Draco Malfoy and his Unknown Fate:
Author's Notes: Okay. I've made it so Ginny has a crush on Draco. It just seems like something that would happen to me. First, the Boy Who Lived and now someone she perceives to be a "Bad Boy", but a reformed one. And her brothers don't like him so there's that 'forbidden' factor. Remember the singing get well card she sent him while he was in the infirmary? Anyway, don't worry. Nothing will come of it. It's simply comic relief.
Warnings for this chapter: Draco bashes het sex. That's his opinion of it, so it's not meant to offend anyone. Peony's briefly mentioned. And some mild swearing… I think.
Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm merely borrowing them for the time being. This will be slash (eventually). Don't like it? Don't read it. Otherwise, enjoy.
School resumed far too soon, as it was wont to do, and Draco's crush on Potter got worse. The awful thing about it was that it seemed to grow exponentially. The Slytherin was tremendously afraid that he'd find himself writing sonnets about Potter's eyebrows or some such drivel. Speaking of lovelorn fools, Tracy Davis' parents had taken a shine to Blaise and apparently were already making plans for the wedding and what to name the children to Zabini's despair. He wasn't getting away though, Davis had him by the balls and wasn't about to let go anytime soon. It must have been the season for romance. Draco was aware Vince and Millicent Bulstrode were getting it on, but only peripherally because he made damn sure he didn't learn any details. Because eww. Sex with girls was bad enough, but sex with Bulstrode was just plain nasty. Not that Crabbe was any better to be honest.
At any rate, things were fairly normal. Pansy was teasing him about Potter on a daily basis and the Mudblood was kicking his arse in Arithmancy again. Peony was back in school and fairly subdued. No one dared to tease her, not with Draco, Pansy, and the others glowering at anyone who breathed funny at her. There was an inherent promise in their gazes that they would inflict agony beyond imagining if anyone made her feel even the tiniest bit bad. A lot of the girls in the school had softened to Draco once they saw how protective he was of his little pseudo-sister, despite the numerous nasty things he'd done in the past. Apparently, he had shown himself to be vaguely human and the lot of brainless dunderheads had this idea he was some knight in shining armor. Yeah, right. And next he'd be petitioning for House elf rights.
The worst thing about the whole situation though was that there was a possibility the Weaselette might have had a crush on him. The very thought was sickening, not to mention ludicrous. She didn't have a chance in hell, yet she persisted in her ridiculous mooning. He was fairly certainly he was as gay as a sixteen year old boy could be and to be fair he'd never give a male Weasley a second look either. She seemed to be doomed to fancy boys who didn't even know she existed. Though, he did have to admit the Weasley wench had very good taste in men.
Unfortunately for her, so did Draco.
Draco spent most of his time the next two weeks or so working diligently on his homework and personal projects, helping Snape, fulfilling his duty as a prefect, attending those stupid prefect meetings, checking Potter out as often as possible when no one else was looking, avoiding the mini-weasel, practicing with his new snitch, and keeping up with the Hogwarts' gossip mill. Though, it appeared that he hadn't done as good a job with the last as he had believed.
Even with his numerous contacts throughout the castle, he was as surprised as everyone else when the Headmaster announced that there would be a Valentine's Day Ball at the Head girl's suggestion next month. The old coot had felt it necessary to raise the morale of his students and Chang's suggestion had fit perfectly with his plans. Several of the prefects were in a snit that they hadn't been consulted by the Head girl first and Draco spent a few days being smug that Chang's lack of people skills had struck again. The upcoming Ball sent the school into a flurry of activity and rumor, mostly concerning who was going together and what they would be wearing.
He, of course, didn't give a fig about it considering that he had a match against Hufflepuff coming up on top of all the usual things. The mangy badgers had already played Gryffindor and lost miserably earlier in October, though he'd been too busy with his potions to really notice. Pucey had diligently taken notes on their opponents though and Draco trusted his head for strategy. The Quidditch Captain wasn't barmy for broomsticks like that Wood fellow, but he was clever and he followed the game faithfully enough. The Slytherin team had taken to practicing three days out of the week, not including the ten hours of personal training Pucey insisted they get in on their own time. He may not have been Quidditch mad, but as a Slytherin his ambition extended to winning the Quidditch Cup this year and Merlin help the poor sod who got in his way.
Still, even with all the things keeping him busy he did notice that everyone else was absorbed with the thought of a Valentine's Day Ball. Crabbe and Bulstrode were going together as a couple and so was Tracey Davis and Blaise. There was an unspoken agreement between Pansy and Draco that they would end up going together, one that was made with a single raised eyebrow from Draco and a nod from his friend. Gregory, on the other hand, was frantic for a date and had brought it up during their most recent A.S.H. meeting. The other members had agreed to help him find a girl to escort to the Ball, teasing him lightheartedly about it just to get a rise out of the usually stoic Slytherin.
They'd settled on Mandy Brocklehurst and Pansy somehow finagled her into being Goyle's date. Draco suspected heavy bribes had done the trick, but for the sake of Greg's dignity had kept his opinions on the matter to himself. He could be tactful on occasion after all; he just chose not to be most of the time. He had wistful thoughts of going to the event with Potter at his side, but it was so utterly ridiculous he felt like a complete Hufflepuff for even thinking it. For one, it would never happen and even if by some twist of fate it could, he didn't want the female population of the wizarding world out for his blood.
But the thought of his father's expression if the old man caught sight of the headlines it would cause was enough to make him snicker helplessly.
He pushed it out of his mind as sentimental claptrap, concentrating on his responsibilities instead of impossibilities. With the upcoming Hufflepuff game to occupy his thoughts it was easier than he expected it to be, even if he did spend an inordinate amount of time wanking his brains out.
To be Continued
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