The cool night air brushed against Ginny’s face. She was sitting on the cold hard floor of the astronomy tower, her back against the stone balcony. Dean was sitting next to her, his lips brushing her ear.
“Ginny,” he whispered.
“Dean, I’m getting really cold,” she shuddered, trying to keep her senses in control.
“We can take care of that,” she could feel him smile against her throat.
“No really,” she tried, restraining a gasp as his hand slid down her waist, tugging at her robes. “It’s late.”
He took her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers. He was now sitting above her, his knees on either side of her hips. Ginny wanted to back away from his hold on her, but she could feel the stone wall resisting her attempts.
He’s moving too fast. I’m not ready…
“Dean, please,” she tried again. Merlin knew she wanted this, but not right now. Not yet. Not with Dean, a voice cried in the back of her mind.
It took a loud meow to get Dean scrambling off of her. Ginny saw Mrs. Norris facing the two of them, her yellow eyes menacing.
“Filch!” Dean cried, jumping to his feet and pulling Ginny up with him. They immediately began to run inside the campus, Dean tugging Ginny behind him.
“Dean, wait!” Ginny shook her hand loose. “My wand! I must’ve left it on the tower! Filch will know I was there!”
“I’ll get it! You go on ahead!” Dean said, panting. If the possibility of Filch appearing at any moment wasn’t looming over them, Ginny would’ve kissed him, but she had to think rationally.
“No, no,” she said, “It’s my wand; my responsibility. I’ll catch up with you in the common room.” She urged him on ahead and headed back to the tower.
“But,” Dean tried, his handsome face hesitant.
“Just go,” Ginny shot him a look that would make her mother proud. And Dean sped down the hallway.
Ginny darted back to the tower, frantically looking for her wand. It lay exactly where she and Dean had been. She snatched it and hurried out.
The sound of footsteps could be heard towards Ginny’s left. The dim glow of a rapidly growing lantern disturbed the shadows.
“There are students out of bed? Where?” Filch’s voice hissed.
Come on, Ginny! There had to be somewhere she could hide. She took off towards her right, passing dozing portraits along the way. There was no light to guide her and she couldn’t risk lighting her path with her wand.
Suddenly Ginny bumped full force into someone and was thrown off her feet.
“Oompf!” came the reply. It’s Filch! I’m in trouble! Ginny scrambled to her feet. She couldn’t make out the other figure, but whoever it was shoved her into an empty broom closet, and dragged themselves in before clicking the door shut.
Before Ginny could say anything, a voice hissed, “Shh!”
The two of them stood in the darkness of the narrow, damp broom shed. It was quite cramped and Ginny could feel the stranger pressed against her, their chest heaving rapidly. Filch could be heard grumbling past the door. They waited a few moments before the stranger whispered “Lumos!”
The closet was immediately lit with a dull blue light. Ginny found herself facing non other than Draco Malfoy.
“Malfoy?” Ginny cried. “What are you doing here?”
Malfoy’s expression was unreadable. “I’m a prefect, remember? I patrol the hallways. What were you doing out of bed?”
“Well since you’re prefect, why do you care if Filch catches you out of bed?” Ginny raised an eyebrow at him.
“That’s none of your business!” Malfoy’s expression hardened.
“Do you mind getting off of me? I can’t breathe!” she said, shoving him away from her.
Malfoy stumbled away from her and she got a better look at him. For the first time ever, Malfoy looked weak. His face was peaky, he had bags under his eyes, and his usually tidy hair was sticking out in different directions.
“What?” he snapped at her.
“Clearly you were up to something that could warrant consequences,” Ginny said.
“And you weren’t?” he scoffed.
“I suggest we go our separate ways and pretend neither of us saw anything.”
“And why should I do that? I could easily get you into loads of trouble. The moment I throw you to Filch, it wouldn’t matter what else you had to say,” he sneered at her.
Ginny scowled at him. She clutched at her wand. “You-“
But Malfoy beat her to it, shoving her back against the wall of the closet with his wand pressed against her neck. “You’re not the only one that’s quick with a wand.”
Ginny looked him square in the eyes. “I’m not afraid of you, Malfoy.”
“That’s a mistake, Weasley. You should be,” he laughed menacingly. His cold grey eyes were piercing hers. His face was white with anger.
It was customary for Malfoy and the Weasley children to fire insults back and forth, and while mutual enmity was present, nothing was ever too intense. He had a firm grip on her wrists and Ginny had to struggle from wincing in pain. She tried to shake him off but he tightened his hold on her and probed his wand further into her neck. Her heart was pounding so furiously, she was afraid he could hear.
“Oh that’s rich,” she frowned at him, “I should be afraid because you’re low enough to manhandle me in a broom closet.”
He let his wand arm down and tucked his wand away inside his robes. He took both her wrists and pinned them above her head, their faces inches apart. She could still smell the faint trace of cologne from him.
“You know Weasley,” he began, his breath tickling her face. “We’ve been running into each other way too much. You’ve been meddling with things and people out of your Potter-worshipping reach. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were infatuated me.” There was no trace of kindness in his face, but a humorless smile danced on his lips.
Ginny struggled against his hold. His face looked haunted and much too old for a boy his age. “Let go of me.”
“Stay away from me or you’ll regret it,” he said lowly, his blond hair falling into his eyes.
“You needn’t worry about that. What you need to worry about is what’ll happen to you if you don’t let me go!” she raised a knee in-between his legs swiftly. Malfoy’s eyes squeezed shut and he released her, grunting in pain.
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you never to touch a lady that way?” she called out as she stepped out of the closet. She ran all the way back to her common room.
When she finally stepped through the portrait hole, after arguing with the slumbering Fat Lady who wanted to offer Ginny a word or two about coming in at a decent hour, she found Dean fast asleep on a couch in front of the fireplace.
“Dean,” Ginny whispered. He stirred a little.
She gave his shoulder a gentle nudge. “Dean, it’s me!”
Dean cracked an eye open and turned to look at her sleepily. “G-Ginny?” He yawned, rubbing his eyes. “Where’ve you been? I was so worried you were in trouble.”
“I’m fine. I had to hide from Filch for a while,” she said. Ginny wasn’t sure why she’d left out her encounter with Malfoy. She knew Dean would blow his lid and insist on hexing Draco Malfoy into oblivion. But Ginny could fight her battles on her own and didn’t want Dean getting involved. “I’m going to go on to bed.”
She helped Dean to his feet. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close. She could feel the warmth of the fireplace against the nape of her neck and she felt a tingling sensation in her toes as he kissed her forehead. She liked Dean. He was good to her. But sometimes she felt as though she had just settled on him, that she was so desperate to feel wanted that she’d allowed Dean into her life. And clearly they were getting to a point in their relationship where he wanted something she wasn’t ready to give.
They parted ways, heading to their respective dormitories.
“Ginny,” he whispered.
“Dean, I’m getting really cold,” she shuddered, trying to keep her senses in control.
“We can take care of that,” she could feel him smile against her throat.
“No really,” she tried, restraining a gasp as his hand slid down her waist, tugging at her robes. “It’s late.”
He took her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers. He was now sitting above her, his knees on either side of her hips. Ginny wanted to back away from his hold on her, but she could feel the stone wall resisting her attempts.
He’s moving too fast. I’m not ready…
“Dean, please,” she tried again. Merlin knew she wanted this, but not right now. Not yet. Not with Dean, a voice cried in the back of her mind.
It took a loud meow to get Dean scrambling off of her. Ginny saw Mrs. Norris facing the two of them, her yellow eyes menacing.
“Filch!” Dean cried, jumping to his feet and pulling Ginny up with him. They immediately began to run inside the campus, Dean tugging Ginny behind him.
“Dean, wait!” Ginny shook her hand loose. “My wand! I must’ve left it on the tower! Filch will know I was there!”
“I’ll get it! You go on ahead!” Dean said, panting. If the possibility of Filch appearing at any moment wasn’t looming over them, Ginny would’ve kissed him, but she had to think rationally.
“No, no,” she said, “It’s my wand; my responsibility. I’ll catch up with you in the common room.” She urged him on ahead and headed back to the tower.
“But,” Dean tried, his handsome face hesitant.
“Just go,” Ginny shot him a look that would make her mother proud. And Dean sped down the hallway.
Ginny darted back to the tower, frantically looking for her wand. It lay exactly where she and Dean had been. She snatched it and hurried out.
The sound of footsteps could be heard towards Ginny’s left. The dim glow of a rapidly growing lantern disturbed the shadows.
“There are students out of bed? Where?” Filch’s voice hissed.
Come on, Ginny! There had to be somewhere she could hide. She took off towards her right, passing dozing portraits along the way. There was no light to guide her and she couldn’t risk lighting her path with her wand.
Suddenly Ginny bumped full force into someone and was thrown off her feet.
“Oompf!” came the reply. It’s Filch! I’m in trouble! Ginny scrambled to her feet. She couldn’t make out the other figure, but whoever it was shoved her into an empty broom closet, and dragged themselves in before clicking the door shut.
Before Ginny could say anything, a voice hissed, “Shh!”
The two of them stood in the darkness of the narrow, damp broom shed. It was quite cramped and Ginny could feel the stranger pressed against her, their chest heaving rapidly. Filch could be heard grumbling past the door. They waited a few moments before the stranger whispered “Lumos!”
The closet was immediately lit with a dull blue light. Ginny found herself facing non other than Draco Malfoy.
“Malfoy?” Ginny cried. “What are you doing here?”
Malfoy’s expression was unreadable. “I’m a prefect, remember? I patrol the hallways. What were you doing out of bed?”
“Well since you’re prefect, why do you care if Filch catches you out of bed?” Ginny raised an eyebrow at him.
“That’s none of your business!” Malfoy’s expression hardened.
“Do you mind getting off of me? I can’t breathe!” she said, shoving him away from her.
Malfoy stumbled away from her and she got a better look at him. For the first time ever, Malfoy looked weak. His face was peaky, he had bags under his eyes, and his usually tidy hair was sticking out in different directions.
“What?” he snapped at her.
“Clearly you were up to something that could warrant consequences,” Ginny said.
“And you weren’t?” he scoffed.
“I suggest we go our separate ways and pretend neither of us saw anything.”
“And why should I do that? I could easily get you into loads of trouble. The moment I throw you to Filch, it wouldn’t matter what else you had to say,” he sneered at her.
Ginny scowled at him. She clutched at her wand. “You-“
But Malfoy beat her to it, shoving her back against the wall of the closet with his wand pressed against her neck. “You’re not the only one that’s quick with a wand.”
Ginny looked him square in the eyes. “I’m not afraid of you, Malfoy.”
“That’s a mistake, Weasley. You should be,” he laughed menacingly. His cold grey eyes were piercing hers. His face was white with anger.
It was customary for Malfoy and the Weasley children to fire insults back and forth, and while mutual enmity was present, nothing was ever too intense. He had a firm grip on her wrists and Ginny had to struggle from wincing in pain. She tried to shake him off but he tightened his hold on her and probed his wand further into her neck. Her heart was pounding so furiously, she was afraid he could hear.
“Oh that’s rich,” she frowned at him, “I should be afraid because you’re low enough to manhandle me in a broom closet.”
He let his wand arm down and tucked his wand away inside his robes. He took both her wrists and pinned them above her head, their faces inches apart. She could still smell the faint trace of cologne from him.
“You know Weasley,” he began, his breath tickling her face. “We’ve been running into each other way too much. You’ve been meddling with things and people out of your Potter-worshipping reach. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were infatuated me.” There was no trace of kindness in his face, but a humorless smile danced on his lips.
Ginny struggled against his hold. His face looked haunted and much too old for a boy his age. “Let go of me.”
“Stay away from me or you’ll regret it,” he said lowly, his blond hair falling into his eyes.
“You needn’t worry about that. What you need to worry about is what’ll happen to you if you don’t let me go!” she raised a knee in-between his legs swiftly. Malfoy’s eyes squeezed shut and he released her, grunting in pain.
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you never to touch a lady that way?” she called out as she stepped out of the closet. She ran all the way back to her common room.
When she finally stepped through the portrait hole, after arguing with the slumbering Fat Lady who wanted to offer Ginny a word or two about coming in at a decent hour, she found Dean fast asleep on a couch in front of the fireplace.
“Dean,” Ginny whispered. He stirred a little.
She gave his shoulder a gentle nudge. “Dean, it’s me!”
Dean cracked an eye open and turned to look at her sleepily. “G-Ginny?” He yawned, rubbing his eyes. “Where’ve you been? I was so worried you were in trouble.”
“I’m fine. I had to hide from Filch for a while,” she said. Ginny wasn’t sure why she’d left out her encounter with Malfoy. She knew Dean would blow his lid and insist on hexing Draco Malfoy into oblivion. But Ginny could fight her battles on her own and didn’t want Dean getting involved. “I’m going to go on to bed.”
She helped Dean to his feet. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close. She could feel the warmth of the fireplace against the nape of her neck and she felt a tingling sensation in her toes as he kissed her forehead. She liked Dean. He was good to her. But sometimes she felt as though she had just settled on him, that she was so desperate to feel wanted that she’d allowed Dean into her life. And clearly they were getting to a point in their relationship where he wanted something she wasn’t ready to give.
They parted ways, heading to their respective dormitories.
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