To Draco or Not to Draco...

Chapter One

Draco stretched his long legs out in front of him. He was sitting in the common’s room at Hogwarts. Pansy was prattling on about something and he was giving the required ‘oh’, ‘really?’ and ‘uh-huh’s whenever there was a moment of silence. Crabbe and Goyle were seemingly deeply enthralled by whatever she was saying. Draco sighed and glanced around the room. The Hufflepuffs were kind of off to one side. He saw several Ravenclaws with their heads bent together by the fireplace. Ah, and there was Potter and his merry band of Gryffindors lounging by the bay window. He noticed that Ginny Weasley turned her head quickly away from his direction as he scanned their group. Interesting, he thought. Usually her eyes were glued to Potter’s ugly mug. He took a few minutes to peruse Ginny. She was really growing up nicely- not that he’d ever admit that out loud. Her hair wasn’t the bright red that it used to be when she was a first year. It was actually a very pretty strawberry blond color now. It was also long and curly. It framed her blue eyes quite nicely -ah- he could see that because she was staring at him staring at her. Draco was the one to quickly turn his head now. What was wrong with him? Pansy must be melting his brain with her mindless chatter.

‘Oh my God! Had Draco Malfoy been checking her out?’ Ginny thought to herself. He was too damn cute lately. She knew she was in trouble but she thought about him all the time. She didn’t have any classes with him. Most classes at Hogwarts were segregated by grade level. They were on Christmas break soon and she hoped that she would have potions with him after that. Dumbledore had allowed her to jump a grade level in potions because she had a knack for it. She didn’t like Professor Snape but could tolerate him a lot better if Draco was in there with her.

She couldn’t pinpoint when her longtime crush on Harry had started to fade. All she knew now was that every time she saw Draco her knees almost buckled. One afternoon, right after this year’s term started, her fifth year at Hogwarts, she was walking to class. Someone bumped into her and made her drop her books and supplies. She was trying to pick them up and to find her potion ingredients when someone stopped to help her. She almost dropped dead from shock when she saw it was Draco. It wasn’t much, he picked up a few things and handed them to her, but it was so out of character for him that it seemed to have stuck in her mind as something significant. She’d been thinking of him ever since. She’d definitely lost her mind. She had even been going out of her way to see him. If he was with Crabbe and Goyle, he would usually snub her. There were several occasions though, when he was alone, that he would nod to her. Once, he even said ‘Hi’. She almost peed her pants. She didn’t dare tell anyone. Ron would kill her. Fred and George would torment her mercilessly. So, she was the same ol’ lovelorn Ginny. She had just attached herself to a different boy who didn’t know she was alive. She sighed and wondered why she did this to herself.

Draco looked at himself in the mirror. He was one good-looking wizard. His silver blond hair caught the light. His gray eyes shone brightly. No wonder all the Slytherin girls hung all over him. The other house’s girls were almost as bad. Ah, he was just irresistible. He grinned to himself. Good-looking and witty. The mirror laughed out loud and said, “Young Master Malfoy, nobody looks better than you.” Then it added in a quieter voice, “Of course you put a jinx on me that would make me shatter to say otherwise.” Malfoy ignored the mirror’s last comment but made a mental note to look for a new one next time he was in Diagon Alley. He put on his Slytherin robes and grabbed his wand. He nodded to the Bloody Baron ghost on his way out the portrait hole. As he climbed through, he glimpsed what looked like red hair dashing around a corner. He ran to the corner in his quiet way and saw Ginny Weasley stepping into a door down the hall. He grinned and silently moved to the door she had just entered. It wasn’t labeled and he had no idea what was inside. He tried the knob but she must have locked it. He flicked his wand at the door and whispered ‘alohamora’. The door then easily opened beneath his hand. He entered cautiously. The room was dark and musty smelling. There were big shapes that were evidently covered furniture of some type or another. He thought he heard a slight sound to his left and moved in that direction.

“Damn!” He said through clenched teeth as he bumped his shin on something. Draco had had enough of that. “Lumos!” He said with another flick of his wand and light filled the room. He looked around but didn’t see any sign of Ginny. There was, however, a door ajar ahead of him. He moved towards it with his wand out in front of him. He heard something crash inside as he started to enter the other room. It was dark, but light poured in from the doorway. He couldn’t help but laugh at the sight before his eyes. There was a pair of very feminine legs sticking straight up in the air and a robe that was not where it was supposed to be. It was all bunched up around her chest and covered her face. There was no doubt that it was Ginny though, with that red hair fanned out on the floor around her.

Draco cleared his throat, “What brings you into Slytherin country, Ms. Weasley?”

“Ah, toad dung!” Ginny hissed and cringed when Malfoy laughed out loud. “I do hope you are enjoying the view, you slimy git!” Ginny added as she tried to untangle herself from her robe.

Draco strained his neck to get a better a look and told her that he was, thank you.

She sputtered and wiggled and tugged but was hopelessly caught up in the robe and table lamp that she had fallen over.

“Draco Malfoy, help me up this instant!” Ginny finally said with vehemence.

He laughed but leaned over and grabbed for her arms inside the twisted fabric - “Hey! Watch it!” Ginny exclaimed when he got a little close to something was not her arm.

“Sorry, sorry, just trying to help!” Draco said with a wicked grin showing up in his voice. He pulled on her upper torso and helped her up. Unfortunately, he overdid it and they sprawled backwards, with her landing on top of him through the door and into the first room.

“Uh, Ginny....” Draco started but she was too close to him. All her right spots were next to his right spots and for once he had nothing witty to say.

Ginny looked down into Draco’s smoky gray eyes and felt his heart beating against her chest. She couldn’t resist. She closed her eyes and lowered her mouth to his.