Legend
Chapter IX: Ensemble
by Marie McKinnon
It snowed in January, snowfalls so thick that the students with their noses pressed to the
classroom's windows couldn't discern one flake from another. Once the downpour ceased, a
professor looking out from his or her window couldn't see the snow because of all the black-robed figures running around. Some of the more daring (or more graceful) wizards and witches
went ice-skating on the lake while the Weasleys held their traditional snowball fight.
Ginny, of course, didn't participate in the snowball fight. She chose instead to borrow a
nervous friend's ice skates and try her luck on the lake. Kneeling beside it, she tied the laces
with icy fingers. They stumbled and retied so many times that the shadow looming over her
laughed.
"I'm sure you won't be able to skate properly, if you can't tie the laces. Of course, you
were too poor to afford a professional coach." His characteristic drawl immediately gave him
away.
Ginny stood up as she finished lacing up the skates and moved to stand on the ice. "I
wouldn't be so confident," she replied. "I've actually managed to do somewhat admirably in the
skating competitions I've entered."
"How do you propose to prove that?" Draco tried to maintain his composure. He knew
he looked good, but the 5th year was unbelievable. A pure white turtleneck sweater and brown
trousers that fitted extremely well gave her that extra psychological edge. They also gave Draco
shivers of ecstasy, but that was beside the point.
She took off around the lake, red hair whisked by the rush of air created by her speed. As
she neared the starting point, she pulled into a tight spin, whipped around, and stopped with
ease.
"I'll manage somehow." A confident smile lit her face as her eyes strained to look at him
more. His collared, long-sleeved shirt was light enough to show off his broad shoulders and
strong torso, but warm enough that he seemed unaffected by the cold. Black trousers, just the
right length, gave off a smart, arrogant feeling that was almost tangible. She was drawn back to
look him in the eye, grinning cheekily. Does he ever move his hair away from his eyes? She
wondered, realizing that every time she'd seen him he'd been wearing that hairstyle that came
with his good looks. "I've proven myself, so why don't you?"
"Have you ever done a pair routine?" He asked aloud. He wished he hadn't. It made
him seem too forward, too obviously wanting to skate with her. "I only skate with the best. If
you're not up to the challenge, of course, I'll skate by myself."
"I think I'm up to the challenge, but I'd rather you skated by yourself, thanks."
"Frightened?"
"Do I look frightened?"
Draco almost spoke his mind before he caught himself. "Appearances can be deceiving.
I'm sure you don't want to voice your inadequacy, so I'll just go now."
"What inadequacy?" She laughed. "I can't voice what I don't have, but I'll prove it to
you anyway."
He hadn't had a chance to put his eyes back in until she was halfway across the ice,
swaying from side to side and moving her arms elegantly. Ginny executed a perfect arabesque,
which rapidly became a whirling attitude. He let her zip around the boundary of the lake once
more, then put his hands on her wrists. She'd had her arms in a high "V" and her right leg at 90
degrees to the front, but that position changed in a matter of seconds. Her hands lowered to her
waist, with his on top, and her foot came to place below her knee, thigh flat to the front. They
pirouetted as one, stopping breathless after almost ten turns. Instantaneously, he broke away and
leapt into the air, landing perfectly. Not to be outdone, she copied his jump, to land and glide
backwards with one leg outstretched behind.
She has to have been taught, he thought in disbelief. There's no way she got that good on
her own. But how, if the Weasleys have no money? All questions were pushed away for later as
he used his inexhaustible strength to hold her up in a split leap. Does she ever look awkward?
He asked. On ice or a balance beam, running, fighting, walking through the halls, she even
seemed poised when she was arguing with him. Another turn, a change of direction, and he was
in her control, being pulled forwards. Her smile stayed in place, as confident and pleased as
anyone could be. She can't be, he thought, heart almost stopping. She can't possibly be flirting.
That's what Pansy does. It would make sense, though, her smile, her letting me hold her hands
and her waist. I'll just test her willingness, then.
He dazzled her with a grin and started skating in a spiral, drawing her closer and closer to
the centre. As they tightened the spin Draco's hands descended to her waist. Ginny let him
secure his hold on her and even changed her grip to his waist. Their upper bodies were touching.
He could have kissed her thousands of times in the seeming eternity that was the turn, but didn't.
The rotation continued, and he was happy just to have her in his arms for a few moments.
Harry, soaking from his participation in the snowball fight, walked down to the lake to
collect his belongings and, as always must happen, saw the ending pose. Ginny, cheeks ruddy,
was leaned back against his arm in the romantic pose always shown in dancing. His eyes danced
more than the couples in those movies did, and Harry could see the romantic ending forming
before his very eyes. It didn't. Ginny stood up and let Draco escort her to the edge of the lake,
his arm still around her waist. A venomous glare in Malfoy's direction made his opinion about
their recent activity clear.
Being Harry, which is synonomous with over-protective, he marched over and hissed, "If
you dared hurt her, I'll soon be the one hurting you."
"We were ice-skating, Potter," Draco replied coolly. "She can skate with whomever she
d*** well pleases, and she pleased to skate with me, so don't make it sound like she's yours. I
know she's not."
"She's not now, but she will be. Don't let me catch you again."
"You won't."
"Okay, fine," he said, not realizing that his enemy hadn't promised not to go near Ginny,
but had said he wouldn't be caught. Just another example of Slytherin cunning.
Disclaimer: Not mine, got it? Ensemble means together, if you didn't know. I thought it
was appropriate because they spent the afternoon ensemble. I'm so sentimental. Well, I'm
allowed. Anyway, the Mighty Joanne Rowling owns everything except the situations. If Viktor
Krum can swim in the lake, then Draco and Ginny can skate on it. Next chapter: Harry tells
Ron and Hermione what he saw down by the lake. REVIEW OR I WON'T TELL YOU WHO
GINNY ENDS UP WITH!
Chapter IX: Ensemble
by Marie McKinnon
It snowed in January, snowfalls so thick that the students with their noses pressed to the
classroom's windows couldn't discern one flake from another. Once the downpour ceased, a
professor looking out from his or her window couldn't see the snow because of all the black-robed figures running around. Some of the more daring (or more graceful) wizards and witches
went ice-skating on the lake while the Weasleys held their traditional snowball fight.
Ginny, of course, didn't participate in the snowball fight. She chose instead to borrow a
nervous friend's ice skates and try her luck on the lake. Kneeling beside it, she tied the laces
with icy fingers. They stumbled and retied so many times that the shadow looming over her
laughed.
"I'm sure you won't be able to skate properly, if you can't tie the laces. Of course, you
were too poor to afford a professional coach." His characteristic drawl immediately gave him
away.
Ginny stood up as she finished lacing up the skates and moved to stand on the ice. "I
wouldn't be so confident," she replied. "I've actually managed to do somewhat admirably in the
skating competitions I've entered."
"How do you propose to prove that?" Draco tried to maintain his composure. He knew
he looked good, but the 5th year was unbelievable. A pure white turtleneck sweater and brown
trousers that fitted extremely well gave her that extra psychological edge. They also gave Draco
shivers of ecstasy, but that was beside the point.
She took off around the lake, red hair whisked by the rush of air created by her speed. As
she neared the starting point, she pulled into a tight spin, whipped around, and stopped with
ease.
"I'll manage somehow." A confident smile lit her face as her eyes strained to look at him
more. His collared, long-sleeved shirt was light enough to show off his broad shoulders and
strong torso, but warm enough that he seemed unaffected by the cold. Black trousers, just the
right length, gave off a smart, arrogant feeling that was almost tangible. She was drawn back to
look him in the eye, grinning cheekily. Does he ever move his hair away from his eyes? She
wondered, realizing that every time she'd seen him he'd been wearing that hairstyle that came
with his good looks. "I've proven myself, so why don't you?"
"Have you ever done a pair routine?" He asked aloud. He wished he hadn't. It made
him seem too forward, too obviously wanting to skate with her. "I only skate with the best. If
you're not up to the challenge, of course, I'll skate by myself."
"I think I'm up to the challenge, but I'd rather you skated by yourself, thanks."
"Frightened?"
"Do I look frightened?"
Draco almost spoke his mind before he caught himself. "Appearances can be deceiving.
I'm sure you don't want to voice your inadequacy, so I'll just go now."
"What inadequacy?" She laughed. "I can't voice what I don't have, but I'll prove it to
you anyway."
He hadn't had a chance to put his eyes back in until she was halfway across the ice,
swaying from side to side and moving her arms elegantly. Ginny executed a perfect arabesque,
which rapidly became a whirling attitude. He let her zip around the boundary of the lake once
more, then put his hands on her wrists. She'd had her arms in a high "V" and her right leg at 90
degrees to the front, but that position changed in a matter of seconds. Her hands lowered to her
waist, with his on top, and her foot came to place below her knee, thigh flat to the front. They
pirouetted as one, stopping breathless after almost ten turns. Instantaneously, he broke away and
leapt into the air, landing perfectly. Not to be outdone, she copied his jump, to land and glide
backwards with one leg outstretched behind.
She has to have been taught, he thought in disbelief. There's no way she got that good on
her own. But how, if the Weasleys have no money? All questions were pushed away for later as
he used his inexhaustible strength to hold her up in a split leap. Does she ever look awkward?
He asked. On ice or a balance beam, running, fighting, walking through the halls, she even
seemed poised when she was arguing with him. Another turn, a change of direction, and he was
in her control, being pulled forwards. Her smile stayed in place, as confident and pleased as
anyone could be. She can't be, he thought, heart almost stopping. She can't possibly be flirting.
That's what Pansy does. It would make sense, though, her smile, her letting me hold her hands
and her waist. I'll just test her willingness, then.
He dazzled her with a grin and started skating in a spiral, drawing her closer and closer to
the centre. As they tightened the spin Draco's hands descended to her waist. Ginny let him
secure his hold on her and even changed her grip to his waist. Their upper bodies were touching.
He could have kissed her thousands of times in the seeming eternity that was the turn, but didn't.
The rotation continued, and he was happy just to have her in his arms for a few moments.
Harry, soaking from his participation in the snowball fight, walked down to the lake to
collect his belongings and, as always must happen, saw the ending pose. Ginny, cheeks ruddy,
was leaned back against his arm in the romantic pose always shown in dancing. His eyes danced
more than the couples in those movies did, and Harry could see the romantic ending forming
before his very eyes. It didn't. Ginny stood up and let Draco escort her to the edge of the lake,
his arm still around her waist. A venomous glare in Malfoy's direction made his opinion about
their recent activity clear.
Being Harry, which is synonomous with over-protective, he marched over and hissed, "If
you dared hurt her, I'll soon be the one hurting you."
"We were ice-skating, Potter," Draco replied coolly. "She can skate with whomever she
d*** well pleases, and she pleased to skate with me, so don't make it sound like she's yours. I
know she's not."
"She's not now, but she will be. Don't let me catch you again."
"You won't."
"Okay, fine," he said, not realizing that his enemy hadn't promised not to go near Ginny,
but had said he wouldn't be caught. Just another example of Slytherin cunning.
Disclaimer: Not mine, got it? Ensemble means together, if you didn't know. I thought it
was appropriate because they spent the afternoon ensemble. I'm so sentimental. Well, I'm
allowed. Anyway, the Mighty Joanne Rowling owns everything except the situations. If Viktor
Krum can swim in the lake, then Draco and Ginny can skate on it. Next chapter: Harry tells
Ron and Hermione what he saw down by the lake. REVIEW OR I WON'T TELL YOU WHO
GINNY ENDS UP WITH!