Admit It

By the time that Harry woke up Ginny had left his bed. Not that it was surprising, there had only been one time that she’d overslept, and they had gotten in such trouble that even he had cried. He didn’t remember her leaving; the last thing he remembered was the scent of Draco, the feel of Malfoy’s pink lips against Harry’s mouth, and the way that his pale hand rested so gracefully against Harry’s hip. But Ginny had been in his bed; he remembered that. He also remembered that she wrote him a note telling him to meet him in the Astronomy Tower, but then never showed up. He turned over, glancing at Ron’s bed, which was empty. Harry groaned softly and pulled himself out of bed, slipping on his robes and running a brush through his wild hair, which did nothing besides fill it with static.

He walked down the stairs to the common room, his hand covering his mouth to stifle a yawn. He wasn’t surprised to see Ron and Hermione snuggled up on one of the couches as they both tried to wake up, and Ginny in a chair by herself. She was reading a Muggle novel that Hermione had given her last summer. The rest of his fellow Gryffindors were milling around the room like zombies, everyone trying to register that they were awake now, and needed to start functioning. Harry walked over to the chair that Ginny was in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Can we go talk?” he whispered gently. He wasn’t going to waste any time at all asking why she wasn’t there last night.

Ginny nodded, marking her place in the book. She set it on the chair that she was in, and willingly took Harry’s hand as he led her up to his dorm room. He could feel the disapproving looks that he was getting from Hermione for taking Ginny somewhere were she wasn’t allowed, but at this point, he figured his peace of mind might be a little more important. He opened the door to his room and ushered Ginny inside.

She sat down on his bed, one leg crossed over the other, both of her hands folded and placed on her knee. “What’s wrong?” she questioned quietly.

“Why weren’t you in the Astronomy Tower?” Harry asked, jumping right into the questions.

“What?” Ginny asked softly.

“You left me a note, telling me that you wanted to meet me, and when I got there, you weren’t there.” Harry explained.

“I never left you a note,” Ginny rubbed her forehead.

“Then why would I have a note from you?” he wondered out loud.

“I don’t know, Harry.” Ginny sighed, exasperated and starting to get frustrated.

“Calm down, Ginny. Here, let me show you the letter.” Harry rummaged around in the drawers of his dresser looking for the note. When he didn’t find it there, he reached into the pockets of his robe. It wasn’t there either.

“Harry?” Ginny questioned, an eyebrow raised.

“I swear it was here,” he stammered, still searching his pockets.

“Right. Look, Harry. You don’t have to make up excuses. If you wanted to see me last night, all you would have had to do was ask. Instead you were going –“ she cut herself off, not wanting to reveal that she had followed him last night. Tears sprung to her eyes and she stood up, heading toward the door.

Harry grabbed her arm and spun her around. “What were you going to say?” His heart pounded in his throat.

“Nothing. Let me go,” Ginny spat, yanking her arm out of Harry’s grasp.

She ran out of his room and down the stairs of the boys’ dormitory, then out of the common room. No one in the common room really thought much of this anymore; they were used to Harry and Ginny being together. Everyone knew that Ginny was over-sensitive and full of teenage angst, so she ran out of the common room at least once a week. Chances were good if it wasn’t Ginny running out of the room, it was probably Hermione. Ron and Harry just didn’t seem that gifted in the fields of sensitivity and concern.

Harry shook his head as he walked down the stairs, sighing to himself as he ran his hands through his hair. He figured he’d see her at lunch, when she might have calmed down a bit.

Draco brushed off Crabbe and Goyle on the way to lunch, saying that he wanted some time alone, and that he’d be there as soon as possible. They didn’t ask questions, they never did. He was surprised they could function on a daily basis, waking up in the mornings, taking showers, getting dressed. Of course eating was never a problem for either one of them; they could do that with a lobotomy.

Malfoy stood in the one of the corners of the main hallway, his body dissolving back into the shadows. The only thing that might give him away was his white-blonde hair. As he realized this he reached back and slipped the hood of his robe over his head, leaning back against the corner and waiting for a flash of long, flaming red hair. She turned down the corridor, her chin held high and her shoulders back. She looked confident enough, but Draco could feel the sadness radiating from her. He was a Malfoy; they fed on that kind of stuff. Although he had wanted to talk to her anyway, the pain that came from her small body drew him to her more.

He slipped up behind her and didn’t say anything for a few moments. He admired her small body, the way her robes sat against the curves of her back and bum, the way that she held her head even when she was in pain. The way her straight red hair fell along her middle back.

“If it isn’t Little Miss Weasley,” he whispered behind her.

“Malfoy!” she said turning around on her heels. “What the hell do you want now?”

Draco’s pale eyes widened a bit and he shook a finger at her. “Such language. Do you get that from your brother?” he taunted.

“I’m very capable of thinking on my own. Just because I have no money doesn’t mean I don’t have any brains, you git.”

Draco smirked. “You’re snappy today,” he commented.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s been a bad day, not that you’d care.”

Malfoy took a few steps closer. “Sure I would.”

Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed a bit of her hair over her shoulders. “Look, just leave me alone Draco. I’m having enough problems as it is. I don’t need you making it worse.”

Draco put a hand to his chest, the other still at his hip. “I haven’t said one mean thing to you yet… Today. And you’re jumping all over me.”

“You have a reputation, Malfoy.” She spat.

“And you’re wearing second-hand robes, but I don’t hold that against you,” he countered.

“There, see? Now you’ve been mean. I’m leaving.” She turned around to leave but Draco’s hand went out faster, grabbing her around the elbow. The same place that Harry had grabbed her earlier, but this time it felt different. Perhaps because Harry had been rough and her elbow was tender, or it was the way that Malfoy’s palm was so warm, she could almost feel it through her robes. The way that it felt like he was caressing over her elbow, even if he wasn’t.

“Calm down Ginny,” he whispered. He ushered her into an empty classroom and closed the door.

“I don’t have any clue why you’re so upset today. Not one. But when you’re sad you get these lines across your forehead,” he released her elbow and ran one of his pale-skinned fingertips over her forehead to demonstrate, “and it takes away so much from your gorgeous face.” That same finger came down over Ginny’s cheek and over her set lips, which relaxed almost immediately. Draco moved his body closer to Ginny’s, a hand moving to press against the small of her back to move her body into his. “Now, Miss Weasley, what is upsetting you?”

Ginny wasn’t sure what to say or do. At the moment all she could do was keep her knees locked so they didn’t go weak and make her slump against the floor. Draco’s sweet breath on her face made her forget about Harry, and all she could think about at the moment was they way that his hand seemed to fit just right into the small of her back. Her face was still tingling from the touches that he had placed on it. “I… Harry…” She shook her head.

Draco pressed his warm lips to Ginny’s cheek, moving his mouth up to her ear. “It’s okay, Ginny.”

“We had a fight,” she blurted out, breathless from the kiss. “He… The Astronomy Tower. He though I was going to be up there, he says. He says I wrote him a note, but I didn’t, but I saw him going up there, so I know he’s making excuses. That’s why I was out last night. To follow him.” She wasn’t sure any of that made sense; she couldn’t think clearly when her body was pressed against Malfoy’s.

Draco moved his hand up Ginny’s back softly, fingers caressing over her spine. “Okay… So he went to the Astronomy Tower, and says that he received a note from you, but you didn’t write one.” He paused, “but, he was going up there anyway and not to meet you.”

Ginny nodded, tears stinging at her eyes.

Draco moved a hand up to catch her tears on his index finger. “Don’t cry, Ginny,” Malfoy whispered, his mouth moving down to hers. He pressed his mouth against her warm lips, pulling her body more into his. Malfoy’s tongue pushed gently against her lips, urging her to open her mouth. Ginny did just that, her lips parting to allow Draco’s tongue entry. His tongue seemed to know just what it was doing as it ran along her teeth and her own tongue. Her arms moved from her sides to wrap around Draco’s neck, fingers resting along his back. She moaned breathlessly into the kiss before she could catch herself, tingles running up and down her spine, her knees trying desperately to give out, and a blush that was as red as her hair filling her cheeks.

“He just thinks that he’s better then you,” Malfoy whispered softly. “He has money, and you don’t. Your books are practically falling apart. He’d get good grades regardless if he studied. You’re barely passing. Seriously, Ginny. You’re wrapped around his finger. You’d drop to your knees in an instant if he asked you.”

Ginny removed her arms from around Malfoy’s neck and slapped him across the cheek. “You watch your tongue, Draco. You don’t speak like that in front of a lady.” She turned to leave, arms crossed over her chest.

“Seems like you were ‘watching’ my tongue just fine, Little Miss Weasley,” Draco spat before she left the empty classroom.

Malfoy moved a hand up to rub over his cheek, a grin on his face. “What a temper.”

Even though Draco had just had his hands all over Ginny, his mind was still on Harry. Perhaps it was because Ginny still had traces of Harry’s scent on her. In her hair, on her hands. Or the way that even when Draco was pretending not to look, he noticed when Harry would bite his lower lip, push a hand through his unruly hair, or adjust his glasses. There was something altogether charming about Harry; it was something that Draco wanted. And Draco always got what he wanted.

Chapter 3

Ginny sat on the bed in her room, thin arms wrapped around her knees. Her cheek was pressed against her left knee, and she couldn’t stop herself from rocking back and forth. Falling tears stained the dark material of her robe, and when she noticed it, more tears threatened to overflow her already full eyes.

***

Hermione checked the common room before turning back to Ron. She grinned at him and reached for his hand, pulling him toward her. He didn’t hesitate at all as he stepped closer to Hermione’s body, placing a soft lingering kiss on her lips.

“A wonderful evening, as always,” she whispered against his cheek.

“Of course, ‘Mione,” Ron whispered back. “Well, not always wonderful. There has been a few times when we’ve argued and you’ve come back in tears,” he added as an afterthought.

“Thanks for pointing that out,” Hermione replied succinctly.

“Oh come on, Hermione. You know I love you and think the world of you,” Ron whispered, releasing her hand.

“Yeah, I know.” Hermione stepped away, turning to go up into her room.

Ron couldn’t help but reach out and smack Hermione’s bum lightly as she walked away, which got a brow-furrowing glare as usual. Ron snickered to himself and tiptoed up into his room once Hermione turned the corner up the stairs.

Hermione was silently cursing Ron, who could ruin the most perfect of nights with one little move, but as she walked passed Ginny’s room she stopped because she didn’t hear the usual light snore that came from Ginny when she was asleep. Curiosity got the better of her and she peeked into the room. Ginny’s bed caught her eyes right away, because it wasn’t the usual lump that meant she was sleeping, but she could tell she was sitting, and it faintly looked like she was rocking. She was almost ashamed to go pull back the curtains to check if Ginny was okay, but she thought of Ginny as a younger sister, and she pushed aside her thoughts as she went to check on her.

Ginny looked up as the curtains opened, and her hands immediately went to her eyes, wiping the tears off her cheeks, and offering Hermione a smile. The smile only made her bottom lip quiver more, and a new tirade of tears started to flow down over her face.

Hermione slipped into Ginny’s curtains and closed them behind her, arms wrapping around Ginny’s body and pulling her into a soft embrace.

“Oh sweetie, what’s wrong?” Hermione whispered.

“I don’t know,” Ginny whispered back, voice cracking.

“I think you do, and you just don’t want to tell me,” came Hermione’s voice of reason.

“You’re right.” Ginny couldn’t help but smile weakly. Hermione always seemed to call everyone on his or her crap.

“Do you want to talk, or do you want me to leave you alone?”

“I’ll talk,” Ginny answered, looking up at Hermione.

Hermione nodded once, but she didn’t say anything else, allowing Ginny to get her voice under control before she started to speak.

“Well see… I love Harry, I really do. He’s such a great guy. He’s always there for everyone, there’s a million reasons why I love him,” she paused here to take a breath. “But… I don’t know if I’m in love with Harry anymore. Who would have thought that I would say that? Little Ginny Weasley that’s been in love with Harry Potter since she can remember.” A few tears spilled over onto her cheeks and she moved a hand up to wipe them away.

“Is there someone else?” Hermione asked gently.

“No, of course not. I wouldn’t do that to Harry.” Although it was mostly true, she wasn’t exactly seeing someone else. He just happened to find her, and see her.

“Give it a few more days, Ginny. Maybe it’s just a bad day, or your period is coming. Merlin knows that I hate Ron the days before my period. It’s a boy thing.” She would have started to rant about how they don’t understand, they still think that even though you’re bleeding like a stuffed pig you should still snog with them, and so on. But she just didn’t think that Ginny wanted to hear something like that at this moment.

Ginny nodded, even though she knew she wasn’t due for her period, and that the bad day had started because of a certain blonde-haired, pouty-lipped Slytherin, but she wasn’t going to say that.

“Thanks, ‘Mione. I really appreciate your help.” Ginny reached around Hermione and gave her an extra squeeze before letting her go.

Hermione smiled softly. “I’m not prefect for nothing,” she whispered and gave Ginny a soft kiss on the forehead before slipping out of the room and wandering to her own bed.

***

Throughout the next day of classes Ginny was able to stay focused on her studies, but it may have only been because she had no classes with Harry or Draco.

As for Harry, it was anything but easy for him to put the right amount of Vampire blood into his cauldron, or to properly pronounce some new charm. He couldn’t help but look at Draco and watch the way that everything seemed so smooth and easy for him. The way that he pushed his hair out of his eyes when his head was bent down over a book, or the way his upper lip would curl to the left when he was smirking at something Crabbe would say. Not once did Harry ever catch Draco looking back at him. From afar it would seem that things were normal, that Draco had never pulled him into an empty classroom and kissed him until his lips hurt.

It wasn’t that Draco wasn’t looking, because he was. But he was born of evil; he knew what he was doing. Draco knew exactly how to look at someone without being caught, to steal sideway glances, and to open his ears to hear what that someone was saying. Though today seemed to be a boring day in the life of Harry Potter. He could hear Harry talking to Ron about Hermione, and when Ron started to go into detail in Herbology about just what Hermione did last night, Draco practically gagged before starting up a conversation with the nearest Sytherin about how perfectly perfect his hair was today.

***

At supper, Ginny slipped into her seat next to Harry, offering him one of her prize-winning smiles. “Hallo, Harry.”

“Hi, Ginny,” He said back, mouth full of mashed potatoes.

Both Ginny and Hermione wrinkled up their noses, and when they looked at each other they burst into a fit of giggles. Anyone would guess that Ginny was perfectly fine now; what they didn’t know was what a good actress Ginny was.

Ginny sat up straighter in her seat and whispered something to Harry. Harry’s eyes widened slightly behind his glasses and he nodded at Ginny. “Sure thing,” he replied, this time mouth empty.

Ron looked over at Harry and gave him a quizzical raise of the eyebrow, but Harry shrugged it off, per usual.

The rest of dinner was almost uneventful. Ron managed to spill his pumpkin juice, which went all over Hermione’s lap, and Hermione insisted that it was on purpose, so she picked up her glass of juice and purposely threw it in Ron’s face before storming out of the hall. This got a great bit of applause from the rest of the hall, while all the other houses looked on. Ron turned the same shade of his hair before he stood and stormed out of the hall as well.

Crabbe turned to Draco. “Definitely fucking,” he said just loud enough for Draco to hear him over the applause.

***

Ron walked up to Harry, invisibility cloak over his arm. “Here.”

Harry took it. “Thanks, Ron.”

“I don’t know why you want it. All of us sneak out without one, and we’re never caught. Bloody hell Harry, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dumbledore knew about the Astronomy Tower and what we all use it for. He was a student once too.” Ron explained.

Harry nodded. “I know, I know. I just feel better.”

Ron shrugged. “Whatever. Don’t do anything too dirty to Ginny tonight; she’s having a rough go. Or so Hermione has told me.”

Harry scoffed. “Like I ever do anything dirty, Ron.”

“Oh, I remember a few dirty things I’ve walked in on.” Ron smirked.

Harry blushed and pushed at Ron’s chest. “Leave me alone. You’re no angel yourself.” Harry paused here for effect. “Oh Hermione, oh Hermione,” he mocked. “And half the time when you say that it’s when you think you’re alone in the showers. You sicko.”

Ron snickered. “You’d better get going.”

Harry nodded and slipped on his invisibility cloak. Once outside his common room he saw Ginny walking a few feet ahead, but he stayed behind her. It was a trek they all knew to the Astronomy Tower, and once up there Ginny waited by the stairs. Harry walked up behind her, cloak still on and slipped his arms around her. Ginny jumped with a soft squeal and Harry shrugged the cloak off.

“Sorry, couldn’t help but scare you.” He grinned and took her hand, finding an empty closet. Ginny loved being up here for more than the snogging. The looks she got from the girls as she walked along with Harry were priceless. Everyone wanted a piece of The-Boy-Who-Lived, but she was the one that was with him. If nothing else, it was a confidence booster. Unfortunately, now instead of being Ron Weasley’s Little Sister, she was Harry Potter’s Girlfriend. It was frustrating that she still didn’t have a name for herself.

Harry continued to open doors that already had a couple (or more) inside of them, and was just starting to get frustrated when he saw an open door across the room. Still leading Ginny by the hand he walked over to the open door and peeked inside. Though this room was dark and he didn’t see any candles, he still led Ginny inside. He pushed the door shut with a soft click and rested back against it.

“So,” he said with a grin, a hand moving up to brush through his hair.

“Right then,” Ginny replied.

Both of them wondered slightly what the awkwardness was about, but Ginny wasn’t about to let Harry see that she was awkward. With a few steps forward her body was pressed against Harry’s, and she placed a soft kiss to his throat. Her hands found his hips, and her fingers pressed against the material of his robe.

Harry bent his head down slightly to kiss the bridge of Ginny’s nose, before his hands came up to her cheeks, tilting her head up to kiss him. Warm lips pressed against each other, and Ginny’s thin body arched against Harry, those same fingers grabbing his robes as they made into fists.

Harry closed his eyes, desperately trying to get thoughts of Draco out of his mind, but all he could taste was Draco’s tongue, all he could smell was the slight scent of cinnamon that was so distinctly Draco. He knew that it was Ginny he was kissing, Ginny he should taste, and Ginny he should be hearing. But in his ears all the sound that he heard was Malfoy’s soft breath, the way when they kissed his breath would quicken, and the way Draco’s velvet voice made Harry’s breath catch in his throat.

Ginny had successfully pushed Malfoy from her mind, but it didn’t stop her from noticing that Harry was distracted. She broke from the kiss and looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Harry shook his head. “I don’t know, Ginny. I guess I’m just not up to it tonight.” It was then that Harry glanced over Ginny’s shoulder and saw something move in the corner, he was sure of it. Something glinted like silver in the black of the room.

“Well… Alright then.” Ginny nodded with a sigh. She reached for Harry’s hand but he pulled it away.

“I’ll be down in a minute. I just need to get my thoughts together.” He gave Ginny a smile and kissed her forehead. “I’m fine, pretty Ginny.”

She grinned. Pretty Ginny. How she loved that. “Okay… I’ll see you in the morning, then.”

She opened the door and clicked it shut behind her, ignoring the looks from the other couples as she walked back to her common room alone.

Harry stood back against the door watching the corner with his eyes squinted. “Who’s here?” he asked, probably a bit more loudly then needed.

“Oh Harry,” came the reply as Malfoy slipped out from the corner. “Here I am all heartbroken. I thought what we shared was special,” sarcasm hung on Draco’s every word.

Harry bit down on his lip, wrapping his robes around him. “Oh please,” he whispered toward Malfoy.

“Must we whisper? We do have the whole room to ourselves. What a great opportunity,” Draco replied, stepping toward Harry.

“What? I’m leaving,” Harry said, though he didn’t move.

“Sure you are.” Malfoy smirked, looking toward the door.

Harry’s hand reached for the doorknob but Malfoy was there in seconds, his warm hand wrapping around Harry’s wrist. “You don’t really want to leave, Harry. I know this, you know this.”

“Y… Yes I do!” Harry whispered harshly.

“If you’d have really wanted to leave, you would have done that by now.” Draco’s mouth moved up to Harry’s ear, and after the whisper he ran his tongue over the Harry’s earlobe. “All you can think about is me,” he continued to whisper, silk voice cutting through Harry’s muscles, his spine, his knees.

“That… That…” Harry stuttered, wincing softly.

“It is true, Potter. Just now you’d wished it was me you were kissing.” Draco’s mouth moved inches from Harry’s, and now when he spoke his breath tickled along Harry’s upper lip. “Let me fix that for you.” The hand that was holding Harry’s wrist took it from the doorknob and held it up above Harry’s head, Malfoy pushed his hips against Harry, keeping him tight against both the door and his own body. His other hand moved to Harry’s shoulder and his lips crushed down against the other boy’s.

Instead of fighting like last time, Harry decided he might as well go with the flow. It was excruciating to admit to Draco through his kisses that it was him that he was thinking of. But at this point, when all of this seemed like it was exactly why he came up here, Harry let his hormones decide for him, rather than his mind. His mouth opened willingly, and his tongue was the first to press against Draco’s teeth. The hand that he had free went to Draco’s hip, and this time Harry pulled Malfoy against him, his own body pressing tight against the other boy’s pelvis.

A soft tortured moan escaped Draco’s lips into Harry’s mouth, and that brought Harry back to reality. He yanked his hand from Draco’s grasp and pushed Malfoy away.

“Leaving so soon?” Draco asked softly, a hand moving up to press his fingers against his own lips.

Harry said nothing as he turned and fled the room, cheeks hot and his lips burning.

Draco stood in the room for a minute before his head peeked from the room. He had to figure out something so he wouldn’t need another cold shower tonight. He found a Ravenclaw girl that was sitting alone and he walked over to her. “Hallo, I’m Draco. Draco Malfoy.” He bit down on the left corner of his lower lip and winked down at the Ravenclaw. Hell, it wasn’t Harry, but if he closed his eyes he could almost imagine it was.