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Draco walked down the cold streets of Diagon Alley, and stuffed his hands into the warm recesses, also known as pockets, of his coat.
His foggy breath did little to cloud his vision, but he still squinted against the light snow that floated lazily to the ground around him. He shook his blond hair off his forehead, and continued walking down the street. He stopped in Flourish and Blotts to pick out a book for his mother.
The storekeeper pushed him out of the door almost immediately. “We're almost ready to close, Young Sir,” the old man told him, very aware of who he was. “It's two days 'till Christmas. We want to spend time with our families.”
Draco was very well aware that it was two days until Christmas. He nodded at the brusque man, before turning and walking in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. He noticed that most of the stores he walked past were also putting closed signs in their windows. He looked at the watch on his arm and realized that it was almost eight o'clock in the evening.
Finally, the Leaky Cauldron came into view, and he walked quickly to the door, stamping his feet to shake the snow off. He wiped at his shoulders and finally reached for the door handle.
The warmth of the place made his cheeks turn pink, and the cold skin of his legs start to itch at the sudden temperature difference. He walked towards the bar and asked Tom to pour him a glass of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey, knowing that it would help heat him right up.
Downing a few fast sips, he felt the burning in his chest subside into a nice gentle warmth. A tinkling laugh caught his attention, and he closed his eyes, sighing. Swiveling on his bar stool, Draco turned toward the source of the sound, nursing his glass of alcohol as he did so.
And there she was, the most beautiful sight Draco had ever beheld.
The long red hair cascaded down her back, and over the shoulder of a forest green sweater. The sweater seemed to be designed to fit her perfectly, with the big blue G starting at the top of her chest, and he traced it with his eyes, all the way down to her stomach. The dark blue looked perfect with the forest green, and she laughed again, drawing his attention back up to her face.
Her nose was wrinkled, and her chocolate brown eyes were open, dancing with mirth. She held the tray carefully in her hand, as she gave another shot glass to the customer she was talking to. The black skirt clung to her hips and swayed as she walked. Draco was dumbstruck with how beautiful she looked. Oliver Wood tried to stop her, and Draco overheard him asking to buy her a drink. She patted his hand, which held onto her arm, and told him that it was against company policy. He smiled drunkenly at her, and let her go.
He felt his legs standing without having told them to do so. Then he felt his feet start walking in the direction she was walking in, and while he tried to get them to stop, he found that he had no control. Instead, he downed the rest of his alcohol, trying not to gag, and continued until he had reached a sign that held the words “Employees Only”.
The sign was pinned to a wall that was built to make an arch. Draco's eyes moved to the apex of the arch, seeing the green and red plant, and he knew that if he waited long enough for her to come back, it would be worth it.
He waited for a few moments longer, and then he started to grow impatient. Finally, he saw her back turned as she collected a few more items out of the store-room. She turned around, and saw him standing there. The joyous laughter that had been on her face earlier turned into a scowl. “What do you want, Malfoy?”
“I just want to talk to you, Gin.” Draco heard the desperation in his voice and tried not to cringe. He hadn't known she'd been working tonight. This had all been an accident, really. He had just been cold, and it's not like he memorized her schedule or anything.
“I'm working,” she said, trying to shove past him.
He grabbed her arm, and she turned to look up at him. “What are you - “ she was cut off as his lips closed against hers. She felt her knees start to melt, and clung desperately to the items she clutched in her hands as he tucked his hand into the small of her back.
“You look so beautiful,” he told her, his lips a hairbreadth away from her own. “I'm sorry.”
“Don't think just one simple apology is going to get you out of this,” she said, pulling away from him, still angry. “I told you that I didn't want to see you again. Why are you here?”
“I forgot that you worked on Thursdays. You must know that I wouldn't bother you intentionally.”
“Then why are you still here?”
Draco rolled his eyes, losing patience. “I regret the way things ended. I need to talk to you. I'm not sleeping.”
“I can't talk to you right now, Malfoy. We're busy and I need to get back to work.”
Draco surveyed the bar around him and found her statement to be a lie. “I can't forget you,” he told her. “I can't forget the way you are. You haunt my dreams, Ginevra.”
Ginny bit her bottom lip, and tried not to look into his stormy gray eyes.
“I want to, believe me.” This statement caused her to look up, annoyance playing on her features. “But I can't. I miss hearing your laughter, I miss the way you hog all of the blankets. I miss the way you hit me when I say something that isn't,” he stopped, putting his fingers into quotation marks, “'politically correct'.”
Ginny felt her eyes drift back to the floor, and she couldn't see the dusty area through the tears that formed in her eyes. “Nobody said it was easy, Gin.” He grabbed her hand. “But I love you,” he muttered.
This caused Ginny to look up at him, and remove her hand from his grasp. She wiped the tears angrily from her eyes. “We don't work together,” she told him.
“Now that's a lie if I've ever heard one,” he replied, huffing in annoyance. “We fit, Ginny.” He took items she was still holding, and set them down on the bar, drawing her up against him tightly. “Do you feel that? We fit. Perfectly. Tell me that's not a sign.”
“It's not about that. We're both stubborn, neither of us can apologize, and everything is against us. I'm tired of fighting for it, Draco. I'm tired of fighting.”
“There won't be anymore fighting. I'll make everyone see that we're serious. Everyone will know that we're not just being irrational and crazy.”
“My family hates you.”
“My mum doesn't exactly cherish you either.”
“What a way to try to win me back,” she commented dryly, rolling her eyes.
“But I don't care about any of that.”
Her eyes widened. “That's a load of bull-” she was cut off as Draco removed his hand from his pocket and lowered himself.
“Marry me,” he interrupted her. “Please marry me, Ginevra Molly Weasley.”
Ginny's eyes drifted down to the sapphire gem set into white gold with tiny diamonds twinkling around it. “It's perfect,” she whispered.
“This doesn't fix everything,” she told him, dragging her eyes away from it.
“No, but it's a start, isn't it?” He slid the ring onto her finger, and she touched the underside of it with her thumb.
“I love you.” Ginny heard him say it, and she felt more tears fall down her cheeks. “Happy Christmas, Ms. Weasley.”
His foggy breath did little to cloud his vision, but he still squinted against the light snow that floated lazily to the ground around him. He shook his blond hair off his forehead, and continued walking down the street. He stopped in Flourish and Blotts to pick out a book for his mother.
The storekeeper pushed him out of the door almost immediately. “We're almost ready to close, Young Sir,” the old man told him, very aware of who he was. “It's two days 'till Christmas. We want to spend time with our families.”
Draco was very well aware that it was two days until Christmas. He nodded at the brusque man, before turning and walking in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. He noticed that most of the stores he walked past were also putting closed signs in their windows. He looked at the watch on his arm and realized that it was almost eight o'clock in the evening.
Finally, the Leaky Cauldron came into view, and he walked quickly to the door, stamping his feet to shake the snow off. He wiped at his shoulders and finally reached for the door handle.
The warmth of the place made his cheeks turn pink, and the cold skin of his legs start to itch at the sudden temperature difference. He walked towards the bar and asked Tom to pour him a glass of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey, knowing that it would help heat him right up.
Downing a few fast sips, he felt the burning in his chest subside into a nice gentle warmth. A tinkling laugh caught his attention, and he closed his eyes, sighing. Swiveling on his bar stool, Draco turned toward the source of the sound, nursing his glass of alcohol as he did so.
And there she was, the most beautiful sight Draco had ever beheld.
The long red hair cascaded down her back, and over the shoulder of a forest green sweater. The sweater seemed to be designed to fit her perfectly, with the big blue G starting at the top of her chest, and he traced it with his eyes, all the way down to her stomach. The dark blue looked perfect with the forest green, and she laughed again, drawing his attention back up to her face.
Her nose was wrinkled, and her chocolate brown eyes were open, dancing with mirth. She held the tray carefully in her hand, as she gave another shot glass to the customer she was talking to. The black skirt clung to her hips and swayed as she walked. Draco was dumbstruck with how beautiful she looked. Oliver Wood tried to stop her, and Draco overheard him asking to buy her a drink. She patted his hand, which held onto her arm, and told him that it was against company policy. He smiled drunkenly at her, and let her go.
He felt his legs standing without having told them to do so. Then he felt his feet start walking in the direction she was walking in, and while he tried to get them to stop, he found that he had no control. Instead, he downed the rest of his alcohol, trying not to gag, and continued until he had reached a sign that held the words “Employees Only”.
The sign was pinned to a wall that was built to make an arch. Draco's eyes moved to the apex of the arch, seeing the green and red plant, and he knew that if he waited long enough for her to come back, it would be worth it.
He waited for a few moments longer, and then he started to grow impatient. Finally, he saw her back turned as she collected a few more items out of the store-room. She turned around, and saw him standing there. The joyous laughter that had been on her face earlier turned into a scowl. “What do you want, Malfoy?”
“I just want to talk to you, Gin.” Draco heard the desperation in his voice and tried not to cringe. He hadn't known she'd been working tonight. This had all been an accident, really. He had just been cold, and it's not like he memorized her schedule or anything.
“I'm working,” she said, trying to shove past him.
He grabbed her arm, and she turned to look up at him. “What are you - “ she was cut off as his lips closed against hers. She felt her knees start to melt, and clung desperately to the items she clutched in her hands as he tucked his hand into the small of her back.
“You look so beautiful,” he told her, his lips a hairbreadth away from her own. “I'm sorry.”
“Don't think just one simple apology is going to get you out of this,” she said, pulling away from him, still angry. “I told you that I didn't want to see you again. Why are you here?”
“I forgot that you worked on Thursdays. You must know that I wouldn't bother you intentionally.”
“Then why are you still here?”
Draco rolled his eyes, losing patience. “I regret the way things ended. I need to talk to you. I'm not sleeping.”
“I can't talk to you right now, Malfoy. We're busy and I need to get back to work.”
Draco surveyed the bar around him and found her statement to be a lie. “I can't forget you,” he told her. “I can't forget the way you are. You haunt my dreams, Ginevra.”
Ginny bit her bottom lip, and tried not to look into his stormy gray eyes.
“I want to, believe me.” This statement caused her to look up, annoyance playing on her features. “But I can't. I miss hearing your laughter, I miss the way you hog all of the blankets. I miss the way you hit me when I say something that isn't,” he stopped, putting his fingers into quotation marks, “'politically correct'.”
Ginny felt her eyes drift back to the floor, and she couldn't see the dusty area through the tears that formed in her eyes. “Nobody said it was easy, Gin.” He grabbed her hand. “But I love you,” he muttered.
This caused Ginny to look up at him, and remove her hand from his grasp. She wiped the tears angrily from her eyes. “We don't work together,” she told him.
“Now that's a lie if I've ever heard one,” he replied, huffing in annoyance. “We fit, Ginny.” He took items she was still holding, and set them down on the bar, drawing her up against him tightly. “Do you feel that? We fit. Perfectly. Tell me that's not a sign.”
“It's not about that. We're both stubborn, neither of us can apologize, and everything is against us. I'm tired of fighting for it, Draco. I'm tired of fighting.”
“There won't be anymore fighting. I'll make everyone see that we're serious. Everyone will know that we're not just being irrational and crazy.”
“My family hates you.”
“My mum doesn't exactly cherish you either.”
“What a way to try to win me back,” she commented dryly, rolling her eyes.
“But I don't care about any of that.”
Her eyes widened. “That's a load of bull-” she was cut off as Draco removed his hand from his pocket and lowered himself.
“Marry me,” he interrupted her. “Please marry me, Ginevra Molly Weasley.”
Ginny's eyes drifted down to the sapphire gem set into white gold with tiny diamonds twinkling around it. “It's perfect,” she whispered.
“This doesn't fix everything,” she told him, dragging her eyes away from it.
“No, but it's a start, isn't it?” He slid the ring onto her finger, and she touched the underside of it with her thumb.
“I love you.” Ginny heard him say it, and she felt more tears fall down her cheeks. “Happy Christmas, Ms. Weasley.”
The End.
alexandriaisariel is the author of 6 other stories.
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This story is a favorite of 4 members. Members who liked Who would say no? also liked 1145 other stories.
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