Dragon's Kiss

Harry sat on the cold leather seat, feeling helpless and stupid, watching the blur of scenery whiz past and anxiously drumming his fingertips on the panelling of the compartment wall. Ginny sat beside him, and, if possible, looked even more dejected than he did, her hair still covering most of her face. From time to time Harry glanced at her, worried, fingers still steadily drumming an annoying pattern on the wall.

Draco looked up from where he'd been staring at his hands. "Potter, stop," he commanded in a bored, tired voice. "You're not helping anyone." His tone of voice brooked no argument. Harry stopped. A few more rails clacked underneath. Ginny looked up, and brushed her long red hair out of her face.

"So what are you going to do with us?" Ginny asked hollowly. Her eyes were red, as though she'd been crying, but there were no tear streaks down her face. Harry worried about how she was faring.

"What do you think I should do with you?" Draco replied smoothly, quietly. "I must admit, I am half-tempted to let you go- thus allowing my father to continue his rather humorous chase for Potter," he said the last word with a girly infliction- Harry couldn't tell if the jab was meant for him or for the silver boy's father. "But then again- I never did like the two of you."

"You know what, Malfoy? I'm impressed. We actually got the good side of you rolling there for about...oh, I don't know- three quarters of a second," Ginny snapped.

"Ah well. I'm afraid I can never be fully evil unless I've had my full glass of pumpkin juice in the morning... a Malfoy trait, I'm afraid. And I didn't even get one sip this morning so... be on guard," Draco replied lightly.

"On guard for your good side? That's rich, Malfoy," Harry said, narrowing his eyes. "But back to what Ginny said. What are you going to do with us?"

"I'm sure in the good, positive, 'Gryffindor-land' the two of you have lived in all of your lives the captor always tells his captives what he is going to do with them, and good always triumphs over evil, and that's the way the world turns," Malfoy answered, bored. "Pity its not the same way in 'Slytherin-land'."

"You know what Malfoy?" Harry asked, standing up as tall as he could, wand out in front of him.

Draco stayed seated. "What now, Potter?"

"I'm tired of your useless sarcasm. Tell me what you're going to do with me and Ginny or I'll hex you to pieces," Harry snarled. There was silence for a few seconds. A few more rails clacked by. Ginny's eyes were fastened on Harry. Harry's eyes were fastened on Draco. Draco's eyes were...well... staring out the window, completely unperturbed in the face of Harry's threat. "Malfoy..."Harry said warningly.

"Sit down, Harry," Ginny said with a sigh. "You're not going to get anywhere with him. He's a Malfoy, remember? Malfoys don't help Gryffindors."

"Amen," came Draco's dry, witty voice from the corner. "Someone has been paying attention."

"Alright, you know what?"

"I do believe we've already done this, Potter," Draco said lazily, gazing cool and composed at Harry's heated face and fury-filled eyes. "But all right. Just for kicks I'll indulge you. Upon reaching Malfoy Manor my father will seize you and the little redhead here and drag you off inside, surrounded by guards. He will place you in one room, Weasley Two in the other. You will be beaten, harassed, and laughed at until the Dark Lord arrives, and then you will be beaten, harassed, laughed at, and then killed. Weasley Two will be taken into her room, stripped down and used a whole different sort of entertainment... if you virgin faced Gryffindors get what I mean."

Ginny gasped, horror struck. Harry's eyes widened, and his grip on his wand tightened. "And, as that is what you wanted to know, you'll have to excuse me so that I can go to the bathroom." He stood, stepped over Ginny's legs and left, closing the compartment door behind him with a snap! Harry rushed over, checking to see if the blond had locked them in. Draco hadn't. He was walking merrily down the hall, swinging his arms in a leisurely fashion and singing Jingle Bells on a rather off-key note. Harry winced and slid the door shut again, turning towards Ginny.

"We need a plan!" he whispered, the slight panic that he had struggled to keep bottled up all day rising to the surface.

"I think I've got one already, " Ginny replied in a quiet, shaky voice.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, softly.

"I will be once we're out of Malfoy's grimy little hands," Ginny answered, her voice hardening, her eyes stony. "This is what we'll do."

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"Oh, jingle bells, jingle bell-" Draco stopped mid-song and frowned slightly. Had he passed the bathroom? Mentally he laughed at himself. Not like I actually had to go... But oh well. Draco wasn't all that keen on getting back into the compartment either. He poked his head into the bathroom just for kicks, and nearly fainted from the smell. Holy Merlin's beard! He thought, pulling his head out as fast as he could. I've been in Muggle restaurants that smell better than this! He turned and leaned back against the opposite wall, shutting the bathroom door with his foot. Mental note- suggest scented towels to the food witch- it would really help, he thought, taking in large amounts of fresh air. Maybe some freshener for the hall too. Deciding that the trip to the bathroom hadn't been a total failure; after all, he had decided to voice a complaint- which perhaps would be taken seriously and be acted upon, thus making the bathrooms on the train smelling clean and lemony fresh- Draco turned and headed back to the compartment. He was doing everyone a favor, really. Maybe Dumbledore would notice and give him a plaque- "DRACO MALFOY: The boy who voiced the complaint that led to fresher smelling bathrooms throughout the train." He sniggered at himself. Yeah, and right after that happens, maybe Potter and I will become bosom buddies and the Weasley girl and I will announce the birth of our first child. He sniggered even harder at that. Or maybe it will be Hermione and my first child... at this he thoughts turned to imagining what would have to have been done to conceive that fictional first child, and from then on went to the place that houses every almost-seventeen year old boy's naughty fantasies and thoughts. You know, she wouldn't look half bad if she wore her skirt just a bit shorter and her blouse just a bit tighter, he conceded nicely, spotting his compartment and sliding open the door. No, she'd actually look better than half ba- WHOA! Draco wheeled back from Harry's suddenly very close face.

"Nose hair, Potter," Draco drawled, stepping back. "If I can see it- in detail. You are much too close. And believe me, I could see it."

"Shut up," growled Harry, and he seized Draco's face in his hands and kissed him- hard. Draco felt his eyes widen with shock and indignation. He pushed away from Harry, a positively horrified appearance on his face swirling across for just an instant before his features calmed back down. His eyes however, remained huge.

"Well, well, well," Draco commented, turning to Ginny after a moment of stunned silence with a look of mock excitement on his face. "I think I just got more action out of Harry Potter than you ever will!"

Ginny looked past him to Harry and mouthed the word now at him. Draco wheeled around the Harry and collided with the other boy's fist, staggering back a few steps. This time Draco wasted no time. He grabbed hold of his wand and pointed at Harry, yelling, "Petrificus Totalus!" Harry went stiff and fell backward, onto the floor. As that happened, Ginny stood up and started screaming as loudly as she possibly could. Three seconds later the plump food witch appeared, carrying her wand in one hand, a frying pan in the other.

"What on earth is going on in here?" she demanded, pointing her wand directly at Draco. He appeared taken aback.

"Well-" he started to say, but Ginny interrupted him.

"He tried to...tried to...force himself on me," Ginny sobbed theatrically. Draco stared at her. It certainly did look as though someone had tried to do just that- he'd not noticed it before due to the close proximity of Harry's nose. Her shirt and skirt were ripped, her hair dishevelled, a bruise was purpling on her left cheek. The food lady gasped and tightened both her fist upon her weapons.

"Go on dear," she said gently to Ginny. "It's good to get it all out. I'll keep an eye on this one," she jerked her head towards Draco. "Tell me the whole story."

"I was sitting here, with my boyfriend, when he came in. He started saying all kinds of horrible things to Harry... you know of their rivalry?" The witch nodded. Ginny heaved another sob and continued. "Well, Harry told him to get out, and shoved him towards the door, and he-" she jabbed a vicious finger towards Draco. "He put the- the binding spell on him." She broke into a new fit of sobs. "And then, and then...he grabbed me."

"There, there, dearie. You're safe now," she patted Ginny clumsily with the hand that held the frying pan. Her expression hardened as she turned towards Draco. "You! Despicable little boy... I never did like you. You've always caused trouble on this train!"

Draco stared at her. "You don't really believe what she's said about me?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Oh ho, boy. Don't you play innocent with me! And don't you dare try to put up a struggle. It's straight back to the castle with you! Dumbledore will find a suitable punishment for you, I daresay. I'd suggest expulsion, but that means another crazy, uneducated loony out on the streets and I must say, we needn't any more of them!" she said. She murmured something to her wand and Draco suddenly tilted over, as though an invisible hand had grabbed his left ear and was pulling on it very hard. "You'll be alright?" she asked Ginny. "I'm afraid we'll have to head back to the castle. Can't trust troublesome chaps like these, oh no." Ginny nodded in understanding. "I'll just fix this chap up here- and look! It's Harry Potter!" she turned towards Draco. "Dearie me, but you'll be in deep!" she cackled as Harry stood up, shaking out his limbs, and took Ginny into his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder, heaving again. "Now then," the witch said, her voice cheery again. "Off to the front of the train, that's a good lad. Ouch, that hurts doesn't it? Serves you right!"

Harry and Ginny waited until the saw her enter the next car- Draco in tow- before they stepped back into their compartment and burst into peals of laughter.

"Brilliant, Ginny!" Harry gasped, collapsing onto the seat. "Did you see his face?"

Ginny giggled. "Priceless!"

Harry stopped laughing for a moment. "You are priceless Ginny," he said seriously. "Your quick thinking probably saved my life, and I'll never forget it." Ginny looked back at him, just as serious, her eyes pools of liquid hazel-ly gold. And then, they kissed.

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