't know. I'd like to go in now, if you don't mind..."
"Not quite yet!" Professor Dumbledore cried.
The mad old man pulled out a little box from the folds of his robe and handed it to Draco secretly.
"Open it, only when you know your heart's desire." The old man whispered hoarsely, using the husky voice of a prophet.
Draco hid the box in his pocket and nodded.
"I know what you mean, sir. I'll do as you say."
Professor Dumbledore nodded with a warm smile, and waved Draco inside.
"Have a good time, boy!"
******************************
Ginny took Draco by the arm when he came inside the door.
"That took a while now, didn't it?" Ginny laughed, looking over the scattered crowd.
The whole grand hall was decorated as though for a dinner party, but there were brightly colored streamers slithering along the walls in the colors of every house. Tight wound up springs bounced around with plates of food or drinks on them.
"Woah...Draco...have you ever seen the Hall so...crowded?"
Draco shook his head, and turned to look around.
"Ginny! What took you so long?"
Hermione 'waddled' up to Ginny, her hand on her belly. She had dressed modestly, in a cream colored skirt and matching vest with a white shirt underneath.
"Hi Hermione! You look great!"
Draco found himself staring at Hermione's stomach until Ginny inched him.
"Sorry...I just never thought of you as a mother." Draco said with a sly smirk. "And you do look great."
Hermione turned pink and smiled, with a few giggles from Ginny.
"Even Granger has a soft spot for you, Draco." Purred a feminine voice.
Pansy came out from behind Draco, running her hands over him and making a purring sound deep in her throat.
"Draco...darling...I've missed you so much..."
Draco looked disgusted at the sight of the woman in her little red dress. The dress was so tight and strappy it looked as though she was hardly even breathing and the skirt, which reached nowhere close to halfway down her thighs, had slits up the sides to expose even more leg than she was already.
Ginny flushed with anger at the sight of that...thing...jumping all over Draco. But why should she be jealous? Draco was like...a brother to her.
"Pansy, how nice to see you again." Ginny said politely, slipping her wand back into her bag.
Nobody had even noticed her taking it out.
"Excuse me." Pansy sneered, and then looked back up at Draco with a face full of mischief. "I'm busy..."
Draco backed away from Pansy, and put an arm around Ginny's shoulders, a smirk on his face.
"I prefer girls with good looks." Draco said, surprising Ginny and Hermione.
Pansy looked down at her *green* skin and let out a strangled gasp.
"Now you're as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside." Ginny said simply, showing Pansy a glimpe of her wand.
Pansy turned from the group and fled, letting out little screams as she went.
Hermione looked at Ginny with a look of admiration.
"You used a glimmer." She breathed, a smile of admiration on her face.
Ginny grinned. Even she was impressed. She had forgotten how to use glimmers, ever since that horrible night five years ago...
******************************
Draco loved the way Ginny smiled. It was never false, or showy, it was just genuine and true. And it brought out those *irresistable* dimples in her cheeks.
Stop it Draco, you can't have her, and you know it.
He did know it, and it drove him crazy every moment he saw her, even after only two days after five years he found her so desirable it made him dream of her, and murmur her name whenever he was alone, just to hear it. He had spent three hours the night before just thinking of different ways to say her name.
He was going mad.
"Draco? Are you alright? You look a little pale."
Ginny snorted at the understatement. Yes, Draco was pale, and he knew it. But he was...white...
By the gods...he needed a drink.
"Hey, you want a drink?" Draco suggested to Ginny.
"You bet." Ginny said with a smile, and followed him to the refreshments table.
It would probably be a habit of theirs, to drink themselves senseless and test their will when they were alone. He hoped not. He wanted to be sober when he told her his feelings...but not tonight.
"What'll you have?" Asked a tall young man with wild black hair and black eyes.
The man looked suspiciously like Hagrid.
"Are you the gamekeeper here?"
The man nodded, and smiled.
"I have been ever since me cousin Reubius (A/N: I'm really not sure how to spell this, and I'm too lazy to look right now) moved off."
"And what's your name?"
The young man served a glass of champagne to another young man, and answered them.
"My name? It's Gruntellen Hagrid. But call me Grunt." Grunt held two mugs, empty, and looked at Draco and Ginny. "What'll ye have?"
"I'll have an ale."
"Me too."
Grunt chuckled as he poured the ale and slid it across the table to them. Some of Ginny's spilled onto her hand, and she began licking her fingers. Draco looked away quickly to look at Grunt.
"What's so funny, Grunt?" Draco asked, sipping his ale.
Grunt began chuckling again.
"You're probably the best looking couple I've seen tonight. All the others...are mismatched and just wear too much fanciness and such. I saw a woman with a gown made completely of feathers! And another one of solid gold! Someone is wearing a suit made of dragon scales, poor dragons, I don't know where he is right now. But they all got fancy drinks. You're the first to get ale."
Grunt began laughing again, and Draco found himself liking this man. He was a very jolly person, indeed, and the laugh lines around his face showed it.
"Well, thanks for the ale, Grunt." Ginny said with a smile. "We're going to be moving along now, but we'll be back later."
Draco sent Grunt a quick smile before he walked off with Ginny. Grunt gave a brisk nod and went back to his other customers.
"Grunt is quite different from Hagrid, don't you think?" Ginny said, sipping her ale.
Draco nodded and took a drink from his own mug.
"Very. I wish I knew Hagrid like you others did. He never was very fond of me."
"Even after you found him that Dragon's egg? Draco, he was practically skipping around his hut when he found it on the table!"
Draco grinned. She would probably have passed out if she knew he had gotten the egg from his own private collection of tamed dragons.
"Oy! Malfoy! Back off!"
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