Silver and Gold

Silver and Gold

Draco Malfoy had never been one for celebrating holidays, or celebrating anything for that matter. So when Christmas rolled around at Hogwarts, he found himself even more arrogant and haughty than usual when others were around, and more gloomy and miserable when alone.

Outside, snowflakes drifted gently towards the ground and swirled around in fluttering whirlwinds. The lake had iced over and every once in a while the giant squid would begin angrily jabbing tentacles through the ice, shocking the students skating in looping intricate circles over the surface. The sounds and smells of Christmas were all around Hogwarts. The air was filled with tantalizing scents of apple cider and various pastries. The tinkling of bells, the magic sound of laughter, and occasionally the screeching wails of Peeves singing crude Christmas carols rang throughout the castle.

But Draco despised all of these things that caused others hearts to swell with happiness and content. To him Christmas only brought promises of Malfoy Manor and his father's cold and detached greetings. He never truly looked forward to spending the hols in the enormous sprawling mansion that always had a distinctly dark and gloomy sort of air hanging about. Of course he would never admit this, even to himself.

So he had gloated and boasted, to anyone who would listen, about his amazing home and the elaborate, ridiculously expensive gifts he was sure to receive when he arrived there. His proud, haughty tones always grated on the ears of those pretending to hang on his every word, and somewhere deep inside, Draco knew this. He grew endlessly weary of his spoiled little rich boy charade and found himself desperately seeking an escape or some form of solace.

He found this in the most unlikely of places: Ginny Weasley.

It happened on the cheeriest of days, when the joy of Christmas sang a song in the hearts of many students who skipped happily through hallways, arms linked, and generally making Draco want to either hex them into oblivion or run away screaming and running like a scared little girl. So he found himself pacing the corridor holding the elusive Room of Requirements, thinking very hard of a place he could go to be alone for once.

He had discovered this nifty little secret of Hogwarts castle when running from Pansy Parkinson. She had recently taken to following him around like a lost puppy with a pathetic lovesick expression plastered all over her annoying pug like face, and making her resemble a dog even more than usual. Finally, he couldn't take the madness anymore, and he turned on her one day in the common room, exclaiming "LEAVE ME ALONE YOU DERANGED OVERGROWN PIECE OF FLUFF!", and hitting her with a leglocker jinx, he stormed off violently.

He had then stumbled across a doorway he was sure had not been there before, but shrugged and entered. He found a stony room with an enormous ancient looking fireplace decked out in silver and green. He felt immediately at home and sank into the plush forest green chair that faced the fire. At last, his thought swirled about him like a tempest unleashed, and he let himself brood in peace. Over the next few days he found himself spending more and more time in the room and it almost became an addiction. If he couldn't go there for some reason, he became snappy and irritable. Well, more so than usual.

But one day, lounging around the room and retreating into his own thoughts, he felt a change in the air. Someone had entered the room. Without turning from the fire, he looked in wonder at the sudden change in décor. Along with the silver snakes that wound about the walls and fireplace, there were now lions, and streaks of red and gold. The amazing thing was that all of it was in harmony, snakes winding around the lions and red intertwining with silver.

With a start, he whirled about to see who the intruder was who had stomped so suddenly on his thoughts. Wide, startled eyes quickly narrowed as he recognized the red flaming hair that spilled down her shoulders so carelessly. "Weasley," he spat, as if her name was a particularly bad taste in his mouth.

He was suddenly very aware of how much she had changed since he had laughed at the little brat in Flourish and Blotts in second year. Her golden hair curled in fiery tendrils and framed her delicate heart-shaped face. He noticed that her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and wondered vaguely if Potter had been the cause. For some reason this thought made him very angry. She had grown to be quite tall, with long, delicious legs...Draco shook his head. I must be out of my mind. This is Weasley we're talking about here. He could see as soon as she had entered that she was no longer the scared, meek little girl who had been manipulated by the Dark Lord. No, she almost radiated confidence and a brightness of her own,that drew people to her as a flame drew moths.

"What are you doing in here, Malfoy?" she demanded angrily.

"Well, I could ask you the very same question, Weasley. Except judging by the horrible way your face is all puffed up, I'd say Potter had something to do with it. Pathetic really, that you're still not over him. It's so obvious. But please, correct me if I'm wrong."

"It's bloody well none of your business! I-I..." But she seemed deflated, a balloon cruelly pricked by an evil child eager to watch the air escape. She collapsed into a red chair that had appeared and sighed heavily. "You're right. I should be over him. All these years of him not noticing me and breaking my heart when he even looks my way. Damn him and his kindness and bravery. He only sees me as Ron's wee little sister who can't even look after herself well enough to stay out of the clutches of V-vo-Voldemort! I deserve better than this, don't I?"

Draco was shocked. She had suddenly and without warning poured her heart out to him and for the first time in his life, he found himself speechless. He finally opened his mouth, prepared with his usual bitter and sarcastic reply, but what came out was "Of course you do."

Now it was Ginny's turn to be shocked. She hadn't meant to tell Malfoy all these things that she had never told anyone, and she certainly wouldn't have expected him to be nice about it. But for some odd and twisted reason she felt it easy to lay her burden upon a stranger, and who was more of a stranger than this cold, bitter boy with his roguish good looks and grey eyes.

"Look, Ginny.." Draco uttered.

She gasped and covered her mouth quickly. "You said my name!" she accused, eyes full of confusion.

"Yes, I did. But don't act as if it was the bloody eighth world wonder all right?" he said sharply, an edge to his voice. But it was his eyes that betrayed him. He had always been so good at mastering his expression and concealing his emotions, but this was new and he didn't know how to handle it. He felt something deep in the pit of his stomach when he looked at Ginny Weasley, and it made him want to be a better person. He suddenly saw himself saving her from the Chamber of Secrets and being the hero fpr once. He shook himself of these thoughts and stared at her with a hardened gaze.

But it was too late. She had seen the look in his eyes in that one unguarded moment, and it took her breath away. No one had ever looked at her that way. It was the way she had always longed for Harry to look at her, willed him to, silently in her mind. But all thoughts of Harry had long since vanished into oblivion, replaced with dizzying visions of Draco Malfoy, the last boy on Earth she ever imagined she would feel about this way. But there it was, and nothing would ever be the same. She could feel it in the air around them, crackling with an electricity born of fire and ice colliding, a lightning bolt of clarity in her mind.

"Draco," she breathed. She knew her emotions showed clearly on her face, they always did, no matter how she tried to mask them.

Draco suddenly leapt out of his chair and made his way to her in long, graceful strides. His eyes were full of purpose, and he gently pulled Ginny up from the chair, where she gazed up at him in wonder. Deep chocolate orbs met silver grey ones and they fell into each other's eyes. Ginny's eyes widened slightly as Draco leaned down towards her and their lips met.

Draco had never believed in kisses full of fireworks, where joyous love songs burst happily in the background and flowers bloom. But he suddenly felt himself become a believer in at least the bit about fireworks, as shockwaves of electricity coursed through him. He had never felt this alive, and he needed more. He pulled Ginny closer and the kiss became more passionate as he drank her in. All his anger and loneliness flowed into that kiss and Ginny put all her pain and anguish into it. Finally he drew away, panting heavily and grinning like mad.

Ginny smiled and swatted his arm playfully. "You look like a deranged psychopath. Stop, before you go around scaring innocent little children."

Draco merely broke into an even wider grin and grabbed her hand. "I wonder what Potter will say when he sees us," he said as they walked out the door. "Oh the look on his face! I can just imagine! And your brother, that Weasel head!"

Ginny laughed brightly and it was music to his ears. "Oh I can handle them. I think they deserve a little of a rude awakening after trying to be my bodyguards twenty-four seven. So do you still think that Christmas is a miserable holiday?" she asked, somehow sensing a change in him.

"Hm...You know, it just might not be so bad after all."