Who We Settle For...And Who We Are Meant For

Chapter Four

Reasons, Noah's First Time & Questions From Malfoy

Last Time:

That night, around eleven when Ginny set out for the DADA corridor, she left with the burden of Stepha's secret and Noah's anger hanging around her. So heavily laden with these worries was she that she did not realize it when Noah, dressed in all black so that he wouldn't be seen in the dark corridors, walked right past her- - into the Hospital Wing, where Stepha lay asleep.

Author's Note: Part of this Chapter is done in Stepha's POV, and a tinsy bit in Harry's, because, as I said, all the characters will begin to be used. This chapter is kind of like THE BEGINNING. Major romance ensues. WAIT till I show you guys what I have planned for the Hallowe'en Masquerade Ball...It won't be in this chapter, though. Maybe in the next, or in the next. Ginny and Draco are going Romeo and Juliet like. You'll see what I mean.

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Its unbelievable

I can't believe this is the new you

Its unreal

Its almost as if its too good to be true

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Stepha was just falling into the warm, welcoming arms of slumber when she heard the curtains around her bed being pushed open. It couldn't be Ginny, she figured, since Ginny was out feeding. And it couldn't be Madame Pomfrey, since Madame Pomfrey had informed Stepha that she would not be back for at least another two hours, and two hours most definetly had not passed yet. Stepha's listened closely to the person's footsteps. They were heavy, like that of any boy's, and, to Stepha, lovingly familiar. Keeping her eyes closed, she listened as the person took a seat on the chair by her bed head, and he, now confirmed, took her hand in his bigger, warmer one. The touch was comforting, and sent tingles of a wonder Stepha had never felt up her spine. "Noah?" she blurted out suddenly, trying to keep her voice low, "Is that you?"

She heard the supposed Noah take a deep breathe and squeeze her hand comfortingly, "Yeah, its me." Stepha opened her eyes, to look into the teary brown ones of her friend. He turned away, but not fast enough. Stepha had only just caught a glimpse of the feelings she had suspected Noah had for her in his eyes. Unlike alot of people, to Ginny and Stepha, Noah could be read like an open book with enlarged words. Worry and care were definetly part of the complex mix Stepha saw, but then so was anger and puzzlement. Then, hidden behind these, lust and love, two feelings Stepha was surprised at. So Noah did care for her in that way.

Stepha raised a shakey, arm, still covered with scars and healing cuts, to caress Noah's cheek and turn him to face her. As she did so a tear escaped his eye, but he brushed it away. "Do you love me, Noah?" Stepha heard herself ask out loud in the silence of the Wing. Two tears flowed down his cheek now, and Stepha, even though she was a Slytherin and was trained not to show emotion, found her own eyes filling with tears, like it had earliar today. She truly couldn't hide anything from Ginny or Noah. They were her undoing, but, just so, were her support.

Noah was stiff under Stepha's embrace of sorts. She had never caressed his cheek in such a way as she was doing now, or grasped his hand with so much forcefulness-the forcefullness of feelings he refused to acknowledge were plain in her eyes. He didn't answer her question, though. Instead he countered with one of his one, "Why, Stepha? Why did you do it?" He was surprised at how mechanic his voice sounded, yet at the same time, strangely full of feelings he hid away, and threaded through with a tinse of weakness. Indeed, Stepha was his weakness.

"I had to convince myself of something..." she said, looking away, her hand leaving his cheek and dropping to his hand, where it still grasped hers. "Something I still want with every fibre of my being, every breathe I take, but still...I do not know if I can have it." She was surprised at herself. She hadn't told Ginny a thing, but now that Noah was here, the words were pouring from her mouth. 'Well,' Stepha thought guiltily, 'if its any one who deserves to know first, its Noah.' But still, she did not go on.

"What is it you want?" Noah asked her, his voice changing from mechanical, to almost whimpering, "Stepha, if there's anything you want, I'll give it to you with an open heart. Anything, if you just tell me why you did this, and-and if you promise me you'll never do it again!" Noah's voice had risen considerably in volume, but he, always being soft-spoken, had controlled it so that it would not attract the attention of Madame Pomfrey.

To Stepha's surprise, he leaned down and burried his head in her neck, where her hair hung limp. She could feel his breathe hot on her neck, and his tears flowing freely and leaving a wet spot on her Hospital gown. All she could do was bring her hand up and hold his head there, running her fingers through his black hair lovingly. Yes, she did love Noah, she realized. There was no denying it. As he sobbed into her neck, she realized that he loved her too. And that now she would have to tell him the reason she had done this to herself was because of him. Taking a deep breathe-a breathe that smelled of Noah and his closeness, she said, "You'll give me anything, Noah? Anything at all?" She felt him nod against her shoulder, so she continued, her voice breaking with sobs, her face becoming streaked with tears, "Well, Noah. Then, I want you."

Noah stiffened in her arms, and tore his head away from her shoulder. "Me?" he asked in disbelief, "You want me?" Noah's eyes were red, but he brushed his hands past them, looking at Stepha for any signs of a joke. But there was none.

"I want you and no one else," Stepha confirmed, "The reason I did this to myself was...well, I thought I could never have you. My family is-well-you know Slytherin, and they would despise me and you. And I thought you didn't, well, like me like that. I had to punish myself for liking you." Stepha's cheeks burned red, and she desperatley searched Noah's face for any signs of amusement. Instead, she got the least thing she expected. It all happened so fast, she was flustered when she realized what was going on. Fast as a whip, Noah's lips were on hers. At first, she was puzzled, but then, she kissed back hungrily, her lips grinding onto his with more vigor than she knew she had. Seeing Noah didn't know what to do, she slipped her tongue out and pried his lips apart. Soon, both their lips were interlocked in a aggressive tango of love and lust. Stepha didn't know kissing could be so good. Like any Slytherin girl, Stepha was not a virgin, let alone any inexperienced sixteen uear old to kissing. But this kiss. This was different. Not only was she doing it with some one she believed she loved, but she was doing it with Noah.

Noah's arms slipped around Stepha's waist, and he shifted from the chair next to her bed, to the bed itself. He leant over most of her body, keeping their lips interlocked in the passionate tension that had grown up oblivious to them over the many years of their 'friendship'. Stepha's arms, bandaged and numb as they were, slipped firmly around Noah's neck, pulling most of his body weight down on top of her. She could feel his hesitation, the way he lingered before making any new move. It was obvious he had never done anything like this before. "Do you know what you're doing?" she asked as the kiss broke, her voice laughing and loving at the same time.

"No," Noah said simply, kissing lightly her neck and collarbone, exposed to him by the skimpy Hospital gown. His body was doing strange things with him, like they had only done before when he was watching the steamy rounds of Spin The Bottle Truth or Dare. He had never imagined himself doing those things himself, and now that he was, he was getting a bit nervous. Feeling Stepha's heart beat against his helped, though, and hearing her giggle as he brushed over a sensitive spot under her ear helped as well. But still it didn't do any justice for the fact that his pants-the upper part- seemed to be shrinking with every little sound uttered from Stepha's mouth. He didn't care though. In the pit of his stomach, there was a cauldron overflowing with love for this person who was underneath him, and he wanted to show her every drop that fell from the cauldron was filled with nothing but love.

Stepha managed to pry Noah's shirt off, though he was too busy kissing every bit of skin he could find to help. She didn't mind. It felt good, every kiss leaving a warm residue that seemed to creep under her skin. She ran her fingers along his firm stomach. He wasn't exactly muscular like what most girls would consider hot, but was more on the skinny, tall side. Stepha didn't mind either. She kissed his shoulder, then his neck and every bit of his smooth chest she could, making goosebumps rise all over his skin. Stepha was only vaguely aware that the only obstacle between her and naked was this Hospital gown. She move her hand down, giggling slightly as Noah found a delicate spot she didn't even knew she had behind her neck. She wanted to hear Noah's voice, she figured. He was making her giggle, so it was only fair she returned the favor...Noah's voice echoed out in the Wing as he moaned in pleasure, Stepha's hand finding his rather swollen manhood through his pants.

Noah, by that time had found the strings that held the Hospital gown onto Stepha's body, and was slowly untieing them. He was becoming more and more nervous, especially after Stepha had grasped something through his pants. He didn't know what to do, he realized as he discarded the gown. Those thoughts were short-lived though. Once he saw Stepha's body, laid out like some beautiful monument before him, he suddenly knew wha to do. His lips were on her breasts before she could do anything else.

Pure instinct took Noah and Stepha away that night, into a place of pure pleasure. Noah had never done anything like it before-had never felt anything like it before, but, alas, Stepha had. Still, though she had had boys more experienced, and bigger down below, some how this night with Noah was the best of her life. Though at times it hurt, because of Noah's inexperience and slight clumsiness, all in all, Stepha couldn't complain. It was more than she had ever expected, more than she had ever wanted, and now she would never let it go again. She loved Noah with all her heart, and he returned the feelings.

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Madame Pomfrey heard, from behind the closed curtains, Noah's and Stepha's grunts and moans, pants and groans of love-making. She had been going to check on Stepha, just as she had said, in two hours. But, as far as she could hear, the girl, and her partner were doing just fine. Smiling, Madame Pomfrey turned around, and headed back to her office, thinking of maybe a nice hot cup of coffee. After all, no one had to know what Madame Pomfrey had just heard. No, of course not. And no one would know.

Before she closed the door, she heard as the bed creaked one last time, a scream that undoubtedly came from Stepha, and a moan that probably came from who ever was 'keeping her company'. The last two things she heard was Stepha saying three words, "I love you," and who ever was in there with her return the words with equally as much emotion in his voice. Madame Pomfrey smiled, and shut the door a little too loudly.

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Ginny licked off all the blood she could, not wanting to waste a single drop of the thick red liquid, before finally performing a cleansing spell on herself. She smoothed her hair as best she could, then her clothes. 'You never know who you could bump into in the halls,' she thought. Then she mentally slapped herself for it. She was thinking of Malfoy again. Thinking of maybe meeting him in the halls and having some kind of late night rendevous with him. She chuckled at that thought. With Malfoy? She could only imagine the look on Ron's face if he and Harry spotted her and Malfoy together on that Maruader's Map of their's. Yes, Ginny knew about the Map. She had found it in Harry's trunk in her first year when she had torn apart his room. Ginny smiled as she imagined the look on Ron's face. Would he finally pop? she found herself thinking as she exited the room. Popping was something Ron had only narrowly escaped yesterday. Ginny knew seeing Hermione being fingered by Blaise, then having her snap at him after the whole ordeal, had injured his pride. Right now Hermione and Ron were not on talking terms, and though Ron wanted to make up and shag, Hermione was avoiding him. Ginny thought she knew why, but she wouldn't say anything to Ron about it. In fact, Ron,. her overprotective older brother, was the last person she would say anything about it to.

Ginny made her way down the corridor, her thoughts on recounting every packet of blood she had just had. Every plastic packet she had drank then thrown aside-every packet filled with life's vital juices. Then a thought that she quickly brushed away came to her, 'Where do they get all that blood from?' Instead, she filled her mind with trying to retaste every single drop of the sweet, cool liquid that had thundered so gently down her throat, sending goosebumps all over her skin and seemingly filling her veins with a warm sensation that exhilarated her to the very bone. Nothing tasted better than blood, and of late, Ginny found herself unable to eat human food. She didn't know why, but it tasted somehow inferior to blood. She made a note to check up on what exactly Vampyres who woke during the day ate.

Ginny was just exiting the DADA corridor, when she bumped into something hard. Luckily, Vampyre balance and strength managed to keep her up, but she did wobble and yelp at the first impact. Catching her bearings, Ginny looked up into two silvery-blue eyes, that were staring down at her with just as much curiousity. Realizing she was goggling, Ginny turned away, her cheeks flushing slightly pink. There was a moment of awkward silence where Ginny could feel Malfoy's eyes on her, shamelessly glaring with what she took as 'not-so-good' intentions. After all, she didn't know what Malfoy was capable of. And her Vampyre strength wasn't yet strong enough to over-power some one of Malfoy's stature. Maybe she had something going with agility, but she doubted that would help if he got a firm grip on her shoulders.

Suddenly, Malfoy cocked an eyebrow. "Weasley, what were you doing in the Defense Against Dark Arts corridor?" his voice was not threatening or malicious-but merely curious. Something about the way his face was set tonight told Ginny she was in for anything but a fight. Or maybe she was wrong. After all, this could just be a cover for some evil plan...

Ginny knocked the thought over, realizing she was probably just a bit paranoid. "N-nothing," she found herself stuttering in nervousness. No, that wasn't right. Since when was she nervous around Malfoy? 'Since now,' carolled a tiny voice in her head. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off, "I'll just be leaving." She hurriedly walked around him, but her Vampyre speed kicked in a second too late. She felt a vise-like grip on her fore-arm and groaned. Maybe she was in for a fight. "Let me go Malfoy," she muttered dangerously, her eyes flashing, even though she wasn't angry yet.

"Why should I?" he mused, pulling her back in front of him, "Lets see...Mhmm, I'm stuck in a deserted corridor," with that he pushed her a bit roughly back into the darkness of the DADA corridor, "with a fairly good-looking girl..." he ran a finger along her cheekbone, but she quickly slapped it away, as much she enjoyed, strangely, his touch, "and I'm by faaarr stronger than her..." Ginny found herself pressed against a wall, Malfoy's hard, lean body directly against hers, "What, oh, what shall I do?"

"Nothing," Ginny snarled, pushing him away with all the power she had. His back knocked against the wall oposite, but he was back on her in a second, pinning her even harder to the wall. "Damn you," Ginny told him, earning herself one of those evil, yet enchanting smirks.

"Don't think you can get rid of me that easily..." Malfoy whispered into her ear, making her shiver, "After all, I am a Malfoy...to the very bone. And you see, no one can escape from a Malfoy, expecially when he wants some questions answered." Ginny was helpless in two ways. One, in the way that Malfoy had both her arms pinned to the sides of her head in a grip she was sure would leave blue-black marks the next day, and two, in the way she knew she wouldn't be able to answer any of the questions she was almost sure were about to come out of his lips...The lips that were were inches away from hers..."Question one," Malfoy's firm, smooth voice broke her out of her fantasy land, "Who was the Ravenclaw boy you were sitting with the other day?"

That wasn't the question Ginny had been expecting. Not at all. But still, she wasn't going to complain. "Noah Cavaro, seventh year," she said promptly. She knew Noah wouldn't mind her telling Malfoy his name and year, since he would probably find out any way. After all, Malfoy had his connections, and it was better to tell him now than cause trouble for Noah in the future.

"Question two," Malfoy said, and Ginny could feel his heart thumping against her chest, since he was bending slightly, giving her teh impression that he was nervous, "Is he your boy friend?"

Ginny choked on her spit. Boy friend? What was Malfoy getting at? Noah, boy friend? Malfoy, asking? This was getting weird, but Ginny was interested to know what he was getting at. "So what if he is?" she countered briefly, a smile forming on her lips, "How is asking your business any way?"

Malfoy seemed suddenly disturbed, as if he just realized what he was doing, though Ginny doubted it. Malfoys always knew what they were doing. His eyes took on a far-away look, and his face softened, looking down at her with a look in his eyes Ginny had never seen before. Suddenly, Malfoy, as if on impulse, moved in, and Ginny closed her eyes, her heart suddenly beating very hard and her mind swirling with what she knew was about to happen. It was fast, and sweet. Merely a brush on her lips, nothing more. But it was strange for Ginny, knowing that that had just been her first kiss, and it had been done so gently, and, she could have sworn, lovingly, by a Malfoy.

When Ginny opened her eyes, Malfoy was standing in front of her, no longer holding her hands. She couldn't help but lick her lips, then bite the bottom one. Malfoy chuckled slightly and ran his finger along her cheekbone again, "Thats how its my business, Weasley. Thats how." And then he was gone, walking swiftly away from her, and all Ginny could do was look after his erect back, clad in black, proceeding farther and farther away from her.

Suddenly, she felt very empty. She hadn't relaized how cold it was in the hall, and that Malfoy's body had been giving her heat. Now that he was gone...She couldn't even hear the clatter of his footsteps any more, or even see the top of his silvery head. Ginny sighed, and slowly began to walk. That had been a pleasant scare, and now she had another secret to hide from the school: the fact that a Malfoy had just kissed her. But right now she was confused. In her head, there was a swirl of feelings. She didn't know exactly what she thought about Malfoy's kiss, and, frankly, she didn't really care. She hugged herself and made the long walk up to the Hospital Wing.

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Harry sat in the warm aura of the Common Room, the Marauder's Map held out before him. If he had been Head Boy this would have come in quite handy, due to the fact it showed him where every one was. His eyes scanned the map, lingering at the Hospital Wing, where he saw two dots ontop of each other. That could only mean one thing, though he wasn't going to hang around and think about it. He made note of both the names of the people, though, then moved on. He saw several other couples, their dots overriding, but finally, his eyes came to rest on one that surprised and puzzled him. 'Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley,' he thought, a smile forming on his lips. Their dots weren't exactly overriding, which meant they weren't doing what the other couples had been doing, but it could have meant they were arguing, or- dare he think, kissing?

Harry grasped the thought and got up, telling Ron on his mind, but, suddenly he froze in his tracks. 'No,' he thought, 'I won't tell Ron.' He receded back into his arm chair, and watched as the Draco Malfoy dot walked away from the Ginny Weasley one. Then, slowly, that one, too began to move in the direction of the Hospital Wing. He shook his head and moved his eyes on. That had been an interesting observation, but not the one he was looking for. Silently, he tapped the paper, thinking in his mind who he wanted it to show him. It zipped around for a moment, then settled on a particular dot. The dot that Harry stared at until his eyelids began to droop and his posture sag. The dot's name, securely located some where along the Gryffindor Girl's staircase, was that of the sleeping Parvati Patil.

Author's Note: This is a classic. The first of Ginny and Draco's romance starts here, as well as that of Noah and Stepha, who, in the next chapter will become an item. There'll be a twist for them, and lots of thoughts from every one else. It gets interesting, too. Read and Review, pretty please with a cherry on top.