Disclaimer: This is not mine, the characters are created by J.K. Rowling, and if their date sounds like a song, it is based from a song. ‘Hands Down’ by Dashboard Confessionals and their date is based on that song because of a reason! You’ll know the reason next chapter, I think. J
Dedicated to: Gracie still, my beloved beta-reader. Sorry if I posted this without your consult but for some weird reason attachments in Yahoo won’t work, and I’m not sure if I sent it to you or not. I’ll just mail you about it, okay?
Chapter Thirteen: In Love’s First Kiss
Draco Malfoy, at 1:35 in the afternoon, while students were getting ready for the Hogsmeade trip inside their own dormitories, was to be found in front on the Great Hall, not moving, his usual sleek blonde hair pulled back so that not a strand was out of place. His robes were as clean as ever as he leaned back in the wall, his hands inside his pockets, as if everything was okay and he was in control.
But all of this was just a cover. The truth was that his hands were shaking in his pockets, and sweat was slowly trickling over his eyebrows. His heart was racing and his lip was quivering. His mind was telling him to stop this nonsense. That she was nothing but trouble. That she can’t possibly feel the same way he feels about her. Besides, if their feeling were mutual, what can they possibly do about it? The whole school would be petrified at the news. His family would kick his ass all the way to Durmstrang. For short, the world would turn its back on him.
Draco breathed in deeply for luck. He decided last night that as soon as she appeared in front of him, he shall end all associations with her. Before it could get any more serious, he shall take care of it. She was nothing for him after all. She was just—a Weasley.
And then she appeared.
She appeared in front of him; wearing the same robes she wore every day, but somehow looked even prettier. Her hair was tied in a braid and her smile was not wavering. She just stood there, reminding him of all the troubles he was diving into. Reminding him to end all of it now, before it was too late.
But then he thought what the hell.
He walked up to her, his face showing no emotion as he strode closer. A few inches away from her, he stopped, eyeing her from head to feet, and with one swift hand, pulled the lace that was keeping her hair in a braid. Her red hair suddenly flew to her sides smoothly, as she stared at him, confused and wondering.
“I like your hair down,” he explained as he kept the pink lace inside his pocket, “don’t tie it again.”
“I won’t,” she said, her feelings for Malfoy beginning to sprout, and the strange this was that, she wasn’t stopping it from developing.
*.*
Not a word was exchanged from the two of them even by the time they had already arrived at Hogsmeade. A multitude of students were walking in and out of the shops and everyone was too busy to notice Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley, walking side by side, so close that Draco could actually feel Ginny’s smooth legs brushing up against his robes.
“Oh, look!” she squealed, pointing at something that was continuously igniting in Zonko’s Joke Shop. She then ran towards the display of the store, staring at the singing bird that exploded into smithereens every five minutes. Though Malfoy couldn’t comprehend on what could actually be interesting in a bird that someone would actually buy it (it’ll only explode in your hands anyways, he thought), he still patiently stood in front of the display case beside her, loving every minute of it.
“Isn’t it so cute?” she shrieked beside him, as she watched the poor innocent bird (although it was mechanical, but Draco didn’t know that) explode in front of her very eyes.
“Yeah, for a masochists,” he mumbled quietly, not keen for Ginny to hear his words.
This would be a perfect opportunity for me to kiss her, Draco thought quietly as he stared at Ginny’s cheerful face. Just as he was about to lean towards her, just as he dared to move, Neville Longbottom suddenly popped out between them, blocking his lips from Ginny’s cheek.
“Ginny! Come here, I have something to show you!” he cried out, grabbing Ginny’s hand. Malfoy couldn’t help but thinking that Longbottom actually scored first, which made him more irritated.
“I’ll come back in a few minutes,” Ginny told him as Longbottom dragged her in the crowds, “I’ll meet you at Three Broomsticks!”
He shrugged casually though the thought that she was spending even more time with Longbottom than with him made him swear that he was going to practice the leg locking curse on Longbottom tomorrow. He grudgingly trudged towards the pub, not minding the number of inconsiderate people who bumped him once or twice, in a hurry to complete their Christmas shopping. When he arrived inside the warm pub, he spotted Potter, Granger and Weasley in a corner, all three chattering excitedly. He sat down at the furthest seat away from them as possible, and pretended that everything was normal.
By the time Ginny arrived, Draco had already memorized the number of drinks Rosmerta offered.
“Sorry,” she mumbled quietly as she sat down across from him.
The silence between them was almost sacred, and the soft music from Rosmerta’s stereo slowly gave Draco enough courage to do what he wanted to do. Break it off. End it all. Make her cry.
But then he thought what the hell and instead, thought of kissing her again.
This would be a perfect opportunity for me to kiss her, Draco thought quietly as he stared at Ginny’s cheerful face. And just as he was about to lean towards her, just as he dared to move, the trio appeared at their table, their faces angelic and innocent.
“Hey, Ginny! Did you get some?” the Weasley asked as he squeezed himself in Ginny’s seat. Potter and Granger both looked reluctant in crashing their private time alone, which was just all to well for Draco.
“Yes, everything’s fine,” answered Ginny, her cheeks turning bright red as she tried her best to ignore her brother’s question.
“Need anything to drink?” he asked.
“No, I’ll take care of that,” Draco interrupted, as he held up his hand to call Rosmerta.
“I don’t think so,” Weasley interrupted, shoving his hand back down to the table, “because my sister’s too young to drink.”
“You were the one who gave me butterbeer in my third year,” Ginny reminded his brother nervously.
“That wasn’t me,” he argued stubbornly.
“Yeah, that wasn’t your brother,” Draco agreed, his blood slowly reaching its boiling point, “that was your boggart.”
“I’m not afraid of my brother,” said Ginny angrily.
“Oops, did I hit a soft spot?”
“Maybe we should go,” Granger piped in uneasily as she walked towards Weasley and took a hold of his elbow.
“No, I want to stay here,” Weasley squabbled, “I want to stay warm.”
“No, we’re going,” Potter announced, his decision final, as he helped Granger pull a resisting oversized Weasley away from the pub.
As soon as they were alone, Draco said, “That is dumb.”
“My brother’s not dumb,” Ginny said defensively.
“Not your brother,” Draco added in quickly, “well, yes…your brother…”
It was a relief when Ginny let out quiet peals of laughter, her eyes also smiling as she giggled in a corner.
“I agree,” she responded, “sometimes, he’s too—how do you say it? Protective.”
Soft music floated inside the pub as the lights from outside began to glow. It was beginning to get dark although it was only about 5:00 in the afternoon. It was winter, naturally the day ends quickly.
“Come,” Draco suddenly said, grabbing Ginny’s hand and standing up.
“Where?” she asked, as she stood up and began to grudgingly follow him outside the pub.
They kept on walking until they passed all the shops, up to the very end of the street, and towards the mountains.
“No,” Ginny stopped abruptly, “there’s no way you’re dragging me up there with you.”
“Have you ever seen the sunset?” Draco asked excitedly.
“Yes,” Ginny answered.
“From up there?”
*.*
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Ginny mumbled breathlessly as Draco helped her up to the last rock, and practically carried her beside him.
“I so can’t believe—”
“Look,” he whispered as he went behind her and wrapped his hands on her cheeks, directing her face to look towards the west, towards the setting sun.
Ginny gasped as the beauty of the fiery orange light slowly setting in the city, slowly disappearing as its blue and red rays crept back towards the clouds met her gently in the eyes, showing off its beauty. The breath taking moment only lasted for a few minutes, and as the night enveloped between the two of them, the stars slowly popping out and the moon gradually rising, Draco thought, this would be a perfect opportunity for me to kiss her.
But instead of leaning towards her and kissing the lips that he dreamt of every night, he whispered in her ear, “It’s getting a bit late.”
“I know,” she whispered back, as if the silence was sacred and it was unholy to break it.
“Can I hold your hand on our walk back?”
Ginny turned around to face him, her eyes sparkling in the night and her lips shivering with emotion.
“Yes,” she whispered as she smiled, “yes you can.”
*.*
The street was wet with snow and the lights were dim. Everyone had gone home except for them. Draco and Ginny were walking hand in hand towards the gates of Hogwarts, both silent and both very happy. For a moment he wasn’t a Malfoy and she wasn’t a Weasley. For a moment, he wasn’t a Slytherin and she wasn’t a Gryffindor. For a moment, they had set aside their differences and just walked together, hoping that it would never end.
But, even before they could feel the winter cold night air chill their bones, they had already reached the magnificent doors that led inside Hogwarts too fast. They stopped in front of the doors, both reluctant to get in.
“I should—” Ginny began.
“Yes, I guess so,” Draco nodded.
Ginny turned the door knob and soon found out that it was locked. She faced Draco for help and was panicking for a second, but Draco remained his cool and searched for a window.
Ginny waited in front of the door and when she heard the creaking of a window slowly being pushed open, and a soft thud from inside the castle, she knew that everything was going to be okay.
The door opened leisurely and in front of her was Draco, his face bathed in soft light, and his face beautiful.
Ginny didn’t know what she was doing. She had no clue why she did it. All she knew was that Draco Malfoy was standing in front of her, looking so gorgeous in his usual black robes and in his usual posture, that she couldn’t resist it anymore.
She stepped forward and wrapped her hands in his waist, tiptoed a little so that she could reach his face, and kissed him. And as she kissed him, a hundred of doubts rolled inside her head. She thought that sure, there were a thousand of gaps between them, secrets unsaid and differences that had set wizards apart for centuries, but she knew, and he knew, that they were both trying hard to reach out for each other, until they fall close, so close that they can see themselves in each other’s eyes. And as they kissed, though no tongues were involved, though it was only soft and short, they felt magic around them. Not the kind of magic that they learn in class—the kind of magic that even Muggles feel.
If someone saw them right now, right there in front of the main entrance, with little light above their heads, they might think it’s just a simple kiss (and a very short one as they may notice). But for Draco and Ginny, it’s not just a simple meeting of the lips. For through that kiss, they have expressed everything that they had, risked everything for each other, risked tears and heartache, and beliefs and principles. Love is hard, only people who love are filled with courage to face the horrible consequences in the end. Through their kiss they have embraced the pain that might come, just so their lips could meet at that particular moment where there’s magic in the air.
And as they pulled apart, as Ginny looked into Draco’s eyes, instead of the pair of grey eyes she sees in him everyday, she saw a mirror. A mirror that reflected not only her being, but the person she had always wanted to be.
“Good night, Draco,” she said, her heart mixed with emotions.
“Good night,” he murmured back.
And as she walked away, towards the darkness, leaving him alone in front of the door, Draco smiled and whispered her name, “Ginny,” but only the paintings in the wall heard that.
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