All Good Things Must Come To An End

Chapter One

Ginny Weasley walked down the upstairs corridor of Hogwarts. She wasn't having a very pleasant day to start out with, but what happened next, made it worse.

While walking down the corridor, Ginny was looking down as she carried some of her books in her arms and the others were in her second hand satchel. She ended up bumping into the last person that she wanted to see that day.

Draco Malfoy.

"Watch where you're going, Weasel!" he spat out at her. Ginny didn't even look to see him leaving. She couldn't have cared less about him, so she bent down and picked up her dropped books and walked off to the Great Hall for lunch.

It was her fourth year at Hogwarts, meaning that she could go to the Yule Ball that year without any worries. She thought about whom she might want to go with.

Harry was the first boy that flitted into her mind and her face flushed. She'd had a long time crush on him, but he usually didn't even seem to acknowledge her presence. He would either gape openly at Cho Chang or he'd have conversations with Hermione during his breaks. The Hermione deal did not go well with Ron. Not at all.

She almost giggled when she remembered Ron's sudden infatuation with Hermione. He would become angry every time she had a new boyfriend or a friend who was a guy. It seemed to her that Ron was also becoming jealous of Harry. Harry had a tight bond with Hermione. Sure, it wasn't bursting with passion, but Ginny was sure that there was some sort of subtle love between them. However, Cho was still an issue. Ginny sighed. Boys will be boys.

The next was Colin Creevey. He was very adorable and sweet, but a bit eccentric. During her first year there, Colin had followed Harry around like a lost puppy. She thought his admiration for Harry was cute at the time, but now, it just seemed a tad annoying.

She then thought about Seamus and Neville. Seamus was nice enough, but he was a jinx! Neville was also nice, but she had already gone with him the year before. She thought of the possibility of going with Dean, but she remembered that he was already going with Parvati.

'Damn,' she thought. 'What's a girl to do in order to get a decent date around here?'

Her eyes then scoured around the other houses. They first landed on Justin Finch-Fletchey. He was very good looking, in her opinion, but when she noticed the other Hufflepuff sitting near him, which was most definitely a girl, she sighed and kept on looking.

She knew no one in Ravenclaw, except for Parvati's sister, Padma. Her eyes then fell upon the Slytherin table. She knew a few people from that house. However, the most eligible of them all was her worst enemy. Draco Malfoy.

Not that he was bad on the eyes, because he really wasn't. With his white-blondish hair and silvery-gray eyes, he could have any girl in the whole school. No, that was not why she hated him. She hated him because of the way he made her family look a disgrace. There was no way she was going to the Yule Ball with him.

"I guess I'm not going then," she muttered quietly to herself.

Draco then caught her eye and it was almost like an electrical spark between them. Draco would never admit it, nor would Ginny. They were so different and yet, so amazingly alike.

Draco walked over to the Gryffindor table and asked Ginny, "Is this seat taken?"

A bit shocked by his politeness, she just shook her head and Draco sat down in the seat across from hers.

"So, Malfoy," Ginny began as she brushed a lock of her long, red hair from her face, "what do you want?"

"I was, err...wondering if you would, umm...accompany me to the Yule Ball."

Ginny raised a slender eyebrow at him. "And what makes you think that I'll say yes."

"Everyone else has a date and I was going to try you. If you have a date, then say so."

Ginny almost laughed. Draco Malfoy was blushing and he was also very embarrassed. She wished that she had a camera, so that she could take his picture right then.

Ginny pretended to cough, in order to stifle her laughter, and replied, "No, Draco, I haven't a date, yet."

"Then, umm...will you go with me?"

Ginny giggled and Draco raised an eyebrow at her. "Mal-Malfoy, why is it that you seem so shy about asking me on a date. You act as though you've never done this before."

Draco's face turned red and Ginny wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment or fury, that his face was so.

"I have asked a girl out before, Weasley, I'm just embarrassed to ask you out because of which family you belong to."

Ginny stood up and glared at him. "So, you're embarrassed by my familial position. Why'd you bother asking me in the first place?!"

"Because...I have no one else to ask!" Draco hissed through his teeth.

Ginny huffed. "Then you'd best look elsewhere. I want to have a date that will actually pay attention to me at the ball!"

Draco felt humiliated. Fortunately nobody in the room really noticed what was going on. There was too much excitement going on with everyone, so they couldn't be bothered with Ginny and Draco's spat.

"What makes you think that I wouldn't?"

Ginny blinked in honest surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Why would you think that I wouldn't pay you any mind at the ball?" he asked, again.

"Because I'm a Weasley," she sneered, "and you're a Malfoy!"

"As true as that is, I don't think that either of us wants to go alone to the ball, so just for that sake, will you go with me? You'll be free to do as you please, afterwards."

Ginny lowered her eyes. "I wasn't planning on going."

Draco felt the blow that she gave him. "I-I see. I guess that means that I shall be going stag."

Ginny refused to look up at him. "Guess so."

Before Draco turned away, he said, "Wait."

"What?"

"Is Granger going with anybody?" he asked, almost desperately.

Ginny smirked. "You really must be desperate, if you're willing to go with a Muggle born witch."

Draco ignored her comment and pressed on, "Well...is she?"

Ginny's smirk widened. "As a matter of fact, she is. She's going with Harry."

Draco looked as though there were a gloom cloud over his head. He had no one else to ask.

"Why haven't you asked Pansy?"

Draco shot Ginny a cold glare. "I did. She's going with someone already."

Ginny feigned sympathy. "Oh, now isn't that a shame." Then she brightened up. "Oh well!"

Draco fumed inwardly. 'How dare she?! She knows exactly who I am, but she deliberately insults me!'

Ginny looked up from the book in her hands and raised an eyebrow at Draco. "Blimey...you still here? Which part of no don't you understand?"

Draco glared coldly at her. "Is that your final resolve, Weasley?"

Ginny matched his glare and replied, "Yes, it is, Malfoy."

Draco sneered. "I should have known not expect finesse from a Weasley. What the blazes was I thinking?! You'll never be anything but an uncouth beggar! I would rather go stag to the ball instead of being accompanied by the likes of you!"

Ginny grit her teeth. 'No! I will not cry over Malfoy's insolent insult! He's not even worth it!'

"Go on. I'm sure that your Slytherin fan club will just be wanting to hear of how you publicly humiliated the youngest member of the Weasley family!"

Draco scoffed at her and said, "Fine then. I will!" He turned on his heel and stalked off to the Slytherin table.

Ginny sunk lowly into her chair. She felt so enraged, but yet, there was something else there, as well. She decided not to dwell on what she thought it might be and banished it from her mind.

Ginny looked over at the Slytherin table and saw that Draco was keeping his word. He was taunting her to no end. She felt as though she could have died right there out of plain humiliation.

She heard footsteps approach her from her side. She looked over and saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione walk up to her. They sat down and began to chatter.

"Have you found a date for the Yule Ball, Ginny?" Hermione inquired.

Ginny shook her head. Hermione frowned at that. "Have you asked everyone?"

Ginny nodded and again, Hermione frowned. "Well, has anyone asked you?"

Ginny scowled and nodded. Hermione noticed the disgust on the younger girl's face and asked, "Who asked you?"

"Malfoy," she spat out.

There was a sudden hush among them. Ron looked at his little sister and asked anxiously, "You did tell him no, right?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Of course I said no! Who'd ever want to go anywhere with a scumbag like him?"

Ron put up his hands defensively. "Just checking! I'm also curious as to why Malfoy would ask you in the first place."

Ginny sighed. "I don't know. Desperation, perhaps."

Hermione tapped a finger on her chin. "That is logical, but it still irks me."

Harry looked at her, confused. "Why?"

"Well, Malfoy isn't the desperate type. He also wouldn't go for a Gryffindor, especially ones that belong to Ron's family."

Harry nodded in agreement. "What's your conclusion, then?"

"Well, he might've asked Ginny to the ball due to the fact that everyone else was taken or he might just like her," Hermione stated.

"The first part made the most sense," Ron grumbled.

"You never know, Ron. What if he really does like Ginny? What then?"

"Well, Ginny has enough sense not to go looking for him. Malfoy can't get very far with her because she, like myself, dislikes him just as much," Ron told her.

"That may be true for the time being, Ron, but you don't know what may happen between them in the next couple of years. I mean, look at you and Lavender. You never thought that you two would end up together, but you did. The same goes for Harry and myself," Hermione pointed out.

Ron sighed. "I hate it when you're right."

"But, Ron, I'm always right," Hermione teased.

"Ha ha," he replied, sarcastically.

"But, Hermione, you forget," Harry started.

"I forget what?"

"We're not actually together. We're just going to the dance together. The same with Ron and Lavender," Harry noted.

"Oh, so that means that you'll go the dance with me, but you could never see us as a couple?" Hermione questioned hotly.

Harry winced. "I never said that. I just assumed that after Rita Skeeter wrote about the both of us last year, you weren't interested. Besides, you showed a keen interest in someone else last year, if you know what I mean."

Hermione's face turned red and Ginny grinned. Ginny knew that Hermione liked both Harry and her brother, Ron. Choosing between the two would be the most difficult task for her.

"Well, maybe I like both of you!" Hermione countered.

Harry's eyes widened and Hermione's hands flew to her mouth. "Did you just say what I thought I heard you say?" Harry asked her, his eyes still wide.

Hermione looked at him nervously. "S-say what?"

"Don't play dumb, Mione. I'm being serious and that's a rarity. You should know that."

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh. "Can we discuss this later? Besides, we're trying to help Ginny right now."

Harry didn't reply. Hermione took that as consent to continue her interrogation upon Ginny.

"So, you have no one to go with?"

Ginny shook her head. "I'm just not going to go."

"Why don't you just go by yourself?" Hermione suggested, but Ginny shook her head.

"I don't think so. That would be too embarrassing."

Suddenly, a flock of owls surrounded the room, giving the students their mail. Hermione received a new book, a Muggle story at that called "Jane Eyre". Ron got a parcel of sweets along with the Daily Prophet. Ginny received the same as Ron. Harry received a letter from his godfather, Sirius Black.

"Is that a letter from Sirius?" Hermione asked Harry with interest.

Harry nodded and opened the envelope. He took out the letter and began to read.

Dear Harry,

I hope that you are well. I'm sorry that I haven't written sooner, but I was having a difficult time finding a hiding place. Those damn dementors are always on my tail. I wouldn't be surprised if Voldemort would try to kill you during your Yule Ball. Last year was a pain in the arse. I can only tell you that he will try to attack soon, so be on guard. Once you have any indication that he is about to attack (odd occurrences at the school and such), please owl me immediately and I will come by. Bring your two friends Ron and Hermione with you. You'll need them. Take care, Harry.

-Sirius

"Well, Harry, what'd he say?" Ron pressed.

Harry looked grim. "Voldemort's going to attack sometime soon. Sirius is just not sure as to how soon. He told me to owl him as soon as anything strange happens here."

Hermione's face was marred with concern and so was Ron's. Ginny just looked on and asked, "What are you going to do, Harry?"

"I'm going to keep my eyes open, until something does happen. That's all I can do."

The other three nodded in agreement. Soon, Lavender came up to them with a bright smile.

"Hey guys! Why so gloomy?"

Ron pulled out the chair next to him and said, "Take a seat, Lavender. You don't wanna be standing for this."

Lavender looked concerned. "What's going on?"

"Harry just received some bad news from his godfather about He Who Must Not Be Named."

Lavender gasped and a hand flew to her mouth. "Is he going to attack?"

Harry nodded. "Soon, from what I've read from Sirius' letter."

"This is terrible," Lavender complained. "What about the Yule Ball? What if he decides to attack during the middle of the ball?"

"Well, he might try to attack on that day, but I doubt that he'll do it where the dance is being held. Dumbledore will be there and Voldemort fears him."

Lavender let out a slight sigh of relief. "Well, at least we're safe for the most part."

"Harry, don't go looking for him," Hermione warned.

Harry rolled his eyes. "As I've said before, I don't go looking for trouble. It usually finds me whether I like it or not."

"Well, be very careful this year. It seems to me that his plans keep on getting more and more deadlier," Hermione muttered in disgust.

Ron looked at Harry and said, "Here we go again."