Draco Malfoy watched as an owl landed in front of its destination, and smirked at the look of surprise on the receiver’s face. He continued to watch her as she unwrapped the package, noting the curiosity on Ginny Weasley’s pretty face. He licked his lips in anticipation, and then bit them to keep from laughing out loud, when the redhead’s face mimicked her hair color as soon as she saw what the package was. It turned even redder and her eyes went large when she saw the note attached to it.

She looked up to him then, eyes in shock and mouth forming an O. He smirked at her, making sure she felt rattled by the way he stared at her. She obviously was as she stood up, visibly shaking, then left of the Great Hall.

When she was out of sight, Draco sat back and laughed.

“What did you do?”

Draco glanced at his side where his friend Blaise Zabini was sitting. His best friend was not looking at him, but at the empty spot where Ginny had been sitting earlier while absently stirring porridge.

“What?” Draco asked in his perfectly learned innocent voice. He knew he couldn’t keep anything from Blaise all-knowing Zabini, but he decided not to divulge anything. If he did, the meddling, sodding git would stick his nose into everything and his plans might backfire.

What were his plans anyway? He honestly didn’t know. But he had one, definitely. And it involved Red.

“Ginny gets a package from your owl, looks at you when she opened it, and when she walks out, you laugh,” Blaise said, turning his dark head to look at him. “Now tell me, what have you done to her?”

Draco rolled his eyes at him. “Why does it always have to be me? Are you sure that was my owl? That she looked at me? And am I the only person laughing right now?”

Blaise stared at him. “I’ve known you my whole life Malfoy, I know what your owl looks like. It’s the only one in the owlery that looks like a bloody monster.”

“Hey, is it my fault that my owl looks so much better than that wussy creature of yours?” Draco’s eyes narrowed to slits.

“Really Draco, you need to grow up. It’s not healthy to stay eleven all the time,” Blaise shook his head. “Now, what are you up to?”

“Nothing!” Draco said, exasperatedly. Although he was lying, he was quite irritated that Blaise didn’t just believe him. Maybe because he knew Draco very well.

“Whatever you say, Malfoy,” Blaise turned back to worrying his porridge. “But just know, I don’t want you hurting my girlfriend’s best friend.”

Draco smirked at him. “Luna Lovegood is bad for you Blaise. She’s turned you into a Hufflepuff.”

“So you do admit that you’ve done something to upset Ginny,” Blaise’s dark head came whipping around to glare at him. “What is it?”

“Nothing, Zabini,” he said and pushed off the table. It was Saturday after all. He didn’t want to spend the glorious weekend morning arguing with his best friend. “I’ll see you later.”


------------------

Ginny Weasley wiped her tears angrily. They couldn’t seem to stop and after a few more attempts at drying them, she let up and just ducked her head into her hands, sobbing out loud.

It’s all so unfair, she thought. Why did he have to see them? Why him of all people?

She continued sobbing. She had never been more embarrassed before. This was more embarrassing than the Valentine letter incident. Come to think of it, Malfoy was also the one behind it.

Thinking about him made Ginny sob louder.

Oh, how she hated him. Especially now. Now that he had seen her sketches. It would have been alright if he saw her other sketch pads, those peppered with drawings of scenery, funny sketches of her friends, anything but that one sketchpad that had been her favorite since after the war.

She groaned and threw her body back on the grass. She stared at the blue skies above, towering over her, the lake and the whole of Hogwarts. She would have gladly sketched the clouds if she wasn’t feeling so bad.

Ginny looked to her side and saw the wretched sketchpad. Should she throw it away? Burn it maybe? Anything to not see it again. But did she really want to dispatch it? What was it with him, anyway?

With a sigh, she sat up again and grabbed the sketchpad, fingering its green cover. See? Even the cover’s color was his. This brought another wave of embarrassment, and she stood up.

Walking near the lake, she took a deep breath. “Goodbye, you bloody thing,” she muttered to herself. “I hope the giant squid eats you up!”

She made to throw the sketchpad but was stopped when a voice behind her said, “Talking to yourself, Weasley?”

Ginny gasped and the sketchpad fell from her trembling hands. It opened and the drawn face of Draco Malfoy stared up at her, a perfect copy of the original. She quickly went down on her knees to collect the sketchpad, but Draco was quicker.

“Accio Ginny’s sketchpad,” he drawled, a smirk on his classic face.

Ginny gasped again as her fingers missed the thing as it flew to his hand. She stared at it, open-mouthed with disbelief.

“Malfoy,” she croaked out.

“Yes?” Draco asked in his patronizing voice. “Mind if I take a look again?”

This brought her to her feet and she came charging towards him, shouting “No!” and making a grab for the sketchpad. But he moved it out of her grasp and laughed.

“Oh, don’t worry Weasley,” he said. “I already saw them, no need to be alarmed. Unless you drew another sketch of me.”

“Malfoy, give that back now!” she said through gritted teeth.

“Why? Are you going to draw me again? What a nice idea. I’ll pose for you, if you want. Free of charge.”

Ginny’s hand automatically reached for her wand, her anger getting the better of her. The only thing she wanted to do right now was to hex that stupid smirk off his face. “Ba—”

“Oh no, you don’t!” In one stride, Draco had clamped his hand around Ginny’s wrist and stopped her from hexing him.

“Let me go, Malfoy!” Ginny shouted.

“Gee, Weasley, the way you drew me in this sketchpad of yours, shouldn’t you be calling me by my first name?” Draco smirked again. “And it’s pretty accurate, too. Have you been peeping in the boys’ locker rooms at the Quidditch pitch? Because I don’t recall taking my clothes off in front of you.”

“Oh shut up!” Ginny snapped. Her tears had long dried and she could feel her cheeks heat up as he smirked at her. Why did she draw him naked again?

Draco’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, so you have been peeping in the locker rooms.” He brought down their hands, but he didn’t let go.

“I did not!” she said, struggling out of his grasp.

“How did you draw me naked, then?” Draco said, his eyes boring in to hers. She shivered, her earlier resolve melting minute by minute. “I’d like to know,” he added in a softer, huskier voice.

“I-I…I just imagined it,” Ginny squeaked out.

Draco’s eyes looked mildly surprised, then he laughed. He tugged her down and she ended up sitting on his lap.

“Wha—” Ginny protested.

“Stay here, Weasley,” Draco told her and for some unknown reason, she obeyed. Maybe it was because her legs had turned to jelly when his breath touched her face. Or maybe because she could smell his cologne and it smelt too good and got her hypnotized. Or maybe it was because of the warmth of his body, which she could feel right now.

“So, you admit that you’re imagining how I looked naked?" Draco said, voice full of amusement.

Ginny gulped. She had already admitted that, hadn’t she? She glanced at his face for a second, then decided that there was nothing more to lose. Her erring sketchpad made sure of that.

“Err…” she said, feeling her cheeks go warm. “It’s not like that…”

Draco laughed again. The sound made Ginny both want to shiver and melt at the same time. She could not believe that she was sitting here, by the lake, on Draco Malfoy’s lap of all places. Ginny almost jumped a mile when she felt his face against her shoulder, burrowing there for some reason.

Ginny immediately wanted to cry again. The embarrassment she felt earlier was not the only factor anymore. She wanted to cry because for some reason, she believed she was seeing the real Draco for the second time. She wanted to cry because she didn’t know when she’d see it again. She wanted to cry because of what he made her feel.

Flashbacks of what happened during the war came to mind and she was on the battlefield that was the Great Hall.

She was dueling with Bellatrix, Draco’s aunt, and she knew she was no match for the Death Eater. Hadn’t she almost killed Neville’s parents? Wasn’t she the right hand of Voldemort? Ginny’s eyes began to water as she thought of her parents, her brothers, her friends. She’d never survive this fight and she knew it. Bellatrix knew it too, for she was mocking her.

The crazy woman smiled nefariously, telling her the different ways that she could kill her, all painful and horrid. Then deciding that she was wasting too much time on such an insignificant person, Bellatrix raised her wand and pointed it at her.

“Avada Ke—,”

“Expelliarmus!”

Bellatrix went flying backwards as Ginny felt her wrist being tugged.

“Let’s go, Weasley!” said Draco’s urgent voice, snapping her back to reality. His eyes looked scared and she was convinced that she was seeing the real Draco for the first time. He tugged again and they ran.

Draco Malfoy had saved her.

And, from then on, she would watch him. When the school year started again, the former house hostilities dissolved and Hogwarts became one. Harry, Ron and Draco had reconciled, Slytherins were accepted into friendship circles that formerly had members of the other three houses and everyone tried to get on with their lives.

But Ginny wished that she was still at war with Draco. It would have been easier to have that wall between them to keep her from feeling what she was feeling.

For Ginny had fallen for Draco. And she could not do anything about it.

“So, what exactly have you been imagining about me, Weasley?” she heard him say. He had raised his head and was now smiling at her.

“I, err…”

“You fancy me, do you?” he said, tickling her neck as he leaned in close.

She whipped her head up in alarm but found herself staring into Draco’s silver eyes. He was only an inch away from her and Ginny began to tremble. He was leaning in, his lips coming in closer to her.

“You do, don’t you?” he whispered.

He kissed her. It was a soft kiss, gentle, and it made Ginny want to cry. Then he pulled back and Ginny’s eyes, which she didn’t know had closed, fluttered open.

“Wha—”

“I’ll take that as a yes, then?” Draco looked at her.

She expected a smirk on his lips, but she didn’t see it. Instead, a soft smile was there. She drew her eyes up to meet his and he held her gaze. She read hesitation in them and her heart swelled.

“This is convenient, don’t you think?” he said, eyebrow raised.

“W-what do you mean?” Ginny asked, confused.

He gently pushed her off his lap, then stood up. Draco offered his hand and pulled her up. Then he bent down to get the almost-forgotten sketchpad and tucked it under his arm.

“My sketchpad,” Ginny began, her voice sounded stupid to her eyes. Get a grip, Gin.

“I believe it’s mine, as it’s filled with my face and body,” Draco sneered at her, guiding her back towards the castle.

“Where did you—?”

“Oh, I saw it lying about in the Potions classroom. And if you’re asking next how I knew it was yours, simple. We share the same seat during Potions class. And your initials are on every sketch.”

“Oh…”

He tugged her hand.

“Where are we going?” Ginny let her body follow his direction as she couldn’t do anything about it anyway. Well, she could jerk her hand back from him, but she didn’t. She rather liked the way he held on to her.

“To announce to everyone that we’re dating,” Draco said simply, not looking at her, but looking ahead. Ginny stopped walking and he was jerked back. “Hey!”

“We’re dating? What do you mean 'we’re dating'?” Ginny stared at him, mouth open and eyes wide with shock.

“Dating, Ginevra means…”

“You know my real name?” She continued to look at him stupidly.

“Well, yeah,” Draco said, looking sheepish.

“And we’re dating?” she asked him, looking into his eyes this time. Her chocolate brown eyes danced with excitement as she finally processed his words.

“You know what? I’m changing my mind—” Draco turned to walk away from her, but she tugged him back.

“No, no…it’s just that…” Ginny took a deep breath and beamed at him. “Are you serious?”

Draco regarded her for a while, then smirked. He took his hand away from hers then crossed his arms over his chest. “Why do you think I’d battle my Aunt Bella like that? Just for kicks?”

Ginny’s eyes went large again. “You mean…”

“Yes, yes…I like you too,” Draco sighed. “Look, are you going with me or not? I can’t tell everyone you’re my girlfriend if you’re not with me.”

With that, Ginny took his hand again and almost dragged her new boyfriend towards the castle.

“Hey, slow down Gin,” Draco chuckled. “Do you even know where we’re going?”

“Oh, umm…” Ginny stopped and looked at him, grinning sheepishly. “No, where are we going?”

Draco shook his head and tugged her hand and he led them inside the school. They walked in silence for a while, then Draco stopped at the entrance to the Great Hall. There, he faced Ginny.

“Uhm, why are we stopping here?” Ginny asked, excitement and nervousness mixed in her voice.

“I think most of the students are still lounging about inside, at the tables, as it’s a Saturday,” Draco smirked. Then he pushed open the doors and led Ginny inside. They stopped in the middle of the Great Hall, just between the Ravenclaws’ and the Hufflepuffs’ tables. People didn’t seem to notice them at first.

“How exactly are you going to announce to everybody that we’re dating?” Ginny whispered, feeling shy all of a sudden. She had expected that Draco would yell at everybody for their attention, then tell them that the two of them were dating.

“Like this,” Draco said. Then he was kissing her, his hands on both sides of her face, urging her to kiss him back.

He didn’t have to wait that long actually. Soon she opened her mouth and met his tongue. Her arms encircled his waist and she moved nearer to his body. He let go of her head and grabbed her waist, pulling her closer, as if they weren’t close enough. His other hand continued to caress her face and her hair.

Around them, people gasped as they noticed the ferret and the girl weasel engaged in a tongue battle. Pansy and Harry, who had been snogging at the Gryffindor table, had stopped to stare at the pair. Hermione put down her books and gaped. Ron Weasley alternated from going white to red, then finally white again. Blaise, who had been talking to Luna, shook his head and clapped. The others followed too, with the exception of Ron, of course, who had fainted, and Hermione, who was attending to him.

Several moments later, Draco drew back his head and smiled down to Ginny.

“Well?” Draco asked, grinning widely and arrogantly.

Ginny looked around at the clapping crowd, then back to her handsome boyfriend. “That was one heck of an announcement. I don’t think all of them caught it, though. Perhaps you should repeat it?”

Draco sneered, fiercely glad to finally have Ginevra Weasley. “With pleasure.”

And the message was announced again.