Stupid Owl!

Once Ginny was safely inside the castle, she ran as fast as she could until she found an empty classroom. She slammed the door behind her, then leaned her back against it, slowly sliding down to the floor. She was panting heavily and Draco's whisper still lingered in her ear. The way he had held her...it had given her goosebumps. She rubbed her temples, trying to straighten out her thoughts, which were giving her a migraine. And then he had kissed her, gently leaving a trail from her ear to her collarbone. She shivered, remembering the sensation. She had almost been ready to give in to him too, almost. Then she came back to Earth and remembered this was Malfoy. But if he kept on chasing her, she wasn't sure if she would be able to continue to resist him.

After she had calmed down a little, Ginny found her way to the Astronomy Tower. The wind was harsher up there, and the cold would perhaps keep her tied down to Earth. In any case, it would be refreshing, she figured as she climbed slowly up the winding staircase. Just as she had hoped, when she got up there she was alone. She leaned on the railing, letting the cold wind whip her flaming hair around. It made her cheeks sting, but it woke her up a little bit. She breathed in deeply, savoring the temporary return to sanity.

Why was Malfoy so interested in her? And why did he have to be so seductive, and so damn hot!? Ginny rubbed her eyes, then ran her hand along where Draco had left sweet kisses, merely ten minutes ago, that had driven her crazy. She shook her head, to clear her mind of all the sudden fantasies rushing through it. It was probably some sudden phase he was going through. From what Ginny had heard, Draco was very much the wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am type. He wasn't one to hang onto a girl very long. Once he got her in bed, he would be done with her. It's just sudden lust Ginny, she told herself. It's nothing serious. It won't last long. Just wait, it'll pass, he'll give up, and you can move on with your life. He just wants another one-night stand. She kept repeating this to herself, until she almost had herself convinced.

Ginny stayed there until her nose stung so much she was sure it would fall off. She tugged her robes around herself a little tighter before starting back down the stairs. It was nearly lunchtime and she was starving. She let her fingers trail loosely along the banister as she stared up at the ceiling, admiring the beautiful gilded stars that were painted there. At the bottom, she overstepped and stumbled forward, to fall into none other than Draco. Oh great, I'm falling into him everywhere I go now! It's like the Fates are out to get me or something.

"My, my, Weaselette, you just can't get enough of me, can you?" Draco said, smirking. He had caught her swiftly, her upper arms in his grip. He let one of his hands trail up to the back of her neck, running his fingers lightly up and down. Ginny felt another shiver run up her spine and she tried to pull away, but Draco held her fast.

"Draco, stop!" she said, trying to push his hand away. He gently tickled the back of her neck, causing her to squirm and try to suppress laughter. Ginny was extremely ticklish.

"So, you given my offer any more thought?" he asked quietly.

"What offer?" Ginny asked abruptly, coming back down to Earth.

"Will you give me a chance or not?" He looked directly in her eyes, his silver gaze, usually so cold, sparkling. That's odd, Ginny thought. I never thought Draco's eyes could sparkle...

"I don't know, Draco, I don't trust you..." She trailed off as Draco's hand moved from the back of her hand to her face to brush away stray hair. His eyes were still locked with hers, and Ginny was starting to feel an odd sensation in the pit of her stomach. She had another sudden crazy fantasy about the two of them, and she tried to shove it to the back of her mind again. Malfoy is nothing but trouble, Ginny, you know that, you know that, YOU KNOW THAT...

Draco came closer, and Ginny felt herself rooted to the spot, immobilized by his gaze. In a moment that seemed to contain eternity, his lips approached hers, until they finally met. Ginny's first instinct was to pull back, but this kiss was so passionate, so delicious, that she sighed inwardly and seemed to melt into him. She ran her arms up his chest and laid them at the back of his neck, pulling him closer. Then, she seemed to realize what she was doing, and in horror she finally did pull back. She hesitated a second, then ran as fast as she could, shoving past him and dashing into the corridor beyond.

Oh my God! I just kissed Malfoy! Draco Malfoy, I kissed him, I kissed him! Ginny began mentally freaking out, still running madly down the corridor. She had forgotten her hunger. Instead, she ran straight to the girls' dormitory in Gryffindor Tower, where she would be safe from him, at least in physical form.

~~~~~

Draco spun around and watched as Ginny ran away, slightly taken aback for a moment. Her had felt something when he had kissed her. He wasn't supposed to feel anything. Sure, he was supposed to get pleasure out of it, but there wasn't supposed to be any actual chemistry. Sparks weren't supposed to fly, his senses weren't supposed to go wild. He wasn't supposed to have feelings for her.

No way, no, I do not have feelings for the Little Weasel! He started walking determinedly forward, heading for the Great Hall for lunch. It must have been static electricity or...something! I cannot have feelings for her. I do not have feelings for Ginny Weasley!

"I don't like her!"

Everyone within a five-yard radius turned and stared as Draco made this proclamation. Shit! I said that out loud! He quickly shot everyone a haughty look before holding himself up straighter and strutting the remaining distance to the Slytherin table. With the ease that came from years of practice, he shoved his thoughts to the back of his mind and immersed himself in a loud and obnoxious conversation trashing Harry's Quidditch skills. However, no matter how hard he tried to occupy his mind with other things, he still couldn't shake the feeling he had gotten the second his and Ginny's lips had made contact.

After lunch, Draco strolled down to the lake to think. He looked at his immaculate reflection in the murky lake water without really seeing it. Why had he felt something? He had spent his life carefully building up shield after shield, to guard himself from feeling. He had learned early on that feeling was dangerous. Feeling meant making yourself susceptible to human error. Feeling was a weakness in which you cried whenever you were beaten and insults stung. No, he had learned not to feel and had created a dragon-thick hide for himself. But, it seemed that somehow Ginny had pierced through that skin as thought it were as thin as that of an apple. She had made him feel.

No, you weren't feeling anything! You don't feel, you don't fall in love! At this thought he shook his head, as though trying to shake out all thoughts of this nature. Draco Malfoy didn't, under any circumstances, fall in love. His future was all mapped out, his destiny already decided. Falling in love would mess all that up, not that it would happen. It couldn't happen. Draco kept repeating this to himself, hoping that he could convince himself. But then that feeling returned, the feeling he had felt in the pit of his stomach, the way his mind had gone all fuzzy, and for a single moment in his life, he had felt bliss.

Draco left the lakeside and flopped down beneath a tree, leaning back and closing his eyes. Damn her, damn her, damn her!!! This had to be her fault somehow. She had cast a spell, drugged him, something, anything, but he could not be feeling this way naturally. You're in denial...the annoying voice in the back of his head nagged. Draco scowled. I am not in denial! Wonderful, he was having an argument with his own self. Yes, you are. You just denied it, therefore you are in denial. That stupid little voice of his was way too smug for its own good. Then, Draco rubbed his head tiredly, not believing that he was being bested by an annoying voice in the back of his mind. Damn you, Weasley!!!!