All I Ask of You
This is my first ever Draco/Ginny fic. I'm very excited! Please read and tell me what you think. (hint: REVIEW!)
Disclaimer: This is the part of the fanfiction where I say something clever to get your attention and at the same time briefly mention that I don't own the Harry Potter series.
It was raining outside, dark even at 2 in the afternoon. Draco could not take his gaze away from the window, where storm clouds threatened anyone who dared to go outside that day. His life as a Slytherin prince was not what he expected it to be at all. It was his 7th year at Hogwarts, and from all the stories his father told him, things weren't as good as they could be. His friends were boring and quite idiotic; they were more like minions than actual friends. All the girls were either ugly or too shy. What was Slytherin House coming to?
"Mr. Malfoy, please pay attention! If you don't pass this class, you won't graduate!" Professor Flagg, the new Muggle Studies teacher shouted at Draco, who soon remembered he was still in class. Draco had been forced to take Muggle Studies since he failed Divination last marking period, and he was stuck sitting next to Ginevra Weasley, who insulted him at least once a day. All he asked was to get through the year without failing, so why did he have to put up with her every day?
"Today we will be studying muggle literature of the late 19th, early 20th century. Who has read or heard of the Phantom of the Opera by French muggle author, Gaston Leroux?" Hermione Granger's hand shot up in the air immediately.
"My mum read it to me when I was very little," she explained. Draco smirked. Of course a mudblood like Granger would've read a stupid muggle book.
"Well, you're going to be reading it again, then," Professor Flagg took out her wand and waved it. About a dozen books flew out of the closet and onto each of the students' desks.
"Open your books to chapter 1. Who would like to begin reading?" Hermione's hand shot in the air once again. As Hermione began to read, Draco's eyes wandered across the room, stopping and staring, trance-like, at the girl next to him.
"-the girl with the tip-tilted nose, the forget-me-not eyes, the rose-red cheeks, and the lily-white neck and shoulders-..." the description which Hermione read fit Ginny Weasley perfectly. Draco hated the girl, despite her beauty; their families were exact opposites and bitter rivals. The Weasleys were a poor, muggle-loving, Gryffindor family, and the Malfoys were a rich, pureblood, Slytherin family.
"The ghost had appeared to them in the shape of a gentleman in dress clothes, who had suddenly stood before them without their knowing where he came from. He seemed to have loomed through the wall."
"That's good, Ms. Granger. Now class, remember, this book was written by a muggle, so the sight of a person appearing out of nowhere is supposed to be frightening and unheard of," Professor Flagg explained. Draco yawned. Muggle studies were so boring...
At the end of class, Draco put his copy of The Phantom in his bag and headed out the door, bumping in to Ginny on his way.
"Watch where you're going, Malfoy," she sneered.
"Don't get in my way, Red," He stared at her, and she rolled her eyes at him. Why did she have to mock him?
Ginny watched Malfoy's back as he strode out of the room. He walked with such grace that you could've mistaken him for royalty. That's what he thought he was, anyway. He was treated like a prince; spoiled rotten. Ginny was dirt poor, and she envied him so. She longed for a bit of attention, and she was certainly not getting it from Gryffindor. She was the youngest of 7 children and the only girl, and she always felt left out. When she was younger, she had a huge crush on Harry Potter, but thoughts of a relationship with him faded away after she was possessed by Lord Voldemort and he had to save her. Harry Potter was quite the popular guy, but not the right one for her. Draco Malfoy, however, was something else. A Slytherin prince and Harry's rival, he was the nastiest person Ginny knew. And he was drop dead gorgeous. She hadn't known Draco that well, but she did know him by reputation, and she made sure to insult him at least once a day, now that she had a class with him. Muggle Studies was the last place on earth you would expect to find Draco Malfoy. He would certainly not last more than a month.
Sighing, Ginny left the classroom and dreamily walked off to the Gryffindor common room. She was about to go up to her room to change out of her school robes, when Hermione stopped her.
"You dropped you book," she said.
"Oh, thanks." Ginny absentmindedly took The Phantom out of Hermione's hands.
"Are you okay, Ginny?" Hermione asked.
"Huh? Oh... Didn't get much sleep last night. I'm tired," she explained, "I think I'll just take a nap." With that, she headed for her room and sat on her bed. Thank god it was Friday. Yawning, Ginny picked up the book Hermione handed her and flipped open to where they left off in class...
Ginny fell asleep in the middle of reading, not sure whether or not she actually finished the book. She remembered that it was very good and at certain parts she was entranced by the story. Images flashed through her mind as she slept. Herself. Her family. Harry. Hermione. Draco. Professor Flagg. An empty stage. A ballerina. A mask. A scorpion. A man and a woman dancing alone on a rooftop. She heard the sound of a boy's laughter. She heard the faint sound of music. She heard a scream. She woke up.
What did that dream mean? Ginny was lying on her bed, her book open in her lap. She looked at the page. She had been on the second to last chapter before she fell asleep. She checked her clock. Midnight. Feeling restless, she got out of bed. Throwing a golden silk robe around her shoulders, she took her broomstick out of her closet and opened the window. Her roommate stirred, but did not awaken. She climbed out of the window and let her broomstick take her for a ride around the school grounds. She had never done this before, but ever since she'd gotten a broomstick, she wanted to try it. Of course, she could never stay up late enough to sneak out.
Zooming gently along the Hogwarts Lake, Ginny let the wind blow at her hair. She flew next over the Forbidden Forest, enchanted by the dark, ominous trees as their leaves swayed in the wind. Next she hovered over by the quidditch pitch, but stopped in her tracks as she noticed a figure flying around the goalposts on the farther side. She flew behind a tree, hoping the figure wouldn't notice her, and watched intently.
Wanting to get a better look, Ginny glided along the trees until she was really close. The figure flew around the goalposts, up and down, in and out, and upside down. Whoever that person was, he or she loved to fly. Ginny smiled at that. Who could this person be that had the same love of flying as she did? Her vision through the branches was blurry, and as she pushed some leaves out of her face, the figure heard her and flew towards her.
"Who's there?" It was a guy's voice. Seeing Ginny, he grabbed her arm and pulled her through the branches.
"Weasley," he sneered. It was Draco Malfoy. Ginny struggled out of his grip.
"What are you doing out here so late at night, Malfoy?" Ginny asked.
"I should be asking you that, Red," he said.
"Can't sleep," she confessed.
"I supposed flying around school grounds is going to help you sleep?" he said.
"What about you, Draco?"
"I don't sleep." Ginny shivered at the way he said that. It was creepy. He must've meant that he didn't sleep at night. He was always sleeping or daydreaming during Muggle Studies.
"I didn't know you actually liked to fly. I just thought you played quidditch to show off," said Ginny.
"For your information, Ginny, quidditch is one of the few things that keeps me alive. It's a beautiful thing, and it's what I love," he said.
"The way you worded that was... very interesting. Strangely, I feel the same way about quidditch as you do."
"No you don't. Believe me, nobody knows how I feel," he said.
"Yes I do. I may not have as good a broomstick as you do, and I'm not as good at flying as you are, but I have an undying love for quidditch." Draco studied her. Honesty was emanating from her.
"Let me see you do a trick."
"What?" Her response made him laugh.
"Do a trick with your broomstick. Let me see."
"I don't know any tricks," she said truthfully. Laughing more, Draco steadied his broomstick and put both of his feet on top. He slowly stood up, balancing himself.
"Wow, that's great," Ginny said, holding her hand over her mouth in awe. He laughed again.
"I'm not even done, Weasley, just wait." Still standing, Draco flew around in circles, slowly at first, then speeding up. Ginny became dizzy watching him go around and around, and when he was going too fast for her to see, she started shrieking.
"Malfoy! You're going to fall, stop!" Slowing down, Draco grinned at the girl and gave her a little push. She shrieked, almost falling off of her broom.
"You need to learn balance, Red," he said with a laugh. She hated his laugh. It was so cold, so malevolent.
"Do you think it's funny?" He shook his head.
"It's sad, actually. You have a lot to learn."
"What, are you going to give me lessons now?" Draco's grin widened.
"If you want me to," he said, giving her a look she would not forget. Was he serious?
"Um..."
"You won't have to pay me of course. Well, you can pay me with your company. I'm tired of hanging around with Crabbe and Goyle."
"Um..."
"So is that a yes?" he asked. He was really being sincere, wasn't he? Finding her voice, Ginny answered:
"When will we meet?"
"If that's a yes, then how about same time, same place, every day?" he asked. Ginny nodded.
"That sounds good to me." Draco smiled at her. He looked so much more handsome when he smiled. Ginny grinned at the thought of having made a new friend.
"Oh, and nobody knows about this, okay?" he asked.
"Cross my heart and hope to die," she said sincerely.
"Good."
"Uh... I'm going to go back to my room now," she said, flying off. He caught up to her.
"I'll escort you." They flew back to Ginny's open window and Draco waved as Ginny climbed in.
"I'll see you tomorrow night," he said.
Ginny watched him fly off and then closed her window. Laying on her bed and thinking of what just happened, a smile crept across her face.
A/N: the first quote from Phantom of the Opera describes Jammes, one of the chorus girls. I was reading it in the first chapter and thought I'd use it to describe Ginny. Anyway, I hope you liked this and there's more to come if you review!