Drunk? Then We Meet Malfoy.

Chapter Five of Out of Place

Ginny and Harry made their way towards his apartment.

It was in the evening, and the entire snow-covered Manhattan city was bitter cold. Harry was freezing especially, since the jacket that Ginny wore was not warm enough, and he had lent his to her. Now only in his shirt and with one more layer beneath, Harry's teeth chattered and he was doing all he could to keep warm.

"Harry! Stop teasing me about it, will you?" Ginny laughed, pummelling him, as she half stumbled, half trudged, across a snow-covered walkway.

Harry looked at her worriedly. "What? I'm not teasing you, why-"

Ginny pouted. "Because it's bad!" she interrupted. She started to mumble incoherently.

Harry caught Ginny as she stumbled. "I think you've had quite enough to drink, Ginny," he said seriously.

The two of them had stopped for a drink in a wizarding pub that Harry frequented after the movie, and Ginny had had a firewhiskey too many. Luckily, Harry held his drink much better than Ginny, or it would be impossible to have made their way back.

Ginny looked at him, here eyes misted. "Oh no, I don't think so... Harry..." she stumbled again, swaying.

Harry caught her just before she fell. "It was just three glasses, Harry," she giggled.

Harry noted mentally that Ginny could not drink more than one glass of firewhiskey, and reminded himself that Ron was bound to murder him in cold blood if he spotted his sister like that. Holding Ginny firmly by the elbow, he steered her carefully towards the back entrance of the apartment, nodding briefly at the doorman there.

As the lift door closed and it proceeded to climb smoothly up the building, Ginny smiled at Harry, still swaying a bit. She seemed to have stopped giggling.

Her voice went slightly harsher, slightly like a purr, as she whispered incoherently about "the one for her", and "how she loved him". Harry tried not to feel jealous as she talked about "his beautiful silver-blonde hair", and "his clear grey eyes". He reminded himself that this was not Ginny as her normal self.

"Harry... You're so sweet... " Ginny hissed. "You're just so, so sweet..." she sounded almost like a cat.

Harry backed away. "Ginny- umn, I think this is not the right time. Ginny-"

Ginny had pressed against him and was bestowing a mind-blowing kiss upon his dry lips. The only sound Harry could make was "Ginny-" before she completely silenced him. There was only one thing Harry could do.

Submit.

...

And so, Aunt Claire was very, very surprised to find Harry and Ginny hungrily kissing when she greeted them at the door.

"Mister Pot-" she began.

Harry opened his eyes and pulled away, mumbling a regretful "sorry" to Ginny and releasing her from his arms, forgetting that she was drunk. She fell onto the floor and vomited all over it.

"HARRY POTTER!" Aunt Claire was furious. "What did you think you were doing just now?"

Harry tried to explain. "You see, she was drunk and we-" he began.

"SHE WAS DRUNK? AND YOU KISSED HER LIKE THAT? I THOUGHT YOU WENT FOR A MOVIE!" she exploded.

Harry was frantic. "Look. We went for a drink and she had firewhiskey. She drank too much and I was-"

Aunt Claire's voice was a menacing whisper. "You let her drink firewhiskey? I thought you were more responsible than that? If I had not greeted you at the door to tell you something, who knows what would have happened between the both of you? You've only just met her!"

Harry looked at Ginny, still vomiting on the floor. "I love her, Aunt Claire! Don't you understand? I've loved her since who knows when- and I don't know if she does. She was talking about Malfoy and we- I-"

"Well, well. Our wonderful Mister Potter has gotten the girl of his dreams drunk and doesn't even want to handle that responsibility. Tsk, tsk. to think that you were the boy who lived." Draco Malfoy's icy voice came from behind. He walked towards Harry.

Although Malfoy had turned spy for Dumbledore during the Dark War, he and Harry were still arch nemeses, and they never missed a chance to set each other up. But Harry had not seen Malfoy for two years now, since he partially left the wizarding world. Malfoy was almost the same as when he was in school- silvery-blond hair and gleaming grey eyes, not forgetting the pale white face. He scowled maliciously at Harry while the latter glared back.

"What are you doing here?" Harry finally asked.

Malfoy grinned evilly. "I followed you here. To arrange for an appointment. Next week, at nine in the morning: The Wizarding Restaurant."

Before Harry could say a thing, he Dissapperated.

Aunt Claire took in the situation, dumbstruck. She silently watched as Harry deliberately and slowly lifted Ginny off the floor and carried her to the bathroom. At last, Aunt Claire regained her senses and went to fetch a mop.

Ginny laid her cheek on the cold toilet seat, as she was sick into the toilet bowl, tears streaming down her face. Harry crouched beside her, asking, "How do you feel? Is it bad?"

Ginny tried to answer, but it just made her vomit even more. All Harry could do was to watch in silence and pat her on the back gently. Gradually, the throbbing headache overwhelmed her and she fell asleep. Gently, Harry carried her to her room.

...

Ginny woke up in bed, her headache as bad as ever. She moaned piteously and rolled over, only to fall off it. Almost instantly, Harry, who had been nodding in an old armchair at the far end of the room, woke up and put her back on the bed.

She sleepily opened her eyes. "Harry... it hurts-," she rasped. She suddenly bolted for the toilet and started to throw up again.

Finally, she stopped and sat tiredly, leaning against the bathtub. She gratefully accepted the glass of water Harry brought her.

"How is it? Are you all right now?" Harry asked, as he plonked himself next to Ginny, equally tired.

Ginny smiled faintly. "I'm perfectly fine, Harry. Thank-you so much for your help."

Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "The least I could do."

Ginny leaned closer to Harry. "You know," she whispered, "If I hadn't just vomited and if I didn't smell this bad, I would snog you right now at this very moment. I heard what you said to Aunt Claire when I was drunk, and I just want to say..." she trailed off tentatively.

Harry felt anxiety grip him. "Say what?"

Ginny smiled at him.

"To say that I love you."

Harry took a few moments to register this information.

"You know Ginny, even if you stank so much that no one dared to come a mile near you, I would still snog you," he murmured into her ear.

And he kissed her.

"I love you."
~Phew!! At least that's done!! Well, I'm back!! I have suffered from an extreme case of writer's block, until one day I just got it!! It snapped back into place (that was during my super-boring math class)!!

~I don't like Malfoy at all in this fic- totally appalling, his behaviour. Well you can't expect him to be Mr. Nice-Guy, can't you? Anyway, I would really appreciate it if the reviews hit 40. Please??? 40???

~Arwen