Grey Clouds

"So where exactly is the Ministry ball happening?" Ginny asked.

"I'll tell you once you get ready. You're taking forever," Draco said to Ginny's door. She had been in her room for almost an hour and she still wasn't ready yet.

"Well, if you'd bothered to tell me about the ball a few days ago then maybe I would've had a chance to plan ahead."

"Come on, Ginny. Please hurry up!"

"Okay, fine I'm done," Ginny said. Draco opened the door and walked into her room

His eyes were motionless as he fixed his gaze upon the sight in front him. Everything he'd thought about Pansy Parkinson, about how beautiful she was, was now a faded memory. If Ginny was a rose then Pansy was a wilted thorny shrub. Ginny was wearing a pure white gown. It clung to her sides, revealing her tiny waist and then flared out slightly at the bottom, near the feet. Her hair was curled lightly and put into a light bun, while a few stray curls hung loosely around her cheeks. She was wearing a thin silver chain around her neck and small diamond earrings. Draco could've stood staring at her all night, which he would've been more than happy to do.

"How do I look?" Ginny asked him flirtatiously.

Draco grinned as he kissed her hand. "It was worth the wait." Ginny couldn't deny that even Draco looked his usual handsome self. His eyes were mysterious and mischievous, his elegant black dress robes were fitted perfectly, revealing his toned physique and emphasizing his charming good looks.

"So now will you tell me where we're going?" Ginny asked slightly impatiently.

"I will...eventually. But for now, I have something for you."

"What is it?" Ginny asked excitedly.

Draco held out his hand, and in it was the most elegant and beautiful diamond necklace that Ginny had ever seen. She could feel her eyes well up and she kissed Draco gently. After they finally broke apart, Draco tenderly placed the necklace on Ginny's frail neck and tied it. He removed the plain chain and placed it in Ginny's hand.

"Shall we go?" Draco asked her.

She nodded and smiled. Draco checked outside to make sure that no one was there. He grabbed Ginny's arm, and the two of them Apparated.

***

"So, Harry, how do I look?" Lavender asked flirtatiously.

She was wearing a yellow, off shoulder dress sequence around the sleeves. Her hair was let down loosely, and a small, delicate flower was position right above her ear and glimmered in the moonlight.

Harry smiled lightly. "Lovely," he said. "We should get going now, or we're going to be late."

"Oh okay," Lavender squeaked. "By the way, you don't look half bad in those green dress robes. That dark bottle green brings out your eyes."

"Er...thanks..." Harry said slightly awkwardly. "We should Apparate from outside your front door."

"Whatever you say," Lavender giggled girlishly, causing Harry to raise his eyebrow slightly, wondering why exactly he was going with her to the ball.

***

Ginny entered arm-in-arm with Draco into the most beautiful room she'd ever seen. The ceilings were tall and had engravings of all kinds on it. The room itself contained embellished, beige walls with a golden hue. There were tall, floating candles around the room that illuminated it and bathed it with shimmering light. At the center of the ceiling was the biggest chandelier that Ginny had ever seen. It was a pure crystal chandelier that reflected the light in all directions, causing it to glow against the rest of the ceiling. The ballroom itself was lavish and large, decorated with huge paintings, lavish drapery and expensive ornaments. At the corner of the room stood an enormous Christmas tree decorated with all sorts of colorful trinkets and was being encircled by little glowing fairies that seemed to be having fun.

"Oh, wow!" Ginny exclaimed. "This is beautiful."

"It is, isn't it?" Draco remarked. "I used to come here when my Father brought me to meet other Ministry officials."

"My Dad never brought me here. He always told me that I would get to go when my time comes."

"Well, I guess your time did come." Draco started to kiss Ginny's neck tenderly.

"Draco, come on, not here...somebody might see us," Ginny whispered.

Draco sighed and pulled away. The two walked down the ballroom and met a small, stout wizard wearing a pointy hat. He had straw colored hair and a bushy moustache. "Good evening, sir," he muttered clumsily. "May I see your invitation?"

Draco reached into his pocket and took out the roll of parchment, which he then handed to the small man. He read the invitation over carefully and then nodded courteously. "We hope you enjoy the evening, Mr. Malfoy and..." He looked at Ginny.

"Ms. Weasley," Draco said.

The man nodded silently and noted Ginny's name down. "Thank you. Have a nice evening."

Ginny smiled and felt truly aristocratic at the moment. So this is what if would feel like to be a Malfoy...

The tables themselves were around situation on the outskirts of the room, while the center was a huge dance floor. There was beautiful music being played from the band, and there were a few couples dancing slowly. Draco and Ginny sat down at their table while a floating tray of champagne stopped by them and offered them drinks. Draco took two glasses and placed them on the table, one in front of Ginny, the other in his hand.

"So, what exactly are we supposed to do at a ball?" Ginny asked, feeling slightly stupid. "Just sit here and look pretty?"

"More or less," Draco said, smiling slightly. "Plus we have to go around and meet others...just hold out your hand when you meet someone higher in ranking, and let them kiss it."

"That's gross," Ginny said incredulously. "What if he has food all over his mouth?"

"Then you can just ignore him...most people here aren't slobs though," Draco said as he caressed his champagne glass and looked over behind Ginny. "But, of course, there are exceptions."

Ginny turned and saw an old wizard coming up from behind them. He was particularly round around the middle, wore rectangular glasses, and had lost most of his black hair. Ginny laughed softly as Draco quietly whispered to himself, "I hate these bloody parties."

The old man tottered up to Draco and laughed joyfully. "Draco, m'boy, haven't been seeing a lot of you lately. How have you been?"

Draco tried to cover up his sour face with a plastic smile and got up. "Mr. Peksky, it's nice to see you."

The old man grabbed Draco and hugged him roughly. Ginny saw Draco lose his blood circulation as the old man squeezed him tightly. He finally let go of Draco, who coughed a little and gasped for air, still trying to smile. The old man then turned to Ginny. "And who is this charming young lady, Draco?"

"This is Ginevra Weasley. Ginny, this is Mr. Peksky, head of Magical Games and Sports."

Ginny smiled politely at him and reluctantly held out her hand. She could clearly see some left over food hanging around Mr. Peksky's mouth; however, he didn't seem to care about it. He reached over, took Ginny's hand, and kissed it. Ginny had to stop herself from jerking her hand away as some food from his mouth transferred onto her smooth, clean hand.

"This is quite the lady you've got here, Draco," Mr. Peksky said jovially.

"Er...thank you, sir."

"See you around, m'boy." He patted Draco hard on his back and walked away. When he was out of sight, Draco started to laugh as Ginny scrambled for a napkin and started to wipe her hand frantically.

"Please tell me that there aren't anymore like him," Ginny pleaded, smiling a little.

"Don't worry...he's about as bad as they get."

Suddenly the lights began to dim and all the gold lighting vanished. Instead, the silver glare of the moonlight bathed the room and the crystal chandelier glowed in the darkness.

"What's happening?" Ginny asked, slightly nervous.

"Don't worry," Draco said soothingly. "It's part of the ball. Everybody gets onto the dance floor while the band plays a soft, romantic song and then we dance in couples. It's kind of cheesy but...you know...we could..."

"Dance?" Ginny said, musing over Draco's nervousness to ask her to dance.

Draco took Ginny's hand and the two of them headed towards the dance floor. As Draco placed his hands on Ginny's waist, snow gently began trickling down from the ceiling. It wasn't actually snow, but just an illusion to add to the atmosphere of the night. The music started to play, and Draco masterfully began to work his way around the dance floor. Ginny rested her arm on his shoulder and the two danced gracefully, looking into each other's eyes. Suddenly, another couple on the dance floor bumped into Ginny and Draco, causing them to break apart.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that," the woman's voice came. Ginny tried to see who the woman was, but couldn't in the darkness.

"It's alright," Draco said softly, though Ginny could hear the irritation in his voice since the couple had ruined their romantic moment.

"Harry, this is all your fault," the woman said, referring to her date.

Ginny's eyes widened with horror as she heard the man reply. "I'm sorry, Lavender," the man's voice said grumpily. Ginny could recognize that voice anywhere, anytime. She gasped loudly and started to walk really fast towards the end of the hall where she hid behind a pillar. She stood behind the pillar for a while, still in shock about her close encounter.

It was Harry. What is Harry doing here?

This Ball is for Ministry officials only-

He's an Auror! He works for the bloody Ministry! How could I have forgotten?!

I'm here with Draco. If he finds out, he's going to know about us! How could I have been so stupid?

***

Harry stood puzzled for a moment in the middle of the dance floor. The girl whom he'd just bumped into had run away. He wanted to apologize to her, but he couldn't see where she had gone or what she looked like. Harry heard her partner go after her and had left them standing there, feeling really awkward.

"What on earth just happened?" Lavender asked, stumped.

"I have no idea..." Harry said bewilderedly. "I... I didn't mean to offend her..."

"Who were they, by the way?"

"I don't know. I didn't see them. She just ran away after I apologized to you and he followed her."

Lavender shrugged and grabbed Harry's hand roughly, which she placed on her waist and started dancing again. Harry, on the other hand, had a strange feeling in his stomach. There was something about that girl...the way she had gasped...she reminded him so much of Ginny. Harry shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts.

God, Harry, you're seeing Ginny in everything and everyone. Just get a hold of yourself.

Harry sighed to himself and returned to reality. Lavender was in front of him, a head shorter, pulling Harry across the dance floor. She seemed annoyed that Harry wasn't actually trying to dance and kept giving him nasty looks.

The lights turned on again, illuminating the grand hall. The moonlight disappeared and instead a beautiful gold glow flooded the room. Lavender finally gave up on Harry and rolled her eyes as the two of them went back to their table. Harry, meanwhile, didn't even notice Lavender glaring at him. Instead, his eyes kept scanning the room for that woman who reminded him so much of Ginny.

***

"Ginny, what happened?" Draco came up from behind the pillar and put his hand on Ginny's shoulder.

"Didn't you realize who that was?" Ginny said, gaping at Draco's stupidity.

"Who are you talking about? Ginny, are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"The couple we bumped into while dancing, Draco. The woman's name was Lavender and the man's name was..."

"Harry," Draco said, realization dawning on him. "So wait, that was Potter?"

Ginny nodded, exasperated. "I can recognize Harry's voice over a crowd of a thousand people. That was definitely him."

"What is he doing here? This is supposed to be for Ministry officials..."

"Harry works in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he's an Auror. I can't believe I forgot...I'm such a bloody idiot. If he had seen me then everyone would've found out about us-"

"Ginny, why does it matter if your family finds out about us?" Draco asked Ginny.

"You don't know my parents, Draco. They're the kind of people who're comfortable with familiarity. They don't know you. I mean, they know the Malfoy who kept making Ron miserable and the Malfoy whose father almost got me killed in my second year, but they don't know you like I do."

"Fine, Ginny, if it's that important to you, we won't tell anyone. Sooner or later, they're bound to find out. Wouldn't you rather it comes from you than from someone else who happened to see us together?"

Ginny nodded somberly. "I'll tell them when the time is right."

Draco stroked Ginny's hair and felt the sweat on her forehead. He turned Ginny around to face him and looked into her brown eyes. "I think you've had enough of tonight...let's go."

Ginny internally thanked Draco for being so understanding. This night had been so important to him and he'd given it up for her. Ginny walked with Draco towards the exit, her eyes fixed on the huge oak doors that would lead her to safety. Suddenly, Draco whispered something indistinct to her and pushed her quickly behind a large stone sculpture. Ginny was about to open her mouth to demand an explanation when she stopped short and saw the reason Draco had pushed her. Harry was standing, now less than ten feet from Draco and was approaching him slowly. Ginny held her breath tightly.

Draco and Harry approached each other and nodded silently. "Came alone, Potter?" Draco said shortly.

Harry didn't seem annoyed, but instead shrugged. "No, I'm here with Lavender Brown. What about you, Malfoy?"

"Oh, my date's just in the ladies room," Draco said briskly.

"Listen, Malfoy. You didn't happen to see a woman in a white dress around here, did you?"

Draco's eyes sharpened and his eyes pricked up, trying to catch every sound. "Sorry, what?"

"Well, there was this woman whom I accidentally bumped into tonight, but before I could apologize she ran away."

Malfoy smirked. "A true Cinderella story, eh Potter? No, I have not seen her."

Harry nodded and kept on walking past Malfoy, not noticing Ginny as he passed the pillar. Ginny relaxed a bit as she saw Harry's head get smaller in the distance. She turned the other way and saw Draco looking at her, his eyes full of concern. She smiled briefly to indicate that she was all right, and the two of them walked out of the building.

Outside, the snow was tingling against Ginny's bare neck and she started to shiver. She held her arms together to keep warm and rubbed her hands against each other. Draco took off his leather coat and put it over Ginny.

"Oh," Ginny said. "Thanks, Draco. I didn't know it would snow so hard tonight..."

"No problem," Draco said, smiling. "Who said chivalry was dead?" Then he added, "Do you want to get something to eat? We didn't get to eat anything back there..."

Ginny shook her head and sighed heavily. "I just want to go home; it's been too long of a night."

"Alright," Draco said sympathetically. "You go on ahead and I'll be there in an hour or so."

Ginny looked up, puzzled. "Why don't you just come home now?"

"I...I just have something to do. You go on ahead." Draco kissed Ginny lightly and stepped a few feet back. He watched silently as the beautiful red head Apparated back to the Burrow, taking in the last of her flowing white gown as it disappeared into the darkness.

***

Draco eyed his watch that told him it was ten minutes to eleven. He went back into the ballroom and saw the Minister of Magic seated at one of the tables on the right. He walked up to Scrimgeour, who was dressed in ruby dress robes, and nodded to greet him. Scrimgeour got up and eyed Draco carefully.

"I saw you when you first arrived, Draco," he said, carefully examining Draco's _expression. "That young lady who was with you, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't that the daughter of Arthur Weasley?"

Draco nodded. "It was...but she had to leave."

"May I ask what exactly you're doing, Malfoy? I have given you a simple task that's very important to me, and you can't even accomplish that without getting your arms around some girl."

"It's not what you think. She has nothing to do with the plan, but I still think that this whole thing with Arthur Weasley is a wrong idea...we're barking up the wrong tree..."

"Be quiet, you insolent fool," snapped Scrimgeour. "We are amongst many who still don't fully trust me. Your infatuation with this Weasley girl has distracted you, Draco. If you feel that you are incapable of this assignment then say so and I will give it to someone else. Just stop wasting my time."

"It's not like that," Draco said defensively. "What I feel for her is not in any way connected to what I feel about this project. It's immoral and wrong. Arthur Weasley will be defamed all over England if we go through with this."

"He will get what he deserves, Draco. Remember our deal: you get me what I want from Weasley and I will give you what you asked for. Understood?"

Draco nodded reluctantly. Something about Scrimgeour's attitude felt wrong. Something about his ambiguity told Draco that he wasn't getting the full story. Something about Scrimgeour's pale, cold eyes made Draco feel uneasy.

***

"Molly, are there any of those sugar cookies left?" Mr. Weasley asked his wife.

"Arthur," Mrs. Weasley began sourly. "I really think you should stop this sick affair with sugar. Ever since you retired, it's all been about sugar cookies, chocolate pie, cake, and ice cream...Eugh! Even thinking about it makes me sick. You have to start taking care of yourself."

Mr. Weasley nodded timidly, but scoffed to himself very softly. He was reading this morning's Daily Prophet in the living room. Usually, he read his paper with breakfast, but the post had been late this morning, so he had to end up reading it in the evening with coffee. "Would you look at this?" he said, gesturing to the front-page article.

"What is it?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she peered over her husband's shoulder.

"The Ministry's made another arrest...this time it's Perkins."

"Perkins? Wasn't he your assistant when you worked back at the Ministry?"

Mr. Weasley nodded sadly. "The lad was so enthusiastic, always ready to help. And now they're using him as a pawn to create this image of the perfect Ministry."

"What're you talking about, dear?"

"I was speaking to some of my old friends at the Ministry, and believe me, Molly, it's chaotic down there. Scrimgeour's lost total control of the staff...half of them processing illegal documents, embezzling money. It's just terrible. We all were hoping that after You Know Who's defeat, things would get better, but now it's the average wizard committing the crimes instead of one really evil wizard. Perkins is not guilty; I've known him for far too long. Scrimgeour just wants to start making arrests to fool the public into thinking that everything's under control."

"Oh my," Mrs. Weasley said. "I hope they don't drag Harry into this. He's had it so hard already."

"Don't be silly, Molly. Not even Scrimgeour could get away with accusing the savior of the Wizarding World for stealing a couple of Galleons."

Just then, Ginny came downstairs. She was wearing her red pajamas and looked exhausted. She threw herself down on an armchair beside her father and grabbed a cup of coffee.

"Ginny, are you feeling alright?" Mrs. Weasley asked anxiously.

"I'm fine, Mum," Ginny said. "I'm just so tired. I just got back from...I just got back."

Mrs. Weasley kissed her daughter's forehead. "You should just go to bed then. A good couple of hours of sleep will refresh you a lot."

"Where are Ron and Hermione?" Ginny asked amidst a yawn.

"They've gone to visit Hermione's parents, you just missed them. They'll be back tomorrow morning, though."

Ginny nodded. She turned over to face the door as it creaked slightly and then opened. Harry walked in, looking gloomier than ever. He didn't even bother removing his cloak and slumped down beside Ginny. Mrs. Weasley suddenly gestured to Mr. Weasley to get up. He looked a bit perplexed and then saw that Mrs. Weasley was pointing to Harry and Ginny. He suddenly got up too, and both of them left the room.

"What happened to you?" Ginny asked Harry.

"I...well...Lavender and I just broke up."

Ginny sat up abruptly and widened her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Harry."

"Don't be," Harry said. "It was long overdue."

"So you broke up with her?"

"Yeah, she didn't take it very well. Remember in those Muggle movies I showed you, when the guy does something stupid, the girl takes her drink and spills it on him."

"Yeah..."

"Well, that happened to me too, except, instead of a drink, she threw a plate of noodles at me."

Ginny giggled lightly. "That must've been pretty funny. Come on, Harry, remember what I told you? You can get any girl you want; you don't have to chase these flimsy wannabes."

"Lavender wasn't all that flimsy, she dressed nicely sometimes too." Harry smiled and looked at Ginny's beautiful eyes. He had that urge again; the urge to kiss Ginny, to abandon all sense of reasoning, but reality hindered him.

"Ugh," Ginny said. "I hate relationships. He loves her, but she loves somebody else blah blah blah. I'm just glad that you and I can be friends without all that nonsense."

She cuddled up to Harry, who placed his arm around her shoulder. Harry looked down at Ginny, and the last gleam of hope that Ginny would someday love him back vanished into the sultry darkness.