The Land of Make Believe

Chapter Four: Can't Stop This Thing We've Started.

Draco woke up and stretched, a smile spreading across his face. He'd had a wonderful dream. Ginny Weasley had been chained to his bedroom wall at Malfoy Mansion, completely naked apart from strategically positioned lumps of whipped cream, which he was removing, bit by bit, with his mouth. He chuckled to himself; it was an image to store for future reference.

But he had a Quidditch match to prepare for, his last ever against Gryffindor. There would be added fun today. It was Ginny Weasley's first match, and he planned to make it one to remember.

Draco left his bed to go for a shower, smiling to himself all the way.

Ginny felt like crap when she woke up. She'd been unable to get back to sleep for hours after her dream, had only managed to sleep when the sun had started to show itself. She rolled out of bed at Natasha's insistence. Ginny blocked out her best friend's wittering and proceeded to get dressed in her cream corduroy trousers, her red and gold jumper and black boots. She gathered her red and gold Quidditch robes and followed Natasha down to the common room where the rest of the team and Hermione were waiting.

"Ginny, you look bloody awful," Ron said with feeling.

"Bugger off," Ginny said, glaring at him over her armful of robes.

"Ron!" Hermione cried, smacking him on the arm. "Ginny, are you okay?"

"I'm dancing on the bloody ceiling, can't you tell?" Ginny snarled. Hermione was taken aback, a hurt expression on her face. Ginny groaned. "I'm sorry, Herm," she said. "I had a really bad dream, and then I couldn't get back to sleep."

"Will you be okay to play?" Harry asked, worried.

"I'll be fine," Ginny said, smiling a little. "Let's go and have breakfast."

Despite Ginny's feeling of dread, breakfast passed quickly. She tried to avert her eyes from the Slytherin team in their green and silver robes. Malfoy looked good, she had to admit. His white blond hair was long and no longer slicked back the way it had been when he was younger, instead it flopped softly to each side. Even from where Ginny sat his eyes looked bright. He looked full of energy, which was an enormous contrast to the way Ginny looked. There were blue-grey bags under her dark blue eyes and her skin looked paler than normal. Hermione nudged her under the table. Ginny looked down to see a small glass bottle in her hand.

"It's Pepper-Up Potion," Hermione whispered. "Take a quick mouthful, you'll feel much better."

Ginny smiled gratefully. It was just what she needed. She took a quick swig and felt crackling energy spread through her tired body and mind. "Thanks, Hermione."

"No problem."

The team had all finished eating (or, in Ginny's case, pushing food round their plates) and they left the Great Hall together, making their way across the grounds to the Quidditch pitch. The Slytherin team was in front of them; Ginny could see the head of white blond hair above most of the rest of the team.

Ginny took a seat on one of the low benches between Natasha and Ewan and started to pull on her shin guards as Harry rushed around talking to everyone individually. When he reached her he knelt in front of her, resting his hands on her knees for balance.

"Gin," he said thoughtfully.

"Harry," she said back, staring at him seriously.

He could see the sparkle in her eye. "You're gonna be fine," he said, smiling. "Just go out there and do what you do in practise. You're a natural, Ginny Weasley."

She smiled. "Thanks, Harry. That means a lot to me, you know."

In a brotherly fashion, he leant forwards and brushed his lips over her forehead. "I'm proud of you. Now lets win my last match against Slytherin!"

Ginny grinned widely. Two years ago she would have dreamed about that sort of contact from Harry. Now it made her feel warm and gooey, but in the same way it would if Ron had done it. That's the way it's supposed to be, Ginny thought, watching Harry and Hermione share a brief kiss before Hermione went to take her seat in the stands. Harry and Hermione, Ron and... who? I think he likes Padma Parvati, but who knows? And me and... Draco? I shouldn't think so. How could it possibly be 'right' when he's such a shit? It's not an act, that's just how he is. Ginny sighed, wishing she could get Malfoy out of her head.

The team were all ready when Madam Hooch appeared in the changing room doorway.

"Come on, Gryffindor," she said briskly. "On to the pitch."

Ginny followed Ron out, her stomach beginning to feel distinctly fluttery. She took a deep breath as she stepped on to the pitch and looked up at the full stands. Here we go, she thought. She watched as Harry and Draco shook hands. Ginny had purposefully avoided looking at Draco. The last thing she needed now was even more fluttering in the stomach.

"Teams, mount your broomsticks!" Madam Hooch yelled over the noise of the crowd. "And kick off!"

Ginny flew into the air, immediately coordinating with Natasha and Ewan. Millicent Bulstrode, one of the Slytherin beaters (the other was Crabbe) aimed a Bludger straight at Ginny's head within seconds of the game starting. Seamus, however, had kicked off next to Ginny and was able to easily bat it away, straight at Blaise Zabini.

This was going to be a violent game. The Slytherins were out for blood.

Ginny caught the Quaffle from Ewan easily and sped down the pitch, dodging another Bludger, and an attempt to block her by Pansy Parkinson, one of the Slytherin Chasers. Ginny swooped under Pansy and threw the Quaffle to Natasha who snatched it out of the air before Geoffrey Hubstuck, another Slytherin Chaser, could intercept it. Ginny shot forward with Natasha. Crabbe, the other Slytherin Beater whacked a Bludger at Natasha and she threw the Quaffle at Ginny before dodging it. Ginny caught the Quaffle. She was facing Malcolm Braddock, the Slytherin Keeper, now. Feeling just as vicious as a Slytherin, she flung the Quaffle at his head with all her might. She watched Malcolm's eyes widen in panic and at the last second, he ducked. Ginny had scored the first points in her first match.

There was little time to celebrate as the game carried on. Gryffindor were wiping the floor with Slytherin, their Chasers were faster and more agile, and their Beaters had better aims. Draco, hovering above the game, like Harry, watching for the Snitch, looked on in disgust at his team.

Ginny, Natasha and Ewan carried on scoring. The Slytherin Chasers, Pansy, Geoffrey and Blaise managed to score a few times, but forty-five minutes into the game, however, Gryffindor had one hundred and seventy to Slytherin's sixty points.

Ginny had just caught the Quaffle from Ewan when she had to throw it back to him and dodge a Bludger that was a bit too accurately aimed at her head. Letting out a long breath, she glanced round, taking in the angry, frustrated faces of the Slytherins. She saw Draco fly in front of her for no reason. Ginny frowned. He'd been doing that quite a bit, as if he were trying to distract her. It wasn't working.

Draco was fuming. His team was crap. Absolutely shocking. Ginny Weasley was a fantastic Chaser. Draco had been watching her fly at the same time as looking for the Snitch. In addition to that, he was also trying to distract her by looking cold and interesting near by, but she wasn't falling for it which wound him up all the more.

He caught a flash of red in the corner of his eye as Ginny sped below him, clutching the Quaffle to her chest. As he looked down, he caught another flash of colour. This time it was gold. The Snitch was hovering behind Ginny's head, travelling at the same speed as her. He glanced at Potter, his heart clutched in his chest. Potter hadn't seen it, he was looking elsewhere. A genuine smile spread over his face and he plunged after Ginny.

Seamus saw Draco coming, and yelled "Ginny, behind you!"

Confused, Ginny glanced over her shoulder and saw him coming towards her.

Catching her eye, Draco mouthed one word: "Duck." Ginny understood and, still holding onto the Quaffle, dropped about four feet. The Snitch was left exposed. Draco, his heart in his mouth reached out as far as he could, the tips of his fingers just brushing the Snitch before, with a final burst of speed, he shot forward and grabbed it.

The Slytherins in the crowd erupted. They hadn't won, they were still ten points below Gryffindor, but Draco had beaten Harry to the Snitch. It was the best day of his life so far.

The loud speaker announced the score, and Draco savoured every moment as he drifted down to the ground on his broom. He saw Ginny in the middle of a Gryffindor team group hug, she caught his eye and they grinned at each other. Draco's heart lurched even harder and that shocked him. For many years all he'd wanted was to beat Potter to the Snitch, and now he'd done it, his victory was marred because it was no longer what he wanted most. She was.

Ginny was trying not to analyse the reason why she was so happy at that particular moment. She had one arm around Harry, the other around Ron, and was in turn being hugged by them and the rest of the team as they lowered to the ground on their brooms. She knew she was happy because they'd won the match, but when she'd seen Draco looking so happy, her heart had soared even further, which scared her. She didn't want to be feeling things like this over Draco Malfoy, especially after her dream last night.

As the team reached the ground and broke apart she was scooped up into a big hug by Ron.

"You were wicked, Gin," he said with feeling, squeezing her tightly.

Ginny squealed like she used to when she was little. "Thanks, big brother. You rocked too."

He released her and grinned daftly as Hermione arrived and launched herself at Harry, who wasn't looking as happy as the rest of the team. Harry and Hermione exchanged a few words and a kiss, at the end of which Harry was smiling broadly. They both turned to Ron and Ginny.

"You two were brilliant," Hermione cried, leaving Harry to hug them both at the same time. "Ginny, you were... you scored most of the points!"

"Did I?" Ginny asked, genuinely shocked.

"Yes!"

Ginny followed the rest of the team back to the changing rooms. Draco Malfoy and his team were walking in the other direction, and the Gryffindors split down the middle to let them through. Ginny was on the edge of the group, right next to the Slytherins. Draco, looking as cool and arrogant as he ever did, brushed roughly past her shoulder. Ron took the offensive.

"Watch it, Malfoy, you git," Ron smiled. "That's my sister you're walking into."

Malfoy sneered. "Weasleys are below my spatial awareness," he said, deliberately not looking at Ron or Ginny. Smirking, he turned and carried on his way.

Ginny gripped Ron's upper arm to stop him going after Malfoy. "The little shit's not worth it, Ron."

When they got back to the changing room, Ginny got a shock. There was a slip of parchment in the pocket of her Quidditch robes. Making sure no one was looking, she pulled it out. Unfolding it, she let out an involuntary gasp.

Meet me in the Astronomy Tower at midnight.

Even though it wasn't signed, she knew exactly who it was from. It had to be Malfoy.

Draco would never be able to explain why he had handed that note to Ginny, even to himself. It was probably something to do with that smile, that big, happy smile she'd shot him at the end of the match. He felt happy right now, something he'd never really felt before, at least not in so pure a form as this, and it made his head swim.

There was a celebration in the Slytherin common room, and he was a hero, but he wasn't fully concentrating. He was watching the clock click round to quarter to twelve.

Ginny was also celebrating in the Gryffindor common room. There was lots of laughter, music and other noise. She was having a good time, everyone kept telling her how great she'd been in the match, but her eyes flew to the clock every few minutes. At quarter to twelve she extricated Hermione from Harry's arms and whispered to her that she was going to bed. Satisfied no one would look for her, she made sure no one was watching and slipped out of the portrait hole.

What am I doing? She thought to herself as she crept quietly through the halls. Who the hell do I think I am, meeting Malfoy in the middle of the night? She couldn't answer her own questions; her feet just took her to him. It didn't seem to matter at this point who he was, or what he'd done to her family. She just wanted to be alone with him again.

She took the winding steps up to the Astronomy Tower on her tiptoes and opened the door very quietly. He stood alone; leaning against the same spot he'd pressed her against two nights ago, his arms folded across his chest. His face was in shadow, but his hair still glinted in the moonlight through the window.

"You came." There was no shock in his voice, just assurance. He'd known she would.

"I don't know why," she said harshly, stepping into the room. "Enlighten me."

"I'm supposed to have a reason?" he asked, watching her walk towards him.

"It was your invitation," she said, placing one of her hands on her hip. "I'd assume you had a reason."

"It's reason enough that you came. You know why I wanted to see you. You want to see me for the same reason, otherwise you wouldn't have come."

Ginny narrowed her eyes, annoyed at his confidence. "One moment of madness at three in the morning does not make a good reason to want to repeat it," she said, although knowing that she'd love to repeat the experience.

A smug smile crossed Draco's face and he shoved himself up from the wall. "That would be true if I didn't know you wanted to." He paused. "Just as much as I do."

Ginny gave a short laugh, still stepping closer. "You're taking the piss. A Weasley and a Malfoy. It's more likely you'd elope with Harry."

Draco's eyes narrowed as he took another step towards her. "Potter lacks your... charms."

"Oh, is that what the boys call them these days?" she said flippantly, trying not to shiver as his eyes never left hers.

Draco ignored her, taking a final step so that he was right in front of her. "Weasley, you want what I want. It's not right, it's not normal, but you can't deny it. I know you want me."

"Ah, Draco Malfoy, sex god extraordinaire," she said, sneering. "I can take you or leave you."

"Leave me then."

"I'd rather take you."

In an instant his lips were on hers, his hand in the small of her back, pulling her as close as possible. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed back, loosing herself in him once again. He heard a low moan in the back of her throat and kissed harder.

Ginny couldn't think. All she could do was kiss back. He was devouring her and she wanted him to. She didn't want to exist outside that moment, but something was nagging at the back of her mind. She needed to know why. It took all her willpower to break away from his mouth.

"Draco," she said, panting slightly.

His eyes snapped open and he stared at her. "What's wrong?"

She pulled herself from his arms. "Why are we doing this? It doesn't make sense, Malfoy." She was surprised by the anger in her voice.

Draco looked serious. "I don't know," he said honestly. "Teenage hormones? Wanting what you can't have?"

A slow smile spread across Ginny's face, making her eyes light up. "Sometimes I like things that are not good for me." She stepped closer to him again and his hands swept up into her hair, pulling her against him. "Our secret. Just a bit of bad behaviour in private."

"Just a bit?" There was a wicked flash in his eyes as he dipped his face closer to hers.

"Maybe more than a bit."