Chapter Three- A Fencing Lesson
Try as she might, Ginny couldn't seem to wake up in time for breakfast. It was probably because she had a restless sleep, never getting to bed before midnight. Ron noticed how tired she was and of course thought it was because she was busy with someone, in other words Draco Malfoy.
Draco thought it was highly amusing to watch him accuse her of seeing him and then even more so amusing when Ginny would explode in her brother's face. "Ron I told you that you can trust me, it's not my problem if you don't."
"The heck it isn't your problem!" Ginny sighed and forked some potato. That night she was determined to get a good night's sleep.
After dinner, Ginny hurried down to the kitchens and requested some dreamless sleep potion from Nellie. For once she got to sleep easily. The next morning she quickly dressed in a white tank top and blue jeans. Her hair she left down and in an act of rebellion didn't bother with socks or shoes. She arrived at breakfast before Ron or Mrs. Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy wasn't there either, which she thought was rather odd. Draco was though and he grinned when he saw her bare feet.
"What's so funny?" She asked, sitting down.
"You don't seem to be intimidated by my father in the slightest."
"Not really. Where is your father anyway? I thought he said skipping meals was not an option."
"I don't know where he is, doesn't really matter though, he wouldn't tell me anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing." Draco shook his head and dug a spoon into his cereal. "So," Draco said, changing the subject. "What's with you and not wearing shoes?"
Ginny grinned and said, "I don't know actually. Probably a whole bunch of reasons, right now it's to make your dad angry."
"Looks like its working." A voice drawled. Ginny jumped to see Mr. Malfoy striding over to her seat. He clamped his icy hands on her shoulders and hissed in her ear. "Go and put some shoes on." Ginny winced and got up once he had released her. She walked over to the stairs and when he barked, "Now!" she broke into a run.
Draco kept his head down once his father sat down and looked up when he heard Ginny return. He went red with anger when she saw the marks where his father's fingers had dug into her shoulders. Draco glared at his father who didn't notice, he was too busy caressing his wand.
Ron then walked in, his face sort of blank. "Hey Gin, Hermione's invited Harry and I over for a week or two and she's expecting me in about a half hour. I'll pack my trunk and go."
"W-what?" she asked.
"I'm going to finish packing and I'll take Pig with me, is that alright?" Ginny was at a loss for words. Why would Hermione only invite Ron, especially after what had just happened to the two of them? More over, why would Ron just leave her like this? "Hey, everything alright?" he asked again.
"Yeah I-I guess so-"
"Great, see you." Ron then turned around and left to go and pack his trunk.
Ginny stared at her plate and muttered, "I'm not hungry." She slammed her fork down and went up to her room. Draco furrowed his brow and turned to his father, who was smiling slightly.
Ron came down a few minutes later and said, "Where's Ginny?"
"She went up to her room." Lucius said curtly.
"Oh. Well tell her I said goodbye." Ron dragged his trunk and the owl over to the fireplace in the parlor.
Draco got up and ran after him. "What do you think you're doing, Weasley?" he snapped.
"Going over to Hermione's."
"I can see that, is there a reason you're not even going to say goodbye to Ginny much less have her go with you?"
"It's none of your business Malfoy."
"Yeah it is! She's a wreck, what's she going to do by herself?"
"She's got you doesn't she?" This took Draco so much by surprise it gave Ron time enough to throw in a pinch of floo powder and call out Hermione's address. Draco took a step back when he heard a crash from upstairs and realized it was Ginny. He hurried to her room and opened the door. Ginny had thrown a lamp at the door, thinking it was Ron and was furious when she saw Draco duck the lamp instead.
"What do you want?" she asked, trying and failing to calm down.
"Are you alright?"
"No, I'm not alright! My entire family's been murdered except for my brother, who leaves me just because Hermione wants to have him over to hang out! I'm stuck in a house where I'm expected to go to party's where I'm mistaken for entertainment and where I can't even go around barefoot without having someone scare the life out of me! I keep having horrible nightmares and I-I just want to kill something!" Ginny shouted, taking a flower vase and throwing it at the wall.
"Would stabbing at someone take your mind off things?" Draco asked, stepping a few feet in front of her.
"Don't get smart with me, Malfoy!"
Draco bit back a comeback. It was bad enough Ginny was referring to him by his surname again. "Just trust me." He opened the door, holding it open, and she followed him, her arms crossed. Draco led her down to the first floor and into a room that's primary function seemed to be a collection of paintings. Ginny raised her eyebrows as he walked over to a full size painting of a woman, clutching a skull. "Cat whiskers." Draco said, the woman nodded and the picture swung open.
"Cat whiskers?"
"Would you have ever guessed it as the password?"
"Not in this house." She muttered, following him into a high ceiling room, lined with... "Swords?" Draco grinned and handed her a fencing sword, then took one for himself. "So you really meant it. I can just stab at you?"
Draco nodded and Ginny looked down at the sword, silent. "You're not going to hurt me; I've been around swords since I was six." She stayed silent and bit her lip. Draco laughed and said, "I won't hurt you either."
"Promise?"
"Yes. Come on, or do I need to remind you why your so angry at Ron for ditching you in the first place?" he said, his drawl back. Ginny lunged at him and Malfoy easily blocked her. "In fencing, you hold the sword with one hand and balance yourself with the other." He corrected.
"Then let's quit fencing, hand me a real sword." Ginny said, taking him by surprise. Draco took the swords back to their place and threw her a jewel incrusted sword. Ginny caught it by the handle and waited for him to get himself a real sword as well.
He did so and came back, "Have at me, Weasel." Ginny slashed the sword at him and he quickly dodged it. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He thought when she jabbed at him, forcing him to dive on the floor. He let go of the sword and his arms caught him as he kicked a leg out, knocking into her ankles, which caused her to fall to the ground next to him.
Ginny lay flat on her back and glared at Draco when he leaned over her, almost too close for comfort. "You need to bend your knees so you can keep your footing." He said matter-of-factly.
"Really?" she breathed.
"Yeah." Next thing he knew he was kissing her. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He pulled her up, so that they were in a sitting position and ran his hands along her back. She pulled away and for an instant he thought she was going to slap him, but she merely smiled and kissed him again. Ginny closed her eyes. She had never been kissed like this before. Draco wrapped one of her curls in his fingers and kissed her all along her neck.
She put a hand on the back of his neck and whispered, "Not so fast."
Draco grinned and brushed his lips against hers. "Whatever you say." He whispered in her ear.
Try as she might, Ginny couldn't seem to wake up in time for breakfast. It was probably because she had a restless sleep, never getting to bed before midnight. Ron noticed how tired she was and of course thought it was because she was busy with someone, in other words Draco Malfoy.
Draco thought it was highly amusing to watch him accuse her of seeing him and then even more so amusing when Ginny would explode in her brother's face. "Ron I told you that you can trust me, it's not my problem if you don't."
"The heck it isn't your problem!" Ginny sighed and forked some potato. That night she was determined to get a good night's sleep.
After dinner, Ginny hurried down to the kitchens and requested some dreamless sleep potion from Nellie. For once she got to sleep easily. The next morning she quickly dressed in a white tank top and blue jeans. Her hair she left down and in an act of rebellion didn't bother with socks or shoes. She arrived at breakfast before Ron or Mrs. Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy wasn't there either, which she thought was rather odd. Draco was though and he grinned when he saw her bare feet.
"What's so funny?" She asked, sitting down.
"You don't seem to be intimidated by my father in the slightest."
"Not really. Where is your father anyway? I thought he said skipping meals was not an option."
"I don't know where he is, doesn't really matter though, he wouldn't tell me anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing." Draco shook his head and dug a spoon into his cereal. "So," Draco said, changing the subject. "What's with you and not wearing shoes?"
Ginny grinned and said, "I don't know actually. Probably a whole bunch of reasons, right now it's to make your dad angry."
"Looks like its working." A voice drawled. Ginny jumped to see Mr. Malfoy striding over to her seat. He clamped his icy hands on her shoulders and hissed in her ear. "Go and put some shoes on." Ginny winced and got up once he had released her. She walked over to the stairs and when he barked, "Now!" she broke into a run.
Draco kept his head down once his father sat down and looked up when he heard Ginny return. He went red with anger when she saw the marks where his father's fingers had dug into her shoulders. Draco glared at his father who didn't notice, he was too busy caressing his wand.
Ron then walked in, his face sort of blank. "Hey Gin, Hermione's invited Harry and I over for a week or two and she's expecting me in about a half hour. I'll pack my trunk and go."
"W-what?" she asked.
"I'm going to finish packing and I'll take Pig with me, is that alright?" Ginny was at a loss for words. Why would Hermione only invite Ron, especially after what had just happened to the two of them? More over, why would Ron just leave her like this? "Hey, everything alright?" he asked again.
"Yeah I-I guess so-"
"Great, see you." Ron then turned around and left to go and pack his trunk.
Ginny stared at her plate and muttered, "I'm not hungry." She slammed her fork down and went up to her room. Draco furrowed his brow and turned to his father, who was smiling slightly.
Ron came down a few minutes later and said, "Where's Ginny?"
"She went up to her room." Lucius said curtly.
"Oh. Well tell her I said goodbye." Ron dragged his trunk and the owl over to the fireplace in the parlor.
Draco got up and ran after him. "What do you think you're doing, Weasley?" he snapped.
"Going over to Hermione's."
"I can see that, is there a reason you're not even going to say goodbye to Ginny much less have her go with you?"
"It's none of your business Malfoy."
"Yeah it is! She's a wreck, what's she going to do by herself?"
"She's got you doesn't she?" This took Draco so much by surprise it gave Ron time enough to throw in a pinch of floo powder and call out Hermione's address. Draco took a step back when he heard a crash from upstairs and realized it was Ginny. He hurried to her room and opened the door. Ginny had thrown a lamp at the door, thinking it was Ron and was furious when she saw Draco duck the lamp instead.
"What do you want?" she asked, trying and failing to calm down.
"Are you alright?"
"No, I'm not alright! My entire family's been murdered except for my brother, who leaves me just because Hermione wants to have him over to hang out! I'm stuck in a house where I'm expected to go to party's where I'm mistaken for entertainment and where I can't even go around barefoot without having someone scare the life out of me! I keep having horrible nightmares and I-I just want to kill something!" Ginny shouted, taking a flower vase and throwing it at the wall.
"Would stabbing at someone take your mind off things?" Draco asked, stepping a few feet in front of her.
"Don't get smart with me, Malfoy!"
Draco bit back a comeback. It was bad enough Ginny was referring to him by his surname again. "Just trust me." He opened the door, holding it open, and she followed him, her arms crossed. Draco led her down to the first floor and into a room that's primary function seemed to be a collection of paintings. Ginny raised her eyebrows as he walked over to a full size painting of a woman, clutching a skull. "Cat whiskers." Draco said, the woman nodded and the picture swung open.
"Cat whiskers?"
"Would you have ever guessed it as the password?"
"Not in this house." She muttered, following him into a high ceiling room, lined with... "Swords?" Draco grinned and handed her a fencing sword, then took one for himself. "So you really meant it. I can just stab at you?"
Draco nodded and Ginny looked down at the sword, silent. "You're not going to hurt me; I've been around swords since I was six." She stayed silent and bit her lip. Draco laughed and said, "I won't hurt you either."
"Promise?"
"Yes. Come on, or do I need to remind you why your so angry at Ron for ditching you in the first place?" he said, his drawl back. Ginny lunged at him and Malfoy easily blocked her. "In fencing, you hold the sword with one hand and balance yourself with the other." He corrected.
"Then let's quit fencing, hand me a real sword." Ginny said, taking him by surprise. Draco took the swords back to their place and threw her a jewel incrusted sword. Ginny caught it by the handle and waited for him to get himself a real sword as well.
He did so and came back, "Have at me, Weasel." Ginny slashed the sword at him and he quickly dodged it. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He thought when she jabbed at him, forcing him to dive on the floor. He let go of the sword and his arms caught him as he kicked a leg out, knocking into her ankles, which caused her to fall to the ground next to him.
Ginny lay flat on her back and glared at Draco when he leaned over her, almost too close for comfort. "You need to bend your knees so you can keep your footing." He said matter-of-factly.
"Really?" she breathed.
"Yeah." Next thing he knew he was kissing her. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He pulled her up, so that they were in a sitting position and ran his hands along her back. She pulled away and for an instant he thought she was going to slap him, but she merely smiled and kissed him again. Ginny closed her eyes. She had never been kissed like this before. Draco wrapped one of her curls in his fingers and kissed her all along her neck.
She put a hand on the back of his neck and whispered, "Not so fast."
Draco grinned and brushed his lips against hers. "Whatever you say." He whispered in her ear.