Disclaimer: If I owned any of this, would I really have time to write
fanfiction.... I mean, c'mon... If I owned Harry Potter and company, I
wouldn't be writing this, I would be working on book 6.....
A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews... Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Sorry about the long wait between recent posts... I've had a bad case of the flu, in addition to a LOT of work to do.... Anyway, here's chapter 14!!!!
The Least Likely Prince Charming
Chapter 14
Ten Ways to Charm a Prince
If Ginny Weasley were to write a book about her last two weeks following her conversation with Snape, she had decided she would call it "Ten Ways to Charm a Prince." Because that was exactly how she had spent the last 2 weeks.
The first attempt Ginny made to charm her prince happened immediately after the revelations she had made when being interrogated by Snape. She had kissed Snape on the cheek, and ran out of the room, heading off to find Draco, with no clear plan in mind. Well, if she was writing a book about it, this would be what she would have called her first attempt:
Way number 1: Practically tackle said prince outside his classroom and ask him out in front of numerous students in his year, including his Slytherin friends and his worst enemies, which happen to coincidently be your overprotective older brother and his just as overprotective closest friends....
Because that was exactly what Ginny had done. And of course, in hindsight it was all pretty clear that this way wouldn't work, but Ginny was always one to act impulsively.
Ginny had hurried around the school, asking every student she happened to meet if they knew where Draco was this period. This, of course, caused a stir among the students, with most of the students thinking that Ginny was trying to avoid Draco's normal bout of Gryffindor torture. Finally, after the fifth random student she asked, a Hufflepuff girl told her exactly where to find him.
"He has McGonigal's class at this time." she had said, slightly surprised when Ginny started hurrying TOWARDS McGonigal's class, instead of in the opposite direction, as she had expected. Ginny had stood in the hallway and waited impatiently for McGonigal's class to let out, then stood and said "hi" to those students she knew who filed out before Malfoy. And then Draco had come out the door......
He had stopped briefly, as a shocked look had flitted across his face briefly, before being replaced by his standard bored look. And for once, Ginny had noticed one of those brief, millisecond looks that spoke of his true feelings... And Ginny had begun to see behind his "mask"....
And Ginny stood right in front of him, blocking his and his friends' path, and took a deep breath, and said it....
"Will you eat dinner with me tonight, Draco. I have something I want to talk to you about?" She said, very quickly in her nervousness.
And Zambini and Crabbe, who were exiting the classroom with him, began to laugh hysterically... And the look on Draco's face had flitted from joy, to quickly turn to a heartbreaking mixture of an angry and hurt look, and then the mask slid back on into his customary smirk...
"Nice try, Weasley." Was all he had said, with a smirk, and stalked away, leaving Ginny to briefly wonder what he was thinking... Briefly, because she was quickly pounced on by her brother and his friends.
"Please tell me that was a joke..." Harry had mumbled.
"It's none of your business!" Was all Ginny had said, and walked away.
So that was Ginny's first attempt, which of course did not go well. But Ginny had learned a lesson from that fiasco - if the person you are trying to charm happens to be a mortal enemy of your family, ask him out in a private place, not in front of his friends and your family (a.k.a his mortal enemies)....
Ginny had named the second attempt she had made this -
Way number 2: If the first way doesn't work (which it is obvious to everyone with even a partial brain that it would not work) try this next. Send him a letter by owl post, asking him to meet you in the astronomy tower at a particular time.
And Ginny had waited there for more than an hour, but Draco never showed up... But Ginny didn't give up yet.
Her next attempt began when she thought to take a page from Draco's book. She named it this:
Way number 3:
Send him gifts and romantic notes from a secret admirer....
Now, Ginny didn't have a lot of money, but she did have a hoard of homemade goodies her mom always sends... And she sent those to Draco for a couple of days along with little notes to him...
And she had got everything back on the third day, with a note that said:
"Please stop sending me this stuff and bothering me. It's pretty obvious you are trying to get back at me, and I'm not going to fall for it. - DM"
This note had devastated Ginny, and she was about ready to give up, until she came up with a new idea... Which after the fact, she had called this:
Way number 4: Stalk him, looking for a moment when he is alone so that you can talk to your prince in private..
Now, when Ginny had started this plan, she had no idea how scary it really was that she was doing it... She just thought she would follow him around until she caught him alone...
Ginny had stopped this following the next letter she received from Draco. It had said:
"Quit FOLLOWING me around. There are laws against stalking, you know... - DM"
After that, Ginny had taken a little break to pull her thoughts together. Then she had started her campaign again. The next thing she did, she liked to refer to as this:
Way 5: If your prince is a prefect, conspire with your friends to get him somewhere alone, looking for the trouble makers....
Luna had helped her with that one. They had spread a rumor that some Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students were playing strip poker in the Room of Requirement every Wednesday night, which happened to be his hall duty evening. Ginny had thought that the mere thought of all those rival house students to write up would cause him to drool... But she was wrong... Draco, whom she had heard from very excellent sources knew all about the strip poker party, had never showed...
The next thing Ginny had done was one of the ones she felt was the stupidest yet.. She liked to call it this:
Way 6: Dress in a way guaranteed to get a guy's attention, and flaunt your physical assets around said prince whenever possible (bend over with low cut robes, lots of make-up, etc.)..
That one hadn't gone so well. Ron had started glaring at her continually, making snide comments about her needing a robe that covered more... And Draco had avoided looking at her altogether.
After that, Ginny started dressing like she normally had, and had begun to plot more things she could do to get Draco to realize how she feels...
The next thing she did was what she like to call -
Way number 7: Try to make friends with his friends, thus insinuating yourself irrevocably into your prince's life...
After 10 minutes of attempting to have a normal, nice, intelligent conversation with Pansy and Millicent, Ginny had quickly dropped that idea, especially when she realized rather quickly that Draco did not have any REAL friends...
Ginny liked to think the next thing she had tried might have worked, if it hadn't have been for Harry's interference. It had been, after all, what had gotten Ginny and Draco spending a lot of time together in the first place. This one she liked to call:
Way number 8: If your prince is angry at you and avoiding you, make sure you have to spend some quality time together, such as a place like detention.
So Ginny had engineered another "accident" for the two of them to have...
Ginny had saw him in the cafeteria, and headed over his way.
"Oops!!! She had said loudly, as she practically threw her plate of food on Malfoy. Malfoy did not even say a word as he started to walk away. That was not in Ginny's plan, so she had improvised...
"Draco Malfoy!" She had yelled, and she had pulled out her want. Draco had turned around, and saw her wand pointing at him, and reflexively pulled out his wand. But before either of them could say a word, Harry had saw Draco pulling out his wand and pointing it at Ginny, and had hexed Draco..... Right in front of Snape....
So, after that fiasco, which Harry was still serving detention for, but which Malfoy had quickly recovered from, Ginny had given up on trying to get Draco in a fight so they could end up in detention together.
That was when Ginny had come up with her ninth idea, which she liked to call:
Way number 9: Send your prince multiple love letters by owl post, telling him of your true feelings...
Unfortunately, Ginny had sent her letters using Errol, her older brother Percy's old owl, which had been passed on to her, and the owl was VERY old, and VERY senile... So, now Neville Longbottom is under the impression that she has a crush on him, and has spent the last 2 days since the letter delivery trying to let her down lightly, as he already has a girlfriend....
So, Ginny now sat and contemplated what she would do next. But, she was fresh out of ideas... So, she decided to owl her mom for help (without telling her WHO she had a crush on of course...
Two days later....
It was late at night, when Ginny sat and read the letter her mom had sent.
Dear Ginny,
Hello, my dear. I am glad school is going well for you . Congratulations on your "A" in potions. I'm sorry to hear about your boy troubles. I wish I could tell you exactly what to do or say, and make it all alright, but I can't do that. I can only tell you to be yourself, and be honest. (And it sounds like you haven't been the Ginny I know, or completely honest, in the letter you wrote me explaining what you had tried so far.) The Ginny I know is direct, straight forward, and not scared of anything, especially when going after something she wants.... So, that is my advice to you, be honest with the boy.
Love and Kisses, Mom
P.S. I loved the way you numbered all the things you tried and titled it... Very creative!! I hope number 10, whatever it may be, will be the last one :)!
P.P.S. Don't let Ron's overprotectiveness bother you!!! He's only looking out for his baby sister!!!
Ginny thought for a moment, contemplating what her mom had said.
"Mom's right!!!" She exclaimed to the empty room. "I haven't been myself at all!! I would chase him down, no matter where he is, and be completely honest about how I really feel!! I wouldn't sneak around like I have been!!" Ginny stated, throwing the letter on her bed as she stood up quickly.
And before she headed out to find Draco, she titled way number 10 in her head...
Way number 10 - Be honest, be real, be YOURSELF!!
DRACO MALFOY'S BEDROOM - SLYTHERIN HOUSE
Draco was trying to sleep, but thoughts kept intruding. And all of his thoughts centered around one theme... Ginny Weasley.
When Ginny had asked him out, Draco had been overjoyed. At least until he realized it had all been her idea of retaliation. Which he honestly couldn't fault her for, because he would have done the exact same thing in light of what she believed he had done.
But Ginny didn't give up. She kept trying to convince him that she liked him, which Draco knew could not be true. She had sent him gifts and followed him around trying to get him alone... Each time she did something like this, he couldn't stop the thrill that he felt for the split second he thought it was true, until, of course reality intruded...
She was a Weasley, and he was a Malfoy, and no matter what he did, no matter what he said, or felt, or no matter how much he tried to change.... Ginny would never see him as more than a Malfoy.... And Draco knew that she deserved far better than him... But all of this could not stop him from yearning for her...
So deep was he in thought, that Draco did not hear the whispered unlocking spell, the door quietly opened, and a quiet rustling of footsteps across the thick, dark green carpet.
Ginny hugged Harry's invisibility cloak tightly around her small body, as she looked at the tall body laying on the bed in the darkness. She drew a deep breath and stepped closer to the bed.
Draco closed his eyes, and pretended to sleep, as the feeling of being watched and the quiet indrawn breath reached his consciousness... And braced his body for attack as he felt the person move closer... And then he felt the feather soft feel of lips gently brushing his own, and a gentle hand moving his blonde hair away from his brow. He reached up, feeling for the cloak, and upon finding it, managed to pull down the hood...
As Draco unmasked Ginny, she found herself staring into his silver eyes, made a stormy midnight gray by the darkness in the room... And she smiled at him lovingly.... "I really do love you, you know... It isn't a trick, or a joke, or revenge.... And I believe that you love me too...." She whispered to him in the still of the room as she looked earnestly into his eyes...
As Draco looked back at the girl he loved, saying the words he was longing to hear, he answered in the only way he could. He put his arms around her and pulled her back down to him on the bed, and began to kiss her.... Her eyebrows, her cheeks, the freckles on her nose, made invisible in the darkness, before finally finding his way to her lips... This has to be a dream, he thought to himself.... But his dreams had never felt this good......
Fate watched the kissing couple, and smiled, wiping at the tears that were trickling down her cheeks. Draco and Ginny had finally found each other.... But fate knew that nothing was ever this easy, as the couple still had a few more trials to go through before the happy ending.....
Coming up: What happens after Prince Charming and Cinderella kiss? I think I hear the chimes ringing... one....two.....three....four....five....six.....seven....eight....nine....te n....eleven....twelve.......
Find out what happens next in Chapter 15: The Attack of the Evil Stepsisters.....
A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews... Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Sorry about the long wait between recent posts... I've had a bad case of the flu, in addition to a LOT of work to do.... Anyway, here's chapter 14!!!!
The Least Likely Prince Charming
Chapter 14
Ten Ways to Charm a Prince
If Ginny Weasley were to write a book about her last two weeks following her conversation with Snape, she had decided she would call it "Ten Ways to Charm a Prince." Because that was exactly how she had spent the last 2 weeks.
The first attempt Ginny made to charm her prince happened immediately after the revelations she had made when being interrogated by Snape. She had kissed Snape on the cheek, and ran out of the room, heading off to find Draco, with no clear plan in mind. Well, if she was writing a book about it, this would be what she would have called her first attempt:
Way number 1: Practically tackle said prince outside his classroom and ask him out in front of numerous students in his year, including his Slytherin friends and his worst enemies, which happen to coincidently be your overprotective older brother and his just as overprotective closest friends....
Because that was exactly what Ginny had done. And of course, in hindsight it was all pretty clear that this way wouldn't work, but Ginny was always one to act impulsively.
Ginny had hurried around the school, asking every student she happened to meet if they knew where Draco was this period. This, of course, caused a stir among the students, with most of the students thinking that Ginny was trying to avoid Draco's normal bout of Gryffindor torture. Finally, after the fifth random student she asked, a Hufflepuff girl told her exactly where to find him.
"He has McGonigal's class at this time." she had said, slightly surprised when Ginny started hurrying TOWARDS McGonigal's class, instead of in the opposite direction, as she had expected. Ginny had stood in the hallway and waited impatiently for McGonigal's class to let out, then stood and said "hi" to those students she knew who filed out before Malfoy. And then Draco had come out the door......
He had stopped briefly, as a shocked look had flitted across his face briefly, before being replaced by his standard bored look. And for once, Ginny had noticed one of those brief, millisecond looks that spoke of his true feelings... And Ginny had begun to see behind his "mask"....
And Ginny stood right in front of him, blocking his and his friends' path, and took a deep breath, and said it....
"Will you eat dinner with me tonight, Draco. I have something I want to talk to you about?" She said, very quickly in her nervousness.
And Zambini and Crabbe, who were exiting the classroom with him, began to laugh hysterically... And the look on Draco's face had flitted from joy, to quickly turn to a heartbreaking mixture of an angry and hurt look, and then the mask slid back on into his customary smirk...
"Nice try, Weasley." Was all he had said, with a smirk, and stalked away, leaving Ginny to briefly wonder what he was thinking... Briefly, because she was quickly pounced on by her brother and his friends.
"Please tell me that was a joke..." Harry had mumbled.
"It's none of your business!" Was all Ginny had said, and walked away.
So that was Ginny's first attempt, which of course did not go well. But Ginny had learned a lesson from that fiasco - if the person you are trying to charm happens to be a mortal enemy of your family, ask him out in a private place, not in front of his friends and your family (a.k.a his mortal enemies)....
Ginny had named the second attempt she had made this -
Way number 2: If the first way doesn't work (which it is obvious to everyone with even a partial brain that it would not work) try this next. Send him a letter by owl post, asking him to meet you in the astronomy tower at a particular time.
And Ginny had waited there for more than an hour, but Draco never showed up... But Ginny didn't give up yet.
Her next attempt began when she thought to take a page from Draco's book. She named it this:
Way number 3:
Send him gifts and romantic notes from a secret admirer....
Now, Ginny didn't have a lot of money, but she did have a hoard of homemade goodies her mom always sends... And she sent those to Draco for a couple of days along with little notes to him...
And she had got everything back on the third day, with a note that said:
"Please stop sending me this stuff and bothering me. It's pretty obvious you are trying to get back at me, and I'm not going to fall for it. - DM"
This note had devastated Ginny, and she was about ready to give up, until she came up with a new idea... Which after the fact, she had called this:
Way number 4: Stalk him, looking for a moment when he is alone so that you can talk to your prince in private..
Now, when Ginny had started this plan, she had no idea how scary it really was that she was doing it... She just thought she would follow him around until she caught him alone...
Ginny had stopped this following the next letter she received from Draco. It had said:
"Quit FOLLOWING me around. There are laws against stalking, you know... - DM"
After that, Ginny had taken a little break to pull her thoughts together. Then she had started her campaign again. The next thing she did, she liked to refer to as this:
Way 5: If your prince is a prefect, conspire with your friends to get him somewhere alone, looking for the trouble makers....
Luna had helped her with that one. They had spread a rumor that some Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students were playing strip poker in the Room of Requirement every Wednesday night, which happened to be his hall duty evening. Ginny had thought that the mere thought of all those rival house students to write up would cause him to drool... But she was wrong... Draco, whom she had heard from very excellent sources knew all about the strip poker party, had never showed...
The next thing Ginny had done was one of the ones she felt was the stupidest yet.. She liked to call it this:
Way 6: Dress in a way guaranteed to get a guy's attention, and flaunt your physical assets around said prince whenever possible (bend over with low cut robes, lots of make-up, etc.)..
That one hadn't gone so well. Ron had started glaring at her continually, making snide comments about her needing a robe that covered more... And Draco had avoided looking at her altogether.
After that, Ginny started dressing like she normally had, and had begun to plot more things she could do to get Draco to realize how she feels...
The next thing she did was what she like to call -
Way number 7: Try to make friends with his friends, thus insinuating yourself irrevocably into your prince's life...
After 10 minutes of attempting to have a normal, nice, intelligent conversation with Pansy and Millicent, Ginny had quickly dropped that idea, especially when she realized rather quickly that Draco did not have any REAL friends...
Ginny liked to think the next thing she had tried might have worked, if it hadn't have been for Harry's interference. It had been, after all, what had gotten Ginny and Draco spending a lot of time together in the first place. This one she liked to call:
Way number 8: If your prince is angry at you and avoiding you, make sure you have to spend some quality time together, such as a place like detention.
So Ginny had engineered another "accident" for the two of them to have...
Ginny had saw him in the cafeteria, and headed over his way.
"Oops!!! She had said loudly, as she practically threw her plate of food on Malfoy. Malfoy did not even say a word as he started to walk away. That was not in Ginny's plan, so she had improvised...
"Draco Malfoy!" She had yelled, and she had pulled out her want. Draco had turned around, and saw her wand pointing at him, and reflexively pulled out his wand. But before either of them could say a word, Harry had saw Draco pulling out his wand and pointing it at Ginny, and had hexed Draco..... Right in front of Snape....
So, after that fiasco, which Harry was still serving detention for, but which Malfoy had quickly recovered from, Ginny had given up on trying to get Draco in a fight so they could end up in detention together.
That was when Ginny had come up with her ninth idea, which she liked to call:
Way number 9: Send your prince multiple love letters by owl post, telling him of your true feelings...
Unfortunately, Ginny had sent her letters using Errol, her older brother Percy's old owl, which had been passed on to her, and the owl was VERY old, and VERY senile... So, now Neville Longbottom is under the impression that she has a crush on him, and has spent the last 2 days since the letter delivery trying to let her down lightly, as he already has a girlfriend....
So, Ginny now sat and contemplated what she would do next. But, she was fresh out of ideas... So, she decided to owl her mom for help (without telling her WHO she had a crush on of course...
Two days later....
It was late at night, when Ginny sat and read the letter her mom had sent.
Dear Ginny,
Hello, my dear. I am glad school is going well for you . Congratulations on your "A" in potions. I'm sorry to hear about your boy troubles. I wish I could tell you exactly what to do or say, and make it all alright, but I can't do that. I can only tell you to be yourself, and be honest. (And it sounds like you haven't been the Ginny I know, or completely honest, in the letter you wrote me explaining what you had tried so far.) The Ginny I know is direct, straight forward, and not scared of anything, especially when going after something she wants.... So, that is my advice to you, be honest with the boy.
Love and Kisses, Mom
P.S. I loved the way you numbered all the things you tried and titled it... Very creative!! I hope number 10, whatever it may be, will be the last one :)!
P.P.S. Don't let Ron's overprotectiveness bother you!!! He's only looking out for his baby sister!!!
Ginny thought for a moment, contemplating what her mom had said.
"Mom's right!!!" She exclaimed to the empty room. "I haven't been myself at all!! I would chase him down, no matter where he is, and be completely honest about how I really feel!! I wouldn't sneak around like I have been!!" Ginny stated, throwing the letter on her bed as she stood up quickly.
And before she headed out to find Draco, she titled way number 10 in her head...
Way number 10 - Be honest, be real, be YOURSELF!!
DRACO MALFOY'S BEDROOM - SLYTHERIN HOUSE
Draco was trying to sleep, but thoughts kept intruding. And all of his thoughts centered around one theme... Ginny Weasley.
When Ginny had asked him out, Draco had been overjoyed. At least until he realized it had all been her idea of retaliation. Which he honestly couldn't fault her for, because he would have done the exact same thing in light of what she believed he had done.
But Ginny didn't give up. She kept trying to convince him that she liked him, which Draco knew could not be true. She had sent him gifts and followed him around trying to get him alone... Each time she did something like this, he couldn't stop the thrill that he felt for the split second he thought it was true, until, of course reality intruded...
She was a Weasley, and he was a Malfoy, and no matter what he did, no matter what he said, or felt, or no matter how much he tried to change.... Ginny would never see him as more than a Malfoy.... And Draco knew that she deserved far better than him... But all of this could not stop him from yearning for her...
So deep was he in thought, that Draco did not hear the whispered unlocking spell, the door quietly opened, and a quiet rustling of footsteps across the thick, dark green carpet.
Ginny hugged Harry's invisibility cloak tightly around her small body, as she looked at the tall body laying on the bed in the darkness. She drew a deep breath and stepped closer to the bed.
Draco closed his eyes, and pretended to sleep, as the feeling of being watched and the quiet indrawn breath reached his consciousness... And braced his body for attack as he felt the person move closer... And then he felt the feather soft feel of lips gently brushing his own, and a gentle hand moving his blonde hair away from his brow. He reached up, feeling for the cloak, and upon finding it, managed to pull down the hood...
As Draco unmasked Ginny, she found herself staring into his silver eyes, made a stormy midnight gray by the darkness in the room... And she smiled at him lovingly.... "I really do love you, you know... It isn't a trick, or a joke, or revenge.... And I believe that you love me too...." She whispered to him in the still of the room as she looked earnestly into his eyes...
As Draco looked back at the girl he loved, saying the words he was longing to hear, he answered in the only way he could. He put his arms around her and pulled her back down to him on the bed, and began to kiss her.... Her eyebrows, her cheeks, the freckles on her nose, made invisible in the darkness, before finally finding his way to her lips... This has to be a dream, he thought to himself.... But his dreams had never felt this good......
Fate watched the kissing couple, and smiled, wiping at the tears that were trickling down her cheeks. Draco and Ginny had finally found each other.... But fate knew that nothing was ever this easy, as the couple still had a few more trials to go through before the happy ending.....
Coming up: What happens after Prince Charming and Cinderella kiss? I think I hear the chimes ringing... one....two.....three....four....five....six.....seven....eight....nine....te n....eleven....twelve.......
Find out what happens next in Chapter 15: The Attack of the Evil Stepsisters.....