The first day of school was much like any other, except that she hadn't seen him yet. Rumor had run rampant as to why, from the simple one involving him missing the train, as said by Pansy Parkinson, to the version which everyone swore they had heard from Blaise Zabini, which involved mayhem and destruction and the murder of the Malfoy heir at the hands of his mother for the crime of having kissed the Weasley girl in front of everyone at the train station at the beginning of the summer. This was the favored version, and Ginny swore that she was going to scream if one more dewy-eyed twit compared her to Juliet.
Now she was walking around the castle, running a dogsbody errand for her brother. There was no earthly reason why he couldn't have delivered his own broom to Madame Hooch to have it tested for illegal enhancements, and normally she would have told him so, but for now she welcomed the excuse to get away from people for a while. She'd taken her own broom in the day before, grumbling about the idiots who had gotten caught and thus made life difficult for everyone. Today she was grumbling still, although for different reasons. Stupid, silly girls. Of course he wasn't murdered. He couldn't be. Zabini had to be an idiot.
Continuing her inner reassurances, she looked up at the castle and caught a flash of white against dark green. She strained her eyes and her heart lifted as she recognized it as a person with distinctive blond hair.
"Up!" she cried, then looked at her skirt dubiously. There was no way to straddle the broom without showing her knickers to the world, and suddenly it didn't seem like such a bright idea to fly up to him. The flash of blond moved, though, and she firmed her resolve and mounted the broom sidesaddle, her hands on either side of her as she rose. As Ginny got closer she started being able to see details of the gothic arch he stood in front of, the deep emerald of the heavy curtains behind him, the ring on his right hand which rested on the windowsill. His eyes were closed, his eyelashes fanning over his cheekbones just as she had memorized them, and that gave her a moment to arrange herself.
He opened his eyes to see her leaning back on the broom, his smirk on her lips. Their eyes met and nothing had changed, or perhaps everything had. "Malfoy."
"Weasley," he said calmly, as if it were common for girls to hover in mid-air in front of him. If she hadn't watched him so much, she'd think maybe it was.
"Welcome back," she said, then lost any chance of seeming smooth and controlled as she had to correct against a gust of wind that blew her towards the window.
Before she knew what was happening she was being pulled from her broom, one hand still clutching it desperately, her knee stinging from where it had scraped against the stone. "Now welcome me properly," he said, and panic was replaced by a different kind of clenching in her stomach.
His hands seemed huge as they wrapped around her waist and pulled her close, her bum just barely resting on the windowsill. His lips crashed onto hers and she clutched at him with one arm while her other still clung to the broom. She felt like she had been starving, and at last was able to feast.
"Mine," he muttered against her skin, kissing frantically the skin of her jaw and neck and collarbone. It made her shiver and she ran a hand through his hair, making the strands fall forward. She inched further onto the ledge as she pushed closer to him, wanting to feel his body against hers. One of his hands went to grip the edge of the window for balance but he kept kissing her, as if nothing could ever make him stop.
He wasn't holding her waist now, was running his hand down her thigh, and she knew what she should say wasn't to sigh his name, but it was all she could do. He was lightning that flowed through her veins, and the way his hand was pushing up the side of her skirt couldn't possibly be wrong, because it was exactly what she wanted, even if she hadn't known she did until just now. "I missed you," he murmured, his hand resting just at the top of her leg.
"Me too." She pulled away to give him a small smile. "I was worried you'd realize over the summer you didn't like being stared at."
"And I was worried you'd start staring at Scarhead again over the summer and then forget to switch back to a worthier target when we got back." He didn't look worried in the slightest, but she giggled anyway and would have said something teasing back, if they hadn't been interrupted by a loud squawk from somewhere below. "I must admit I didn't miss him very much at all," Draco said as Ron shouted up some rather vile threats.
"He's not so bad once you get to know him," Ginny said seriously, then turned and shrieked, "Sod off, you deranged orangutan!"
There was a moment of silence from below, then a renewed bellow of outrage and condemnation. Draco merely said, "Orangutans are peaceful, though, aren't they?" before ostentatiously licking her throat.
"My apologies to the orangutans of the world," she said breathlessly, pushing closer to him and feeling a tingle inside as her chest brushed over his. Ron's voice was joined by others, some shouting lewd comments and some cheering them on. Ginny ducked her head and burrowed her face into his shoulder, and Draco glared at the crowd that was rapidly growing in size.
"Do you want to come in?" he said, his voice a deep rumble with her ear pressed against his skin.
She bit her lip worriedly. "Draco, I... I don't know if I'm ready for--"
"Just to talk," he said rapidly, looking a bit panicked. "I mean, it's not that I don't want... That, but I don't want to rush you."
Ginny smiled at him and thought that, just maybe, the fluttering in her chest might be something like love. "Okay," she said softly, her eyes soft as she looked soulfully into his for a moment. He stepped back slightly, pulling her along, and soon she was straddling the windowsill, one foot on solid ground and the other still in the air. She paused, then looked down at the increasingly hysterical Ron.
"Oh, brother dear..." His vituperation cut off abruptly as he saw the evil little smile on his sister's face and felt dread crawling up his spine. "Catch." She flung the broom as hard as she could and she and Draco (and a good sized crowd) watched as Ron threw himself to skid along the grass in order to catch the broom before it landed on the hard ground.
Draco laughed and put his arms around her in a hug before helping her step away from the windowsill and into a small dark room. "You know, Weasley, I think I may like you."
"Thank you," she said primly, then threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately.
~.~
The art for this fic is at Lyra's gallery, located at http://dracoandginny.com/lyra
Now she was walking around the castle, running a dogsbody errand for her brother. There was no earthly reason why he couldn't have delivered his own broom to Madame Hooch to have it tested for illegal enhancements, and normally she would have told him so, but for now she welcomed the excuse to get away from people for a while. She'd taken her own broom in the day before, grumbling about the idiots who had gotten caught and thus made life difficult for everyone. Today she was grumbling still, although for different reasons. Stupid, silly girls. Of course he wasn't murdered. He couldn't be. Zabini had to be an idiot.
Continuing her inner reassurances, she looked up at the castle and caught a flash of white against dark green. She strained her eyes and her heart lifted as she recognized it as a person with distinctive blond hair.
"Up!" she cried, then looked at her skirt dubiously. There was no way to straddle the broom without showing her knickers to the world, and suddenly it didn't seem like such a bright idea to fly up to him. The flash of blond moved, though, and she firmed her resolve and mounted the broom sidesaddle, her hands on either side of her as she rose. As Ginny got closer she started being able to see details of the gothic arch he stood in front of, the deep emerald of the heavy curtains behind him, the ring on his right hand which rested on the windowsill. His eyes were closed, his eyelashes fanning over his cheekbones just as she had memorized them, and that gave her a moment to arrange herself.
He opened his eyes to see her leaning back on the broom, his smirk on her lips. Their eyes met and nothing had changed, or perhaps everything had. "Malfoy."
"Weasley," he said calmly, as if it were common for girls to hover in mid-air in front of him. If she hadn't watched him so much, she'd think maybe it was.
"Welcome back," she said, then lost any chance of seeming smooth and controlled as she had to correct against a gust of wind that blew her towards the window.
Before she knew what was happening she was being pulled from her broom, one hand still clutching it desperately, her knee stinging from where it had scraped against the stone. "Now welcome me properly," he said, and panic was replaced by a different kind of clenching in her stomach.
His hands seemed huge as they wrapped around her waist and pulled her close, her bum just barely resting on the windowsill. His lips crashed onto hers and she clutched at him with one arm while her other still clung to the broom. She felt like she had been starving, and at last was able to feast.
"Mine," he muttered against her skin, kissing frantically the skin of her jaw and neck and collarbone. It made her shiver and she ran a hand through his hair, making the strands fall forward. She inched further onto the ledge as she pushed closer to him, wanting to feel his body against hers. One of his hands went to grip the edge of the window for balance but he kept kissing her, as if nothing could ever make him stop.
He wasn't holding her waist now, was running his hand down her thigh, and she knew what she should say wasn't to sigh his name, but it was all she could do. He was lightning that flowed through her veins, and the way his hand was pushing up the side of her skirt couldn't possibly be wrong, because it was exactly what she wanted, even if she hadn't known she did until just now. "I missed you," he murmured, his hand resting just at the top of her leg.
"Me too." She pulled away to give him a small smile. "I was worried you'd realize over the summer you didn't like being stared at."
"And I was worried you'd start staring at Scarhead again over the summer and then forget to switch back to a worthier target when we got back." He didn't look worried in the slightest, but she giggled anyway and would have said something teasing back, if they hadn't been interrupted by a loud squawk from somewhere below. "I must admit I didn't miss him very much at all," Draco said as Ron shouted up some rather vile threats.
"He's not so bad once you get to know him," Ginny said seriously, then turned and shrieked, "Sod off, you deranged orangutan!"
There was a moment of silence from below, then a renewed bellow of outrage and condemnation. Draco merely said, "Orangutans are peaceful, though, aren't they?" before ostentatiously licking her throat.
"My apologies to the orangutans of the world," she said breathlessly, pushing closer to him and feeling a tingle inside as her chest brushed over his. Ron's voice was joined by others, some shouting lewd comments and some cheering them on. Ginny ducked her head and burrowed her face into his shoulder, and Draco glared at the crowd that was rapidly growing in size.
"Do you want to come in?" he said, his voice a deep rumble with her ear pressed against his skin.
She bit her lip worriedly. "Draco, I... I don't know if I'm ready for--"
"Just to talk," he said rapidly, looking a bit panicked. "I mean, it's not that I don't want... That, but I don't want to rush you."
Ginny smiled at him and thought that, just maybe, the fluttering in her chest might be something like love. "Okay," she said softly, her eyes soft as she looked soulfully into his for a moment. He stepped back slightly, pulling her along, and soon she was straddling the windowsill, one foot on solid ground and the other still in the air. She paused, then looked down at the increasingly hysterical Ron.
"Oh, brother dear..." His vituperation cut off abruptly as he saw the evil little smile on his sister's face and felt dread crawling up his spine. "Catch." She flung the broom as hard as she could and she and Draco (and a good sized crowd) watched as Ron threw himself to skid along the grass in order to catch the broom before it landed on the hard ground.
Draco laughed and put his arms around her in a hug before helping her step away from the windowsill and into a small dark room. "You know, Weasley, I think I may like you."
"Thank you," she said primly, then threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately.
~.~
The art for this fic is at Lyra's gallery, located at http://dracoandginny.com/lyra
The End.
Mynuet is the author of 71 other stories.
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