A/N: * glomps everyone * I send my deepest apologies to all, for keeping you waiting, being so un-author like. But hark! It has arrived! And dear me, I've tried my best to make send the message I was trying to create with this chapter, but if not, ah well. * sniff * Thank you for putting up with my craziness for all this time, without you, I wouldn't be here. Heh. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter, although JK Rowling does. The song Kiss Me, Diss Me by Home Grown does not belong to me either.
" Oh Ginny," she breathed, her blue eyes misting over with emotion. " You look wonderful, don't you worry!"
Ginny Weasley let a small blush creep up her glowing face, biting her lip, slowly awaiting the hour that she had been waiting for—well, to tell the truth, a couple of days. And the past hour had been the hardest of all, sitting there, trying best not to fidget while her friend primped her and made her look decent enough for the event that was to follow—in a couple of minutes. A couple of very long minutes, in her opinion.
" Thanks," Ginny sighed, letting her eyes fall to her hands, hands that were sweating, hands that would not be still. " You look good too." She added, not knowing what else to say.
" Ginny, it'll be fine." She soothed, reading the look upon her face. " Have fun. And ignore that prat, Draco." Ginny cracked a dry smile.
" Prat? Weren't you the one swooning over him?" she asked, her eyes twinkling. Alison rolled her eyes and waved her hand impatiently.
" Was—past tense. I've finally matured and come to the realization that there is more than meets the eye—and that Draco hunk may be some piece of eye candy, but he hasn't got much of a personality." Ginny nodded, secretly agreeing. But her heart thought otherwise.
'You know you feel something for him.' Though it was such a small thought, it echoed through her body, filling her again, with confusion.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, she frowned. She did not want to think about this now, of all times. She didn't need it. She really couldn't believe herself—yes, she still thought she did not like the blonde boy, but she found that she couldn't bring herself to say the words, ' I hate him.'. And that was saying something.
" Time's up!" Marie chirped rather cheerfully, getting up excitedly.
Ginny cringed as she looked at herself one last time in the mirror. Wonderful? She did not think so. Sure, she looked decent enough, but nothing compared to her friends. There was something remotely different from hers to her friends'—it was that evident. From her face there was too much apprehension, worry, and uncertainty. All of which was missing from her friends' faces. But before she had any more time to get lost in bitter thoughts, she found herself being dragged rather hastily by her best friends, out the door, letting the screen door flap behind them, smiling as the cool wind brushed against their bare skin, already the excitement tingling up their spine.
'Remember: Have fun, but try not to be so clumsy, and for god's sake, ignore that prat! Oh, and did you remember to bring your self-confidence?' Ginny grumbled as her conscience, or whatever it was, reminded her of the things to be remembered. With each step she took, and with each breath, her hands grew colder, and she knew it was not because of the wind. And when the great gray doors to the gym stood before her, her stomach was twisting, and she finally understood the term, ' butterflies in your stomach.'.
" Relax, dork." Alison teased, trying to lighten the mood. Ginny gave her a weak smile, her body now rigid. What was wrong with her? Did the thought of being in the same room as Draco Malfoy scare her that much? Did he really carry that much charisma? No, he did not. He was merely a silly little boy who happened to be an insensitive bastard.
Stepping up to the door, she gave it a great heave, and it opened, revealing to her, a world she had never seen before. Loud, rhythmic music filled not only her ears—but her whole body, and her heart began to beat in sync with the loud thumps of the bass—almost instinctively. Immediately, her body grew flushed as the wonderfully bright lights flashed, and as she took one tiny step into the darkness, she felt a daze come over her, as if she had stepped into a portal, a portal that transported her to another dimension—something like that, anyhow. It was all intoxicating, how the music seemed to flow out of no where, and the irresistible itch to dance; to let her body free so that it could move to the rhythm, as it had been described many times before. She was already breathing heavily, resisting the urge to dance. A glance over to her side, and she saw her friends' smiles, as their bodies already swayed, nudging her occasionally. Smiling apprehensively, she took another step, and found herself washing up in a sea of people.
And as she let go, all her previous thoughts, the ones about how to act, the ones chiding her self, they flew from her mind, and her mind, for once, went blank. Nothing came in but the enticing beat of the music, and no thoughts registered, except for one: Dance. Who was she to deny herself something that her body commanded so severely? So, she obeyed. How she knew how to dance, she did not know; it was one of those instinctive things, like breathing. Hell, it was like breathing. Now that she had started, it seemed imperative that she continued, as if she would die if she stopped dancing.
It was amazing—not how well she danced—but how easily she did, when she in reality, had never danced before. Then again, perhaps this wasn't reality. After all, she was in a state of total euphoria, if you could call it that. Her body moved with the music, with a slight sway of her hips, or a slight twist of her arms, until it seemed as if she was the music. All too soon, heavy beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and her body glistened with perspiration, but that didn't stop her. Smiling all the while, she kept on dancing; she kept on breathing. And all traces of the shy, apprehensive, practical Ginny was gone. Here, in her body, was a Ginny that knew only how to live.
"Ginny…' a throaty voice, barely above a whisper floated into her ear. In one swift movement, she faced the source; stunning gray eyes so enticingly staring back at her. Almost admiringly. Glittering eyes that were made to show malice.
"Malfoy…" she whispered back, her movements growing slower, her heart pounding, her head pounding, the music growing fainter. Why was it that she felt this way ever damn time he looked at her?
" Not a bad dancer." He threw at her that god damned smirk of his, making her legs suddenly turn to jelly. It was quite appropriate to stop, for the music had faded, and now that she had stopped dancing to the loud, intoxicating music, her sane thoughts slowly returned, filling her with worries. And even now, after she had run in her minds so many countless times, how she would act in front of him this night, she simply could not bring herself to tell him to go away. Not even that. Yet she could not let him see her weakness. Would that not only spite him more? Narrowing her eyes, and letting a playful smirk upon her face, she moved closer to him.
" I know." He arched a perfect eyebrow, and took yet another step closer, letting his eyes roam all over her, making a faint blush rise, making the girl in front of him very glad that it was dark. Then, he let out a small ' Hmm.'. And it made her almost angry, the way he stared at her, like he was so much better than she, as if he could manipulate her in any way he pleased. His eyes still cold as ever, looking like a cruel dragon, come to take his prey—both stealthily and cunningly.
" Dance with me…"he said softly, yet forcefully. And to her dismay, Ginny found that she could not resist, as his arms wrapped around her waist, slowly swaying to the slow ballad that struck up. She could not resist. So, trying her best to look away, she wrapped her own arms around his neck, forcing herself to look away, planning to never look into those cold eyes again. It was a rather beautiful song, slow, mournful, singing of confusion. Just like how she felt.
" You look nice tonight." He commented simply. Ginny blinked, then slowly turned her head to look at Draco, expecting a small smirk upon it, his eyes dancing cruelly, giving her the look a look of lust, even. Malice. But to her surprise, when her plain brown eyes met his, she found something quite different.
On his pale face, for once, there was no sign of nastiness, no sign of the mean, cruel person he was, and instead, there was sincerity, along with a bitterness that she could not comprehend. His eyes were no longer hard, but were soft pools of gray; soft, liquid pools that made her writhe, that made her want to hold onto him forever. And she let a small smile crack upon her hard face, remembering why she could not bring herself to say that she hated him. Because when he stared at her like he was doing presently, with those beautiful gray eyes that were so unique, it made her heart flutter like butterflies, a feeling of great joy, and at the same time, making her feel hopeless. Breathing softly, and leaning closer to him, Ginny kept her eyes trained on his—not that she could pry them away. She had gotten lost in them once again, finding in them so many secrets left unopened, so many emotions locked up. And she ached to unravel them.
" You look nicer." Ginny whispered, finding her voice again.
" No, you have no idea how b—beautiful you look." He stuttered, and to her great surprise, his cheeks tinged pink. Ginny stared at him, smiling widely, biting her lip in thought of how cute he looked. How wonderfully sad and sincere. Seeing her smile, he let himself do the same, and the effect was great. His serious face lit up, making his eyes seem bright, looking so innocent all of a sudden, like a small boy. A small, lost boy. And Ginny had never wanted so much to hold onto someone as much as she wanted to hold Draco Malfoy right then. She gaped at him in awe, wondering how someone could look so cruel one minute, then so beautiful the next.
The song struck the final, sad note, and ended, leaving the couple to stand there, still in each other's arms. Ginny's smile slowly faded, and she felt as though there was an odd lump in her throat, and found that she could not speak. Then, still smiling, Draco Malfoy leaned down, blonde hair brushing Ginny's cheek, and placed a small kiss on Ginny's lips. Without hesitation, Ginny leaned in, her arms hanging from his neck, clinging to him, one of them running through his fine, soft hair. It sent indescribably feelings. Like the wind blowing in your face on a warm, spring day, like having hot cocoa after being out in the winter cold. Like the feeling you got on Christmas morning, jumpy, warm, and excited, feeling as though there was magic in the air—magic that would never cease. Oh—and did he smell wonderful—he tasted wonderful. Like the fresh wind, mint and coconuts, and all the most exotic scents on the earth, sending her nearly over the edge, making her want more with every second. He was Draco, and he was a damned good kisser.
"Stop—" And he pulled back, his hair tousled, lips swollen, but his eyes oddly clear. Ginny frowned.
" What's wrong?" she asked, almost fearing the answer. But there was none. He shook his head, telling her that nothing was wrong, but his eyes told her differently. They silently told her things, things that made no sense. The eyes of someone deeply troubled.
And with a fleeting smile, he gave her a single, sweet kiss on the lips, ever so lightly, like a feather, before he turned swiftly and left.
He left her there, feeling oddly empty, all the magic in the air gone with the wind that flew in as he walked away. He left her there, leaving nothing but slow anger and confusion to replace the emptiness. He had left her again to feel lost and confused. To feel hurt and unwanted. To wish this world would stop with its games, wishing that something would make sense. But nothing did.
A/N: Ahaha. Finally. I've been asking Draco when he was going to snog Ginny, and he wouldn't tell me, that blonde bimbo. I still love him. * glomps Draco, refusing to let go *
Draco: Owie! Lemme go! * screams* Yes, there is such a thing called personal space!
A/N: Aw, what a cutie…
Draco: If you let me go, I'll wear leather pants. * waggles eyebrows*
A/N: * outraged * Over my dead body, Malfoy! I forbid you to wear cow skin! Yeccch! Besides, you don't look THAT yummy. You look better in a suit, honey.
Draco: * pouts * 'tis not fair, depriving me of leather.
A/N: * grins * Click the blue button. Check out my new, short, first-time fluff I've written. * shameless plug *