Disclaimer: This belongs to J.K. Rowling. I don't own the characters or the setting. I wish I did, but I don't . Obviously.
Late One Night
Ginny Weasley restlessly paced back and forth in the Gryffindor common room, dressed in worn flannel pajamas that had belonged to Percy first, and then Ron. It was rather late(two o' clock) and the room was deserted. There was actually no reason for her to be pacing. She wasn't waiting for anything. No, that wasn't it. She was just unable to sleep tonight. Or hadn't been able to sleep for the past few nights. The worst thing was that she had not an idea as to what was keeping her awake. Apparently, there was no way to solve a problem that she knew nothing about. But as of late, she'd been pacing, or sitting up in bed and picking at nonexistent threads on her pillowcase while her friends slept peacefully in the fifth-year dormitories.
Omitting a growl of frustration, Ginny pulled on her cloak and stormed out of the portrait hole. The Fat Lady looked after her warily before resuming her normal pose. Ginny walked down the empty corridors, forgetting about Prefects, teachers, and other such characters. By some arbitrary stroke of luck, she managed to avoid all of them. Well, she had run into Mrs. Norris, who had taken to lurking behind statues and tropy cases, but then cats seemed to tolerate Ginny Weasley.
After wandering aimlessly around the corridors, Ginny decided to go to the kitchens. The House Elves were rather fond of her. She approached the giant portrait of fruit and tickled the large pear. It giggled and moved aside, letting her through.
"Ginny Weasley!" a high-pitched voice squeaked as soon as she entered.
"Hullo, Dobby," Ginny smiled at the elf. He stood balancing a large bowl of assorted fruit, looking rather ridiculous in his attire of a blue shirt with orange polka dots and pink and green-checked shorts. To further mismatch his outfit, he wore a tall stocking of a revolting shade of yellow on one leg and a smaller grey sock on the other. Ginny bit her lip to refrain her laughter. "I really like your socks, Dobby."
"Thank you, miss!" The elf proudly puffed out his chest (with an uncanny resemblance to Percy). "Dobby got them from Professor Dumbledore for his birthday."
"Oh, that's…sweet of him."
"Yes, miss. Now, what would you like to eat or drink?"
"Some butterbeer, please," Ginny thought for a moment. "And some chocolate chip cookies, if you don't mind."
"Of course, miss. Make yourself comfortable." Ginny ambled slowly to one of the armchairs that stood in front of the fireplace. Closing her eyes with exhaustion, she threw herself into a chair. She was, of course, completely unaware of the person already sitting in it. Gasping, she stood up and turned around.
"Ow." Draco Malfoy glared up at her, gingerly rubbing his chest. His white blond hair was liberated of its gelled wrath and his sharp grey eyes flickered with hidden emotions. "Are you bloody blind?"
"Sorry," Ginny said flatly before seating herself in the chair next to his.
"That's all? 'Sorry?'" He turned the power of his glare up a notch. "You almost strangled me, dammit!"
"What more do you want? Would you rather I kiss it and make it better?" Ginny screwed her eyes shut, preparing herself for a crack about her poor family. It never came. She cautiously opened one eye and was taken aback to see that Draco's pale face had turned slightly pink. There was an awkward silence stretching between them, until Dobby came hopping with two mugs of butterbeer and a platter of cookies. He carefully set the food on the coffee table.
"Here's your food, miss and sir," Dobby smiled brightly and stood back.
"Thanks, Dobby," Ginny said. Draco muttered a 'thanks' under his breath, and the House Elf skipped off to do something else. After sitting idly for a few seconds, both of them reached for the food at the same time, hands brushing. Ginny felt her face heat up at the contact and quickly retrieved her hand.
"What's your excuse for being up so late?" Draco asked, being the first to recover. Ginny cupped her hands around the mug and took a sip of the hot butterbeer.
"I was having trouble falling asleep," she answered, tucking a mass of red curls behind her ear. "How about you?"
"Likewise." Draco gazed at the fire with an unreadable expression on his inevitably handsome face.
"How is life?" Ginny leaned her elbow on the armrest between them. Draco raised an eyebrow at her and surveyed her for a moment, pondering.
"It's been better," he answered slowly. "How is your life?"
"Alright at the moment," Ginny sighed and let her eyes gradually close. Draco was silent, listening to her breathing. A tingling sensation traveled down her spine, making her eyes flutter open. Draco had moved closer and was watching her with an intense gaze. Ginny unconsciously moved closer and gently pressed her lips against his. It was intriguing how such a simple gesture could speak volumes. He returned the kiss, surprisingly gentle, yet firm. Ginny sighed with content against his mouth. Draco slid his arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap.
"I think I'm in love," Ginny murmured softly against his neck, stroking his collar bone with slender fingers. Her eyelids drooped with sleep. Draco smiled, pushing her curtain of hair aside.
"I know I'm in love," Draco replied, placing light kisses on her eyelids and the tip of her nose and finally on her soft vulnerable lips. But she had already fallen asleep. Against all odds, wrapped in a warm, lovely embrace, the most unlikely couple at Hogwarts drifted into a deep slumber by the crackling fires of the silent kitchen.
Dobby smiled to himself at a job well done before retiring to fold his freshly laundered socks. House Elf magic was very handy when it came to giving two people a nudge in the right direction.
~*******~
The Beginning