The Games People Play

The Games People Play

Ginny waited patiently behind a suit of armor. She could just kill Lavender for putting her up to this nonsense. Why did she have to take the dare? Couldn't she just have answered the question with the truth? No, she would have just died of embarrassment. She didn't want anyone else to know that she'd never actually kissed a boy before.

And just what did not telling the truth get her? Standing in a dark corridor near the Slytherin dungeons waiting to kiss the most unobtainable boy in school. Could it have been Harry? Of course not. Seamus or Dean? No, not much of a challenge. Ginny could just kill Lavender for this. Not only did she have to kiss him, she had to prove she did it!

She didn't have to wait long before she heard Malfoy coming down the hall after making his rounds. She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves for the task at hand. This simply had to be a fate worse than death. She watched him stalk past her hiding place. It was now or never...

"Malfoy," she said, voice wavering a bit as she stepped out from behind the armor.

He whipped around to fix her with a hard stare. "Well, well, if it isn't the littlest Weasel..."

Ginny advanced on him before he could finish whatever insult he was about to drop on her. She watched his eyes widen in shock as she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and grinding her mouth against his awkwardly.

He pushed her away, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. "What the hell are you doing?"

She looked down at her shoes they like were the most interesting thing in the world. "I, uh..uhm...kissed you."

"You call that kissing?" he spluttered in disbelief. "That was possibly the worst kiss - ever -- and I've kissed Pansy so that is saying something."

A single tear slipped down her cheek as she finally got up the courage to look at him. "I'm so sorry. IveneverkissedanyonebeforeandLavenderdaredmeandIhavetoproveitsomehow." She managed to get it out all out without taking a single breath.

"Stop! Just stop!" He crossed his arms as he gave her the once over. "I suppose this would act as my good deed for the year," he murmured.

Ginny wasn't so sure that she liked the glint in his eyes. "Good deed?"

"Yes, Weasley, today is your lucky day. I'm going to do the boys at Hogwarts a favor and teach you how to kiss."

"Oh" was all she could manage before he pulled her against his long body.

"Now, just relax," he whispered as he lowered his head to capture her lips in a very gentle kiss.

She stiffened immediately, shocked at the tenderness he was displaying.

He shook her lightly. "I said relax a bit." She complied as best she could with his request. "That's better. Now I'm going to kiss you again." He kissed her again, this time more forcefully, nipping at her bottom lip for access to her mouth. Her mouth opened instinctively to his plundering tongue as one of his hands tangled itself in her hair and the other settling low on her back. She slipped her arms around his neck, even gathering enough courage to run her fingers through his silky hair.

Ginny thought her heart was going to beat right out of her chest by the time he pulled away from her.

"That Weasley," he said breathlessly, "is how you kiss someone."

All she could do was nod her head.

He snorted softly. "Not bad, but I dare say you could use more practice. A lot more practice." A wicked half smile quirked up one corner of his mouth. "Tomorrow evening, under the big oak by the lake, right after dinner. Don't be late -- after all, I'm doing you a favor."

"Uh..okay," she managed to stammer. "Thank you."

Ginny watched him give her a curt nod before turning to head toward the Slytherin common room. Lavender was never going to believe this, never. And she forgot to get something that would prove it, too. She'd convince her somehow that she really did kiss Malfoy.

"Hey, uh...Weasel... er Weasley, uh...Ginny." His voice stopped her before she rounded the corner. "Here." He pulled off his tie, handing it to her. "I almost forgot you said you needed proof."

She kissed him hard in lieu of a verbal thank you.

"Yes, better, but you definitely need more practice," he said with a silly grin.

She nodded, chewing at her bottom lip as she watched him retreat back into the darkness of the corridor once more.

Ginny decided that playing Truth or Dare with Lavender wasn't such a bad thing after all.