Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with Harry Potter or any other things that I put in here that you might recognize like the song La Vie En Rose. I don't own any of it!
A/N: I thank all of my reviewers, even the bad one (which was a little harsh! My first really bad review, although it was mostly constructive criticism) for reading and taking the time to review my story. You don't know how much I appreciate you all. Oh and by the way, the radio that they have isn't really a radio. It's a magical devise so therefore it would work inside Hogwarts, and don't worry about her hair I was always planning on changing it back to it's natural color! I know that the first few chapters of my story might not be the best but I'm only fifteen and I'm learning! Writing is what I love to do, and I have so much fun writing these stories so just bear with me while I learn my way around the writing world.
So please read and enjoy my new chapter!
"Class, will you please pay attention! Miss Weasley, do I need to say it again?"
"No Professor Snape," Ginny answered and turned her face towards the loathed professor.
"I have an announcement to make." He solemnly cleared his throat. "We will not have class next week," he was interrupted by the cheers from the students. "Sit down Mr. Austen! I am not finished so unless you would like a detention I suggest you follow my orders. I meant to say, we do not have class as usual. Next week, instead of usual class at Tuesday at ten thirty we will have it on Monday at nine. I have cleared this with all of your teachers. You will each be paired with a sixth year student to create a rather complicated potion. I know that this is the Slytherine, Gryffindor class, and you are the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw class but if any of you have problems with your partner, I do not want to hear about it. This is a project and it will be graded accordingly no matter if you happen to like your partner or not. I suggest you put your biases and discriminations away for a day at least." He looked pointedly at Ginny and the other Gryffindors while he said this.
"He always thinks the worst of us Gryffindors," Shane Austen whispered in Ginny's ear.
"You have to admit, we don't exactly have the best track record for putting up with Slytherine, so he kinda does have a point."
"You're siding with Snape? Are you going insane?"
'Draco is rubbing off on me more than I thought he was. I can't believe I said something relatively nice concerning Snape. This must stop at this very moment!' Ginny thought to herself in anguish.
**
"Oh Gryffindor coming through," Blaise Zabini said to Draco as one of the fourth year Gryffindors made their way through a crowd of Slytherines.
"Why does slime like that even make it into our school? All of the Gryffindors should be expelled!" Blaise said.
"Not all Gryffindors are that bad," Draco said not exactly comprehending what he was saying to his Slytherine friends. Suddenly it got very quiet.
Blaise started to laugh. "That's a good one! Not all Gryffindors that bad!" he chuckled to himself as others started laughing too, "you almost made me think that you actually believed that!"
Draco chuckled less than half-heartedly. He was going to kill Ginny! She was rubbing off on him way more than he wanted her to. 'I can't believe I just said that! I got lucky this time, they thought I was making a joke, but next time I won't be that lucky.'
**
Dear Ginny,
I just thought I'd let you know that I'm coming to Hogwarts for a day or two. Apparently Dumbledore has something he would like to ask your father and me. I can't even guess what it's about but I can't complain. I have been missing you kids something awful. I can't wait to see you and Ron. Please explain what's happening to Ron and give him my love. Oh, I am so excited! I can hardly wait until I get to see you again. We are coming December 25. Christmas day, can you believe it?
Lots of Love,
Mother
Ginny was so happy, she loved hearing from her mother. Christmas was two weeks from now.
"Blimey!" Ginny said to herself. Her mother didn't know about what she had done to her hair. Ron hadn't told her after all. She knew that her mother would be furious, despite all she said to Ron about Bill and his hair. You know, now that she thought about it she kind of missed her hair too. Maybe changing it back would be a good thing. Well, it didn't matter what she thought about it, she would have to change it back before her mother came or else she would have hell to pay for it. She had said all those things to Ron when she had done it but she had always known that he wouldn't tell their mother, and she had planned on changing it back before her mother saw it so she would just change it back sooner rather than later.
"Hermione," Ginny called her friend into her dormitory. "Do you think you have a spell to get this dye away? I think I'd like my red hair back," she gave Hermione a crooked grin.
"I told you you'd never want to keep it. If you don't like it why'd you do it?"
"I do like it, I just miss my old hair is all. And I did it because, well, how do you feel Hermione, always being Harry's best friend, and never anything more? Or when you go to events with your parents at home your only 'Mr. and Mrs. Granger's daughter'. You have to understand that my whole life is like that. I'm always just a Weasley. I'm never just Ginny. I thought it was the damned red hair, and I thought that once I had gotten rid of it I wouldn't be in anyone's shadow anymore, I was still wrong but now I miss my old hair. Plus my mum is coming to Hogwarts in a week and she would be furious with me. Can you help me out?"
"Sure Gin I'll help you," she poised her wand, "and not because you're Ron's little sister. I'll help you because you're my friend." Hermione smiled at her.
"Thanks."
She drank a hair lengthening potion that Hermione had picked up on her last visit to Hogsmeade, knowing that Ginny would eventually want it, and the spell was reversed so now Ginny had her long red hair back. 'It feels good to be back,' Ginny thought to herself. 'It was fun for awhile but this is the real me.'
**
"So has Snape told you're class about the project that we're doing on Monday?" Ginny asked Draco the next day during their study session.
"Yeah, about the fifth and sixth years doing a project together."
"I can't imagine why he paired your Slytherine Gryffindor class with my Gryffindor Ravenclaw class. He could've picked a the fifth year Slytherine Hufflepuff class and put the Slytherines with the Slytherines and the Gryffindors with the Hufflepuffs then there wouldn't have been any problems."
"Don't you know?"
"Know what?"
"This was all Dumbledore's idea. We are the only two classes that are doing it and he picked the pairs himself."
"I didn't know that. I wonder why he has so much interest in it. He usually doesn't do things for no reason at all."
"Maybe he has a reason, you never know what that man is ever thinking."
"You're quite right, who knows why he does the things he does."
**
"Potter you will be with Austen, Weasley," Snape paused, "Elder Weasley, you will be with Hawthorne," he paused again coming to the last two names on the list, "Dumbledore must have made some kind of mistake," he said more to himself than to the class, "very well, youngest Weasley, you shall be with Malfoy."
Ginny flushed. 'What's going on,' she thought to herself. 'Why would Dumbledore put me with Draco? He knows we're enemies. Well, used to be, that is.' She slowly made her way across the room to where Draco was standing in front of a cauldron.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked at Ginny in shock. Wondering why Dumbledore had put them together. He couldn't possibly know about their study sessions, could he?
"I guess we're working together," Ginny said once she reached him.
"I guess so," Draco said with a crooked sort of grin that only Ginny could see.
"All you need to do is follow the instructions of the board. Since not one of my fifth year students could seem to make a descent batch of consequencierum alone, I have decided to pair them up with a sixth year. Hopefully there will be no mishaps. You better get this right because at the end of class everyone will have to take a sip. If you don't do it right, then things could go terribly wrong. Begin," Snape ended his speech with a clap of his hands.
"I see you've changed your hair back," Draco commented quietly to Ginny.
"Yes, my mum is coming for a visit and she would've killed me if she'd seen it. Plus I was kind of missing it anyway."
"I think I like it better this way."
"Was that a compliment?"
"Yes it was."
She playfully bumped him in the shoulder. He smiled down at her.
They worked in silence for a few minutes.
"Don't add that too fast," Ginny whispered as Draco poured the diced herbroot into the potion. "I know a girl who added that too fast to another potion and the potion exploded and turned her hair purple!"
"Maybe I'll add it fast anyway. You would look nice with purple hair," he teased her.
"Don't you dare Draco Malfoy," she played along, "I would be eternally mad at you.
"Oh really?"
"Yes really!"
The banter continued, on several different subjects. Unbeknownst to them Snape was watching them out of the corner of his eye.
'What is going on with them? A Malfoy and a Weasley, teasing one another playfully? That makes no sense at all.'
Fortunately all the other students were too busy with their potions to even notice what was going on in Ginny and Draco's corner.
It was the end of the class period. They had about five minutes left and Draco and Ginny's potion looked perfect. Thanks of course to Draco, Ginny could've never done it alone.
"Alright class, it's time to taste it. Let's see who has done well," he looked pointedly at Draco, "and who has not," this time he looked pointedly at Ron.
He walked over to Ginny and Draco and handed them each a small cup about the length of a thumb. "Fill this up and drink. If it is done right you will see no side effects. The potion should last about twenty seconds and remember; it will seem as though none of your actions have any consequences, you must remember that whatever you do during those twenty seconds is something you've always wanted to do but never had the courage to do. Some people will do nothing, actually most people will do nothing, twenty seconds not being long enough to do anything of importance. Now go on, drink it."
Ginny and Draco both reached into the potion and filled their viles.
Ginny slowly raised her vile and drank. It tasted the way Draco smelled, of apples and cinnamon.
Draco drank, to him it tasted how Ginny smelled, like spring, a breeze, flowers and grass just after it has rained.
'Kiss her, kiss her damn it!' Draco's conscience told him emphatically. He looked into her eyes and saw his own thoughts going through Ginny's head.
"Kiss him! You know you want to…'
But just as Draco had taken a step towards Ginny the twenty seconds was up and the potion was broken. However, the feelings were still left inside them, and wouldn't go away no matter how hard they tried.
Slowly pair after pair of people tasted their potions. Three of the potions caused side effects but the rest were fine.
One girl sang out loud, another danced. One Gryffindor sixth year put a hex on Blaise Zabini. Snape couldn't punish him though since Dumbledore had stated that no one was to get in trouble while they were under the spell of the potion.
When Hermione took the potion she looked at Ron for a few seconds and took a step towards him but then the potion wore off and she hadn't done anything. When it was Ron's turn he pushed his partner, Austen, aside, grabbed Hermione and kissed her full on the mouth. All the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws cheered as the Slytherines pretended disgust.
Ron came out of the potion and flushed bright red. Snape rolled his eyes as Hermione made her feelings clear by pulling Ron back towards her and kissing him again.
Ginny was so happy. She had wanted that to happen for three years. Finally, something had pushed them into making their feelings clear!
This new couple was making Ginny so happy that Draco couldn't even feel disgusted as he had a right to. He just couldn't make fun of something that made Ginny smile so bright.
**
"Come on Gin!" Christine called. (A/N: in case you have forgotten in the last chapter I told you that Christine was a good friend of Ginny's who was a fifth year Hufflepuff) "I have to meet Danny for butterbeers!"
Ginny sighed. Having a boyfriend always changes friendships. "You know what Christine, why don't you go ahead, I have some more Christmas shopping to do."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive,"
"Alright, I'll meet up with you later, okay?"
"Sure, see you later."
Ginny kind of felt bad for blowing Christine off but she wanted to be alone, and anyway, she really did have a few more gifts to buy.
She had been shopping for hours and it was almost time to leave. She casually walked into a store that she had never been in before.
She was browsing around when all of a sudden a flash of silver caught her eye. She walked over and picked it up.
It was a pocket watch, like the ones muggles use, there were no flashy gadgets on it like usual magic watches. In fact it didn't appear to be magic at all. But it was beautiful, silver with tiny emeralds encrusted all around the outside with dragons carved in it. The center was blank, meant for someone's name. She opened it up and in the center was a larger emerald which the hands were coming out of. The hands slowly ticked, second by second, around the emerald in the center. She pushed a button that made the back pop out and the top close. It was blank.
She knew she had to do it. She didn't care that he wouldn't get her anything. This was made for Draco.
She went up to the counter and asked the clerk how much it would cost.
"Are you sure you want that Miss? It isn't even magical."
"Yes I'm sure."
"Well, we didn't really have a price for it, since it wasn't magic we didn't think we'd ever sell it. Hey, aren't you a Weasley?"
"Yes, how'd you know?"
"I went to school with your mum and dad, you look just like 'em!"
"Thank you…" Ginny said not really knowing how to respond to this man.
"Since you have such a good upbringing, I'll give that to you for seven sickles, plus a free engraving if you want it."
"Oh, thank you so much!" She had expected it to be so much more, sometimes being a Weasley really paid off!
She set her seven sickles on the table.
"What would you like put on it?"
"Draco on the front please."
"Draco," his eyebrows shot up at the name, "it must be some other one," he mumbled to himself, "And on the back Miss, would you like anything in the back compartment?" He asked as he pressed the button to open it up.
"Yes um, could you put er…" she stood for several seconds trying to come up with something, "Okay, I've got it, how about…no that's not right."
The clerk smiled at her. He tapped the pocket watch with his wand and told her, "When you come up with something just say the words you would like to appear and tap it with your wand."
"Thank you so much,"
"Be sure to come back soon!"
"I will," she smiled at him and walked out of the store.
**
Draco didn't know why he had done it. And yet he had. He bought Ginny a present. He was in the jewelry store, buying his mother a present, when all of a sudden he saw a beautiful emerald necklace. He saw Ginny in the back of his mind, wearing the necklace and looking even more beautiful than usual.
He walked over and looked at it. It was silver and in the center was a vertical line of three small emeralds each separated with an even smaller diamond, the emerald part was about half the size of a finger, the stones were backed in silver. He picked it up and bought it, he had engraved on the back of the emeralds, 'Merry Christmas, love Draco' You could only read it if you looked very closely.
He knew she wouldn't get him anything but it didn't seem to matter. He knew she'd love it and that's all he cared about.
**
Ginny slowly climbed the carriage to go back to Hogwarts. Christine had already gotten in one with Danny so she was by herself. She was proud of everything that she had bought. Even though she didn't have a lot of money, everything came from the heart.
She heard someone climb the stair and get into the carriage with her.
"Well, hello! We just seem to be getting thrown together all the time!"
"Is that a bad thing?" Draco asked as he took his seat next to her instead of opposite her.
"No, I don't mind," Ginny smiled.
There was a silence, but not an awkward one.
"Oh, I love this song!" Dumbledore had recently charmed the carriages to play music. It was mostly elevator music.
"What is it?" Draco asked.
"It's called La Vie En Rose, it's the French way of saying, 'I'm looking at the world through rose colored glasses.'"
"It's in French," Draco said.
"Yes, that would be true,"
"What does it mean?"
Ginny paused for a moment recalling the words.
"Hold me close and hold me fast," she sang softly to the French words and layed her head on Draco's shoulder.
"The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose
When you kiss me, Heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose
When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart
A world where roses bloom
And when you speak
Angels sing from above
Every day words
Seem to turn into love songsGive your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La vie en rose"
She slowly breathed the last note. She looked up from his shoulder and into his eyes, his normally dark, cold, gray eyes that were now a light blue, with feelings rushing through them, no longer cold and dark like before. Draco lowered his head and softly kissed her. Ginny looked into his eyes and tilted her head up, hoping that he'd kiss her again. She got her wish as she felt his soft lips press against hers in an electrifying shock as he kissed her again, this time longer. It felt like something had exploded in their mouths. It was like everything Ginny had ever read about, or heard about, except more.
Draco had never had a kiss like this. He felt more than he had ever felt in his life. Somehow he knew that he never wanted to kiss anyone else ever again, and he never wanted this feeling to go away.
The carriage stopped with a jolt and the door swung abruptly open. But instead of getting out Ginny and Draco were left just staring at one another.
"Ginny, are you coming?" Christine called from a ways away.
Ginny broke the tension, "I guess I better,"
"Yeah," Draco said.
Ginny slowly got out of the carriage.
"Wait, Gin," She turned around. "Christmas is two days away, and then there's break. When do you want to meet again?"
Ginny was trying to think of a way to see him again soon and Draco was hoping that she'd want to see him over break.
"Snape will definitely assign some sort of paper or assignment or something. How about two days after Christmas?"
"Sounds good."
**
Ginny sat on her bed, glad that no one else was around. It was Christmas Eve. She still didn't know what to put on the pocket watch.
She considered giving it to the house elves to put on his bed but decided that it would be better to deliver it in person, when next she saw him.
What she really wanted to put was three lines from the song; 'And when you kiss me Heaven sighs, and though I close my eyes, I see la vie en rose,' but the problem was she had no idea what to think about the kiss. She decided not to bring it up and to just not ask about it, it had just happened in the heat of the moment and she wasn't going to question it.
**
Draco wrapped Ginny's gift in beautiful paper, he put no note on it. All she had to do was read the necklace to know who it was from. He was very nervous. He knew the she'd love it but he didn't know if she'd accept it. He gave it to the house elves along with the other presents he was giving people, which wasn't many. He hadn't really been hanging out with his regular friends lately. They seemed to think he'd changed. Perhaps he had. He had bought a present for a Weasley after all.
Why had he kissed her? He didn't really know himself. He just wouldn't bring it up, that was the safest way to go.
A/N: So what'd you think? I just happened to be sick all this week so I could get another chapter out pretty early, bad for me but good for you. I have an ear infection and a sinus infection. I'm feeling better now. I am glad that I could get this out so early but I am very annoyed because I have so much make-up homework. I missed a Chemistry test and I have a ton of Spanish homework, we're learning the subjunctive tense which is supposed to be really hard but I wouldn't know since I missed that day, but anyway, I'm rambling so as a closing statement: Please review!