Surprise Attraction [Closed HeyThereLittleBear]

L

lauranatink

Moon
Joined
Oct 26, 2016
Location
NE, USA
Ginny hadn’t wanted to return to Hogwarts this year. What was the point? Her brother and the man she fancied were off doing who knows what to try and defeat Voldemort, Dumbledore was gone, and not having Hermione to talk to was just strange. But because of the new law passed that required all witches and wizards to attend Hogwarts she was forced to listen to her mother and go back. The only thing the red-haired girl was able to take relief in was the fact that she still had Neville and Luna. The two of them helped her quite a bit in staying sane and making sure that they did everything they possibly could to protect the other students.

It was hard. The Carrow’s would have people use the Crutiatus Curse on anyone in detention, students were punished more severly, and it even got to the point that most Professors were doing absolutely anything they could to prevent handing out detentions since the Carrow’s were in charge of them. Just getting through the year was proving to be difficult. Neville, Luna, and Ginny had continued the previous efforts of Dumbledore’s Army however. Getting some students out of detention, spray-painting Dumbledore’s Army on the walls, even attempting to get the Sword of Gryffindor from Snape’s office. That had resulted in a detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest.

Today was the first Hogsmeade visit of the year and as much as Ginny wanted to go, she couldn’t. She had gotten caught trying to sneak to the kitchens and get some food for a first year that had been too scared to go to the Great Hall for dinner and so she had been banned from Hogsmeade visits as a result. They knew she was one of the three that was helping continue the DA so it gave them an excuse to try and make an example. If Ginny was being honest, the punishment could have been a lot worse. Being one of the only students still in the school and able to roam the corridors was strange though so she’d automatically made her way to the library. Grabbing a book about Quidditch at random she sat down towards the back where she would—hopefully—not be disturbed and started reading.
 
For the first time in his seven years of attending Hogwarts, the school was truly run by the people that needed to be in charge. The first years were terrified, as they should be, and the Death Eaters roamed the corridors as if they owned the place. And, truth be told, they most likely did. Snape was the Headmaster and permitted the Slytherins to have more or less the run of the place. There was no Slytherin that took advantage of that more than Draco, the self-appointed Prince.


But for someone whom had gotten quite literally he’d ever wanted, there was so much to him that was left unsatisfied. He’d gotten his cake but when he’d gone to eat it he found that it tasted like ash and made everything else bitter. The castle was free for him to roam but he took no pleasure in it, as the people surrounding him were the very ones that hadn’t noticed his downward spiral the previous year. He had turned from one of the most handsome in the school to being a ghost of his former self.


He couldn’t even bring himself to go to Hogsmeade with the rest of most of the school, instead doing something rather out of character for himself. He took solace in a place he’d been only a handful of times in his school career - the library. On this day it was mostly empty, save for the vulture-woman that was Madame Pince. The silence brought him a peace that he hadn’t had since he’d returned to the school, the smell of old books foreign to him and the dust enough to make him feel like he was in the home of someone… Someone like a Weasley.


His eyes had caught her through the shelves, the red hair unmistakeable as she selected a book then found a table in a more private area of the library. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he watched her from afar, tossing around the idea of approaching her. He had seen her change over the years from afar, turning from the pandering little snot that had plodded along behind Potter’s every move to the strong girl that now sat before him.


Puberty, as well, had done so much for her in making her become a beautiful young woman. He had started to feel something towards her, but that something was as of yet something he still couldn’t name, or blatantly refused to name. He felt a certain tenderness when he looked at her, a soft aching in his chest… But the didn’t explore it beyond that. He did know that she was like a candle in the dark, a shining light of things that he could be… But that was not who he was. He was a Malfoy, and he had a reputation to uphold.


He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets as he strolled out into the open, coming to a stop a few feet from her. “What are you doing here, Weasley? Come to defile the library with the Dumbledore’s Army bollocks?”
 
Ginny had been interested in her book and was extremely surprised when she heard a voice saying her name. She would recognize that voice anywhere. As much as Malfoy had always been a problem for her family, and Harry, she’d had to admit that he was attractive. That didn’t mean that the red-head was going to act on it however, especially not with knowing he was a Death Eater. Before looking up she made sure to take her time and finish the paragraph she had been reading.

When she was done she reluctantly dragged her eyes up from the book until she took in his appearance before letting her brown eyes meet his grey. He didn’t look like he usually did, the attractiveness was still there but it was like he’d almost given up. He wasn’t as put together as he normally was. Quickly dismissing that thought from her mind she marked her spot in the book with a slip of parchment and shut the book as she leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms underneath her breasts.

“I’m fairly certain what I was doing here was obvious, Malfoy. Are you blind and unable to see that I’m reading?” She asked in a neutral voice. Without knowing who else may be with him a neutral voice was the best option in this circumstance.

“Shouldn’t you be in Hogsmeade with your girlfriend anyway? Or did you and Parkinson finally realize that the two of you were absolutely terrible together?” Ginny asked. She never understood what Malfoy saw in Parkinson. The woman wasn’t attractive and was a terrible person. While she didn’t think Malfoy was a good person he was at least attractive enough he could’ve been with someone who looked better.
 
There was fire in her hair and fire in her heart, both of which radiated and added a deep smolder to her eyes that captured him the moment she decided to lift her eyes from the pages to look at him. From the moment that their eyes met he felt hte ice in his veins, his body feeling frozen in the spot and momentarily stunned. There was no one that had the effect on him like she did and it was a different type of magic than what was done with spells or potions. It was a deeper, darker magic than any of the unforgivable curses and as undeniable as the Imperius Curse.


Her arms crossed and made her breasts seem larger beneath her shirt and it was a genuine struggle to not let his eyes drift downward though he had mastered appreciating without letting it be obvious. Draco forced himself to find the heat in his anger again, letting his mind drift away from her to things that made him upset. Think of his family honor and the disgrace that he would be if he were caught with a Weasley.


“Not blind, no.” He decided to lean against one of the bookcases that seemed sturdy enough to support him, letting his lean body take up most of the way out in case she did decide to try and bolt from him. He didn’t want the encounter to end, even if it was painting him in a poor light in her eyes. He didn’t have many chances to speak with her without another person in the conversation. Like Parkinson, as she so aptly realized that she was absent from his side.


Pansy was an interesting thing, mostly because it appeared to everyone that she was either a living tumor on his side or his girlfriend. Fortunately for him, she was neither. “How kind of you to be concerned about me.” He smirked, “Parkinson’s gone to Hogsmeade alone. She caught the hint that I wasn’t interested long ago. She’s really not my type.” He added the last part very casually but he let his eyes meet hers again.


She was fire and she was beautiful. “Shouldn’t you be at Hogsmeade? I saw your muggle loving friends leave.”
 
Ginny looked at Draco as he leaned against the bookcase. It was frustrating that he looked so good. Why couldn’t he have been unattractive and stupid, like Crabbe or Goyle? That would make her feel better about the situation, especially since her eyes were constantly studying his face. The way he was leaning against the bookcase he was taking up most of the space so if she wanted to leave she’d have to squeeze by or push him out of the way. Neither one would work very well since Ginny didn’t want to touch him. She’d prevented that for five years now, no need to change that now.

Hearing his comments about Parkinson were surprising though. Ginny had always thought that the two of them were dating but as his eyes met hers with the last comment she felt her heart thud almost painfully. What the hell? “So if she’s not your type then what is? Because you may want to let her in on that fact, she’s still making it hard for any other women to approach you. Especially with what she says in the girls lavatories.” Ginny smirked slightly.

“As for Hogsmeade, my friends did leave. They went to have some fun but are going to bring me some sweets and butterbeer when they come back.” Ginny shrugged. “I’ve been banned from going to Hogsmeade, didn’t you hear that? I took a few things, caused a few problems, and Snape banned me from going.” Ginny was a bit bummed as getting out of the school would’ve been nice, especially with the Carrows and Snape being in the school. A butterbeer and some sweets sounded absolutely wonderful after everything for a small break.

“What about you? Why aren’t you in Hogsmeade with your friends?” Ginny retorted. “I’m fairly certain that I saw most of the Slytherin house going towards Hogsemade this morning.” Ginny said as she ran a hand through her red hair. It was strange, having a conversation with Malfoy that wasn’t just insults. Yet at the same time she didn’t really want it to end. At least it was someone to talk to instead of being bored throughout the entire day.

“Why are you even in the library?”
 
He wasn’t sure but he could almost swear he caught her looking at him in the corner of his eye, small glimpses that made him feel as if he were more to her than just a piece of refuse she’d accidentally stepped in. That’s how she made him feel from time to time, as he’d noticed she even wrinkled her nose a bit sometimes when her friends would be so bold as to bring him up in conversation. He was nowhere near the tyrant he’d been in his younger years at Hogwarts, but he was still a force to be reckoned with inside of the Slytherin house. He was, afterall, prince.


Her comment on his ‘type’ made a smirk come to his lips, and his mind tossed words out before he could fully think them over, “Oh, wouldn’t you like to know, Weasley. Hoping for a chance?” It came out smooth and borderline condescending, but the question had been more genuine than he had made it appear.


Ginny was banned from Hogsmeade. That would explain a lot, since she had so loved to go the previous years. He’d never been able to be near her but he had been able to watch her from afar. She had loved the candies from Honeydukes and the butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks. He remembered how she’d sat in a far corner and talked with her friends meanwhile the table housing Slytherins was all but silent, only snide comments dropped from time to time.


He shrugged off her question, “Oh, you did see practically all of them go.” He picked at a bit of imaginary lint on his robes and seemed suddenly rather busy with that, “Not that you would ever now, but it can be exhausting being the center of attention like that all of the time.” He managed his usual sarcastic manner but he was avoiding eye contact again, letting his hands drift back to his pockets now that he had gotten the ‘lint’ from his cloak.


“I’m here because… Well, have you ever once spotted me anywhere near here before?” That was a blatant truth, because though he wasn’t failing his courses, he was slipping by with the bare minimum of grades. He didn’t study often and did homework only sporadically, as his father could bribe almost any of the professors into bumping up his grade enough to pass. “I didn’t think anyone would be here. But lo and behold… A lioness.”
 
Ginny raised an eyebrow at his question and just shook her head. Truthfully, maybe. She couldn’t lie and say she wasn’t attracted to him. But that didn’t mean she was going to act on it. He was still a Slytherin, but more than that he was a Slytherin that was from a family that absolutely despised hers and was a death eater. She knew she would be part of the Order if they let her so it was more than a Romeo and Juliet scenario. It would just be insane for her to even mention it. Not to mention he’d be laughing himself silly. “Why would I want to know or want a chance Malfoy?”

“I’m sure it has to be more exhausting to hold your head above your body with your inflated ego,” Ginny muttered as she leaned back in her chair so that she was resting it on the two back legs. Brushing a strand of her hair out of her face she studied him for a moment. Why was he even still talking with her?

He had a point about the library. She’d never seen him in there before, which was why she was surprised. She was even more surprised that he was talking to her. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to her which frustrated her. She was normally able to figure people out, it was a strength she had and how she determined whether or not she could trust someone. Granted everyone made mistakes, dating Michael Corner had been one of those mistakes but he still was a decent enough bloke even after they broke up.

“Yeah this lioness wasn’t about to sit around in the Gryffindor Common room and hide just because I’m not a Slytherin who thinks they can dominate the school now that Snape is headmaster.” Ginny retorted. She then grinned wickedly. “If someone would like to cause a problem with me I’d gladly let them.” So maybe she had a bit of a temper. It was known that she had no problem and that her wandwork was more skilled than people assumed. Yes, the twins and Ron weren’t the best when it came to school work but people tended to forget that Percy and Bill were also her brothers and they were Head Boy. She did get some intelligence as well.

“Not that your company isn’t absolutely lovely but is there a reason you’re speaking with me or were you just that bored that even a blood traitor is fine to speak with? Because I do have homework I should probably start working on.” Ginny told him. Truthfully she just didn’t know how to react around Malfoy when part of her just wanted to ogle him and part of her wanted to tear him a new one for what his family was putting people through by supporting Voldemort.
 
There it was. For just a moment, a fraction of a second he saw something in her eyes that gave his heart hope - a spark, just a little twinkle. And that twinkle was enough that he felt hope start to bud like a tender flower inside of him, sprouting from the good that was still down in the lowest parts of his soul and growing slowly. He let himself feel this hope, because for once it was something better than the constant state of fear and anxiety that he lived in. He didn’t want to feel like he had to look over his shoulder constantly, wasn’t that a simple enough wish?


The hope made him push the boundaries of what their normal conversation would be, the boy pushing off the shelf to take a few steps towards her, a brow cocked as his eyes met her in a challenge. “Now, isn’t that a good question? Why would Ginny Weasley want with a chance with a Malfoy?” He tilted his head, his gaze boring into hers to try and pick out any small glimmer in her face that would be a tell in the fact that she did in fact want a chance with him.


He couldn’t deny that he had a selfish reason for wanting to see interest there even if there wasn’t, but that was something that he wouldn’t have told even the Dark Lord if under the threat of the Cruciatus Curse. His emotions towards the girl were a secret that he kept wholly to himself, nurtured deep in the dark corners where hope and love still lived.


He was willing to let most of her comments slide, partially because they weren’t all that important for him to respond to, but because he knew that there was so much more to the conversation for him now. It had at first just been curiosity that had drawn him to her, but now he was genuinely invested. There were few chances that he had to speak with her privately, fewer that things didn’t completely implode upon introductions.


“A reason, I suppose,” He had to think on it for a moment, but instead found that he wanted to know just what she thought of him, “What reason do you think I have to speak with you?” He asked, curious to know her answer and even more curious to know if she really did think he was just the heartless and cruel Slytherin that he pretended to be. It would hurt if she thought the latter of him, but he honestly couldn’t blame her as it was the only thing she’d ever known about him. He’d never given her the chance to see anything else besides that.
 
Ginny looked at Malfoy as he took a few steps closer to her. Was this man ever going to do anything the way she expected him to? He was a damn Malfoy, a pureblood who hated his family and was a Slytherin to boot. But he hadn’t said anything too terrible since they’ve been speaking. She allowed herself a moment to let her guard down, her eyes glimmering with a small bit of hope and wonder on if she could ever actually allow herself to tell him the truth. But when the moment passed she had to let her guard back up, she couldn’t afford to be tricked.

“No idea why you think I would want a chance with a Malfoy. Have you not seen the people I’ve dated in the past? They aren’t exactly the same type of men as you are.” That was the truth. They’d both been decent enough at the beginning but her focus had mostly been on trying to get more comfortable around Harry and hope that her feelings for him would diminish.

Then she’d had a chance to be with him the previous year. It was only a few short months and she’d been happy but then he’d ended it with her. That still stung slightly but there wasn’t anything she could do about that. The man in front of her though—if he ever knew about how she felt either he’d use it to torment her or he would blow it off. Why did she care what he thought about her anyway? Nothing could come of any of these feelings.

“There are a few different reasons you could be speaking with me.” Ginny started. “There’s the obvious. You want to rub it in that I’m stuck here instead of being able to go to Hogsmeade, or that you want to harass me about my family.” Ginny explained. “Then there’s the less obvious, that you fancy me and just wanted a chance to speak with me.” She said sarcastically.

“Whatever your reason is I do have homework to do so unless you need me for something I’m going to focus on my homework. Plus, regardless of what people think about me I would like to have decent grades this year, even if it’s not my OWL or NEWT year.” She had turned a bit red from hearing the words she’d said. Why had she mentioned him fancying her? There was no way that was right.
 
Ah, yes. He was glad that she was the one to bring up her previous romantic endeavors as they had been almost painful for him to watch, even from afar. He let his trademark smirk come to his lips then, the words coming more naturally than anything else for him. “Yes, let’s talk about your previous… Interests. First you went with Longbottom to the Yule Ball - was that out of mutual interest or did you really pity him that much? And then who was next? Corner, I believe? Grand choice in men. And now the last - Golden Boy.” He didn’t even bother with an explanation, merely chuckling to himself.


“You’re right - your taste in men really does show that I’m not your type. You set your standards too low.” He, of course, thought himself so much higher than any of the others. Longbottom couldn’t so much as conjure a teacup, Corner was a coward, and Potter put her in danger just by caring for her. Now that, that was something that burned him up from the inside with anger, so furious that Potter could outwardly show his emotions for the girl only to leave her here, alone and unprotected.


Potter might have cared for her, but he did nothing to save her. He was too caught up in whatever it was that the Chosen One was out doing when no one could find him, and he left Ginny here to be subject to the torture of the Death Eaters and the ridicule of her peers. He had made room for Draco to see just how strong she was, how beautiful she was in her anger, and to see how ferocious she was in her rage.


And she didn’t even know why it was that he was talking to her. She had several ideas, even proposing one that was the closest to the truth but she was still so clueless. “Ah, Weasley,” He came ever closer taking an empty chair and spinning it, seating himself in it backwards so that his arms were crossed over the back of it. He let his chin rest on his forearms, his eyes staring at her unwaveringly.


“I’m curious, Weasley. What if my reason is that I fancy you?” He didn’t let his emotions drain into his voice, the anxiety from finally voicing what he had felt for years that was in a way that told her without completely telling the entirety of his secret. He didn’t just fancy her. He was infatuated with her - even as far to think he could possibly be in love with her. But he did know that it wasn’t something he could ever have. He was a Malfoy, after all.
 
Ginny shook her head at mention of her previous boyfriends and was a bit surprised hearing Neville’s name included in there. “For one, I never dated Neville. He is a friend and asked me if I’d like to go with him to the Yule Ball because I was too young to be able to go otherwise.” Ginny informed Malfoy. She wasn’t sure why she was explaining it to him but it seemed harmless enough. “For another, why did you even pay attention to who I dated? You forgot Dean by the way. But still curious as to your reasoning behind knowing who I was dating. I didn’t advertise it, not with Ron’s idiotic idea that I couldn’t make good choices.”

Watching him sit down it was painfully obvious that he was extremely attractive. She didn’t just want to sit there and look at him though, okay maybe she did, but she knew it would not be a good idea. He was a Slytherin, the Prince of the Slytherin house and she was a Gryffindor. A blood traitor and ex-girlfriend of the most wanted man by Voldemort currently.

But then she heard his question and she almost fell out of her chair in shock. There was no possible way that those words actually came out of Malfoy’s mouth. Were there? Was he just deciding to mess with her mind a bit before doing some prank? Yet, there was no one around. It was just the two of them in the library currently and it was fairly obvious that he didn’t plan on leaving anytime soon. What harm could possibly come from answering his question?

“If your reason was that you fancy me then you have a bit of a funny way of showing it.” She replied in a neutral voice as she tried to keep her emotions, the small flicker of hope, from her face. “Normally if a guys fancies a girl they’d be complimenting her or bring her sweets or flowers. At least, that’s how it normally works.” Ginny said as she ran a hand through her long red hair and kept her brown eyes on Malfoy’s grey.

“Are you telling me you fancy me, Malfoy?” She asked as she tilted her head slightly and let a small smile spread across her face. She wasn’t entirely sure how she would react if he said yes but she didn’t believe that would happen.
 
It was a bit assuring to know that none of her previous interests had ever really been serious enough for her to defend them but so much, and she was right - he had forgotten Dean. He’d kept up with her as well as he could but the Gryffindors and Slytherin didn’t often get a chance to mingle, especially with those in younger years as she was so most of his information came from other sources - the younger Slytherin that talked too loudly in the common rooms and talked more of gossip and hearsay than anything else in the castle.


“People talk.” He stated it as if it weren’t anything that were of consequence, because he knew that it didn’t really matter how he knew just that he knew. He had known more than she would ever know, and he had watched her more than he would care to admit to. If she saw the side to him that he kept hidden behind iron walls and icy eyes, what would come of him? She was the girlfriend of the chosen one and the daughter of the most famous of blood traitors - given that information it would certainly be trouble for a Malfoy.


But even still he could feel himself softening under her gaze, the chocolate eyes tearing into his soul as she continued to keep contact. She was playing with her hair and for a moment he wished that it was him running his fingers through it, getting to know what her shampoo smelled like and being the one that made a blush come to her cheeks… Why couldn’t he have what he wanted? Why would it be so bad for him to have a happy ending that way he could get all that he ever wanted?


It was in that moment that he had a spark of ingenuity - he could have it all. He could play the part of a Malfoy and still get the girl of his dreams, but it would require… A finesse that he hadn’t had to do for quite some time. But she was right - he didn’t go about things the right way. He made her life a living hell every chance that he got instead of trying to romance her but he also didn’t quite have the best of relationships to build off of. His parents didn’t love each other any more than they loved the Weasleys, a marriage that was as much of a sham than a romance.


But he did have a chance to change it all, his eyes having to drift away from hers because he couldn’t make them stare at her any longer without showing his weakness. “Maybe I do.”
 
Ginny raised an eyebrow. Why would Malfoy be keeping tabs on her, even if people talked that didn’t mean that he would remember the information about her. Why would he? She was from a family of blood traitors, hell he’d even called her brothers that over the years or other derogatory names so it made no sense for him to pay attention to who she dated. Her dating Harry was well known, that didn’t surprise her at all. Especially not with their rivalry but Neville and Michael? Why pay attention to those two?

Keeping her eyes on him though she was unable to do anything more than just look at him. As frustrating as it was. She knew that a repeat of this conversation probably wouldn’t ever happen. Even if she wanted it to and it was pleasant she knew that there were too many things that could go wrong. Not to mention she was a Gryffindor, he was the Prince of Slytherin. Running a hand through her hair once again she froze when she heard the next three words coming from Malfoy’s mouth.

Her eyes widened in shock and wonder. Was it possible? He wasn’t looking at her any longer but he hadn’t been as rude as he could’ve been through the conversation. He’d effectively blocked off her only way to leave and continued their conversation. He’d paid attention to the people she’d been with and he’d continuously been looking at her and she didn’t know how she should respond to what he said. She’d pushed down any and all feelings pertaining to him as far as she could but if there was any possibility…

“What are you saying, Draco Malfoy?” Ginny asked in a soft tone. She couldn’t remember ever using his first name but if he was going to tell her he fancied her she could do that much. “Are you just coming up with some new way of trying to hurt the blood traitor?”
 
Even though he was the one that had started down this path he could feel the fear rising up in his belly, his heart pattering in his chest like a frightened animal. He didn’t feel much like the Slytherin prince, or much of any of the Hogwarts representatives. Instead, he felt very much like a rabbit faced with a lioness that hadn’t eaten in days. There were so many things that she could do that would ruin him, and the worst of them being that she could tell the truth about him to his friends. Though he was a coward, he was at least a coward with a reputation, and that much was something he wanted to protect best that he could.


But he was out on a ledge and he was so tempted to keep making the next few steps because when he looked at her… He didn’t see the same thing that his life had always been - predictable steps in a direction that had been set out years before he had even been born. He saw something in her that he’d never had before in his life - hope. She was everything that he’d ever wanted in a woman and she was everything that he shouldn’t want.


“You heard me the first time.” He hadn’t softened up completely, but he didn’t want to sound but so coarse towards her, instead letting his body speak the volumes that his mouth couldn’t do. He closed space between them until he was almost touching her, less than a foot of space between their bodies now.


He was tentative in his motions, terrified of spooking her away from him but knowing that he would never have this chance again in the foreseeable future. “What if I do?” He asked, his eyes looking over the fiery red hair and gently brushing some of it over her shoulder, his fingers lingering until they slid off the very tips of her strands.
 
Ginny studied him. Part of her wondered if she was hallucinating. Maybe she’d been so exhausted that her fantasies were coming to the forefront of her brain and she was just laying down in the Gryffindor Common Room. Yet she knew that wasn’t possible, her imagination wasn’t quite this good. Especially not good enough for the words he was saying. If anything it would have been quite a bit different in terms of the way the conversation was going. Probably more fighting and heat than this calmer conversation.

As he walked over to her she held absolutely still and kept her eyes focused on his. Even more surprised when his hand went to her hair. Biting her lip she weighed her options. Of course she could always walk away, regardless of him standing right there she knew she could get by. He wouldn’t risk doing something to her when others would retaliate. Not to mention she still was one of the best students in her year.

“If you do then prove it.” Ginny told him as she stood up, closing the distance between him so she was now only half a foot away and tilting her head back slightly to look up at him. Being this close was not easy and she didn’t know what would happen if she went forward but she was determined to find out if this was a ruse and there was an easy enough way to find out.

“Kiss me.” She whispered. “If you truly fancy me then you should have absolutely no problem with kissing me.” Ginny knew there was a faint blush spreading across her face, she could feel it with how hot her face felt but she was going to have the truth somehow.
 
Her words were echoing through his head and his heart was pounding his chest because for the first time he had a chance that he could actually do the right thing. He felt his palms get clammy and he stared at her, admired her really. She was a beautiful woman, her hair looking like sunlight in the late afternoon, her eyes bright, expectant, and beautiful. It was this moment that he realized that she wanted him to.


Draco closed the space between them, hesitant at first but swiftly gaining confidence as everything seemed to fall into place for him. This was the moment he had dreamed about so many times before and had wanted to do for years, and yet he felt like he was a much younger man, a boy even.


He lifted his hand to the back of her neck, his thumb against her jaw as he pulled her in, his other arm securing around her back and bringing her up against him as his lips found hers. She tasted every bit like he had ever dreamed that she would, sweet but not like the lip gloss that most other girls wore. He couldn’t take it with how much he wanted her, his heart felt like it was clenching in his chest but it was racing as well, his arms holding her as if he were terrified she would try to leave.


When the kiss ended, he released her lips but didn’t release her, his head still close her and breathless, the slightest flush on his cheeks. He was staring into her eyes, searching for any signs that she didn’t want exactly this but he didn’t find any. “Absolutely… No problem.” He echoed the words she’d said back to her, a small smirk on his lips.
 
Feeling his hand go to her neck Ginny’s heart started racing. She hadn’t thought he would, yet then his arm was going around her and his lips were meeting hers. She closed her eyes as she returned the kiss. Her arms rising and wrapping around his neck after a moment. Having been in relationships, she’d been kissed before. More than once. Yet not a single one of them felt the way that this kiss made her feel. It was incredible and just felt right.

When the kiss ended, she was still in his arms and she kept her arms around him. Her eyes were still closed for the moment but then she opened them and looked into his eyes. Then she heard his words and she grinned. Was she worried? Yes. Did she know what the hell this meant for the two of them? Not at all.

Moving slightly she pressed her lips against his once more. If this was the only time they were going to act on their feelings then she was going to make sure that she got in a kiss of her own at least. It made the butterflies in her stomach go crazy and when she pulled back she did so reluctantly and kept her eyes closed this time as she let her mind think about the things she didn’t want to.

“Now what?” Ginny asked quietly as she looked up at Draco and met his eyes. “You’re the Prince of Slytherin, I’m the blood traitor Gryffindor.” Her voice was soft, hesitant, and she really didn’t thinks he wanted to know the answer to the question but hopefully she would be able to handle whatever it was that he said.
 
For the first time he was actually doing something right, something so right that he couldn’t stop the fluttering in his chest and the bundle of nerves in his stomach. He was doing something that his father never would have done in his life, not just because that Ginny was a blood traitor but because she had the fire to fight back that his mother would never have, that Pansy wouldn’t even have. She was a woman of substance.


She caught him by surprise when her lips pressed against his once again, stealing a kiss from him because it was so rare for them to have moments to themselves like this. He didn’t protest, instead pressing back to her until he felt the warmth of her in every cell of his body. He could feel the heat in his heart, making the cold, shriveled thing feel like it was alive once again.


But just as she could make him feel like he was going to soar up into the clouds, she could ground him once again with just one question that he didn’t have the answer to - now what? That was perhaps something too painful for him to think about because he really didn’t know how to answer her right now. “Now…” He shook his head, then ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, “It’s more complicated than that.” He said, letting his hand cup her cheek and brush his thumb across her lower lip slowly.


“What do you want to happen?” He asked, because he honestly had never expected that he would ever express his emotions for her, much less be able to follow through with them.
 
Ginny kept her eyes on his and sighed when he mentioned it being complicated. She knew it was complicated. For one she was fairly certain he was a Death Eater and the only thing keeping her from being a member of the Order of the Phoenix was that she hadn’t left Hogwarts yet. Then there’s the fact that they were from dueling houses and their families hated one another but at this moment, with his arms around her, she didn’t care about any of that. All she was thinking about was that she wanted to be able to do this again.

Without thinking too much about it she leaned her head against his chest just to be closer to him for the moment. It was hard to think about but what did she want to happen? It was apparent that they fancied one another but what could they do about it? She didn’t want to go back to how they had been before though, not if a simple kiss was able to make her feel that way. Pulling back just enough to look up at him she gave him a small smile.

“Honestly? I don’t know.” Ginny answered. The least she could do was be honest. “I do know that I don’t want to go back to never talking to you unless it’s to trade insults. It’s obvious that we fancy each other and I would like nothing more than to be able to kiss you anytime I want to but we both know that wouldn’t be a good idea unless you want to be persecuted.” Ginny wasn’t too worried about herself, she already dealt with fighting on an almost daily basis.

“What about you Draco?” She asked, using his name. What if he didn’t want anything to come of this? Well, she supposed she would just have to respect that and pretend none of this ever happened.
 
The sudden intimacy was almost too much for him to bear, mostly because they had just gone from being hostile to snogging in a matter of minutes, but also because he was not raised on a family that showed affection. Draco couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen his parents so much as kiss each other, even worse he was quite positive he’d caught his own father in numerous affairs, though none of it was spoken about beyond the walls of Malfoy manor. He didn’t know how to be soft because he’d never seen anything besides cold indifference and malice. But Ginny… She was so much softer. She couldn’t live as he had. She needed affection.


He hesitated at first to make the first small step towards a side of him that he had as of yet left unexplored, but gathered all of his courage after a moment and let his hand rest on the back of her head. Just that small motion brought the smell of her hair to his nose, the sweet smell of her shampoo mixing with her own unique scent to form something that, if he weren’t certain of its source, would have mistaken for the smell of amortentia.


She was right that they had a tough choice ahead of them - he couldn’t bear to continue insulting her and watching her suffer through the torment of his fellow death eaters, but he also wasn’t able to leave their ranks to become a neutral party. His choice had been made already and it wasn’t so simple to leave the Dark Lord once the tattoo had been put on your arm. He could feel the damned thing itch, as if it wanted to remind him of all his responsibilities to Voldemort and to his family. He was a Malfoy, and the Malfoys would forever serve the Death Eaters.


Draco sighed and shook his head, because frankly he didn’t have an answer for how he would like to proceed. He knew what he wanted, but what he wanted and what could actually happen were two completely different scenarios. “We can’t let anyone know about it.” He said, and though it sounded harsh it was the truth, “It’s not just my reputation on the line, it’s your safety. I’m…” He hesitated, because he hadn’t said it out loud in such a frank manner, “I’m not safe to be around.” He let his hand drift to his left arm, pulling back his sleeve to expose the Dark Mark.


“I’m in too deep… I--” He shook his head again and covered it back up, paranoid for a moment that the Dark Lord could have enough evil in his mind to think to enchant the ink so it could transmit conversations. “I’m a Malfoy… Malfoys always serve the Dark Lord. We don’t get to have… People like you.”
 
Ginny smiled slightly against his chest as she felt his hand rest on the back of her head. She wished she could just be in denial for a little bit longer, to just believe they were any other girl and boy who fancied each other and wanted to be together. But, that couldn’t happen. Not with who they were and as painful and as frustrating as it was she needed to be realistic in regards to the options her and Draco had for any potential relationship. Knowing they needed to talk she pulled back from him so she could look at him while they did, it was too distracting to be leaning against his chest when she just wanted to stay there. It was too easy to stay in denial there.

Draco was right, they’d have to keep it secret but then he told her it was about her safety and that he was a death eater. She’d assumed as much. Ginny knew that this was dangerous more than just something that would upset both sets of parents if they found out but she wanted to try. But then his next words confused her slightly and she brought her brown eyes to his grey. What did he mean by people like her?

“I don’t quite know what you mean by people like me but if you want to try this and keep it secret than I would be willing to do that,” Ginny told him in a soft voice. “Any relationship right now is dangerous. I’m a blood-traitor, my family is being watched because of our relationship with Harry, and my entire family is in the Order. I know that this probably isn’t the smartest offer but I would like to try if you do.” Ginny explained. She knew he may not want to and she would definitely respect him but she hoped he wanted to try.

Biting her lip slightly she took a step back from him to give him some space. She didn’t want him to think he had to answer her right then or at all. “You don’t have to answer me right now. We can go back to before while you think about it and I could meet you in a few days to hear what you want to do. I know it’s not something that is easy to figure out.” Ginny offered. She didn’t want him to do anything he’d regret. But on that thought she figured she’d steal one more kiss while she had a chance and leaning forward she pressed her lips against his softly
 
It was easier to think with her not pressed up against him, so much easier for his mind to be clear when he couldn't smell the shampoo in her hair or feel the warmth of her body up against him. But it was still so distracting to think that he finally had the one thing he’d always wanted - her. He felt like a dog that chased the muggle vehicles around - he chased them but once he got it he didn’t know what he wanted to do with it. It had been part of why he’d never crossed the gap before, among many other valid reasons. But here she stood, wanting answers from him on where he expected to go from here.

And he’d already fucked up, his choice of words poorly made. “People like me don’t get people like you. You’re good. I can’t ever forget who I am. I was born a Malfoy and I will die a Malfoy and acting anything less than what my legacy is will be a shame to the family. I’ve done things - terrible things - and I can’t take it back. I don’t deserve someone like you.” He was opening up more than he ever had in his previous years, something that took a great deal of weight off his chest, “I don’t get the choice to have someone I want. It’s not what happens for a Malfoy. I get the illusion of choice.”

And that much was so very true that it hurt. His parents had been trying to teach him to pick the ‘right’ girl for as long as he could remember, from setting him up with ‘proper playmates’ and introducing him to girls his age that were of proper raising, they had been trying to get him interested in a particular type of girl. They had all been the same - of wealthy background with pure blood, though no real personality to speak of. They had been pliant and of no real back bone. They were interested him in what he could offer them - money, power, and protection from the Dark Lord. They didn’t actually care about him as a person.

Ginny was the opposite of them, in almost every way. She’d come from nothing and had a personality that was so vibrant that everyone could see it, paired with the quite obvious courage of the lion she had been born to be, and so much compassion in her heart. It had been her downfall in her previous years, but that had changed her even more into someone that was more desirable. She was…. Everything he’d ever wanted but had been more or less told he couldn’t have.

Even with everything telling him that he couldn’t have her, his heart still ached. He could see that though she didn’t want to push him into making a decision that it would haunt her if he didn’t. There was no decision to make for him. When she closed the space between them and pressed her lips to his, he couldn’t resist anymore. He grasped her and captured her lips with his own in a kiss that was more passionate than even he expected, his body pressing against hers so that she was backed up against a shelf, pressed into it as his hand slid to the back of her neck, pulling her in. He could taste her, feel her, smell her, and for a moment his world was right.

When his lips finally moved away from hers he was almost breathless, his forehead pressed against hers. “I want you, Weasley. There was never a choice for me.”
 
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