Alrighty, so what's the mysterious second condition? Well, read and you might find out! :) And thanks for the ideas OnMyHighHorse! Oh and, who here has ever had an argument with yourself? Well, Malfoy is about to find out what it's like heh ;)
Ginny leaned in closer to him, enjoying the suspicion lurking in his silver eyes. "The second condition is. . ." she repeated, grinning at his obvious impatience. Just as she was about to tell him, Ron and Harry stormed up to her with angry frowns. "What's going on Ginny? Is he bothering you?" Harry demanded with a venomous glare towards the platinum blond.
"Actually she is the one bothering me," Malfoy snapped back with another dark look at the girl in question. "It's fine guys. Let's go," Ginny said with an innocent smile as she stood up from the table, box of truffles firmly in hand. The two Gryffindor males exchanged unconvinced glances but obeyed the younger girl like the good little watchdogs they were.
Before leaving to join her friends at the Gryffindor table, Ginny leaned in close to him, stands of her silky red hair tickling his cheek. "Meet me by the lake at 10:00 if you want to know the second condition," she whispered softly, her soft lips much too close to his ear for his comfort.
An involuntary flush drifted up his slender neck as he watched her saunter back to the Gryffindor table with her two lapdogs. Well, that was certainly an interesting way to start the morning, he mused dryly.
Later that morning…
"Where the heck is she?" he growled to himself as he stood by the edge of the lake, gloved hands tucked firmly into his deep pockets. Hunching up his shoulders so that the top of his black robes covered his neck more, the platinum blond waited miserably for Ginny.
"Blasted woman! She's going to be the death of me if she doesn't show up soon. And she better have those truffles with her!" he ground out with chattering teeth, his breath crystallizing in the air in front of him. Malfoy shuffled his frozen feet again and glanced around to see if she had finally made it.
I am a complete idiot for coming out here in this weather just for some stupid chocolates, he thought with a sigh, mentally cursing himself for his foolish actions. Snow drifted down and landed on the back of his exposed neck, causing him to reach up and swat it away with a hiss before it melted and ran down his back.
This was the reason he hated winter. It reminded him of all those cold, miserable nights spent in the dungeons after failing to complete his mission in his sixth year. If Potter hadn't put Him ten feet under already, I might be tempted to do Him in myself, he thought bitterly. 'Him' referring to Lord Voldemort, of course. Another shiver coursed through him, and not because of the cold this time.
Malfoy jerked his head around again, desperately searching for a familiar head full of dark red hair in an ocean of whiteness. A low moan burst from his mouth as his legs started tingling from numbness. After a few more moments of waiting, he finally admitted to himself that she wasn't showing up. For some reason that fact made him feel abandoned, somehow. Pathetic!
Get a hold of yourself Draco! Why do you care if she doesn't show up?
I don't care! I only want those blasted truffles!
Suuuure you do. It's not like you actually LIKE her and the truffles are a just convenient excuse to meet her.
Of course not! She's the Weaselette for Salazar's sake! That's plain disgusting! I'm only here for the chocolates! Now shut up and leave me alone. . . .
You're telling yourself to leave you alone? Yeah, that isn't strange at all. . . .
Malfoy emitted a loud groan again and tilted his head back, taking deep, calming breaths. Great, now I'm having arguments with myself. Hmph. See what that girl is doing to me? This is all her fault! I just wish she would hurry up and get here. . . . For the chocolates of course.
A few minutes later…
I guess she isn't going to show. . . .oh well no big deal. I mean, I can always corner her back at the castle and take the chocolates myself. I would be taking what was rightfully mine. It wouldn't be stealing at all! Well. . . .maybe I'll wait a few more minutes. . . .
A couple of seconds go by…
AND I DON'T LIKE HER!
Just keep telling yourself that buddy. Maybe one day you'll actually be able to convince yourself.
AGH! Shut up!
As he was turning around to walk back to the safe warmth of the castle, ignoring that annoying little voice inside his head (One time he had heard someone call it a 'conscience'. Whatever that was. . . .), the sound of feet crunching on the snow had him whirling around, blindly hoping that it was her.
Ginny ran down to the lakeside, her breath coming in gasps and a stitch in her side. Stupid brothers! Ron had kept her back in the common room, lecturing her about being seen with a certain Slytherin. She had finally blown up and yelled back at him that her life was her own and he could go talk to someone who actually cared. Like his girlfriend, Hermonie, for instance.
The older girl had confessed to Ginny that Ron had not been paying very much attention to her lately, so of course Ginny had gotten angry at her stupid, idiotic git of a brother and decided to do something about it. Whether or not he actually understood what she was trying to tell him, however, was something she could not guarantee.
It's up to 'Monie now, she thought with a sad smile. That was one relationship that Ginny was determined that would work out.
Shielding her eyes with a gloved hand, she desperately gazed around for a familiar head of platinum blond hair. There! Squinting her eyes against the blinding snow, she caught sight of Malfoy looking around and opened her mouth to yell for him, but nothing came out.
He slowly turned around and started trudging back up to the castle, apparently thinking that she wasn't going to show up. Running faster, she desperately tried to call out again, not wanting to have to search for him all through the castle.
"Hey Ferret Boy! Wait up!" she finally called out, her voice suddenly operational again. He stopped so abruptly and whirled around, that she was unable to stop in time and barreled straight into him. The momentum sent them both crashing to the ground, melted snow slowly seeping into their robes.
"What is it with you and trying to murder me?" Malfoy groaned out as he sat up and tentatively rubbed the back of his snow covered head. Ginny grinned up at him from her spot on the ground beside him. "Oh come on Malfoy. It's a beautiful day! Oh, I know! Let's make snow angels!" she said, still grinning that scary grin.
She's a bloody lunatic if she calls this a beautiful day, he thought sourly, glancing around with raised eyebrows at the 'blizzard' they were caught in.
"And just what are Snow Angels?" the platinum blond asked reluctantly, a wary expression on his pale face. With a heartfelt laugh, she dragged him back down to the ground and demonstrated how she moved her arms and legs to make a snow angel.
It took some convincing, but he finally decided to give it a try. "So, you just lay here and move your arms up and down and your legs side to side?" he asked dubiously. Why was he even bothering with such a frivolous activity? For the chocolates of course! Only for the chocolates. . . .
Several minutes later. . . .
Malfoy reached down a hand to help her up from her snow angel, a smirk on his face and a dare in his eyes. She grabbed his gloved hand and he pulled her up from the ground. . . .and straight into his arms. Both flushed from the close proximity, but neither moved away. Ginny stared up into his silver eyes as her heart beat out an uneven tune. She watched as he slowly leaned his head down and closed her eyes in expectation.
But, Malfoy hesitated right before kissing her as something held him back. In the distance, a gaggle of third years let out laughs of excitement as they headed down to Hogsmead. Releasing a pent up sigh of frustration, he simply rested his forehead against hers before letting her go and stepping back. Ginny lowered her eyes in disappointment, and caught sight of the snow angels.
She stared down at the first one with wide eyes. Two perfect wings, the perfect flowing dress, and a perfectly shaped head. It was the best snow angel she had ever seen! Ginny sent a proud grin over her shoulder to him before turning back to her snow angel.
One wing went higher than the other somehow, snow bunched up in places along her dress, and the head. . . .well, she had never been very good at staying still. At least there weren't any hand and feet impressions in the dress from having to pick herself up.
At the memory of how perfectly she had fit into his strong arms and how they had almost kissed, she blushed fiercely again. "Well, I think we know who the winner is," she called to him without turning around, trying to hide her flaming face for as long as she could.
Silence was the only reply. Frowning, she turned around despite her red face, but he wasn't there! Where did he go? Did he just leave?
Suddenly, a snowball came sailing through the air, headed straight for her. All she could do was close her eyes and wait for impact. Malfoy grinned wickedly from his hidden fortress of snow at the sight of white particles crusting her entire face.
If she wanted to have fun in the snow, then who was he to keep her from it? Besides, it was payback from making him get out in this ghastly blizzard. It was merely an unexpected bonus that he could admire her from a distance without her knowing. Ahh, the wonders of Malfoy logic.
"You going to just there like a helpless damsel in distress or are you going to fight back, Weasley?" he yelled, tossing more snowballs at her with one arm while the other held his extra ammunition.
Ginny narrowed her brown eyes in the direction the voice and snowballs were coming from. So, that's how he wants to play it huh? Well, little Ferret Boy is about to get one heck of a lesson in Snowball Fighting 101 from none other than the reigning champion herself, she thought with a smirk as she bent down to gather snow for her own snowballs.
Not once did she pause to think about how much he had changed since the beginning of the year. How much they had both changed.
Don't worry, that wasn't the second condition, so plenty of time for that kiss later ;) I wanted Malfoy to be a little more lighthearted in theis chapter, but not too much. Any thoughts on what happened or what you think should happen in future chapters? All feedback greatly appreciated!
Another thing, I won't be able to update for a few days. Sosososososo sorry! I thinking that there might be around five more chapters give or take. I'll be working hard on finishing writting them, but i won't be able to update. :P Again, so sorry!