Chapter One: The Shared Compartment
Ginny stared into the mirror, studying what she saw. Her image appeared to look older than it was, but nonetheless it added a feature that made her even more stunning. She saw a fifteen-year-old woman, who had matured a great deal in the last few years. Her once short, too skinny, fragile body was now replaced with a tall, slender one, with curves in all the right places. Due to some hair salon potions, her old, frizzy, untamed hair was now straight with waves that curved in at the end. It had a natural sheen to it, along with slight blonde highlights that made her hair seem tinted with gold when the sun shone upon it. The freckles that had once taken over her face were now faded and almost gone altogether. Yes she was beautiful, but why hadn't he noticed her? Why was it that, he never considered her to be more than just a friend? Why did he not feel for her the way she felt about him?
She had known Harry Potter for her entire life. Not necessarily knowing him in person, but knowing who he was. He was the Boy Who Lived, the savior to the wizarding world after involuntarily destroying the most powerful dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort. He was Harry Potter, and ever since she was a little girl his name had always stayed with her. She imagined how he'd look like, and what he'd be like. When news was out that Harry Potter was coming to Hogwarts she burst with excitement knowing that her brother, Ron, would be in the same year as him, giving her the possibility of getting to know him. At this point, she was obsessed with him. She HAD to get to know him, to be his girlfriend. The summer before her first year, she was determined to meet him, to be his friend. She heard that Ron was one of his close friends, and this made her confident to approach him. But when he, Harry Potter, showed up at her house unexpected a few days before school started, she freaked out. When she first laid her eyes on his handsome face, she froze. It was her first time meeting Harry Potter, and she looked like an idiotic statue with its mouth hanging wide open. Not being able to bear the humility she ran upstairs to her bedroom, thinking of how stupid he must have thought she was. From that point on, she couldn't face him. When she arrived to Hogwarts she tried to forget her embarrassing first impression with Harry, and wanted to start anew. Being in Gryffindor was just as great too! It meant she'd be able to see him frequently, in the common room, at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, and so on. Things were going to be great, or so she thought.
Her first year at Hogwarts was the most awful time of her entire life. The book, Tom Riddle's diary, caused her to be a different person that made some people, even to this day, afraid of her. This book that took over her mind, her whole being, had changed her life forever. Tom Riddle had corrupted her, and manipulated her to do things she would have never even imagine herself doing. Fortunately her several victims hadn't been killed, but it still injured her soul knowing that they all could have been because of her. She opened the Chamber of Secrets, and let out the basilisk. She could have unleashed the Dark Age once again, if it wasn't for her Savior. Harry Potter went down into that Chamber, and fought Tom to save her life. Almost dying himself, he managed to save her, and Hogwarts, from Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort.
Although it wasn't technically her fault, Ginny still felt completely responsible for the Chamber of Secrets. It ate her up inside, which made her feel isolated from everyone else around her. During her second year, she spoke to no one. Occasionally conversations would spark up between year mates, but she never connected with anyone. Finally in the beginning of her third year, she opened up a little. She began to talk with her roommates, and began to form friendships. By fourth year she had many friends, but she still felt remote and different from them. She never liked telling anyone about Tom and the Chamber of Secrets. She felt they wouldn't understand, and drop her as a friend. This feeling of isolation deprived her of close friendships because she wouldn't open up to anyone. It also made her extremely timid to boys in particular. Why would any guy like a psycho girl who heard creepy voices when she was alone? Who had nightmares every night that gave her mental breakdowns occasionally? Who wouldn't, couldn't, go in the dark because of memories of that pitch-black chamber where she almost lost her life? She was crazy, and she knew no guy would like her. She needed a real friend, but who would understand her?
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Draco sat on an overstuffed armchair that was set in front of his grand fireplace in his master bedroom. He felt depressed and uneasy, despite the mood of composure in the room. Since the day he was born he was raised to become one of Voldemort's most honored Death Eaters. But did he want that? His father had mentioned many times that Lord Voldemort would bring the wizarding world back from corruption of the Muggle society. He told Draco of how brilliant a wizard the Dark Lord was, and how powerful he and his family would all be once the Muggle world was destroyed. But after everything that went on this summer, he saw no reason to it. He didn't believe that this so-called brilliant wizard, Lord Voldemort, was any good at all. How could he be so powerful and yet, be destroyed by that prat Harry Potter when Potter had been just an infant? His sole belief was to rid the world of Muggles and the impurity of wizard blood, but how can one believe that when he, too, was half muggle, half wizard? It was crazy to follow a hypocritical creature such as him. He realized he never wanted to live this path of Dark Magic. He never chose any of this! He hated his life, and its meaningless future. He wanted nothing more than to disappear from the face of the earth.
Because of his strict, crude upbringing, Draco never experienced the true meaning of love. His parents didn't love him. They saw him only as a possession; something they can control. His mother's kisses, his father's brief hugs, were all fake gestures they made in public just to make everyone believe that they did love him. Although, never in his entire life had he heard the words, "I love you, Draco." Why didn't they love him? What was wrong with him that they couldn't even love their only child?
Those questions stayed in his mind as he grew up. He used to cry out every night since the night of his 16th birthday, and sometimes he even thought of committing suicide. He used to go down to kitchens to cut himself with the large butcher knives, taking away his emotional pain through physical pain. This left scars on his body that made him flinch whenever he looked at them. The worst part of all was, some of the scars he didn't do to himself. His father, to insure he knew who was boss, beat him daily. He told him it would make him stronger, but instead it destroyed his self-esteem, killed his soul, and hardened his heart. When his mother witnessed these beatings, she merely stared with impassive eyes and offered no comfort once they were over. On the night he turned sixteen, Draco finally realized how heartless his parents truly were.
Just a few nights ago, Draco had had his 16th birthday. As usual he received nothing, but it still hurt him so much that he painfully walked down to the kitchens that night. He got one of the knives from the cabinet, but instead of pressing its blade upon his skin, Draco stared into it. The reflection of a man was on the blade's surface; that man being Draco's father. He turned around and gazed into the cold gray eyes of his father's, the eyes almost identical to his own. He didn't know what to do, how could he explain this? But there was no explanation to this, and instead Draco let out a scream as his father took the knife out of his hand and slit his wrists. His father accused him of trying to kill him and his mother, and Draco could say nothing to this as the blood flowed from his wrist. He closed his eyes as his breaths became fainter and fainter, and all he could think of was death. Before he let out his last breath of life, his father took out his wand and healed his slit wrists. His breathing began to stabilize once again, and he opened his eyes. He felt weak due to all the blood that was lost, but his father showed no mercy to him still. He beat him for his dishonor, and after the beating, which seemed to last forever, Draco was left bruised and bleeding on the kitchen floor. The next morning his mother came into the kitchen, and woke him up. She offered him no food, and did not comfort him or try to heal his wounds. All she said to him was to clean up the blood that stained the floor, and then go to his room. With much hatred and sorrow, he did as he was told, taking him at least two hours due to his lack of strength. His father could have killed him that night, and neither of his parents cared. From that moment on the love he had for either of his parents, vanished forever.
He realized he never loved anything after that night. This fact, and the fact that no one loved him in return, had made him into that cruel and arrogant prat everyone at school knew him to be. He had no real friends. Crabbe and Goyle were nothing but fat idiots who followed him around because they had nothing better to do. Other than them, Draco hardly talked to anyone. Everyone in his House was jealous of him because they knew he'd become a Death Eater before they did, and that he was much wealthier than any of them. Nobody in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff dared to approach him, and the Gryffindors gave him nothing but evil glares and insults. He enjoyed knowing that he had more than half the school in his grasp, but after five years of loneliness Draco yearned for a true friend; someone whom he can confide with his feelings and thoughts. The thought of going back to school saddened him knowing that he'd go back to no such person, and share no conversations of how his summer went, welcoming embraces, or little gifts some people exchange after a summer of no contact. Everyone assumed he had the life of luxury, but the truth was he didn't and no one cared. Something happened to him the night he turned sixteen, something that changed him forever.
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"Ginny, love, have you seen Harry, Ron, or Hermione yet. I wanted to say goodbye to them before you children leave." Mrs. Weasley asked Ginny, looking anxiously about to search for the three six years. Harry and Ron had spent their summer vacation with Hermione, and hadn't been home all summer.
"No, Mum I haven't seen them yet," Ginny said as she also looked into the crowd to see if she could spot the boys and Hermione, or more specifically, Harry. Just then Harry, Ron, and Hermione burst through the entrance of Platform 9 ¾, almost knocking down a group of first years. They apologized to the frightened youngsters, and ran over to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley.
"Hullo. Mum. Ginny!" Ron said happily, catching his breath between each word.
"Why in Heaven's name were you rushing for? You could have hurt those first years, and the train won't leave for another 10 minutes!" Mrs. Weasley replied.
"Well Hullo to you too, Mum. I wanted to hurry up so I could say GOODBYE to you. Goodness, maybe next time I won't since you obviously don't appreciate it." Ron said sarcastically.
"Oh Ron, dear, I'm sorry," Mrs. Weasley replied as she embraced Ron. "My, you three look different!" she said as she studied Ron, Hermione, and Harry. It was true they did look quite different. Harry and Ron looked taller, and both of them seem to have gotten more. muscular. Hermione got a little taller too, and looked quite toned than the last time Ginny saw her. All three of them appeared to have gotten a tan too. Whew, he's hot! Ginny thought to herself, studying Harry.
"My parents took us to Hawaii for a few weeks. They always wanted to go there, and we've never been anywhere as exotic and tropical as Hawaii before. It was a splendid experience!" Hermione said, as she gave Mrs. Weasley a tight embrace.
"It was a ton of fun! I learned how to surf, and to dance the halu." Ron said with a boastful grin, as Hermione and Harry began to laugh.
"It's called the hula, Ron, and you couldn't dance it if your life depended on it." Hermione said through chuckles. Ron smacked her in the arm. "Ouch, Ron! I was just kidding!" she said, trying to hold back more laughter.
"You should've seen it. it looked like Ron had something in his pants," he said as he began to laugh out hysterically, "Our hula instructor didn't know what was wrong with him until. until we told her that he simply couldn't dance." Harry said between giggles, as his eyes began to tear a bit. Ron gave him an evil glare. "What? Its true." Harry replied innocently.
"I can't imagine how hilarious that must have been." Ginny said as she also began to laugh. It was then that Harry looked at her for the first time since the beginning of summer. Ron and Hermione stared too.
"Wow, Gin. You look great! And your hair, I love it!" Hermione gasped as broke the silence and hugged Ginny.
"You look nice too, Hermione." Ginny said, her cheeks turning a light pink.
"My little sister, all grown up." Ron said, as he wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, forgetting the comment she made before. Ginny gave him a soft hit in the arm, and then pulled him in for a hug.
"Yeah Gin. you look. amazing." Harry said as he and Ginny locked eyes for a moment. He was staring at her in a very peculiar way, as if it was his first time ever seeing her before. Ginny blushed and before she could say another word, the whistle that indicated the train was leaving, blew.
"Hurry hurry now you four. I don't want you missing your train," Mrs. Weasley said as she gave each of them a tight hug, and a kiss on a cheek.
"Goodbye Mum." Ron and Ginny said together.
"Goodbye Mrs. Weasley," Harry and Hermione said. Then all four of them boarded onto the Hogwarts Express.
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Draco hated coming to Platform 9 ¾. It was always noisy, and full of laughter. He hated laughter for his life never had any. He glumly boarded onto the train, searching for a quiet compartment somewhere in the back. He found one next to a compartment of first years, who looked at him oddly as he passed by. He gave them an evil glare, which made them flinch and quickly look away. The compartment he chose was very small, but perfect nonetheless. In here he wouldn't be bothered, and it was also very comfortable. After putting away his stuff, he sank down into the seat next to the window. He looked out at the groups of friends. Some were exchanging hugs and small gifts while others were laughing incessantly. Oh, how he envied them. He wished he could be amongst those groups of people laughing and talking about how there summers went, but instead he was in a quiet compartment, alone.
As he looked over the mass of people, Draco spotted a very beautiful girl with red hair and long, very attractive, legs. She was with a short plump woman, who also had red hair, who he recognized to be Molly Weasley, the mother of one of his worst enemies. A thought had occurred to him as he stared at the girl with Mrs. Weasley. Was that. Ginny Weasley? No, it couldn't possibly be the youngest Weasley. Ginny was a short, ugly girl with too much red hair and too many freckles. This girl he looked at now was anything but ugly. She was tall and slender, with stunning red hair, and no recognizable freckles whatsoever. This girl was extremely gorgeous; he could have mistaken her for a supermodel.
"It can't possibly be Ginny Weasley." He said to himself, not being able to tear his eyes away from this goddess. Just then, Harry Potter and his two goons, Ron and Hermione, walked over to this girl.
"Oh my God. It is Ginny Weasley!" Draco said to himself after he heard Ron say her name. He couldn't believe how much Ginny had changed so much over the years. It was true that he never really noticed her before, but how he didn't notice her he couldn't understand. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life. As he gazed at her, still unable to tear his eyes away, the door swung open and Pansy Parkinson barged in. Draco nearly jumped out of his seat.
"What the hell?!" Draco barked as he collected himself. Pansy replied to that by simply strutting over to him and sitting on his lap.
"Hullo, love, how was your summer?" Pansy said her face only inches away from his.
"Pansy, what the fuck are you doing?" Draco said glaring straight into her crystal green eyes.
"I'm just saying hullo, what, you don't fancy me anymore?" Pansy asked innocently. Last year during a rally for the Slytherin vs. Gryffindor Quidditch Match, Draco got extremely drunk. He didn't even know for sure himself, but supposedly he and Pansy had slept together. Ever since then Pansy never left him alone. Sure she was pretty, but she was the most annoying person Draco had ever met.
"No I don't fancy you, and I never will so get the hell off of me!" Draco yelled back. He shoved her off his lap, hard. She made a thump as she hit the floor than looked up and gave him the nastiest glare she could. He glared right back, giving her his nastiest, which was, by far, overpowering hers.
"I can't stand this! I'm going to leave Draco Malfoy, and I don't know if I'm coming back." Pansy said as she got up and quickly walked to the door. She stared back at him expecting him to say something, but he didn't. "Fine!" she said as she stormed out.
"God, I can't stand her," Draco said to himself. Remembering that Ginny Weasley was still outside, he quickly peered out the window to see if she was still there. She wasn't. He thought about getting up to go look for her, but the idea of Draco Malfoy searching for Ginny Weasley was too unbelievable, even for him. Instead he pulled out a book and began to read. After a few minutes of reading "Armageddon Summer", Draco's eyes began to close, and he quickly fell into a deep slumber.
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Ginny walked down the corridor, looking for a nice compartment where she could stay for the trip. Harry and Hermione had to attend a prefect's meeting, and Ron decided to meet up with his friends. Ginny didn't mind that they were gone; during these trips to Hogwarts all she loved to do was read. She looked into the compartments seeing that most of them were full of friends, and very loud. She almost gave up trying to find an empty one until she spotted one that, she thought, was vacant. She opened the door and saw that it was not empty, but that Draco Malfoy was sleeping soundly on one of the benches. She almost gasped, but considerately closed her mouth not wanting to wake him up. She did not want an angry Draco insulting her at the moment.
As much as she wanted to hate him, Ginny always thought Draco was very cute despite her crush on Harry. If he wasn't such a prat, and if his father hadn't almost killed her during her first year, Ginny shuddered at that thought, she would have considered fancying Draco. He was really hot. At almost 6'0, Draco was one of the best looking guys at Hogwarts. His angel blonde hair came to his ears, and it was no longer slicked back like how it used to be, but now let free to frame his handsome face. He had to-die-for cheekbones, and the nicest complexion a person can have. His body was toned, but not so much as to make him look too burly. The most amazing feature Draco possessed though, were his eyes. Although they seemed to be permanently cold, they were still as mesmerizing. The color of his eyes seemed to be forever changing. Sometimes being blue, green, brown, whatever the color. Ginny wished her eyes were as unique as his. She realized she was standing there, staring at him like an idiot. She quickly went into the compartment hoping no one had seen her. He wouldn't mind if I stayed here. It's not like I'd be bothering him or anything, I'd merely be reading, Ginny thought to herself. She then sat on the other side of the compartment, opposite of Draco, and began to read her book "Armageddon Summer."
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Draco twisted and turned in his bed, unable to fall asleep. He decided to go to the library to read a book, or perhaps get some cocoa - anything to help him fall asleep. He got up from his bed, put on his house slippers, and then walked to the door. He opened it, and found himself stepping into an ice-cold corridor that was almost completely dark. Draco was used to this obscurity, however, and continued to walk down to the library.
Before he opened the library door, he saw that it was already open, and three figures were inside. One he recognized to be his father, the second one seemed to be hooded, and the third one was a man Draco had never seen before. He looked awfully nervous and scared. The hooded figure said something to his father, and before he knew it, Draco saw the third man on the ground writhing and crying out in pain. Draco was used to his father using Dark Magic, but he had never seen the Crucio Curse being performed before. He looked into the eyes of the man on the ground. It seemed as though his eyes were about to bulge out of his skull. The veins on his neck were sticking out so intensely that Draco was sure they were going to pop. Blood began to drip from the from the man's mouth, as he bit down on his lower lip. His whole body was jerking extremely, and his face was turning a dark shade of purple. After a few minutes of merciless torture, the man stopped moving. Draco knew the man was dead before the hooded creature had said it. All that Draco did was stay still, white as a ghost. His father had killed that man. Before he could make any move, Draco found himself on the floor unable to move. His father walked over to him, and pointed his wand down at him. He was angry that Draco had witnessed what had happened. Unable to speak, Draco watched as his father repeated the word he had just a few moments ago. "Crucio," he said as Draco squirmed in pain. He had never endured that much pain before.
Draco swiftly sat up, panting and sweating. He looked around to remember where he was, and saw that he was in his quiet compartment on the train.
"Ahhh!" screamed a feminine voice from behind. Draco turned around, and almost screamed himself. There, right before him, sat the girl that Draco, just moments before, had preoccupied his mind - that girl being Ginny Weasley. Before Draco could say a word, she spoke first. "Are you ok? You look as though you've seen a ghost." Ginny asked, looking a bit concerned which surprised him even more than the fact that she was there.
"I- I'm alright," Draco answered as he tried to collect himself. He was acting like an idiot. "I had a bad dream." I can't believe I just said that! What am I doing telling her about my dreams, he thought.
"Do you need a drink of water or something?" Ginny asked.
"No, I don't need any." Draco said. It sounded a bit harsh, but he couldn't help it. "May I ask, Weasley, what in heaven's name are you doing in my compartment?" It was her turn to be embarrassed.
"I wanted somewhere quiet to read, and, uh, all the compartments were noisy. You were sleeping, so I thought I'd be ok if I stay here." She said stammering a bit on each word. God, she's gorgeous, he thought. He couldn't help but stare at her. It seemed as though minutes passed by before either of them said a word.
"Well, aren't you going to ask me to get the hell out or something?" Ginny said coolly. She looked as though she was expecting an insult, and was ready to say something rude back to him if he did insult her. He didn't want to insult her though. If he did she would leave, and he certainly didn't want that.
"No, you can stay here if you like," Draco said politely, "just don't bother me." The last part was said unkindly. She looked shocked for a moment and he was sure she was going to leave, but she surprised him by saying, "Fine, I won't bother you then."
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A half an hour went by without either of them saying anything. What am I doing here? I should have left, she thought. Ginny tried to concentrate on her book, but she couldn't. Why did she stay? Irritating herself, she tried to read the page that she couldn't for the past half hour, but the questions kept popping up in her head. Why was he being nice to her? Ok, so he wasn't being that nice, but he hadn't blown up when he saw her there and he didn't insult her at all. That was really weird, and what was even more peculiar was that he was staring at her with the same expression Harry had right before they boarded the train. It made her uncomfortable, but at the same time flattered her a bit. If Ron had saw the expression Draco had given her, he would have beaten him at the spot. She laughed at the thought.
"What's so funny, Weasley?" Draco asked out of nowhere. This startled her, but she didn't stammer like she did the last time Draco asked her a question.
"The thought that my brother, Ron, would kick your ass if he knew that we were sharing the same compartment." She replied leisurely.
"Ha! I bet you could kick my ass better than he can. Your brother is a sissy, that's why he hides behind Potter all the time." Draco replied with a smirk. This got her angry, but she tried to stay calm. Then, a thought had occurred to her.
"Are you sure you want to go there?" Ginny asked as she got up from the bench, and walked over to where Draco was sitting.
"What?" Draco asked confused. Before he could say another word, she threw a punch at him. He was quicker than her though, and ducked before she hit him straight in the face. "What the hell are you doing?!" he asked shocked.
"You bet that I could kick your ass better than Ron can. I take that bet. Stand up." Ginny said with confidence. Draco stared at her with an amused expression. "I have six older brothers. I think I know how to fight."
"Look, Weasley, I trust that you do," he lied, "but I can't fight you."
"Why, Malfoy? Are you scared I might actually kick your ass?" Ginny said smirking.
"Ha, like you can kick my ass," he answered, "No, Weasley, I can't fight you because its wrong to hit a girl." This made her laugh.
"Draco, the nasty cold-blooded prat, turns into a gentleman. I thought that was impossible." She said callously, as she laughed even harder.
"What? I'm not as cruel as you think I am, Weasley." Draco replied. He sounded a bit hurt. It was then Ginny saw that he was being serious. She stopped laughing, and looked into Draco's eyes. Instead of the coldness it usually possessed, his eyes looked. sad. She realized she went too far.
"I- I'm sorry?" She said. She sounded stupid, but she couldn't bring herself to really say those words to Draco Malfoy. He didn't reply, but instead stared solemnly back into her own eyes. He was giving her that look again, but instead of turning away Ginny walked up to him. She looked up, and stared straight into his magnificent gray eyes. God, he's handsome, and his eyes. they're so beautiful, Ginny thought as she looked at him. She couldn't believe the thoughts she had at the moment, and for a second, Ginny forgot about Harry. Before either of them could stop it, Draco bent down and pressed his lips upon hers. Instead of pulling back like how she should have done, Ginny deepened the kiss. Her hands began to wrap around his neck, as his went down to her waist. They stood there, their lips glued together, as if they were made that way. She was shocked when his tongue slipped into her mouth, but didn't pull back. Instead she returned the favor, and let her tongue tease his. She didn't think things could get more intense, but they did when Draco lifted her up and brought her to the bench; their lips never parting. He set her down easily, his body on top of hers. His hands slowly trailed down her back, making her shiver at his gentleness. His hands slid further down and were now on her thighs, slowly making their way up between her legs. She felt as though fireworks were going off inside her. This sudden feeling of desire scared her, and she quickly pulled away.
"Draco, we can't do this." She said, despite the fact she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again.
"Yeah, you're right." He replied softly, but never moving from the position that they were still in. She looked straight into his eyes, which were full of aspiration just like her own. Ginny couldn't take it anymore; she closed the space between them and pressed her lips upon his once more. Greedy with desire, she didn't stop him when he undid the buttons of her blouse, but instead started to undo his shirt as well. He began to lower his lips to her neck, and then back to nibble at her ears. Oh God is he a great kisser! She thought, as his lips covered hers once again. Ahh, no! What am I thinking? This is wrong! Its wrong! She broke off the kiss, and looked into his flushed face.
"Draco, no. We really can't do this, and you know that," she said panting. She didn't mean it, but she knew that it was wrong. He paused and stared back at her, looking disappointed when he knew as well as she, that it was.
"I know," he said after he let out a sigh. Very gently, he got off from on top of her while pulling her up with him. His hands were holding hers, but he pulled them back once she was on her feet. They awkwardly began to button their shirts up, not looking at one another. As she finished buttoning up her last button, Ginny struggled to find the words to say. What can you say after a snog session that wasn't intended? She took a quick glance over at Draco, seeing he didn't know what to say as well. Desperate to do something and end the discomfited silence, Ginny noticed that some of Draco's hair was sticking up and slicked it back with her hand. He stared at her looking puzzled, and she blushed, her face turning red.
"You're hair was sticking up. I fixed it." She said self-consciously, turning an even darker shade of red. Why did I even DO that?
"Oh.thanks," he said slowly. This is so uncomfortable, she thought. There was silence between them as they stared at one another.
"So." Ginny said, trying to make conversation. Suddenly, to make matters even worse, her stomach growled very loudly due to an empty stomach. She was so nervous about seeing Harry again that morning that she didn't eat any breakfast. She was sure her face was as red as her hair just about then.
"Are you hungry? I heard the food cart go by, and I can go get something for us to eat." Draco said politely. He was acting so sweet, and she was awfully hungry so she couldn't refuse.
"Uh, sure Malfoy. Thank you." She said with a smile. Aww, he's being so sweet! So unlike him. she thought. He nodded to her answer and left the compartment, to search for the food cart. Ginny couldn't help but beam cheerfully.
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Draco sighed heavily as he closed the compartment door behind him. That must have been the most awkward situation he'd ever been in. If he hadn't suggested getting some food, they'd probably be standing there staring at each other like mute idiots the rest of the way to school. Not that he'd mind staring at her beautiful face. It simply didn't seem like the best thing to do when there was at least another hour to go until they arrived at Hogwarts.
As Draco walked down the aisle glancing around for the food cart, he couldn't help but think about Ginny again. The way her skin felt against his, the way her hands gracefully undid his shirt, the way she moaned when he had kissed her neck. It was so intense, so desirable; he wished it wouldn't have ended. But he did know as well as she, that they did have to stop. That it was wrong, and never should have happened.
Or did he? Was it really wrong? What was so wrong about it honestly? He fancied her, and it seemed as though she fancied him as well. Why couldn't things happen between them? Draco had had a lot of girlfriends in the past, but in that one snogging session, he had felt more of a connection with her than he had had with any of his past romances. It had felt so right, as if it was meant to be. If only she felt the way he did about the whole situation.
Draco finally spotted the food cart, and walked over to it. Being just as hungry as Ginny was, he almost bought out the entire cart. Struggling to keep from dropping the pumpkin pastries, chocolate frogs, and the other goodies, Draco almost got to the compartment without anyone seeing him. Almost, until a very annoying Pansy Parkinson clumsily bumped into him, causing him to drop everything.
"What the fuck are you doing, Pansy! Are you blind that you couldn't even see me walking with all this!" Draco said angrily.
"Oh I'm sorry Draco! Silly me, to not notice you walking down the aisle. Please let me help you with that." Pansy said innocently, bending down to help pick up the food. She wore a small off-the-shoulder shirt and purposely bent down very low to show as much cleavage as she could. Draco couldn't help but look, despite how much he hated Pansy. He was a guy after all. She saw him looking, and gave him a flirtatious smile back. He scowled back at her, and grabbed what she had in her hands.
"Thanks, now goodbye!" he said rudely.
"What are you doing with so much food anyways, Draco?" she said batting her eyelashes, ignoring the rude tone he had used before. She deliberately stood in front of him so he wouldn't get pass her.
"None of your business. Go away!" he said, more pissed off now. Why can't she just leave me the fuck alone!
"You can share it with me, in my private compartment." she suggested, seductively. She pointed to a small compartment to the right.
"Look Pansy, I don't fancy you. You're a sleazy whore, and I don't date those." Draco said coldly, looking at Pansy with an evil glare. He ignored the look of murder in her eyes, and walked casually pass her without looking back. He heard a compartment door slam behind him, and grinned to himself. Gosh, I hate her, he thought as he walked over to his own compartment, happy to be with Ginny instead of Pansy.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ginny was resting leisurely on a bench when Draco came back. It made her jump up when he opened the door. He looked upset. She wondered if anyone saw him on his way back, or even worse, somebody saw her in his compartment.
"Are you ok? You look upset. Did someone see us, or something? Did someone ask you questions about all the food?" she asked panicky. If anyone saw her and him together, all hell would break lose. Not only would the entire school know and gossip about it, but Ron would know too and he'd give her hell about it and never let her do anything by herself again. He was even hesitant to let her go off to find her own compartment, until she assured him she'll be fine and that he should go hang out with his friends. Ever since the incident of her first year, Ron became a tremendously overprotective brother. She couldn't even imagine how he'd react if he knew about this. Departing from her thoughts of negative possibilities that would happen if anyone knew, Ginny looked up at Draco for his answer.
"I'm fine. I just ran into Pansy Parkinson, the most annoying person Hogwarts ever had." Draco said loathingly. Ginny was surprised. She always thought Draco and Pansy were good friends, or even together. Hmm, I wonder if he's single then, she thought.
"She didn't suspect anything about the food, did she?" Ginny asked, suddenly aware that she could have, and now be getting some ideas. Pansy Parkinson was the most annoying person at Hogwarts, and her mouth ran like a motor when rumors were out.
"No, she just assumed that I decided to become obese before we got to school." Draco said seriously. He had said it with such sincerity, that she didn't know if he was telling the truth or not. "No, she didn't suspect anything." He said, smiling, to make sure she knew everything was ok. She sighed in relief, and sat back on the bench. Draco walked over to the bench, and dumped all the food next to Ginny. Remembering how hungry she was, she grabbed a pumpkin pastry from the pile and began to unwrap it quickly. Food! Delicious, yummy, food, she thought, as she was about to stuff the pastry in her mouth. She remembered Draco was there, and took a small bite not wanting to look like a pig in front of him.
"Don't tell me your one of those girls who takes two small bites of anything, and claims their full." He said amusingly, shaking his head. He grabbed a pastry from the pile, unwrapped it, and took a tiny bite. "Oh I'm stuffed, I can't possibly take another bite!" he said, imitating her. She glared at him when he started to laugh.
"To let you know, Malfoy, I am not like those girls. I just don't want to stuff food in my face like guys do." She said as she stuffed the pastry in her mouth, imitating him.
"I'm not like that either. Stuffing you face is a messy, improper, way to eat food. I was brought up to never eat like that." He proclaimed arrogantly. Now there's the Draco we all know and love, she thought. She watched him eat, him taking slow bites and never letting his mouth open. He looked so funny eating with his back straight and chin up. He looked so proper, like a real aristocrat. She began to laugh causing him look up at her.
"What?" he asked innocently, looking at her questionably.
"You look so funny, eating like you're the king of England!" she said laughing harder.
"For your information, I can eat just as sloppy as everyone else can." He claimed, glaring at her. Ginny thought of a fun idea to prove that he really can.
"Let's have an eating contest then!" she said. He almost choked on his pastry.
"Are you serious?" he asked, looking puzzled. It was clear that he'd never had an eating contest before.
"Yeah, why not? Its fun, and it'll prove to me that you can eat like a normal person." Ginny said giggling.
"Fine, then. If I'll prove to you that I can," he paused, "Uh, what do we do?" He looked kind of scared, which made Ginny start to laugh.
"What is so funny?" he demanded. It took her a minute to calm down.
"You look so scared," she said laughing hard. She calmed down a bit, then began to sort out the food. "Ok, here's how it goes. We each get the same amount of food. Then, we try to eat it as fast as we possibly could. Whoever finishes first, wins!" she said smiling. He looked appalled.
"Weasley, that's disgusting."
"But, FUN." she said. "Come on, we have like a half an hour. It'll be fun! Come on!" she begged. She gave him the puppy dogface, which he was forced to obey. No one denied her puppy dogface.
"Fine, fine," he said. Ginny split the food into two piles on the bench. She bent down next to one pile, and he next to the other. He looked at it, worried. This is going to be fun, she thought.
"One.Two.Three!" She said. She grabbed the food, and stuffed it in her mouth. Draco paused for a second, but then began to do the same. She had done this before on countless occasions with her brothers. Winning was going to be a piece of cake.
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They both lay sprawled out upon the floor, holding their stomachs. I can't believe I just did that, Draco thought. That was really disgusting. yet fun in a way I suppose. After all, I beat the little Weasley. This thought made him smile, and he began to laugh. Ginny looked over at him, her mood not so well. He saw that she was really mad, and he could tell she was just as shocked as he was that he beat her. They both got up slowly, very full. Ginny looked at him, and gave him an evil glare. The look she gave him was so serious that he laughed even more.
"Shut up, Malfoy!" she spat. He couldn't help but laugh harder.
"Don't be such a sore loser, Weasley. It was only just a game, and it was fun. Wasn't it?" he said mockingly, making her even angrier.
"Did I not just tell you to shut up, Malfoy?"
"Yeah you did, but I don't feel like shutting up."
"Err! You are one annoying prat! Sod off!" she said, really pissed off now.
"Nah, don't feel like it." He said coolly. She snapped and charged toward him, tackling him to the ground. "Ow, Weasley! What the fuck are you doing?" he said smiling, although his back hurt from hitting the ground so hard. It was so much fun annoying Ginny. She was on top of him now, pinning him to the floor so he wouldn't move. Wow, she's pretty strong for a girl, he thought.
"How can you beat me? No one has ever beat me before, and here you come, not even KNOWING what to do, and then you win." She said glaring. "You cheated didn't you. You must have!"
"How can I cheat in an eating contest?" he said, looking up at her red face. He honestly didn't know how one could cheat during an eating contest. She sighed as she realized that he couldn't have cheated, for they were both next to each other and she would've seen if he had. She loosened up a bit, giving Draco the chance to escape her death grip. He grabbed her by the shoulders and rolled her onto her back. This time, he was on top of her, pinning her down.
"Malfoy! Get off!" she said, trying to move but not being able to since he was twice as strong as she was.
"Not until you congratulate me on winning." He said slyly.
"Never!" She said, still struggling to get free.
"Oh well, I guess we're going to have to stay like this until you do then." He said casually. She didn't say anything for a few minutes, still struggling to get away. She eventually gave up, and let out an annoyed sigh.
"Fine, dammit!" she said, not wanting to say what she was going to. "Congratulations, Malfoy, for winning the stupid eating contest," she glared at him, "now.would you get the fuck off of me!"
"Sure." He said, as he gracefully got up.
"You," she said as she got up as well, "you are one annoying prat!"
"And you, Ms. Weasley, are one sore loser."
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"I am not!" she replied. He was incredibly annoying, but I guess she had to admit she was a bit of a sore loser. She didn't say that out loud though.
"You know, I don't see why you're so mad. You were the one that suggested we have an eating contest, and I can't help it if I won." He said smiling.
"Whatever," she said softly, as she let out a sigh. Then, they were silent again. She remembered the wrappers littered on the compartment floor, so she began to pick them up. Draco joined her, both of them not speaking. Silence, again.
"So," he began to say after they finished cleaning up the compartment. "Why aren't you with your friends?" he asked out of nowhere. She paused not knowing what to say. The truth was, she didn't exactly have close friends despite Harry, Ron, and Hermione and they were all busy doing something else.
"They're. busy." She said slowly. "And," she added, "I wanted to read somewhere quiet."
"Oh, I see." He said. She knew he didn't really believe her, but ignored that and asked him the same question he asked her.
"Why aren't you with your friends?" she asked, and glanced over to see him look down at the floor.
"I wanted somewhere quiet to read also." He said. She didn't quite believe him, but she didn't want to say anything. If she did, he might want to know the real reason why she wasn't with anyone, and she did not want to tell him. She noticed her book on the floor, and bent down to pick it up. It looked brand new, which was very peculiar for she got it a few years back. Her father had gotten it for her, as a present for her 13th birthday. It was a muggle book, "Armageddon Summer", about a girl and a boy trying to find their place among a religious group. She adored the book, and was enjoyably reading it for the third time.
"Hey, that's mine." Draco said.
"No, its mine." Ginny said, surprised.
"No, its mine." He said, taking the book and showing her the inside of the cover. Draco Thomas Malfoy was inscribed at the bottom of the cover.
"So it is." She said shockingly. "You've read this?"
"I'm reading it now." He said.
"Where did you get it?"
"I found it in the common room on the last day of school." He replied.
"So you stole it?" she asked, one eyebrow rising higher than the other.
"No one was around, and everyone was already packed so I assumed no one wanted it."
"Oh, I see then," she paused. Why would he want a muggle book? Why would he read a muggle book? "So you like the book?" she asked him.
"Yeah, its alright. I haven't read much of it, but so far it seems interesting."
"You do know it's a muggle book right?" she asked, her curiosity increasing.
"Yeah, but it is, nonetheless, interesting." he replied. Since when does Draco Malfoy associate with muggle belongings? She thought. My he's changed. a lot.
"You've changed so much," she softly blurted out, speaking her thoughts aloud unintended. Her face turned a dark shade of red; she was acting like an idiot again.
"I guess I have, haven't I?" he said. It was said as a question, but meant as a comment. He stared at her again, with those magnificent gray eyes she'd come to get use to in the past hours. She saw in him, not the Draco she knew for all those years, but a person who had truly changed. for the better. She saw a kind and patient person, who only wanted what she wanted herself. someone to be there for them. She suddenly felt the urge to kiss him once again. She didn't understand why, but now she wanted it more than ever. She was too afraid to move, however, not sure she could control herself if the space grew smaller between them. Instead he slowly walked toward her, her heart beating fast with each small step he took. He approached her, and placed his hands on her waist pulling her toward him. He lifted her chin up to him, and gently pressed his lips upon hers. This kiss felt different. It wasn't like before, the kisses being so unintentional, sloppy, and forceful. No, this time was as though what they were doing was right - this kiss feeling so real. The kiss felt like one only lovers would share - a kiss too soon to come, yet happening nonetheless. Her feeling of isolation was forgotten, for they were as one in that moment - a moment that changed her world forever. It frightened her greatly, but she didn't pull away, not wanting to lose the connection that felt more than right. Her hands wrapped around his neck, making the kiss more passionate as she pulled him closer to her. She never wanted this to end.
Unfortunately, the train whistle blew, and the train came to a complete stop. They didn't pull apart right away, but eventually Draco did. They stayed motionless, not pulling back their arms, which were still wrapped around each other. Both were panting, their lips never parting once only seconds ago.
"We're here," he said softly into her ear. The softness of his voice sent a shiver down her spine. She looked at him not wanting to leave, but knowing she had to. She unwrapped her arms that were around his neck, and he unwrapped his that were around her waist.
"Draco." she began to say, but stopped when the sound of students coming from compartments, were heard.
"Not now, people are starting to get off train. Can I meet you later, after dinner maybe?" he asked anxiously, staring into her eyes with a look of hope.
"Sure," she said softly. She was eager at the thought of them being alone. again.
"You better go before your brother starts to wonder where you are," he said. She didn't respond to that, but instead quickly grabbed her book and went to the door. With one last glance back at Draco, she pushed the door open and joined the noisy group of students who were getting off the train.
She didn't quite know how to feel just now. The last kiss they shared had felt so real, but she couldn't help but wonder if it was. She never actually kissed anyone before. Draco had been the first boy she'd ever kissed, so how should she know if it was. It felt right, but was it really? Despite her rebellious thoughts, Ginny couldn't stop thinking about what did happen in the compartment, and about the certain someone she shared it with.
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Draco didn't know how to feel at the moment. Was he dreaming? Did he and Ginny really share that last intimate kiss? It was as though he was in a dream state; hardly believing anything. If this was a dream, he wished never to wake up. That last kiss was unbelievable. It was the most meaningful he had shared with anyone. It was love. It had to be love. What other possibility could there be? He was so mesmerized with the thought of love that he didn't realize he was still in the compartment. It was until he saw students gathering outside, that he finally regained himself, and gathered his things.
When he stepped outside, he looked over the crowd of people, searching for a certain red head that captured his heart. He saw her with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, boarding a carriage. She saw him looking, and secretly smiled back. This made his heart skip a beat. She has a beautiful smile, he thought. He nodded back kindly, trying to be as imperceptible as possible. He didn't want anyone to know what happened between him and Ginny, or the connection they now shared. Wait, how do I know she feels the same way? What if she doesn't? These thoughts had occurred to him, and also frightened him. He couldn't imagine her not feeling the same way about him as he did about her. I have to talk to her, he thought as he stepped into a carriage. He didn't know what was happening, but he hoped that he finally found the one person who he hoped would change his life for the better - someone who he could always turn to.
Ginny stared into the mirror, studying what she saw. Her image appeared to look older than it was, but nonetheless it added a feature that made her even more stunning. She saw a fifteen-year-old woman, who had matured a great deal in the last few years. Her once short, too skinny, fragile body was now replaced with a tall, slender one, with curves in all the right places. Due to some hair salon potions, her old, frizzy, untamed hair was now straight with waves that curved in at the end. It had a natural sheen to it, along with slight blonde highlights that made her hair seem tinted with gold when the sun shone upon it. The freckles that had once taken over her face were now faded and almost gone altogether. Yes she was beautiful, but why hadn't he noticed her? Why was it that, he never considered her to be more than just a friend? Why did he not feel for her the way she felt about him?
She had known Harry Potter for her entire life. Not necessarily knowing him in person, but knowing who he was. He was the Boy Who Lived, the savior to the wizarding world after involuntarily destroying the most powerful dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort. He was Harry Potter, and ever since she was a little girl his name had always stayed with her. She imagined how he'd look like, and what he'd be like. When news was out that Harry Potter was coming to Hogwarts she burst with excitement knowing that her brother, Ron, would be in the same year as him, giving her the possibility of getting to know him. At this point, she was obsessed with him. She HAD to get to know him, to be his girlfriend. The summer before her first year, she was determined to meet him, to be his friend. She heard that Ron was one of his close friends, and this made her confident to approach him. But when he, Harry Potter, showed up at her house unexpected a few days before school started, she freaked out. When she first laid her eyes on his handsome face, she froze. It was her first time meeting Harry Potter, and she looked like an idiotic statue with its mouth hanging wide open. Not being able to bear the humility she ran upstairs to her bedroom, thinking of how stupid he must have thought she was. From that point on, she couldn't face him. When she arrived to Hogwarts she tried to forget her embarrassing first impression with Harry, and wanted to start anew. Being in Gryffindor was just as great too! It meant she'd be able to see him frequently, in the common room, at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, and so on. Things were going to be great, or so she thought.
Her first year at Hogwarts was the most awful time of her entire life. The book, Tom Riddle's diary, caused her to be a different person that made some people, even to this day, afraid of her. This book that took over her mind, her whole being, had changed her life forever. Tom Riddle had corrupted her, and manipulated her to do things she would have never even imagine herself doing. Fortunately her several victims hadn't been killed, but it still injured her soul knowing that they all could have been because of her. She opened the Chamber of Secrets, and let out the basilisk. She could have unleashed the Dark Age once again, if it wasn't for her Savior. Harry Potter went down into that Chamber, and fought Tom to save her life. Almost dying himself, he managed to save her, and Hogwarts, from Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort.
Although it wasn't technically her fault, Ginny still felt completely responsible for the Chamber of Secrets. It ate her up inside, which made her feel isolated from everyone else around her. During her second year, she spoke to no one. Occasionally conversations would spark up between year mates, but she never connected with anyone. Finally in the beginning of her third year, she opened up a little. She began to talk with her roommates, and began to form friendships. By fourth year she had many friends, but she still felt remote and different from them. She never liked telling anyone about Tom and the Chamber of Secrets. She felt they wouldn't understand, and drop her as a friend. This feeling of isolation deprived her of close friendships because she wouldn't open up to anyone. It also made her extremely timid to boys in particular. Why would any guy like a psycho girl who heard creepy voices when she was alone? Who had nightmares every night that gave her mental breakdowns occasionally? Who wouldn't, couldn't, go in the dark because of memories of that pitch-black chamber where she almost lost her life? She was crazy, and she knew no guy would like her. She needed a real friend, but who would understand her?
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Draco sat on an overstuffed armchair that was set in front of his grand fireplace in his master bedroom. He felt depressed and uneasy, despite the mood of composure in the room. Since the day he was born he was raised to become one of Voldemort's most honored Death Eaters. But did he want that? His father had mentioned many times that Lord Voldemort would bring the wizarding world back from corruption of the Muggle society. He told Draco of how brilliant a wizard the Dark Lord was, and how powerful he and his family would all be once the Muggle world was destroyed. But after everything that went on this summer, he saw no reason to it. He didn't believe that this so-called brilliant wizard, Lord Voldemort, was any good at all. How could he be so powerful and yet, be destroyed by that prat Harry Potter when Potter had been just an infant? His sole belief was to rid the world of Muggles and the impurity of wizard blood, but how can one believe that when he, too, was half muggle, half wizard? It was crazy to follow a hypocritical creature such as him. He realized he never wanted to live this path of Dark Magic. He never chose any of this! He hated his life, and its meaningless future. He wanted nothing more than to disappear from the face of the earth.
Because of his strict, crude upbringing, Draco never experienced the true meaning of love. His parents didn't love him. They saw him only as a possession; something they can control. His mother's kisses, his father's brief hugs, were all fake gestures they made in public just to make everyone believe that they did love him. Although, never in his entire life had he heard the words, "I love you, Draco." Why didn't they love him? What was wrong with him that they couldn't even love their only child?
Those questions stayed in his mind as he grew up. He used to cry out every night since the night of his 16th birthday, and sometimes he even thought of committing suicide. He used to go down to kitchens to cut himself with the large butcher knives, taking away his emotional pain through physical pain. This left scars on his body that made him flinch whenever he looked at them. The worst part of all was, some of the scars he didn't do to himself. His father, to insure he knew who was boss, beat him daily. He told him it would make him stronger, but instead it destroyed his self-esteem, killed his soul, and hardened his heart. When his mother witnessed these beatings, she merely stared with impassive eyes and offered no comfort once they were over. On the night he turned sixteen, Draco finally realized how heartless his parents truly were.
Just a few nights ago, Draco had had his 16th birthday. As usual he received nothing, but it still hurt him so much that he painfully walked down to the kitchens that night. He got one of the knives from the cabinet, but instead of pressing its blade upon his skin, Draco stared into it. The reflection of a man was on the blade's surface; that man being Draco's father. He turned around and gazed into the cold gray eyes of his father's, the eyes almost identical to his own. He didn't know what to do, how could he explain this? But there was no explanation to this, and instead Draco let out a scream as his father took the knife out of his hand and slit his wrists. His father accused him of trying to kill him and his mother, and Draco could say nothing to this as the blood flowed from his wrist. He closed his eyes as his breaths became fainter and fainter, and all he could think of was death. Before he let out his last breath of life, his father took out his wand and healed his slit wrists. His breathing began to stabilize once again, and he opened his eyes. He felt weak due to all the blood that was lost, but his father showed no mercy to him still. He beat him for his dishonor, and after the beating, which seemed to last forever, Draco was left bruised and bleeding on the kitchen floor. The next morning his mother came into the kitchen, and woke him up. She offered him no food, and did not comfort him or try to heal his wounds. All she said to him was to clean up the blood that stained the floor, and then go to his room. With much hatred and sorrow, he did as he was told, taking him at least two hours due to his lack of strength. His father could have killed him that night, and neither of his parents cared. From that moment on the love he had for either of his parents, vanished forever.
He realized he never loved anything after that night. This fact, and the fact that no one loved him in return, had made him into that cruel and arrogant prat everyone at school knew him to be. He had no real friends. Crabbe and Goyle were nothing but fat idiots who followed him around because they had nothing better to do. Other than them, Draco hardly talked to anyone. Everyone in his House was jealous of him because they knew he'd become a Death Eater before they did, and that he was much wealthier than any of them. Nobody in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff dared to approach him, and the Gryffindors gave him nothing but evil glares and insults. He enjoyed knowing that he had more than half the school in his grasp, but after five years of loneliness Draco yearned for a true friend; someone whom he can confide with his feelings and thoughts. The thought of going back to school saddened him knowing that he'd go back to no such person, and share no conversations of how his summer went, welcoming embraces, or little gifts some people exchange after a summer of no contact. Everyone assumed he had the life of luxury, but the truth was he didn't and no one cared. Something happened to him the night he turned sixteen, something that changed him forever.
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"Ginny, love, have you seen Harry, Ron, or Hermione yet. I wanted to say goodbye to them before you children leave." Mrs. Weasley asked Ginny, looking anxiously about to search for the three six years. Harry and Ron had spent their summer vacation with Hermione, and hadn't been home all summer.
"No, Mum I haven't seen them yet," Ginny said as she also looked into the crowd to see if she could spot the boys and Hermione, or more specifically, Harry. Just then Harry, Ron, and Hermione burst through the entrance of Platform 9 ¾, almost knocking down a group of first years. They apologized to the frightened youngsters, and ran over to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley.
"Hullo. Mum. Ginny!" Ron said happily, catching his breath between each word.
"Why in Heaven's name were you rushing for? You could have hurt those first years, and the train won't leave for another 10 minutes!" Mrs. Weasley replied.
"Well Hullo to you too, Mum. I wanted to hurry up so I could say GOODBYE to you. Goodness, maybe next time I won't since you obviously don't appreciate it." Ron said sarcastically.
"Oh Ron, dear, I'm sorry," Mrs. Weasley replied as she embraced Ron. "My, you three look different!" she said as she studied Ron, Hermione, and Harry. It was true they did look quite different. Harry and Ron looked taller, and both of them seem to have gotten more. muscular. Hermione got a little taller too, and looked quite toned than the last time Ginny saw her. All three of them appeared to have gotten a tan too. Whew, he's hot! Ginny thought to herself, studying Harry.
"My parents took us to Hawaii for a few weeks. They always wanted to go there, and we've never been anywhere as exotic and tropical as Hawaii before. It was a splendid experience!" Hermione said, as she gave Mrs. Weasley a tight embrace.
"It was a ton of fun! I learned how to surf, and to dance the halu." Ron said with a boastful grin, as Hermione and Harry began to laugh.
"It's called the hula, Ron, and you couldn't dance it if your life depended on it." Hermione said through chuckles. Ron smacked her in the arm. "Ouch, Ron! I was just kidding!" she said, trying to hold back more laughter.
"You should've seen it. it looked like Ron had something in his pants," he said as he began to laugh out hysterically, "Our hula instructor didn't know what was wrong with him until. until we told her that he simply couldn't dance." Harry said between giggles, as his eyes began to tear a bit. Ron gave him an evil glare. "What? Its true." Harry replied innocently.
"I can't imagine how hilarious that must have been." Ginny said as she also began to laugh. It was then that Harry looked at her for the first time since the beginning of summer. Ron and Hermione stared too.
"Wow, Gin. You look great! And your hair, I love it!" Hermione gasped as broke the silence and hugged Ginny.
"You look nice too, Hermione." Ginny said, her cheeks turning a light pink.
"My little sister, all grown up." Ron said, as he wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, forgetting the comment she made before. Ginny gave him a soft hit in the arm, and then pulled him in for a hug.
"Yeah Gin. you look. amazing." Harry said as he and Ginny locked eyes for a moment. He was staring at her in a very peculiar way, as if it was his first time ever seeing her before. Ginny blushed and before she could say another word, the whistle that indicated the train was leaving, blew.
"Hurry hurry now you four. I don't want you missing your train," Mrs. Weasley said as she gave each of them a tight hug, and a kiss on a cheek.
"Goodbye Mum." Ron and Ginny said together.
"Goodbye Mrs. Weasley," Harry and Hermione said. Then all four of them boarded onto the Hogwarts Express.
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Draco hated coming to Platform 9 ¾. It was always noisy, and full of laughter. He hated laughter for his life never had any. He glumly boarded onto the train, searching for a quiet compartment somewhere in the back. He found one next to a compartment of first years, who looked at him oddly as he passed by. He gave them an evil glare, which made them flinch and quickly look away. The compartment he chose was very small, but perfect nonetheless. In here he wouldn't be bothered, and it was also very comfortable. After putting away his stuff, he sank down into the seat next to the window. He looked out at the groups of friends. Some were exchanging hugs and small gifts while others were laughing incessantly. Oh, how he envied them. He wished he could be amongst those groups of people laughing and talking about how there summers went, but instead he was in a quiet compartment, alone.
As he looked over the mass of people, Draco spotted a very beautiful girl with red hair and long, very attractive, legs. She was with a short plump woman, who also had red hair, who he recognized to be Molly Weasley, the mother of one of his worst enemies. A thought had occurred to him as he stared at the girl with Mrs. Weasley. Was that. Ginny Weasley? No, it couldn't possibly be the youngest Weasley. Ginny was a short, ugly girl with too much red hair and too many freckles. This girl he looked at now was anything but ugly. She was tall and slender, with stunning red hair, and no recognizable freckles whatsoever. This girl was extremely gorgeous; he could have mistaken her for a supermodel.
"It can't possibly be Ginny Weasley." He said to himself, not being able to tear his eyes away from this goddess. Just then, Harry Potter and his two goons, Ron and Hermione, walked over to this girl.
"Oh my God. It is Ginny Weasley!" Draco said to himself after he heard Ron say her name. He couldn't believe how much Ginny had changed so much over the years. It was true that he never really noticed her before, but how he didn't notice her he couldn't understand. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life. As he gazed at her, still unable to tear his eyes away, the door swung open and Pansy Parkinson barged in. Draco nearly jumped out of his seat.
"What the hell?!" Draco barked as he collected himself. Pansy replied to that by simply strutting over to him and sitting on his lap.
"Hullo, love, how was your summer?" Pansy said her face only inches away from his.
"Pansy, what the fuck are you doing?" Draco said glaring straight into her crystal green eyes.
"I'm just saying hullo, what, you don't fancy me anymore?" Pansy asked innocently. Last year during a rally for the Slytherin vs. Gryffindor Quidditch Match, Draco got extremely drunk. He didn't even know for sure himself, but supposedly he and Pansy had slept together. Ever since then Pansy never left him alone. Sure she was pretty, but she was the most annoying person Draco had ever met.
"No I don't fancy you, and I never will so get the hell off of me!" Draco yelled back. He shoved her off his lap, hard. She made a thump as she hit the floor than looked up and gave him the nastiest glare she could. He glared right back, giving her his nastiest, which was, by far, overpowering hers.
"I can't stand this! I'm going to leave Draco Malfoy, and I don't know if I'm coming back." Pansy said as she got up and quickly walked to the door. She stared back at him expecting him to say something, but he didn't. "Fine!" she said as she stormed out.
"God, I can't stand her," Draco said to himself. Remembering that Ginny Weasley was still outside, he quickly peered out the window to see if she was still there. She wasn't. He thought about getting up to go look for her, but the idea of Draco Malfoy searching for Ginny Weasley was too unbelievable, even for him. Instead he pulled out a book and began to read. After a few minutes of reading "Armageddon Summer", Draco's eyes began to close, and he quickly fell into a deep slumber.
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Ginny walked down the corridor, looking for a nice compartment where she could stay for the trip. Harry and Hermione had to attend a prefect's meeting, and Ron decided to meet up with his friends. Ginny didn't mind that they were gone; during these trips to Hogwarts all she loved to do was read. She looked into the compartments seeing that most of them were full of friends, and very loud. She almost gave up trying to find an empty one until she spotted one that, she thought, was vacant. She opened the door and saw that it was not empty, but that Draco Malfoy was sleeping soundly on one of the benches. She almost gasped, but considerately closed her mouth not wanting to wake him up. She did not want an angry Draco insulting her at the moment.
As much as she wanted to hate him, Ginny always thought Draco was very cute despite her crush on Harry. If he wasn't such a prat, and if his father hadn't almost killed her during her first year, Ginny shuddered at that thought, she would have considered fancying Draco. He was really hot. At almost 6'0, Draco was one of the best looking guys at Hogwarts. His angel blonde hair came to his ears, and it was no longer slicked back like how it used to be, but now let free to frame his handsome face. He had to-die-for cheekbones, and the nicest complexion a person can have. His body was toned, but not so much as to make him look too burly. The most amazing feature Draco possessed though, were his eyes. Although they seemed to be permanently cold, they were still as mesmerizing. The color of his eyes seemed to be forever changing. Sometimes being blue, green, brown, whatever the color. Ginny wished her eyes were as unique as his. She realized she was standing there, staring at him like an idiot. She quickly went into the compartment hoping no one had seen her. He wouldn't mind if I stayed here. It's not like I'd be bothering him or anything, I'd merely be reading, Ginny thought to herself. She then sat on the other side of the compartment, opposite of Draco, and began to read her book "Armageddon Summer."
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Draco twisted and turned in his bed, unable to fall asleep. He decided to go to the library to read a book, or perhaps get some cocoa - anything to help him fall asleep. He got up from his bed, put on his house slippers, and then walked to the door. He opened it, and found himself stepping into an ice-cold corridor that was almost completely dark. Draco was used to this obscurity, however, and continued to walk down to the library.
Before he opened the library door, he saw that it was already open, and three figures were inside. One he recognized to be his father, the second one seemed to be hooded, and the third one was a man Draco had never seen before. He looked awfully nervous and scared. The hooded figure said something to his father, and before he knew it, Draco saw the third man on the ground writhing and crying out in pain. Draco was used to his father using Dark Magic, but he had never seen the Crucio Curse being performed before. He looked into the eyes of the man on the ground. It seemed as though his eyes were about to bulge out of his skull. The veins on his neck were sticking out so intensely that Draco was sure they were going to pop. Blood began to drip from the from the man's mouth, as he bit down on his lower lip. His whole body was jerking extremely, and his face was turning a dark shade of purple. After a few minutes of merciless torture, the man stopped moving. Draco knew the man was dead before the hooded creature had said it. All that Draco did was stay still, white as a ghost. His father had killed that man. Before he could make any move, Draco found himself on the floor unable to move. His father walked over to him, and pointed his wand down at him. He was angry that Draco had witnessed what had happened. Unable to speak, Draco watched as his father repeated the word he had just a few moments ago. "Crucio," he said as Draco squirmed in pain. He had never endured that much pain before.
Draco swiftly sat up, panting and sweating. He looked around to remember where he was, and saw that he was in his quiet compartment on the train.
"Ahhh!" screamed a feminine voice from behind. Draco turned around, and almost screamed himself. There, right before him, sat the girl that Draco, just moments before, had preoccupied his mind - that girl being Ginny Weasley. Before Draco could say a word, she spoke first. "Are you ok? You look as though you've seen a ghost." Ginny asked, looking a bit concerned which surprised him even more than the fact that she was there.
"I- I'm alright," Draco answered as he tried to collect himself. He was acting like an idiot. "I had a bad dream." I can't believe I just said that! What am I doing telling her about my dreams, he thought.
"Do you need a drink of water or something?" Ginny asked.
"No, I don't need any." Draco said. It sounded a bit harsh, but he couldn't help it. "May I ask, Weasley, what in heaven's name are you doing in my compartment?" It was her turn to be embarrassed.
"I wanted somewhere quiet to read, and, uh, all the compartments were noisy. You were sleeping, so I thought I'd be ok if I stay here." She said stammering a bit on each word. God, she's gorgeous, he thought. He couldn't help but stare at her. It seemed as though minutes passed by before either of them said a word.
"Well, aren't you going to ask me to get the hell out or something?" Ginny said coolly. She looked as though she was expecting an insult, and was ready to say something rude back to him if he did insult her. He didn't want to insult her though. If he did she would leave, and he certainly didn't want that.
"No, you can stay here if you like," Draco said politely, "just don't bother me." The last part was said unkindly. She looked shocked for a moment and he was sure she was going to leave, but she surprised him by saying, "Fine, I won't bother you then."
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A half an hour went by without either of them saying anything. What am I doing here? I should have left, she thought. Ginny tried to concentrate on her book, but she couldn't. Why did she stay? Irritating herself, she tried to read the page that she couldn't for the past half hour, but the questions kept popping up in her head. Why was he being nice to her? Ok, so he wasn't being that nice, but he hadn't blown up when he saw her there and he didn't insult her at all. That was really weird, and what was even more peculiar was that he was staring at her with the same expression Harry had right before they boarded the train. It made her uncomfortable, but at the same time flattered her a bit. If Ron had saw the expression Draco had given her, he would have beaten him at the spot. She laughed at the thought.
"What's so funny, Weasley?" Draco asked out of nowhere. This startled her, but she didn't stammer like she did the last time Draco asked her a question.
"The thought that my brother, Ron, would kick your ass if he knew that we were sharing the same compartment." She replied leisurely.
"Ha! I bet you could kick my ass better than he can. Your brother is a sissy, that's why he hides behind Potter all the time." Draco replied with a smirk. This got her angry, but she tried to stay calm. Then, a thought had occurred to her.
"Are you sure you want to go there?" Ginny asked as she got up from the bench, and walked over to where Draco was sitting.
"What?" Draco asked confused. Before he could say another word, she threw a punch at him. He was quicker than her though, and ducked before she hit him straight in the face. "What the hell are you doing?!" he asked shocked.
"You bet that I could kick your ass better than Ron can. I take that bet. Stand up." Ginny said with confidence. Draco stared at her with an amused expression. "I have six older brothers. I think I know how to fight."
"Look, Weasley, I trust that you do," he lied, "but I can't fight you."
"Why, Malfoy? Are you scared I might actually kick your ass?" Ginny said smirking.
"Ha, like you can kick my ass," he answered, "No, Weasley, I can't fight you because its wrong to hit a girl." This made her laugh.
"Draco, the nasty cold-blooded prat, turns into a gentleman. I thought that was impossible." She said callously, as she laughed even harder.
"What? I'm not as cruel as you think I am, Weasley." Draco replied. He sounded a bit hurt. It was then Ginny saw that he was being serious. She stopped laughing, and looked into Draco's eyes. Instead of the coldness it usually possessed, his eyes looked. sad. She realized she went too far.
"I- I'm sorry?" She said. She sounded stupid, but she couldn't bring herself to really say those words to Draco Malfoy. He didn't reply, but instead stared solemnly back into her own eyes. He was giving her that look again, but instead of turning away Ginny walked up to him. She looked up, and stared straight into his magnificent gray eyes. God, he's handsome, and his eyes. they're so beautiful, Ginny thought as she looked at him. She couldn't believe the thoughts she had at the moment, and for a second, Ginny forgot about Harry. Before either of them could stop it, Draco bent down and pressed his lips upon hers. Instead of pulling back like how she should have done, Ginny deepened the kiss. Her hands began to wrap around his neck, as his went down to her waist. They stood there, their lips glued together, as if they were made that way. She was shocked when his tongue slipped into her mouth, but didn't pull back. Instead she returned the favor, and let her tongue tease his. She didn't think things could get more intense, but they did when Draco lifted her up and brought her to the bench; their lips never parting. He set her down easily, his body on top of hers. His hands slowly trailed down her back, making her shiver at his gentleness. His hands slid further down and were now on her thighs, slowly making their way up between her legs. She felt as though fireworks were going off inside her. This sudden feeling of desire scared her, and she quickly pulled away.
"Draco, we can't do this." She said, despite the fact she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again.
"Yeah, you're right." He replied softly, but never moving from the position that they were still in. She looked straight into his eyes, which were full of aspiration just like her own. Ginny couldn't take it anymore; she closed the space between them and pressed her lips upon his once more. Greedy with desire, she didn't stop him when he undid the buttons of her blouse, but instead started to undo his shirt as well. He began to lower his lips to her neck, and then back to nibble at her ears. Oh God is he a great kisser! She thought, as his lips covered hers once again. Ahh, no! What am I thinking? This is wrong! Its wrong! She broke off the kiss, and looked into his flushed face.
"Draco, no. We really can't do this, and you know that," she said panting. She didn't mean it, but she knew that it was wrong. He paused and stared back at her, looking disappointed when he knew as well as she, that it was.
"I know," he said after he let out a sigh. Very gently, he got off from on top of her while pulling her up with him. His hands were holding hers, but he pulled them back once she was on her feet. They awkwardly began to button their shirts up, not looking at one another. As she finished buttoning up her last button, Ginny struggled to find the words to say. What can you say after a snog session that wasn't intended? She took a quick glance over at Draco, seeing he didn't know what to say as well. Desperate to do something and end the discomfited silence, Ginny noticed that some of Draco's hair was sticking up and slicked it back with her hand. He stared at her looking puzzled, and she blushed, her face turning red.
"You're hair was sticking up. I fixed it." She said self-consciously, turning an even darker shade of red. Why did I even DO that?
"Oh.thanks," he said slowly. This is so uncomfortable, she thought. There was silence between them as they stared at one another.
"So." Ginny said, trying to make conversation. Suddenly, to make matters even worse, her stomach growled very loudly due to an empty stomach. She was so nervous about seeing Harry again that morning that she didn't eat any breakfast. She was sure her face was as red as her hair just about then.
"Are you hungry? I heard the food cart go by, and I can go get something for us to eat." Draco said politely. He was acting so sweet, and she was awfully hungry so she couldn't refuse.
"Uh, sure Malfoy. Thank you." She said with a smile. Aww, he's being so sweet! So unlike him. she thought. He nodded to her answer and left the compartment, to search for the food cart. Ginny couldn't help but beam cheerfully.
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Draco sighed heavily as he closed the compartment door behind him. That must have been the most awkward situation he'd ever been in. If he hadn't suggested getting some food, they'd probably be standing there staring at each other like mute idiots the rest of the way to school. Not that he'd mind staring at her beautiful face. It simply didn't seem like the best thing to do when there was at least another hour to go until they arrived at Hogwarts.
As Draco walked down the aisle glancing around for the food cart, he couldn't help but think about Ginny again. The way her skin felt against his, the way her hands gracefully undid his shirt, the way she moaned when he had kissed her neck. It was so intense, so desirable; he wished it wouldn't have ended. But he did know as well as she, that they did have to stop. That it was wrong, and never should have happened.
Or did he? Was it really wrong? What was so wrong about it honestly? He fancied her, and it seemed as though she fancied him as well. Why couldn't things happen between them? Draco had had a lot of girlfriends in the past, but in that one snogging session, he had felt more of a connection with her than he had had with any of his past romances. It had felt so right, as if it was meant to be. If only she felt the way he did about the whole situation.
Draco finally spotted the food cart, and walked over to it. Being just as hungry as Ginny was, he almost bought out the entire cart. Struggling to keep from dropping the pumpkin pastries, chocolate frogs, and the other goodies, Draco almost got to the compartment without anyone seeing him. Almost, until a very annoying Pansy Parkinson clumsily bumped into him, causing him to drop everything.
"What the fuck are you doing, Pansy! Are you blind that you couldn't even see me walking with all this!" Draco said angrily.
"Oh I'm sorry Draco! Silly me, to not notice you walking down the aisle. Please let me help you with that." Pansy said innocently, bending down to help pick up the food. She wore a small off-the-shoulder shirt and purposely bent down very low to show as much cleavage as she could. Draco couldn't help but look, despite how much he hated Pansy. He was a guy after all. She saw him looking, and gave him a flirtatious smile back. He scowled back at her, and grabbed what she had in her hands.
"Thanks, now goodbye!" he said rudely.
"What are you doing with so much food anyways, Draco?" she said batting her eyelashes, ignoring the rude tone he had used before. She deliberately stood in front of him so he wouldn't get pass her.
"None of your business. Go away!" he said, more pissed off now. Why can't she just leave me the fuck alone!
"You can share it with me, in my private compartment." she suggested, seductively. She pointed to a small compartment to the right.
"Look Pansy, I don't fancy you. You're a sleazy whore, and I don't date those." Draco said coldly, looking at Pansy with an evil glare. He ignored the look of murder in her eyes, and walked casually pass her without looking back. He heard a compartment door slam behind him, and grinned to himself. Gosh, I hate her, he thought as he walked over to his own compartment, happy to be with Ginny instead of Pansy.
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Ginny was resting leisurely on a bench when Draco came back. It made her jump up when he opened the door. He looked upset. She wondered if anyone saw him on his way back, or even worse, somebody saw her in his compartment.
"Are you ok? You look upset. Did someone see us, or something? Did someone ask you questions about all the food?" she asked panicky. If anyone saw her and him together, all hell would break lose. Not only would the entire school know and gossip about it, but Ron would know too and he'd give her hell about it and never let her do anything by herself again. He was even hesitant to let her go off to find her own compartment, until she assured him she'll be fine and that he should go hang out with his friends. Ever since the incident of her first year, Ron became a tremendously overprotective brother. She couldn't even imagine how he'd react if he knew about this. Departing from her thoughts of negative possibilities that would happen if anyone knew, Ginny looked up at Draco for his answer.
"I'm fine. I just ran into Pansy Parkinson, the most annoying person Hogwarts ever had." Draco said loathingly. Ginny was surprised. She always thought Draco and Pansy were good friends, or even together. Hmm, I wonder if he's single then, she thought.
"She didn't suspect anything about the food, did she?" Ginny asked, suddenly aware that she could have, and now be getting some ideas. Pansy Parkinson was the most annoying person at Hogwarts, and her mouth ran like a motor when rumors were out.
"No, she just assumed that I decided to become obese before we got to school." Draco said seriously. He had said it with such sincerity, that she didn't know if he was telling the truth or not. "No, she didn't suspect anything." He said, smiling, to make sure she knew everything was ok. She sighed in relief, and sat back on the bench. Draco walked over to the bench, and dumped all the food next to Ginny. Remembering how hungry she was, she grabbed a pumpkin pastry from the pile and began to unwrap it quickly. Food! Delicious, yummy, food, she thought, as she was about to stuff the pastry in her mouth. She remembered Draco was there, and took a small bite not wanting to look like a pig in front of him.
"Don't tell me your one of those girls who takes two small bites of anything, and claims their full." He said amusingly, shaking his head. He grabbed a pastry from the pile, unwrapped it, and took a tiny bite. "Oh I'm stuffed, I can't possibly take another bite!" he said, imitating her. She glared at him when he started to laugh.
"To let you know, Malfoy, I am not like those girls. I just don't want to stuff food in my face like guys do." She said as she stuffed the pastry in her mouth, imitating him.
"I'm not like that either. Stuffing you face is a messy, improper, way to eat food. I was brought up to never eat like that." He proclaimed arrogantly. Now there's the Draco we all know and love, she thought. She watched him eat, him taking slow bites and never letting his mouth open. He looked so funny eating with his back straight and chin up. He looked so proper, like a real aristocrat. She began to laugh causing him look up at her.
"What?" he asked innocently, looking at her questionably.
"You look so funny, eating like you're the king of England!" she said laughing harder.
"For your information, I can eat just as sloppy as everyone else can." He claimed, glaring at her. Ginny thought of a fun idea to prove that he really can.
"Let's have an eating contest then!" she said. He almost choked on his pastry.
"Are you serious?" he asked, looking puzzled. It was clear that he'd never had an eating contest before.
"Yeah, why not? Its fun, and it'll prove to me that you can eat like a normal person." Ginny said giggling.
"Fine, then. If I'll prove to you that I can," he paused, "Uh, what do we do?" He looked kind of scared, which made Ginny start to laugh.
"What is so funny?" he demanded. It took her a minute to calm down.
"You look so scared," she said laughing hard. She calmed down a bit, then began to sort out the food. "Ok, here's how it goes. We each get the same amount of food. Then, we try to eat it as fast as we possibly could. Whoever finishes first, wins!" she said smiling. He looked appalled.
"Weasley, that's disgusting."
"But, FUN." she said. "Come on, we have like a half an hour. It'll be fun! Come on!" she begged. She gave him the puppy dogface, which he was forced to obey. No one denied her puppy dogface.
"Fine, fine," he said. Ginny split the food into two piles on the bench. She bent down next to one pile, and he next to the other. He looked at it, worried. This is going to be fun, she thought.
"One.Two.Three!" She said. She grabbed the food, and stuffed it in her mouth. Draco paused for a second, but then began to do the same. She had done this before on countless occasions with her brothers. Winning was going to be a piece of cake.
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They both lay sprawled out upon the floor, holding their stomachs. I can't believe I just did that, Draco thought. That was really disgusting. yet fun in a way I suppose. After all, I beat the little Weasley. This thought made him smile, and he began to laugh. Ginny looked over at him, her mood not so well. He saw that she was really mad, and he could tell she was just as shocked as he was that he beat her. They both got up slowly, very full. Ginny looked at him, and gave him an evil glare. The look she gave him was so serious that he laughed even more.
"Shut up, Malfoy!" she spat. He couldn't help but laugh harder.
"Don't be such a sore loser, Weasley. It was only just a game, and it was fun. Wasn't it?" he said mockingly, making her even angrier.
"Did I not just tell you to shut up, Malfoy?"
"Yeah you did, but I don't feel like shutting up."
"Err! You are one annoying prat! Sod off!" she said, really pissed off now.
"Nah, don't feel like it." He said coolly. She snapped and charged toward him, tackling him to the ground. "Ow, Weasley! What the fuck are you doing?" he said smiling, although his back hurt from hitting the ground so hard. It was so much fun annoying Ginny. She was on top of him now, pinning him to the floor so he wouldn't move. Wow, she's pretty strong for a girl, he thought.
"How can you beat me? No one has ever beat me before, and here you come, not even KNOWING what to do, and then you win." She said glaring. "You cheated didn't you. You must have!"
"How can I cheat in an eating contest?" he said, looking up at her red face. He honestly didn't know how one could cheat during an eating contest. She sighed as she realized that he couldn't have cheated, for they were both next to each other and she would've seen if he had. She loosened up a bit, giving Draco the chance to escape her death grip. He grabbed her by the shoulders and rolled her onto her back. This time, he was on top of her, pinning her down.
"Malfoy! Get off!" she said, trying to move but not being able to since he was twice as strong as she was.
"Not until you congratulate me on winning." He said slyly.
"Never!" She said, still struggling to get free.
"Oh well, I guess we're going to have to stay like this until you do then." He said casually. She didn't say anything for a few minutes, still struggling to get away. She eventually gave up, and let out an annoyed sigh.
"Fine, dammit!" she said, not wanting to say what she was going to. "Congratulations, Malfoy, for winning the stupid eating contest," she glared at him, "now.would you get the fuck off of me!"
"Sure." He said, as he gracefully got up.
"You," she said as she got up as well, "you are one annoying prat!"
"And you, Ms. Weasley, are one sore loser."
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"I am not!" she replied. He was incredibly annoying, but I guess she had to admit she was a bit of a sore loser. She didn't say that out loud though.
"You know, I don't see why you're so mad. You were the one that suggested we have an eating contest, and I can't help it if I won." He said smiling.
"Whatever," she said softly, as she let out a sigh. Then, they were silent again. She remembered the wrappers littered on the compartment floor, so she began to pick them up. Draco joined her, both of them not speaking. Silence, again.
"So," he began to say after they finished cleaning up the compartment. "Why aren't you with your friends?" he asked out of nowhere. She paused not knowing what to say. The truth was, she didn't exactly have close friends despite Harry, Ron, and Hermione and they were all busy doing something else.
"They're. busy." She said slowly. "And," she added, "I wanted to read somewhere quiet."
"Oh, I see." He said. She knew he didn't really believe her, but ignored that and asked him the same question he asked her.
"Why aren't you with your friends?" she asked, and glanced over to see him look down at the floor.
"I wanted somewhere quiet to read also." He said. She didn't quite believe him, but she didn't want to say anything. If she did, he might want to know the real reason why she wasn't with anyone, and she did not want to tell him. She noticed her book on the floor, and bent down to pick it up. It looked brand new, which was very peculiar for she got it a few years back. Her father had gotten it for her, as a present for her 13th birthday. It was a muggle book, "Armageddon Summer", about a girl and a boy trying to find their place among a religious group. She adored the book, and was enjoyably reading it for the third time.
"Hey, that's mine." Draco said.
"No, its mine." Ginny said, surprised.
"No, its mine." He said, taking the book and showing her the inside of the cover. Draco Thomas Malfoy was inscribed at the bottom of the cover.
"So it is." She said shockingly. "You've read this?"
"I'm reading it now." He said.
"Where did you get it?"
"I found it in the common room on the last day of school." He replied.
"So you stole it?" she asked, one eyebrow rising higher than the other.
"No one was around, and everyone was already packed so I assumed no one wanted it."
"Oh, I see then," she paused. Why would he want a muggle book? Why would he read a muggle book? "So you like the book?" she asked him.
"Yeah, its alright. I haven't read much of it, but so far it seems interesting."
"You do know it's a muggle book right?" she asked, her curiosity increasing.
"Yeah, but it is, nonetheless, interesting." he replied. Since when does Draco Malfoy associate with muggle belongings? She thought. My he's changed. a lot.
"You've changed so much," she softly blurted out, speaking her thoughts aloud unintended. Her face turned a dark shade of red; she was acting like an idiot again.
"I guess I have, haven't I?" he said. It was said as a question, but meant as a comment. He stared at her again, with those magnificent gray eyes she'd come to get use to in the past hours. She saw in him, not the Draco she knew for all those years, but a person who had truly changed. for the better. She saw a kind and patient person, who only wanted what she wanted herself. someone to be there for them. She suddenly felt the urge to kiss him once again. She didn't understand why, but now she wanted it more than ever. She was too afraid to move, however, not sure she could control herself if the space grew smaller between them. Instead he slowly walked toward her, her heart beating fast with each small step he took. He approached her, and placed his hands on her waist pulling her toward him. He lifted her chin up to him, and gently pressed his lips upon hers. This kiss felt different. It wasn't like before, the kisses being so unintentional, sloppy, and forceful. No, this time was as though what they were doing was right - this kiss feeling so real. The kiss felt like one only lovers would share - a kiss too soon to come, yet happening nonetheless. Her feeling of isolation was forgotten, for they were as one in that moment - a moment that changed her world forever. It frightened her greatly, but she didn't pull away, not wanting to lose the connection that felt more than right. Her hands wrapped around his neck, making the kiss more passionate as she pulled him closer to her. She never wanted this to end.
Unfortunately, the train whistle blew, and the train came to a complete stop. They didn't pull apart right away, but eventually Draco did. They stayed motionless, not pulling back their arms, which were still wrapped around each other. Both were panting, their lips never parting once only seconds ago.
"We're here," he said softly into her ear. The softness of his voice sent a shiver down her spine. She looked at him not wanting to leave, but knowing she had to. She unwrapped her arms that were around his neck, and he unwrapped his that were around her waist.
"Draco." she began to say, but stopped when the sound of students coming from compartments, were heard.
"Not now, people are starting to get off train. Can I meet you later, after dinner maybe?" he asked anxiously, staring into her eyes with a look of hope.
"Sure," she said softly. She was eager at the thought of them being alone. again.
"You better go before your brother starts to wonder where you are," he said. She didn't respond to that, but instead quickly grabbed her book and went to the door. With one last glance back at Draco, she pushed the door open and joined the noisy group of students who were getting off the train.
She didn't quite know how to feel just now. The last kiss they shared had felt so real, but she couldn't help but wonder if it was. She never actually kissed anyone before. Draco had been the first boy she'd ever kissed, so how should she know if it was. It felt right, but was it really? Despite her rebellious thoughts, Ginny couldn't stop thinking about what did happen in the compartment, and about the certain someone she shared it with.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Draco didn't know how to feel at the moment. Was he dreaming? Did he and Ginny really share that last intimate kiss? It was as though he was in a dream state; hardly believing anything. If this was a dream, he wished never to wake up. That last kiss was unbelievable. It was the most meaningful he had shared with anyone. It was love. It had to be love. What other possibility could there be? He was so mesmerized with the thought of love that he didn't realize he was still in the compartment. It was until he saw students gathering outside, that he finally regained himself, and gathered his things.
When he stepped outside, he looked over the crowd of people, searching for a certain red head that captured his heart. He saw her with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, boarding a carriage. She saw him looking, and secretly smiled back. This made his heart skip a beat. She has a beautiful smile, he thought. He nodded back kindly, trying to be as imperceptible as possible. He didn't want anyone to know what happened between him and Ginny, or the connection they now shared. Wait, how do I know she feels the same way? What if she doesn't? These thoughts had occurred to him, and also frightened him. He couldn't imagine her not feeling the same way about him as he did about her. I have to talk to her, he thought as he stepped into a carriage. He didn't know what was happening, but he hoped that he finally found the one person who he hoped would change his life for the better - someone who he could always turn to.