Four Seasons

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The night was still young; the silver rays glowing from the newly emerged full moon told her that much.

She sighed, aloud; nobody had seemed to notice her presence. The bright colours worn by the womenfolk of Hogsmeade had deemed her invisible.

Loud voices and merry music surrounded her. Delicious aromas of local delicacies floated past her senses as she made her way through the crowd. Walking past enchanted floating balls of light that cast their glow onto the redecorated village square, she felt like she had just entered a child's dreamland fantasy. It was magical, the way they transformed the ordinary village into an attractive festival spot.

Ginny smiled nervously as her fist closed around the stalks of newly picked daisies. Her other hand was holding a mask, for the dance after they lit the bonfires. She breathed in uncomfortably; the bodice of her dress (Hermione's dress, really) was too tight around the bust, but it was the best that she could improvise with so little money and time.

Her eyes flitted through the masses as she searched for her friends. Supposed friends, she thought sourly. She had lost sight of them the moment they stepped foot into the village. It had not been easy getting the teachers to let them participate in the summer festival in the first place, let alone to give them permission to stay overnight in Hogsmeade. Thanks to Harry--again--they managed to get a long-awaited reprieve from Professor Dumbledore.

Harry, Harry.

She gave a small smile when Harry's bespectacled face appeared in her mind's eye. It was not easy getting over Harry, but she had grown up, and growing up meant storing her childhood crush in a little corner in the back of her mind.

She giggled softly.

Before she had ever come to Hogwarts, Ron's exaggerated retellings of his adventures with the famous Harry Potter did not help to stop her daylight fantasies about the Boy-Who-Lived. She had heard so much about the famed Harry Potter that she could not help daydream how he would be, face to face with her. However, like all childhood crushes, her imaginary love affair with him had to end unspectacularly in her 5th year. Well, more specifically, during their first date behind the greenhouse. Harry Potter was not as perfect as she thought he was. Instead of being that suave and charming gentlemen she imagined, he was a shy and quiet boy.

The worst thing was that she had cheated herself five years of unconditional adoration for someone who had not existed. Technically, he existed, but his real personality just did not match up to her expectations. *The harder you hope, the harder you fall,* Ginny frowned, her forehead wrinkling at the memory of Harry's stuttering and fumbling. Actually, letting go of her Harry fantasy was not as painful as she expected. It was the hollowness that followed that was so unbearable.

Life must go on, however.

*Where are they?* she wondered again as she shook herself out of her reverie. She scanned the crowd again, her eyes looking out for red hair, or bushy hair, or even dark hair. Not much luck. It was too dark to see any faces properly, let alone trying to distinguish hair colour. The whole Hogwarts student population was probably here, since they had just finished their exams barely two days ago. *Teachers too,* she stifled a giggle when her eyes caught sight of Professor Snape stalking towards The Three Broomsticks, all alone.

She walked further down the street and approached the tall Maypoles erected in the village square. The locals had started to gather around stacks of hay and the Maypoles as folk musicians took their seats at the edge of the village square. Loud awkward squeaks filled the air when a half a dozen men began tuning their fiddles by ear. The subtle clink of tambourines and drums accompanied excited cheers as more people gathered to watch the fire-lighting ceremony.

*The celebration's about to begin,* Ginny thought wistfully. Harry, Ron and Hermione might have disappeared, but she was not about to let their absence dampen her mood. After all, it was Beltane, the festival that heralded the arrival of summer. Holding up her sequinned mask, she asked a girl to help strap it securely to the upper half of her face.

She was determined to enjoy herself thoroughly tonight, with or without her "friends."

As she neared the village square, excited screams and cheers filled the air. A couple holding hands stood on the top of the small platform erected near a stack of hay and flowers. The woman held a small harp, whereas the man had a bow and an arrow in his free hand.

*Beltane celebrates the union of the God and the Goddess. Beltane is the time of celebration and joyousness,* Ginny whispered in her mind as memories of late night chats with the other Gryffindor girls floated into her mind. She felt hot blood rising to her cheeks when she remembered another activity that the other girls had giggled over, *Beltane is also the time for couples to make love outside to bless the crops and the earth.*

Another wave of female cheers erupted wildly. Ginny hardly had the time to flinch when the tall man held out the arrow and lit the tip with a simple spell. Placing the burning arrow on the bow, he aimed it at the stack of hay. The village square grew quiet instantly as everyone waited with baited breath for the archer to release the burning arrow.

Suddenly, the flaming arrow shot out and embedded itself in the haystack. A blazing fire began licking at the mound of hay and flowers, casting bright orange and red hues into the darkened sky. The brilliant display of embers and fire burning merrily in the centre of the grassy space mesmerised her.

Then, she caught him staring at her from the other side of the bonfire.

Illumination from the burning haystack had enabled her to get a clear look at him. His tall and slender form stood out from other villagers. His demeanour was calm and refined, so unlike the riotous partygoers around him. A mask hid the upper half of his face too, but Ginny could see his icy grey eyes reflecting the fiery blaze. *A paradoxical comparison,* she thought, unable to avert her gaze elsewhere for the mysterious young man that had magically entrapped her in his stare. *Ice and fire...*

Loud cheers erupted around her again. From a remote corner of her mind, she vaguely heard an accordion playing the opening bars of a popular folksong. *The ceilidh's starting,* a voice whispered in her mind. The crowd around her began to disperse gradually as couples moved to form circles around the four Maypoles erected twenty yards away.

*He's coming nearer.* Ginny lifted her face shyly in time to look into those deep grey eyes.

"Dance with me?" he asked softly, and kissed the back of her hand. His lips were cool and yielding in the warm night air, and Ginny almost wished that the kiss had lasted longer. The music was getting louder and louder now, yet Ginny could hear his every single word clearly, almost as if her mind only revolved around him and her.

Demurely, she nodded, and he led her to the Maypole behind her. Plucking the daisies out of her grip, he smiled at her. "Only a girl as pretty as you deserves to wear flowers in her hair," he murmured into her ear as he reached behind her head to place a single white daisy in her loose bun. When he moved closer to her, the intoxicating fresh apple scent of his aftershave intoxicated her senses.

He took a step back to bow, and Ginny curtsied weakly in return. Clasping her waist, the mysterious youth grasped her free hand tightly after guiding her other hand to rest on his shoulder. Ginny could only smile shyly back as the music began pulsating to a fast rhythm.

*You don't have to learn steps to a barn dance,* a voice whispered in Ginny's head, assuring her that she could dance without causing any embarrassment to herself. *Just follow the music and his lead...*

"Ready?" he asked. He was so close to her that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. Slowly, they began dancing to the beat of drums, violins and accordions in the heat of the night. Moving in sync with other gyrating dancers, they picked up speed as they twirled and spun with in perfect harmony to each other.

The dancing came so naturally that Ginny was surprised. She had never been a good dancer herself.

Time vanished into a long stretch of nothingness. The other dancing couples and the clapping audience melted into a swirl of colours and sounds as they danced song after song with the fervour which Ginny had never experienced before this very night. Adrenaline pumped into her bloodstream when she looked into those cool grey eyes that remained unperturbed by the lively music and spontaneous steps to the folk dance. He gazed back at her, his eyes fixed on her face, as if he were trying to look into her heart and soul.

Gradually, the music slowed to a moderate beat. *The dance must end...* Ginny realised reluctantly. Beads of sweat rolled down the sides of her face as he led her in a contemporary slow dance to the soulful melody played by the violins. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, Ginny drew closer to his chest, listening to his heartbeat through his thin cotton shirt. His arms closed around her waistline tightly also, clutching her body closer to his.

"This is so magical..." Ginny whispered softly, her face nuzzled on his well-built chest.

"Magic is strongest during the night of Beltane," he replied nonchalantly. "Magic can do things that stretch beyond your wildest imagination."

With a final note, the music ended.

With a small smile, he brought up her hand to kiss it softly again. His hands released her waist as Ginny brought her arms away from his shoulders. Both taking a step back, they continued to look at each other silently. Both had refused to take their eyes off each other. Both had wanted to fill the emptiness in their lives.

It was starting to get quiet again, as the crowds dispersed to the nearest pubs and taverns for drinks and games. The bonfires had died out, leaving only flickering embers among ashes. Several clouds had obscured the gentle moon rays. Darkness reigned the deserted village square as few feet of land separated Ginny and the mysterious youth.

Flashing her a grin, he took her hand and broke into a run, bringing Ginny along with him. Shops and houses flew past them as they ran and ran. Ginny could only follow blindly, her shorter steps struggling to keep up with his longer strides. Wind whistled past her ears as her legs carried her through the long and lonely street, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.

At last, he stopped when they came to the top of the hill behind Hogmeade. Feeling slightly out of breath, Ginny turned to look at him, raising her eyebrows inquisitively. He just kept quiet, his eyes looking pensively at the dark shadows of faraway mountains.

"Who are you?" she asked finally, her curiosity was gnawing unbearably at her. In the near-blinding darkness, she could only see the fine contours of his cheeks and jaw line, along with long strands of platinum blond hair framing his perfectly sculptured face.

As if he had anticipated her question, he turned to look at her and walked forward to touch her cheek gently. "Is my identity important to you?" he asked. Slowly, he reached behind her head once again. This time, he did not place any flowers in her hair. Instead, his deft fingers worked on the knots and ties of the ribbons holding her mask in place.

Loosening the mask, he gazed into her eyes again when the mask fell from her face onto the grass below. The moon had peeked out from its hiding place behind the clouds at that same moment, washing its serene silver rays over the darkened lands. Ginny half expected to him to step back after revealing her identity, but the mysterious young man stood rooted on his spot. Tenderly, he began to stroke her fiery tresses, his touch as light as a feather. Tracing his fingers from her hair to her jaw, he rubbed the sensitive skin beneath her chin in circles. Ginny could feel sensual shivers wracking her body with every touch.

In a moment of pure courage, Ginny reached up, her hands untying the complicated knots that held his mask in place. He did not try to stop her. Instead, his steel grey eyes stayed focused on her liquid brown ones, his gaze never leaving her face for a split second.

Ginny hesitated. What if he turned out to be a hideous monster? She swallowed thickly, but her hands refused to stop working at the ribbons. Finally, her fingers untied the final knot. Ginny drew in her breath as the mask fell away, revealing his face.

Ginny's eyes widened at the sight of his facial features. Thick locks of platinum blond hair fell over his forehead, and thick dark lashes outlined a pair of sensual grey eyes. The moonlight emphasised his prominent cheekbones and coloured his skin a pearly white shade.

Ginny was dumbfounded.

"Draco Malfoy?" she muttered in disbelief, her voice quivering with emotion. Why him, of all people?

"Shocked to know that your lover-boy is a Malfoy, Ginny Weasley?" he teased her, as a gust of midnight breeze ruffled his silver blond hair. Before Ginny could respond to his jest, he closed the distance between them and sealed his lips on hers with bruising force. Too shocked to break off the kiss, Ginny stood there like a statue as he continued kissing her passionately, his tongue flicking boldly between her slightly parted lips.

"Too scared to kiss me back?" he whispered impishly between kisses. "Admit it, little Weasley, you want me."

That was it.

Ginny would prove to the whole wide world that she was not that scared little girl who hid behind Ron, Harry and Hermione all the time. Building up her courage, she began to kiss him back. She tried to make her kisses sweet and chaste, but Draco forced her to be much more adventurous. Suckling on her lower lip passionately, he urged her to deepen the kiss.

Slowly, she began to lose herself in the kiss by parting her lips and brushing the tip of her tongue against his teeth. Jolts of pleasure and lust coursed through her veins every time Draco's tongue came in contact with hers. His kisses were deep and intoxicating, so unlike Harry's sweet and innocent ones. The delicious sensation of desire clouded her mind as Draco's lips and body took over her rational thinking.

A gasp escaped from her throat when Draco grounded his body against hers, his hands roaming across her back and chest, eliciting moans from her throat. Want, need and desire flowed freely through kisses and touches. Unconsciously, Ginny's hands reached for the waistband of his trousers to pull out the hem of his shirt, her body hungry for the feel of Draco's naked flesh beneath her fingers. Moving her hands in erotic circles on Draco's hip, she smiled coyly as he began to groan aloud under her touch. Out of a corner of her eye, she saw Draco gritting his teeth agonisingly, as if he was trying to suppress the moans birthed from those sensations.

*So much for the famed Malfoy control,* she smirked inwardly before another wave of pleasure washed over her. A set of digits had inched up her thigh, stroking the span of her bare skin sensually.

Sweeping her off her feet, Draco lifted her up and lay her down roughly on the grass behind her. The cool damp ground contacted her back as he started to undo the lacings on her bodice, eager to free her body from the restricting clothes. Trailing butterfly kisses onto her cheeks and neck, he continued pressing his lips along her collarbone, before finally stopping to nibble on an earlobe.

Not wanting to be left out, her inexperienced fingers found the topmost button of his shirt. Her hands were trembling as she tried to undo the buttons. Ginny bit her lower lip in frustration when her sweaty hands slipped off the shiny buttons again and again. Finally, she managed to shimmy the accursed shirt off him. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the fabric onto the grass beside her. A translucent sheet of sweat covered his bare chest under the moonlight, making him even more desirable. Ginny sighed as her hands roamed his chest freely, feeling the tight cords of well-built muscles under her fingertips.

Unsatisfied with removing only the shirt, her hands had travelled to the buckle of his belt. It was an art, slipping one end of the belt out of the buckle and loosening the waistband of his trousers as Draco continued circling sensitive areas on her neck with his tongue. Tossing the belt away, she felt her bodice loosen a little more under Draco's impatient attempts to cast it aside.

Before she could unhook his trousers, a sudden blast of cold air hit her chest as Draco succeeded in ripping the laces securing the bodice to reveal her upper body. Untying the lace that held her skirt together, he tore the garment from her waist and flung it away also. Using his knees to balance himself, he straddled her torso seductively. Ginny blushed furiously as his steely grey eyes travelled lazily from her face to her chest, stopping at her peach-coloured bra.

"I see you aren't a scrawny little girl anymore," he drawled seductively and lifted her torso up, his eager hands plucking at the knot that held both ends of her bra together. "You must have been eating well," he murmured while he toyed with the underside of her bra with a free hand. His fingers grazed over her smooth skin as he sought to undo the last barrier separating their upper bodies.

"Here, let me..." she offered, her voice husky with desire. She then reached behind to undo the knot expertly. In a remote corner of her mind, alarm signals rang loudly, but Ginny was too preoccupied with Draco's ministrations on her body to care. Watching his expression carefully, she let the garment fall away. Her efforts were instantly rewarded

Letting her fall back onto the grass, he turned his attention to her milky twin orbs. With a gentleness that surprised Ginny, Draco flicked the tip of a rosy bud with a finger before starting to knead the sides of her breast with his slender fingers. Using his tongue and lips, he bent down to suckle on the other tip, his mouth moist and accommodating. Rubbing his lower body desperately against her belly, he moaned softly, his voice muffled by her chest.

As Draco continued exploring her body inch by inch, Ginny's hands moved along the sides of his lean body awkwardly before hooking them onto the waistband of his trousers and boxers. Pushing them down, he let out another soft groan as her fingers circled the small of his back teasingly.

"Damn, you're such an innocent tease," he growled breathlessly and released his hold on her torso. Pushing himself up, he picked at the elastic band of her knickers and pulled the obstructing article off her hips, finally exposing her body to the silvery moonlight. Hot blood coloured Ginny's cheeks. Draco's eyes were drinking in the sight of her body, making her feel more naked than ever.

Shaking out of her reverie, she teased him back. "You're one yourself," she answered breathlessly as she struggled to push the thick fabric of his trousers past the curve of his hips. Draco's hands found hers and forced them away from his waist. Unzipping his trousers, he stepped out of the garment in one fluid motion. Using his elbows for leverage, he lay on top of her again. This time, no layers of clothing separated them. It was flesh against flesh, heartbeat against heartbeat.

Moonlight washed over the pair of accidental lovers, painting their bodies in abstract shades of white, silver and grey. His delicate skin looked so supple and smooth in the pure moonbeams, and there were no marks or scars adorning his naked body.

His eyes were glowing with desire as he rubbed his hardened length against her inner thigh, driving Ginny to draw in a sharp lungful of the cool night air to sedate a surprised gasp. Slowly, he moved to position himself at her entrance, his tip barely touching the lips of her nether region.

"Do you want me now?" he asked roughly, his eyebrows knitted together as he fought to maintain a steady voice. Ginny could feel the same animalistic urge coursing through every single artery and vein in her body.

"Take me... slowly," she breathed out finally, her words saturated with desperation and desire.

~*~*~*~*~

The harmonious chirping of crickets filled the night as the two new lovers lay undisturbed in each other's arms. The occasional loud cheering from the village nearby hardly perturbed her at all. Only Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley existed in the whole wide world.

As their breathing gradually slowed to normal, Draco slipped out of her and rolled over to her side, his handsome face grinning smugly under the moonlight. "I enjoyed myself," he whispered, his voice rough from exertion as he groped around for his clothes.

"Me too. It was wonderful," she answered him softly. Was this the type of response that she had expected after making love to someone? But then, this was someone who had treated her family with contempt all these years. Already, Draco sat up to button his shirt. Clearly, he did not intend to stick around.

"Why did you come to me?" she asked weakly this time, bracing herself for his reply. Ginny found it hard to believe that he could be so callous after sharing such an intimate act with her.

He was silent. Ginny's heart lifted a little.

The air was so tense that she could slice it apart with a knife.

"You were convenient, that's all," his answer came finally. His voice were as cold as ice, betraying no trace of emotion.

"How dare you..." she whispered. Tears were already coursing down her cheeks freely. Blood was starting to boil in her chest as she raised her hand to slap him across his face, but his long thin fingers caught her wrist in mid-air.

"Thanks for the ride, little Weasley. Never thought you had it in you," he smirked and threw down her hand roughly. Ginny gasped in pain, though she could not tell what hurt worse, the physical or the emotional. Ignoring her cry, Draco stood up to zip his trousers and tuck in his shirt. "We'll meet again someday."

Ginny's eyes followed his lithe form in disbelief as he turned to climb down the grassy hill. Her world had come crashing down around her. Why had she been so stupid as to sleep with him? Why was he so cruel to her after making love to her like she had mattered to him?

Why? Why? Why?

Tearing her eyes away from him, she buried her face in her hands. She wept her heart out, cursing herself for being so vulnerable to his charms. How was she going to face Harry, Hermione and Ron after this? She felt so dirty and cheap now, after becoming Malfoy's toy for a night.

What she did not know was, if she had turned around at that moment, she would have seen him staring at her longingly. But she did not. And he walked away quietly into the night.

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