Draco had argued with his mother just before the Christmas holiday. He wanted to stay behind at school and focus on the vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement. Having the greater portion of the school empty would've been beneficial towards his task. But Narcissa Malfoy was a woman of tradition, and tradition called for a family get-together during Christmas. And if Lucius wasn’t going to present, Draco certainly would have no choice in the matter.
“But Mother, you know what I have to do. I’m running out of time,” he’d said to her through the Floo network in the Slytherin Common Room.
“Draco, how am I supposed to have a Christmas without both my husband and son?”
“Mother, if I don’t do what I’m supposed to, we may never have a Christmas at all!”
“DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY!” his mother’s voice bellowed. “This isn’t a request. You are to come home,” she’d said fiercely, the flames licking at her face with a thunderous roar.
And so he packed his belongings and boarded the Hogwarts Express with his classmates. A sense of anxiety and distress burdened him the moment he took a seat with his housemates in a vacant compartment. Visiting home for the holidays was meant to be a nice break from school. Students looked forward to it. They liked to talk about what meals their parents would prepare for them, what gifts they’d receive, and anything that wasn’t related to school.
Unfortunately for Draco, he couldn’t stop thinking about school. He felt as though he needed to be there. He was wasting precious time. There was no way he could enjoy the holiday if all he could think about was the impending task.
“Are you and your mum coming over this year?” Blaise asked Draco. He was sitting across from him. Tracey Davis was next to him, leaning against him with her elbow resting on his lap and her free hand flipping through a magazine.
“I suppose so,” Draco said. He watched Blaise place his arm around Tracey, allowing his hand to rest on her hip. She smiled to herself as she continued reading.
Draco suddenly thought of Ginny. He hadn’t really had a chance to see her before they’d gotten onto the train. He wasn’t sure how to say goodbye to her. If they had a conventional “relationship”, she’d be sitting in his compartment with him right now, like Tracey was with Blaise. And they would’ve parted ways once they got to King’s Cross. But what they had was anything but conventional. So instead he hadn’t bothered to seek her out at all. He figured it would be much easier that way.
Besides, he had other pressing matters on his mind and didn’t need to worry about his…girlfriend. How did that saying go? Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Wait a moment; that definitely wasn’t it. That was the last thing he wanted.
He wondered if she expected him to send her a gift for Christmas. The stress that had tensed his muscles was replaced by a mild state of panic. He knew girls were sensitive about these matters. He wasn’t planning on giving her anything. Would she be upset with him? What if she sent him something?
Don’t be stupid, he thought. How could she send you something? His mother would have his head if she found a package coming from the Weasley house.
Well, it’s decided then…you won’t get her anything. They’d agreed from the beginning that neither of them was looking for a romantic relationship.
He furrowed his brow in thought. What were they looking for?
Draco liked having her around. She was interesting to talk to. They had meaningful conversations, which was nice. She was a bit odd, and he had a hard time figuring her out sometimes. She liked to play Quidditch and run, which he didn’t expect from a girl. But he liked that. And Merlin, was she a looker. He’d noticed her before, since his fourth year, but now…
Although they’d agreed on ignoring each other in public, there were times where he passed her in the school hallways and found that tearing his eyes from her was difficult. He’d initially despised the red Weasley hair. It had become a symbol for those that were uncouth, meager, and dimwitted. But Ginny had changed that. He liked her hair. He liked the way it felt when he ran his fingers through it as they kissed. And it always smelled like lilies. He liked her big brown eyes that would sneak casual glances his way in the Great Hall during meals. He knew those eyes and he liked it when they stared into his own…like she was reading him.
Crabbe broke into his thoughts. “I thought you’d stay behind to do whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing.”
Draco stared at him. Crabbe looked smug, like he was mocking him. “I don’t think what I do is any of your concern,” he said flatly.
Crabbe’s expression darkened, but he shrugged, so as to avoid a row in front of everyone else. Blaise was staring at Draco, and then Crabbe with heightened interest. Goyle sat next to Crabbe, fiddling his thumbs while staring out the window. The two girls in the compartment, Tracey and Daphne, appeared oblivious to the tension.
Draco rose to his feet, mumbling something about needing to sit with the other prefects. He’d initially wanted to avoid sitting in there, but at the moment, his present company seemed far less likeable than Pansy, Ron Weasley, and the Mudblood Granger.
When he slid into the prefects’ compartment, Ernie Macmillan let out a snort. “Thanks for joining us, Malfoy.”
Draco shot him a look and took a seat away from everyone else. He noticed Pansy cross her arms across her chest and turn her nose up towards the ceiling.
“We’re just about to start patrolling the train,” Granger said. “You have the last shift.”
He barely glanced at her in response. The occupants of the compartment seemed more than willing to ignore him, and he supposed that was much better than Crabbe becoming smart with him.
Ron Weasley happened to be sitting across from him. He was glad Ginny looked nothing like him. He was tall, lanky, clumsy, and thick, while Ginny was…
“What are you looking at, Malfoy?” Weasley asked, frowning.
Draco smirked. What would you say if I told you I was just snogging your sister the other day? You ought to hear how she moans when I grab her arse…
He immediately regretted this thought and quickly looked away from Weasley. He definitely had a physical relationship with Ginny, but that didn’t mean he had the right to disrespect her by even thinking of dangling that in front of her brother.
Draco began to patrol the train about an hour until their arrival at King’s Cross. He couldn’t help but to feel his chest swell with a surge of pride as students immediately jumped out of his way as they saw him approach. When he poked his head into compartments to make sure things were in order, students would stop what they were doing to straighten themselves up.
He was still smirking when he found himself looking into a compartment of mostly Gryffindor students. He noticed Longbottom, Potter, Creevey, Lovegood, and Ginny.
“Well, well, I was wondering what that putrid stench was,” he said haughtily, staring straight at Potter. He noticed Ginny stiffen from the corner of his eye.
“You mean the one coming from your arse?” Potter laughed menacingly. The other occupants laughed as well. Ginny stared at the ground.
Draco felt his blood rushing. “That’s going to cost you, Scarhead.” How dare he insult him…especially in front of Ginny?
“What, are you going to run to Snape for help?” Potter said. Something about the way he’d said this struck a chord in Draco.
“Why you filthy, incorrigible maggot…”Draco began, but was cut off.
“Enough!” Ginny was staring daggers at him. “Did you need something, Malfoy? I’m sure you have enough real responsibilities to uphold that don’t involve picking fights with other students.”
Draco gaped at her. He quickly composed himself and curled his lip at her in a sneer. “I don’t need you to tell me how to do my job, Weasley.” He turned on his heel and left. A minute hadn’t passed when he heard Ginny’s compartment door slide open and then slam shut. He turned to see the redhead making her way towards him. He panicked. What was she doing?
She looked about her nonchalantly, as though she hadn’t noticed him. For the briefest of moments, her eyes met his. He could see that she was very angry, but she tilted her head ever so slightly in the direction of a lavatory.
He casually entered the bathroom and she followed behind him after a few seconds. The space was barely large enough for one person, let alone two. He was pressed up against the hand basin in an attempt to stand as far away from her as possible. He could almost see the steam coming out of her ears. She locked the door and performed a quick silencing spell. He cringed; did this mean she was going to be yelling?
“What is your problem?” she hissed at him, her hands on her hips.
He glowered at her. “My problem? I can’t believe you’d talk to me like that in front of those people. And you didn’t say anything about the way Potter spoke to me!”
Her mouth dropped open. “You provoked Harry! I can’t believe you’d talk like that to me and my friends!”
“What would you have me say? ‘Hello darling, can I get you and your chums anything from the tea trolley? It’ll be my treat!’ Ha!”
It took Draco a moment to register the sound emanating from her as laughter. He expected her to slap him, or even hex him, but he never would’ve thought in a million years that she’d laugh at what he’d just said.
Ginny covered her mouth gracefully as she snorted, clearly attempting to be angry, but failing to do so.
He laughed nervously. Witches were certainly funny creatures.
When she regained her composure she looked at him seriously. “Draco, I know what this has to be like, but must you be such a git in front of my friends?”
“I can’t act out of the ordinary. Wouldn’t people ask questions?”
“They already do.”
“About us?” he asked incredulously.
“No, just about you. They say you’ve been different,” she clarified.
“See,” he said.
“I just…it’s hard,” she said, sighing.
“And you’re surprised?”
“No, but I…,” she stopped, apparently at a loss for how to finish her thought.
“Look,” he said. “I don’t like Potter or any of those guys. I can’t be nice to them. I would expect you to be the same around my friends. But just know that I wouldn’t say anything nasty to you and mean it.”
Wow, well aren’t we getting all soft? his conscience nagged at him.
She nodded slowly. “We have to keep up pretenses.”
“Yes.”
“It’s kind of exciting,” she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“What?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She inched closer to him so that their bodies were almost touching. “This. Sneaking around with you.”
He meant to nod in agreement, but Ginny had a way of making him feel lightheaded. He felt something stir within him as she gently grabbed a hold of his robes and pulled him in for a kiss. He almost stumbled into her in surprise. The kiss was sweet and tender, a stark contrast to their atmosphere. He slid his hands down her waist until he had encircled her in his arms. They were almost leaning against the basin now, and Ginny giggled against his lips as a bar of soap slid onto the floor with a dull thud.
“What are we doing?” he whispered with a jagged breath as she clipped his ear. “People will notice.”
“They won’t,” she said against his neck. He was now sitting on top of the basin awkwardly. He dragged her up with him and she was straddling his lap, her knees on either side of him. It was very uncomfortable, but he needed her touch…
She was kissing him with even more deliberation now. Her fingers were in his hair and her body was flush against his. He could feel her chest rub against his as she attempted to pull herself even closer to him. It was then he realized that while he was still in his school robes, she was dressed only in her school uniform.
“Oh, Draco,” she breathed.
He found the hem of her blouse and slid his hands inside, allowing them to roam along her back. It was like touching porcelain. She shivered against his touch.
He wanted to stay like this for hours, but unfortunately, reality began to badger at him.
“G-Ginny,” he murmured against her lips. “I think we should stop.”
She pouted.
“I don’t want to,” he groaned, feeling the blood rushing below his abdomen. “But this isn’t the time or the place.”
She sighed, pressing her forehead against his. “I won’t see you for two weeks.”
Part of him found what she said endearing. And another part of him was frightened at the implication of her words. Were they becoming attached?
He said nothing as she slid down to her feet, ignorant to his sudden discomfort.
She took a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself. He got down to his feet and impulsively leaned forward to rearrange her now disheveled locks. She smiled at him. I am attached…
“Wait a few moments before coming out,” she instructed and peered outside the lavatory door. Before she could walk out, he pulled her by the elbow in for one last kiss. He didn’t worry about the fact that they were standing in a tiny bathroom. He didn’t worry about the fact that the door was wide open and that anyone could find them. All he could think about was deepening the kiss so that she could elicit a lovely moan that would make knees buckle.
When she broke away, she flushed in surprise and embarrassment. With one last look at him she left the bathroom hurriedly.
He remained behind in the bathroom and pressed the palms of his hands against the cool surface of the hand basin as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His heart was beating rapidly and he felt dizzy.
What’ve I gotten myself into?
“But Mother, you know what I have to do. I’m running out of time,” he’d said to her through the Floo network in the Slytherin Common Room.
“Draco, how am I supposed to have a Christmas without both my husband and son?”
“Mother, if I don’t do what I’m supposed to, we may never have a Christmas at all!”
“DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY!” his mother’s voice bellowed. “This isn’t a request. You are to come home,” she’d said fiercely, the flames licking at her face with a thunderous roar.
And so he packed his belongings and boarded the Hogwarts Express with his classmates. A sense of anxiety and distress burdened him the moment he took a seat with his housemates in a vacant compartment. Visiting home for the holidays was meant to be a nice break from school. Students looked forward to it. They liked to talk about what meals their parents would prepare for them, what gifts they’d receive, and anything that wasn’t related to school.
Unfortunately for Draco, he couldn’t stop thinking about school. He felt as though he needed to be there. He was wasting precious time. There was no way he could enjoy the holiday if all he could think about was the impending task.
“Are you and your mum coming over this year?” Blaise asked Draco. He was sitting across from him. Tracey Davis was next to him, leaning against him with her elbow resting on his lap and her free hand flipping through a magazine.
“I suppose so,” Draco said. He watched Blaise place his arm around Tracey, allowing his hand to rest on her hip. She smiled to herself as she continued reading.
Draco suddenly thought of Ginny. He hadn’t really had a chance to see her before they’d gotten onto the train. He wasn’t sure how to say goodbye to her. If they had a conventional “relationship”, she’d be sitting in his compartment with him right now, like Tracey was with Blaise. And they would’ve parted ways once they got to King’s Cross. But what they had was anything but conventional. So instead he hadn’t bothered to seek her out at all. He figured it would be much easier that way.
Besides, he had other pressing matters on his mind and didn’t need to worry about his…girlfriend. How did that saying go? Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Wait a moment; that definitely wasn’t it. That was the last thing he wanted.
He wondered if she expected him to send her a gift for Christmas. The stress that had tensed his muscles was replaced by a mild state of panic. He knew girls were sensitive about these matters. He wasn’t planning on giving her anything. Would she be upset with him? What if she sent him something?
Don’t be stupid, he thought. How could she send you something? His mother would have his head if she found a package coming from the Weasley house.
Well, it’s decided then…you won’t get her anything. They’d agreed from the beginning that neither of them was looking for a romantic relationship.
He furrowed his brow in thought. What were they looking for?
Draco liked having her around. She was interesting to talk to. They had meaningful conversations, which was nice. She was a bit odd, and he had a hard time figuring her out sometimes. She liked to play Quidditch and run, which he didn’t expect from a girl. But he liked that. And Merlin, was she a looker. He’d noticed her before, since his fourth year, but now…
Although they’d agreed on ignoring each other in public, there were times where he passed her in the school hallways and found that tearing his eyes from her was difficult. He’d initially despised the red Weasley hair. It had become a symbol for those that were uncouth, meager, and dimwitted. But Ginny had changed that. He liked her hair. He liked the way it felt when he ran his fingers through it as they kissed. And it always smelled like lilies. He liked her big brown eyes that would sneak casual glances his way in the Great Hall during meals. He knew those eyes and he liked it when they stared into his own…like she was reading him.
Crabbe broke into his thoughts. “I thought you’d stay behind to do whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing.”
Draco stared at him. Crabbe looked smug, like he was mocking him. “I don’t think what I do is any of your concern,” he said flatly.
Crabbe’s expression darkened, but he shrugged, so as to avoid a row in front of everyone else. Blaise was staring at Draco, and then Crabbe with heightened interest. Goyle sat next to Crabbe, fiddling his thumbs while staring out the window. The two girls in the compartment, Tracey and Daphne, appeared oblivious to the tension.
Draco rose to his feet, mumbling something about needing to sit with the other prefects. He’d initially wanted to avoid sitting in there, but at the moment, his present company seemed far less likeable than Pansy, Ron Weasley, and the Mudblood Granger.
When he slid into the prefects’ compartment, Ernie Macmillan let out a snort. “Thanks for joining us, Malfoy.”
Draco shot him a look and took a seat away from everyone else. He noticed Pansy cross her arms across her chest and turn her nose up towards the ceiling.
“We’re just about to start patrolling the train,” Granger said. “You have the last shift.”
He barely glanced at her in response. The occupants of the compartment seemed more than willing to ignore him, and he supposed that was much better than Crabbe becoming smart with him.
Ron Weasley happened to be sitting across from him. He was glad Ginny looked nothing like him. He was tall, lanky, clumsy, and thick, while Ginny was…
“What are you looking at, Malfoy?” Weasley asked, frowning.
Draco smirked. What would you say if I told you I was just snogging your sister the other day? You ought to hear how she moans when I grab her arse…
He immediately regretted this thought and quickly looked away from Weasley. He definitely had a physical relationship with Ginny, but that didn’t mean he had the right to disrespect her by even thinking of dangling that in front of her brother.
Draco began to patrol the train about an hour until their arrival at King’s Cross. He couldn’t help but to feel his chest swell with a surge of pride as students immediately jumped out of his way as they saw him approach. When he poked his head into compartments to make sure things were in order, students would stop what they were doing to straighten themselves up.
He was still smirking when he found himself looking into a compartment of mostly Gryffindor students. He noticed Longbottom, Potter, Creevey, Lovegood, and Ginny.
“Well, well, I was wondering what that putrid stench was,” he said haughtily, staring straight at Potter. He noticed Ginny stiffen from the corner of his eye.
“You mean the one coming from your arse?” Potter laughed menacingly. The other occupants laughed as well. Ginny stared at the ground.
Draco felt his blood rushing. “That’s going to cost you, Scarhead.” How dare he insult him…especially in front of Ginny?
“What, are you going to run to Snape for help?” Potter said. Something about the way he’d said this struck a chord in Draco.
“Why you filthy, incorrigible maggot…”Draco began, but was cut off.
“Enough!” Ginny was staring daggers at him. “Did you need something, Malfoy? I’m sure you have enough real responsibilities to uphold that don’t involve picking fights with other students.”
Draco gaped at her. He quickly composed himself and curled his lip at her in a sneer. “I don’t need you to tell me how to do my job, Weasley.” He turned on his heel and left. A minute hadn’t passed when he heard Ginny’s compartment door slide open and then slam shut. He turned to see the redhead making her way towards him. He panicked. What was she doing?
She looked about her nonchalantly, as though she hadn’t noticed him. For the briefest of moments, her eyes met his. He could see that she was very angry, but she tilted her head ever so slightly in the direction of a lavatory.
He casually entered the bathroom and she followed behind him after a few seconds. The space was barely large enough for one person, let alone two. He was pressed up against the hand basin in an attempt to stand as far away from her as possible. He could almost see the steam coming out of her ears. She locked the door and performed a quick silencing spell. He cringed; did this mean she was going to be yelling?
“What is your problem?” she hissed at him, her hands on her hips.
He glowered at her. “My problem? I can’t believe you’d talk to me like that in front of those people. And you didn’t say anything about the way Potter spoke to me!”
Her mouth dropped open. “You provoked Harry! I can’t believe you’d talk like that to me and my friends!”
“What would you have me say? ‘Hello darling, can I get you and your chums anything from the tea trolley? It’ll be my treat!’ Ha!”
It took Draco a moment to register the sound emanating from her as laughter. He expected her to slap him, or even hex him, but he never would’ve thought in a million years that she’d laugh at what he’d just said.
Ginny covered her mouth gracefully as she snorted, clearly attempting to be angry, but failing to do so.
He laughed nervously. Witches were certainly funny creatures.
When she regained her composure she looked at him seriously. “Draco, I know what this has to be like, but must you be such a git in front of my friends?”
“I can’t act out of the ordinary. Wouldn’t people ask questions?”
“They already do.”
“About us?” he asked incredulously.
“No, just about you. They say you’ve been different,” she clarified.
“See,” he said.
“I just…it’s hard,” she said, sighing.
“And you’re surprised?”
“No, but I…,” she stopped, apparently at a loss for how to finish her thought.
“Look,” he said. “I don’t like Potter or any of those guys. I can’t be nice to them. I would expect you to be the same around my friends. But just know that I wouldn’t say anything nasty to you and mean it.”
Wow, well aren’t we getting all soft? his conscience nagged at him.
She nodded slowly. “We have to keep up pretenses.”
“Yes.”
“It’s kind of exciting,” she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“What?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She inched closer to him so that their bodies were almost touching. “This. Sneaking around with you.”
He meant to nod in agreement, but Ginny had a way of making him feel lightheaded. He felt something stir within him as she gently grabbed a hold of his robes and pulled him in for a kiss. He almost stumbled into her in surprise. The kiss was sweet and tender, a stark contrast to their atmosphere. He slid his hands down her waist until he had encircled her in his arms. They were almost leaning against the basin now, and Ginny giggled against his lips as a bar of soap slid onto the floor with a dull thud.
“What are we doing?” he whispered with a jagged breath as she clipped his ear. “People will notice.”
“They won’t,” she said against his neck. He was now sitting on top of the basin awkwardly. He dragged her up with him and she was straddling his lap, her knees on either side of him. It was very uncomfortable, but he needed her touch…
She was kissing him with even more deliberation now. Her fingers were in his hair and her body was flush against his. He could feel her chest rub against his as she attempted to pull herself even closer to him. It was then he realized that while he was still in his school robes, she was dressed only in her school uniform.
“Oh, Draco,” she breathed.
He found the hem of her blouse and slid his hands inside, allowing them to roam along her back. It was like touching porcelain. She shivered against his touch.
He wanted to stay like this for hours, but unfortunately, reality began to badger at him.
“G-Ginny,” he murmured against her lips. “I think we should stop.”
She pouted.
“I don’t want to,” he groaned, feeling the blood rushing below his abdomen. “But this isn’t the time or the place.”
She sighed, pressing her forehead against his. “I won’t see you for two weeks.”
Part of him found what she said endearing. And another part of him was frightened at the implication of her words. Were they becoming attached?
He said nothing as she slid down to her feet, ignorant to his sudden discomfort.
She took a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself. He got down to his feet and impulsively leaned forward to rearrange her now disheveled locks. She smiled at him. I am attached…
“Wait a few moments before coming out,” she instructed and peered outside the lavatory door. Before she could walk out, he pulled her by the elbow in for one last kiss. He didn’t worry about the fact that they were standing in a tiny bathroom. He didn’t worry about the fact that the door was wide open and that anyone could find them. All he could think about was deepening the kiss so that she could elicit a lovely moan that would make knees buckle.
When she broke away, she flushed in surprise and embarrassment. With one last look at him she left the bathroom hurriedly.
He remained behind in the bathroom and pressed the palms of his hands against the cool surface of the hand basin as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His heart was beating rapidly and he felt dizzy.
What’ve I gotten myself into?
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