Last time..
"Don't pretend to ignore me. You heard me. I think you're cheating!"
Ooooooooooo! Dum dum dum duuuuuummmmmm! How is our favorite bad boy going to get out of this one? Will he admit he's cheating? Will Ginny stay suspicious? Will she leave?..Of course not! What's the point of writing about a game of strip poker if the characters don't strip! (Remember the rating..Draco may be a prat, but he is going to eventually have to gentlemanly.for rating if nothing else! *snickers evilly*).
I'm trying something new..two colons (::) will indicate thought since I can't figure out how to use italics. Tell me if you like it or the single ' ' better.
Enjoy! ************************************************************************
"Excuse me? What makes you say that?"
Ginny, with her best Draco impersonation, exclaimed in a sarcastic tone, "Well, gee, I don't know. Perhaps it's the fact that you won the last hand, the fact that you are *Draco Malfoy* or maybe it's the fact that YOU HAVE A WAND UP YOUR SLEEVE!" she finished in a near shout.
Draco made a motion to quiet her, which caused Ginny to sputter indignantly. Draco hurriedly grabbed Ginny and covered her mouth with....his hand (authors note: sorry.not yet! I'm just toying with you!)
"Listen Vir-gin.., uh, Virginia. This room may seem pretty isolated because it's deep in the dungeons and no one ever comes here.but the Slytherin common room is directly overhead and if you insist on shouting, some one might just decide to come down and investigate the source of the noise. And we both know if a Slytherin found us my reputation wouldn't be the one to suffer." he left the implication hang in the air. "Ok.I'm going to take my hand away now. Do you think you can contain your excitement?"
Ginny glared at him.
"I'll take that as a yes."
While slowly withdrawing his hand, Ginny caught him off guard and gave him a hard shove across the table he had been leaning over. Landing with an ungraceful thump, he regarded the girl across from him. With mussed hair, flushed cheeks and eyes wide with some emotion, shock perhaps, she looked.lovely, Draco thought. Some one very much alive in the icy place he resided.
Draco shook himself out of that potentially dangerous line of thought. Instead he looked Ginny in the eyes, and found himself speaking.
"Virginia, I'm sorry you think I'm cheating but how about this. Both of us will place our wands on the table, in plain view of the other. Also, you are free to deal if you like. Would that be enough to satisfy you? I don't have another pack of cards, or else I'd offer to switch decks. But you did see for yourself that the deck as sealed, so I wouldn't have been able to do anything to it before it was opened." That was because of a charm placed on seals of wizarding products that prevented magical tampering.
Ginny deliberated for a moment. It wasn't the fact that Draco might have been cheating that bothered her - she should have been anticipating the possibility. It was the fact that he appeared human, even charming, and that had allowed her to let down her guard.
::No, I'm not falling for a Malfoy, a stupid crush on him is bad enough, but that is all it is.:: Ginny told herself furiously, pointedly ignoring how delicious it had felt when he had grabbed her, even if it had just been to keep her quiet.
::Virginia,..Virginia..Vir.:: hmmm. ::Even the way he says my name is sexy.Virgina..VIRGINIA!::
Ginny blinked and noticed Draco staring at her. ::Ohmygoodness! He was talking to me!::
"What?" ::Great Ginny..way to be unobtrusive about the whole zoning out thing.::
"I said is eve-ry-thing o-k?" he spoke slowly as if to a child.
"I'm fine, Malfoy," she practically spat the name out. "And I'm not a child, so don't speak to me like I'm one!"
::I never thought you were.::
Seeing the scowl on Ginny's face, he thought maybe he had said that last thought aloud, but was prevented from apologizing by his poker opponent.
"As for your conditions, they're fine. Just put your wand on the table, hand over the cards and lets finish this game."
(Should I end it here???)
(No, I'm not that cruel!)
Draco laid his wand on the table as he watched Ginny's slim fingers slowly shuffle the cards to deal them.
::It's so unfair! I just HAD to have a crush on the youngest and only female child of the only family that hates my father more than I do.and even if I could convince her to go out with me, I'd have to deal with that prat of a brother of hers - Ron. And the rest can't be much better.::
While Draco pondered on the cruel ironies of life, Ginny was lost in her own thoughts, absentmindedly dealing the cards.
If Draco had had any idea of what was going on in the young woman's head, he most likely would have cast a mind-reading charm. But as our sexy young man was brilliant, but not omnipotent (that's Dumbledore's job!), there was no way he would have had the foresight to know that Ginny's thoughts kept drifting to him.and not in the murderous sense he would have imagined.
::Damn insufferable prick! If he was any other guy, I'd go after him in a heartbeat.but noooooo. He had to be Draco bloody Malfoy. Son of my father's worst enemy and my the bane of my brother's existence..*sigh*.::
Resolving if she couldn't date him, she could at least see some skin (author's note: bad author, bad author (), Ginny looked into Draco eyes, that seemed even farther away than usual.
"Right then, how about a robe and shirt for this bet."
Draco blinked, then sneered at her. "That eager to be naked?"
"Not going to happen. So, are you willing to be that naked?" she challenged.
Draco glared. "Fine, I'm in. Two please."
Ginny dealt him two, then helped herself to three.
Looking down, she realized that she was in trouble. She only had a pair of Jacks. If Draco had anything, she would lose. Looking up, she tried to judge from Draco's expressing if he had anything worthwhile. He looked a little pale. ::Good!:: she thought. ::Well, I guess I'll go for it then.::
Draco had to call on every icy reserve of self-control he had to keep from shouting in joy. A flush, one he got without even cheating..uh, playing creatively, as he liked to call it. Saying that Draco was an ok poker player was like saying the ocean was slightly damp. The spell he cast was simply to assure a quick victory, he had no doubt that he could have won, even against Ginny. ::I guess I'll never know now.:: he told himself.
"What do you have?"
Trying not to smile, Ginny lay down her hand, confident that she had read Draco correctly. She looked at Draco expectantly.
Dramatic as always, Draco lay down his cards, one by one. Ginny's elation at besting her opponent slowly turned to horror as she realized he had the better hand.
"But I thought." she blurted out before she could stop herself.
Draco allowed himself a small smirk. "What? That I was upset with my hand? You may have mastered the poker face, but growing up with a sadistic bastard for a father teaches one to not only mask emotions, but fake a completely one."
Ginny slowly stood up. ::This is not happening!:: she thought desperately, as she slowly undid the clasps that held her robe together, allowing it to pull at her feet. Pointedly staring past Draco's shoulder, she stoically unbuttoned her blouse, letting it slide of her shoulders and onto the chair. Standing there for a moment, she attempted to regain her composure, as she slowly sank back into her chair. Being from a family of boys, she had never grown comfortable with her figure, but now was trying desperately to remind herself she wasn't much to look at. Skinny, with gangly legs, she was no beauty.
::She beautiful:: thought Draco as he gazed, or rather stared at the pale goddess before him. Noticing how nervous she was, he tried to think of something to say that would make her angry which would not only make her more beautiful (he loved to tease her for that very reason) but she would also forget her embarrassment. He opened his mouth to speak, but found he couldn't make a sound.
::Quick before she realizes how much I like her!:: he silently pleaded.
::Sure:: his brain responded. ::We'll come up with a suitably cutting response..as soon as you manage to stop your opened mouth stare.::
Screwing up her courage, Ginny forced herself to look up.
She was unprepared for the wide eyed reverence with which he was looking at her..
"Don't pretend to ignore me. You heard me. I think you're cheating!"
Ooooooooooo! Dum dum dum duuuuuummmmmm! How is our favorite bad boy going to get out of this one? Will he admit he's cheating? Will Ginny stay suspicious? Will she leave?..Of course not! What's the point of writing about a game of strip poker if the characters don't strip! (Remember the rating..Draco may be a prat, but he is going to eventually have to gentlemanly.for rating if nothing else! *snickers evilly*).
I'm trying something new..two colons (::) will indicate thought since I can't figure out how to use italics. Tell me if you like it or the single ' ' better.
Enjoy! ************************************************************************
"Excuse me? What makes you say that?"
Ginny, with her best Draco impersonation, exclaimed in a sarcastic tone, "Well, gee, I don't know. Perhaps it's the fact that you won the last hand, the fact that you are *Draco Malfoy* or maybe it's the fact that YOU HAVE A WAND UP YOUR SLEEVE!" she finished in a near shout.
Draco made a motion to quiet her, which caused Ginny to sputter indignantly. Draco hurriedly grabbed Ginny and covered her mouth with....his hand (authors note: sorry.not yet! I'm just toying with you!)
"Listen Vir-gin.., uh, Virginia. This room may seem pretty isolated because it's deep in the dungeons and no one ever comes here.but the Slytherin common room is directly overhead and if you insist on shouting, some one might just decide to come down and investigate the source of the noise. And we both know if a Slytherin found us my reputation wouldn't be the one to suffer." he left the implication hang in the air. "Ok.I'm going to take my hand away now. Do you think you can contain your excitement?"
Ginny glared at him.
"I'll take that as a yes."
While slowly withdrawing his hand, Ginny caught him off guard and gave him a hard shove across the table he had been leaning over. Landing with an ungraceful thump, he regarded the girl across from him. With mussed hair, flushed cheeks and eyes wide with some emotion, shock perhaps, she looked.lovely, Draco thought. Some one very much alive in the icy place he resided.
Draco shook himself out of that potentially dangerous line of thought. Instead he looked Ginny in the eyes, and found himself speaking.
"Virginia, I'm sorry you think I'm cheating but how about this. Both of us will place our wands on the table, in plain view of the other. Also, you are free to deal if you like. Would that be enough to satisfy you? I don't have another pack of cards, or else I'd offer to switch decks. But you did see for yourself that the deck as sealed, so I wouldn't have been able to do anything to it before it was opened." That was because of a charm placed on seals of wizarding products that prevented magical tampering.
Ginny deliberated for a moment. It wasn't the fact that Draco might have been cheating that bothered her - she should have been anticipating the possibility. It was the fact that he appeared human, even charming, and that had allowed her to let down her guard.
::No, I'm not falling for a Malfoy, a stupid crush on him is bad enough, but that is all it is.:: Ginny told herself furiously, pointedly ignoring how delicious it had felt when he had grabbed her, even if it had just been to keep her quiet.
::Virginia,..Virginia..Vir.:: hmmm. ::Even the way he says my name is sexy.Virgina..VIRGINIA!::
Ginny blinked and noticed Draco staring at her. ::Ohmygoodness! He was talking to me!::
"What?" ::Great Ginny..way to be unobtrusive about the whole zoning out thing.::
"I said is eve-ry-thing o-k?" he spoke slowly as if to a child.
"I'm fine, Malfoy," she practically spat the name out. "And I'm not a child, so don't speak to me like I'm one!"
::I never thought you were.::
Seeing the scowl on Ginny's face, he thought maybe he had said that last thought aloud, but was prevented from apologizing by his poker opponent.
"As for your conditions, they're fine. Just put your wand on the table, hand over the cards and lets finish this game."
(Should I end it here???)
(No, I'm not that cruel!)
Draco laid his wand on the table as he watched Ginny's slim fingers slowly shuffle the cards to deal them.
::It's so unfair! I just HAD to have a crush on the youngest and only female child of the only family that hates my father more than I do.and even if I could convince her to go out with me, I'd have to deal with that prat of a brother of hers - Ron. And the rest can't be much better.::
While Draco pondered on the cruel ironies of life, Ginny was lost in her own thoughts, absentmindedly dealing the cards.
If Draco had had any idea of what was going on in the young woman's head, he most likely would have cast a mind-reading charm. But as our sexy young man was brilliant, but not omnipotent (that's Dumbledore's job!), there was no way he would have had the foresight to know that Ginny's thoughts kept drifting to him.and not in the murderous sense he would have imagined.
::Damn insufferable prick! If he was any other guy, I'd go after him in a heartbeat.but noooooo. He had to be Draco bloody Malfoy. Son of my father's worst enemy and my the bane of my brother's existence..*sigh*.::
Resolving if she couldn't date him, she could at least see some skin (author's note: bad author, bad author (), Ginny looked into Draco eyes, that seemed even farther away than usual.
"Right then, how about a robe and shirt for this bet."
Draco blinked, then sneered at her. "That eager to be naked?"
"Not going to happen. So, are you willing to be that naked?" she challenged.
Draco glared. "Fine, I'm in. Two please."
Ginny dealt him two, then helped herself to three.
Looking down, she realized that she was in trouble. She only had a pair of Jacks. If Draco had anything, she would lose. Looking up, she tried to judge from Draco's expressing if he had anything worthwhile. He looked a little pale. ::Good!:: she thought. ::Well, I guess I'll go for it then.::
Draco had to call on every icy reserve of self-control he had to keep from shouting in joy. A flush, one he got without even cheating..uh, playing creatively, as he liked to call it. Saying that Draco was an ok poker player was like saying the ocean was slightly damp. The spell he cast was simply to assure a quick victory, he had no doubt that he could have won, even against Ginny. ::I guess I'll never know now.:: he told himself.
"What do you have?"
Trying not to smile, Ginny lay down her hand, confident that she had read Draco correctly. She looked at Draco expectantly.
Dramatic as always, Draco lay down his cards, one by one. Ginny's elation at besting her opponent slowly turned to horror as she realized he had the better hand.
"But I thought." she blurted out before she could stop herself.
Draco allowed himself a small smirk. "What? That I was upset with my hand? You may have mastered the poker face, but growing up with a sadistic bastard for a father teaches one to not only mask emotions, but fake a completely one."
Ginny slowly stood up. ::This is not happening!:: she thought desperately, as she slowly undid the clasps that held her robe together, allowing it to pull at her feet. Pointedly staring past Draco's shoulder, she stoically unbuttoned her blouse, letting it slide of her shoulders and onto the chair. Standing there for a moment, she attempted to regain her composure, as she slowly sank back into her chair. Being from a family of boys, she had never grown comfortable with her figure, but now was trying desperately to remind herself she wasn't much to look at. Skinny, with gangly legs, she was no beauty.
::She beautiful:: thought Draco as he gazed, or rather stared at the pale goddess before him. Noticing how nervous she was, he tried to think of something to say that would make her angry which would not only make her more beautiful (he loved to tease her for that very reason) but she would also forget her embarrassment. He opened his mouth to speak, but found he couldn't make a sound.
::Quick before she realizes how much I like her!:: he silently pleaded.
::Sure:: his brain responded. ::We'll come up with a suitably cutting response..as soon as you manage to stop your opened mouth stare.::
Screwing up her courage, Ginny forced herself to look up.
She was unprepared for the wide eyed reverence with which he was looking at her..