Surely You're Joking

Christmas at the Burrow was always wonderful. They had Harry there, of course, and Mrs Weasley tried to fatten everyone up, complaining constantly that none of them were eating enough. Both Charlie and Bill were back for Christmas, which made the house rather crowded, but none there minded that. At first Ginny was a little worried about sharing rooms with Hermione, just in case she started asking question about the last encounter with Draco, but thankfully Hermione said nothing.

Christmas Eve came and went with an extravagant meal Mrs Weasley had made with extra effort. They had Lupin over for dinner, and he and Mr Weasley were up talking long after the children had gone to bed. In fact, as Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione got up on Christmas morning they found the two of them asleep in front of a dying fire. Mr Weasley had held on to his glass of whiskey as he fell asleep, and had managed to spill it all over one of Mrs Weasley's favourite chairs. The youth left Mrs Weasley to do the cleaning up, and turned to the pile of presents.

The annual sweater from Mrs Weasley was there, of course, Ginny opened hers and found a green sweater with a dragon on it. It almost gave her a chill, but she tried not to let it show. From Ron she got a Chudley Cannons shirt, which - because it clashed horrible with her hair - she knew she would never use, but she thanked him heartily anyway. Hermione gave her a handheld talking mirror, which she suspected had been charmed to only give compliments. There were presents there from Harry, her Hogwarts friends, and the rest of her brothers, but before she got to them, she found an unmarked present in her pile.

"There's one with no name here," she called to her mother.

"Yes, I know, dear," Mrs Weasley said. "It came for you yesterday with a quite magnificent owl when you were asleep. I figured it was from one of your friends at Hogwarts."

Ginny checked and saw presents in her pile from everyone she had bought a present for, and started getting a funny feeling in her stomach. Surely he hadn't. She ripped the paper off, and out from the box she pulled a gorgeous pair of stiletto-heeled shoes. They were the same shade of red as her dress, and had gold trimmings, and she understood at once that they had to be from Draco.

"My, those are pretty," her mother said. "Who did you get them from?"

"Melissa," Ginny lied quickly.

She saw Hermione casting suspicious glances in her direction, but again she made no comment. Ginny hurried over to her other presents and hoped that no one would notice exactly how much Melissa apparently had given her.

***

Ginny had already packed, and so she had nothing to do when she woke up early the next morning. She settled for getting ready, and did her makeup in a way that she hoped would impress Draco. When she was done, she realised her parents would be suspicious, and decided to remove it all. Then she applied it again and removed it once more. She was confused and a little scared, and by the time she had put on and removed her makeup for the third time she felt like a mess.

She had started to realize that it wouldn't be all fun. The ball would be filled with Slytherins who disliked her, and the only one she had on her side was Draco Malfoy, which was not much of a comfort. In addition her whole family and all her friends would get to know that she'd gone with him, which she didn't really like the thought of.

Outside the bathroom door there was already a line, formed by the twins and Ron, and they all gave an exasperated sigh as she came out. She was after all still in her pyjamas and had no makeup on as she came out after over an hour in there. In the end she settled for a plain black robe and moderate makeup.

By noon she was ready and was annoying everyone by tapping her hand nervously on her thigh.

"Why are you so extremely excited about going over to Melissa's?" Hermione asked slyly.

"I'm not," Ginny said quickly, stopping her tapping.

***

They heard the carriage before they saw it. Bells had been attached to the horses, and each step they took was rewarded with a small jingle. This didn't suit Ginny at all, as her whole family, including Harry and Hermione, were by the windows as the grand carriage drawn by two beautiful horses with long manes pulled up to the house. She picked up her bag where her dress, shoes, jewellery and makeup lay packed compact but carefully and walked towards the door.

"Bye," she said quickly, not wanting the others to look enough at the carriage to notice the M crest placed on the door.

"What?" he mother said bewildered. "Won't you invite Melissa in for a cup of tea?"

"Oh, Melissa's not there," Ginny started, "she just sent the-"

She didn't have time to say anything more before the door of the carriage opened and revealed Draco Malfoy, dressed in a dark elegant travelling robe. Ginny was halfway out the door when she got the shock of seeing him, and hurried out as she heard mutters from the others.

"Malfoy?" Harry was saying, while Hermione made a superior "Aha..." comment.

Ginny hurried over to the carriage. Draco gave her a charming smile.

"Let's go," Ginny said hurriedly.

"Well, I wouldn't want to be impolite," Draco said, and motioned his head towards the door of the Burrow. Ginny looked over and saw everyone spilling out the doors, clearly confused.

"Mr and Mrs Weasley," Draco said, and gave a small bow.

"Potter, Granger, Weasley," he continued with more spite in his voice as the trio came into view from behind Mrs Weasley. Harry stared at him as if he wanted to kill him

"Ok," Ginny said uncomfortably, "we're off."

She tugged impatiently on Draco's sleeve.

"Yes," Draco said, "sorry to leave so soon, but we do have a ball to catch."

Ginny felt her face getting red and hot, and was grateful neither of her parents were recovering enough to say anything. She deliberately didn't take Draco's hand, which he gracefully extended to help her in to the carriage. As she climbed in she heard her mother ask Ron softly what he knew about this. All in all, she thought, they were taking it way better than expected.

When Draco climbed in after her she made sure to swing at him, which resulted in him getting a hard slap in the stomach.

"Ow," he said without much conviction, and rubbed his belly dramatically. "What was that for?"

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"I'm picking you up as I promised I would," he said. He started a smirk, but had to duck as she swatted at him again, and instead composed his face into that of honest consideration.

"You didn't say you were picking me up!" Ginny exclaimed. "You said you were sending a carriage!"

"Actually," Draco corrected her, "I said someone would come by to pick you up. And, technically, someone was by to pick you up."

Ginny merely huffed and leaned back.

***

The ride from the Burrow to Malfoy Manor was awfully long, and Ginny suspected that Draco deliberately had avoided the use of magic to keep her in that small compartment alone with him for some time. In fact, the first comment he made after their little quarrel was

"Well... since we do have a lot of time alone together, what do you say we do something... fun?"

His one eyebrow was raised in that Malfoy manner that could be so seductive. Ginny, still angered by his entrée at the Burrow, turned her head slowly and sent him a look filled with daggers. He gave her a rare amused smile, and half shrugged.

"Can't blame me for trying," he said.

It didn't take long before Ginny realized that sitting with her back against the way they were going had been a mistake. She fought the nausea for as long as she could, but about half an hour into their ride she had to ask Draco if they could switch places. He looked at her, his grey eyes unreadable, but the beginning of a smirk was playing around his lips.

"I don't think so," he said. "I might get sick sitting there. But you are more than welcome to join me here."

The smirk was fully evident now, the tone of his voice mocking.

"I thought people of old 'noble' families were supposed to be polite and honourable," she said, emphasizing the word noble in a sarcastic tone. "Do the noble thing and give your seat up."

"Eh," he said and shrugged, "we're also quite selfish."

He gave her a dazzling smile and patted the seat beside himself.

"Come, sit here and we'll both be happy," he said.

"One more than the other, perhaps," Ginny murmured grudgingly, but eventually she did change her seat.

They sat in silence, side by side, for a few minutes. Ginny was a little uncomfortable because of how close he was to her. The cold of the window on the other side of her made the warmth coming from him very clear. Their sides were touching; shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip, and as they hit a bump in the road she felt his hand sliding off his lap, coming to a rest between their thighs, touching her. However innocent this small movement was, Ginny was made uneasy by the fact that Draco seemed in no rush to remove it. In fact, after a little while she could feel him turning it so his entire palm was placed on her outer thigh. She involuntarily made a small gasp, and gave him a quick glance. His face was expressionless, and showed no hint that he had neither heard her gasp, nor knew what his hand was doing.

The fact that he knew became clear very soon, though, because just as she turned back to her window, she felt the hand trailing circles on her thigh. She held her tongue, as she was rather enjoying his touch, but as Draco let his hand wander over her leg towards her inner thigh, she turned sharply meaning to say something harsh.

As she turned she noticed that he was already watching her. His cold, grey eyes with the characteristically lifted eyebrow in addition to the smirk she had become so accustomed to made her speechless, as she had been too many times this fall. She took a sharp breath, and felt her body quickly react to his eyes on her, becoming excited and flushed. Like in a dream, she felt his hand finish its journey towards her inner thigh, still doing it's very seductive circling motion. He turned his upper body entirely towards her, and leaned in and whispered something in her ear.

"We're here," he said.

She didn't quite get his words at once, and she saw his smirk widening as she struggled to focus. When her head finally cleared, and she understood his words, she was quite embarrassed. She tried to hide it by looking out the window, and saw that they were indeed riding up a quite grand gravel road lined with trees on either side. Up ahead she could see a stone building rising several stories high and bigger than any house she had set her foot in before

She suddenly noticed that Draco was still looking at her with that unnerving, exciting look, and that his hand was still trailing circles on her leg. She quickly slapped his hand away, straightening her back. Draco moved his hand and slowly turned his head, but kept his smirk, clearly pleased with himself.

***

This time she did take the hand Draco offered her as she stepped out of the carriage. She tried not to be awed by the sight before her, but it was hard. Malfoy Manor was bigger and grander than any home she's ever seen. In grandeur it almost battled the Hogwarts castle.

Big windows were placed along the first floor, showing off large rooms decorated with expensive carpets, pictures and chandeliers. The curtains were of red velvet, and hung heavy held up by carefully ornamented gold hangers. Ginny wanted to make an exclamation, but was very aware of Draco watching her, his smirk still not wiped off his face, and made no remark whatsoever. Letting go of Draco's hand she let him lead her through the gates of the magnificent building. They went through several rooms and hallways, and up two sets of stairways, and as they approached a final set of doors, Ginny no longer knew where the exit was.

"This will be your room for the day," Draco said, opening the doors. "And the night, if you don't run screaming from the ball halfway through."

He gave her a little wink, and she raised her nose, and huffed at him. They walked into the room, which was every bit as splendid as the ones they'd walked through so far. Her bed was a huge four-poster made of dark wood with intricate snake carvings on all four posts. The sheets were presumably satin, and were of a deep red colour - the same colour, Ginny noticed, as her dress. The same dark wood was also what the rest of the furniture - a desk in the corner and a rather large closet on the far wall - was made of. There was also a chair by the bed, matching the dark red fabric of the bed sheets. An open door led to a well lit bathroom that was surely bigger than her room at the Burrow. She saw the extravagant mirror that covered almost an entire wall, and looked forward to getting ready there.

"Like it?" Draco asked, leaning on the frame of the door. He didn't wait for an answer, but turned and stepped outside.

"I'll just get us some lunch," he said.

Ginny walked slowly around the room, not daring to touch anything. Any single ornament in there seemed to be worth more than everything she owned. Well, except the dress, that was. As she thought this, she remembered that she should probably unpack it from its snug compartment. She took it out and hung it on the door of the closet. It was really rather marvellous, and she wondered how much Draco had actually spent on her, especially if you included the necklace. As she stood there, she heard Draco entering the room again.

"So you do like it," he said.

"As if you ever thought I wouldn't," she said, not taking her eyes off the dress.

Draco had two of his house elves bring up a warm lunch, and the two of them ate in relative silence, with only a snide remark falling here and there. As she ate, Ginny realized she had become almost comfortable in Draco's presence, a thought which both eased her, because of the upcoming ball, and unnerved her. After all, they did not like each other. A few months ago she would have gone as far as saying they despised each other. Now as he looked at her she felt an odd fluttering in her stomach, and any insults thrown were without the sting and malice they had before and were almost becoming mere affectionate taunting.

When they finished their lunch it was already past three, and Draco left Ginny to get ready, saying he'd be up again at six. Even with three hours to spare Ginny felt slightly rushed. Her stomach was churning both with excitement and with nervousness. At times she could hear people and elves passing in the hallways, and once she thought she could hear the click of expensive shoes and the swish of a long robe, one such as the one she imagined Narcissa Malfoy would be wearing that night.

She did her make up partly finished before carefully putting on the gown. As she looked at herself in the tall mirror in the bedroom she heard a soft "ooh," from the mirror. Hearing a mirror in Malfoy Manor giving her such praise gave her confidence, and she finished putting on her makeup and doing her hair with a lighter heart.

***

When Draco came back, at precisely six, she was sitting in the chair with the jewellery box open in her lap. As he entered she looked up, and saw him stop in the doorway. Ginny hoped it was a stop that marked him being taken aback by her appearance, but as always his eyes were unreadable.

He looked at her for a second more, before walking over and taking the necklace. He bent over and clasped it around her neck before taking a step back to consider her look. She felt herself going weak as he bent over, but fought the urge to shiver.

"You'll do, I guess," he said after a long look, giving her a malicious smile. She merely looked at him coldly.

"Shall we go?" she asked.

"Oh no," he said amused. "This is when the ball starts. We want to make an entrance; we can't go until everyone else is there already. It will be another hour at least."

She smiled at him.

"And I suppose you'll suggest doing something... fun to pass the time?" she said slyly.

"The dress is too expensive," he said with a shrug, "although I appreciate the offer."

"It wasn't..." Ginny started, but trailed off noticing the softness of the mocking in his voice.

Draco went to stand leisurely over by the closet, and Ginny had the time to get a good look at him. He was impeccably dressed, as always, but even more stunning tonight than usually. He had obviously dressed to impress. The black of his robe, which should really make him look too pale but really merely made his mysterious grey eyes stand out, accentuated the green edge on the hem.

A silver clasp was fastened at the neck of the robe, and the buttons on his chest underneath were also silver. He looked like a mix between an angel and a devil where he stood, with his silver hair and fair complexion in contrast with his icy grey eyes, and Ginny couldn't really decide which of the two he looked more like. Then again, she thought, he could be both. After all, Lucifer himself had been both angel and devil, though not both at once, like Draco looked at this moment.

She only realized she had been staring mesmerized as she saw Draco raise his one eyebrow playfully.

"No drool on the chair, please," he said teasingly. "It is antique, after all. Would you like me to fetch you some paper?"

"No, thank you," Ginny said, recovering quickly, "but please fetch some for yourself to wipe the smirk off your mouth."

Draco smiled approvingly. He was really rather stunning, Ginny thought. She had always known, of course, but still this realization hit her as something new and also as something weird. After all, this was Draco Malfoy, she had never really thought of him in terms of attractive or not.

"So, how ready are you to meet my father and all the wicked Slytherins?" he asked in a more serious tone. "Nervous?"

"I don't know," she said. "Yes, I guess I am."

"Don't show them that," he said gravely. "They can smell fear, and thrive on it."

Ginny looked at him surprised. He seemed to notice his grave tone, and quickly masked it behind the cold amusement he so often used.

"Act like a Slytherin," he said with more life to his voice. "It's the only thing they understand. Your precious Gryffindor pride and fierce courage will only get you kicked out of here within ten minutes."

He looked at her with the icy glance she had seen so many times throughout the years.

"Hide your feelings, conceal your soul," he continued cynically, "and they'll have no choice but to treat you the same way. No choice but to hide their anger to keep their appearance up."

Ginny thought she could detect some bitterness in his voice, but she was aware that when Draco wanted to mask his feelings there was no way she could be sure of any emotion she thought might lie beneath. He was, unlike her, damned good at concealing his true feelings.

***

The rest of the hour spent in Ginny's room went by too fast for her liking. Time was consumed easily as Draco continued to give her tips on how to unsettle his dad and the rest of the "wicked Slytherins", as he had so eloquently put it. She grew more nervous as the clock edged its way to the time of their entry to the party, but at the same time she felt calmer. Draco's advice made her calmer, but more so his mere presence and the fact that he gave her this advice calmed her down. He actually wanted her to do well. One could of course say that this was only because having his date look and act well would reflect well on himself. Ginny didn't think so though. She had a belief - or a hope more likely - that he was doing it for her, and not just for himself. She knew any Slytherin would have laughed at this - Draco himself too, probably, had she told him. Still, it calmed her down, and so she allowed herself to hope.

Finally Draco stood up from his seat on the bed and cast a quick look at the clock on the wall.

"Let's go," he said with a gleam in his eye.

Ginny stood up and smoothed her dress. She drew one quick steadying breath before smiling up at him.

"Great," she said, taking the arm he was offering her.

***

The ballroom was already full at six thirty, which was when Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had descended the stairs. Pansy Parkinson had already asked both them and her own parents if they had seen Draco about ten times before the doors leading into the hall opened again some time past seven. The others in the ballroom had also noticed the absence of one of the hosts, but none were as fierce in their search as Pansy. The Slytherins in the room all knew Draco's preference for making an entrance, and figured they would see him sooner or later. Some of the girls from other houses at Hogwarts were, after a while, pouting a little. They had hoped to see him sooner, perhaps even sneak a dance or a conversation. Draco Malfoy might be one of the best looking guys at Hogwarts, after all, and any chance to see him in dressing robes had to be exploited to its fullest.

There were still rumours about his date, and it wasn't only the crushing girls that were wondering. None could figure out who it could be, as all the people rumoured to go with him were already in the ballroom. Even Lucius, who had seen the carriage carrying Draco and a mysterious woman clad in black travelling robes come to the estate, was somewhat curious. His curiosity was, however, insignificant in the face of the annoyance he felt due to his son being late. Although the hosts were always to make an entrance a little late, Draco was now too late. Besides, he should not make more of an entrance than his parents, who really were the true hosts of the ball.

By seven the music had started and the hired help was gliding around with starters. The whole ballroom floor was covered with colourful groups of witches and wizards dressed to impress. The talk was flowing easily, but it was easy to understand, from the formal tone and the implied but unsaid words of any conversation, that the crowd was mainly Slytherin. A few minutes past, however, both the music and the chatter died down as the doors opened and Draco strode in with a beautiful redhead by his side.

***

Ginny heard the noise of quite a lot of people through the closed doors. She felt her stomach turn, and gripped Draco's hand extra hard. He smiled overbearingly at her, and motioned for the doors to be opened. The moment they were, the murmur of the crowd died. For several moments the room was completely silent, but as they started to descend the stairs down to the ballroom it started up again, though with a different tone than before.

She heard both "Weasley," and "Gryffindor," being mentioned among the whispered conversations. As Draco led her down she kept her head high, and when Lucius Malfoy came towards them she didn't turn her eyes away from his challenging glance. Lucius looked ready to kill, but was still trying to keep himself cool and collected. As he approached them he put up a composed face, and the gleam in his eyes was the only thing betraying his anger.

"Can I speak to you for a second?" he asked Draco with more ice in his voice than Ginny had ever heard even Draco use.

"Whatever you have to say, I'm sure you can say it in front of Ginny," Draco said lightly.

Ginny noticed his deliberate usage of her first name, a thing which seemed to finally unsettle Lucius' cool mood.

"What is she doing here?" he said, clearly conveying his anger.

"She's my date," Draco said, seemingly relaxed.

"Find another one," Lucius said sharply. "She's not worthy of a Malfoy."

Ginny felt flushed, but this time because of anger. To her surprise, and amusement, Draco came to her defence.

"How so?" he said with a playful smirk. His gaze was serious and challenging, however.

"I'm here with one of the most beautiful girls at Hogwarts, and if that's not enough, she's completely pureblood," he continued. "Will you make a scene here and now, father, over my date? Over a girl with no flaws?"

Ginny saw Lucius battling with the urge to hit his son over the head, but she knew he was, like Draco had counted on, very aware that the attention of every person in the room was on them. Finally the anger in his eyes turned to icy malice. He said nothing more, merely gave Draco the most frightening look Ginny had ever seen. She felt Draco's muscles stiffening for a second, and she guessed there would be hell to pay for him when everyone was gone from the manor. Draco still managed to put forth a victorious smirk as his father turned his back on them and went over to his wife.

Ginny wasn't sure whether or not to feel flattered by Draco's small speech. On the one hand, he had said she was among the prettiest girls at Hogwarts, which she probably would have blushed to hear had she not been so flushed with anger already. On the other hand, however, he had placed much emphasis on her "pure blood", which she was almost offended by. As if she wouldn't matter if her ancestors hadn't chosen to marry wizards and witches. Of course she knew it was something Draco's father put much weight on, and so it would be a natural argument in the face of him, but still. It made Ginny feel slightly used.

As Lucius left, Ginny felt Draco pull her closer. He put his arm around her waist and lowered his mouth to her ear.

"You're doing great," he said, and despite herself she felt cheered up. "You've got the whole room staring at you, and that's not just because we just had a confrontation with my father. See Zabini over there?" he pointed discretely, and Ginny looked over and saw Blaise Zabini quickly avert his eyes. "He's been ogling you since we came out. Every guy in here envies me my date."

Ginny smiled, partly flattered, but there was also a slyness to the smile. She leaned back into Draco's arm, and turned towards him.

"Well, can you see Parkinson over there?" she asked. Draco looked and saw Pansy Parkinson; not diverting her eyes whatsoever as he looked at her. She did the exact opposite and kept staring at the two of them, her eyes so filled with poison you'd think they could strike you right down.

"Now she envies me my date," Ginny continued. "And she is definitely not staring at us for the same reason as Zabini."

Draco laughed softly. "No," he chuckled, pulling her even closer. Ginny drew a sharp breath, enjoying the feel of him against her back.

"Although in that dress, I think she envies you even without your date," a voice said behind them.

Blaise Zabini had come over and was eyeing Ginny with great interest. As both of them turned, Draco gave a bored sigh, and Ginny stepped out from his arms. Blaise took two drinks from a waiter passing by with a tray of them and handed one to Ginny. Draco gave a short laugh, and snatched one for himself before the waiter left.

"A toast to your beauty," Blaise said, still not taking his eyes off Ginny.

She felt uncomfortable, but also rather flattered. She thought she heard Draco mutter "suck up", and had to suppress a smile. She didn't say anything, but did honour Blaise's toast by raising her glass and taking a sip. Blaise did the same.

"A dance?" he asked, still looking only at her.

She looked at Draco, who gave an apparently amused headshake, and then a shrug. Blaise took her drink and held both of them towards Draco. He, however, merely glanced at them, and then looked away, taking a sip of his own drink. Ginny found the whole play between the two of them interesting - and also a little funny. It was obviously a fight for some sort of power. She had never had two guys quarrelling over her - because it was a form of quarrelling, a Slytherin way of doing it - and it felt rather nice, especially when this were two of the school's most attractive guys. Over Blaise's shoulder she could see Pansy Parkinson's look becoming, if possible, even more filled with hate.

In the end Blaise lost the fight over the glasses, and just put them on the tray of another passing waiter before leading Ginny out on the dance floor. Not many couples were out there yet - Ginny assumed there would be more after the food had been served and eaten - so they had a lot of space to move in.

Blaise was, Ginny found out after just a few moments, a great dancer. He spun her effortlessly around the floor, not coming close to any of the other couples. Her dress looked splendid, she thought, swirling about her in big swipes.

She managed a glance at Draco, but he seemed quite untroubled by her leaving. He had made his way over to one of the small tables at the end of the room, chatting with a beautiful girl Ginny thought was Ravenclaw and an equally good looking girl Ginny thought she had seen in the Beauxbatons group her third year.

When Blaise took the opportunity of sliding his hand down from between her shoulder blades to her lower back, Ginny found it was time to return from the dance. She made her excuses and made her way back to the table Draco was sitting at. She made it there just in time to see the dark-haired Ravenclaw give a sparkling laugh, while placing her hand over Draco's.

"You are so funny," Ginny heard her say smilingly.

"He is, isn't he," Ginny said as she came over. She made sure to stand right behind Draco, her hands resting on his shoulders, and was pleased to see the dark-haired beauty withdraw her hand quite quickly. Ginny felt rather than saw Draco's smirk, but he didn't remark in any other way her display of marking territory, which she was grateful for.

Instead he informed, "I think they'll be serving the food soon," and got up from his seat.

"Jealous?" he asked when they had gone a few steps, his smirk still constant.

"No more than you were," she replied quickly, but had to look down.

***

The ball was, in fact, far less unpleasant than Ginny had thought. Of course Pansy kept shooting her looks that made her very careful not to get close to her. She also had a run in with Lucius Malfoy, where the short whispered conversation left her feeling quite worthless. He had a way with words, Lucius did. She tried not to show her distress as Draco came back to her, but didn't think she succeeded. He gracefully said nothing, though.

Several aspects made up for the unpleasant elements. She danced with more boys than she'd ever thought she would. Some of them were from Hogwarts, and a few were even Slytherin, but she also met guys from other countries and other schools. Apparently the Malfoy family had ties beyond England.

Draco didn't seem to be in lack of female admirers, and spent much time with other girls. Ginny had to admit to herself that she didn't like it, but tried not to show. What made her feel okay about it were the looks she felt Draco give her when she was dancing or chatting with some gawking boy. Neither of them mentioned the other's quite apparent jealousy a second time, though.

She had also had a quite pleasant time with Draco as they had stepped out on the balcony leading out from the ballroom for some fresh air. The air was crisp and clean, and it was snowing slightly, with big snowflakes sailing slowly through the air. There were fairies lighting up the balcony, as the dusk slowly descended into night time.

She had stood by the railing, looking out at the garden with its big trees, now covered by a blanket of snow, and for a second they had both forgotten who they were. Malfoy had stepped up behind her and placed one hand on the railing beside her and the other around her waist. She had leaned back against him, resting her head on his chest. It only lasted for a second before they both realized who the other was and pulled apart. Still, if Ginny had to pick a favourite moment from the ball, that had to be it.

***

The clock was ticking towards midnight when Draco was again asked to dance for who knows what time by a blushing blonde. He smiled gracefully and accepted, giving the girl a look Ginny was starting to recognize. She felt sorry for the girl as her knees were probably feeling pretty unstable by now. Ginny's heart did still do an uncomfortable twitch as Draco moved away, but she was happy this girl was shy and not the most attractive in the room. Throughout the day she'd found that this was far from Draco's type.

Ginny herself had just sat down after a rather physically demanding dancing session with a cute Swedish guy, and so when Draco left she decided she'd go out in the hall for some air and a short break from the crowd of the ballroom. The hall was much cooler, and she sank gratefully down in a loveseat by one of the doors, but her bliss was interrupted by a high shrilling voice.

"So how does it feel to be queen of the ball?" Pansy Parkinson said loudly, her voice acid.

"You know he's just looking for attention, he doesn't really like you. None of us like you."

Pansy's rage was quite obvious, her hands were on her hips and her eyes were blazing. Ginny kept her cool, and tried to take on the calm, unreadable expression she had seen Draco use.

"And you think he likes you more?" she asked, trying to look bored.

"You're a Gryffindor and a Weasley," Pansy spat. "You're no more to him than one of his house elves. You're a blood traitor and a lowlife, and you don't have the class to be at a party such as this. You don't belong here."

Ginny stood up. Her anger was now unfortunately evident, but she tried to keep calm as she spoke.

"Well, as I was invited by the host as his date, I would think I belong here even more than you. After all, you're only here because his parents invited your parents."

With those words she stood up and walked out of the door. It seemed like the right dramatic gesture at the time, but when she came out on the other side she was in a hallway she didn't recognize. She instantly regretted her dramatic exit, but didn't feel she could give Pansy the pleasure of seeing her come back with her tail between her legs.

The hall was long and dark, with several doors on either side. Retracing her steps in her head she figured out that it must run alongside the ballroom, and thought she could get back there through another door. She walked to the end of the hallway, and went in through a door on the same side as the one she came in to. The room she entered wasn't a ballroom but what appeared to be a small windowless study, nor did it have any doors in the direction she thought the ballroom might lay. There was another door, though, and Ginny decided on a whim to try it.

She now entered a large library, but what caught her attention was what she saw on the far wall. She crossed the room, and couldn't help but be surprised to see pictures hanging on the wall. There were family pictures of the three Malfoys and of course Narcissa and Lucius' bridal pictures. There was a picture of a young Lucius with a pregnant Narcissa beside him. In one picture she saw another couple, which, judging by the fair hair and the trademark cold grey eyes, had to be Lucius' mother and father; Draco's grandparents. The pictures that really intrigued Ginny, however, were the pictures of Draco as a child.

Thinking of him now she couldn't imagine him ever having been as small and fragile as these pictures showed. The Draco in the pictures was oddly vulnerable, yet still had the same proud, hard look she knew so well. She supposed that it might just be how his parents had wanted to portray him, as a child with class and integrity. She couldn't seem to find one picture of Draco smiling or playing. Each shot only showed a child that was cold, composed, and classy.

She finally tore herself away from the photographs and turned to go back the way she came. What she did see when she turned, however, were three doors on the same wall. She had no idea which one she'd come in through, but decided to try one. It didn't lead her back to the study, but back to the long hallway, which she figured was even better, although she now had no idea which side she had come from, let alone one which door.

She walked a little way along the hallway, and opened a door at random. It wasn't a room she recognized, but seeing a door at the other end she decided to go through, just in case it led to the ballroom. The next room wasn't the ballroom either, just an almost empty room with doors leading to other rooms.

She was beginning to get dizzy by the thought of how enormous this place was, and by now she was completely lost, so she entered a new room without knowing what she was looking for.

What she saw when she stepped through the door amazed her. It was a huge bedroom with the biggest bed she had ever seen. The bedroom had soft carpeting and the light on the bedside table gave off a soft light which, together with the light from the fireplace next to the door, gave the room a warmer feel than any other room she'd gone through in Malfoy Manor so far.

Without thinking she stepped into the room, running her hands over the dark wood of the desk by the wall. Everything in this place seemed to be dark wood and marble. As she stepped onto the carpet, feeling her feet sink down in the soft fabric, she noticed the bag on the chair by the bed emblazoned with the Slytherin crest. She suddenly realized she had stepped into Draco's bedroom, and quickly took a few steps back, intending to leave.

"You know, I've always dreamed of walking into my bedroom and finding a beautiful woman there," a voice said behind her. "Of course, in my dream you were wearing fewer clothes, but I think we can work with this, too."

She spun around and saw Draco walking in to the room shutting the door behind him.

"I was wondering where you were," he said. "You can imagine my surprise - and delight - when I found you walking so determinately in here. I hope I didn't ruin any surprise that involved you slipping into something more comfortable"

He walked up to her, and stood unnaturally close. She smiled, feeling nervous, but at the same time she felt comfortable, happy and excited.

"You know, that expression is kind of misleading," she said flirtatiously. "Anything I would put on after saying that could not be more comfortable than whatever I'm wearing."

"Yes, they should really just say it straight out," Draco said. He put his hand on her hip and walked around her letting the hand trail around her waist.

"Slip into something sexier. Although I doubt you could be much sexier." He gave her a wink, and she felt her knees giving in a little.

"Well, that's good. It makes us equal," she said.

She was well aware of what was building between them. She knew she could end it if she wanted, but right now what she wanted more than anything was to play along. She wanted the feeling she now had, of his hand on her body. She wanted him near. He came back around and slipped his other hand around her waist as well and locked them in the small of her back.

"Oh yes?" he said arching an eyebrow, his breath warm on her face.

"Yes," she said.

She moved even closer and locked her hands around his neck.

"Do you think they'll miss us?" she whispered in his ear, very aware of what signal she was sending.

"So what if they do," he whispered back. "No one will dare come in here."

Just to underline his words, he unlocked his right hand to point a locking spell at the door. Turning back, he put his hand to her face, and ran it from her cheek to the back of her neck, cupping her head. Neither of them was caught by surprise this time, and so they both leaned in to have their lips meet once again.

It was a cool, composed kiss, but it still gave Ginny a jolt down her spine. She slid her hands up his neck and through his hair, which was silky soft. His hand travelled from under her head down along her neck and continued down, trailing the curves of her body. As his hand trailed the curve of her breast, her breath hitched and she gripped his hair.

Draco moved his mouth over to her ear, and gave it a careful nip. She lifted her head to allow him to trail kisses down his neck, and slipped her hand around and unfastened the clasp that held his cloak up. It slid to the floor, and she slipped her hand under the collar of his shirt feeling the muscles of his upper back. Slowly she slipped her hand around and started undoing the silver buttons of his vest.

Draco had managed to get the top of her dress pushed down around her shoulders, and as he moved back to kiss her mouth, his hand wandered up and down over her hip. She got his vest and shirt fully open and he shook them off. His body was toned, and Ginny couldn't help running her hands carefully over it. When he moved to touch her again, she felt his abs work under her hands.

He pushed her back and she sat down on the bed while Draco sat down on his knees in front of her. The pace of their kisses picked up, and he hiked her skirt up to her knee, placing his one hand under it on her thigh. Their hands quickened; Draco's moving further up her thigh while Ginny let her hand drop to Draco's waist, running a finger just on the inside of the top of his pants.

She lifted herself temporarily to allow him to hike the skirt up even further. It was now just barely covering the upper part of her thigh, and Draco's hand was even further up than that. She allowed herself to open the buttons on his pants. Draco quickly followed up by letting his hands run over her hips under her dress and started playing with the upper edge of her underwear.

She moved to kiss his neck, and was pleased to see Draco elongating his neck exposing the sensitive skin and closing his eyes. Suddenly he moved his hand to the small of her back, and when he slipped it under her underwear Ginny was caught by surprise and managed to lightly bite his neck. His eyes flew open, but he didn't say anything. In response he merely gave her a half malicious, half flirtatious smile, and pulled his hand out from under her dress. Then he pushed her back on the bed and, placing himself between her legs, got on top of her.

Carefully he gathered her arms in his and placed them over her head, pinning her beneath him. He ran the hand not holding her hands lightly down over her chest, stopping at her cleavage where he started trailing circles on the exposed part of her breasts. Without warning he grabbed the top of her dress and pulled hard, ripping the fine fabric and exposing her bra. Surprised by this she gave a small cry, but he silenced her with a fierce kiss.

"Don't worry, I'll have someone fix it in the morning," he whispered in her ear.

His hand left hers, but she kept them above her head giving him complete control. Instead he placed both his hands on either side of her to support him as he trailed kisses down her neck, over her chest and towards the swell of her breasts. Supporting himself on the elbow of one hand he moved the other behind her back and started loosening the corset that bound her dress together. She arched her back, giving him room.

"Now why didn't you do that right away instead of ruining my nice dress?" she asked playfully.

"Much less exciting," he said with a smile, moving his head up to hers.

She lifted her head up to meet him in a kiss as he unlaced the last of her corset. Feeling the bare skin of his torso touching the bare skin of hers felt just right, and she let her nails trail over his back; gentle but still hard enough to leave a red mark. He freed her hands carefully from the arms of the dress, and then in one swift movement he lifted her out of her dress and further in on his bed. For a minute he sat in the tangle of her dress and merely watched her lying on his bed in her underwear, his eyes cloudy.

"Good God, Weasley," he said softly with admiration in his voice

She felt suddenly conscious of how undressed she was under his examining look, but had little time for thought before he was once again by her side. He left his pants by her dress, and they tangled together almost naked while their hands ran lightly over the other's body. As the last garments fell, Ginny couldn't help but feel amazed at how right it all felt. Just a few weeks ago she would have imagined just kissing Draco Malfoy would feel horribly wrong, but now that she was here, it wasn't weird, it wasn't horrifying. Instead it was actually pleasant, more so than almost anything she'd done before. Letting herself lose all inhibitions in her enemy's arms was freeing.

***

She never slept in the comfortable bed that had been made for her on the other side of the manor. Late at night they had finally fallen asleep together in Draco's bed. She felt safe in his arms and loved the feel of his body against her back, his arms holding her close. She had stayed awake, hearing his breath slow and feeling his arms relax around her.

She wondered if he looked innocent while asleep, but didn't turn around to check in case he woke up. Instead, she marvelled at the way their bodies fit together, and tried to figure out the feeling in her stomach. It was somewhere between excitement and dread, happiness and sorrow.

She wanted to enjoy the moment, because she knew that when the night was over, things would change. At this moment everything felt right, but she was under no illusions that the magic would last outside of this room. Malfoys and Weasleys don't mix, and that wouldn't change just because the two of them were attracted to each other. But even though the dread of facing tomorrow was like a stone in the bottom of her stomach, she felt it lift a little every time she thought of the night, and how things were at that very moment. Besides, she would always have Pansy's immense jealousy to look forward to. She smiled at this thought, and with it she drifted asleep