Real Love
Chapter 3: Sway
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Hope you enjoy this one. This chapter is a little more heated than the others. Hope you like it and review if you can! I love them.
Like a flower bending in the breeze
Bend with me, sway with ease
When we dance you have a way with me
Stay with me, sway with me
Other dancers may be on the floor
Dear, but my eyes will see only you
Only you have that magic technique
When we sway I go weak
-Sway, Dean Martin
"Looks like everything's all set. You did such a great job with it all Ginny."
Hermione had asked to meet with Ginny after their last classes to go over the plans for the ball the next day.
"Yeah and if I live to see tomorrow everything should go off without a hitch!" Ginny grinned. She was crawling with excitement over the current night's festivities.
"Oh are you getting sick?" Hermione's brow furrowed with concern.
"No. And I'm sure I'll be fine tomorrow. As long as you don't pressure me into downing shots with you like you did last year." She chuckled at the memory; Hermione did not.
"Ginny we're not going to that party tonight." Her face was hardened. "None of the Gryffindors are. I thought that you knew."
"Well I didn't. I'm guessing this boycott was your idea?" Ginny didn't know why she hadn't figured that this would happen.
"I don't think its appropriate to be so reckless and irresponsible when the men and women out there fighting can't afford one moment of carelessness. And I certainly don't think we should be fraternizing with the enemy."
Ginny couldn't believe her ears. "The enemy? They're our classmates! Do you know how crazy that sounds?"
Hermione opened her mouth to respond but Ginny cut her off.
"And I think now is exactly when we should be having a little reckless fun, because any day we could loose our chance to too. And maybe in doing so we'll break down some of this stupid house division so in the future we might not have to worry about it. If not, then at least we all had a good time."
"You really think one night can change the way things have been for hundreds of years Ginny? The Slytherin's aren't trying to bridge any gaps. They invited who they had to according to tradition and that's that. They'll probably treat everyone like shit."
"They invited me," Ginny reminded her.
Hermione sighed in exasperation. "I know, and you already know how I feel about that. I'm sorry Ginny, I know you always have the best intentions, but all I'm saying is that a 100 drunken teenagers sweating on a dance floor together isn't going to change anything. If you want to be reckless get drunk with Seamus at Gryffindor. I promise I'll look the other way. I've got to go meet with Professor McGonagall but I'll see you tonight."
If things went right, Ginny noted, Hermione would not be seeing her again that night.
The night was early and people were already to drunk to be offended that Slytherins and Hufflepuffs were socializing. Though a Gryffindor had yet to walk through the door.
The Slytherins had begun the night early, perhaps in preparation of the invasion of their rooms, and all the Hufflepuffs had arrived at 9:00 on the dot. The room had been filled with glares and bitten tongues for a while, but as Ravenclaws filtered in, and drinks began to flow more quickly, the tension in the room had faded away and the drunken debauchery had begun.
"Well, look who actually showed up," Blaise commented. Draco followed Blaise's gaze and his eyes landed on the red head in the entrance giving his doorman a hard time. She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head, sending her haid tumbling over her bare shoulders. He couldn't help but grin at her decision to wear a Slytherin green strapless top, nor could he complain about the length of her short black skirt.
"I should go help the lady out."
Draco watched as Blaise sauntered up to Weasley.
"Consider it an entrance fee," he heard the boy tell her.
"Entrance fee?" she exclaimed in return and held the bright green shot in front of her face.
"Last year Ravenclaw requested a few sickles to help pay for things, all we want is to make sure the nights worth the money we spent on it."
"But what is it?"
"Sorry. Secret."
"Forget it." She shook her head and put the glass back down.
"You don't think Granger's for you to come back with your head hung to prove her right?" Draco felt it was time to make his entrance.
He knew from the expression on her face that he had her.
"It won't hurt you. I promise. I won't let anything bad happen to you, or else I'd be proving her right too."
He held out the glass for her, and this time she didn't hesitate. She downed the shot with ease and laughed after she swallowed. "Watermelon huh?"
Draco smirked. "Welcome to the party Weasley. We're so glad you came."
He shouldn't have expected her to blush. Maybe then he wouldn't have been so surprised when in a low guttural whisper, her face inches from his she said "Thanks for inviting me," and walked away.
Ginny was nursing her fourth drink, not including the entrance fee, and trying to hold a conversation with Justin Finch-Fletchy when she felt a firm hand plant itself on her shoulder. She spun around and was face to face with a red-cheeked Irishman.
"Seamus! Oh thank god!" Ginny laughed. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't allowed." She winked.
"Once Hermione saw you weren't with me she left and headed back to her room. So here we are! Dean's here somewhere at least."
"Couldn't convince the ladies?"
Seamus shook his head. "Dirtiest looks in the world didn't keep me away though."
"Think they'll be here by midnight?" Ginny offered.
"Nah. They'll be here within the hour."
Sure enough, twenty minutes later, from their seats around a study table they saw the girls walked though the door and stood nervously in the entrance.
Seamus and Dean howled with laughter as the girls struggled with their green shots. Noses pinched they sipped at a rate that would keep them there all night.
"Go help them!" Ginny swatted the boys.
"Yeah we better."
"Don't go anywhere," Seamus grinned and shocked Ginny when he placed a peck on her cheek, squeezing her thigh as he did so.
It was nice to have someone pay attention to her without Ron lingering in the corner ready to pounce, or without the boys heading way to Harry incase he decided he was interested.
Ginny rose from the table to get another drink and discovered the effects of the shots she had downed with Dean and Seamus.
She made her way to the table where an incredible selection of liquors was laid out. The labels were too hard to read anymore and Ginny had no idea what she wanted.
"Pick you poison Weasley."
"What do you suggest?"
Malfoy stepped forward and pulled several bottles out and poured them into a stemmed glass. He held it out to her and she accepted it.
Hesitantly she held glass her lips and took a sip. Pomegranate. It was so fruity she wouldn't have known it was liquor at all.
"What's with the fruit Malfoy? Watermelon. Pomegranate."
"I know how to please a woman," he replied cheekily.
"Well I'm…" She raised the hem of her skirt up her thigh until she found and unhitched the small metal flask from its garter. "Not an ordinary woman." She tossed the container to him.
It was clear to her that Draco too had had his share to drink, and he struggled to keep his cool composure. He endured however and smoothly unscrewed the cap to sniff the contents.
"Well …" he reached into his back pocket and soon placed a slightly bigger, and much fancier flask in Ginny's hand. "Cheer's then"
Ginny laughed as Malfoy took a swig from hers and followed by taking a sip of the one in her hands.
They traded back and Ginny put hers away.
"Don't take your clothes off yet Ginger, at least wait till we're alone." Blaise snuck up beside them. "Do you want to dance?" he offered her.
Ginny glanced down at her full drink, and up at Malfoy who was narrowing his eyes at the other Slytherin, but seemed confident that she wasn't going anywhere.
"I'd love to," she replied, and with two big gulps she devoured her drink, handed the glass back to the blond, and let Blaise lead her away.
Blaise's hands were firmly placed on her waist as she ground against him. The temperature in the part of the room where everyone was dancing was exceedingly warmer than the rest of the room and quickly she was covered in a damp sweat. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the music.
It was Blaise's switch to be in front of her and the electricity that swept through her when he was touching her again that brought her back to the present. Her eyes fluttered open and she realized that the two gray eyes piecing into her weren't Blaise's. Draco's drunken eyes were full of desire and Ginny could smell the alcohol radiating off of him.
Her breath hitched as he pulled her closer. Neither spoke but Ginny's heart was pounding harder by the second. Her body ached to be even closer to him until she could no longer stand it and she pressed her lips to his.
As if he'd been doing the same, he met her half way and accepted her lips with the eagerness she gave them with. The contact sent sensations through her that she'd never dreamed of, and all else ceased to exist as she drowned in the taste of Draco Malfoy.
Draco cursed as he fumbled for his wand so he could silently unlock his quarters. Ginny was still attached to his face as she herself fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. He succeeded in opening the door just as Ginny was slipping his shirt off his shoulders.
He grinned and slipped his hands behind Ginny's soft thighs and hoisted her up around his waist. He thought he might drop her as she slipped off her top, leaving her bare breasts before him.
Ferociously he pinned her against the wall and used his freed hands to explore her. She writhed beneath him as he inspected her. Her short skirt was no longer of any use and only her black lace thong shielded her from him.
Draco's desire for the red head was becoming unbearably painful and it took all his strength not to unzip his pants right there.
He lifted Ginny away from the wall and carried her to his large plush bed. He laid her down and stroked her neck with his hand while the other slid up her skirt and skillfully removed her panties. He was pleased to find that she was responding to him nearly as strongly as he was responding to her.
He slid off his pants before lowering down to her and kissing her hard when she embraced him. Draco used his knees to spread her legs apart and she did so without resistance, welcoming the invasion.
Unsure why, Draco hesitated and looked down and the girl below him.
"Have you ever done this before?" he asked. The idea that no one had ever indulged himself in the heaven he was experiencing suddenly striking him.
Ginny shook her head, confirming his suspicions.
"Are you sure then?" he asked, praying to god she said yes.
"I'm sure," she replied in the same low sexy whisper from before.
A groan escaped him as she lifted her hips to him, urging him on.
He felt her tense a bit as he positioned himself, but before he could tell her to relax, he was suddenly thrown from her, tumbling to the floor. He had barely recovered from the first blow when another hit him. He suddenly felt his drunkenness wash away and his head began to throb from the quick sobering.
Blaise threw his trousers at him and Draco slid them on, dazed.
"You can have her Malfoy. She's all yours. She was yours all along. But not like this. She's better than this."
Politely Blaise shielded his eyes and handed Ginny he top and underwear.
She clumsily put them on, clearly confused and embarrassed. "What's going on?"
"Oh hell." Realizations began flooding his already hurting head.
"Look," Blaise bent down to him so Ginny couldn't hear. " I just couldn't let you do something you'd regret. Would a true friend let you taint yourself with a muggle loving Weasley?"
Draco nodded at Blaise's coded promises and the other boy left.
Draco managed to get off the floor to sit on the edge of the bed. He cursed again as two arms snaked around him from behind. Being sober did not make Ginny Weasley any less attractive.
Gently he untangled himself from her and took a deep breath. "Not tonight Ginny."
"What?" she scooted away from him. "But I…"
"I'm sorry," he offered lamely. He was using all his power to ignore the side of him that wanted to pretend like Blaise had never been there and get back to business. However, his new sober state of mind allowed him to see that Ginny was far too plastered to know what she was doing.
"Why don't you let me walk you back?" He turned to her, and found her fast asleep in his bed.
He longed to spoon up behind her and join her in her slumber, but his desire to never awaken to the sounds of a screaming Weasley far outweighed it. So instead, he quickly dressed and scooped her up in his arms.
When they arrived at the Gryffindor tower Draco gently shook the sleeping girl. "Weasley. What's the password?"
Ginny moaned in response.
"Weasley what's your password?"
"Harry…" she muttered incoherently.
"Weasley stop dreaming about Potter and…"
Draco would have continued had the portrait hole not opened at Potter's name.
"Of course it is."
The garish gold and red was so offensive he briefly considered dropping Ginny there and leaving. Quickly he padded up to the girls dormitory and found the 6th years' room.
He entered quietly and felt relief when all of Ginny's suitemates were sleeping. He gently lowered her onto the only empty bed. She smiled happily as her head hit the pillow and to his surprise her eyes fluttered open.
"Aren't you going to stay?"
"Not tonight." He grabbed a quilt from the top of her trunk and tucked her under it.
"Well goodnight then." She shut her eyes again.
"Goodnight Weasley."
Ginny awoke to a terrible odor surrounding her. Peeking down at herself she found that she was tucked in under Ron's farty old comforter. She'd brought it to school instead of her own to remind her off him, only to learn that her brother must not know how to do laundry. She hadn't slept with it since.
She wretched and kicked the blanket it to the floor. What was she thinking?
In fact, how had she gotten to bed?
It was then that the night before came back to her. She'd gone to the bash and then… And then…
Well that explained why she felt like death.
Praying for god to take her, Ginny closed her eyes again. She could sleep all day if she wanted; it was Saturday.
"Oh god!" She sat up and looked at the clock. "Shit. Shit. Shit"
She was more than an hour late to set up in the great hall. She rolled out of bed and threw on some gray sweatpants and a pink tank top. She threw her hair into a sloppy ponytail and booked out of her room.
The steps were too much though and when she reached the bottom she ran for the nearest trashcan. The colors that came out of her made Ginny suddenly very happy not to remember what she had ingested the night before.
She pushed the can away and laid herself down on the cool hardwood floor.
"Yeah me too," a tired voice sat down beside her. She peered to her right and saw Seamus, who was also in sweats, unshaven and disheveled. "Hermione's been looking for you." He told her.
Ginny let out a little cry. "Why me Seamus? Why me?" She'd give anything to not be involved with the ball in anyway. Anything to stay there on that floor and wish for death until she felt better or did indeed die.
"Here," Seamus tugged her arm and pulled her up to sit. He then held out a disturbingly bright pink drink to her. "This will help."
Ginny hesitated, recalling the rainbow she had just disposed off.
"It won't hurt you. I promise."
Ginny blinked as suddenly she recalled holding a glass of green liquid and the scent of watermelons. She shook her head and put the cup to her lips. The bitter liquid went down with a bit of a struggle and she glared at Seamus.
"I didn't say it tasted pretty!"
"You said it wouldn't hurt!"
"It didn't!"
Ginny laughed. "No it didn't. Thanks Seamus. Will I see you tonight?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world."
Despite Hermione not speaking with her, the set up for the ball went well. Ginny thought all of the black drapes they had hung and the black linens on the table looked elegant even if Hermione thought it was morbid. And she thought the twinkling lights hung everywhere were romantic even if Hermione thought they were tacky. In fact at the moment Ginny found Hermione's distaste made anything more appealing.
Ginny blinked three times to be sure her mascara wouldn't run, and set down her mirror. Her roommates had finished getting ready nearly an hour ago, and she was glad not to have to get ready in the frenzy. She slipped into her silky green dress and zipped it up. She tugged on her silver heels before grabbing her earrings off her night table and hurrying out the door. It was nearly time for the dance to begin and she couldn't be late. She hurried down the common room and was surprised to find Neville sitting in the common room. She was sure he would have been to the hall already.
"Neville what are you still doing here?" she slipped on of her earrings on.
"I thought we could go…walk…I thought I'd wait and we could walk down together."
"Oh! Thanks Neville! Well I'm all set, so we can head down now."
"You look really pretty."
"Well I tried," she laughed and shrugged. "I guess I've grown up a little bit since the last ball you escorted me to. Then again you have too." She elbowed him, and he blushed. She long ago stopped feeling bad every time she made him blush.
They entered the great hall and went to greet Hermione who was looking over the refreshments. She eyed Ginny and turned away.
"Nice dress," she commented.
"You too." Hermione was wearing a simple light blue dress that looked lovely on her.
"Why don't you go see if Alex is all set with the music? Neville I could use your help here."
"I helped him earlier. He's fine."
"Fine Ginny. Do whatever you want."
"I planned on it." Ginny walked away and tried to talk her self out of the rage Hermione had thrown her into yet again. It would be a good night, even if she needed the help that was strapped firmly to her thigh.
Draco couldn't recall a more distressing moment in his entire life. All of his senses were being attacked at once, and there was nothing his could do about it. His skin itched where Pansy clung to him, his nostrils were burning from the bath she took in her perfume, and his mouth still felt dirty from the kiss she had managed to sneak in earlier. Meanwhile the horrendous song playing was enough to make him pray for deafness, and watching Weasley smiling in Longbottom's arm made him want to gouge his eyes out.
"Doesn't he know she's saving herself for Potter?"
"Apparantly not," Draco peeled his eyes away, caught.
"Think they sealed the deal before he left?" she pondered to him.
"No," he answered a little too quickly.
"You seem sure." Pansy grinned at him slightly.
"I don't even want to think about it. So no, disgusting people don't have sex."
Pansy stayed silent, but the smile remained on her face.
The song finished and in the short lull before the next song Draco heard Longbottom from a few yards away.
"Ginny, I love you."
"Oh Neville! I love you too!"
Draco nearly laughed aloud and Weasley engulfed the boy in a big, sisterly hug.
It only got better when Seamus Finnegan literally swept her away and twirled her in the air exclaiming, "But not as much as she loves me! And certainly not as much as I love her," leaving Longbottom alone to digest that to Ginny Weasley, he was just another brother.
Ginny giggled as Seamus placed her back on the ground. The new song picked the tempo way up from the last, and while Seamus was not as good a dancer as Neville, he was much more fun. They jumped and twirled, and twisted their hips in sync until the song ended and Seamus engulfed her in his sweaty arms.
"Thanks for the dance Gin. Think I might get another one later?"
"We'll see," Ginny laughed.
He grinned and loosened his grip, but left his hands on her waist. Another sense of familiarity rushed through her and suddenly she remembered being pulled forward, lips crashing on to hers.
Had she been with Seamus the night before? Did he remember when she could not?
Her heart fluttered in a mixture of panic and excitement.
"You okay?" Seamus looked down at her.
She nodded. "Are you sure? You look flushed."
She felt flushed.
She was glad when on the stage Hermione appeared with Malfoy beside her wearing his usual smirk.
"Hi everyone!" she said. "I hope you all are having a good time. As you all know this ball is to raise money for the soldier's wards like we have in our very own infirmary. We've done really well so far, but we thought that to raise a little extra we'd have an auction. Each student can bid an amount for the dance partner of his or her choice. Only bidders get to dance the next dance and the highest bidder gets to pick the song."
"I thought you told her no way on this," Seamus looked down at Ginny. She glared at him to assure him that she had. Hermione had brought up the stupid auction idea weeks ago and Ginny had told her in no unclear terms that it wasn't going to happen. Ginny had no doubt that this was Hermione's revenge for the night before.
"Any bidders to start?"
A few couples threw out small bids for their chance to dance together. Bidding went up to a few sickles as a couple of boys made a move for Cho Chang's little sister Joanna.
"I'll bid a galleon for Seamus Finnegan." Ginny felt Seamus jump beside her. Lavender had made the bid.
"Damn, I was just about to bid for you," he frowned at her.
"Like you could afford me." Ginny laughed as she pushed Seamus off towards Lavender. She was torn. Part of her prayed no one would call her name, while a more childish, vain part of her was scared of the same. She heard Neville begin to speak and knew she would be dancing, but things quickly made a turn as Neville was cut off.
"100 galleons for Ginny Weasley," Draco Malfoy called from the stage. An eruption of "Whats?" filled the room and Draco chose Hermione's, which had been mic'd across the hall to respond to.
"This ball is about bringing us all together to raise money correct?"
Hermione simply nodded. "Any other bidders for Ginny?"
The group stayed silent. 100 galleons was 20 times the highest previous bid and only a handful of students would even have that much money in a year.
The bidding didn't last much longer. Ginny felt a tightening in her chest as the music started and the lights dimmed. The opening chords of the music sent a shiver through her body. She felt as though she was the only person in the room as she stood in the middle of the dance floor, waiting for him. She inhaled sharply as she felt his hands on her back sending tingling sensation ran from her toes to more intimate places and she knew.
She turned to face him and reached up to place her hands around his neck. To her surprise he took one hand in to his, and placed his other on her waist. She rested her remaining hand on his shoulder and gasped as he pulled her closer and began to move her around the dance floor. She never moved in a way that felt so much like floating.
It was when he bent in her in to a low dip that it happened. Visions of his searing gray eyes above her while his bare chest grazed hers raced through her.
She gasped. Could she have?
"Shhh," he hushed her when he pulled her up, reminding her silently that they couldn't discuss the previous night, but answering her question all the same. Not a word was spoken as they danced to song. Somehow Ginny's heart was in her throat and pounding in her chest at the same time. Hazy flashes of Malfoy's strong arms around her as they danced, as he carried her to his bed, as he lowered down on her, flashed through her mind. Her heart raced faster. She needed to remember more. She had to know what…
"Suppose you'd love to remember just what happened," Malfoy's eyes sparkled with mischief. "I can at least assure that you were a more than willing participant."
Ginny sneered at the boy and began to step away from him, both angry and embarrassed.
"Ah ah ah. I paid good money for you Weasley, and I expect to get my three minutes worth." He pulled her even closer than before, she wanted to pull away again, but his cool spicy scent was intoxicating.
"Why'd you pay so much just to dance with me anyway Malfoy? Didn't get your fill of me?"
"I just wanted to be here to watch you squirm when you remembered who you were with last night."
"Well that will never happen again so I guess I'll be ok," Ginny wrote him off.
"Never Weasley?"
"Never." She stated as the song ended.
In the small closet outside the Great Hall, Ginny held the cool metal to her lips and felt refuge in the biting liquid as it hit her lips. She took one more gulp before screwing the cap back on and fumbling to attach it back to the strap around her leg. Clumsily, she felt for the clip unable to figure it out.
Suddenly from behind her she felt a warm hand against her thigh. Effortlessly it attached the flask back in its place, his fingers lingering gently afterwards.
"Never Weasley?" he asked quietly into her ear. Ginny tried to ignore the goose bumps all over her body, as she replied, "Never."
Draco wasn't convinced however as he spun her around and his lips collided with her own. Ginny began to push him way, but found her arms snaking around his neck instead. The wall behind her thumped with the pumping bass of the music, just as her heart thumped with the blood pumping through her veins. She gasped as Draco grabbed her thighs and wrapped her around his hips, pressing against her. His thin dress pants didn't offer much of a barrier and beneath her dress she offered even littler. She reached down between her legs and found the cold metal on his belt, quickly undoing it. As she freed him Draco looked up at her, her green dress reflecting up into his eyes. Confused green eyes flashed threw her mind and suddenly Ginny was imagining Harry, closely followed by Ron, bursting in to the room, and the anger in Harry's green eyes as he killed Draco. The hurt in them as they turned to her.
Draco's lips closed in on Ginny's once again, but this time she did push him away.
"I can't do this," she whispered. She had braced to find herself on the cold stone floor, tossed away; however, Draco gently put her back on her feet and nodded as his zipped his trousers. He then kissed her forehead and disappeared as quickly as he has appeared.