I have no affiliation with various copyright holders, etcetera. Many apologies for the last chapter, which suffered from much suction. So, part of this is going back over what was covered in Chapter 7.

Chapter 8

The ball was in two days, and Draco still hadn't asked Ginny out. Why? He really could not say why. It just seemed to be happening, this lack of time, this lack of focus. What had happened to his Malfoy strength and sense of determination? Draco seemed to have lost it, at least temporarily. Well, perhaps it was better if he didn't possess all of the same qualities as his ancestors, considering where it got his father. But, he knew what would happen in two days' time. He'd go to the ball alone, she'd go by herself, they might dance, he would ask her to go to Hogsmeade with him and set the swing in motion. If she had already gotten a date-Heaven forbid it be the Famous Yet Ever So Annoying Potter- then her predicted love for Draco would kick in and she would realise that her date was an asshole- if she did go with Harry, she should have figured that out a long time ago. Ginny had to love him, it was in the prophecy. And he had to love her. Yet, he felt so...indifferent about the entire situation. He felt rather passive towards almost everything these days. Maybe he would learn how to...feel.

Draco snapped out of his reverie as his fork scraped against his once-full plate of scrambled eggs, as he realised that he had eaten his breakfast without noticing, so lost in thought had he been. It was Saturday morning, free from classes and work. Nothing that he couldn't procrastinate on, at any rate. Standing up, he walked out through the entrance hall into the autumn light; it was perfect weather for flying.

Noticing this, Ginny pointed out his departure to Kara. The redhead got up and followed him out the double doors.

Quietly catching up to Draco, Ginny reached the broom shed seconds after he did. Taking out her Cleansweep and a spare Quaffle, Ginny kicked off of the soft turf and rose to hover near Draco. Now the Slytherin Keeper, somehow their team had found someone with even less bulk to replace him as Seeker. Just as she had switched to Chaser, once Harry had returned to the team as Seeker, of course, and Gryffindor captain as well. Sharply swerving in front of the older boy, Ginny suddenly chucked the Quaffle at him with a swift flick of her wrist. Caught off guard, Draco lunged to the side and just barely caught it, his fingers slipping slightly on the smooth surface. Watching him tuck the leather ball under one arm and sweep his hair back with his free hand, she called out, "Nice morning, isn't it?"

"Yeah, really excellent for visibility. We'll have a hell of a time playing once it starts raining." Wow. Fascinating topic. The weather. But then, he had to suppose, it was one of the reasons he had come out here in the first place.

"Want to practice together?" Ginny asked.

"Sure."

"Yeah, I just want to make sure that we'll completely slaughter you next week," she said, raising one reddish-golden eyebrow.

"We'll have to see about that," came the reply as Draco passed the Quaffle back and flew over to protect the goals on one end of the Quidditch pitch.

Draco was a fair Keeper, managing to stay calm and casual despite the fact that Ginny's hair was fluttering in the slight breeze and her lips looked extremely kissable at the moment. He remembered the time when she had been in the hospital wing...had Ginny remembered that? Would she have remembered it? Seconds later he missed a goal due to absentmindedly running a finger over his own lips and not paying attention to what was happening.

"I can see we'll definitely win with a large margin. Good for our House points," Ginny teased.

"Oh, come on, I can't be on top form all of the time."

"So you're admitting that we Gryffindors will be kicking your arses in the next game, and maybe the next few matches after that too?"

"Well, no, of course not."

"You want to change that to, yes, of course Gryffindor will win the match?" Harry's voice came from nowhere. Looking around, he turned out to be flying directly below them. Draco gave an audible sigh. That Potter seemed to ruin everything. Well, except for causing the war that got his father killed. He might actually be grateful for that. Sadistic, yes, but worth it.

"Not giving away any team secrets, are you, Ginny?" Harry asked, turning his broom upwards and settling himself in the air between Draco and Ginny.

"No, just trying to give Malfoy's confidence a bit of a boost. In reverse."

"That's our Ginny. Always taking one for the team. So, how long have you been out here?"

She took a quick glance at her watch. "Oh, about an hour."

"Well, your friend Kara sent me out here to tell you that she wants you to help her out with the Potions homework, but that if you're doing something important that it can wait."

"Alright, then." Throwing the Quaffle back to the blond boy, she smoothly fell into a dive, preparing to land. "See you later!" she called back.

As from yards above her head he watched Ginny enter the stone walls of the castle, Draco felt strangely empty. Drained. As if something had suddenly burned a hole through a thin-bottomed cauldron and was sucking out his emotions. Was this the way love felt?