A/N from ZiBl – Hiiiiiii! Well, it didn't take that long this time, did it? Right? RIGHT? Well, we're moving along nicely, I think. Chapter Seven already! And considering this piece only has ten chapters... That's pretty good! So read on, dear readers, this will be done before the New Year sets in. And by new year, we mean 2010. Just kidding! I hope...

A/N from S-D: Well, hello again! Abject apologies! It's really my fault this is so late, my mother grounded me from the computer for several weeks and then I got wrapped up in schoolwork and such, so sorry! But…I finished it….cringes Don't kill me…

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns it all, so no suing. Not like we could pay you anyway.

Dancing With the Dragon

By ZiBl and samwise-dragoneyes, two insane idiots

Chapter 7: Closer by the Hour

Ginny shivered as she slipped her feet out of her frazzled slippers and placed them gingerly on the icy stone floor of the inter-house challenge room. The weather had grown colder as school progressed, and as it was already the second friday of October, the dungeon was more like a freezer than anything else. Ginny gave a resigned sigh as she stepped onto the DDR pad; she was forced to dance barefoot, as neither her school socks or loafers had sufficient traction. I wish I had some socks with grips or something... A draft blowing through the dungeon made her shiver. Or at the very least, some warmer pajamas. She still wore the ratty baby blue pajamas, as they were her only pair.

Sighing again, Ginny stretched her arms to the ceiling. A sudden sound from the doorway caused her to startle and spin around, but it was only Draco. He stood in the entry, looking as majestic as ever in his beautiful green-lined velvet cloak. Without a word, he unclasped the silver dragon clasp and dropped the cape neatly to the ground. Slipping off his slippers, he stepped onto the machine beside Ginny.

"Good evening, Draco. My, don't you look warm and cozy tonight." Ginny said tartly to Draco, glancing at his snug looking flannel pajamas. Draco flashed her one of his famous Malfoy smirks.

"I feel a good deal cozier than you look." Ginny childishly stuck her tongue out at him. Since the night he caught her sleepwalking, she and Draco acted nicer to each other, but it was a friendship based more on insults than anything else. He teased her about her shabby clothing, and she taunted him about his stuck-up attitude. Still, it was friendship, and Ginny's original suspicions about Draco's intents were fading slowly but surely. She sometimes did wonder about him, though. There were times she caught herself watching him when he thought no one was looking, and she always saw an expression of cold loneliness resting on his face. Ginny often wondered late into the night whether all of Draco's haughtiness wasn't just an act.

"Hey Red, are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend with your little friends?" Draco's voice cut across Ginny's train of thought. That's right; the first Hogsmeade weekend starts tomorrow.

"Of course, Kagome and I have been planning it for a week now."

"Good. Gives me more time to practice." Ginny looked at Draco in surprise. He winked.

"You mean you're not going?" Maybe I should ask him to co- wait, WHAT? We're friendly, but not that friendly.

"Just teasing, Gin. Blaise and I are going, if only to show our disdain of everyone and everything." Ginny laughed. That's those two all right.

"So, are we gonna play, or stand around gossiping all day?" she asked him tauntingly. Draco smirked and hit the 'Start' button. By this time, both he and Ginny could play on Standard level, as could Kagome.

"You choose the first song." Draco told Ginny as he languidly stretched his legs out. Ginny flipped through the songs, watching Draco out of the corner of her eye. Finally, she chose a song entitled 'Rhythm and Police'. She smiled at Draco and batted her eyelashes innocently.

"Good luck, Drakie. You'll need it." Draco opened his mouth to snap out a quick retort, but arrows started scrolling across the screen before he could say anything.

Damn you, Red. The thought flashed across his mind as his feet began stepping out the rhythm. Always have to get the better of me. A faint blush spread across Draco's face. Normally, anyone to insult a Malfoy so would instantly be cursed into oblivion. But somehow, he didn't really mind all that much when Ginny teased him. Sure, he wanted to win their little word battles, but it didn't matter all that much if he lost. The final notes of the song hung in the air as the scores came up on-screen. Both were 'B's, but Draco had just a few more points than Ginny. With a triumphant smile, he turned to face her. His grin widened when he saw how out of breath she was.

 The thought flashed across his mind as his feet began stepping out the rhythm. A faint blush spread across Draco's face. Normally, anyone to insult a Malfoy so would instantly be cursed into oblivion. But somehow, he didn't really mind all that much when Ginny teased him. Sure, he wanted to win their little word battles, but it didn't matter all that much if he lost. The final notes of the song hung in the air as the scores came up on-screen. Both were 'B's, but Draco had just a few more points than Ginny. With a triumphant smile, he turned to face her. His grin widened when he saw how out of breath she was.

"Feeling tired already? But we just got started." Mock contempt oozed from Draco's voice. Ginny, her hair lightly messed up and her face flushed, grinned at him.

"I put in a lot of practice before I came down here."

"A lot of good that did you. I won!"

"The round, not the game, Draco." She leaned over to catch her breath, and as she did so, a necklace hidden under the collar of her pajamas slipped out. His eye caught by the sudden movement, Draco leaned in to get a closer look. From the simple metal chain hung a medallion about an inch tall and three-quarters of an inch wide.

"What's that, Gin? I never knew you wore a necklace. Isn't that something only girls do?" Ginny laughed and held out the pendant for Draco's inspection, keeping the chain around her neck. Gently, he took the medallion in his hand and studied it. The oval shape fit neatly into his palm, and the metal felt warm to his touch. Inscribed into the silver-colored surface was the profile of an elegant dragon with wings flaring out behind it. A stream of delicately embossed fire flew from the mouth. Draco turned the pendant over to discover an inscription on the back.

"It's in Latin." Ginny's voice was soft. "I've never known what it says because I can't read it."

"'Lux eternum'… That means 'eternal light'. I've studied Latin since I was five, so…" He looked up, and realized how close to Ginny he was. Aside from running into her a few times, he'd never been this near. His eyes met hers, and held. Her eyes looked soft, and a surprising warmth radiated from them. "It's a beautiful necklace. Where'd you get it?" He slowly released the medallion and stepped back, breaking the moment.

"My brother Charlie sent it to me from Romania. He works with dragons there. I've worn it every day since he gave it to me. But at the beginning of this year, I accidentally left it on my nightstand back home in the rush to get to the train station. Mum had to try and owl it to me twice. Our owl got lost the first time," Ginny said quietly. When she finished, she slipped the necklace back under her pajamas. She looks so friendly right now…can she actually care about me? No, that's stupid. She's probably doing the same thing I am: Trying to make friends with the enemy. But…am I starting to care about her…? He was jerked from his train of thought as Ginny poked his shoulder.

"What?" He asked, blinking like someone who just woke up.

"You gonna take a nap, or are we gonna DDR?" She hit the random song selector, and in the next few seconds, they were both pounding out the steps to 'Captain Jack'.

The morning of the first Hogsmeade weekend dawned bright and clear, and the sunlight slanting through the window woke Draco. Taking a moment to glare at the source of his rude awakening, he glanced around his dormitory to find everyone else fast asleep. Grinning, he stretched, then took his pillow and flung it at Blaise's head.

"Nng…" Blaise mumbled, than turned over and began to snore, as well as snuggle with the pillow Draco had just thrown at him. Draco rolled his eyes and got out of bed. Quickly putting on his designer jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt, he left the room. He reached the common room and took a few steps inside when a sudden voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Oh Drakie! I brought you some breakfast!" Draco groaned and glanced up to find Pansy bouncing excitedly on her toes and holding a tray piled high with breakfast.

"Pansy, I couldn't eat that much in a day, much less one sitting. You see, unlike you, I don't spend all day shoveling food into my fat, ugly, pimpled face." Pansy froze in mid-bounce, and Draco took the opportunity to saunter past her and exit the common room. Meandering to the great hall, he grabbed a piece of toast and wandered out onto the grounds to eat it. Stopping by the edge of the lake, he took his shoes and socks off and dangled his feet into the cold water.

I'm getting all sorts of blisters from playing that game so much. I can't remember the last time my feet hurt like this. He sighed and ran a hand through his elegantly spiked hair. And what is going on with Ginny? I really think I might be starting to like her…AS A FRIEND. Just a friend. Nothing else. But she is funny, and smart, and…whoa, hold it Draco. You only got friendly with her to make her practice less hard. Well, it didn't work. She practices just as hard as before. I could just stop acting nice. But…I really don't want to… Frustrated with his wishy-washy thoughts, he stuffed the last piece of toast into his mouth and got up. Putting back on his socks and shoes, he went to the entry hall, passed Filch's inspection, and was off on his way to Hogsmeade.

I'll meet up with Blaise later. Draco thought as he glanced at his watch. First, I have some business to attend to.

For Ginny, the first Hogsmeade weekend passed by uneventfully. Since it had been Kagome's first ever, Ginny spent the whole time showing her all the various parts of the little wizard town. Kagome had been especially entranced by the Shrieking Shack and all the legends that surrounded it. The schooldays following the weekend flew by almost unnoticed, until finally, Halloween arrived. The great Halloween feast was something Ginny usually looked forward to with great delight and anticipation. But this year, she didn't even feel like attending. Standing at the entrance to the great hall, she looked in to find everyone happily chatting and waiting for the food. She sighed and turned away from the door.

Weird, I'm not even hungry. Meh, might as well go get some extra practice. Draco's actually on my level now, so I'm going to have to work harder than ever to beat him into the ground. Whether he's being nice to me or not, my family pride is still at stake. Not to mention what happens if I lose… Shuddering at the thought of failure, she changed her thoughts. What is up with Draco anyway? I wonder if he even noticed the way he was looking at me yesterday. The mental image of Draco's eyes looking up at her rose in her mind. He looked like a lost little boy in need of a hug, for crying out loud. Like anyone would ever be brave enough to hug him.

Her thoughts stopped short as she entered the inter-house challenge room. A silver-colored box rested on the DDR pad she always used. Dumbfounded, she stepped forward and read the card attached to the emerald green ribbon wrapped around the box.

Hey Red,

I was feeling bored and rich

the other day, and thought

you could use these.

Draco

P.S. This does NOT

mean we're friends.

You're still a weasel.

She blinked. Draco got her a present? This was nothing short of miraculous. After gently pulling off the ribbon, she took away the lid of the box and gasped. Inside lay two pairs of crimson pajamas, one set made of flannel and the other made of silk. Aside from color and size, they were an exact match to the ones Draco owned. Ginny pulled the pajamas out of the box and held them up. They looked as if they would fit her perfectly. Glancing back into the box, she spotted something which had been hidden under the pajamas. Ginny pulled it out and realized it was a pair of warm black socks, with little rubber grips on the bottom so she wouldn't slip when she played DDR.

Ginny sniffled, and noticed that her eyes were wet. She hugged the pajamas to her and let a few tears slide down her face. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. And from Draco…he's wonderful. He's just…wonderful.

Unbeknownst to her, hidden in the shadows of the entry, a pair of storm silver eyes watched her, and a real smile flitted across Draco Malfoy's face.

A/N: And there you have it, Chapter seven. Things are changing fast now, and I think our two heroes might just be falling in love. Er… We did warn you that this was a romance, didn't we? Oh, well, it is. Deal with it. Review, please!