Nargle Droppings (Fic, PG13, Ginny/Draco, 1/1)
Title: Nargle Droppings
Author: raspberry_rave
Type: Fiction
Length: Short Story; circa 5,000 words
Main character or Pairing: Ginny/Draco
Rating: PG13
Canon compliancy: Fully compliant
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize isn't mine. I also make no money from this. At all.
Warnings: None
Summary: Four teenagers, ravaged by the War, are brought together during the Yuletide holidays. Will the magic of Christmas be enough to heal their wounds or will old rivalries win out during the season of peace?
Cards Drawn: Seven of Pentacles, Four of Swords and Wheel of Fortune.
Card Interpretation: I interpreted the Seven of Pentacles as hard work reaping success - winning the War. The Four of Swords represents a respite or break - a break from school or from what is expected. The third card, the Wheel of Fortune shows the hand of destiny - an inevitable outcome marked by unusual events.
Author Notes: This story started out as something totally different (And much longer) but it got molded into this. Thanks to my absolutely fabulous beta, goengurl without whom this story would have been less than it is. Thank you, Diane!
It was the middle of December. Outside, the trees had shed their summer coats for a wintry barren that mimicked the general mood of the inhabitants of Hogwarts castle. These weren’t the best of times. Students and professors were finding alternate ways to cope with the War that had left them ravaged. Life was being rebuilt, but it was a slow, painful process. One that required many sacrifices.
This holiday season, the castle was almost empty, which the exception of four students. A few teachers had also elected to stay behind - Professors Slughorn and Hagrid among them. Filch was inevitably prowling the castle muttering about mistletoe and the mysterious clods of dirt that erupted all over the castle. Luna swore they were Nargle droppings. Ginny steered clear of mistletoe after that.
Blaise and Draco mostly amused themselves by playing pick-up games of Quidditch when the weather permitted. They had volunteered to stay for Christmas because the Ministry was searching their homes. Malfoy Manor was under heavy guard. Narcissa Malfoy, Draco said, stayed in her chambers all day and Lucius refused to leave the library. Blaise’s parents were vacationing somewhere in the south of France.
Ginny had put her foot down this year. Her mother had wanted her at home where she could see her, but Ginny wasn’t ready to face the kitchen clock that was missing a hand or wake up at night to hear her mother crying. At school, however Luna could cheer her up considerably with her talk of Snufflufaguses and Snorkaks. On the flip side, Ginny was keeping Luna sane by humouring her outlandish discussions. It kept her from remembering too clearly that she was alone now after the death of her father.
The professors decided that all the students had to stay together. The Ravenclaw tower had been selected for its neutrality. No one had wanted a bed in the Hufflepuff dorms and Gryffindor and Slytherin were equally out of the question. They hadn’t seemed to mind Ravenclaw much. It was an acceptable change for the Slytherins, and almost no change at all for Ginny, except that her room now faced west instead of north. The Slytherins complained about how light it was and Luna had laughed at them.
As a general rule, the two pairs never interacted, but on mornings like this one, with snow piling up fast and the temperature well below zero, they were forced together. After breakfast in the Great Hall, the group retreated to the common room, halting at the door. Draco and Blaise exchanged glances, as did Luna and Ginny.
‘You can have that side,’ Ginny said pointing to the left of the room, closer to the fireplace. ‘We’ll take the window.’
Draco began to protest, but Blaise put a hand on his arm and dragged him off. Ginny couldn’t resist smirking at the way she’d handled the Slytherins.
‘You look like Crookshanks after Hermione has fed him,’ Luna commented dryly.
Ginny chuckled. ‘I don’t often get to beat Malfoy. Let me gloat.’
Luna waited ten seconds. ‘Finished?’ she asked.
*.*.*
The girls chatted for a while until Luna’s gaze began to drift to the window and she became more interested in the patterns the snow was making on the glass than Ginny’s comment about Potions class. Ginny looked wistfully at the bookshelf on the boys’ side. She had browsed the titles the first day she was in here and was eager to read some of them.
Blaise stared at the Wizarding chess set by the window. He loved strategic games such as chess or Quidditch. It was like seeing the future and moving accordingly. He looked at Draco. The blond was staring at the low fire, oblivious to anything going on. Or at least, that was how it was intended to look. Blaise knew better.
‘What is it?’ Blaise demanded.
‘What is what, Zabini?’ Draco answered cautiously.
‘You’re concentrating on something, Draco. Don’t play dumb with me.’ Blaise snorted at this last remark. Draco couldn’t play dumb if he tried - really hard. His eyes were much too shrewd. You couldn’t mask intelligence that obvious.
Draco shrugged and stretched. ‘So what if I am. What is it to you?’
Blaise raised his eyebrows. Fine, he thought coolly, let him be evasive. He noticed Weasley staring at the bookshelf to his right and got out of the armchair. Draco stole a glance at him but said nothing. Blaise rolled his eyes. Moody as hell.
He strolled over to the window seat, thanking Merlin that the sun wasn’t out today. His skin couldn’t stand a tan, even it was for the sake of chess.
Ginny looked up at him, annoyed. ‘What is it, Zabini?’
Blaise wondered if she had a cordial bone in her body.
‘Are you ever polite, Weasley?’ he asked.
Luna sniggered. Ginny glared at her. ‘I’m polite to those who deserve it, Zabini.’
Blaise very much doubted that she was. ‘I’m sure you are, Weasley,’ he said, rolling his eyes. He shared a glance with Luna who was hiding a smile.
‘Go read a book, will you,’ he said suddenly.
Ginny knit her brows in confusion. Why on earth was Blaise Zabini ordering her to go read? She glanced at the chair he had just vacated.
‘Malfoy’s over there, Zabini,’ she pointed out.
‘Brilliant, this one,’ he said in a stage whisper to Luna. ‘Really?’ he continued in a normal voice, ‘I hadn’t noticed,’ he said sarcastically, ‘He won’t bite, you know.’
Well, unless you asked very nicely.
Ginny wasn't convinced.
‘Oh, for Merlin’s sake, Weasley, you don’t have to talk to him. Just pick up a book.’
She looked at him suspiciously. Her eyes reminded him of someone, not that he’d ever tell Draco that. ‘Why are you doing this?’ she asked guardedly.
‘It’s not for your sake, so don’t get your knickers in a bunch over my motives.’
‘Fine,’ Ginny said and got up. ‘See you, Luna.’
Luna nodded vaguely, her attention focused on the Slytherin in front of her. She was on her guard. Her father told her that boys were always up to something. Slytherins were the worst of the lot.
‘So,’ Blaise began, sitting down in front of Luna, ‘Do you play Wizard’s chess?’
Luna nodded slowly.
*.*.*
Ginny marched over to the bookshelf and stood stiffly while inspecting the titles. After a while, her love of literature got the better of her and she began making small gasps now and again as she came across a book she liked. Finally settling on a biography of the captain of the Holyhead Harpies, an all female Quidditch team, she curled up in the armchair Blaise had left and started reading.
The fire’s warm glow kept her toasty and warmed places she didn’t know had gotten cold. Sitting by the window had its disadvantages. She didn’t notice Luna or Zabini getting uncomfortable though. On the contrary, they were both so immersed in the game that their noses were centimetres apart. Luna was engrossed in the board but Blaise’s attention was directed elsewhere - down the front of Luna’s blouse.
Ginny cleared her throat loudly, and he glanced at her. She arched an eyebrow, but he only smirked. She was just about to get her wand out and march over there, when Blaise gave a yelp and jumped off his chair. Luna turned to look at her while Blaise was rubbing his leg and mouthed ‘Stinging Hex’. Ginny smiled. She wasn’t the only one besting Slytherins today. She heard a chuckle from her right and turned around, with some surprise, to see Draco Malfoy smiling as well. He met her gaze and they shared a moment of mutual amusement.
But only a moment.
As soon as Ginny realized who she was smiling with and realized that he was smiling at her, she buried her nose in the biography. Odd, but Malfoy looked almost human when he smiled. Must have been a trick of the fire.
‘Is that book really so captivating?’ a voice drawled. Malfoy? Her subconscious wondered. Yes, of course it’s bloody Malfoy. Who else could get that annoying mix of superiority and disdain when they spoke? Besides, the voice had come from beside her.
‘Weasley?’ he snapped his fingers in front of her face.
She peered at him over the top of the book and tried to make her eyes convey the depth of her annoyance.
‘What, Malfoy?’ she snapped.
He looked taken aback. Good. Shock him into silence. Besides, Zabini said I could ignore him. She continued reading. She thought she heard him huff in exasperation but ignored it. The sound was much too feminine. On second thought, maybe he did huff in exasperation.
She looked over the top of the book again.
‘What is it you want, Malfoy?’
He looked at her curiously and Ginny stared back, waiting.
‘Well?’ she demanded. The silence was getting to her. She’d slowly go crazy locked in here with two Slytherins and a deranged Ravenclaw.
‘What are you doing over here anyway?’ he asked
‘Zabini wanted to play chess, apparently,’ Ginny replied sardonically.
Draco’s eyebrows rose and he glanced at Blaise and Luna. She wondered if he was thinking the same thing she was thinking. Probably not, no one ever knew what a Slytherin was thinking, not even other Slytherins.
'What does that have to do with you?' he asked.
'He proposed an exchange,' she replied. Well, not so much proposed as ordered. But Malfoy didn't have to know that. 'I wanted to read,' she continued, speaking slowly and clearly, waving the book in front of him. He scowled at her and she grinned.
This was bizarre. Here she was, after winning a war and losing family members to Death Eaters, sharing a tower with Slytherins and teasing Malfoy. She chuckled softly and returned to the book.
The morning was spent quietly, punctuated by occasional outbursts from Blaise when Luna checkmated his king. Twice. After two times, he stopped playing with her and they stared at snowflakes instead. No one won at that, though Blaise was itching for something to keep his mind occupied.
Draco alternated between staring at the fire and staring at the girl beside him. She wasn’t even that big, a tiny thing. But she’d held her own in the war. Where had he been? Cowering with Crabbe and Goyle. He stared at girl and the fire for so long, just thinking, that her hair and the flame became indistinguishable. He’d nodded off when Blaise woke him for lunch.
‘Not hungry,’ he muttered.
‘Sure you are,’ Blaise said, while dragging him from the chair. ‘Besides you’ve got to eat or I’ll beat you too easily at Quidditch.’
Draco opened his eyes. ‘Snow stopped?’
‘Yep,’ Blaise replied.
‘Excellent.’ Draco stretched and followed Blaise out of the Common room.
*.*.*
‘Luna, where are we going?’ Ginny asked as her friend tugged her out onto the grounds.
‘You’ll see,’ was the only answer she got.
They trudged through snow up to their knees and Ginny was grateful for the warming charms Luna had placed on their coats. She didn’t figure out where they were going until the goal posts were in sight.
‘What are you - ' Ginny began but froze at the sound of voices coming from the Quidditch shed.
‘I don’t want to watch them play Quidditch,’ she hissed to Luna.
‘You’re not going to,’ Luna said simply, and Ginny relaxed. ‘You’re going to play.’
‘I don’t have a broom,’ she protested.
‘Yes, you do.’ Luna raised her wand. ‘Accio Ginevra’s broom.’
Ginny glared at the Ravenclaw, as her old Comet came whistling towards them. It stopped at waist height beside her, quivering. It hadn’t been used in a year.
Luna clucked. ‘The poor thing must miss flying.’ She reached out a hand to pet the wood.
‘You can fly it then,’ Ginny crossed her arms, ‘Because I’m not going to.’
‘Come now, Ginevra,’ a silky voice said from behind her. The same voice that had interrupted her reading this morning. She stiffened and glared at Luna one last time for good measure, before turning to face Malfoy in Quidditch gear.
‘Wouldn’t want to disappoint me, now would you? I’ve been promised a match.’
Ginny lifted a disdainful eyebrow.
‘Malfoy, I’d love nothing more than to disappoint you, but it wouldn’t be a fair match. I mean, how would it look if I beat you on this old thing?’ She cocked a hand on her waist and smirked at him.
‘This will never do,’ Blaise said coming up behind Malfoy. He was eyeing Ginny’s broom. ‘Draco, lend her your Nimbus,’ he said.
A retort was on the tip of Draco’s tongue when he suddenly changed tack.
‘Sure.’ He lifted his wand and said, ‘Accio Nimbus 2001.’
Ginny couldn’t decide who to glare at most - Luna for getting her into this, Zabini for making it worse, or Malfoy for going along with it. She settled for ignoring them all. Malfoy’s Nimbus hovered, waiting patiently for her. She averted her eyes, but not before she glimpsed the gleaming handle, the leather seat and the perfectly clipped tail twigs. The broom still looked brand new. She ran a hand over the wood and sighed. It thrummed with power. Nothing like a Firebolt, of course, but still fast in its own right.
‘What do we play with?’ she asked finally.
Malfoy smirked. ‘Golf balls for Snitches and regular Quaffles,’ he answered easily, striding towards the pitch.
Ginny hopped on the Nimbus, handing her coat to Luna.
‘Keep up if you can!’ she called, soaring past them to the silver posts. Draco and Blaise stared at each other in surprise before mounting their own brooms and taking off.
When Luna caught up to them on the pitch, the game was already underway. Blaise and Ginny were fighting each other for possession of the Quaffle. He had the ball and was speeding towards Ginny’s goal. She was hot on his tail; her flying skills making up for the slower broom.
‘Give it up, Zabini,’ Ginny taunted, ‘You don’t even play Quidditch.’
‘I’ve already scored four times,’ he pointed out.
‘Ha! Flukes. Your luck has run out,’ she said teasingly.
They were still some feet away from her goal and she was gaining on him when Blaise threw the ball with remarkably accurate aim through the middle hoop. Ginny hovered midair, staring at him with her mouth slightly open. Blaise recovered the Quaffle, leaned forward on his broom and smirked at her. In the stands, Luna applauded. Blaise mimed taking a bow.
‘Close your mouth, Weasley. You look like a fish.’ Draco flew past and tapped Ginny’s chin with a finger. She snapped her mouth shut and glared at him. Suddenly, she spotted a white ball bouncing off Zabini's hoops at the other end of the pitch. She swooped forward, stole the Quaffle from Zabini who had been startled into dropping it, and took off towards the far end of pitch.
‘Hey!’ he shouted. Ginny ignored him and focused with single minded determination on the small white object she was speeding towards. Just before she reached it, it zoomed away from her, into Malfoy's hands. She pulled up short, tossed the Quaffle easily through the hoop, caught it again and threw it at Malfoy’s head.
She followed the ball, yelling. 'You dirty, rotten, cheating SLYTHERIN! You charmed the golf ball!'
Draco feigned innocence. ‘Of course I did, Weasley, golf balls don’t fly on their own, you know.’ He winked at her. She almost screamed in frustration and drew her wand.
‘I ought to hex you into next week for that,’ she said venomously.
‘Are you now?’ he asked steadily.
Ginny was off her game; Malfoy ought to be cowering by now. But, when she thought about it, she really wasn’t going to hex him. She narrowed her eyes, and pocketed her wand.
‘There’s a good girl,’ Malfoy said teasingly.
He was covered in flying bogeys before he could say Snitch.
*.*.*
The next day was Christmas Eve. It snowed again, lasting through till the afternoon, and this time everyone curled up in front of the fire. Blaise complained that it wasn’t fair that he and Lovegood had to sit at the freezing window while Ginny and Draco got the warm fire. The warm pair sat in armchairs while Luna and Blaise sat on the rug playing Wizard’s chess. Ginny was reading; Draco was trying to help Blaise beat Luna.
Ginny had just opened her mouth to tell him not to bother, because the combined intelligence of two Slytherins still wasn’t enough to beat the best chess player in Ravenclaw, when Blaise spoke.
‘You know, it’s silly of us all to be sharing a tower and still refer to each other by our last names. I mean, if the War’s taught us anything, it’s to forget about trivialities like House prejudices in the face of greater things - in this case, Christmas.’
No one said anything when he was finished. They were all staring at him with faint surprise and mild confusion on their faces.
‘I’ll go first.’ He turned to Luna. ‘I’m Blaise,’ he said, extending his hand.
‘I know,’ Luna said cheerily and beamed. ‘I’m Luna.’
‘Nice to meet you, Luna,’ he continued. Luna giggled.
‘I’m about to have a sugar overload. Would you two mind getting a room?’ Ginny interrupted, miming gagging.
Blaise looked at her next and she rolled her eyes. ‘Ginny, I’m Ginny,’ she said quickly.
‘Is that short for something?’ Blaise asked.
Luna sniggered and Ginny glared at her. ‘Ginevra,’ she muttered.
‘Sorry, I didn’t catch that,’ Blaise said, but he was smiling.
‘It’s short for Ginevra,’ Ginny said louder. ‘Happy?’ she asked him. He leaned back onto his elbows, smiling. ‘Yep.’
‘That’s a nice name,’ Draco murmured from the depths of his armchair. He’d leaned so far back, he was barely visible.
‘It’s a right sight better than Draco,’ Ginny retorted before she realized that he’d just complimented her name instead of insulting it. She blushed and looked away.
‘Oh, thanks, I guess.’ It felt odd to be saying thank you to a Malfoy, especially to Draco who had been the bane of her brother’s existence since first year.
‘Your turn.’ Blaise smacked Draco’s shins. ‘Don’t think you can hide in that armchair. I could spot your hair a mile off. Introduce yourself, mister.’
‘Everyone knows my name,’ Draco mumbled. Ginny snorted and muttered something indistinct behind her book.
‘What was that, Ginny?’ Blaise asked. Luna, who had been close enough to hear, was chuckling.
‘I said that the prat has an ego the size of his bank account,’ Ginny repeated without looking up from her book. Without warning, it jumped out of her hands and began attacking her head. She gave a strangled scream and tried to get it under control. Malfoy had his wand out and was smirking.
‘Finite Incatatum,’ Luna said in a moment. ‘I’ll thank you not to charm the Ravenclaw books, Draco.’ Ginny was glaring at him, her hair sticking out oddly from the pummelling it had just received.
‘Payback, We-Ginny,’ he drawled.
‘I’ll show you payback, you scrawny, little rodent!’
She leaped onto his lap in the armchair and Draco’s breath was expelled in a whoosh. She wasn’t light.
‘He’s ticklish,’ Blaise offered.
Draco hadn’t known a Gryffindor could have such an evil laugh. Her fingers found his sides and began attacking his ribs. Draco couldn’t help it, he doubled over laughing - not an easy feat with a girl on his lap.
‘Merlin, Weasley, stop!’ he gasped out.
‘What was that, Draco?’ Ginny asked sweetly, ‘I couldn’t quite hear that.’
‘Ginny,’ he tried again. He gave up and pinned her arms to her sides where they couldn’t do any more damage. He held her like that until he caught his breath again and glared at her.
‘That was cheating,’ he said sullenly.
‘That was Slytherin,’ Ginny corrected.
His lips twitched a little at the corners. What the devil was she playing at? Blaise looked at the two of them and glanced at Luna to see how’s she was taking it. She had a dreamy smile on her face. Blaise chuckled to himself. This certainly was an interesting development. Since she had no qualms about her friend sitting on a Slytherin’s lap and looking as though she had no inclination to get up soon, Blaise wondered how she’d react if he made a move.
He touched his fingers to hers beside the chessboard and looked at her face. She looked startled at first but smiled shyly. Blaise scooted closer to her.
*.*.*
Ginny seemed to be having trouble with her breathing. Her legs were on either side of Draco’s waist where she had landed, and his hands were still pinning her arms to her sides. The hands had loosened their grip somewhat, but she was still sitting on his lap. Why was she still sitting on his lap? Well, for one, it was awfully comfortable here. And warm. Yes, it was very warm. But it was Malfoy, her subconscious whined. So, she argued stubbornly, he's still warm and comfortable.
Draco cleared his throat and released Ginny’s arms. Her skin missed the contact immediately and she looked down, blushing to the roots of her hair.
‘Would you mind getting up?’ Draco asked politely, ‘I can’t feel my toes.’
Ginny disentangled her legs and stood. She refused to look at anyone, and gathered her now mercifully dormant book and marched angrily to her room. After careful observation, Luna gave Blaise a roll of her eyes and a shrug. She then proceeded to kick Malfoy in the shins and ran after Ginny.
‘Ouch!’ Draco muttered, rubbing his bruised shins, ‘Crazy bint,’
‘Watch your language, mate,’ Blaise said, annoyed.
Draco scoffed as Blaise sat in the armchair facing him. ‘What?’ he asked defensively.
Blaise raised his hands in submission. ‘What did you do?’
‘What did I do? She ran away!’
‘To be fair, you practically shoved her off your lap.’
He grumbled something that sounded a lot like ‘Did not’ but Blaise didn’t have the patience to deal with an immature Draco.
‘Whatever you did, apologize. I don’t feel like spending the rest of the holidays getting the cold shoulder from Ginny Weasley. She makes the Abominable Snowman look like Santa Claus.’
‘I didn’t do anything,’ Draco protested.
Blaise stared at Draco, measuring him.
‘Could you at least play nice, Draco?’
Draco’s expression shifted into icy indifference. ‘I don’t want to play at all.’ he responded.
Blaise stood. ‘Fine,’ he said coolly, exiting the room.
Draco was left to stew in his thoughts.
*.*.*
By the time Luna entered the room, Ginny was repairing the clock for the fifth time after throwing it at the wall.
‘Am I stupid, Luna?’ she asked miserably, throwing herself on the bed.
‘No, Ginny. You know you’re not.’
‘Then why did I just set myself up like that? With Malfoy of all people.’
Luna sat on the bed beside her friend’s prone figure and patted her shoulder consolingly. ‘The heart does things for reasons reason cannot understand.’
‘What?’ Ginny asked, lifting her head to peer at the other girl in confusion.
‘You don’t have to have a reason for it. Just now I almost kissed Blaise Zabini.’ She shrugged. ‘These things happen.’
Ginny stared at Luna. ‘You almost kissed Blaise?! When?’
‘While you were, ahem, wrapped up in Mr. Malfoy,' Luna said with a small smile.
Ginny harrumphed. ‘Doesn’t matter. I’m sure dozens of girls throw themselves at his feet daily.’ She snapped her fingers. ‘I’ll be forgotten like that.’
‘We’re the only girls here, Ginevra.’
Ginny frowned. ‘Yes, well - Should I just pretend nothing happened? Of course nothing did happen, but all the same, you get my meaning.’ Her hands fluttered uselessly as she said this. She sat up on the bed and crossed her legs, leaning forward on her elbows.
Luna stretched and lay down. ‘Take your cue from him.’
‘But what if he does the wrong thing?’
‘Which is?’
‘I don’t know!’
‘Go with the flow. Let the chips fall where they will. Que sera sera.’ Luna turned on her side and snuggled into her pillow. Ginny poked her in the ribs.
“Did you get that from my horoscope?’ she asked dryly.
‘No, Draco’s. Yours said Carpe diem.’ Luna fell asleep leaving Ginny to ponder that bit of information.
*.*.*
Ginny opened her eyes blearily and sat up in bed. It was snowing again but it was Christmas morning. Presents! she thought happily, and turned to wake up Luna, but her bed was empty. Ginny took the stairs two at a time. She jumped over the last three and continued running towards the tree where she collided with Blaise. He caught her before she could hit the ground and chuckled.
‘Eager, are we?’
She ignored him and searched for her presents amidst the lot. Luna was already halfway through her pile and had the oddest assortment of knickknacks beside her.
‘Dad’s relatives,’ she said in response to Ginny’s questioning glance. She didn’t wince at the mention of her father and Ginny noticed for the first time how close Blaise was standing to her friend. She remembered a comment of Luna’s yesterday about her almost kissing Blaise. Shaking her head, she got her presents out. Whatever made Luna happy.
‘Good haul this year,’ Ginny said to no one in particular. There was a pair of hand-me-down Dragonhide Quidditch gloves from Ron, a Quidditch bracelet from Harry, the Revised Quidditch Through the Ages from Hermione, a new Skiving Snackbox from the twins. She flinched, no, George, now. She put that away for inspection later. Mum and Dad had gotten her a new book bag, Bill and Fleur a new Potions kit and Charlie a miniature Swedish Shortsnout - her favourite dragon. Percy had sent her stationary. Gee, thanks, Percy. Quills and ink really say how you feel at Christmastime.
Luna held out her present. It was in a long thin case. Ginny opened it and grinned in delight.
‘A wandholder! Thanks, Luna.’
‘It’s lined with Snorkack hide - that’s to prevent theft - and the outside is decorated with Mermaid scales.’
‘What are the scales for?’ Blaise asked curiously.
‘Decoration, of course.’
After Blaise and Ginny finished laughing, Ginny handed Luna her present - an entire collection of vegetable jewellery, in silver.
‘Sorry they’re not the actual thing, but I’ve heard these last longer,’ she said with a wink.
Luna smiled and said it was okay, she preferred to grow her own earrings anyway. Malfoy entered the room without the girls seeing him.
‘C’mon, Luna,’ Blaise said suddenly, ‘I want to give you your present.’
‘You got me something?’ Luna asked, turning to Blaise as he helped her up. ‘I’m not surprised. I got you a gift too.’ She smiled at him as he led her from the room. Luna was smiling a lot more lately.
‘I didn’t get you anything,’ Draco said from behind Ginny.
She stiffened and turned around, but didn't stand.
‘I didn’t get you anything either,’ she said slowly.
He nodded. ‘Would you like to go for a walk?’ he asked.
Ginny looked at the snow covered window and raised an eyebrow. ‘No, I don’t think I so, thanks.’
‘Not out there,’ Draco said impatiently, ‘In the halls.’
Ginny nodded, not entirely sure what she was agreeing to. She fetched her coat and pulled it on over her pyjamas. It wasn’t like anyone was around to see her. By the time she had returned, Draco had pulled on a robe.
She walked over to the entrance. ‘C’mon then.’
Draco followed her out.
They had gone some distance before Draco spoke. Ginny was trying to convince herself to go back when he said, ‘I’m sorry about yesterday. That was rude.’
Ginny shrugged. ‘I don’t expect much better from you, Draco.’
That comment stung more than she intended it to, he was sure.
‘You should,’ he protested.
‘Why?’ She stopped walking and turned to look at him. ‘When have you been anything other than a devious, underhanded, scheming Slytherin? What reason do I have to believe you’re anything other than what you appear to be?’
When she put it like that...‘Fair points,’ he conceded, ‘But - ’
She stepped closer. ‘Yes, Draco?’
‘Er -’ He looked up. ‘Mistletoe,’ he said softly.
Ginny looked down. ‘Nargle droppings.’
When she looked back up, Draco was leaning towards her. Her breath caught. He moved slowly closer and Ginny couldn’t stand the wait. She tipped and pressed her lips to his. His eyes flew open for a moment at the contact before they closed again. Her arms were tight around his neck, his arms were snug around her waist. He was warm, she was comfortable, and they liked it.
*.*.*
The holidays ended, as all good things must, and students began pouring back in. The Christmas quartet had to relinquish their tower and hope that the holiday magic didn’t disappear like the snow would. After much discussion (and various unorthodox methods of persuasion), they had opted not to conceal their affections. Though it was shocking at first to see the unlikely pairs strolling casually down corridors without hexing each other, the Hogwarts castle inhabitants had learned to expect the unexpected and accepted the oddity without much resistance.
There were some difference in the way things were. For instance, certain Gryffindors now became strangely violent whenever the word 'Ferret' was mentioned and Luna's things didn't go missing anymore. It could never be what it was before, but Hogwarts was on the mend.
~fin~
Author: raspberry_rave
Type: Fiction
Length: Short Story; circa 5,000 words
Main character or Pairing: Ginny/Draco
Rating: PG13
Canon compliancy: Fully compliant
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize isn't mine. I also make no money from this. At all.
Warnings: None
Summary: Four teenagers, ravaged by the War, are brought together during the Yuletide holidays. Will the magic of Christmas be enough to heal their wounds or will old rivalries win out during the season of peace?
Cards Drawn: Seven of Pentacles, Four of Swords and Wheel of Fortune.
Card Interpretation: I interpreted the Seven of Pentacles as hard work reaping success - winning the War. The Four of Swords represents a respite or break - a break from school or from what is expected. The third card, the Wheel of Fortune shows the hand of destiny - an inevitable outcome marked by unusual events.
Author Notes: This story started out as something totally different (And much longer) but it got molded into this. Thanks to my absolutely fabulous beta, goengurl without whom this story would have been less than it is. Thank you, Diane!
It was the middle of December. Outside, the trees had shed their summer coats for a wintry barren that mimicked the general mood of the inhabitants of Hogwarts castle. These weren’t the best of times. Students and professors were finding alternate ways to cope with the War that had left them ravaged. Life was being rebuilt, but it was a slow, painful process. One that required many sacrifices.
This holiday season, the castle was almost empty, which the exception of four students. A few teachers had also elected to stay behind - Professors Slughorn and Hagrid among them. Filch was inevitably prowling the castle muttering about mistletoe and the mysterious clods of dirt that erupted all over the castle. Luna swore they were Nargle droppings. Ginny steered clear of mistletoe after that.
Blaise and Draco mostly amused themselves by playing pick-up games of Quidditch when the weather permitted. They had volunteered to stay for Christmas because the Ministry was searching their homes. Malfoy Manor was under heavy guard. Narcissa Malfoy, Draco said, stayed in her chambers all day and Lucius refused to leave the library. Blaise’s parents were vacationing somewhere in the south of France.
Ginny had put her foot down this year. Her mother had wanted her at home where she could see her, but Ginny wasn’t ready to face the kitchen clock that was missing a hand or wake up at night to hear her mother crying. At school, however Luna could cheer her up considerably with her talk of Snufflufaguses and Snorkaks. On the flip side, Ginny was keeping Luna sane by humouring her outlandish discussions. It kept her from remembering too clearly that she was alone now after the death of her father.
The professors decided that all the students had to stay together. The Ravenclaw tower had been selected for its neutrality. No one had wanted a bed in the Hufflepuff dorms and Gryffindor and Slytherin were equally out of the question. They hadn’t seemed to mind Ravenclaw much. It was an acceptable change for the Slytherins, and almost no change at all for Ginny, except that her room now faced west instead of north. The Slytherins complained about how light it was and Luna had laughed at them.
As a general rule, the two pairs never interacted, but on mornings like this one, with snow piling up fast and the temperature well below zero, they were forced together. After breakfast in the Great Hall, the group retreated to the common room, halting at the door. Draco and Blaise exchanged glances, as did Luna and Ginny.
‘You can have that side,’ Ginny said pointing to the left of the room, closer to the fireplace. ‘We’ll take the window.’
Draco began to protest, but Blaise put a hand on his arm and dragged him off. Ginny couldn’t resist smirking at the way she’d handled the Slytherins.
‘You look like Crookshanks after Hermione has fed him,’ Luna commented dryly.
Ginny chuckled. ‘I don’t often get to beat Malfoy. Let me gloat.’
Luna waited ten seconds. ‘Finished?’ she asked.
*.*.*
The girls chatted for a while until Luna’s gaze began to drift to the window and she became more interested in the patterns the snow was making on the glass than Ginny’s comment about Potions class. Ginny looked wistfully at the bookshelf on the boys’ side. She had browsed the titles the first day she was in here and was eager to read some of them.
Blaise stared at the Wizarding chess set by the window. He loved strategic games such as chess or Quidditch. It was like seeing the future and moving accordingly. He looked at Draco. The blond was staring at the low fire, oblivious to anything going on. Or at least, that was how it was intended to look. Blaise knew better.
‘What is it?’ Blaise demanded.
‘What is what, Zabini?’ Draco answered cautiously.
‘You’re concentrating on something, Draco. Don’t play dumb with me.’ Blaise snorted at this last remark. Draco couldn’t play dumb if he tried - really hard. His eyes were much too shrewd. You couldn’t mask intelligence that obvious.
Draco shrugged and stretched. ‘So what if I am. What is it to you?’
Blaise raised his eyebrows. Fine, he thought coolly, let him be evasive. He noticed Weasley staring at the bookshelf to his right and got out of the armchair. Draco stole a glance at him but said nothing. Blaise rolled his eyes. Moody as hell.
He strolled over to the window seat, thanking Merlin that the sun wasn’t out today. His skin couldn’t stand a tan, even it was for the sake of chess.
Ginny looked up at him, annoyed. ‘What is it, Zabini?’
Blaise wondered if she had a cordial bone in her body.
‘Are you ever polite, Weasley?’ he asked.
Luna sniggered. Ginny glared at her. ‘I’m polite to those who deserve it, Zabini.’
Blaise very much doubted that she was. ‘I’m sure you are, Weasley,’ he said, rolling his eyes. He shared a glance with Luna who was hiding a smile.
‘Go read a book, will you,’ he said suddenly.
Ginny knit her brows in confusion. Why on earth was Blaise Zabini ordering her to go read? She glanced at the chair he had just vacated.
‘Malfoy’s over there, Zabini,’ she pointed out.
‘Brilliant, this one,’ he said in a stage whisper to Luna. ‘Really?’ he continued in a normal voice, ‘I hadn’t noticed,’ he said sarcastically, ‘He won’t bite, you know.’
Well, unless you asked very nicely.
Ginny wasn't convinced.
‘Oh, for Merlin’s sake, Weasley, you don’t have to talk to him. Just pick up a book.’
She looked at him suspiciously. Her eyes reminded him of someone, not that he’d ever tell Draco that. ‘Why are you doing this?’ she asked guardedly.
‘It’s not for your sake, so don’t get your knickers in a bunch over my motives.’
‘Fine,’ Ginny said and got up. ‘See you, Luna.’
Luna nodded vaguely, her attention focused on the Slytherin in front of her. She was on her guard. Her father told her that boys were always up to something. Slytherins were the worst of the lot.
‘So,’ Blaise began, sitting down in front of Luna, ‘Do you play Wizard’s chess?’
Luna nodded slowly.
*.*.*
Ginny marched over to the bookshelf and stood stiffly while inspecting the titles. After a while, her love of literature got the better of her and she began making small gasps now and again as she came across a book she liked. Finally settling on a biography of the captain of the Holyhead Harpies, an all female Quidditch team, she curled up in the armchair Blaise had left and started reading.
The fire’s warm glow kept her toasty and warmed places she didn’t know had gotten cold. Sitting by the window had its disadvantages. She didn’t notice Luna or Zabini getting uncomfortable though. On the contrary, they were both so immersed in the game that their noses were centimetres apart. Luna was engrossed in the board but Blaise’s attention was directed elsewhere - down the front of Luna’s blouse.
Ginny cleared her throat loudly, and he glanced at her. She arched an eyebrow, but he only smirked. She was just about to get her wand out and march over there, when Blaise gave a yelp and jumped off his chair. Luna turned to look at her while Blaise was rubbing his leg and mouthed ‘Stinging Hex’. Ginny smiled. She wasn’t the only one besting Slytherins today. She heard a chuckle from her right and turned around, with some surprise, to see Draco Malfoy smiling as well. He met her gaze and they shared a moment of mutual amusement.
But only a moment.
As soon as Ginny realized who she was smiling with and realized that he was smiling at her, she buried her nose in the biography. Odd, but Malfoy looked almost human when he smiled. Must have been a trick of the fire.
‘Is that book really so captivating?’ a voice drawled. Malfoy? Her subconscious wondered. Yes, of course it’s bloody Malfoy. Who else could get that annoying mix of superiority and disdain when they spoke? Besides, the voice had come from beside her.
‘Weasley?’ he snapped his fingers in front of her face.
She peered at him over the top of the book and tried to make her eyes convey the depth of her annoyance.
‘What, Malfoy?’ she snapped.
He looked taken aback. Good. Shock him into silence. Besides, Zabini said I could ignore him. She continued reading. She thought she heard him huff in exasperation but ignored it. The sound was much too feminine. On second thought, maybe he did huff in exasperation.
She looked over the top of the book again.
‘What is it you want, Malfoy?’
He looked at her curiously and Ginny stared back, waiting.
‘Well?’ she demanded. The silence was getting to her. She’d slowly go crazy locked in here with two Slytherins and a deranged Ravenclaw.
‘What are you doing over here anyway?’ he asked
‘Zabini wanted to play chess, apparently,’ Ginny replied sardonically.
Draco’s eyebrows rose and he glanced at Blaise and Luna. She wondered if he was thinking the same thing she was thinking. Probably not, no one ever knew what a Slytherin was thinking, not even other Slytherins.
'What does that have to do with you?' he asked.
'He proposed an exchange,' she replied. Well, not so much proposed as ordered. But Malfoy didn't have to know that. 'I wanted to read,' she continued, speaking slowly and clearly, waving the book in front of him. He scowled at her and she grinned.
This was bizarre. Here she was, after winning a war and losing family members to Death Eaters, sharing a tower with Slytherins and teasing Malfoy. She chuckled softly and returned to the book.
The morning was spent quietly, punctuated by occasional outbursts from Blaise when Luna checkmated his king. Twice. After two times, he stopped playing with her and they stared at snowflakes instead. No one won at that, though Blaise was itching for something to keep his mind occupied.
Draco alternated between staring at the fire and staring at the girl beside him. She wasn’t even that big, a tiny thing. But she’d held her own in the war. Where had he been? Cowering with Crabbe and Goyle. He stared at girl and the fire for so long, just thinking, that her hair and the flame became indistinguishable. He’d nodded off when Blaise woke him for lunch.
‘Not hungry,’ he muttered.
‘Sure you are,’ Blaise said, while dragging him from the chair. ‘Besides you’ve got to eat or I’ll beat you too easily at Quidditch.’
Draco opened his eyes. ‘Snow stopped?’
‘Yep,’ Blaise replied.
‘Excellent.’ Draco stretched and followed Blaise out of the Common room.
*.*.*
‘Luna, where are we going?’ Ginny asked as her friend tugged her out onto the grounds.
‘You’ll see,’ was the only answer she got.
They trudged through snow up to their knees and Ginny was grateful for the warming charms Luna had placed on their coats. She didn’t figure out where they were going until the goal posts were in sight.
‘What are you - ' Ginny began but froze at the sound of voices coming from the Quidditch shed.
‘I don’t want to watch them play Quidditch,’ she hissed to Luna.
‘You’re not going to,’ Luna said simply, and Ginny relaxed. ‘You’re going to play.’
‘I don’t have a broom,’ she protested.
‘Yes, you do.’ Luna raised her wand. ‘Accio Ginevra’s broom.’
Ginny glared at the Ravenclaw, as her old Comet came whistling towards them. It stopped at waist height beside her, quivering. It hadn’t been used in a year.
Luna clucked. ‘The poor thing must miss flying.’ She reached out a hand to pet the wood.
‘You can fly it then,’ Ginny crossed her arms, ‘Because I’m not going to.’
‘Come now, Ginevra,’ a silky voice said from behind her. The same voice that had interrupted her reading this morning. She stiffened and glared at Luna one last time for good measure, before turning to face Malfoy in Quidditch gear.
‘Wouldn’t want to disappoint me, now would you? I’ve been promised a match.’
Ginny lifted a disdainful eyebrow.
‘Malfoy, I’d love nothing more than to disappoint you, but it wouldn’t be a fair match. I mean, how would it look if I beat you on this old thing?’ She cocked a hand on her waist and smirked at him.
‘This will never do,’ Blaise said coming up behind Malfoy. He was eyeing Ginny’s broom. ‘Draco, lend her your Nimbus,’ he said.
A retort was on the tip of Draco’s tongue when he suddenly changed tack.
‘Sure.’ He lifted his wand and said, ‘Accio Nimbus 2001.’
Ginny couldn’t decide who to glare at most - Luna for getting her into this, Zabini for making it worse, or Malfoy for going along with it. She settled for ignoring them all. Malfoy’s Nimbus hovered, waiting patiently for her. She averted her eyes, but not before she glimpsed the gleaming handle, the leather seat and the perfectly clipped tail twigs. The broom still looked brand new. She ran a hand over the wood and sighed. It thrummed with power. Nothing like a Firebolt, of course, but still fast in its own right.
‘What do we play with?’ she asked finally.
Malfoy smirked. ‘Golf balls for Snitches and regular Quaffles,’ he answered easily, striding towards the pitch.
Ginny hopped on the Nimbus, handing her coat to Luna.
‘Keep up if you can!’ she called, soaring past them to the silver posts. Draco and Blaise stared at each other in surprise before mounting their own brooms and taking off.
When Luna caught up to them on the pitch, the game was already underway. Blaise and Ginny were fighting each other for possession of the Quaffle. He had the ball and was speeding towards Ginny’s goal. She was hot on his tail; her flying skills making up for the slower broom.
‘Give it up, Zabini,’ Ginny taunted, ‘You don’t even play Quidditch.’
‘I’ve already scored four times,’ he pointed out.
‘Ha! Flukes. Your luck has run out,’ she said teasingly.
They were still some feet away from her goal and she was gaining on him when Blaise threw the ball with remarkably accurate aim through the middle hoop. Ginny hovered midair, staring at him with her mouth slightly open. Blaise recovered the Quaffle, leaned forward on his broom and smirked at her. In the stands, Luna applauded. Blaise mimed taking a bow.
‘Close your mouth, Weasley. You look like a fish.’ Draco flew past and tapped Ginny’s chin with a finger. She snapped her mouth shut and glared at him. Suddenly, she spotted a white ball bouncing off Zabini's hoops at the other end of the pitch. She swooped forward, stole the Quaffle from Zabini who had been startled into dropping it, and took off towards the far end of pitch.
‘Hey!’ he shouted. Ginny ignored him and focused with single minded determination on the small white object she was speeding towards. Just before she reached it, it zoomed away from her, into Malfoy's hands. She pulled up short, tossed the Quaffle easily through the hoop, caught it again and threw it at Malfoy’s head.
She followed the ball, yelling. 'You dirty, rotten, cheating SLYTHERIN! You charmed the golf ball!'
Draco feigned innocence. ‘Of course I did, Weasley, golf balls don’t fly on their own, you know.’ He winked at her. She almost screamed in frustration and drew her wand.
‘I ought to hex you into next week for that,’ she said venomously.
‘Are you now?’ he asked steadily.
Ginny was off her game; Malfoy ought to be cowering by now. But, when she thought about it, she really wasn’t going to hex him. She narrowed her eyes, and pocketed her wand.
‘There’s a good girl,’ Malfoy said teasingly.
He was covered in flying bogeys before he could say Snitch.
*.*.*
The next day was Christmas Eve. It snowed again, lasting through till the afternoon, and this time everyone curled up in front of the fire. Blaise complained that it wasn’t fair that he and Lovegood had to sit at the freezing window while Ginny and Draco got the warm fire. The warm pair sat in armchairs while Luna and Blaise sat on the rug playing Wizard’s chess. Ginny was reading; Draco was trying to help Blaise beat Luna.
Ginny had just opened her mouth to tell him not to bother, because the combined intelligence of two Slytherins still wasn’t enough to beat the best chess player in Ravenclaw, when Blaise spoke.
‘You know, it’s silly of us all to be sharing a tower and still refer to each other by our last names. I mean, if the War’s taught us anything, it’s to forget about trivialities like House prejudices in the face of greater things - in this case, Christmas.’
No one said anything when he was finished. They were all staring at him with faint surprise and mild confusion on their faces.
‘I’ll go first.’ He turned to Luna. ‘I’m Blaise,’ he said, extending his hand.
‘I know,’ Luna said cheerily and beamed. ‘I’m Luna.’
‘Nice to meet you, Luna,’ he continued. Luna giggled.
‘I’m about to have a sugar overload. Would you two mind getting a room?’ Ginny interrupted, miming gagging.
Blaise looked at her next and she rolled her eyes. ‘Ginny, I’m Ginny,’ she said quickly.
‘Is that short for something?’ Blaise asked.
Luna sniggered and Ginny glared at her. ‘Ginevra,’ she muttered.
‘Sorry, I didn’t catch that,’ Blaise said, but he was smiling.
‘It’s short for Ginevra,’ Ginny said louder. ‘Happy?’ she asked him. He leaned back onto his elbows, smiling. ‘Yep.’
‘That’s a nice name,’ Draco murmured from the depths of his armchair. He’d leaned so far back, he was barely visible.
‘It’s a right sight better than Draco,’ Ginny retorted before she realized that he’d just complimented her name instead of insulting it. She blushed and looked away.
‘Oh, thanks, I guess.’ It felt odd to be saying thank you to a Malfoy, especially to Draco who had been the bane of her brother’s existence since first year.
‘Your turn.’ Blaise smacked Draco’s shins. ‘Don’t think you can hide in that armchair. I could spot your hair a mile off. Introduce yourself, mister.’
‘Everyone knows my name,’ Draco mumbled. Ginny snorted and muttered something indistinct behind her book.
‘What was that, Ginny?’ Blaise asked. Luna, who had been close enough to hear, was chuckling.
‘I said that the prat has an ego the size of his bank account,’ Ginny repeated without looking up from her book. Without warning, it jumped out of her hands and began attacking her head. She gave a strangled scream and tried to get it under control. Malfoy had his wand out and was smirking.
‘Finite Incatatum,’ Luna said in a moment. ‘I’ll thank you not to charm the Ravenclaw books, Draco.’ Ginny was glaring at him, her hair sticking out oddly from the pummelling it had just received.
‘Payback, We-Ginny,’ he drawled.
‘I’ll show you payback, you scrawny, little rodent!’
She leaped onto his lap in the armchair and Draco’s breath was expelled in a whoosh. She wasn’t light.
‘He’s ticklish,’ Blaise offered.
Draco hadn’t known a Gryffindor could have such an evil laugh. Her fingers found his sides and began attacking his ribs. Draco couldn’t help it, he doubled over laughing - not an easy feat with a girl on his lap.
‘Merlin, Weasley, stop!’ he gasped out.
‘What was that, Draco?’ Ginny asked sweetly, ‘I couldn’t quite hear that.’
‘Ginny,’ he tried again. He gave up and pinned her arms to her sides where they couldn’t do any more damage. He held her like that until he caught his breath again and glared at her.
‘That was cheating,’ he said sullenly.
‘That was Slytherin,’ Ginny corrected.
His lips twitched a little at the corners. What the devil was she playing at? Blaise looked at the two of them and glanced at Luna to see how’s she was taking it. She had a dreamy smile on her face. Blaise chuckled to himself. This certainly was an interesting development. Since she had no qualms about her friend sitting on a Slytherin’s lap and looking as though she had no inclination to get up soon, Blaise wondered how she’d react if he made a move.
He touched his fingers to hers beside the chessboard and looked at her face. She looked startled at first but smiled shyly. Blaise scooted closer to her.
*.*.*
Ginny seemed to be having trouble with her breathing. Her legs were on either side of Draco’s waist where she had landed, and his hands were still pinning her arms to her sides. The hands had loosened their grip somewhat, but she was still sitting on his lap. Why was she still sitting on his lap? Well, for one, it was awfully comfortable here. And warm. Yes, it was very warm. But it was Malfoy, her subconscious whined. So, she argued stubbornly, he's still warm and comfortable.
Draco cleared his throat and released Ginny’s arms. Her skin missed the contact immediately and she looked down, blushing to the roots of her hair.
‘Would you mind getting up?’ Draco asked politely, ‘I can’t feel my toes.’
Ginny disentangled her legs and stood. She refused to look at anyone, and gathered her now mercifully dormant book and marched angrily to her room. After careful observation, Luna gave Blaise a roll of her eyes and a shrug. She then proceeded to kick Malfoy in the shins and ran after Ginny.
‘Ouch!’ Draco muttered, rubbing his bruised shins, ‘Crazy bint,’
‘Watch your language, mate,’ Blaise said, annoyed.
Draco scoffed as Blaise sat in the armchair facing him. ‘What?’ he asked defensively.
Blaise raised his hands in submission. ‘What did you do?’
‘What did I do? She ran away!’
‘To be fair, you practically shoved her off your lap.’
He grumbled something that sounded a lot like ‘Did not’ but Blaise didn’t have the patience to deal with an immature Draco.
‘Whatever you did, apologize. I don’t feel like spending the rest of the holidays getting the cold shoulder from Ginny Weasley. She makes the Abominable Snowman look like Santa Claus.’
‘I didn’t do anything,’ Draco protested.
Blaise stared at Draco, measuring him.
‘Could you at least play nice, Draco?’
Draco’s expression shifted into icy indifference. ‘I don’t want to play at all.’ he responded.
Blaise stood. ‘Fine,’ he said coolly, exiting the room.
Draco was left to stew in his thoughts.
*.*.*
By the time Luna entered the room, Ginny was repairing the clock for the fifth time after throwing it at the wall.
‘Am I stupid, Luna?’ she asked miserably, throwing herself on the bed.
‘No, Ginny. You know you’re not.’
‘Then why did I just set myself up like that? With Malfoy of all people.’
Luna sat on the bed beside her friend’s prone figure and patted her shoulder consolingly. ‘The heart does things for reasons reason cannot understand.’
‘What?’ Ginny asked, lifting her head to peer at the other girl in confusion.
‘You don’t have to have a reason for it. Just now I almost kissed Blaise Zabini.’ She shrugged. ‘These things happen.’
Ginny stared at Luna. ‘You almost kissed Blaise?! When?’
‘While you were, ahem, wrapped up in Mr. Malfoy,' Luna said with a small smile.
Ginny harrumphed. ‘Doesn’t matter. I’m sure dozens of girls throw themselves at his feet daily.’ She snapped her fingers. ‘I’ll be forgotten like that.’
‘We’re the only girls here, Ginevra.’
Ginny frowned. ‘Yes, well - Should I just pretend nothing happened? Of course nothing did happen, but all the same, you get my meaning.’ Her hands fluttered uselessly as she said this. She sat up on the bed and crossed her legs, leaning forward on her elbows.
Luna stretched and lay down. ‘Take your cue from him.’
‘But what if he does the wrong thing?’
‘Which is?’
‘I don’t know!’
‘Go with the flow. Let the chips fall where they will. Que sera sera.’ Luna turned on her side and snuggled into her pillow. Ginny poked her in the ribs.
“Did you get that from my horoscope?’ she asked dryly.
‘No, Draco’s. Yours said Carpe diem.’ Luna fell asleep leaving Ginny to ponder that bit of information.
*.*.*
Ginny opened her eyes blearily and sat up in bed. It was snowing again but it was Christmas morning. Presents! she thought happily, and turned to wake up Luna, but her bed was empty. Ginny took the stairs two at a time. She jumped over the last three and continued running towards the tree where she collided with Blaise. He caught her before she could hit the ground and chuckled.
‘Eager, are we?’
She ignored him and searched for her presents amidst the lot. Luna was already halfway through her pile and had the oddest assortment of knickknacks beside her.
‘Dad’s relatives,’ she said in response to Ginny’s questioning glance. She didn’t wince at the mention of her father and Ginny noticed for the first time how close Blaise was standing to her friend. She remembered a comment of Luna’s yesterday about her almost kissing Blaise. Shaking her head, she got her presents out. Whatever made Luna happy.
‘Good haul this year,’ Ginny said to no one in particular. There was a pair of hand-me-down Dragonhide Quidditch gloves from Ron, a Quidditch bracelet from Harry, the Revised Quidditch Through the Ages from Hermione, a new Skiving Snackbox from the twins. She flinched, no, George, now. She put that away for inspection later. Mum and Dad had gotten her a new book bag, Bill and Fleur a new Potions kit and Charlie a miniature Swedish Shortsnout - her favourite dragon. Percy had sent her stationary. Gee, thanks, Percy. Quills and ink really say how you feel at Christmastime.
Luna held out her present. It was in a long thin case. Ginny opened it and grinned in delight.
‘A wandholder! Thanks, Luna.’
‘It’s lined with Snorkack hide - that’s to prevent theft - and the outside is decorated with Mermaid scales.’
‘What are the scales for?’ Blaise asked curiously.
‘Decoration, of course.’
After Blaise and Ginny finished laughing, Ginny handed Luna her present - an entire collection of vegetable jewellery, in silver.
‘Sorry they’re not the actual thing, but I’ve heard these last longer,’ she said with a wink.
Luna smiled and said it was okay, she preferred to grow her own earrings anyway. Malfoy entered the room without the girls seeing him.
‘C’mon, Luna,’ Blaise said suddenly, ‘I want to give you your present.’
‘You got me something?’ Luna asked, turning to Blaise as he helped her up. ‘I’m not surprised. I got you a gift too.’ She smiled at him as he led her from the room. Luna was smiling a lot more lately.
‘I didn’t get you anything,’ Draco said from behind Ginny.
She stiffened and turned around, but didn't stand.
‘I didn’t get you anything either,’ she said slowly.
He nodded. ‘Would you like to go for a walk?’ he asked.
Ginny looked at the snow covered window and raised an eyebrow. ‘No, I don’t think I so, thanks.’
‘Not out there,’ Draco said impatiently, ‘In the halls.’
Ginny nodded, not entirely sure what she was agreeing to. She fetched her coat and pulled it on over her pyjamas. It wasn’t like anyone was around to see her. By the time she had returned, Draco had pulled on a robe.
She walked over to the entrance. ‘C’mon then.’
Draco followed her out.
They had gone some distance before Draco spoke. Ginny was trying to convince herself to go back when he said, ‘I’m sorry about yesterday. That was rude.’
Ginny shrugged. ‘I don’t expect much better from you, Draco.’
That comment stung more than she intended it to, he was sure.
‘You should,’ he protested.
‘Why?’ She stopped walking and turned to look at him. ‘When have you been anything other than a devious, underhanded, scheming Slytherin? What reason do I have to believe you’re anything other than what you appear to be?’
When she put it like that...‘Fair points,’ he conceded, ‘But - ’
She stepped closer. ‘Yes, Draco?’
‘Er -’ He looked up. ‘Mistletoe,’ he said softly.
Ginny looked down. ‘Nargle droppings.’
When she looked back up, Draco was leaning towards her. Her breath caught. He moved slowly closer and Ginny couldn’t stand the wait. She tipped and pressed her lips to his. His eyes flew open for a moment at the contact before they closed again. Her arms were tight around his neck, his arms were snug around her waist. He was warm, she was comfortable, and they liked it.
*.*.*
The holidays ended, as all good things must, and students began pouring back in. The Christmas quartet had to relinquish their tower and hope that the holiday magic didn’t disappear like the snow would. After much discussion (and various unorthodox methods of persuasion), they had opted not to conceal their affections. Though it was shocking at first to see the unlikely pairs strolling casually down corridors without hexing each other, the Hogwarts castle inhabitants had learned to expect the unexpected and accepted the oddity without much resistance.
There were some difference in the way things were. For instance, certain Gryffindors now became strangely violent whenever the word 'Ferret' was mentioned and Luna's things didn't go missing anymore. It could never be what it was before, but Hogwarts was on the mend.
~fin~