Just something for the season. It's jumpy and short, with very little real thought behind it, and there's a severe fluff warning for the end.
And you will no doubt pick out moments of extreme sarcasm.
And to anyone who has been trying to keep up with Astray in Endeavor, I'm so sorry about what's happened, but I will be getting another chapter up as soon as I can. But that may not be until January.
Disclaimer: I don't own HP. I don't own White Christmas. I have nothing.
White Christmas
"You've got to be kidding me."
"I'm not Gin. Dumbledore wants us to put on a play. He got scripts for Irving Berlin's 'White Christmas' and posted the parts."
"Why am I Judy? I've never been a performer." Ginny groaned. Hermione shrugged.
"Sure you are. You've been taking all those dance classes for ages."
"That's different. That was for fitness and grace. I wasn't supposed to ever use it."
"So? I've been taking singing lessons for years. I never expected to have to use them either."
"And another thing, we don't even look alike. How are we supposed to portray sisters?"
"It's called acting, Gin. Besides, I think it's kinda cute, doing a Christmas play." Hermione smiled, leaning back on her hands and staring up at the ceiling. "And we were picked for what we can do, not what we want to do."
"Alright. When do we rehearse?"
"Tomorrow. 1:30, Great Hall. Be there, and be prepared to knock somebody's socks off."
"Gotcha."
****
Ginny appeared in the Great Hall, dressed for some serious dance practice. She'd read her script, and had mapped out exactly what she needed to practice. She knew the songs she had to sing already, having seen the original movie several times as a child. She wondered vaguely who she was going to have to dance with, but decided that it didn't really matter, as long as she could get along with him.
"Hello Weasley." She heard a drawl from behind her. She froze, then turned to face him.
"What do you want Malfoy?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just a dance partner." He said. She stared at him.
"You what?" She asked, dumbfounded.
"You and I have a couple of numbers together Weasley. We've got to start rehearsing. Performance is in two weeks." Ginny frowned at him angrily.
"I'm not dancing with you, Malfoy. Never in a million years."
"Tsk, tsk. Now, you wouldn't want to ruin the whole performance, would you? How are we supposed to perform if Judy won't talk to Phil?"
"I can't believe they cast you as Phil. I didn't figure you for a performing man." She growled.
"I'm just full of surprises. But what about you then. I wouldn't have pegged you as a dancer."
"Appearances can be deceiving."
"No doubt. Come then, we should get to it."
****
"Ginny! You're associating with Malfoy!" Ron screamed.
"Well, duh! We have to perform together!" She screamed back, still in the middle of a stretch.
"That's right Ron. She's Judy and he's Phil." Hermione interceded. "So there's nothing you can do about it. Just like you can't do anything about being General Waverley."
"I hate this idea. What was Dumbledore thinking?"
"He was thinking that we all need a little something to take our minds off of school, and this is just perfect." Harry called from his spot on the floor, where he was trying to memorize his lines.
"Say, Harry? How's the singing coming?" Hermione asked.
"Well, I'm no Bing Crosby, but I think I'll manage. I just hope this works."
"How are you dealing with Malfoy anyway? You have to work with him more than Ginny does." Hermione asked, looking up again from adding a few stitches to one of her costumes. Ginny paused in her dance stretches to listen to Harry. He seemed a bit guarded, which was odd, considering their past history.
"Well, if you must know, he really hasn't been that bad. He's more focussed on this play than he is on taunting me."
"Yeah, actually now that I think about it, he hasn't been annoying the hell out of me lately either. And he's a really great dancer." Ginny said, sitting down on the floor. "I just don't get it."
"I do." Harry muttered under his breath. Ginny was the only one who heard him.
"What was that Harry?" Ron asked.
"Nothing. Hitch in my throat." Ron nodded and went back to studying his own lines. Ginny fixed Harry with a stare that he pointedly ignored, then she shrugged and returned to practising the more elaborate dances.
****
"I can't wear this!" Ginny cried, eyeing the costume for the minstrel number. It was small, and looked horribly uncomfortable. Hermione wrinkled her nose at her.
"I have to wear black evening dresses, so you'll wear the shiny stuff." She told her. "Now put it on, we have to go and rehearse this number." Hermione then left the room. Ginny frowned and tugged the stretchy, shining bodysuit on, and then strapped on the skirt bits. When she was finished, she eyed her reflection in the mirror. She actually didn't look that bad, and the outfit had been charmed to it was warm and comfy. Someone knocked on her door and she jumped.
"Weasley, come on, rehearsal starts in a minute." Malfoy said from the other side of the door. Without thinking, Ginny threw it open and stepped out. She nearly missed the look on his face as she walked by him.
"What are you staring at, Malfoy? Haven't you ever seen a girl in costume before?" She teased as she waltzed away. Malfoy picked his jaw up off the floor, and followed quickly.
"Of course I have Weasley. Granger is already out there. I was merely wondering exactly where your figure came from." Ginny stopped and looked at him. Was he flirting with her?
"Excuse me?"
"Well, for someone who comes from a family of boys, you're very girly." He seemed to be tripping over his words. This was different. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"You wanna try that one again?" She asked, placing her gloved hands on her hips, looking very prepared to hit him if she had to.
"You...uh, you always cover up with bulky robes. Nobody would suspect that you had such a body under there." He tried again. She quirked a smile at him.
"Are checking me out Mr. Malfoy?" She asked. He had the grace to look a little flustered. She grinned, happy at this sudden power that she possessed. She shifted her weight to her left leg and peered at him.
"Because if you are, you may be interested in knowing that I actually don't mind at all." She turned on her heel and waltzed out to the stage set up, leaving Malfoy staring at her in awe.
****
Draco watched her as she stretched. So, underneath the sweaters and sport pants that she rehearsed in, the baby Weasley was a woman after all. And quite the attractive one at that. Not only that, but she seemed to have a singular wit that stood her a good stead in most company. She was even using it on Potter and his cronies. He didn't understand it, he'd been completely apathetic to her for six years now, and then all it took was a two week period of day to day interaction for him to suddenly see her in his dreams. Strange.
Then of course there had been what she said to him when she accused him of checking her out. She had a spit fire that could rival that of a dragon. What killed him was the fact that she was right. He had been checking her out, and he had been interested in knowing that she didn't mind. He just didn't understand it. He also didn't understand the fury he felt during the parts where some other guy had to dance with her. He knew that she was an attractive girl, and he also knew, after the previously mentioned two weeks that she had no romantic interests in any of her housemates. Now he just had to do something with this information. Time to find Potter.
****
"Malfoy? We're supposed to be rehearsing. Stop staring at me like that."
"Oh, terribly sorry, Potter. Does my face offend you?"
"Always. But when you stare like that, I know that I won't like what you're thinking of."
"You never like what I'm thinking."
"I believe that was my point."
"I want to ask you something."
Harry raised an eyebrow at the other boy. This was something new. Malfoy never asked for anything.
"Am I going to like it?"
"Probably not. But I'd prefer asking you to having to ask Granger or Weasley."
"Alright then. Shoot."
"What would happen if I asked Ginny Weasley to go out with me?" Harry choked.
"You what?"
"If I asked Ginny to go out with me."
"If she didn't break your kneecaps first, Ron would probably hunt you down and have you drawn and quartered."
"So I shouldn't bother then."
"I didn't say that."
"You did too. Not in quite so many words, but that's what you said."
"I hadn't quite finished y'know."
"Do go on then."
"I know you, Malfoy. I've fought evil with you, and I know that what you say is your word. I'm told that, despite your father, the Malfoy family has always been honourable. If you were to tell me that you didn't mean Ginny any harm whatsoever, I'd believe you. And I would keep Ron off you at all costs. Hermione would help too." Draco looked at Harry speculatively. He knew Harry well enough now to know that his word was also his bond. Oddly enough, they seemed to have reached some kind of peace with each other. It must be the season.
"So, all I have to do is try to keep my knees intact." He muttered. Harry laughed.
"True. And make sure she doesn't hate you before you try anything. And another thing, watch out for her fists, she has a killer right hook."
"Thanks, Potter."
"No problem, Malfoy."
****
It was Christmas Eve, and performance day all in one. Everyone even remotely connected to the play was in an advanced state of nervousness. Make up people were running around whacking people with powder puffs, costumers were putting last minute mending stitches in outfits, choreographers were frantically making sure that dancers knew when they were supposed to step to the left, performers were worrying over songs, lines and dance numbers, and the director was vainly trying to impose order. It was amazing that they even managed to get themselves together in time for the curtain.
Ginny was actually enjoying herself onstage. Something about being someone she really wasn't, and being able to do things she normally wouldn't do. And the fact that acting with Malfoy without her brother complaining endlessly made it even more enjoyable. She'd seen the angered looks on Malfoy's face whenever she was dancing, but not with him. She'd even caught him watching her practice several times. And strangely enough, she didn't mind. She even wondered if he was going to do anything else but watch her.
When it came time for the final kiss of the show, both pairs were supposed to stage kiss, as had been rehearsed, and by now performed for every other kiss. Little did Ginny, or Hermione, know that both boys had decided to change that stage direction.
So the lines went as such:
"Look at this, relatives already."
"This is big stuff Bob, we've got to get this..."
"Oh, I'm afraid I'm going to be busy."
"Hang on, I'll join you."
And suddenly Ginny found herself kissing Draco Malfoy. She also suddenly found herself liking kissing Draco Malfoy. When it was over, she noticed that Hermione looked a little flustered too. Obviously Harry had a surprise or two up his sleeve. The girls smiled at each other as they finished up the last number of the show.
****
When the curtain dropped, Draco was expecting to be decked, kicked, and then tossed into the band pit. Instead, Ginny turned to him and raised her eyebrows.
"Do I take it that you fancy me Malfoy?"
"You do indeed."
"Will wonders never cease."
"Possibly. Are you going to hit me?"
"Why should I do that? People expect kisses at Christmastime."
"But not from people they hate."
"I never said I hated you."
"You never said you didn't either."
"What would you do if I told you that all this Christmas spirit has made me quite fancy you?"
"I'd conjure up some mistletoe and snog you senseless."
"All this Christmas spirit has made me quite fancy you." Malfoy smiled and pulled his wand out of his pocket. Indeed he conjured up a healthy sprig of mistletoe, and proceeded to snog her senseless.
Hermione smiled as she and Harry looked on.
"You know," She started, "That's not a bad idea." Harry grinned and conjured up their own sprig of mistletoe.
The End!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!