O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O
It was a week later and he still couldn't believe he kissed her. He'd kissed plenty of girls over his tenure at Hogwarts. In fact, he'd lost count how many halfway into his fifth year or sometime around then. He'd had a lot on his mind at that point… the Inquisitorial Squad, Lucius, the Dark Lord, Potter… Still, he'd kissed plenty of girls…
But, in spite of all that, he could only dwell on the fact that he had kissed Ginny Weasley. Her look of confusion after he'd released her mirrored the feeling overtaking his body. Over the years, he'd been undeniably fascinated with the girl. And over the years, he'd buried it so deep in order to protect himself and her from something that could end up disastrous.
The news of his father's escape from Azkaban had spread like wildfire. Just that morning there had been an article about it in the Daily Prophet and Wizard Weekly. And since the news first broke around school, everyone had been treating him with kid gloves. Draco couldn't really be all that surprised. No one knew how he was going to react… especially since his threats two years ago when Lucius had been caught. And his uncharacteristically quiet, aloof behavior as of late only served to make people more wary of him.
Yet that kiss still ran through his head and distracted him at the most inopportune moments. Like just now. He held a hand to the side of his head where the bludger had hit him.
"Watch what you are doing and where you're hitting that bloody thing!" he yelled to his teammate. The fourth year looked confused.
"But Draco…" he stuttered. Draco leveled the boy a healthy glare. He shut up immediately and almost cowered in fear.
Draco was fully aware that the incident was of his doing. It was his own inattention that caused the stinging pain that radiated over his cheek. But he didn't need to say so. Not when he could blame it on the unfortunate fourth year.
He'd like to go so far as to blame that damned kiss on someone else as well. Particularly, a female Weasley. How was he to know that she could do it so well and effectively wipe everything from his head? But alas, the kiss had been his doing as well. Bloody hell.
His concentration on quidditch now well and truly gone, he called a halt to his teammates.
"If we're going to win the Quidditch Cup this year we'll need to do better than the sorry excuse of playing I've seen today," he bit out as everyone landed. "I have no patience today to teach all of you wankers how to play the sport again. We'll practice tomorrow morning. Now clear off…" He gave Crabbe and Goyle a look that said he wanted them gone too. All he wanted was time to himself. More to curse himself for his stupidity than anything. What had he been thinking, kissing a Weasley? Nothing good could come of it. He wasn't good. He was never going to be good. And she was nothing but. It was better if they stayed away from each other.
With that thought in mind, he walked briskly back to the school. He wasn't going to bother with the locker rooms. He'd rather go to his private room and curse like a fool without everyone looking at him like he was one.
His mood didn't improve when he walked into the front doors and saw the one person he was trying to push from his mind making her way to the Great Hall with her gigantic oaf of a brother. Rather than turn tail and run back outside, he made his way up the stairs.
Their eyes met as they passed each other in the hallway, but he lifted his chin and focused in front of him as if she didn't even exist. Draco could feel the glare at his back and he smiled to himself. They would be back where they belonged with a few sharp, caustic exchanges.
And a steamy snogging session with one of the Slytherin girls could only improve matters…
O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O
Hermione, Luna, Ron and Ginny walked slowly through the halls toward the Great Hall discussing the upcoming weekend.
"Ginny, do you want to come to Hogsmeade with us?" Ron asked her. Ginny had to shake her head.
"Sorry, Ron. I can't. Snape's got us looking after our Potions cauldrons the rest of this week. Plus, it won't be all that much fun. Aurors will be scouring the place. I'd prefer to avoid all that," she said. With a quick look at Hermione, Ginny saw the girl's shoulders relax significantly. The idea of a weekend alone with Ron obviously didn't bother the bushy-haired girl. No matter that ever-vigilant Auror eyeswere going to be a permanent fixture there for a while...
"What about Harry? Isn't he going with you?" she couldn't help but ask. Ron gave his sister a smirk, thinking he understood the true nature of the question.
"Actually, he's got a meeting with Dumbledore. He's been meeting with him a lot lately…" he said with a concerned frown. He shook it off knowing that if Harry needed help, he'd ask for it. So, he then turned to Luna.
"How about you? You want to come with Hermione and me to Hogsmeade?"
Ginny looked at the blond girl first, who nodded, and then looked at Hermione. The older girl looked as if her teeth were being mashed into dust.
"I forgot," Hermione ground out. "I've got an Arithmancy paper due later today. I'd best go make sure it's ready." Ron gave her a confused look.
"But lunch…" he said. Hermione's dark look didn't change.
"I'm not hungry," she said. With that, she turned and headed back towards the Gryffindor common room. With a mixture of amusement and frustration, Ginny watched her brother shake his head.
"She's had that paper done for weeks," Ron muttered. "She's just mental…" Ginny stifled a disbelieving snicker as they approached their destination. The doors to the hall opened and a group of students emerged. Her traitorous breath hitched slightly as she caught a glimpse of the one Slytherin she both wanted and didn't want to see enter the front doors.
It was a week later and she still couldn't believe he kissed her. Of all the people at Hogwarts that she'd ever thought about kissing, he'd never been one of them. And now that she had kissed him, she constantly wondered why she hadn't thought about it. When he wasn't sneering, Draco Malfoy was quite good looking. He'd grown into his pointed features over the past year or so and she'd heard may girls - Gryffindors included – giggle themselves barmy over the Prat of Hogwarts.
Just as she mentally chided herself for thinking about him, the object of her musings ascended the front staircase. She wasn't sure what, exactly, she expected from him after the… incident… but the look he gave her as their eyes met wasn't it. He then turned his nose up at her and walked by as if he'd never even seen her. She glared at his back as he continued on. And to think that they could possibly be civil… Ha… That look he'd given her had been anything but.
Ron, as unobservant as he usually was, caught the quick look between his sister and his mortal enemy. He stopped walking as he noticed Ginny's sudden change in disposition.
"What the bloody hell was that?" he growled. Ginny's head snapped up to look at her brother as she stopped walking as well.
"What the bloody hell was what?" she asked. Ron gave her a glower.
"That look," he said. Ginny frowned.
"What look?" she asked. He crossed his arms angrily, trying to use his height to intimidate her into answering his questions.
"Don't play daft, Ginny," he said. "The look between you and Malfoy…" Ginny's jaw dropped open in answer but no words came out.
"There was no look," she tried lamely. But her brother was having none of it as he gave a quick snort of disbelief. Rather than get into a fight, Ginny just lifted her chin and continued walking on. Luna followed, her curiosity peaked, but remaining silent.
"Ginny, why are you hanging around him all the time?" he asked her. Ginny spun on her heel to look at him again.
"Hanging around him all the time? I do not 'hang around him' all the time. In fact, I don't think I hang about him at all. We've merely had instances with each other where we've had to cross words. I don't think that constitutes as 'hanging around'. When did you become so concerned about who I talk to anyways?" she asked. Recognizing that this was quickly deteriorating into a family squabble, Luna waved a quick good-bye to Ginny and made her way into the Great Hall. Ron sputtered for a second at his sister's question not even noticing the change in company. Ginny crossed her arms and glared at Ron.
"I've always been concerned!" he almost yelled, finally finding the words he wanted. Ginny's face softened as she looked up at her favorite brother. She may have adopted some of Fred and George's attitude and trouble-making ways and tended to be as free-natured as they were, but she loved her temperamental brother just a smidge more for his obvious and somewhat overbearing protectiveness.
"Ron, I know you're looking out for me and I love you for it. And noting your past with Malfoy, I understand it completely. Yet, know that I can take care of myself. Maybe instead of focusing on what's going on in my life, you should focus on yours and how you're making a right mess of it," she told him. Ron's eyes went wide.
"What are you blathering about?" he asked. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Hermione, you dolt!"
"What about her?"
"Gods know you like her… the whole school knows you like her and vice versa. For seven sodding years you both have put us all through the torture of having to watch your little drama. If you two would quit being so bloody daft about it all, you could tell each other you're mad for one another!" she said. Ron was silent as he processed his little sister's words.
"Is that why Hermione's cheesed off at me?" he asked. Ginny growled angrily. Boys!
"Oh would you use your brain, Ronald? Think about it! Look at what happened at the Yule Ball back in your fourth year. Viktor Krum? Reverse it and then have Luna play Viktor's part! Ring any bloody bells?" she exclaimed. She then took a deep breath and calmed herself. "As much as I would love to go over every minute of your life in order to prove to you how bloody thick you are being I have better things to do. If you don't believe me, go talk to Harry… or better yet, Hermione." With that said, the younger Weasley stormed off. Ron shook his head as he watched her go.
"She's gone off her trolley… absolutely barking mad," he mumbled. But as he thought over Hermione's reaction to inviting Luna to Hogsmeade with them this weekend, Ron could see that his sister just may be on to something…
O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O
Hermione paced the empty Gryffindor common room muttering Muggle and Wizard curses alike. How could a boy be so bloody thick? Harry had skived off ofwhat could possibly be the lastHogsmeade visit of the next few monthsthis weekend, knowing that Hermione was attempting to take things in hand and move along her and Ron's stagnant relationship. If you could call what she and Ron had a 'relationship'.
After the whole Viktor Krum debacle, Hermione had simply stopped trying to date. She'd been extremely pleased to notice that Ron had ceased trying as well. They'd started spending more time together just the two of them. But that was as far as it went. The dim-witted, oblivious, temperamental…
There was a clearing of a throat that stopped her mental tirade. She turned to the door.
"What?" she asked, her scowl only deepening when she saw who it was. Ron gulped at the cross look on her face. He held out a plate of food as an offering.
"Umm, well… I know you said you weren't hungry, but… but when you get to studying, you tend to forget to eat," he noted. Hermione looked at the meal that he'd brought for her and the anger she'd felt drifted away, leaving only the extreme amount of affection she felt for this boy. Ron Weasley may be an insensitive oaf at times, but in between, he could be a brilliantly sweet, insensitive oaf. It was no surprise, really, that she was arse over elbow.
"Do you need any help with your paper?" he asked as he handed her the plate. She took the peace offering with a raised an eyebrow and a smile. Realizing who he was asking that question to, Ron flushed.
"Right. Never mind, then," he said, sitting down on the couch near the fireplace. Hermione sat next to him.
"I'm finished, actually," she said, picking up a crisp he'd included in her meal and eating it.
"Would you like me to teach you how to play chess, then?" he asked. Hermione rolled her eyes with a smile.
"I've sat in on a game of chess with you before, Ronald," she reminded him. Ron just grinned.
"I know. But I do think I should teach you how to play," he said teasingly. Hermione let out a mock cry of outrage and Ron put his hands up to block the crisps she'd thrown at him.
"I'll have you know I play chess just fine," she said with her haughtiest look. Ron laughed.
"For such a genius, you'd think you'd trounce me then," he said. He stole a crisp from her plate and popped it into his mouth. She just watched him for a second.
"Fine…" she relented. But it wasn't such a sacrifice for her as she let on. She'd do anything to be the center of his focus for more than just a few short moments.
"But not wizard's chess," she added.
"Hermione," he said on a half-whine. "That takes all the fun out of it…" She just grinned.
"If you want me to learn how to properly play your beloved chess, then you'll have to teach me without all the brutality. Once I learn that, then we'll see who's a chess genius," she said. Ron smirked.
"You're on," he said.
O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O
Draco straightened his tie with a smirk as he started his way back to the Slytherin common room. The little 'session' with one of the sixth year girls hadn't gone as far as a shag, but the snogging improved his temper greatly. He was glad he'd decided to take his own advice. A few more meetings like that and the littlest Weasley would be nothing more than an unpleasant little smudge in his memory. Which was precisely what he wanted her to be…
His progress was interrupted by the familiar flurry of his owl's wings. An elegant missive was dropped into Draco's hand as the graceful bird landed on his shoulder. Rather than continue down the dark hallway to the common room, Draco turned and headed back to the privacy of his quarters. The neat, feminine script written on the note told him that it was a letter from his mother. Letters from Narcissa Malfoy were rare and it made him worry as to what would drive her to write her only son an owl.
Draco,
I require your presence here at the Manor. I have spoken to your Head of House and Professor Snape has given you leave for the evening. Do not dawdle. There are things requiring your attention…
N. Malfoy
Draco frowned at the unusual letter. But rather than dwell on it, he collected his cloak and made his way out of his room and towards Professor Snape's office. The dark-haired professor looked up as Draco entered.
"Ah, Draco. I have been expecting you," Snape said, standing from his desk.
"My mother has requested to see me," Draco said. The older man nodded.
"Yes. I have set aside some floo powder for you," Snape said, indicating the jar next to the fireplace. Draco eyed the powder with distaste, but took it in his hand anyway.
"Send me an owl if there are any… issues," Snape said. Draco gave him a stiff nod.
"Malfoy Manor!" he said before tossing the powder. The green flames enveloped him and before he knew it he was standing in the familiar floo of the drawing room at Malfoy Manor. He brushed his sooty cloak off with a scowl. Traveling by floo was one of his least favorite methods of wizard transportation.
"Welcome home, Draco." The voice startled him into standing up straight. Turning around slowly, he spotted his mother sitting broomstick straight on the settee near the window. Lucius, resplendent and intimidating in his black robes, stood directly next to her.
O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O