Chapter One: Just How To Get The Girl…
Draco stared at her from across the Great Hall as he did at every meal time. He knew he wanted her, but he didn’t know if it was lust or something more. He was scared to even try. She was a Weasley. She was forbidden. He was mean and cruel and just didn’t fit in her life. Her brothers would try to kill him. Potter probably would too. His father would die of a heart attack. His mother would cry. How could he even think of doing something like this? He wanted to go talk to her, but even if he was happy it would make everyone else miserable. His friend Blaise sighed next to him.
“If you’re too chicken shit to go talk to her, I can do it for you, mate. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you happy.”
Draco scowled at him. “Nonsense,” he said. “I am perfectly happy, and I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“You’re in love with the Weasley girl,” Blaise said with a smirk. “Why don’t you just admit it so we can all get on with our lives?”
“I’ll admit nothing of the sort. You know better than that.”
“What if I could get you two together?” Blaise said with mischief etched on his features. “What if I could get you in a relationship with her? It’s a sure thing.”
Draco’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “A sure thing?” he asked with a smirk.
“Now, we all know that while you are good with schoolwork, I am good with the ladies,” Blaise said waggling his eyebrows.
“I always wondered how you keep your relationship with Daphne going,” Draco said. “She fucking hates you.”
“Yet she loves me oh so much.” A broad grin adorned his friend’s face when his current girlfriend’s name came up. “What if I was to give you one piece of advice a day for, I don’t know, let’s say 40 days. If at the end of those 40 days you have a good relationship started with her, you owe me. I’ll figure out a favor later. If you don’t then you don’t owe me anything.”
“If I don’t will you owe me a favor?” Draco asked.
“It’s you I’m doing the favor for in the first place, dumbass.”
“Well then, what’s my first bit of advice?”
“When she walks away from you mad, follow her.” Then Blaise made a shooing motion, and Draco assumed their conversation was over.
Later that day, Draco got his chance to speak to her alone. Ginny was sitting on the fountain wall alone, reading a novel. The sun shone off her red hair, letting gold accents shine through it. The chilly fall air that implied winter was fast approaching didn’t seem to bother her one bit. She tucked a strand of her long red tresses that had escaped her pony tail behind her ear and turned a page. He was nearly content to just sit there and watch her, but Blaise’s comments about him being a coward were still fresh in his mind. Why didn’t he have the right to be happy like everyone else?
He approached the fountain and sat next to her, tossing a sickle in the water for good luck.
An annoyed expression crossed her face when she looked up at him. “What?” she snapped, realizing he was staring at her.
“Nothing,” he said nonchalantly, giving her a half smile. “Can’t I just sit and admire the view?”
“Am I ruining the view for you? Did you come over to ask me to move?” she sighed, already aggravated.
“No,” he said, and left it at that. Apparently she didn’t realize that she was the view.
“Well, good,” she said, huffing. “I wouldn’t have moved anyway. And if you’re happy enough to sit here next to Weasley filth then I am happy to sit next to a yucky Malfoy.”
At that Draco let out a bark of laughter. “Yucky?” he said, wiping his eyes.
She glared at him and his laughter died in his throat. “I’m sorry my insults are not up to par with your usual standard of callousness, but I find that cutting people down until they feel like nothing is bad karma.”
“I didn’t mean..." he began.
But she was up and storming off before he had a chance to explain himself. He was going to let her go until Blaise’s words popped into his head. Follow her. So he hauled himself off of the fountain ledge and caught up to her.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, grabbing her elbow to stop her from walking. “I only meant that yucky is a funny sounding word.”
“So?” she said. “That doesn’t change the fact that you’ve been mean to me since we met. Why are you changing your tune now?”
He shrugged, secretly cursing inside. Blaise hadn’t prepared him for the conversation that would come after he followed her. “I just realize now that it’s pointless to be mean to someone who doesn’t deserve it.”
The anger faded from her features slightly. “Well, as long as this isn’t a trick and you’re done being an idiot. I suppose I can be nice to you. But I need to go to class now. I recommend you do so as well.”
He let go of her elbow and watched her walk back to the castle with a smile on his face. Blaise’s idea might just work after all.
Draco replayed his conversation with Ginny over and over in his head throughout the day. She was going to give him a chance to be nice to her. He couldn’t help but be in a good mood, but at the same time he was a nervous wreck.
He didn’t entirely know how to be nice. That wasn’t how he was raised. He supposed his mother was nice, but his father was a rude asshole with anger issues. Draco had inherited said anger issues.
If Ginny were to snap at him, he would certainly snap back. He was going to have to practice being nice to people. He wasn’t sure if he could handle that. On a good day, everyone annoyed him. He was just going to have to suck it up.
Draco stared at her from across the Great Hall as he did at every meal time. He knew he wanted her, but he didn’t know if it was lust or something more. He was scared to even try. She was a Weasley. She was forbidden. He was mean and cruel and just didn’t fit in her life. Her brothers would try to kill him. Potter probably would too. His father would die of a heart attack. His mother would cry. How could he even think of doing something like this? He wanted to go talk to her, but even if he was happy it would make everyone else miserable. His friend Blaise sighed next to him.
“If you’re too chicken shit to go talk to her, I can do it for you, mate. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you happy.”
Draco scowled at him. “Nonsense,” he said. “I am perfectly happy, and I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“You’re in love with the Weasley girl,” Blaise said with a smirk. “Why don’t you just admit it so we can all get on with our lives?”
“I’ll admit nothing of the sort. You know better than that.”
“What if I could get you two together?” Blaise said with mischief etched on his features. “What if I could get you in a relationship with her? It’s a sure thing.”
Draco’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “A sure thing?” he asked with a smirk.
“Now, we all know that while you are good with schoolwork, I am good with the ladies,” Blaise said waggling his eyebrows.
“I always wondered how you keep your relationship with Daphne going,” Draco said. “She fucking hates you.”
“Yet she loves me oh so much.” A broad grin adorned his friend’s face when his current girlfriend’s name came up. “What if I was to give you one piece of advice a day for, I don’t know, let’s say 40 days. If at the end of those 40 days you have a good relationship started with her, you owe me. I’ll figure out a favor later. If you don’t then you don’t owe me anything.”
“If I don’t will you owe me a favor?” Draco asked.
“It’s you I’m doing the favor for in the first place, dumbass.”
“Well then, what’s my first bit of advice?”
“When she walks away from you mad, follow her.” Then Blaise made a shooing motion, and Draco assumed their conversation was over.
Later that day, Draco got his chance to speak to her alone. Ginny was sitting on the fountain wall alone, reading a novel. The sun shone off her red hair, letting gold accents shine through it. The chilly fall air that implied winter was fast approaching didn’t seem to bother her one bit. She tucked a strand of her long red tresses that had escaped her pony tail behind her ear and turned a page. He was nearly content to just sit there and watch her, but Blaise’s comments about him being a coward were still fresh in his mind. Why didn’t he have the right to be happy like everyone else?
He approached the fountain and sat next to her, tossing a sickle in the water for good luck.
An annoyed expression crossed her face when she looked up at him. “What?” she snapped, realizing he was staring at her.
“Nothing,” he said nonchalantly, giving her a half smile. “Can’t I just sit and admire the view?”
“Am I ruining the view for you? Did you come over to ask me to move?” she sighed, already aggravated.
“No,” he said, and left it at that. Apparently she didn’t realize that she was the view.
“Well, good,” she said, huffing. “I wouldn’t have moved anyway. And if you’re happy enough to sit here next to Weasley filth then I am happy to sit next to a yucky Malfoy.”
At that Draco let out a bark of laughter. “Yucky?” he said, wiping his eyes.
She glared at him and his laughter died in his throat. “I’m sorry my insults are not up to par with your usual standard of callousness, but I find that cutting people down until they feel like nothing is bad karma.”
“I didn’t mean..." he began.
But she was up and storming off before he had a chance to explain himself. He was going to let her go until Blaise’s words popped into his head. Follow her. So he hauled himself off of the fountain ledge and caught up to her.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, grabbing her elbow to stop her from walking. “I only meant that yucky is a funny sounding word.”
“So?” she said. “That doesn’t change the fact that you’ve been mean to me since we met. Why are you changing your tune now?”
He shrugged, secretly cursing inside. Blaise hadn’t prepared him for the conversation that would come after he followed her. “I just realize now that it’s pointless to be mean to someone who doesn’t deserve it.”
The anger faded from her features slightly. “Well, as long as this isn’t a trick and you’re done being an idiot. I suppose I can be nice to you. But I need to go to class now. I recommend you do so as well.”
He let go of her elbow and watched her walk back to the castle with a smile on his face. Blaise’s idea might just work after all.
Draco replayed his conversation with Ginny over and over in his head throughout the day. She was going to give him a chance to be nice to her. He couldn’t help but be in a good mood, but at the same time he was a nervous wreck.
He didn’t entirely know how to be nice. That wasn’t how he was raised. He supposed his mother was nice, but his father was a rude asshole with anger issues. Draco had inherited said anger issues.
If Ginny were to snap at him, he would certainly snap back. He was going to have to practice being nice to people. He wasn’t sure if he could handle that. On a good day, everyone annoyed him. He was just going to have to suck it up.
Author notes: Please review!
Leave a Review