Disclaimer: I don't own anything. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Unfortunately, the next Hogsmeade trip happened to be that day at ten. It was nine right then, and Ginny was up in her dormitory with Parvati and Lavender, her fashion consultants.
At first, they had tried for an 'I'm too good for you' look, but soon realized it was Malfoy. Next they had tried for an 'I'm too busy with my studies for you' style, but that failed when it was discovered that he was tutoring Ginny. They had finally managed with a look that made her look nice, classy, distant, and not trying, despite the fact that it had taken an hour and a half to come to this point.
She had on a baby blue shirt that brought out her eyes and fit her amazingly, a long khaki skirt, and Lavender's powder blue boots. She was going to use her normal school cloak, so all that was left was hair and make-up.
Ginny applied her usual make-up, blue eyeshadow, black mascara, and soft pink lip gloss. She did her hair in a ponytail with two locks to frame her face like she sometimes wore and was done. Hmmm...it had only taken an hour and a half to prepare for someone she didn't even want to meet. But she had said she'd give him a chance. Stupid chocolate...and where did Malfoy learn just how to make her perfectly agreeable to anyone. It seemed strange, Lavender had been talking about it just the other day before Charms right before she almost ran into...
"Euan! Euan Abercrombie!" she started to storm out of the room after the little twerp but was stopped by her two best friends.
"Where do you think you're going? Ruining all our hard work on the way, may I add," Parvati scolded, her hands on her hips.
"Yes," Lavender added, "and what's all this about our annoying little tag-along?" Her arms still around Ginny's shoulders, keeping her from running out the door.
Ginny wiggled out of Lavender's grasp and sighed. "It's his fault! He told Draco about my weakness to chocolate!"
Their eyes widened. "Ginny!" Parvati shrieked, "You didn't tell us he gave you chocolate!" Ginny blushed. She had conveniently left that part out.
"Oh, Ginny," Lavender said disappointedly, "I can't believe you took chocolate he offered."
"But, but, it was Chocolate Frogs!" she protested if that made some vast difference.
"Well, I suppose there's nothing we can do besides get her ready for the date and hope he won't offer to bring her to Honeydukes," Lavender sighed, completely ignoring Ginny's previous comment.
"Actually..." Parvati had an evil twinkle in her eye, "We may be able to do something about our little friend." Lavender let out an unpleasant giggle and a smile of the same manner appeared on her face.
"Oh! It's nine thirty!" Lavender shouted out. "You've got to leave now!" Ginny was about to say it was far to early to leave if she was to appear not to care but then remember. Her brother. 'Oh, well,' she thought with slight regret, 'He'll have to let me go sometime.'
Ginny walked gracefully and elegantly (musn't forget elegantly) down the stairs to the common room. It was ten thirty-six by Ron's watch, she'd skipped breakfast (though he had noticed Lavender sneak a muffin or two up to her), and her friends had ignored all inquiries about her whereabouts and what she was doing. Naturally, Ron was worried. He was, after all, the only one left to take care of his baby sister.
Of course, Ron was quite suspicious when she came down the girls' dormitory stairs and finally caught sight of her. Especially sicne she was dressed in, in his opinion, quite inappropriate clothing that should have never left her closet and despite such a yong age had artfully put on make-up. As you may have guessed, Ron was puzzled.
"Who is he?" Hermione said turning a page in her book, not even bothering to look up.
"Who's who?" Harry asked tossing Ron and Hermione their cloaks, obviously desperate to get to Hogsmeade. Word around the common room had it that they were to be meeting Remus Lupin, the werewolf teacher.
"No one," Ginny said sharply. She did not want her brother knowing what she was doing, going out with Draco Malfoy, and if he found out, he'd probably ask her that exact question.
"He?" Ron asked wide-eyed, "Not another boyfriend, Ginny! And that skirt is far too short!"
"Ron," she said glaring at him, "it's an ankle-lenth skirt." She could hear her friends snickering behind her.
"And that shirt!" he pointed wildly. "It shows off way too much the fact that you...you..."
"Has a figure?" Lavender questioned while Parvati added, "Has breasts?" Ron blushed profuriously, which allowed the trio to escape the common room before he came up with another remark, so they were able to take their time.
As they walked down the long stair cases, they reviewed what Ginny would and would not do, such as not going into Honeydukes. They left her at the main staircase to go down alone although they wished her much luck. The original plan had been they would pick a spot near the window at the Three Broomsticks and watch from there, but their attention was needed elsewhere.
She got her first glimpse of Draco Malfoy (a compromise between 'Draco' and 'Malfoy') as she was walking down the stairs. He had been prompt, as usual, and was waiting near the stairs. He was dressed to kill, literally. He looked as though he would draw his wand and Avada Kedavra the next person to bother him.
"Hi," she said quickly after a sharp breath.
"You're late," he drawled while looking her up and down. "No doubt due to an inquisition from your brother," he raised an eyebrow to make it a quesiton.
"Of course," she said civilly. She would have loved to laugh, but she didn't. There was a certain air about him that was different. No, it wasn't the fact that he appeared to have washed his mouth, and there was no foul odors escaping from it. Nor was it his cologne, which you could barely notice and merely added to what was Draco Malfoy. But there was something...she just couldn't put her finger on it.
There was indeed something different about him. The previous night, Pansy had confronted him in the common room. According to her, Draco Malfoy did not sulk in the Slytherin common room over a Gryffindor girl. Even if she is being difficult. Esepcially if she is being difficult.
Draco got nearly everything he wanted, toys, girls, friends, well, not so much real friends, more like allies. But Draco Malfoy obsesses over what he cannot have. He couldn't have Harry Potter, the boy who lived, so he obsessed over ways to make his life a living hell. He obsessed over Ginny, but out of this obsession grew a desire to have her rather than a desire to hate her, and this only added to the obsession. He was falling in a vicious cycle he could neither break or win, at least not until he had her.
He had been in denial. He had told himself she was playing hard to get, making him wait and want her more. He had been fooling himself, truly an un-Malfoy thing to do. This only added to the realization that there was something more than a bet going on with Ginny. He noticed she wasn't the little girl his father had left to die in the Chamber of Secrets, not the only drooling over Potter. She was like a female version of him, attractive, and though not rich, had other wiles to get what she wanted. She listened to her own will, like he had taught himself to do.
Pansy had said he was looking at her like a love-sick fool. He told her she was wrong. He may be love-sick, or as close as a Malfoy can get, but he would never be a fool.
That night as he had drifted off to sleep, he had decided he would try to genuinely win her over, and if it didn't work, well, there were other ways.
"Draco, Draco," he heard Ginny saying as he drifted out of his reverie. "We can go now, Filch has checked us." He wondered how long he'd been thinking. Hopefully, but doubtfully, not too long.
As they walked out of the double doors, he racked his brain for small talk. Quidditch? No, no, they'd already played Gryffindor. Make-up? clothes? No, too obvious he'd gotten an informant.
"Is the famous Draco Malfoy at a loss for words?" she asked innocently with her eyebrows raised. She didn't have his gift for raising only one.
"I wasn't aware I was famous," he said with a smirk.
"Oh, I believe you are well aware of your effect on the female population and then some," she retorted with a snort.
"Oh? Well, I believe you aren't," he left his meaning vague.
"Aren't what? Aware of your effect on the female population? Or my effect on the male population?" she inquired.
He was surprised at her direct approach. "Both," he replied. It was a compliment, but it was true. She laughed and so did he, but it wasn't the kind she'd heard last night. It's edges were tinged with warmth and uncertainty, like he'd never truly laughed before and wasn't sure whether or not he was doing it right or if he should be doing it at all.
She turned and looked at him then, truly looked at him. In that instant, when they were quite near enough to actually be where anyone could see them, she saw him as something different. Not a friend, really, but a person. There was laughter in his eyes that added warmth to his face, and a smile played on his lips. In that instant he wasn't Draco Malfoy, heir to the Malfoy millions, he was Draco. He became a tangible object, something you could reach out and touch.
That instant changed everything. For the past week and a half, Draco had tried everything that a boy should try to win a girl, but nothing you should try to win Ginny Weasley. At the age of fifteen, she was jaded. There was nothing about love she hadn't tried before. She'd been ignored, turned aside, cast others aside, known its pleasures, known its doubts, but never had she seen someone just like her, a kindred spirit. She saw it in his eyes. He was jaded too. He'd been through the worst and survived, so had she.
She thought back to her Muggle Studies class. Last year, how they had studied literature by a man named Shakespeare. She thought how a person may have compared them to Romeo and Juliet. There was the likeness in the fact they were from opposite houses, yes, but Romeo and Juliet had been fools. Draco and Ginny were far from that. They were like Benedict and Beatrice of Much Ado About Nothing, hating each other, quibbling in witty repartee, both scorning love, and falling into the grace of each other through trickery. Yes, they were like Benedict and Beatrice.
They entered the streets of Hogsmeade barely noticed amongst the bustling Hogwarts students. "I assume you'll want to go to Madame Puddifoot's," he said not looking at her.
"Michael Corner used to take me there," she said under her breath. Maybe she could run him off mentioning her ex.
"Pansy, too. Always forcing me to go," he said a bit gruffly with distaste. "I always found it rather..."
"...annoying?" she finished for him. She risked a side glance over at him and saw he was facing forward, just as she, a smile growing on his lips, broad enough to risk showing teeth. She suddenly felt a smile grow on her own face and thought they must look so odd walking down these streets if anyone noticed. Both so different, yet so similar. "You know," she said with a superior look on her face, "I heard Cho made a huge scene there on Valentine's Day when she was on her date with Harry."
Draco snorted. "Potter? He'd be better off with the love life of a wet rag."
"If he keeps it up, he will," spilled out of Ginny's mouth before she could think, and her immediate reaction was to cover her mouth with embarassment. She was about to say "Oh, God! That was a horrible thing to say!" when she realized Draco was nearly keeled over with laughter. She was about ready to smack him as he held open the door to the Three Broomsticks, but restrained the urge.
In the noisy tavern, no one noticed as they made their way to the back, Draco bringing her her drink already knowing what she would order. "Hmmm...hot chocolate with a ring of caramel? I wonder how you knew that," she said idly taking it from him.
"Same way I know that you've sworn to go to the Masquerade Ball this Christmas to the first guy who asks you," he said with a nearly smug look on his face. Her stomach plummeted. She had said that.
"So here's my try," Draco said putting down his drink, "Will you honor me with your lovely presence at this Christmas's Masquerade?" He actually managed to look innocent for a second before looking away at the shocked look on her face. The way he was acting was obviously opening up another part of himself. Yes, to win her over, but despite the reasons for the change, she didn't want him to change back.
"Yes, yes," she said hastily, knowing at once it was a horrible idea and that she couldn't back out of it.
He turned and didn't smile, but grinned. For once, she couldn't tell if it was real or not. For once, he couldn't tell either.