Chapter 3: Midnight Snack
Ginny lay awake in her bed, unable to sleep. Everything seemed to distract her. First it was the cold. The window was open, bringing in a cool breeze. She got up and closed it. Then it was the snoring of the other girls. Ginny put a pillow over her head to silence them. Then the pillow made it hard to breathe.
She couldn't get comfortable. What was wrong with her? She had never had so much trouble falling asleep. She didn't want to admit to herself what it was. Or who it was.
If one were to look at Draco Malfoy's sleeping form they would see a boy of seventeen sleeping peacefully, with a bit of drool starting to come from his mouth so famous for its smirk.
It has often been said that appearances can be decieving, and here was definately a prime example.
"If you turn on me now boy, I swear I will kill you, the girl, and anyone else you've ever met. Your mother, your father, everyone," Lord Voldemort stood before the lifeless body of Harry Potter, the deed done by a powerful spell said by Ginny, Draco, and Lord Voldemort. Now it was time for Draco to fullfill his original mission.
"I can't, she helped you, she helped us, I..."
"What, boy? You love her? Love is nothing compared to the pain I can cause you."
"I won't kill her!"
"Then I will. Avada Kedavra!"
Draco screamed with pain as he saw the flash of green light, as he heard the scream, the last sound Ginny would ever make. He ran to her fallen form.
"I'll destroy you." Draco's voice was shaking with pain, and with anger. The Dark Lord seemed unphased.
"You can't kill me if you are dead. Avada--"
Draco awoke in a cold sweat, breathing furiously. He didn't know what to think. Was this...a prophecy? He almost laughed. He would never love Weasley, there was no way this nightmare foretold anything. He would never betray Lord Voldemort, never.
Even in his head it sounded like he was just convincing himself. Draco looked at his watch. It was two in the morning. He wondered if Ginny was...
"No, I don't care about her," he told himself.
"Malfoy....wha's goin' on? ...its early"
"Go back to sleep Goyle." Why was it so easy for the others to sleep? Seconds after he had spoken Gregory Goyle was snoring loudly enough to wake the mermaids who lived in the lake.
Draco knew with all this noise he would never sleep. He wished he hadn't given away his invisibility cloak.
"I'll just have to risk getting caught. It'll give me something to do anyway," Draco told himself. He didn't bother getting dressed. He didn't plan on being seen. He definately hoped no one saw him in the snowman boxers his mum had given him last Christmas. He wondered if he should throw a shirt on, but since it was relatively warm he didn't bother.
"I've got the invisibility cloak, if I go out and explore no one will catch me," Ginny wrote in her diary. "Its very cool, much prettier than the one Harry's got. Gah, sounds very ditzy. Shall shut up. Wonder if should bother getting dressed. Feel a bit slutty in just t-shirt and boxer shorts. Gah! Did I mention these boxers used to belong to Fred. Gross! But the Hogwarts pajamas are so...constricting? Anyway am leaving." Ginny had started keeping a diary again in fifth year, finally getting over her understandable fear of journals.
She locked it away and put on Malfoy's invisibility cloak. Quietly Ginny crept out of the dormitory and into the common room. She quickly surveyed the area. Hermione had fallen asleep over a pile of books, with Ron's arm draped lazily around her.
Harry was nowhere in sight. He was probably off wondering the halls in his cloak, though now she had no danger of running into him.
Ginny figured the best place to go would be the kitchens. Maybe if she ate something she'd be able to sleep.
Draco toyed with the idea of visiting the kitchens before remembering Dobby.
"Stupid useless elf," he muttered, deciding to head for the kitchens anyway, out of spite. Besides, he was hungry. Maybe he'd offer his socks as a piece offering. Draco had overheard Potter talking about how keen Dobby was on socks.
When Ginny entered the kitchens she took off the cloak, then noticed someone sitting at the counter and sipping a steaming mug of hot apple cider. (After Winky's "incident" the elves were nervous about serving Butterbeer).
Ginny tried to tip toe up and see who it was, momentarily forgetting the cloak, when she was interrupted by a house elf.
"Would Miss be liking something to drink?"
"Where's Dobby, isn't this usually his job?
"Dobby is being hiding, Miss."
Ginny was pretty much able to figure it out from there. Malfoy must be the one sitting there, and because the elf was so loud, he had looked over and seen her too.
"Could I have some hot soup?"
"Certainly Miss, anything!" said the subserviant House Elf. Ginny bravely went to join Malfoy at the counter, not wanting to seem like a coward.
"So you're stalking me now, are you?" asked Draco.
"Yes, Malfoy. I'm stalking you." Ginny thought she might really start stalking him if he took his shirt off more often. She was appalled with herself for having such thoughts, feeling the blush fill her cheeks.
Was she blushing? Hmm. Draco hoped she wasn't actually stalking him. If she was...well, one thing might lead to another.
"Well, don't make a habit of it," he said after awhile, taking a sip of his cider for effect.
"I won't. Trust me."
"Hmm. It seems pretty hard to believe you when you show up everywhere I go. You even showed up in the same bathroom as me, Weasley. You call that keeping your distance?" He laughed.
"You told me to meet you there! Or I told you, or...it was agreed on! That does not count as stalking Draco Malfoy!" Ginny protested. He raised an eyebrow. "If you raise that bloody eyebrow one more bloody time I really will hurt you." Smirking, he raised his eyebrow.
Ginny punched him, blushing again when he fist came into contact with bare chest.
"Wow. Well, that was a bit painful Weasley. I'm impressed," Draco said, staring at the red mark on his skin.
"Try and beat that," said Ginny, grinning proudly.
"Oh I will, Weasley. Trust me," Draco said, his voice low. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. Ginny's eyes widened as he deepened the kiss.
"You win."
"I don't know Weasley, we could try again." This time Ginny took the initiative, putting one hand on his back and running her fingers through his white blonde hair with the other. Slowly she leaned closer to him, first kissing him softly, then more aggressively. Draco parted his lips, allowing her tongue to explore his mouth.
Ginny was the first to pull away.
"I can't believe I just did that."
"Well, you're not getting any complaints from me, Weasley," Draco said, leaning back on his chair.
"You're still calling me Weasley after all that?" Ginny felt offended. She'd just given him the best kiss she'd ever given anyone, and he still called her Weasley, as if she had no identity other than that of her family.
"I'm sorry Ginny."
"Pardon?" Ginny thought she must not have heard right.
"I'm not going to say it again," Draco said in his drawling way.
"Right, er....anyway, about our plan.."
"Sod it," said Draco, kissing her again. He paused, saying "Forget the bloody plan," and snogged her so passionately that Ginny did forget it.
"Excuse Celly! Celly be bringing you your soup miss. Celly did not mean to interrupt!" Said a house elf, bringing Ginny the bowl of soup she had asked for.
Ginny sighed and thanked the elf for the soup.
"So," she said, taking a bite, "scared Dobby off, did you?"
"Yeah, I was going to offer him my socks to calm him down, but he ran off before I could remove them."
Ginny glanced down to see what kind of socks he was wearing, then started laughing quietly.
"What?" demanded Draco.
"Your boxers....they, they have snowmen on them!" Ginny threw back her head and laughed wildly. Draco scowled.
"They were a Christmas gift," he said sulkily, then added "I see you are quite festive yourself." referring to Ginny's reindeer boxers.
"They were Fred's," she said without thinking.
"You're wearing your brother's boxers? I always thought you had a weird family"
"Er. Its not like some scary incest thing you know. Its just, money is tight and I needed pajamas!" Ginny told him defensively.
"Sure, and you don't have six brothers," Draco replied, his sarcasm clearer with ever syllable. But it wasn't the cold hearted mockery she had come to expect from him, it was more playful than that.
The clock chimed, letting the pair know it was half passed three in the morning.
"We've gotta go," Ginny said, turning to leave. Draco put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
"One last thing," he said, then kissed her sweetly.
It took her ten minutes to get back to Gryffindor Tower, and although her mind was more full than before, Ginny found she fell asleep easily.
Draco didn't know what to think of tonight's events. He thought it might be best to pretend it never happened, but girls could get weird about that sort of thing. He fell asleep remembering those kisses. That memory battled the nightmares while he slept.
Author's Note: Very cheesy ending but it will become significant
Ginny lay awake in her bed, unable to sleep. Everything seemed to distract her. First it was the cold. The window was open, bringing in a cool breeze. She got up and closed it. Then it was the snoring of the other girls. Ginny put a pillow over her head to silence them. Then the pillow made it hard to breathe.
She couldn't get comfortable. What was wrong with her? She had never had so much trouble falling asleep. She didn't want to admit to herself what it was. Or who it was.
If one were to look at Draco Malfoy's sleeping form they would see a boy of seventeen sleeping peacefully, with a bit of drool starting to come from his mouth so famous for its smirk.
It has often been said that appearances can be decieving, and here was definately a prime example.
"If you turn on me now boy, I swear I will kill you, the girl, and anyone else you've ever met. Your mother, your father, everyone," Lord Voldemort stood before the lifeless body of Harry Potter, the deed done by a powerful spell said by Ginny, Draco, and Lord Voldemort. Now it was time for Draco to fullfill his original mission.
"I can't, she helped you, she helped us, I..."
"What, boy? You love her? Love is nothing compared to the pain I can cause you."
"I won't kill her!"
"Then I will. Avada Kedavra!"
Draco screamed with pain as he saw the flash of green light, as he heard the scream, the last sound Ginny would ever make. He ran to her fallen form.
"I'll destroy you." Draco's voice was shaking with pain, and with anger. The Dark Lord seemed unphased.
"You can't kill me if you are dead. Avada--"
Draco awoke in a cold sweat, breathing furiously. He didn't know what to think. Was this...a prophecy? He almost laughed. He would never love Weasley, there was no way this nightmare foretold anything. He would never betray Lord Voldemort, never.
Even in his head it sounded like he was just convincing himself. Draco looked at his watch. It was two in the morning. He wondered if Ginny was...
"No, I don't care about her," he told himself.
"Malfoy....wha's goin' on? ...its early"
"Go back to sleep Goyle." Why was it so easy for the others to sleep? Seconds after he had spoken Gregory Goyle was snoring loudly enough to wake the mermaids who lived in the lake.
Draco knew with all this noise he would never sleep. He wished he hadn't given away his invisibility cloak.
"I'll just have to risk getting caught. It'll give me something to do anyway," Draco told himself. He didn't bother getting dressed. He didn't plan on being seen. He definately hoped no one saw him in the snowman boxers his mum had given him last Christmas. He wondered if he should throw a shirt on, but since it was relatively warm he didn't bother.
"I've got the invisibility cloak, if I go out and explore no one will catch me," Ginny wrote in her diary. "Its very cool, much prettier than the one Harry's got. Gah, sounds very ditzy. Shall shut up. Wonder if should bother getting dressed. Feel a bit slutty in just t-shirt and boxer shorts. Gah! Did I mention these boxers used to belong to Fred. Gross! But the Hogwarts pajamas are so...constricting? Anyway am leaving." Ginny had started keeping a diary again in fifth year, finally getting over her understandable fear of journals.
She locked it away and put on Malfoy's invisibility cloak. Quietly Ginny crept out of the dormitory and into the common room. She quickly surveyed the area. Hermione had fallen asleep over a pile of books, with Ron's arm draped lazily around her.
Harry was nowhere in sight. He was probably off wondering the halls in his cloak, though now she had no danger of running into him.
Ginny figured the best place to go would be the kitchens. Maybe if she ate something she'd be able to sleep.
Draco toyed with the idea of visiting the kitchens before remembering Dobby.
"Stupid useless elf," he muttered, deciding to head for the kitchens anyway, out of spite. Besides, he was hungry. Maybe he'd offer his socks as a piece offering. Draco had overheard Potter talking about how keen Dobby was on socks.
When Ginny entered the kitchens she took off the cloak, then noticed someone sitting at the counter and sipping a steaming mug of hot apple cider. (After Winky's "incident" the elves were nervous about serving Butterbeer).
Ginny tried to tip toe up and see who it was, momentarily forgetting the cloak, when she was interrupted by a house elf.
"Would Miss be liking something to drink?"
"Where's Dobby, isn't this usually his job?
"Dobby is being hiding, Miss."
Ginny was pretty much able to figure it out from there. Malfoy must be the one sitting there, and because the elf was so loud, he had looked over and seen her too.
"Could I have some hot soup?"
"Certainly Miss, anything!" said the subserviant House Elf. Ginny bravely went to join Malfoy at the counter, not wanting to seem like a coward.
"So you're stalking me now, are you?" asked Draco.
"Yes, Malfoy. I'm stalking you." Ginny thought she might really start stalking him if he took his shirt off more often. She was appalled with herself for having such thoughts, feeling the blush fill her cheeks.
Was she blushing? Hmm. Draco hoped she wasn't actually stalking him. If she was...well, one thing might lead to another.
"Well, don't make a habit of it," he said after awhile, taking a sip of his cider for effect.
"I won't. Trust me."
"Hmm. It seems pretty hard to believe you when you show up everywhere I go. You even showed up in the same bathroom as me, Weasley. You call that keeping your distance?" He laughed.
"You told me to meet you there! Or I told you, or...it was agreed on! That does not count as stalking Draco Malfoy!" Ginny protested. He raised an eyebrow. "If you raise that bloody eyebrow one more bloody time I really will hurt you." Smirking, he raised his eyebrow.
Ginny punched him, blushing again when he fist came into contact with bare chest.
"Wow. Well, that was a bit painful Weasley. I'm impressed," Draco said, staring at the red mark on his skin.
"Try and beat that," said Ginny, grinning proudly.
"Oh I will, Weasley. Trust me," Draco said, his voice low. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. Ginny's eyes widened as he deepened the kiss.
"You win."
"I don't know Weasley, we could try again." This time Ginny took the initiative, putting one hand on his back and running her fingers through his white blonde hair with the other. Slowly she leaned closer to him, first kissing him softly, then more aggressively. Draco parted his lips, allowing her tongue to explore his mouth.
Ginny was the first to pull away.
"I can't believe I just did that."
"Well, you're not getting any complaints from me, Weasley," Draco said, leaning back on his chair.
"You're still calling me Weasley after all that?" Ginny felt offended. She'd just given him the best kiss she'd ever given anyone, and he still called her Weasley, as if she had no identity other than that of her family.
"I'm sorry Ginny."
"Pardon?" Ginny thought she must not have heard right.
"I'm not going to say it again," Draco said in his drawling way.
"Right, er....anyway, about our plan.."
"Sod it," said Draco, kissing her again. He paused, saying "Forget the bloody plan," and snogged her so passionately that Ginny did forget it.
"Excuse Celly! Celly be bringing you your soup miss. Celly did not mean to interrupt!" Said a house elf, bringing Ginny the bowl of soup she had asked for.
Ginny sighed and thanked the elf for the soup.
"So," she said, taking a bite, "scared Dobby off, did you?"
"Yeah, I was going to offer him my socks to calm him down, but he ran off before I could remove them."
Ginny glanced down to see what kind of socks he was wearing, then started laughing quietly.
"What?" demanded Draco.
"Your boxers....they, they have snowmen on them!" Ginny threw back her head and laughed wildly. Draco scowled.
"They were a Christmas gift," he said sulkily, then added "I see you are quite festive yourself." referring to Ginny's reindeer boxers.
"They were Fred's," she said without thinking.
"You're wearing your brother's boxers? I always thought you had a weird family"
"Er. Its not like some scary incest thing you know. Its just, money is tight and I needed pajamas!" Ginny told him defensively.
"Sure, and you don't have six brothers," Draco replied, his sarcasm clearer with ever syllable. But it wasn't the cold hearted mockery she had come to expect from him, it was more playful than that.
The clock chimed, letting the pair know it was half passed three in the morning.
"We've gotta go," Ginny said, turning to leave. Draco put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
"One last thing," he said, then kissed her sweetly.
It took her ten minutes to get back to Gryffindor Tower, and although her mind was more full than before, Ginny found she fell asleep easily.
Draco didn't know what to think of tonight's events. He thought it might be best to pretend it never happened, but girls could get weird about that sort of thing. He fell asleep remembering those kisses. That memory battled the nightmares while he slept.
Author's Note: Very cheesy ending but it will become significant