A/N: Mariel got around to doing some actual romance! Ginny and Draco still can't go two paragraphs without bickering, but it's a step in the right direction. And there's a new flavor of Crème Savers- raspberry- and they're the best yet. Not as good as Mariel's beloved Wint-O-Green lifesavers but still pretty good. So Mariel's in a really good mood. Know what else puts Mariel in a good mood? Reviews. (Hint hint.) She writes faster when she's happy. Mariel is talking in the third person... Mariel is very very sleep deprived. Mariel is starting to reconsider her vow to not drink coffee.
On the edge looking over
All I see is a four-leaf clover
Maybe a sign of things to come,
Should I jump, or should I run?
After I fall, where do I stand,
After my heart is in your hands
And you've got it all
After I fall, where do I stand?
After I've loved you all I can
Will I stand tall?
After I fall...
It's as clear as a blue sky
I don't fear you telling me a lie
So I'll become your only dancer
And let the sunrise bring the answer
After I fall, where do I stand?
After my heart is in your hands
And you've got it all
After I fall, where do I stand
After I've loved you all I can
Will I stand tall?
After I fall...
You're a move I wanna make
You're a chance I'm gonna take
You're every dream rolled up in one
After I fall, where do I stand?
After I've loved you all I can
After I fall...
After I fall...
After I fall...
Lee Ann Womack- After I Fall
"'Ey! You gonna buy that, buddy? This ain't a library!" The witch behind the counter turned her attention back to Ginny and said, "So go on."
Ginny sighed. "I don't think this is the best place to talk about this, Sylv."
Her companion was one of her closest friends from her year in Hogwarts, Sylvia Forbes. Sylvia owned a bookstore on Diagon Alley, and happened to get bored rather easily. Ginny had known that, and had also known that upon entering she wouldn't be allowed to leave for at least half an hour, but had gone in anyway. It wasn't as if she'd had anything else to do.
"Sooooo." Sylvia brushed back a lock of her blonde hair, which Ginny had often suspected wasn't natural. "You quit and didn't zap Graham with a Jellylegs curse or anything?"
"Jellylegs was funny when we were... what, thirteen?"
Sylvia shook her head. "Seen Malfoy lately?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Why should I?"
"Gin-ny." Sylvia made an irritated sound with her breath. "You mean to tell me that you managed to spend nearly two months seeing him every day and nothing happened?"
"I set his hair on fire once."
"You don't think he's-"
"No."
"Not-"
"Look, Sylv. There's nothing between us! Nothing! And even if I wished there was, do you think there's the slightest chance of him feeling the same? He's a complete-" Ginny paused. She couldn't think of a suitable adjective for Draco. "He's a Malfoy."
"I know. Sorta a Romeo and Juliet romance."
"Who're they?"
"Shakespeare. Muggle thing."
"Ah." Sylvia had a Muggle-born father.
"And there is no romance."
"Sure," Sylvia replied absently. "Listen, Gin, if you're not busy I've got a favor to ask f you."
"Depends on what it is."
"I've gotta go out of town for a few days next week, so..."
"So...?" Sylvia often took an agravatingly long time to get to the point.
"So wouldja mind watching the shop for me?"
Ginny considered. Again, she had nothing else to do. Job-hunting had so far proved unsuccessful.
"Sure."
"Oh, Gin, thanks!" Sylvia jumped up, once again distracted. "Hey you! I told you before, this ain't a library! Are you gonna buy that or what?"
***
"Potter."
Harry turned around. Being insulted by Draco Malfoy wasn't on his list of priorities today. Even though he had a certain ammount of respect for Draco, he still really didn't like him.
"Yes?"
Harry was sitting alone in front of a café in Muggle London. It was cold, as it was late December, but that meant he was less likely to be bothered. In front of him was a diagram portraying a Quidditch field- he'd come here because there was less chance of someone recognizing the famous Harry Potter and bothering him.
Draco hadn't even been looking for Harry, but passing down the street he'd caught sight of that annoyingly famous scar-face and decided it wouldn't hurt to talk to him.
"What do you want?" Harry asked.
Draco sat down, uninvited. Harry sighed.
"Are you friends with Ginny Weasley?"
Harry looked at him oddly. Whatever he'd been expecting, this wasn't it. "Yes."
"You see her brother a lot, right?" Under the circumstances, Draco didn't think it sounded right to refer to Ginny by her first name and Ron as 'Weasley.'
"Yes." Harry was clearly going annoyed. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Where is she? Did something happen, to her?"
Harry sighed again. "She's fine, Draco. Why wouldn't she be?"
"Because obviously the fact that her boss won't tell me anything about me indicates that everything isn't fine!"
"She's an Auror, Draco. That could call for some secrecy, you know."
"Listen, Potter. You owe me. If Granger went missing and you thought I might know something and wouldn't tell you, wouldn't you be angry?"
"Ginny is fine, Draco. And what do Hermione and I have to do with anything?" Harry paused. "And how is that remotely connected with anything to do with you working with Ginny?"
Draco didn't realize what he'd said until Harry replied, and by that point it was too late to rephrase it.
"You're either dumber than I gave you credit for, Potter, or lying your ass off." Draco stood up and walked away angrily, heading for an alleyway safe from Muggle eyes, in order to Apparate home.
Ten minutes later, Harry was once again interrupted, this time by a light touch on his hand and a soft weight setting on the bench next to him.
"Hi," said Hermione. She smiled at him and said; "Sorry I'm late."
"Late?"
"You told me to meet you here at one."
"That was the sixteenth," Harry replied blankly.
"Today is the sixteenth, Harry."
Harry nodded. "I knew that."
Hermione shook her head, smiling affectionately. "You're hopeless."
"Mmm." Harry paused. "Anything wrong with Ginny?"
"Not that I know of. Why?"
"Malfoy was just here. Seemed to think I knew something about Ginny disappearing."
Hermione blinked, unable to think of a suitable reply.
"According to him, something's happened to her."
"I was just talking to her yesterday, that's impossible!"
"I know."
"Sounds as though he's finally snapped," Hermione muttered. "You know, I always thought he might... Harry?"
"Mmm?"
"Can we go inside? I'm freezing. I'm sure no one's going to bother you about Quidditch here."
Harry smiled at her. "Let's go."
***
Ginny moved mechanically through the storage room of the bookstore, organizing several orders that had arrived. She wasn't worried about anyone entering, since she'd flipped the sign to 'closed.' Sylvia would probably forgive her for closing ten minutes early, and even if she wouldn't, odds were she'd never find out. Ginny wanted nothing more than to go home, conjure a fire in her fireplace, and lay on her back on her window seat. Perhaps she'd fall asleep there, watching the think clumps of snowflakes falling. Perhaps she wouldn't move from that spot all night, just stay there and stare into the white-speckled black sheet of sky until morning. Sylvia would be back, then, so she wouldn't have to worry about coming here... Perhaps she'd get some Christmas shopping done, and for once not have to wait for the last minute. Christmas was still a week off. Maybe she could find space for more decorations in her already overly Christmassy apartment, decorating enthusiast that she was.
This storage area wasn't heated and Ginny could see her breath in front of her. Ten more minutes... I said I wouldn't go until closing, and I won't. Ten more minutes... The combination of the odor of old parchment and dust was making her wheezy; she sneezed several times in abrupt succession.
The door in front of the shop opened, and she heard the cheerful tinkle of bells. Dammit, I forgot to lock the door.
"We're closed," she called, not bothering to keep the irritation from her voice.
She became aware that something was wrong when the bells failed to jingle again. Annoyed, she turned around, prepared to blow up at the person if the need arose.
Draco Malfoy was standing in the doorway.
"We're closed," she repeated stupidly.
"So Potter was right," he muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing."
They stared at each other for a minute, Draco looking oddly satisfied, Ginny looking as though she was so weary that nothing could surprise her. Finally she spoke.
"Look, Draco, this is a really bad time. I've had a very trying day, so if you'll excuse me-"
"First I'd like you to answer some questions."
Ginny yawned. "Fine. Anything to get out of here."
"Why'd you quit your job?"
"Because I'm very impulsive and acted without thinking. Still, I didn't appreciate Graham calling me an idiot."
He didn't ask her to clarify.
"So I overreacted," he said, apparently to himself. "But why didn't you tell me?"
"It didn't occur to me that you'd care."
"Ginny- with all the security around Aurors- Graham wouldn't tell me a thing- I thought-" this was said in an angry shout. His expression was wavering uncertainly.
She drew herself up to her full height, which was a good four inches shorter than he was. "Draco, I appreciate you being worried. Really. Can I please leave? Can we please discuss this some other time?" He was worried! He was! What does that mean?
During this exchange, they'd gravitated towards each other without noticing it, and were now only inches apart.
"Not yet," he said.
Well, if he's going to be that way I can play along. "Draco, I told you before, this is not a good time. Get out. Now."
He grabbed her shoulders. "I was worried, Ginny."
"Why?" she demanded. "You've never given me the slightest hint that you cared whether I was even alive or not."
Draco shook his head. "You're even more dense than I thought, aren't you?"
"Evidently."
He stared at her, a mixture of anger and... something else on his face.
"Would you mind letting go of me?"
"What if I said yes?"
"What if I put you in a full body bind and left you here?" Ginny spat.
"You won't."
She was tempted to do it, just to prove him wrong. She reached for her wand.
And then stopped completely, realizing that he was pulling her even closer to himself. She was startled, but she knew what was coming and every thought of struggling was pushed to the back of her mind, overcome by an intense longing as he pushed his lips forcefully against her own.
Startled, she broke away and stared at him. Even though the kiss had only lasted several seconds they were both gasping for breath. He looked as shocked as she felt.
"Let go of me," she hissed. "Now."
He seemed frozen. "Ginny-"
"I said now, Malfoy, or you'll wish you'd never come in here."
Instantly he let go of her. She flew out of the shop, heedless of the fact that Draco was still there and the door was unlocked.
***
He'd kissed her. Oh, God, he'd done the one thing he'd most wanted to do and made her horrendously angry. Yet that old feeling of dissatisfaction... that utter uselessness, had been gone. He'd been aware for a few weeks that it was stilled whenever he was in her presence and for a glorious half a minute it had evaporated.
What was that he'd said about losing his temper?
"The day I lose my temper completely is the day I fall head over heels in love with you, Weasley."
"Oh shit," he said to the empty room. "Oh shit."
No. He was a Malfoy, she was a Weasley, this was impossible.
Fuck impossible. This was... this was... he tried to force the word wrong to come to his mind, but it wouldn't. Whatever this was, it wasn't wrong. Whatever it was, it could never be wrong, probably for the reason that most people he knew would think it was the biggest mistake of his life.
But God, those eyes. That quietly smoldering anger- she'd dared to be openly angry with him, and not just because he was Draco Malfoy, but because he, personally made her angry, and because she got some insane pleasure out of angering him. And somehow he couldn't resist fueling it.
But why her?
Disclaimer: IT'S ALL MINE! MUAHAHAHAHA! And if you believe that, I really don't wanna know what kind of medication you're taking. Sylvia Forbes belongs to me, and I'm aware she's a ditz. She was meant to be a ditz. I've listened to 'Little Good-Byes' several times in a row now, and really need someone to talk me out of doing a songfic to it because I know it'd turn out horribly. Oh, and I've found the official Draco/Pansy song for this series; 'I Wanna Talk About Me' by Toby Keith. I heard it and I was like 'Whoa! It's Draco and Pansy!' And last Sunday I was feeling hyper so I put Christina Aguilera into my CD player, set repeat on 'When You Put Your Hands on Me,' turned it up really loudly and danced throughout the house and it occurred to me that it fits D/G really well. I realize how stupid I make myself sound in my A/N's, so I'd best shut up.
Thanks to: Anjeline, Lindsey, Tabbycat2000, FeatherQuill, (Cool name, by the way!) Satans Little Princess, Lily Shouk, rocket_queen_12 (I dunno if they've really hooked up yet... but anywhoozles...) legallyblonde, DarkKnight, (He really can be quite cute at times, can't he?) and Morrigan_932 (Love the moving smilies! I'm far too easily amused, no?)
*Hands out raspberry Crème Savers to everyone, because she has a sharing problem where her Wint-O-Greens are concerned.*
