Don't Call Me Weasel!
By Jedi Tess of Gryffindor
At last, the end is upon us! Sorry for the wait, guys! This week has been crazy. I just started college and simultaneously turned 17. It's been a zoo! In any case, I also didn't want to rush the conclusion. Even now, I'm not sure about it. There'll be an epilogue, too, just for shits and giggles (to quote Mr. Malfoy).
Disclaimer: I love you, you love me. We're a happy family! Right . . .
AND FINALLY . . . THE CONCLUSION!!!!!!
_______________________
The next week was torture. Draco moved about in a kind of horrified stupor, oblivious to almost everything that was happening around him. He forgot to harass the Dream Team, forgot to turn in homework, forgot to eat. He often couldn't remember how to sleep and lay awake for hours, staring at the green and silver canopy above his bed. He had been replaying the nightmare scenario in the Hospital Wing over and over in his head, and every time Ginny's disgusted face materialized, he felt a terrible wrench in his chest such as he'd never experienced in his life.
Perhaps the worst of it was the redhead herself. He might have thought she were perfectly happy, had he not been witness to several events that left him simultaneously burning with anger and guilt. She had not taken to skipping meals, sulking around, or crying openly to her friends. She had, in all appearances, an added blithe and brilliancy. She smiled, laughed, and chattered with her friends, as usual.
But very unluckily, he's chanced to be wandering the castle aimlessly while everyone else was in Hogsmeade, and come across her in the empty charms classroom, crying as if her heart was broken. He hadn't entered the room, had kept out of sight. But he had watched her for almost ten minutes, as she sobbed, paced the room, and ranted infuriately. It was a particularly angry outburst that had been plaguing him ever since.
"Damn it, it's not like I meant for this to happen, Draco!" she had shouted at the teacher's desk. "If I could possibly not love you, I bloody wouldn't!" A few minutes later, after an especially painful bout of sobbing, she had added very miserably, "But the least you could do is give me a good reason to love you. Show me something decent. I know it's there. I saw it, you bastard!" And away she went into tears. Draco had had to leave the castle entirely before he'd settled down enough to face another human being with beating the life out of them.
I'm not decent, he kept telling himself. I'm not!"
But as he lay awake hour after hour, he began to wonder if this weren't something to be reconsidered. After all, hadn't he practically begged her to stay with him the first night he was sick. Hadn't he (desperately) wanted her to stay with him the morning he'd awoken with her asleep on his chest? Hadn't he admitted to taking bloody Muggle voice lessons, and then sung to her while she'd fallen asleep? Hadn't he stayed there with her all day, wanting more than anything to make the pain go away?
Shit, I'm going soft, Draco thought in horror. I might as well off myself and save Lucius the trouble.
But the more he watched her over every meal, the more he thought of her, the more he realized that he had come to depend on having her somewhere near him every moment of every day. Those few days in the Hospital Wing had been all it took for her to unconsciously pull herself into his heart and cling there with frightening strength.
Granger, surprisingly, appeared to honestly care about his preoccupation.
"Look," she said patiently as they strolled around the lake (the fact that he had agreed to accompany her was a testament to the severity of his mental state). "The only way you'll get to Ginny is by proving to her that you love her."
"I told her I didn't," Draco said dully, kicking a stone from the path into the lake.
"First of all, I believe you told me that your exact words were, 'What makes you think I ever loved you?' At no time did you say you didn't love her. From what I can tell, you made the whole offer of your affection sound like a trade negotiation."
"I'm just tickled by the vote of confidence, Granger," he snapped. "Anyway, it's hopeless. She told me I'd blown it."
"You idiot!" the Head Girl sighed. "That was a challenge. Her hope, whether she consciously knew it or not, was that your feelings would be strong enough that you would want her to be clear on what they were. And you went exactly in the wrong direction."
"Either give me some useful advice, or shut up," Draco growled. Perhaps she was trying to piss him off, or perhaps not. But she was certainly getting under his skin, and he was in a particularly volatile mood.
She sighed again.
"My advice is that you tell her," Granger said shortly, stopping to stare absentmindedly across the blue-black water of the lake.
"Tell her what?" Draco asked dismally.
"Here, I'll break it down," Granger retorted, looking thoroughly exasperated. "You see her. You stop her. You say, 'Ginny, I love you.' Wait, let me finish. When she says, 'Save it, you already told me to off it,' you say - well, I don't know, but really fight her on it, Draco. You can't get defensive because she's hurt. It's your fault."
He tried to object, realized she was perfectly right, and glowered at her. She continued.
"You're a very persuasive person, you know," she said, smiling faintly. "You really could convince her you're mad about her if you butted your determination against hers." She shrugged. "Anyway, I've gotta run. There's this dance, see," was she smirking at him?, "and it's tonight, you know. I've got to go get ready."
She started to walk away, then turned.
"And you'd better be looking good yourself, if you're going to sweep her off her feet," she called mischieviously, before turning and sprinting across the grass.
Draco raked a hand through his hair. Was her affection worth humiliating himself in front of Virginia Weasely?
Ah, who was he kidding?
Ginny stared at herself in the full-length mirror; delighted with the young woman she saw staring back at her. Her long hair had been pulled into a ponytail atop her head, left to fall in soft waves around her face and neck. Her dress robes weren't tight, but accentuated her body nicely. They were forest green, contrasting well with her auburn hair. They fastened in front with small gold clasps shaped like tiny maple leaves and neck was a modest scoop, revealing her shoulders, though dipping no lower than her collar bones. As Ginny gave a little spin, she felt happier than she had since before she'd been in the Hospital.
Now, as long as a blonde Slytherin didn't come round during the dance, she would probably have the night of her life. At least, she intended to.
"Oh, Gin, that's so gorgeous," Hermoine sighed, coming to stand just behind Ginny and resting her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "You're gonna knock 'em dead."
"You're not too shabby, yourself," Ginny said admiringly, turning to survey Hermoine's doll-like appearance in girlish appreciation.
"Hope Ron isn't too upset," Hermoine admitted, smoothing the folds of her lavender robes with a self-conscious smile.
"Just expect loads of jealously and a possible death warrant on Justin," Ginny giggled.
"Right," Hermoine eyed her, as though wanting to say something, but Ginny jumped into the gap quickly.
"Shall we go down, then? I told Jared I'd meet him at 6:30. I've got five minutes."
The girls hurried down, Hermoine giving her infuriated boyfriend a long kiss before dashing off after Ginny through the portrait hole.
"Stupid prat," the Head Girl muttered. "Told me I should have gone in his old dress robes so no one would notice me."
They reached the Entrance Hall to find it already crowded with students. The sixth and seventh years were chatting unconcernedly with each other, while the younger students looked for their respective partners nervously.
"Who's Ron going with?" Ginny asked curiously.
Hermoine giggled furiously for a moment.
"Stupid boy waited too long to ask someone again, so he wound up having to get Harry to ask Blaise Zabini for him," the seventh year sniggered. "Of course, every girl in the school (present company excluded) has been mad about Ron since sixth year, so it wasn't really a problem. Blaise was only too happy once she found out who Dra - Malfoy was going with." Hermoine blushed.
"Who?" Ginny asked before she could stop herself.
"Er - Jules McKinnon," Hermoine murmured quickly.
"Figures," Ginny bit out. Jules was Hermoine's only real rival for popularity with Hogwarts males. She had been a close friend of Cho Chang's and had been with her in Ravenclaw.
"Oh, look, there's Jared," Hermoine hurried on, pointing. Ginny's glower became a smile at the sight of her extremely dashing date hastening toward her through the crowd.
"Gin, you look fantastic!" he said without preamble. She blushed, but didn't feel quite as satisfied as she ought to at the compliment.
She and Jared got on quite comfortably, talking and laughing until the Great Hall was open. While Ginny was enjoying herself, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Jared was polite, easy-going, and excellent conversationalist, but -
He's not Draco, a little voice in the back of her head whispered, sounding annoyingly like Hermoine. She shook herself. She would not ruin her first potentially good evening in quite a long time for him.
She smiled almost grimly as the doors of the Hall swung aside to admit the eager crowd. Ginny gazed determinately at the back of Harry's head - he was walking in front of them with Padma Patil and looking adorably embarrassed.
"You'll knock 'em dead, Harry," Ginny whispered over his shoulder, and he gave her a nervous smile in return.
"Talk to bloody Malfoy," he murmured back before being pulled off into the crowd by this enthusiastic partner.
"Damn you, Potter," she hissed under her breath.
"What was that?" Jared bent down to hear her.
"Nothing," she assured him. "Shall we dance?"
Dance they did, and very well, for Jared actually could waltz. Her first dance partner ever having been Neville Longbottom, Jared's skill was greatly appreciated. They danced several songs before finding chairs with Hermoine and Justin. Both were flushed and looking a bit winded, but they smiled as the younger students joined them.
"Nice show, Boot," Justin smiled. "Where'd you learn to dance?"
"My mum," he mumbled, blushing a bit. "She used to dance with me when I was five. She'd waltz and tango around with me in the kitchen."
"That's so sweet," Hermoine said, looking delighted. "You two look so good together!"
That about killed Ginny's good mood. Ironically, she'd rather been hoping that Hermoine would make a comment like that, rather than anything in any way connected with Draco, but now that it was out there she felt a severe pang of disappointment.
Most unfortunately, she chose that moment to look up. The blonde stood with his partner on the edge of the floor. His glare was squarely centered on Ginny. She felt a dreadful pang of regret in her stomach, but then pride came to the rescue.
She gave him a look, which managed to convey that any jealousy or anger he might be experiencing was all his own fault, and he should therefore stop looking at her. To impress this point more firmly, she turned deliberately back to Jared.
"Another dance, fair maiden?" he asked with a roughish bow.
"Er - okay," she said slowly. "Um - would you mind if I got a breath of fresh air after that. You know, before they serve dinner?"
He shrugged.
"Of course not," he smiled warmly and led her away for a slow dance. She didn't much feel like swaying gently to the soft wind music wrapped in Jared's arms, but she also felt Draco's glare on her and this compromising position was bound to hack him off.
Good, she thought.
The dance ended (as dances tend to do) and Ginny left the floor gratefully. Glancing around, she caught sight of Draco beginning a dance with Jules. Partially jealous of the fabulously beautiful Ravenclaw, and partially relieved that Draco wouldn't see where she was leaving to, she slipped away, promising Jared she'd be back shortly.
Bit of a lie, that, as she intended to spend the rest of the night by herself.
With a final glance in Draco's direction as a reassurance of his preoccupation, Ginny slid through the doors into the Entrance Hall and ran quickly to the doors that led onto the grounds.
Once down the front steps, she ran. Not exactly to escape, but just to feel alive, just because the breeze in her hair and the cool night air made her feel sure that everything would be alright. She rushed as fast as she could across the grounds, beyond Hagrid's cabin, and into a wide path that skirted the Forbidden Forest. She knew it was stupid to go traipsing about at night, outside and alone, but she needed to feel free. She needed very desperately to get away from Jared.
And Draco.
She made it down the path unharmed, and came at last to her destination.
As it wasn't within the Forest, she assumed in was safe. Ginny had discovered her little cove several years ago. Oddly enough, it was a small, white sand beach, with iridescent aqua water splashing in gentle waves on the shore. It was connected with the lake, Ginny was sure, and yet the view out of the cove mouth was of a distant horizon at of sunrise.
She knew it must have been enchanted, as the water was likewise tropically warm, but it never ceased to amaze her. As far as she knew no one else knew about her little haven. Wouldn't it be just her luck if someone found it tonight?
She sighed, not really wanting the think about it. She knew who she wished would come hurrying along the path, but also knew that the odds were strongly against it. Not only did the Slytherin not have any idea where this place was, but she had also told him to stuff it.
"What was I thinking?" she muttered, slumping into the sand and putting her head in her hands. Who was she bloody kidding? She felt the unwilling tears that had fallen so many days in deserted corridors, classrooms, and in this haven of hers well up. She refused to let them fall. She had come here to unwind, and preferably forget everything, and that was what she intended to do!
Stripping off her beautiful robes so that she wore nothing more than her bathing suit (she had been planning to make a getaway), she draped her lovely garments over a rock that jutted out of the sand and stepped gingerly into the water.
As usual, it was warm and lovely, and soon she was swimming happily up and down the length of the enchanted cove. She floated on her back, did handstands, swan laps. The water never got more than six feet deep, so diving wasn't much of an option, but who needed that when one had one's own tropical paradise?
Finally, feeling much revived, Ginny came out of the water and stretched out on the beach, her feet still within range of the quietly lapping waves. She closed her eyes, listening to the unnatural tropical beach sounds that came from nowhere (at least, she didn't see any toucans or phoenixes or Hawaiian bands).
"Oh, just my sodding luck! Get your own beach, Weasel," a voice snapped, causing her to jump a foot in the air. Covered in sand, she spun around, still seated, to face Draco Malfoy.
"Don't call me Weasel," the response was purely impulsive. "And this isn't your beach, Malfoy. Last I checked it was on school property." This was odd. When they were fighting, it was though they were back to where they had been before she had gotten sick. But this time, she had no intention of backing down.
"I've been coming here since first year," he said coldly. "It's mine. Get out."
"Um, how 'bout no?" she suggested sweetly, pushing her bedraggled hair from her eyes. "How 'bout you take your 'let's bitch at Ginny' problem and stuff it up your - "
"Dammit, Weasely!" he spat, glaring at her. "Can't you just leave me alone?"
"Excuse me?" she stared at him. "Get it right, Mal-ferret. I was here first."
She thought she heard him mutter, "That's not what I meant," but maybe she was hearing things. She continued.
"Look, stay or go, I don't care, but kindly don't bother me," and she splashed back into the water, swimming lazily away, as if to show him she was out of his reach. In truth, she was really trying to gather her scattered thoughts. What were the odds of him being the only other person at Hogwarts to know about this place? She had to be dreaming. She felt her stomach knot and her brain begin its usual spastic jump from anger to love to desire to infuriation.
Then a wicked thought struck her and she turned back. Draco stood, looking very out of place in the tropical climate, with his long navy-blue dress robes. He might look a bit more in place if . . .
"Alright, alright, I'll go. Just stop glaring at me," she sighed, feigning defeat and swimming back toward him. When she judged herself to be close enough, she stood and kicked her foot into the water. The great wave hit Draco, drenching his head and right arm.
"What the fuck?" he sputtered, shaking water from his hair and robes and glowering at her. "These are worth more than your entire house, Weasely!"
"Oh, well, I'm sure they'll be easily replaceable, then," she smirked, and as it hadn't occurred to him to back up yet, she splashed him again.
"Oh, bring it on," he suddenly snapped, pulling off his robes and tossing them aside. Ginny gaped. He was wearing his flannel pajama bottoms - the ones he'd worn in the Hospital Wing. He was, as usual, shirtless.
He didn't hesitate to plunge in after her and give her a rough shove. She tumbled into the foamy water and resurfaced a moment later, gurgling.
"You'll pay for that, Malfoy," she hissed dangerously, grabbing his arm and dragging him down. With a shout of surprise, he submerged and Ginny paddled away as fast as she could, giggling uncontrollably. He re-emerge totally drenched a moment later, sputtering. Ginny couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. She forgot she was angry and hurt. All she knew was that Draco Malfoy was looking at her like a half-drowned (though unusually attractive) puppy.
"Think that's funny, Weasel?" he demanded, trying in vain to shake water from his eyes. He was advancing on her again, but she was almost paralyzed with laughter.
"Don't - call - " but she was cut off as he grabbed her roughly in his arms and covered her mouth with his.
She was so surprised that for a moment, she didn't react. Then she felt the familiar twisting in the pit of her stomach and the familiar fire burning her lips. Slowly, her hands rose to rest on his slick chest, where they slid up to his shoulders and finally clasped around his neck, tangling in his wet hair. He groaned slightly and pulled her closer, his tongue tickling her lips. Her mouth open, and passion poured in. Her mind was blank, her entire being aware of one thing: Draco.
His fingers ran up and down her back, running around the seams of her swimsuit and occasionally slipping just inside. She gasped into his mouth and he managed - somehow - to pull her closer, his entire body pressed against hers. Without knowing what she was doing, Ginny felt her legs circling his waist, just as his mouth moved from her lips to her jaw line.
"Oh, god," she whispered, parts of her brain yelling at other parts of her brain in a confusing mess. She had never felt this amazing - this passionate in her life. She wanted to hold Draco forever. She couldn't have let go if she'd wanted to. Her right hand rose from his neck to cradle the back of his head, allowing her neck to curve closer to his mouth.
"What the hell have you done to me?" he demanded against her skin, causing her to shiver.
"I told - I told you to go away," she whispered, closing her eyes in pleasure.
"Do you still want me to?" his lips left her neck and Ginny opened her eyes. He was staring up at her through hooded lids, gray orbs stormy with unmistakable desire. She looked back, not wanting to let him go, but needing a few things cleared up.
"You hurt me," she murmured, caressing his hair.
"I know," she could barely hear the mumbled response. His eyes lowered from hers. It was the first time she could remember him looking away from her. Finally he spoke, his voice as cold as ever, but with an entirely knew accent: that of sincerity.
"Look - Gin," he began still staring fixedly at the frozen sunrise over her shoulder. "I can't change who I am. I am a Malfoy. I am harsh. I am mean. I'm human."
"I'm not asking you to change," she said, reaching out to turn his face gently upward toward hers. "Like I told you before, I'm asking you to love me."
"I don't know how," he told her bluntly, his eyes darkening. "It's not as if I've ever been loved before."
"Yes, you have," she said, leaning down to kiss him again, though more gently than before.
"You'll have to be patient," he warned. "I'm not used to having someone actually care about me. Nice people make me cross, even if I'm mad about them."
She couldn't help giggling.
"I wouldn't want you any other way," she assured him. "I love you just the way you are."
He stared at her in as near to awe as Draco Malfoy ever got - which was to say an eyebrow rose almost to his hairline and his mouth hung a bit slack.
"Alright," he said at last, his face slowly transforming into a handsome, sneer-free smile. "Alright. We'll try it your way, Weasel." He bent his head, his lips pressing hard against hers. As of yet unbeknownst to him (but knownst to Ginny, because she was astute like that) the passion and feeling in his lips, his tongue, and his steely eyes told of a deep and ever-growing affection for his little redhead. Ginny didn't need to hear the words right away. She just needed to be with him, wrapped in his arms, his over protectiveness, his smirk.
They finally pulled apart again, foreheads resting against one another as the two teens tried desperately to catch their breaths. Finally, Ginny spoke, her eyes shining.
"Don't call me Weasel!"
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Well, folks, that's a wrap! Hope it's an okay ending. An epilogue is immanent; I'm feeling especially good about my newly received WASL scores. Anywho, I also can't leave this story without forcing our sly Slytherin to say three special words . . . ^_^ Thanks so much for your support!
Loves!
At last, the end is upon us! Sorry for the wait, guys! This week has been crazy. I just started college and simultaneously turned 17. It's been a zoo! In any case, I also didn't want to rush the conclusion. Even now, I'm not sure about it. There'll be an epilogue, too, just for shits and giggles (to quote Mr. Malfoy).
Disclaimer: I love you, you love me. We're a happy family! Right . . .
AND FINALLY . . . THE CONCLUSION!!!!!!
_______________________
The next week was torture. Draco moved about in a kind of horrified stupor, oblivious to almost everything that was happening around him. He forgot to harass the Dream Team, forgot to turn in homework, forgot to eat. He often couldn't remember how to sleep and lay awake for hours, staring at the green and silver canopy above his bed. He had been replaying the nightmare scenario in the Hospital Wing over and over in his head, and every time Ginny's disgusted face materialized, he felt a terrible wrench in his chest such as he'd never experienced in his life.
Perhaps the worst of it was the redhead herself. He might have thought she were perfectly happy, had he not been witness to several events that left him simultaneously burning with anger and guilt. She had not taken to skipping meals, sulking around, or crying openly to her friends. She had, in all appearances, an added blithe and brilliancy. She smiled, laughed, and chattered with her friends, as usual.
But very unluckily, he's chanced to be wandering the castle aimlessly while everyone else was in Hogsmeade, and come across her in the empty charms classroom, crying as if her heart was broken. He hadn't entered the room, had kept out of sight. But he had watched her for almost ten minutes, as she sobbed, paced the room, and ranted infuriately. It was a particularly angry outburst that had been plaguing him ever since.
"Damn it, it's not like I meant for this to happen, Draco!" she had shouted at the teacher's desk. "If I could possibly not love you, I bloody wouldn't!" A few minutes later, after an especially painful bout of sobbing, she had added very miserably, "But the least you could do is give me a good reason to love you. Show me something decent. I know it's there. I saw it, you bastard!" And away she went into tears. Draco had had to leave the castle entirely before he'd settled down enough to face another human being with beating the life out of them.
I'm not decent, he kept telling himself. I'm not!"
But as he lay awake hour after hour, he began to wonder if this weren't something to be reconsidered. After all, hadn't he practically begged her to stay with him the first night he was sick. Hadn't he (desperately) wanted her to stay with him the morning he'd awoken with her asleep on his chest? Hadn't he admitted to taking bloody Muggle voice lessons, and then sung to her while she'd fallen asleep? Hadn't he stayed there with her all day, wanting more than anything to make the pain go away?
Shit, I'm going soft, Draco thought in horror. I might as well off myself and save Lucius the trouble.
But the more he watched her over every meal, the more he thought of her, the more he realized that he had come to depend on having her somewhere near him every moment of every day. Those few days in the Hospital Wing had been all it took for her to unconsciously pull herself into his heart and cling there with frightening strength.
Granger, surprisingly, appeared to honestly care about his preoccupation.
"Look," she said patiently as they strolled around the lake (the fact that he had agreed to accompany her was a testament to the severity of his mental state). "The only way you'll get to Ginny is by proving to her that you love her."
"I told her I didn't," Draco said dully, kicking a stone from the path into the lake.
"First of all, I believe you told me that your exact words were, 'What makes you think I ever loved you?' At no time did you say you didn't love her. From what I can tell, you made the whole offer of your affection sound like a trade negotiation."
"I'm just tickled by the vote of confidence, Granger," he snapped. "Anyway, it's hopeless. She told me I'd blown it."
"You idiot!" the Head Girl sighed. "That was a challenge. Her hope, whether she consciously knew it or not, was that your feelings would be strong enough that you would want her to be clear on what they were. And you went exactly in the wrong direction."
"Either give me some useful advice, or shut up," Draco growled. Perhaps she was trying to piss him off, or perhaps not. But she was certainly getting under his skin, and he was in a particularly volatile mood.
She sighed again.
"My advice is that you tell her," Granger said shortly, stopping to stare absentmindedly across the blue-black water of the lake.
"Tell her what?" Draco asked dismally.
"Here, I'll break it down," Granger retorted, looking thoroughly exasperated. "You see her. You stop her. You say, 'Ginny, I love you.' Wait, let me finish. When she says, 'Save it, you already told me to off it,' you say - well, I don't know, but really fight her on it, Draco. You can't get defensive because she's hurt. It's your fault."
He tried to object, realized she was perfectly right, and glowered at her. She continued.
"You're a very persuasive person, you know," she said, smiling faintly. "You really could convince her you're mad about her if you butted your determination against hers." She shrugged. "Anyway, I've gotta run. There's this dance, see," was she smirking at him?, "and it's tonight, you know. I've got to go get ready."
She started to walk away, then turned.
"And you'd better be looking good yourself, if you're going to sweep her off her feet," she called mischieviously, before turning and sprinting across the grass.
Draco raked a hand through his hair. Was her affection worth humiliating himself in front of Virginia Weasely?
Ah, who was he kidding?
Ginny stared at herself in the full-length mirror; delighted with the young woman she saw staring back at her. Her long hair had been pulled into a ponytail atop her head, left to fall in soft waves around her face and neck. Her dress robes weren't tight, but accentuated her body nicely. They were forest green, contrasting well with her auburn hair. They fastened in front with small gold clasps shaped like tiny maple leaves and neck was a modest scoop, revealing her shoulders, though dipping no lower than her collar bones. As Ginny gave a little spin, she felt happier than she had since before she'd been in the Hospital.
Now, as long as a blonde Slytherin didn't come round during the dance, she would probably have the night of her life. At least, she intended to.
"Oh, Gin, that's so gorgeous," Hermoine sighed, coming to stand just behind Ginny and resting her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "You're gonna knock 'em dead."
"You're not too shabby, yourself," Ginny said admiringly, turning to survey Hermoine's doll-like appearance in girlish appreciation.
"Hope Ron isn't too upset," Hermoine admitted, smoothing the folds of her lavender robes with a self-conscious smile.
"Just expect loads of jealously and a possible death warrant on Justin," Ginny giggled.
"Right," Hermoine eyed her, as though wanting to say something, but Ginny jumped into the gap quickly.
"Shall we go down, then? I told Jared I'd meet him at 6:30. I've got five minutes."
The girls hurried down, Hermoine giving her infuriated boyfriend a long kiss before dashing off after Ginny through the portrait hole.
"Stupid prat," the Head Girl muttered. "Told me I should have gone in his old dress robes so no one would notice me."
They reached the Entrance Hall to find it already crowded with students. The sixth and seventh years were chatting unconcernedly with each other, while the younger students looked for their respective partners nervously.
"Who's Ron going with?" Ginny asked curiously.
Hermoine giggled furiously for a moment.
"Stupid boy waited too long to ask someone again, so he wound up having to get Harry to ask Blaise Zabini for him," the seventh year sniggered. "Of course, every girl in the school (present company excluded) has been mad about Ron since sixth year, so it wasn't really a problem. Blaise was only too happy once she found out who Dra - Malfoy was going with." Hermoine blushed.
"Who?" Ginny asked before she could stop herself.
"Er - Jules McKinnon," Hermoine murmured quickly.
"Figures," Ginny bit out. Jules was Hermoine's only real rival for popularity with Hogwarts males. She had been a close friend of Cho Chang's and had been with her in Ravenclaw.
"Oh, look, there's Jared," Hermoine hurried on, pointing. Ginny's glower became a smile at the sight of her extremely dashing date hastening toward her through the crowd.
"Gin, you look fantastic!" he said without preamble. She blushed, but didn't feel quite as satisfied as she ought to at the compliment.
She and Jared got on quite comfortably, talking and laughing until the Great Hall was open. While Ginny was enjoying herself, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Jared was polite, easy-going, and excellent conversationalist, but -
He's not Draco, a little voice in the back of her head whispered, sounding annoyingly like Hermoine. She shook herself. She would not ruin her first potentially good evening in quite a long time for him.
She smiled almost grimly as the doors of the Hall swung aside to admit the eager crowd. Ginny gazed determinately at the back of Harry's head - he was walking in front of them with Padma Patil and looking adorably embarrassed.
"You'll knock 'em dead, Harry," Ginny whispered over his shoulder, and he gave her a nervous smile in return.
"Talk to bloody Malfoy," he murmured back before being pulled off into the crowd by this enthusiastic partner.
"Damn you, Potter," she hissed under her breath.
"What was that?" Jared bent down to hear her.
"Nothing," she assured him. "Shall we dance?"
Dance they did, and very well, for Jared actually could waltz. Her first dance partner ever having been Neville Longbottom, Jared's skill was greatly appreciated. They danced several songs before finding chairs with Hermoine and Justin. Both were flushed and looking a bit winded, but they smiled as the younger students joined them.
"Nice show, Boot," Justin smiled. "Where'd you learn to dance?"
"My mum," he mumbled, blushing a bit. "She used to dance with me when I was five. She'd waltz and tango around with me in the kitchen."
"That's so sweet," Hermoine said, looking delighted. "You two look so good together!"
That about killed Ginny's good mood. Ironically, she'd rather been hoping that Hermoine would make a comment like that, rather than anything in any way connected with Draco, but now that it was out there she felt a severe pang of disappointment.
Most unfortunately, she chose that moment to look up. The blonde stood with his partner on the edge of the floor. His glare was squarely centered on Ginny. She felt a dreadful pang of regret in her stomach, but then pride came to the rescue.
She gave him a look, which managed to convey that any jealousy or anger he might be experiencing was all his own fault, and he should therefore stop looking at her. To impress this point more firmly, she turned deliberately back to Jared.
"Another dance, fair maiden?" he asked with a roughish bow.
"Er - okay," she said slowly. "Um - would you mind if I got a breath of fresh air after that. You know, before they serve dinner?"
He shrugged.
"Of course not," he smiled warmly and led her away for a slow dance. She didn't much feel like swaying gently to the soft wind music wrapped in Jared's arms, but she also felt Draco's glare on her and this compromising position was bound to hack him off.
Good, she thought.
The dance ended (as dances tend to do) and Ginny left the floor gratefully. Glancing around, she caught sight of Draco beginning a dance with Jules. Partially jealous of the fabulously beautiful Ravenclaw, and partially relieved that Draco wouldn't see where she was leaving to, she slipped away, promising Jared she'd be back shortly.
Bit of a lie, that, as she intended to spend the rest of the night by herself.
With a final glance in Draco's direction as a reassurance of his preoccupation, Ginny slid through the doors into the Entrance Hall and ran quickly to the doors that led onto the grounds.
Once down the front steps, she ran. Not exactly to escape, but just to feel alive, just because the breeze in her hair and the cool night air made her feel sure that everything would be alright. She rushed as fast as she could across the grounds, beyond Hagrid's cabin, and into a wide path that skirted the Forbidden Forest. She knew it was stupid to go traipsing about at night, outside and alone, but she needed to feel free. She needed very desperately to get away from Jared.
And Draco.
She made it down the path unharmed, and came at last to her destination.
As it wasn't within the Forest, she assumed in was safe. Ginny had discovered her little cove several years ago. Oddly enough, it was a small, white sand beach, with iridescent aqua water splashing in gentle waves on the shore. It was connected with the lake, Ginny was sure, and yet the view out of the cove mouth was of a distant horizon at of sunrise.
She knew it must have been enchanted, as the water was likewise tropically warm, but it never ceased to amaze her. As far as she knew no one else knew about her little haven. Wouldn't it be just her luck if someone found it tonight?
She sighed, not really wanting the think about it. She knew who she wished would come hurrying along the path, but also knew that the odds were strongly against it. Not only did the Slytherin not have any idea where this place was, but she had also told him to stuff it.
"What was I thinking?" she muttered, slumping into the sand and putting her head in her hands. Who was she bloody kidding? She felt the unwilling tears that had fallen so many days in deserted corridors, classrooms, and in this haven of hers well up. She refused to let them fall. She had come here to unwind, and preferably forget everything, and that was what she intended to do!
Stripping off her beautiful robes so that she wore nothing more than her bathing suit (she had been planning to make a getaway), she draped her lovely garments over a rock that jutted out of the sand and stepped gingerly into the water.
As usual, it was warm and lovely, and soon she was swimming happily up and down the length of the enchanted cove. She floated on her back, did handstands, swan laps. The water never got more than six feet deep, so diving wasn't much of an option, but who needed that when one had one's own tropical paradise?
Finally, feeling much revived, Ginny came out of the water and stretched out on the beach, her feet still within range of the quietly lapping waves. She closed her eyes, listening to the unnatural tropical beach sounds that came from nowhere (at least, she didn't see any toucans or phoenixes or Hawaiian bands).
"Oh, just my sodding luck! Get your own beach, Weasel," a voice snapped, causing her to jump a foot in the air. Covered in sand, she spun around, still seated, to face Draco Malfoy.
"Don't call me Weasel," the response was purely impulsive. "And this isn't your beach, Malfoy. Last I checked it was on school property." This was odd. When they were fighting, it was though they were back to where they had been before she had gotten sick. But this time, she had no intention of backing down.
"I've been coming here since first year," he said coldly. "It's mine. Get out."
"Um, how 'bout no?" she suggested sweetly, pushing her bedraggled hair from her eyes. "How 'bout you take your 'let's bitch at Ginny' problem and stuff it up your - "
"Dammit, Weasely!" he spat, glaring at her. "Can't you just leave me alone?"
"Excuse me?" she stared at him. "Get it right, Mal-ferret. I was here first."
She thought she heard him mutter, "That's not what I meant," but maybe she was hearing things. She continued.
"Look, stay or go, I don't care, but kindly don't bother me," and she splashed back into the water, swimming lazily away, as if to show him she was out of his reach. In truth, she was really trying to gather her scattered thoughts. What were the odds of him being the only other person at Hogwarts to know about this place? She had to be dreaming. She felt her stomach knot and her brain begin its usual spastic jump from anger to love to desire to infuriation.
Then a wicked thought struck her and she turned back. Draco stood, looking very out of place in the tropical climate, with his long navy-blue dress robes. He might look a bit more in place if . . .
"Alright, alright, I'll go. Just stop glaring at me," she sighed, feigning defeat and swimming back toward him. When she judged herself to be close enough, she stood and kicked her foot into the water. The great wave hit Draco, drenching his head and right arm.
"What the fuck?" he sputtered, shaking water from his hair and robes and glowering at her. "These are worth more than your entire house, Weasely!"
"Oh, well, I'm sure they'll be easily replaceable, then," she smirked, and as it hadn't occurred to him to back up yet, she splashed him again.
"Oh, bring it on," he suddenly snapped, pulling off his robes and tossing them aside. Ginny gaped. He was wearing his flannel pajama bottoms - the ones he'd worn in the Hospital Wing. He was, as usual, shirtless.
He didn't hesitate to plunge in after her and give her a rough shove. She tumbled into the foamy water and resurfaced a moment later, gurgling.
"You'll pay for that, Malfoy," she hissed dangerously, grabbing his arm and dragging him down. With a shout of surprise, he submerged and Ginny paddled away as fast as she could, giggling uncontrollably. He re-emerge totally drenched a moment later, sputtering. Ginny couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. She forgot she was angry and hurt. All she knew was that Draco Malfoy was looking at her like a half-drowned (though unusually attractive) puppy.
"Think that's funny, Weasel?" he demanded, trying in vain to shake water from his eyes. He was advancing on her again, but she was almost paralyzed with laughter.
"Don't - call - " but she was cut off as he grabbed her roughly in his arms and covered her mouth with his.
She was so surprised that for a moment, she didn't react. Then she felt the familiar twisting in the pit of her stomach and the familiar fire burning her lips. Slowly, her hands rose to rest on his slick chest, where they slid up to his shoulders and finally clasped around his neck, tangling in his wet hair. He groaned slightly and pulled her closer, his tongue tickling her lips. Her mouth open, and passion poured in. Her mind was blank, her entire being aware of one thing: Draco.
His fingers ran up and down her back, running around the seams of her swimsuit and occasionally slipping just inside. She gasped into his mouth and he managed - somehow - to pull her closer, his entire body pressed against hers. Without knowing what she was doing, Ginny felt her legs circling his waist, just as his mouth moved from her lips to her jaw line.
"Oh, god," she whispered, parts of her brain yelling at other parts of her brain in a confusing mess. She had never felt this amazing - this passionate in her life. She wanted to hold Draco forever. She couldn't have let go if she'd wanted to. Her right hand rose from his neck to cradle the back of his head, allowing her neck to curve closer to his mouth.
"What the hell have you done to me?" he demanded against her skin, causing her to shiver.
"I told - I told you to go away," she whispered, closing her eyes in pleasure.
"Do you still want me to?" his lips left her neck and Ginny opened her eyes. He was staring up at her through hooded lids, gray orbs stormy with unmistakable desire. She looked back, not wanting to let him go, but needing a few things cleared up.
"You hurt me," she murmured, caressing his hair.
"I know," she could barely hear the mumbled response. His eyes lowered from hers. It was the first time she could remember him looking away from her. Finally he spoke, his voice as cold as ever, but with an entirely knew accent: that of sincerity.
"Look - Gin," he began still staring fixedly at the frozen sunrise over her shoulder. "I can't change who I am. I am a Malfoy. I am harsh. I am mean. I'm human."
"I'm not asking you to change," she said, reaching out to turn his face gently upward toward hers. "Like I told you before, I'm asking you to love me."
"I don't know how," he told her bluntly, his eyes darkening. "It's not as if I've ever been loved before."
"Yes, you have," she said, leaning down to kiss him again, though more gently than before.
"You'll have to be patient," he warned. "I'm not used to having someone actually care about me. Nice people make me cross, even if I'm mad about them."
She couldn't help giggling.
"I wouldn't want you any other way," she assured him. "I love you just the way you are."
He stared at her in as near to awe as Draco Malfoy ever got - which was to say an eyebrow rose almost to his hairline and his mouth hung a bit slack.
"Alright," he said at last, his face slowly transforming into a handsome, sneer-free smile. "Alright. We'll try it your way, Weasel." He bent his head, his lips pressing hard against hers. As of yet unbeknownst to him (but knownst to Ginny, because she was astute like that) the passion and feeling in his lips, his tongue, and his steely eyes told of a deep and ever-growing affection for his little redhead. Ginny didn't need to hear the words right away. She just needed to be with him, wrapped in his arms, his over protectiveness, his smirk.
They finally pulled apart again, foreheads resting against one another as the two teens tried desperately to catch their breaths. Finally, Ginny spoke, her eyes shining.
"Don't call me Weasel!"
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Well, folks, that's a wrap! Hope it's an okay ending. An epilogue is immanent; I'm feeling especially good about my newly received WASL scores. Anywho, I also can't leave this story without forcing our sly Slytherin to say three special words . . . ^_^ Thanks so much for your support!
Loves!
