Who We Settle For...And Who We Are Meant For
Chapter Six
In The Dungeons, In The Library, & Under The Oak
Last Time:
"Yeah...Blaise is talking about Hermione, Harry," Parvati said nervously, "What if...but she'd never cheat on Ron. Hermione's to good a girl."
"Of course Hermione wouldn't cheat on Ron..." Harry said, but his voice faltered as Parvati's lips moved closer to his, then finally touched. He embraced the kiss, but couldn't help thinking about Hermione and Ron's situation. 'Would she?'
Author's Note: It doesn't rhyme(the poem), but it kinda says the meaning of this chapter. Welll...I try....
You'll never figure it out
Not even if you try it
What this mysterious thing you ask?
Well, simple, its love
Draco and Blaise returned to Hogwarts rather late, though their negligence was overlooked by Snape favorably. They had had one drink too many, and were rather drunk. Fine, very drunk. They had gone about the streets of Hogmeade singing-or rather slurring- outloud three words, "I'mmmm innn lovvvee!" Now, considerably quieter, Draco was feeling rather woozy, and a bit horny, to his dislike. He needed something, and after accompanying Blaise to the Slytherin Common Room, went in search of it. He found her hanging around the entrance to the dungeons after some run with some guy. He, in his drunken state, saw only what he wanted, and so, in his blurry mindless haste had pulled his find into Snape's first year classroom, and gotten it prepared to 'help' him relieve some stress.
Ginny nervously walked along the cold, dark halls of the dungeons. She didn't usually do rounds down here, but somehow she had been drawn to the chill, stoney expanse of excessively grey space tonight. 'Maybe to see a certain someone...' a voice in her head mused, though whatever perch it had been sitting on was dutifully pulled from beneath its pudgy bottom by Ginny's more practical senses. It was eerily quiet down here, but somewhere, a sound that was slightly disturbing was ringing out. If Ginny's ears served her right, it sounded like muffled moans...moans and shrieks of pleasure. 'I wonder who...' She continued down the hall, turning every so often, hoping she wouldn't loose her way in the labrynth of stone walls. The sounds just kept on getting louder and louder and louder, until finally, she found the source of it.
If memory served her right this was Snape's first year classroom. And on the desk...Ginny's heart, strangely plummetted at the sight of a silvery-blonde head, its back towards her. 'Malfoy,' her mind registered distastefully. Not too distastfully, though. Ginny could see his erect, pale back, and, to the immiediate redness of her cheeks, his round, perfectly shaped buttocks. 'Thank god I can't see in front, though...' she thought as she watched, her mouth opening as her stomach tingled, and somewhere began to ache a bit painfully, accompanied by a familiar hotness and complimentary wetness. Ginny's mouth hung open, her breathe becoming slightly harsh as she watched the scene before her. Ginny was not a pervert. Infact, she had never seen a boy's whole body, and had never really intended to, but this....her eyes were glued, unable to move. Malfoy was pumping hard, his head thrown back, his eyes closed, his mouth gaping in pleasure and restrained groans. Who ever was beneath him, was obviously a screamer, and was obviously the source of all the shrieks and moans Ginny had been hearing. Pressing her legs together, Ginny leaned against the door frame for support, fore her knees had gone weak. "Oh, Draco, Draco, harder, harder...Please...Oh god!" a voice Ginny now identified as Pansy's moaned from beneath Draco. Ginny felt her underwear stick to the inside of her legs uncomfortably, and the valley within her thighs ache painfully hard.
A bead of sweat gleamed as it rolled down Malfoy's pale back. Ginny almost groaned, daintily placing her hand over her mouth to stifle any noise loud enough to be heard against Pansy's screams. Her blue eyes were glazed over, her mind possessed with both uncontrolable jealousy and desire. She struggled to tear her eyes away, to block her ears against what she heard next, but it was all too clear. Malfoy's head bowed back, his eyes pressed tightly together, as first Pansy hollered his name, then, he murmered in Ginny's direction a name she knew all too well. "Ginny..."
She bolted.
Draco's eyes flashed open in surprise when he realized he had uttered the name Ginny. Usually he didn't do anything when he came, unlike Pansy who made a point of saying his name. But this time...Well, he was drunk-perfect excuse. But then, to his utter astonishment, he had seen a flash of red hair, and an even scarcer flash of blue eyes. Suddenly startled, and turned on far beyond the reach of what Pansy could relieve, he pulled himself out of her, making the sticky substance implode on Snape's desk and all over everything else. Not really caring, Draco jumped off the desk and pulled on his pants all in one swift motion, the only thing on his mind Ginny. Somehow he felt as if he had something to apologize. He was guilty. He was ashamed. And he didn't care that he was a Malfoy. He just needed to get to the Weaslette. He didn't even bother with his shirt, or even hear Pansy as she called after him. He dashed through the hallway after her, her fast footsteps echoeing off the walls to keep him a check.
As he ran after her, he couldn't help but think, 'What am I doing?' He was running after a Weasley, who had just been watching his exhaust himself on Pansy. Fucking Pansy, in other words. And he was guilty, ashamed, lonely- - almost to the point of depression. Draco reeled back from the chase, suddenly. He was drunk, but only just, having sweated out most of the liquor in his bout with Pansy. Sense kicked in. Then a second-or rather sixth- sense kicked that one out, and he started again, following the continually receding sounds of the Weaslette's footsteps. He wouldn't deny any more. He couldn't suffer himself, he couldn't do this to himself any more. It was inhuman. 'I think I...I think...' he couldn't even think it out clearly, but he knew it was true. And he needed to confirm it. Running faster, he strained to catch up with the girl, but made no progress. Eventually, he stopped, breathing rather hard. He couldn't catch her. He couldn't ask her. He couldn't do anything.
And tomorrow, everything would probably be the same again. And he probably wouldn't be able to do anything about that one either.
Ginny admitted it to herself as she flung herself onto her bed, her hair damp at the tips from the 'neck down' shower she had just taken. She had needed that shower. That cold, cold shower after what she had just seen with Malfoy. Malfoy. She had heard him chasing her, and that alone had made her run faster. After all, he would probably want to kill her for seeing that estranged second when he had uttered her name, and those seconds before. Ginny couldn't help but think why he had done it though. She couldn't help but think...Maybe, just maybe...'No, Gin,' she told herself logically, 'stop fooling youself.' But she still couldn't get his face out of her mind. He had been esctasy. What would it be like to be doing that to him? Her stomach tingled. Her whole body seemed to like that train of thought. But her mind rejected. 'Not right, Gin,' she said to herself yet again, 'You don't like him, and he doesn't like you.'
Yet as she lay there, she remembered that kiss. The look on his face....She remembered everything. She couldn't get him out of her head, and by midnight, she just had to admit it, 'I think I'm in love with Malfoy.'
The next day the preparations for the ball were finished, Draco and Ginny, being strangley absent. Hermione smirked to herself, images of them both laying in bed with eachother. Then she knocked them away. That was gross, however much Ginny fancied Draco, and Draco returned those feelings. Plus, though it was illegally obvious, neither knew about the mutual attraction. Ginny, Hermione had accepted, did her best to ignore and mask the feelings, blocking the out, trying not to think about them- basically anything she could do to stop herself from having to say aloud, or think about, her infatuation with Malfoy. Mafloy was a bit less obvious about his infatuation. He was better at masking his feelings, but lately Hermione, after close observance, had begun to notice that he slipped up and became flustered whenever he passed Ginny in the hallway. 'Pity they won't get it through their thick skulls to get together...'
Then she remembered her own position. Stuck between Blaise and Ron. Ron was sweet and all, but after secretly having a one night stand with Blaise, Hermione knew he was much, much sweeter. Yes, she had had sex with Blaise. But wait, it couldn't be sex. It was love. She had made love with Blaise, and it was about time she admitted to herself who she loved more. Ron was...more like a brother, and now, it made Hermione sick to the stomach to think she had had sex with him. And Blaise was actually a really nice guy, apart from having major looks. He wasn't at all gitty out of the public eye. Infact, all that was a show. He was really, really a nice guy, and Hermione loved him with all her heart.
At lunch time, Hermione carefully made her way to the Great Hall, and took a seat across from Ron. She immiediatly saw his face light up in delight, and her heart lurched. She had been, well...avoiding Ron for the past week or so after the Spin the Bottle Truth or Dare incident. She had really needed the time alone, and was now glad she had taken it. It had given her some time to think over her relationship with the Weasley, and to begin a relationship with Blasie. She twiddled her thumbs guiltily through lunch, excahnging only meagre words with Ron, who was eager to talk and exchange days' happenings with her. Sighing, Hermione let her fork clatter to her plate. Ron took this as a sign to be quiet. "Ron...I..." her heart broke as she saw his happy face slowly dim. He had been so happy to see her...Now she was going to break his fragile heart, and probably kill his male ego as well.
"What is it, Hermione?" Ron asked bravely. Hermione motioned for him to get up, and slowly walked out of the Great Hall, seeing the Blaise was eyeing her from the Slytherin table. Ron followed her, his step loosing its proud springy way as they settled in a dark, deserted corridor. A balloon of dread hung over them both as Hermione turned to face him, tears in her eyes. "Ron...I'm...really sorry but," Hermione took a deep breathe, and belted out, "I'm really sorry, but I don't think things are working out between us. Please don't hate me, but I consider you as more of a brother than anything, and...well, I think we should...separate." Hermione closed her eyes and waited for the outburst, taking deep breathe while she was at it. To her surprise none came.
"I-um-I dunno what to say," Ron said. Hermione looked up. Ron's ears were slightly pink, but nothing more. "I didn't think it was working out between us either, Mione. Its perfectly fine that you broke up with me. Maybe we can still be friends?" Hermione grinned and nodded. 'Wow,' she thought, 'that was waaay easier than Lavendar said it would be.'
Together the friends walked back to the Great Hall.
Ginny hid in the library, somewhere Malfoy was most unlikely to look. She knew he would be searching for her like a hound, and that once he found her, he would be on her like white on rice. Surrounded by the comfortingly crisp, white pages of books, Ginny sat in a plushy armchair, a book held inches from her creamy white nose. She had been here since morning, and had ignored the ball preparation that had been set that morning. 'Not like they'll miss me,' she thought. She was just gettting to the best part of her book when the fine hairs on the back of her neck raised in warning. She was being watched and every single one of her senses knew it. Nervously, Ginny put the book down and looked around. A blur of fair hair- - silver-blonde hair, and Ginny's heart was pumping. She got up, discarding her book and making her way silently, yet swiftly to the exit.
A hand reached out suddenly from within the shadows of the bookcases, enclosing her hand in a steely grip that she was vaguely familiar with. She was pulled roughly into the shadows of the library, another hand clamping over her mouth to stifle her screams. She was slammed roughly and slightly painfully into a wall in a part of the library she didn't know, and her hands her only source of weaponry, were fastened over her head. She stared up into the not-so-angry face of Draco Malfoy.
"So Weasley..." Draco said, licking his lips as he peered down into the innocently beautiful face of the girl who had kept him awake all night, "Did you like the show last night?" He knew it was a bit of a stupid thing to ask, but he had rehearsed this all last night. He pressed his body a bit closer to hers, taking in a deep breathe of her scent-strawberries.
"W-what show, Malfoy?" Ginny asked. After the little statement she had made to herself last night, being around the Slytherin Prince was unnerving her even more than usual. Draco stared down into her eyes, those icy blue eyes, and saw this.
Chuckling, he said, "You know what I mean Weasley." He thrust his abdomen against her leg slightly, as if to point out what he knew she had seen. Slowly, he bent down and whispered into her ear, a strand of the blood red mane tickling his nose, "I know you saw it. And I know you liked it..." This, to Draco's pleasure, made the girl shiver involuntarily. He knew very well his manner was probably making her very wet. Come to think of that...
"I didn't like it," Ginny said, breaking the mood he had had going, "I was just doing my job. I'm a Prefect after all." Her voice was stronger, firmer and more serious than she actually felt, and Draco could read it, again, in her eyes. How he loved her eyes!
"Why did you run away, then?" he whispered again, this time feeling goose-bumps rise all over her skin. "No, wait, don't answer that," he said as a second thought, "Mhmm, I'll give you a first hand taste of what Pansy was going through...shall I?" It wasn't as if she had any choice, and it wasn't as if he was actually do anything. This was both an excuse to frighten her, and to be near her, to feel her skin against his skin, her lips, once again, against his own. Draco wanted that, he wanted the completeness, the sense of adventure and defiance she brought him whenever she was there. He wanted it-at least a bit of it- and he was going to get it, and preserve that moment in his mind for ever.
He felt her wriggle a bit. "Don't you dare," her voice hissed dangerously in his ear, making his skin prickle. She had a dangerous ego, he bet, and fire behind the ice in her eyes. He looked at her face intently, counting each faded freckle on her fair face. This was heaven.
"...Oh...but I do..."
Ginny felt Draco's lips press so gently against the skin on her neck, then his lips found a more sensitive spot beneath her ear. She wriggled against his hard, lean body again. Not that she wasn't enjoying this. Hell, if anything she was. The butterfly kisses against her skin, so gentle and ticklish, so almost loving. It was just that this was wrong. So what if she maybe liked Malfoy a bit- she was almost too sure he was doing all this to scare her. Almost. But everything he was doing...it was so...good. There was no other word for it. Good. It felt proper, and right, like the kiss before. She groaned a bit when he looked up, leaving her neck unattended. "Like this, do you?" he mused to her, moving in closer and closer until his nose was touching hers and she could taste his breathe. 'Minty,' she thought briefly before his and her lips connected. This time, it wasn't just a mere brush. His tongue slithered out and into her mouth, like a hot devil receding into its hell. She gasped a bit at first contact, his tongue on hers. But soon, something that could only be described as a fight for dominance was going on- - and it was making Ginny dangerously hungry.
She couldn't say why. Between her legs was hot and wet-aching for attention, attention that she would most definetly not let Malfoy, who was also the person making it so, give it. Then there was the fact that this was-what?: Sunday evening. Monday night, was her next official feeding- but the hunger was coming on now. She guessed it could be blamed on the fact that she had neglected to eat much the past week-or on the fact that she was so close to Malfoy she could smell the warm blood flowing beneath his skin. She had been close to others like this-hugging Stepha and Noah and such when good things happened- but somehow Malfoy's blood was calling to her to drink it. It smelt so good, blended with how he smelt naturally. His skin was so pale, so biteable. 'Kissable, too,' she thought as Malfoy left her lips for her neck, caught up in a passion Ginny didn't think was planned, fore she could feel something hard against her abdomen. Slowly, she inched her tongue out to lick his skin, feeling him shudder, obeying her touch. Ginny reeled in pleasure, both from the kissed, licks and nips her neck was now victim to, and the pleasant taste of his skin.
Ginny had never actually preyed on any living being, but here...Her eyes rolled back in her head, Malfoy too busy he didn't even notice when they came back red, and her fangs slicking into size. She ran her tongue across them, caught up in the pleasure and hunger of this moment. Slowly, she dipped her head down to Malfoy's shoulder...
Draco was overcome with feelings of desire-lust. Never had he lusted after someone so strongly, never had he felt the need for some one so...'Urgh, stupid shirt,' he thought as his lips met the fabric of Ginny's cotton over-throw. The song he and a drunken Blaise had been singing yesterday came back to mind. ' 'I'm in love',' he pictured out the words in his mind, then thought them, clearly, with a bit of changing, 'I'm in love with...Ginny Weasley...' He felt her breathe on his neck, then a cool feeling, that could only he her tongue, then her breathe again. 'She just licked me?' he thought happily, sucking away at her collarbone, preparing to leave his mark there. Suddenly an unbelievably painful sting pierced his neck, quickly reverbrating through his body, from the very spot that he felt Ginny's breathe. He felt a liquid flowing down his shoulder. 'Blood,' he thought, pulling away, and groping at his neck, which still stung painfully. "What did you do?" he asked, outraged, looking at the slight amount of blood in his hands.
He directed his gaze towards where she had been, only to find that she wasn't there. She wasn't even in the library.
Ginny wasn't out by the lake at the time they had previously planned, but both Noah and Stepha didn't mind. They cuddled together under the tree, knowing Ginny had been out late last night and was probably sleeping her arse off. Stepha was acutely aware that Noah was shifting around nervously, his heart beating ten times its normal pace as she laid her head against his chest and his eyes restless as the rest of him. Grasping his hand, Stepha asked with concern, "Noah, whats wrong? You seem out of it today."
Noah froze, his eyes moving down to look Stepha in the eyes, the brown orbs taking on a look of absolute devotion mixed with nervousness as he did so. 'To do it, or not to do it,' he thought shiftily. He looked into Stepha's dark eyes and he was overwhelmed with love. 'But what it she refuses?' he thought suddenly. He looked in her eyes and saw all her love for him there, and finally stroked that possibility out. 'What if I mess up?' He looked down at her. She loved him, and he knew she wouldn't mind. 'What if it isn't the right time?' Oh, shut up and do it already. He cleared his throat and gently ushered Stepha off him. "Uh, stand up," he said, straightening himself out at the same time. She did so, her eyes dancing. He stood facing her for a minute. Plunging his hand in his pocket, he began, "Stepha. These past few days I've spent with you have felt like an eternity. I've loved and savored every second more than any other time in my life. I-I'd just like to say: I love you and I was-I was wondering if you would-if..."'Oh god I'm messing up, I'm messing up!' He shakily kneeled in front of her, on one knee, pulling a black ring-box out of his pocket and opening it with his next words, "If you'd marry me?"
Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took so long, but I'm pretty busy these days, preparing for school and stuff. So, read and tell me what you think, pretty please, it would be so nice of you to. Next chapter'll take even longer than this one basically because my family has planned a last minute trip to the Caribbean since we haven't done anything worthwhile this summer. For the person who reviewed concerning the Aussie Kiss-- I can't tell you where I'm from, but I can tell you that I learned about an Aussie Kiss at a friend's house while playing that same game. Gross as it is, I saw an actaul real life Aussie Kiss delivered. Thats how I got the idea to put it in the story. Sooo...Thanks for the reviews, and please review this chapter. :-)