Snagging the Malfoy
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Chapter 3 – Somebody just shoot me now
Draco Lucius Malfoy was in shock.
The daring little Weaslette with the mass of wavy red hair and the laughing amber eyes was kissing him. In front of the entire Slytherin Table. Heck, in front of the whole school.
It took him the whole of two seconds to react to the soft pressure of her lips against his, and being a normal seventeen year old male loaded with testosterones his instincts reacted before common sense and before the little redhead could withdraw from him his arms shot up to pull the soft and pleasant smelling female against him.
She smelled of vanilla, light and at the same time dangerously heady, and as he deepened the kiss he felt her relax trustingly against him. It should feel odd to have his archenemy in his arms, but this little witch with her deadly bat-bogey hex fit against him in the most primal manner, and at that split moment Draco Malfoy decided that he might be able to work this new turn of events to his advantage. He was not a second too soon in his revelation, for no sooner had he made his decision, the delectable Ginny Weasley was torn away from him in the most abrupt manner.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley! What the bloody hell do you think you are doing?" Ron looked at his dreamy-eyed sister with an aghast look on his face. There were some things in this world that Ron Weasley did not ever want to see, and watching his baby sister in a heated embrace with their worst enemy had been one of them. He wanted nothing better than to Obliviate himself to blissful oblivion, and he would probably get Hermione to do so for him right after he finished interrogating Ginny.
Ginny sported a disgruntled look on her face when she turned to her brother. "Well, Ron, what did you think I was doing?" She asked; her soft voice calm and totally unlike that of the older Weasley, who looked like he was going to explode anytime soon. Draco crossed his arms and watched the unfolding scenario was inward amusement. In his entire career in Hogwarts he had never seen Ron Weasley turn such an interesting shade of puce before. It was really fascinating to watch.
"You- you were kissing Malfoy!" Ron burst out at last, his face red and his eyes still not believing what he had just saw. "I'm telling Mom!"
By his side, Harry and Hermione winced inwardly.
Weasley explosion, here we come.
They were surprised however, when Ginny appeared totally unconcerned by the Ron's childish threat. She grinned at her brother then, an expression so full of mischief and before Ron knew what she was planning to do the little redhead had pulled her brother down to her level and smacked a loud kiss upon his lips. "Well, now you have kissed Malfoy as well." Ginny said as she withdrew from her slack mouthed brother. "Don't forget to tell Mom that too."
Ron looked like he was going to faint, and Ginny winked playfully at Harry who was trying hard not laugh. Ginny's wink set him off, however, and he burst into laughter. The loud chuckles of The-Boy-Who-Lived broke the bubble of stumped silence within the Great Hall, and a smiling Ginny winced inwardly when more and more laughter joined Harry's as the hilarity of what had happened hit them. There were some jokers who were even clapping with glee. Ron was going to be so pissed at her when he recovered.
She would be wise to make a quick exit now.
The littlest Weasley caught Hermione's eye and the amused Head Girl nodded with understanding. Ginny turned to Malfoy and shot him a little smile before turning to saunter out of the Great Hall. Her friends were waiting for her at the entrance; Zacharias laughing so hard that there were tears running down his face and Colin looking as though doomsday was approaching. Luna merely hooked her arm with Ginny as she neared and the two marched out of the Great Hall confidently with the other two males trailing behind.
Draco Malfoy watched her leave with an indescribable gleam in his mercurial eyes before turning to smirk slightly at the elder Weasley. Ron narrowed his eyes as Malfoy. He could barely resist the urge to swipe at his mouth.
"What have you done to my sister?" Ron growled at the coolly amused blonde. Draco merely looked at the hot-tempered Gryffindor in an arch manner that made Ron tense. By now, Zabini and Parkinson had moved into position behind him, ready to defend their friend in case the Gryffindors tried anything. Potter and Granger looked warily at the Slytherins but did not go for their wands.
"I have done nothing to the little Weasel." Draco said at last. He stalked closer to Weasley, silver eyes glinting with sardonic humor. "Yet."
Ron let out a wounded roar and would have throttled the life out of the slimy Ferret had Harry and Hermione not restrained him.
"Ron, why don't we hear what Ginny has to say first?!" Hermione spoke quickly. Harry nodded in agreement, his lean seeker physique straining as he struggled to hold back his more muscular friend. "Besides," Hermione continued, inclining her head towards a very attentive row of professors at the front of the Hall. "picking a fight right under Professor Snape's nose is not the wisest thing to do. You don't want to be suspended from Quidditch, do you?" she warned.
That served to cool Ron's temper down a little but he continued eying Malfoy narrowly. The Slytherin Head Boy was not intimidated. He started to open his mouth to say something derogative when Harry shot him a distinctly unamused look. Despite the fact that Draco Malfoy had earned his grudging respect when he had led the Slytherins to help defend Hogwarts when the Death Eaters attacked the school last year, the blonde could still be a rather pain in the ass when he wanted to. The messy-haired teenager turned intense emerald eyes towards Parkinson.
"We don't want any confrontation." Harry spoke politely to the only female counterpart of Draco's group. Then he rolled his eyes a little at the beautiful Slytherin when she did not seem to react at all to his words. "Can you please get your prat of a friend out of here before we sic Ron on him? I promise that there won't even be scraps of him left over when Ron is through with him."
Pansy smirked. "Well, since you ask that nicely…" Blaise's indigo eyes danced with amusement as he exchanged a look with Draco.
"Fine." The blonde sneered at last. "I shall be magnanimous this time, seeing that ickle Ronniekins can hardly do anything himself without the aid of the great Harry Potter."
There was a pained look on Harry's face as Ron growled and tried to lunge as Malfoy. Were they ever going to grow up? "Just go." The Gryffindor seeker told his Slytherin counterpart in a strained manner. Draco smirked at the red-faced Weasel King before turning to leave the Great Hall, his face smoothed once more into an impassive mask and his strides arrogant.
Pansy shot a small mocking grin towards the Golden Trio. "I have a feeling that we will be seeing each other more often from now on." Her smoky sapphire eyes landed on Potter as she continued to speak in that low and husky voice of hers. "Until next time, Gryffindorks."
Blaise smiled politely at them before gallantly offering his arm to the beautiful Slytherin. Parkinson laid a small hand on the much taller boy's forearm and the pair strolled out after their friend.
The next few weeks were going to be extremely interesting.
Blaise was laughing softly at the scenario that had occurred in the Great Hall earlier when he walked into Draco's private room. As Head Boy, it was one of the privileges that came with the job. The huge room was fully equipped with its own bathroom and was ornately decked out in shades of silver and emerald. Pansy followed behind the dark-haired teenager and sat herself gracefully on one of the cushioned armchairs.
The owner of the room emerged from the bath then, his white blonde hair wet and rivulets of water trailing down his slick torso. The water droplets trickled down pale but well-defined pectorals and kissed Quidditch-hardened abs before getting soaked up by the towel that rode low upon Malfoy's hips. He had no qualms about walking around half-naked in front of his friends, and the blonde padded across the room to his closet. Blaise flopped onto the king-sized bed and stared at the canopied ceilings in distinctly bored manner, tossing and catching his wand repetitively whereas Pansy made a soft sound of derision as she studied her perfectly manicured nails meticulously.
"Do you think that the little Gryff was serious?" Blaise asked at last, his soft melodic voice breaking the growing silence in the room.
"What, that she likes Draco?" Pansy's full pouty lips curled in a little smirk. "That wouldn't be very surprising, don't you think? Almost every girl Draco meets can't wait to jump his bones."
Zabini caught his wand one last time before rolling onto his stomach and propping his head on his right palm in a thoughtful manner. "I wasn't talking about lust."
"I am."
Pansy's delicately plucked eyebrow shot up. She lifted her head to eye Draco, who was by now properly attired in an expensive hand-tailored robe. "You want to bed the little Weaslette?" The brunette asked, surprised.
Malfoy stared at his reflection in the mirror as he used his wand to apply a drying charm to his hair. In a matter of seconds the wet golden locks dried and fell in a careful disarray of moon spun silk around his face. He turned to regard Parkinson, the corner of his lips tilted in a derisive smile. He shrugged carelessly. "Why not?"
Blaise snorted, not at all fooled by his nonchalance.
"Actually, I think what he was trying to say is that he has been secretly lusting after Ginny Weasley ever since the day Potter became The-Boy-Who-Finally-Finished-Voldemort. Haven't you noticed that the previous few of Draco's flings were all redheads?"
Pansy stared at Draco with a dawning look of realization. Blaise was right. The Ravenclaw Marietta Edgecombe had reddish blonde hair, and come to think of it Draco's last girlfriend Lisa Turpin had been a petite figure with dark auburn hair as well. "You have a crush on Ginny Weasley?"
Draco scowled immediately. He glared at Blaise but the teen merely grinned unrepentantly at him. He sighed at last in a long-suffering manner. "No. I do not have a crush on the littlest Weasel. The similarities in hair color were just coincidences."
Pansy started to smile. It was the slightest tilt of her lips but it was genuine. "I will bet." Was her reply to Draco's explanation. The blonde growled and Blaise barked softly with laughter.
"Come on, Draco. Just admit it. We won't think any less of you if you have an itty bitty crush on your Father's sworn enemy."
Draco rolled his eyes. Sometimes he questioned his own sanity. Why else would he tolerate such impudent behavior? "I do not have a crush on Arthur Weasley." Blaise was undaunted, the disgusting grin still on his face, the lanky teen probed. "His daughter then?"
The Slytherin seeker glared daggers at his housemate. "Why are you so fascinated by my interest in the girl Weasley?"
Hiding the amusement that he was feeling, Blaise shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing much. Just thought that if you aren't interested in her I might be. She's a fiery one. Smart and accomplished too." Draco stared at his friend for the longest time, as if trying to ascertain whether if Blaise was joking.
"You are willing to date a Blood Traitor?"
"At least she's a pure-blood." Blaise shrugged once more, and Draco felt like shaking the teeth out of his friend. "And she won't be a Blood Traitor once I marry her."
"You are thinking of marriage?" The blonde sounded outraged.
Pansy laughed softly then, her voice rich and feminine. "Stop antagonizing the poor fellow already, Zabini. I think we all get the point, unless Draco's head is thicker than usual today."
"I do not like Ginny Weasley!"
Blaise laid facedown onto the bed. "I rest my case." His muffled voice floated through the room. Pansy snickered, and Draco glared at his friends in an utterly defeated manner.
"I will admit that she intrigues me." The blonde admitted grumpily at last. He did not appreciate being browbeaten into a confession. "But that is nothing a few romps in the bedroom cannot cure."
The female Slytherin sobered. "With Ginny Weasley?"
An image of the little redhead tending to him in a most gentle manner surfaced in his mind. Voldemort and his army of Death Eaters had laid siege upon Hogwarts during the Final Battle and Draco had been brutally injured by an advanced version of the Sectumsempra when defending the castle. He had lost an alarming amount of blood by the time they brought him into the Hospital Wing, and since Madame Pomfrey had been busy with the other casualties Ginny Weasley had expertly taken over. He still remembered how quickly she had taken control of the situation, and at a time when chaos and disorder ran amok she had been a comforting source of patience and serenity. Her small hands had been soft and cool when she healed and bandaged the worst of his wounds, and despite the fact that he was supposed to be her mortal enemy she had tsked and nagged softly at him to be careful when she sent him back out to fight the siege.
He could never seem to get her completely out of his mind since then, and now that the little Gryffindor had so innocently offered herself up to him, he would be a fool to refuse her. Silver eyes darkened with anticipation.
"With Ginny Weasley."
Harry Potter was not having a very good day.
Hell, he wasn't even having a good day, let alone the 'very'.
The savior of all wizardkind was nursing a growing headache as he watched his best friend pace a hole on the red carpets of the Gryffindor Common Room. Sitting across from Harry was an irritated Hermione who was frowning slightly at her redhead boyfriend.
"For Circe's sake, Ron, can you please sit down and wait like us normal people?" The curly-haired brunette muttered. "You are giving Harry and I migraines."
Ron ran his hand through his messy red hair. "I can't sit there and do nothing, Hermione. Why is Ginny not back yet? She has not run off to that Malfoy scum, has she?" The tall Gryffindor Keeper was starting to turn red with anger as he imagined the sorts of compromising positions that he might find his little sister and the Amazing Bouncing Ferret in. God forbid. As far as he was concerned Ginny was as pure as driven snow and more virtuous then a nun in a chapel. "Merlin, if she has I'm going to-"
"Ron, you saw it yourself." Harry decided to speak up before the redhead blew a gasket. "The Marauder's Map indicates that she's with her friends, remember?"
The redhead paused in his pacing and turned around to face Harry. "Exactly! The map! Let's go find her now!"
Hermione did not even have to use her head to know that would be one very bad idea. So did Harry, for that matter. "You are looking at one of your sister's very indigenous hexes if you really want to do that."
"But it's already an hour since she left the Great Hall!" Ron whined a little. "Ginny meets Lovegood, Creevey and Smith everyday! What is there so much to talk about?"
"Well, there is always the 'meddlesome brothers who love to poke their noses into other people's businesses' topic to discuss. That never gets old for obvious reasons."
Ginny crawled through the portrait hole into the common room. It wasn't very late, only eight at night but the entire area was devoid of students. Ginny decided that the Gryffindors were either out enjoying a late Friday night or had finally wised up enough to decide not to get caught in what would soon become a full out, knock down, no holds barred Weasley yelling match. Things tend to get a little messy sometimes, not to mention violent.
As such Harry Potter looked as if he would like to be anywhere but here at the moment. The-Boy-Who-Lived watched with dismay as Ron dashed over to Ginny's side no doubt to rudely demand an explanation out of his sister. The Gryffindor Quidditch Team Captain groaned inwardly. He sincerely hoped that he would not have to recruit for a new Keeper tomorrow morning. Tryouts are such a bother.
"What have you got to say for yourself, Ginny?" Ron questioned predictably, his freckled face starting to turn slightly red all over again as he recalled the horrific event that had occurred in the Great Hall earlier. Great Merlin's belt; he had so many wonderful memories there too, but now every time he thought of them he could only see the vomit inducing image of his little sister locking lips with the Great Slytherin Ferret. "Why did you do it?" Ron cried out. "Is it because of a dare? Did Malfoy put you under the Imperius? Because if he did I will-"
"Ron, did you remember what Mama told us when we were young?" Ginny asked suddenly. Thrown off tangent, the older Weasley stared at his sister before nodded slowly. He did not know where Ginny was going with this but he had a bad feeling about it.
"Mama said that we would know, remember?" Ron frowned. He remembered their Mother saying something like that…about Soulmates and lovers…
His eyes widened and he gaped at his clearly insane little sister.
"No." The tall redhead said immediately. "Bloody hell. You are out of your mind, Ginny. Are you kidding me? Is this an April Fool's joke? Where are George and Fred? They are hiding behind you, aren't they?"
Standing aside and watching the two Weasley siblings were Harry and Hermione and they watched Ron's reaction to Ginny's cryptic question with great confusion. What were they talking about? What was going on?
Ginny shook her head stubbornly at Ron. "You know what Mama said was true." The youngest Weasley insisted obstinately.
"Yes, but I don't think that Draco-frigging-Malfoy was who Mom had in mind when she was talking about Soulmates and such!" Ron looked down at his petite sister and tried to make her see sense. "You have to be bloody mental to even want to be related to that Slytherin bastard. Did you forget that his Father almost killed you?"
Ginny sighed. "Of course I remember, Ron. That really isn't something that I can easily forget. But as you said, it was his Father, not him. Besides, didn't he help defend Hogwarts during the Final Battle? I just keep thinking that there's something not consistent with the picture."
Ron reared back. He knew where this is going. The tall redhead shook his head vehemently at his foolishly soft-hearted little sister.
"Oh no, you don't, Ginevra Molly Weasley. Don't you go painting Malfoy to be some angst-ridden, misguided soul in need of a hand to hold and little hugs and kisses. Malfoy's a Slytherin through and through. Hell, he is their poster boy. You can't find anyone more Slytherin than him, other than Tom Riddle that is, and look where that got you." Ron looked positively frantic by now. "Your intention to reform him is going to return to bite you in the arse, just watch my words."
Ginny placed her hands on her hips. "I never said that I wanted to reform Malfoy, and by the way you sounded exactly like Mom."
Before Ron could reply to that Ginny went over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist in a most affectionate hug. Ron was so sweet sometimes. He might not know how to tell her that he cares but his overprotective ways spoke volumes. It exasperates Ginny most of the time, but the little redhead would never do anything to change Ron's endearing qualities. She and Ron had been the youngest of the Weasley brood, and between them they shared a bond not unlike that of Fred and George's. Ron had always been her staunchest defender and protector since young, and she understood exactly the turmoil her brother was experiencing.
Ron stared down at his little sister and could not help but feel his agitation fade away. He could never maintain his anger at her no matter how much he wanted to, and especially not so now that she had so innocently wrapped her arms around him, asking him without words for his understanding. He knew, deep down inside he knew, even though he was not willing to admit; that she was no longer the little girl that always needed to depend on her big brother. Ron also knew that his overprotective tendencies bothered on obsessive and he had an inkling that Ginny did too, but she had never said anything about it, preferring to trust in his judgment. .
Until now.
It occurred to him that all too soon his baby sister was ready to fly, and Ron knew that if he continued to hold her too tightly to him he was going to break those fragile wings. Ginny might be a year younger than him, but the war and her own experiences with the darker forces had matured her thinking. He sighed loudly. There was really no choice but to watch carefully by the sidelines now. At least by doing so he could still catch her if anything goes wrong.
"Bloody hell, why can't you choose a normal bloke like Harry?" Ron asked at last, his voice a little croaky and his face solemn. Hermione stared at her boyfriend and fell even more in love with him for the difficult decision she knew that he had just made. The Gryffindor Head Girl knew better than anyone how much Ron adored Ginny, and how it had nearly killed him six years ago when she had been possessed by the Dark Lord without his knowledge until it was almost too late. For the first time, Ron had failed his baby sister and since then he had vowed never to let it happen again.
Ginny could not help it; she let out a little laugh as she lifted her eyes to her brother. "Oh, Ron. You know that's impossible."
"For Merlin's sake, Ron. Quit pushing Harry and Ginny together." Hermione admonished as she moved to her boyfriend's side. "Can't you see that they treat each other as family?"
Harry nodded agreeably as he came to a stop beside Ginny. "Yeah, and besides I have known Gin since she was ten."
Ginny rolled her eyes at the green-eyed boy. "And you were only the ripe old age of eleven, gramps." Harry smiled and shrugged, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
"That was a very daring thing to do in the Great Hall earlier."
Ron groaned loudly. "Thanks a lot for the reminder, Harry. Some of us are trying real hard to forget, you know?" Then putting his hands on Ginny's shoulders, Ron pried his little sister away from him and stared grumpily down at her. "And Malfoy had better not do anything inappropriate to you. If I hear otherwise I am going to owl the boys and put a permanent end to the Malfoy line, not that it is going to be sorely missed."
Ginny merely grinned. "I love you too, Ron."
A/N : I am really, really in need of a beta-reader. If there is anyone who is interested in the post, I would be very grateful.