A Sorrowful Goodbye

Chapter 2: Strange Occurrences

The sound of the slamming door still rang in Draco's ears as he leaned against the wall, shaking slightly from the encounter in the Great Hall. He didn't know what he was going to do now; he had only left because he couldn't stand being in there with Ginny any longer. He wasn't even sure what had come over him. He hated the Weasley family. It was no doubt just hormones that had caused him to kiss - kiss! - the youngest Weasley member.
He stood, figuring that he shouldn't be here whenever Ginny decided to leave the Great Hall. He hoped that she wouldn't follow him. He smiled to himself. Now she would think that he had feelings for her. He had led her on, and now he needed to find a way to crush her hopes. He strolled down the stone hallway; glad he had a reason to leave.

* * *

Ginny couldn't believe what had just happened. Perhaps it was how quickly everything had occurred, but she felt in a dream state. Had Draco Malfoy just kissed her? Had she just kissed him back? She didn't even like him. She hated what he did to her brother, her family, her friends, Harry.
She felt disconnected from her body, from the room. The experience - while very bizarre - had hardly been completely unpleasant. Malfoy was a very good kisser. She'd heard rumors, yes, but had never really wanted to discover it for herself. "Well," she thought, trying to shrug the recent experience from her mind, "I suppose I should go back to the common room, before Filch finds me."
She exited the Great Hall, via the door that Harry and Malfoy had used. She wondered what business Malfoy had with Harry. Probably wanted to berate him some more. It was the only possibility that made sense.
She crept along the corridors, trying to be as silent as possible. It wasn't difficult. Her worn slippers didn't make much noise on the floor. Her heartbeat seemed to be what would give her away. It echoed in her ears, and she felt the pulse in her neck throbbing. Still, she encountered no one on her way back to the Gryffindor common room.
After giving the password to the fat lady (Griffin Wings), she entered. No one was in sight. Sighing, she made her way to the overstuffed armchairs in front of the fire. She sank down heavily into the chair. Closing her eyes, she sighed.
Suddenly, someone spoke her name. "Ginny."
She sat up straight, jumping slightly, and opened her eyes. She was shocked to see Colin resting in the other chair. He was gazing at her with a blank expression on his face, almost as if he had expected her to plop down next to him.
"Yes, Colin?" she asked tentatively.
He didn't reply at first. Instead, he continued to stare at her. She grew rather anxious when he didn't blink or look away. Was something wrong with him? Why did he keep gawking at her?
"Your hair is really dark in the firelight," he commented.
She raised her eyebrows nervously. What was going on?
He leaned in closer to her, closing his eyes. "Ginny," he breathed.
Ginny stopped herself from yelling. He was going to kiss her! She jumped up. Colin was everything that Harry was not. Or Malfoy, for that matter. He was short; she towered over him by four inches. He was too thin, and his hair was limp and a dull beige colored. She didn't feel the remotest attraction to him.
"Colin!" she screeched. "What are you doing?"
He drew back slowly, opening his eyes. "Well, I was going to kiss you."
She felt her famous temper rising, and fought to keep it down. "But WHY were you going to kiss me?"
He shrugged. "It doesn't matter."
"It matters completely!" she couldn't help yelling a bit.
"To you, maybe."
She couldn't believe how aggravating he was being. One didn't just kiss someone for no reason. But then, she froze. Draco had done exactly that to her. Something was not right.
"Um, Colin, I'm just going to go up my dorm and sleep. I'm sorry, but I'm not -er - in the mood for this right now."
Colin smiled brightly, and nodded. Then, without another word, he turned back to the fire, back to his daze. It was as if she had never been there. Ginny felt herself grow chilly, despite the fire's warmth. Something was going on.
Shivering, Ginny trudged up the stairs, and absently turned the doorknob of her room. She didn't even notice as she slid into bed, that someone was watching her from the shadows.