Chapter Eighteen

Save the Last Dance

Everyone knew Ginny was going to the Yule ball with Draco Malfoy. Ginny was expecting the stares she got as she walked through the doors on Draco's arm. Draco was smiling encouragingly at her and that somehow made everything so much better in her book.

As the first dance started, and Draco prepared to sweep Ginny around the ball room, Ginny ruminated on why she had gone to such pains to go to this dance with him. She liked him. She was willing to admit that. There was just something about him that made her feel like he could be someone to her, if not the one.

The music suddenly stopped. Ginny, who was enjoying the closeness to Draco much more than she would ever admit, glanced around even as everyone else did, to the doors of the hall.

There stood Hermione Granger and Lysandra Snape, arms linked.

Ly towered over Hermione by a good six inches. She wore a midnight blue gown of velvet with a small flower motif sewn into the left breast. The dress came to the floor, fanning out slightly behind her. It had no sleeves but rather thin spaghetti straps. She had put glitter on her arms so they shimmered as she moved. Her dark hair was pulled up into coils of ringlets with blue ribbons woven into the mixture.

Hermione wore a lighter blue dress that came to mid calf. Her dress sinced tight about the waist and she had a white rose corsage pinned there. Her dress had small sleeves that came to the middle of her upper arms. Her hair was tamed into curls that framed her soft face beautifully.

Ginny, who already knew about Hermione and Ly, looked away, studying the faces of the other dancers. Harry and Ron both knew about the two of them but their dates looked a little surprised. Luna had her usual dreamy look on her face. Ron's date, Lavender Brown looked positively delighted with the turn of events.

Fred and George were whispering together, doubtless coming up with some plan Ginny would have to anticipate and prevent sometime soon. Their dates, Angelina and Alicia were among those staring at Hermione and Ly and whispering.

"...upset?"

Ginny shook herself, pulling back to reality. "What?"

"Are you upset?" Draco repeated as the music started again.

Ginny shook her head, "Why would I be upset?"

"Well, they are kind of stealing your thunder."

Ginny laughed, "Do you really think I asked you if I just wanted to be contraversial? If I wanted that, I would have gone with Krum."

Draco smiled, "Nothing makes me happier, Princess."

Ginny stared at him, "Wait, did you really think that's why I wanted to go with you? I asked you because I took your advice and decided I still wanted to go with you. I like you. And right now, I want to know where that will lead."

He leaned down and kissed her nose. "Thank you, Princess. You're going to do wonders for me."

Ginny grinned up at him. "I certainly hope so."

The night passed in a beautiful blur for Ginny. Draco walked her back to her dorm, kissing her one last time before she went to bed.

888

Draco watched Ginny disappear into her dorm, a smile still on his face. The smile felt rusty but he didn't mind. It would get plenty of practice in the weeks to follow, if he had anything to say about it.

He liked Ginny, he thought, as he walked back to his dorms. She was bright and spunky, everything he wanted in a girl. The best part was, the more time he spent with her, the more he found to like. Tonight for instance, he had discovered a glimpse of hope for them in the future. The mere fact that she wasn't doing this for attention or jealousy, gave him slightly more solid grounds for a future with her.

Draco was preoccupied in ways to further woo Ginny, so he didn't notice the shadow detach itself from the wall and scurry past him towards the Gryffindor dorms.

(A/N: AHHHHHHhhhhHHHHhhhHHH! What's going to happen? Who knows! Well, I do, but that's irrelevant.