D/G Feast Story: Things Unseen
Title: Things Unseen
Author: Nicole Lynn
Rating: PG-13
Recipe: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins, Mint Chocolate Brownies
Summary: She never noticed him.
She never noticed him. She never had and she probably never would. Oh, she saw him, looked right at him sometimes, but her looks were never welcoming and her eyes always moved on without any delay. He, on the other hand, could not stop noticing her. His eye was constantly pulled to that unruly red hair and would remain fixed on her for as long as he could bare it.
He knew well the way she tossed her head when she laughed and the soft light in her eyes when she talked to her brothers. He knew the way she use to jut her chin out when the pillock she had called her boyfriend said something particularly stunning and the way her pert nose wrinkled whenever the fool walked by her now. He could tell her mood by the way her eyes danced and could easily interpret the long silences that so baffled those supposedly closest to her.
Unfortunately that also meant that he knew the quirk of the her lips that signaled Potter was near and the glowing happiness that lit her face when ever the Boy Who Should Have Died bothered himself enough to talk to her. And seeing that happiness never failed to turn his stomach.
He scowled across the room, took a big bite of his brownie, watched her glow and vowed that this time it would not make him turn his head. This time Potter wouldn’t take away what little pleasure she gave him by forcing him from watching her. He felt his forehead wrinkle with distaste and forced it to smooth out. Then he shoved the rest of the sticky treat he was eating into his mouth and reached for another before he was finished chewing.
Bite, chew, swallow. Bite, chew, swallow. He concentrated on the taste of it, on the way the soft chocolate melted on his tongue, and not on the brilliant smile that was now on her face. He muttered a fowl word or two under his breath as an all too familiar longing filled her eyes. His attention shifted sideways long enough for him to register that Potter was smiling at her then it went right back to its previous occupation. He snarled as he stood. Then he snatched up the remaining brownie and left the Great Hall in a manner most unbecoming to the heir of the house of Malfoy.
Behind him the light in a young witch’s eyes faded in direct correlation to each step he took.
@~@~@
Ginny grimaced at the pile of baked goods in front of her one more time before sighing and settling into her chair. She knew it was pointless, that he was more likely to kiss Harry then sweep her off her feet, but something inside of her refused to let go. So instead of doing what was reasonable and dating one of the few boys that had asked her, she was sitting in a cluttered corner of the kitchen carefully charming treats while the house-elves gave her pleading looks.
She was just about finished with this weeks batch and nothing could make her happier. She knew it was wrong, but house-elves always made her slightly nervous. Being around them made her skin crawl . She wasn’t sure why, but she felt as if their thoughts were pressing against her. It was a testament to her devotion that she came without fail to the hot air of the kitchen and baked a weeks worth of goodies for him.
She looked down at the last bunch. Two double fudge cookies, three mint chocolate brownies, and an oversized chocolate chip pumpkin muffin sat ready to be wrapped in a dark green bag and tied with sliver string. She bit her lower lip as she contemplated what to write on the accompanying note. She reached for her quill and then pulled back.. Then she grit her teeth and snatched it up before she could change her mind. She quickly scribbled her request, stuffed the note in the bag and then tapped the lumpy package once with her wand. Then she sat back with a smile on her face.
She looked around and then motioned to a pack of house-elves chatting over a pile of dough. One of them came trembling up to her and stood with its funny shaped head tilted to one side. She stood, glanced down at him and nodded. His big eyes lit with joy as he snapped his fingers. Within an instant the seven packages on the table were gone and so was her reason to linger. She gave the elf a hesitant smile and said ‘see you next week’ before bolting for the door.
@~@~@
Draco would never admit that he was surprised when the first goodie bag appeared on his neatly made bed. To do so might make people, and by this he meant Crabbe and Goyle, think that he was not deserving of having girls obsessed with him in the first place. An idea like that might lead to other potentially dangerous thoughts with the result of him being without a fan club all together. So when he saw the pretty green package and jaunty silver bow he smirked and preened as if it was his due.
But the truth of the matter is that he was shocked.
He had never thought of himself as attractive. That is not to say that he considered himself unattractive. No that was not the case; still he wasn’t a popinjay like Blaise, always staring into mirrors and sighing over his good looks. Frankly, he didn’t want to be. He was honest about his charms and upfront, with himself at least, about where they fell short. So when days turned into weeks and the ever more familiar green bag kept appearing on his bed it was all he could do to not express his amazement. He found that he liked the idea of a secret admirer very much indeed. That is, until she started sending notes along with the treats.
He re-read the latest note with an ever mounting sense of doom. There was no way he could acquiesces to her politely worded demand. Even if it weren’t for his one side relationship with the little Weasel, it just was not done go about excepting invitations from strangers. Merlin knows he had tried every spell possible to learn the girl’s, he refused to consider that it might be a boy, identity. With each failed attempted he became a little more sure that the person in question must be physically repulsive. Or have a major inferiority complex. The sheer number of protections built into the innocent looking bags could mean no less.
Draco rubbed his eyes and ever so slightly shook his head. He glanced across the hall in hopes of catching the eye of his witch only to have it snagged by the gangly waist of space sitting next to her. He sneered at the boy wonder for a few moments before lowering his head and getting back to the task at hand. He had to come up with some way of putting the girl off without offending her.
He was a Slytherin for Circe’s sake, he should be able to lead her on and still not have to confront her. Maybe it was his father in him, but he had no qualms about using the girl for her baked goods. He knew it was any thing but altruistic of him, but he enjoyed the sweets too much to give them up just because he didn’t want their maker.
A light laughter broke his train of thought and a slightly disgruntled Draco looked up just in time to see Potter reach over and tug on one of his little Weasel’s braids. He snarled and instinctively curled his hands into fists. The sound of parchment crinkling grated on his nerves and for a split second he indulged in the idea of tossing one annoyance at another. Then she laughed again and all hope he had of reining in his temper vanished.
His world narrowed to the be-speckled git. Draco focused on the stupid grin on the other boy’s face and the pathetic spark of hope that lit his eyes. A hiss of displeasure caused those seated next to him to eye him warily before sliding down the bench a ways but he was too consumed to care.
@~@~@
“He’s staring at Harry.” Lavender whispered as she poked Ginny in the side. She brought her arms up and curled her fingers into lose fists. She raised an eyebrow at Parvati and the other girl grinned as she lifted her hands as well. Ginny sighed and joined them. The three exchanged smiles before popping their finger against their thumbs and saying ‘poof’ loud enough for the Ravenclaws to hear them. Heads turned to see what all the ruckus was about and they dissolved into giggles at their own silliness. Then Lavender and Parvati started their familiar bemoaning about how very unfair it was and how they wished they could be boys if that were Malfoy’s tendencies lay.
Ginny tuned them out while she engaged in some staring of her own. She couldn’t help but scrunch up her nose when she realized that he was still scowling in their direction. She groaned and mentally acknowledged that Lavender was right, he was looking at Harry. Again. It rankled her to no end that he paid so much attention to the boy he was supposed to hate. She put a hand to her forehead and sighed dramatically which cause the two girls sitting next to her to giggle once more. She flashed them a broad grin before leaning over and cooing to Harry that his lover was mooning at him. She laughed at the frustration and disgust written on his face, then laughed louder as he reach out and tugged on one of her braids.
“What would your brothers say if they knew how obsessed with Malfoy you are Gin?” Harry teased.
Ginny couldn’t control the blush that spread over her face as she muttered something about pointy chins and ice cold eyes. Harry just cocked an eyebrow at her and told her she would have to do better than that before she had him convinced. She opened her mouth to say something hopefully witting but was saved by Parvati.
“And what’s wrong with thinking he’s yummy?” She said with more than a little edge to her voice. “There’s a big leap from looking to touching and Merlin knows that touching a girl is something that poof isn’t interested in.”
“And what makes you so sure of that Parvati?” Harry said with those brilliant green eyes of his sparkling.
“Anyone who has been within two feet of that toady Parkinson or that horrible Greengrass girl overhears an earful about ‘Master Malfoy’ and his ‘unnatural habits.’ And seeing as how Lav and I just happen to sit behind them in potions… Well lets just say that he not entertaining the ladies in his private room half the night.”
Lavender giggled and added “You should hear those slags whining over the fact that Blaise spends hours in there every night while they have to all but throw themselves at his feet before he lets them in.”
“And then it’s only to talk about Perfect duties or ask about their families.” Parvati finished in a breathless rush.
Ginny smirked at Harry and threw the last log onto the fire. “Both of them are one hundred and ten percent convinced that he is a total battyman and they are the ones who would be in the best position to know.”
“So like we said before, who cares if us girls get a good look at him, it’s you and Ron who should be worried.” Lavender gave Ginny a sly smile that went unseen by Harry as he shook his head in disbelief.
“Maybe your right Lav, but couldn’t you drool over Seamus or something? It gives us a bad image to have our girls fancying a ponce git like Malfoy.” He said with a hint of desperation.
The girls turned their heads and looked down the table to where Seamus and Neville were studiously shoveling food into their mouths. Lavender huffed as she glared at them and Parvati made a moue of distaste.
“No thank you Harry.” She said primly. “For all he’s a rotter, Malfoy at least has some table manners.”
@~@~@
Ginny nervously fingered the thick envelope for what must have been the hundredth time. It was the worst of luck that it should have come to her right before Double Potions. Any other class she might have been able to sneak a peek at what it said but she knew from past experience that Snape a sixth sense where note were concerned. She sighed. For all he was starting to warm up to her after the past two summers of practically living together, he would not over look her shirking her studies.
She slowly removed her hand from her pocket and bent her head over her notes. She kept feeling like she had missed something when Snape had been lecturing about the properties of Jobberknoll feathers. She nibbled on the end of her quill for a few seconds trying to figure out what it might be. Ginny growled in frustration and turned to her seatmate with the intention of asking to look over his notes. Collin eyed her wearily before flipping open his notebook and scanning down the page. He quickly found the pertinent section and pushed the page towards her with a grin.
“You would do a darn sight better job at taking notes if you weren’t playing with whatever it is you have in your pocket every two seconds Gin.” He said with a friendly laugh.
Ginny blushed and muttered something about minding his own business which only make him laugh louder. Which, of course, brought Snape swooping over to them and demanding to know what all the ruckus was about. Ginny shamefacedly admitted asking to look over Collin’s notes because she was not paying as much attention as she should have with the result of Snape taking five points from Gryffindor and telling Ginny that she could meet with one of the seventh years after dinner next Friday in order to have the day’s lesson repeated.
She barely kept from groaning as he walked away with a satisfied smirk on his face. Collin tried to cheer her up by suggesting that maybe it would be Lavender or Hermione, since both of them had top grades and frequently tutored students who were falling behind. Ginny gave him a week smile and let him babble knowing full well that Snape had Parkinson or some other vile Slytherin in mind.
@~@~@
She read through the note one more time in disbelief. She had know that he was not going to send her an invitation of marriage but still she had not been expecting this. She sighed and closed her eyes feeling tears prickling behind them.
Ginny swallowed and put her hands to her flaming cheeks. She was thoroughly embarrassed, the only thing keeping her from hiding herself away in her room till the end of the term was knowing that he had no clue that it was her would had been ‘stalking him’ as he so aptly put it. She looked down at the crisp parchment in her hands and felt a wave of self loathing crash over her.
He said she was a nuisance, he said she was little better than a house-elf; he said she should find someone more worthy of her unwanted attention and by all that was holy she was going to do so.
She all but ran to the kitchen. Her face was red with shame and her voice slightly wobbly but she found the house-elf she had entrusted with her care packages and boldly demanded them back. She ignored his watery eyes and pleading look as she stormed out of the room.
As soon as she was alone she shrank the conspicuous green bags and shoved them into her pocket. Then she set her features to reveal nothing and calmly made her way back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Upon arrival she scanned the faces gathered there trying to decided who to dump her ‘unwanted’ goodies on.
After a good once over Ginny sighed and ran her hand through her hair. There was no one she could give them to without having to explain why she had them in the first place. She stalked over to an empty table and threw her book bag onto it with more force then necessary. She pulled out her Divination homework and started inventing dream after dream that featured a snotty little brat of a boy being tortured by more and more horrifying monsters.
And this is how her brother and his two closet friends found her nearly an hour later. Harry took one look at the most recent entry in her clearly faked dream diary and gave a surprised laugh. He glance quickly at her still red face and decided that this was not at all the time to mention her obsession. He simply raised a brow at her and murmured something in Hermione’s ear before leading her and Ron over to a free sofa.
Ginny noticed and scowled again. Her mood was in no way improved by the passage of time. She could still feel the mini-packages pressing against her leg in her pocket and the thought of all the hard work and care she had put into making them burned resentfully in her belly. She glared at Harry, thinking how ironic it was that the subject of all her little fantasies was doomed to lust after him. She frowned as a unpleasant thought wormed its way into her mind. A wicked smile crept over her face and her eye glowed with unholy joy.
She stood and walked over to where the trio had enthroned themselves. She gave Ron a sickly sweet smile before asking him and Hermione if she could talk to Harry alone for a bit. His whole face lit up with hopeful anticipation and he quickly stood and beckoned Hermione to follow him to the table that Ginny has just vacated. Hermione sent her a worried look before standing and taking her boyfriend’s hand.
Ginny ignored the look, all her attention was focused on the boy in front of her. She plopped down beside him, pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees. She lowered her eyes, fiddled with the packages in her robe for a long moment and then raised her head with determination.
“I have something for you Harry.” she said in a voice barely above a whisper. He cocked his head to the side and looked about to say something but she rushed on before her could. “I don’t want any questions, I just want you to take it and act all pleased and puffed up about it, ok.”
He nodded and held out his hand expectantly. Ginny rolled her eyes and swatted it away.
“Not now!” she hissed. “I will give it to you tomorrow, right before breakfast.” He blinked. “It’s not ready yet.” She explained.
“Ginny, what are you about?” his voice held a warning but Ginny didn’t pay it the slightest mind.
“I’ll tell you more later.” If it all works out.
“You had better.” Harry said with a laugh.
She nodded and then jumped to her feet. If she was going to make the changes needed she had better start right away. She gave Harry one last smile, grabbed her bag off the table and called a cheery goodnight out to her brother before running up to her room.
@~@~@
He couldn’t believe it. Draco glared across the Great Hall still in shock at what he saw. His witch was simpering over Scarhead while he and his moth-eaten band of tagalongs pulled treat out after treat out of a sickeningly familiar red bag tied with gold string. He snarled to him self and reached out to snatch up a brownie. His hand stopped midair as he realized that the brownie he wanted was currently being eaten by a bushy haired know-it-all.
Could this day get any worst? He thought to himself as he settled on a treacle tart. When the little green bag of goodies failed to appear on his neatly folded bed he had brushed it off as a fit of temper. He was not at all prepared, therefore, to see the dolt who passed for his nemesis walk into the Great Hall with his chest puffed out and Draco’s bag of goodies clutched in his right hand.
The stupid prat had it with him in all the classes they shared today and now, after eating more then double the number of treats it should have had, wonder boy was passing pumpkin muffins around as if the supply was never ending. Draco scowled as he cut his kidney pie into inedible bits.
It wasn’t fair.
Potter already had the prettiest witch in school hanging all over him, he didn’t need to steal the ones that fancied Draco as well. A small voice in his head told him that he had no one but himself to blame. It whispered that the note he had sent his admirer had been anything but pleasant and that he himself had told her to find someone else to pester and annoy. Draco shook his head as if the motion would dispel the thoughts that were circling like vipers in his mind. He threw his fork onto his plate, relishing in the loud clatter it caused and the displeased sniffs of his housemates.
@~@~@
Ginny watched Draco leave the great hall and shifted away from Harry’s side. She lowered her head and started in on her as yet untouched plate of food. She felt rather than saw his confused stare. She knew she should explain, but she didn’t want to open up that can of worms before it was necessary. Ginny picked up her glass of pumpkin juice and took a long draw on it. When she set the cup down her eye caught with Hermione’s.
The other girl gave her a knowing grin and inclined her head slightly in approval. It was all that Ginny could do not to roll her eyes. Hermione was certain that Ginny was trying to make Ernie jealous with all her gift giving and fawning over Harry. Ginny had done her best to convince her friend otherwise but with little success.
It’s better than having her know the truth, I guess. Ginny thought resignedly to herself. And if this none to brilliant plan of mine fails then at least she won’t be giving me an I-told-you-so lecture.
Ginny traced lazy circles in her mash with a knife and tried to ignore the little voice in her head telling her that she was no closer to getting what she wanted then she had been five months ago. She let out a huff of air and stuck her tongue out at the mess she had made of her food. Her mother had always said that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, but her mother had never tried to seduce a Malfoy with homemade sweets.
@~@~@
Draco stood toe to toe with Potter sneering. He couldn’t take it any longer. All his rage about being shunted aside rushed to the fore as he stood with his wand drawn. He didn’t know how they had gotten there, but he was not surprised. He had been taunting the prat’s side kick lazily from the other side of the library when something had sparked ickle Potty and the boy had all but flown across the room.
He could not fight the feeling of rightness that welled up in him as the two of them were hissing threats and insults at each other. Slowly a crowd of on lookers ringed them in. Draco listened to the cheers of his housemates and some of the tension slipped away in their angry words. This was the way things should be. He thought with a smile. When it came to Potter and his bottom of the barrel cronies right and wrong were clearly defined, and the role he played was a welcome one.
He let his frustration over his lack of a relationship with the littlest Weasel color his confrontation. His words were particularly cutting and they seemed to be doing a better job then normal. He gave a mocking laugh when the Irish half-blood started mouthing off about Malfoys being evil to the core. “That’s right” he cooed. A Malfoy came with a pedigree and he would be damned if he let over four hundred years of machiavellian rule come crashing down because of one shabby red head. A detached part of his brain analyzed the situation and decided that he only had three minuets before that hag Pince came to see what all the fuss was about.
With that thought in mind Draco moved in for the kill. He screwed up his nose and poked his foe hard in the chest. He made a mocking face and started simpering about Potter dragging pathetic bags of goodies about to make it seem as if someone fancied him. Draco made his eyes as wide as possible before shoving the dagger to the hilt and saying that he wouldn’t be surprised if the poor little Weasel King had scrapped up the last of his family’s savings to buy the ingredients for them.
In an instant Potter had been pushed aside and a red faced Weasley had taken his place ranting about Ginny and her cooking skills. Draco blinked owlishly and took a step back. His stomach was tearing itself to pieces as things suddenly snapped into place. He blinked again and turned away from his favorite playmate.
He stormed out in a loud roar of applause from the other Slytherins and the jeers of the Gryffidors. His mind was swirling and his thoughts kept jumping from one conclusion to the next. Knowledge was power and what he had just learned gave him an upper hand he would be a fool not to take advantage of. He bit his lip and tried to think of a way put it to use.
He was nearly to the Slytherin Common Room before he realized that Zabini was walking beside him blathering on about Potions and the unfairness of the universe. Draco half listened to Zabini bitch about being given extra duties and tried to remember why the other boy was his friend. He kept a carefully blank look on his face as he thought of all spells he knew that would stop the boy’s fussing for good. He had just reached number fifty seven when the meaning of the his words broke through.
“You are doing what?” he snapped.
Zabini rolled his eyes. “So nice of you to join the conversation Malfoy.” he said snidely before launching back into his story. He stood looking at Draco expectantly when he had finished.
Draco opened his mouth to say something then furrowed his brow and touched his tongue to his upper lip. He brought a finger to his chin and tapped it once. Zabini’s eye’s widened and Draco realized that he had mirrored his father’s trademark move. A grin broke across his face and he let a happy sort of laugh escape his lips. Zabini raised a brow in question but Draco just shook his head and walked away smirking.
@~@~@
Ginny sat in the empty classroom shivering. She had lost track of time while playing a game of Exploding Snap in the Great Hall and as a result did not have time to run up to the tower and get her sweater before her make up lesson. She knew that the dungeons were always a few degrees cooler than the rest of the castle, but she had not thought that she would be kept waiting in a damp room. She was contemplating casting a heating charm and damn the consequences when the door to the room slammed open and a tall, dark figure entered.
“It’s about bloody time.” she hissed under her breath.
“What was that again?”
Ginny stiffened. There was no way… But Snape told me… her mind sputtered as she tried to keep her emotions from showing on her face. She sat painfully upright in her chair and counted to twenty before answering.
“What are you doing here Malfoy?” she sneered.
“What’s it look like Weasel?”
Ginny rolled her eyes at his put upon tone. “Wasting my time.” She said helpfully. She picked up her quill and started doodling on the edge of her Potion notes, then asked in a bored drawl “Where is Blaise?”
“Blaise?” Draco gave a cold laugh. “Since when are you on a first name basis with Zabini?”
Ginny felt her face flush but she jutted her chin out and said “It’s none of your business if I am.”
Draco glared at her before pulling out his wand and stalking to the front of the classroom. He gave it a gentle flick and Snape’s lesson plans appeared on the blackboard with careful notes written in an unfamiliar hand. She gave him a suspicious look before copying it onto a fresh piece of parchment. She steadfastly ignored him but after about twenty minuets of his staring she was no longer in the mood to do so.
Draco gave a slight jerk when she twisted around and gave him a malevolent look. He quickly regained his composer and plastered a mocking smile on his face. She narrowed her eyes slightly and brushed an errant strand of hair out of her face. Draco felt his mouth go dry and licked his parched lips. A feeling of satisfaction bloomed in his chest at the way her breathing hitched in response.
He walked over to where she was sitting and deliberately stood a little too close while checking her progress. He wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn that she leaned towards him for just a second before making a show of inching away from him on her bench. She was muttering something under her breath and his head whipped up as he heard Zabini’s name once more.
“Do explain your fascination with Zabini Weasley.” he said in an icy tone that would have sent Crabbe into hysterics. She gave him a mulish look and picked her quill back up.
“If you are finished lording over me Malfoy…” she trailed off with a pointed look.
Draco growled. If that’s the way you want to play he thought viciously then you had better not go crying foul when someone gets hurt. He nodded, taking a slight step back. His eyes burned into the top of her head as he tried to think of a way to draw her out of the cloak of indifference she had wrapped herself in.
@~@~@
Ginny frowned as she wrote the same line for the third time. Her fingers were shaking and she did not know how much more of his blatant stare she could take. She slanted her eyes to the side and her stomach did a little flip flop at the soft look on his face. She felt her brow furrow as she tried to work out what that look could mean.
She gave her head a little shake to drive the foolish thoughts from it. Everyone knew he fancied Harry. She scribbled the next line down and cringed at the splatters of ink that accompanied the words. She quickly blotted them and hoped that her watcher did not notice how nervous she was becoming. Her eyes blurred and Ginny realized with a start that she had spent the last four minuets or so glaring at the black board as if it could give her the answers she was seeking.
She heard a snort of laughter and felt her spine stiffen in response. He seem to get in a dither whenever the Zabini boy was mentioned, so Ginny took a deep breath before asking again why it was that Draco was tutoring her and not Blaise. His reaction was predictable. Within seconds he was spitting at her and the uncomfortable sensations his unwavering gaze had brought on disappeared.
“Do you fancy him?”
Ginny was taken aback at the anger she heard in his voice. She hesitated unsure how to proceed. She wanted him being his typical cruel self, not acting as if she had hurt him. Instead he was standing a breath away from her with a look in his eyes that made her want to reassure him. Draco interpreted her silence as an acknowledgment and instantly started into a rant about how it made perfect sense. She frowned at him in confusion.
“What the bloody hell are you talking about Malfoy?” she shouted in exasperation.
“You and your obsession with gangly black hair gits.” He snarled. “Do try and keep up. I know it is hard for your little mind to grasp concepts, but really.” He gave her a patronizing smile as he pretended to pick lint off his robes.
“Oh get over yourself Malfoy.”
“Pardon?”
“I do not fancy Blaise” She heard him snort and rolled her eyes. She glanced down at the lines she had written and contemplated crumpling it up and throwing it at the boy. “I don’t.” she muttered to herself.
“Whatever you say.” Draco said with a knowing smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t let your secret slip to Perfect Potter. Wouldn’t want him thinking your don’t care.”
She blinked and started rubbing her temples. “Let me get this right Malfoy. You think I want Blaise but won’t admit it because that would be being unfaithful to Harry?” She didn’t know if she should laugh or scream at his curt nod. She settled on giving him a you-are-an-idiot grin and sprawling out on the bench. “And you call me slow.”
He was hovering over her, his face a mask of rage and Ginny could not take a second more of it. She stood up and leaned dangerously close to him. Then she fingered his robes and said “Just because you cream your pants whenever Harry walks into a room doesn’t mean I do.” Then she grabbed his tie and pulled his face so close that she could feel his breath on her cheeks.
She didn’t know what she was going to do but it didn’t matter because before she had time to stop him, Draco had closed the distance between their lips and was kissing her. The world seemed to stop spinning as she melted into his arms. She could taste strawberries and mint on his tongue and wondered what it was he tasted on hers. Then his fingers moved in her hair and pulled her body flush against his, the ability to think left her completely. All she knew was that she never wanted this moment to end. And then it did. Rather abruptly. He pulled away from her and stalked to Snape’s desk. He stood behind it, resting his palms on its scared surface.
“If I cream in my pants, as you so crudely put it, it is defiantly not over Potter.” He ran a hand through his hair, then crossed his arms.
Ginny swallowed and involuntarily tugged on the end of her braid. She wasn’t sure how she should feel or what she should do. She closed her eyes and screwed up her courage. If she didn’t ask it now then she never would and she didn’t want to go through life wondering what he might of said.
“But you told me you didn’t want me because you fancied someone else, and you are always looking at Harry, and Parkinson said you and Blaise…” She broke off with a blush. She looked at her toes in embarrassment, not wanting to see his eyes and the laughter she was sure they held.
“I didn’t know it was you, you little fool.” His voice was soft when he answered, taking the sting out of the words. “If it hadn’t been for your baboon of a brother I wouldn’t have known at all.” He sounded as if he would rather eat stinksap then admit it and Ginny giggled despite herself. “Think that’s funny do you?” he hissed.
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do.” She gave him a haughty look as she sauntered to stand directly in front of him on the other side of the desk. She reached up, pulled the band from her hair and loosened her tie. She licked her lips the way he had and then smiled coyly up at him from under her lashes. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“Weasley,” Draco said in an almost pleasant tone “your seduction would come across better if you didn’t have ink on your face.” He reached out and brushed a finger across the tip of her nose.
Ginny gave an undignified squeak and swatted at his hand. She dug out a pocket mirror and set about scrubbing her face with a faded handkerchief. Draco watched in amused silence as she muttered to herself. When she finally looked up she was once again taken aback by what she saw in his eyes.
“I guess she was right after all.” Ginny murmured. Draco looked perplexed and so she explained. “My mother always said that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, but Lav said that was bollocks and that if I really wanted to get one then I had to ignore him and drool over someone else. And since you just kissed me I would say that Lav knew a bit more about it then my mum did.” She gave a cheeky grin. “But since her ‘fail proof’ seduction was about as successful as my goodie baskets, I don’t think I will be able to remember to tell her.”
Fin
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Cream together:
1 cup sugar
½ cup shortening
Add:
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. Baking powder ( I usually add 1/2 tsp more)
1 - 6 oz. Pkg. Choc. Chips (1 cup) (semi sweet tastes best, but you can do whatever you want, even omit if you don’t like chocolate)
Bake at 350° for 25-30 min.
When doubling recipe just double everything
Tip: Bake one tin at a time for even baking
Mint Chocolate Brownies
1cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
¾ cup coco powder
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup unbleached flour
2 tsp almond extract
1 cup mint chocolate chips
1/8 tsp red pepper
1 tsp fresh crushed mint
Heat oven to 350° grease a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Melt the butter in a large pot. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, vanilla, almond and the eggs one at a time. Add everything but the flour and mint chocolate chips and beat until well blended. Stir in the flour and then fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 30 to 35 minuets or until the sides begin to pull away from the sides.
Makes around 35
The muffins are the work of my friend Lisa’s mother, Mrs. Rice, and the brownies are mine.
Author: Nicole Lynn
Rating: PG-13
Recipe: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins, Mint Chocolate Brownies
Summary: She never noticed him.
She never noticed him. She never had and she probably never would. Oh, she saw him, looked right at him sometimes, but her looks were never welcoming and her eyes always moved on without any delay. He, on the other hand, could not stop noticing her. His eye was constantly pulled to that unruly red hair and would remain fixed on her for as long as he could bare it.
He knew well the way she tossed her head when she laughed and the soft light in her eyes when she talked to her brothers. He knew the way she use to jut her chin out when the pillock she had called her boyfriend said something particularly stunning and the way her pert nose wrinkled whenever the fool walked by her now. He could tell her mood by the way her eyes danced and could easily interpret the long silences that so baffled those supposedly closest to her.
Unfortunately that also meant that he knew the quirk of the her lips that signaled Potter was near and the glowing happiness that lit her face when ever the Boy Who Should Have Died bothered himself enough to talk to her. And seeing that happiness never failed to turn his stomach.
He scowled across the room, took a big bite of his brownie, watched her glow and vowed that this time it would not make him turn his head. This time Potter wouldn’t take away what little pleasure she gave him by forcing him from watching her. He felt his forehead wrinkle with distaste and forced it to smooth out. Then he shoved the rest of the sticky treat he was eating into his mouth and reached for another before he was finished chewing.
Bite, chew, swallow. Bite, chew, swallow. He concentrated on the taste of it, on the way the soft chocolate melted on his tongue, and not on the brilliant smile that was now on her face. He muttered a fowl word or two under his breath as an all too familiar longing filled her eyes. His attention shifted sideways long enough for him to register that Potter was smiling at her then it went right back to its previous occupation. He snarled as he stood. Then he snatched up the remaining brownie and left the Great Hall in a manner most unbecoming to the heir of the house of Malfoy.
Behind him the light in a young witch’s eyes faded in direct correlation to each step he took.
@~@~@
Ginny grimaced at the pile of baked goods in front of her one more time before sighing and settling into her chair. She knew it was pointless, that he was more likely to kiss Harry then sweep her off her feet, but something inside of her refused to let go. So instead of doing what was reasonable and dating one of the few boys that had asked her, she was sitting in a cluttered corner of the kitchen carefully charming treats while the house-elves gave her pleading looks.
She was just about finished with this weeks batch and nothing could make her happier. She knew it was wrong, but house-elves always made her slightly nervous. Being around them made her skin crawl . She wasn’t sure why, but she felt as if their thoughts were pressing against her. It was a testament to her devotion that she came without fail to the hot air of the kitchen and baked a weeks worth of goodies for him.
She looked down at the last bunch. Two double fudge cookies, three mint chocolate brownies, and an oversized chocolate chip pumpkin muffin sat ready to be wrapped in a dark green bag and tied with sliver string. She bit her lower lip as she contemplated what to write on the accompanying note. She reached for her quill and then pulled back.. Then she grit her teeth and snatched it up before she could change her mind. She quickly scribbled her request, stuffed the note in the bag and then tapped the lumpy package once with her wand. Then she sat back with a smile on her face.
She looked around and then motioned to a pack of house-elves chatting over a pile of dough. One of them came trembling up to her and stood with its funny shaped head tilted to one side. She stood, glanced down at him and nodded. His big eyes lit with joy as he snapped his fingers. Within an instant the seven packages on the table were gone and so was her reason to linger. She gave the elf a hesitant smile and said ‘see you next week’ before bolting for the door.
@~@~@
Draco would never admit that he was surprised when the first goodie bag appeared on his neatly made bed. To do so might make people, and by this he meant Crabbe and Goyle, think that he was not deserving of having girls obsessed with him in the first place. An idea like that might lead to other potentially dangerous thoughts with the result of him being without a fan club all together. So when he saw the pretty green package and jaunty silver bow he smirked and preened as if it was his due.
But the truth of the matter is that he was shocked.
He had never thought of himself as attractive. That is not to say that he considered himself unattractive. No that was not the case; still he wasn’t a popinjay like Blaise, always staring into mirrors and sighing over his good looks. Frankly, he didn’t want to be. He was honest about his charms and upfront, with himself at least, about where they fell short. So when days turned into weeks and the ever more familiar green bag kept appearing on his bed it was all he could do to not express his amazement. He found that he liked the idea of a secret admirer very much indeed. That is, until she started sending notes along with the treats.
He re-read the latest note with an ever mounting sense of doom. There was no way he could acquiesces to her politely worded demand. Even if it weren’t for his one side relationship with the little Weasel, it just was not done go about excepting invitations from strangers. Merlin knows he had tried every spell possible to learn the girl’s, he refused to consider that it might be a boy, identity. With each failed attempted he became a little more sure that the person in question must be physically repulsive. Or have a major inferiority complex. The sheer number of protections built into the innocent looking bags could mean no less.
Draco rubbed his eyes and ever so slightly shook his head. He glanced across the hall in hopes of catching the eye of his witch only to have it snagged by the gangly waist of space sitting next to her. He sneered at the boy wonder for a few moments before lowering his head and getting back to the task at hand. He had to come up with some way of putting the girl off without offending her.
He was a Slytherin for Circe’s sake, he should be able to lead her on and still not have to confront her. Maybe it was his father in him, but he had no qualms about using the girl for her baked goods. He knew it was any thing but altruistic of him, but he enjoyed the sweets too much to give them up just because he didn’t want their maker.
A light laughter broke his train of thought and a slightly disgruntled Draco looked up just in time to see Potter reach over and tug on one of his little Weasel’s braids. He snarled and instinctively curled his hands into fists. The sound of parchment crinkling grated on his nerves and for a split second he indulged in the idea of tossing one annoyance at another. Then she laughed again and all hope he had of reining in his temper vanished.
His world narrowed to the be-speckled git. Draco focused on the stupid grin on the other boy’s face and the pathetic spark of hope that lit his eyes. A hiss of displeasure caused those seated next to him to eye him warily before sliding down the bench a ways but he was too consumed to care.
@~@~@
“He’s staring at Harry.” Lavender whispered as she poked Ginny in the side. She brought her arms up and curled her fingers into lose fists. She raised an eyebrow at Parvati and the other girl grinned as she lifted her hands as well. Ginny sighed and joined them. The three exchanged smiles before popping their finger against their thumbs and saying ‘poof’ loud enough for the Ravenclaws to hear them. Heads turned to see what all the ruckus was about and they dissolved into giggles at their own silliness. Then Lavender and Parvati started their familiar bemoaning about how very unfair it was and how they wished they could be boys if that were Malfoy’s tendencies lay.
Ginny tuned them out while she engaged in some staring of her own. She couldn’t help but scrunch up her nose when she realized that he was still scowling in their direction. She groaned and mentally acknowledged that Lavender was right, he was looking at Harry. Again. It rankled her to no end that he paid so much attention to the boy he was supposed to hate. She put a hand to her forehead and sighed dramatically which cause the two girls sitting next to her to giggle once more. She flashed them a broad grin before leaning over and cooing to Harry that his lover was mooning at him. She laughed at the frustration and disgust written on his face, then laughed louder as he reach out and tugged on one of her braids.
“What would your brothers say if they knew how obsessed with Malfoy you are Gin?” Harry teased.
Ginny couldn’t control the blush that spread over her face as she muttered something about pointy chins and ice cold eyes. Harry just cocked an eyebrow at her and told her she would have to do better than that before she had him convinced. She opened her mouth to say something hopefully witting but was saved by Parvati.
“And what’s wrong with thinking he’s yummy?” She said with more than a little edge to her voice. “There’s a big leap from looking to touching and Merlin knows that touching a girl is something that poof isn’t interested in.”
“And what makes you so sure of that Parvati?” Harry said with those brilliant green eyes of his sparkling.
“Anyone who has been within two feet of that toady Parkinson or that horrible Greengrass girl overhears an earful about ‘Master Malfoy’ and his ‘unnatural habits.’ And seeing as how Lav and I just happen to sit behind them in potions… Well lets just say that he not entertaining the ladies in his private room half the night.”
Lavender giggled and added “You should hear those slags whining over the fact that Blaise spends hours in there every night while they have to all but throw themselves at his feet before he lets them in.”
“And then it’s only to talk about Perfect duties or ask about their families.” Parvati finished in a breathless rush.
Ginny smirked at Harry and threw the last log onto the fire. “Both of them are one hundred and ten percent convinced that he is a total battyman and they are the ones who would be in the best position to know.”
“So like we said before, who cares if us girls get a good look at him, it’s you and Ron who should be worried.” Lavender gave Ginny a sly smile that went unseen by Harry as he shook his head in disbelief.
“Maybe your right Lav, but couldn’t you drool over Seamus or something? It gives us a bad image to have our girls fancying a ponce git like Malfoy.” He said with a hint of desperation.
The girls turned their heads and looked down the table to where Seamus and Neville were studiously shoveling food into their mouths. Lavender huffed as she glared at them and Parvati made a moue of distaste.
“No thank you Harry.” She said primly. “For all he’s a rotter, Malfoy at least has some table manners.”
@~@~@
Ginny nervously fingered the thick envelope for what must have been the hundredth time. It was the worst of luck that it should have come to her right before Double Potions. Any other class she might have been able to sneak a peek at what it said but she knew from past experience that Snape a sixth sense where note were concerned. She sighed. For all he was starting to warm up to her after the past two summers of practically living together, he would not over look her shirking her studies.
She slowly removed her hand from her pocket and bent her head over her notes. She kept feeling like she had missed something when Snape had been lecturing about the properties of Jobberknoll feathers. She nibbled on the end of her quill for a few seconds trying to figure out what it might be. Ginny growled in frustration and turned to her seatmate with the intention of asking to look over his notes. Collin eyed her wearily before flipping open his notebook and scanning down the page. He quickly found the pertinent section and pushed the page towards her with a grin.
“You would do a darn sight better job at taking notes if you weren’t playing with whatever it is you have in your pocket every two seconds Gin.” He said with a friendly laugh.
Ginny blushed and muttered something about minding his own business which only make him laugh louder. Which, of course, brought Snape swooping over to them and demanding to know what all the ruckus was about. Ginny shamefacedly admitted asking to look over Collin’s notes because she was not paying as much attention as she should have with the result of Snape taking five points from Gryffindor and telling Ginny that she could meet with one of the seventh years after dinner next Friday in order to have the day’s lesson repeated.
She barely kept from groaning as he walked away with a satisfied smirk on his face. Collin tried to cheer her up by suggesting that maybe it would be Lavender or Hermione, since both of them had top grades and frequently tutored students who were falling behind. Ginny gave him a week smile and let him babble knowing full well that Snape had Parkinson or some other vile Slytherin in mind.
@~@~@
She read through the note one more time in disbelief. She had know that he was not going to send her an invitation of marriage but still she had not been expecting this. She sighed and closed her eyes feeling tears prickling behind them.
Ginny swallowed and put her hands to her flaming cheeks. She was thoroughly embarrassed, the only thing keeping her from hiding herself away in her room till the end of the term was knowing that he had no clue that it was her would had been ‘stalking him’ as he so aptly put it. She looked down at the crisp parchment in her hands and felt a wave of self loathing crash over her.
He said she was a nuisance, he said she was little better than a house-elf; he said she should find someone more worthy of her unwanted attention and by all that was holy she was going to do so.
She all but ran to the kitchen. Her face was red with shame and her voice slightly wobbly but she found the house-elf she had entrusted with her care packages and boldly demanded them back. She ignored his watery eyes and pleading look as she stormed out of the room.
As soon as she was alone she shrank the conspicuous green bags and shoved them into her pocket. Then she set her features to reveal nothing and calmly made her way back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Upon arrival she scanned the faces gathered there trying to decided who to dump her ‘unwanted’ goodies on.
After a good once over Ginny sighed and ran her hand through her hair. There was no one she could give them to without having to explain why she had them in the first place. She stalked over to an empty table and threw her book bag onto it with more force then necessary. She pulled out her Divination homework and started inventing dream after dream that featured a snotty little brat of a boy being tortured by more and more horrifying monsters.
And this is how her brother and his two closet friends found her nearly an hour later. Harry took one look at the most recent entry in her clearly faked dream diary and gave a surprised laugh. He glance quickly at her still red face and decided that this was not at all the time to mention her obsession. He simply raised a brow at her and murmured something in Hermione’s ear before leading her and Ron over to a free sofa.
Ginny noticed and scowled again. Her mood was in no way improved by the passage of time. She could still feel the mini-packages pressing against her leg in her pocket and the thought of all the hard work and care she had put into making them burned resentfully in her belly. She glared at Harry, thinking how ironic it was that the subject of all her little fantasies was doomed to lust after him. She frowned as a unpleasant thought wormed its way into her mind. A wicked smile crept over her face and her eye glowed with unholy joy.
She stood and walked over to where the trio had enthroned themselves. She gave Ron a sickly sweet smile before asking him and Hermione if she could talk to Harry alone for a bit. His whole face lit up with hopeful anticipation and he quickly stood and beckoned Hermione to follow him to the table that Ginny has just vacated. Hermione sent her a worried look before standing and taking her boyfriend’s hand.
Ginny ignored the look, all her attention was focused on the boy in front of her. She plopped down beside him, pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees. She lowered her eyes, fiddled with the packages in her robe for a long moment and then raised her head with determination.
“I have something for you Harry.” she said in a voice barely above a whisper. He cocked his head to the side and looked about to say something but she rushed on before her could. “I don’t want any questions, I just want you to take it and act all pleased and puffed up about it, ok.”
He nodded and held out his hand expectantly. Ginny rolled her eyes and swatted it away.
“Not now!” she hissed. “I will give it to you tomorrow, right before breakfast.” He blinked. “It’s not ready yet.” She explained.
“Ginny, what are you about?” his voice held a warning but Ginny didn’t pay it the slightest mind.
“I’ll tell you more later.” If it all works out.
“You had better.” Harry said with a laugh.
She nodded and then jumped to her feet. If she was going to make the changes needed she had better start right away. She gave Harry one last smile, grabbed her bag off the table and called a cheery goodnight out to her brother before running up to her room.
@~@~@
He couldn’t believe it. Draco glared across the Great Hall still in shock at what he saw. His witch was simpering over Scarhead while he and his moth-eaten band of tagalongs pulled treat out after treat out of a sickeningly familiar red bag tied with gold string. He snarled to him self and reached out to snatch up a brownie. His hand stopped midair as he realized that the brownie he wanted was currently being eaten by a bushy haired know-it-all.
Could this day get any worst? He thought to himself as he settled on a treacle tart. When the little green bag of goodies failed to appear on his neatly folded bed he had brushed it off as a fit of temper. He was not at all prepared, therefore, to see the dolt who passed for his nemesis walk into the Great Hall with his chest puffed out and Draco’s bag of goodies clutched in his right hand.
The stupid prat had it with him in all the classes they shared today and now, after eating more then double the number of treats it should have had, wonder boy was passing pumpkin muffins around as if the supply was never ending. Draco scowled as he cut his kidney pie into inedible bits.
It wasn’t fair.
Potter already had the prettiest witch in school hanging all over him, he didn’t need to steal the ones that fancied Draco as well. A small voice in his head told him that he had no one but himself to blame. It whispered that the note he had sent his admirer had been anything but pleasant and that he himself had told her to find someone else to pester and annoy. Draco shook his head as if the motion would dispel the thoughts that were circling like vipers in his mind. He threw his fork onto his plate, relishing in the loud clatter it caused and the displeased sniffs of his housemates.
@~@~@
Ginny watched Draco leave the great hall and shifted away from Harry’s side. She lowered her head and started in on her as yet untouched plate of food. She felt rather than saw his confused stare. She knew she should explain, but she didn’t want to open up that can of worms before it was necessary. Ginny picked up her glass of pumpkin juice and took a long draw on it. When she set the cup down her eye caught with Hermione’s.
The other girl gave her a knowing grin and inclined her head slightly in approval. It was all that Ginny could do not to roll her eyes. Hermione was certain that Ginny was trying to make Ernie jealous with all her gift giving and fawning over Harry. Ginny had done her best to convince her friend otherwise but with little success.
It’s better than having her know the truth, I guess. Ginny thought resignedly to herself. And if this none to brilliant plan of mine fails then at least she won’t be giving me an I-told-you-so lecture.
Ginny traced lazy circles in her mash with a knife and tried to ignore the little voice in her head telling her that she was no closer to getting what she wanted then she had been five months ago. She let out a huff of air and stuck her tongue out at the mess she had made of her food. Her mother had always said that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, but her mother had never tried to seduce a Malfoy with homemade sweets.
@~@~@
Draco stood toe to toe with Potter sneering. He couldn’t take it any longer. All his rage about being shunted aside rushed to the fore as he stood with his wand drawn. He didn’t know how they had gotten there, but he was not surprised. He had been taunting the prat’s side kick lazily from the other side of the library when something had sparked ickle Potty and the boy had all but flown across the room.
He could not fight the feeling of rightness that welled up in him as the two of them were hissing threats and insults at each other. Slowly a crowd of on lookers ringed them in. Draco listened to the cheers of his housemates and some of the tension slipped away in their angry words. This was the way things should be. He thought with a smile. When it came to Potter and his bottom of the barrel cronies right and wrong were clearly defined, and the role he played was a welcome one.
He let his frustration over his lack of a relationship with the littlest Weasel color his confrontation. His words were particularly cutting and they seemed to be doing a better job then normal. He gave a mocking laugh when the Irish half-blood started mouthing off about Malfoys being evil to the core. “That’s right” he cooed. A Malfoy came with a pedigree and he would be damned if he let over four hundred years of machiavellian rule come crashing down because of one shabby red head. A detached part of his brain analyzed the situation and decided that he only had three minuets before that hag Pince came to see what all the fuss was about.
With that thought in mind Draco moved in for the kill. He screwed up his nose and poked his foe hard in the chest. He made a mocking face and started simpering about Potter dragging pathetic bags of goodies about to make it seem as if someone fancied him. Draco made his eyes as wide as possible before shoving the dagger to the hilt and saying that he wouldn’t be surprised if the poor little Weasel King had scrapped up the last of his family’s savings to buy the ingredients for them.
In an instant Potter had been pushed aside and a red faced Weasley had taken his place ranting about Ginny and her cooking skills. Draco blinked owlishly and took a step back. His stomach was tearing itself to pieces as things suddenly snapped into place. He blinked again and turned away from his favorite playmate.
He stormed out in a loud roar of applause from the other Slytherins and the jeers of the Gryffidors. His mind was swirling and his thoughts kept jumping from one conclusion to the next. Knowledge was power and what he had just learned gave him an upper hand he would be a fool not to take advantage of. He bit his lip and tried to think of a way put it to use.
He was nearly to the Slytherin Common Room before he realized that Zabini was walking beside him blathering on about Potions and the unfairness of the universe. Draco half listened to Zabini bitch about being given extra duties and tried to remember why the other boy was his friend. He kept a carefully blank look on his face as he thought of all spells he knew that would stop the boy’s fussing for good. He had just reached number fifty seven when the meaning of the his words broke through.
“You are doing what?” he snapped.
Zabini rolled his eyes. “So nice of you to join the conversation Malfoy.” he said snidely before launching back into his story. He stood looking at Draco expectantly when he had finished.
Draco opened his mouth to say something then furrowed his brow and touched his tongue to his upper lip. He brought a finger to his chin and tapped it once. Zabini’s eye’s widened and Draco realized that he had mirrored his father’s trademark move. A grin broke across his face and he let a happy sort of laugh escape his lips. Zabini raised a brow in question but Draco just shook his head and walked away smirking.
@~@~@
Ginny sat in the empty classroom shivering. She had lost track of time while playing a game of Exploding Snap in the Great Hall and as a result did not have time to run up to the tower and get her sweater before her make up lesson. She knew that the dungeons were always a few degrees cooler than the rest of the castle, but she had not thought that she would be kept waiting in a damp room. She was contemplating casting a heating charm and damn the consequences when the door to the room slammed open and a tall, dark figure entered.
“It’s about bloody time.” she hissed under her breath.
“What was that again?”
Ginny stiffened. There was no way… But Snape told me… her mind sputtered as she tried to keep her emotions from showing on her face. She sat painfully upright in her chair and counted to twenty before answering.
“What are you doing here Malfoy?” she sneered.
“What’s it look like Weasel?”
Ginny rolled her eyes at his put upon tone. “Wasting my time.” She said helpfully. She picked up her quill and started doodling on the edge of her Potion notes, then asked in a bored drawl “Where is Blaise?”
“Blaise?” Draco gave a cold laugh. “Since when are you on a first name basis with Zabini?”
Ginny felt her face flush but she jutted her chin out and said “It’s none of your business if I am.”
Draco glared at her before pulling out his wand and stalking to the front of the classroom. He gave it a gentle flick and Snape’s lesson plans appeared on the blackboard with careful notes written in an unfamiliar hand. She gave him a suspicious look before copying it onto a fresh piece of parchment. She steadfastly ignored him but after about twenty minuets of his staring she was no longer in the mood to do so.
Draco gave a slight jerk when she twisted around and gave him a malevolent look. He quickly regained his composer and plastered a mocking smile on his face. She narrowed her eyes slightly and brushed an errant strand of hair out of her face. Draco felt his mouth go dry and licked his parched lips. A feeling of satisfaction bloomed in his chest at the way her breathing hitched in response.
He walked over to where she was sitting and deliberately stood a little too close while checking her progress. He wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn that she leaned towards him for just a second before making a show of inching away from him on her bench. She was muttering something under her breath and his head whipped up as he heard Zabini’s name once more.
“Do explain your fascination with Zabini Weasley.” he said in an icy tone that would have sent Crabbe into hysterics. She gave him a mulish look and picked her quill back up.
“If you are finished lording over me Malfoy…” she trailed off with a pointed look.
Draco growled. If that’s the way you want to play he thought viciously then you had better not go crying foul when someone gets hurt. He nodded, taking a slight step back. His eyes burned into the top of her head as he tried to think of a way to draw her out of the cloak of indifference she had wrapped herself in.
@~@~@
Ginny frowned as she wrote the same line for the third time. Her fingers were shaking and she did not know how much more of his blatant stare she could take. She slanted her eyes to the side and her stomach did a little flip flop at the soft look on his face. She felt her brow furrow as she tried to work out what that look could mean.
She gave her head a little shake to drive the foolish thoughts from it. Everyone knew he fancied Harry. She scribbled the next line down and cringed at the splatters of ink that accompanied the words. She quickly blotted them and hoped that her watcher did not notice how nervous she was becoming. Her eyes blurred and Ginny realized with a start that she had spent the last four minuets or so glaring at the black board as if it could give her the answers she was seeking.
She heard a snort of laughter and felt her spine stiffen in response. He seem to get in a dither whenever the Zabini boy was mentioned, so Ginny took a deep breath before asking again why it was that Draco was tutoring her and not Blaise. His reaction was predictable. Within seconds he was spitting at her and the uncomfortable sensations his unwavering gaze had brought on disappeared.
“Do you fancy him?”
Ginny was taken aback at the anger she heard in his voice. She hesitated unsure how to proceed. She wanted him being his typical cruel self, not acting as if she had hurt him. Instead he was standing a breath away from her with a look in his eyes that made her want to reassure him. Draco interpreted her silence as an acknowledgment and instantly started into a rant about how it made perfect sense. She frowned at him in confusion.
“What the bloody hell are you talking about Malfoy?” she shouted in exasperation.
“You and your obsession with gangly black hair gits.” He snarled. “Do try and keep up. I know it is hard for your little mind to grasp concepts, but really.” He gave her a patronizing smile as he pretended to pick lint off his robes.
“Oh get over yourself Malfoy.”
“Pardon?”
“I do not fancy Blaise” She heard him snort and rolled her eyes. She glanced down at the lines she had written and contemplated crumpling it up and throwing it at the boy. “I don’t.” she muttered to herself.
“Whatever you say.” Draco said with a knowing smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t let your secret slip to Perfect Potter. Wouldn’t want him thinking your don’t care.”
She blinked and started rubbing her temples. “Let me get this right Malfoy. You think I want Blaise but won’t admit it because that would be being unfaithful to Harry?” She didn’t know if she should laugh or scream at his curt nod. She settled on giving him a you-are-an-idiot grin and sprawling out on the bench. “And you call me slow.”
He was hovering over her, his face a mask of rage and Ginny could not take a second more of it. She stood up and leaned dangerously close to him. Then she fingered his robes and said “Just because you cream your pants whenever Harry walks into a room doesn’t mean I do.” Then she grabbed his tie and pulled his face so close that she could feel his breath on her cheeks.
She didn’t know what she was going to do but it didn’t matter because before she had time to stop him, Draco had closed the distance between their lips and was kissing her. The world seemed to stop spinning as she melted into his arms. She could taste strawberries and mint on his tongue and wondered what it was he tasted on hers. Then his fingers moved in her hair and pulled her body flush against his, the ability to think left her completely. All she knew was that she never wanted this moment to end. And then it did. Rather abruptly. He pulled away from her and stalked to Snape’s desk. He stood behind it, resting his palms on its scared surface.
“If I cream in my pants, as you so crudely put it, it is defiantly not over Potter.” He ran a hand through his hair, then crossed his arms.
Ginny swallowed and involuntarily tugged on the end of her braid. She wasn’t sure how she should feel or what she should do. She closed her eyes and screwed up her courage. If she didn’t ask it now then she never would and she didn’t want to go through life wondering what he might of said.
“But you told me you didn’t want me because you fancied someone else, and you are always looking at Harry, and Parkinson said you and Blaise…” She broke off with a blush. She looked at her toes in embarrassment, not wanting to see his eyes and the laughter she was sure they held.
“I didn’t know it was you, you little fool.” His voice was soft when he answered, taking the sting out of the words. “If it hadn’t been for your baboon of a brother I wouldn’t have known at all.” He sounded as if he would rather eat stinksap then admit it and Ginny giggled despite herself. “Think that’s funny do you?” he hissed.
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do.” She gave him a haughty look as she sauntered to stand directly in front of him on the other side of the desk. She reached up, pulled the band from her hair and loosened her tie. She licked her lips the way he had and then smiled coyly up at him from under her lashes. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“Weasley,” Draco said in an almost pleasant tone “your seduction would come across better if you didn’t have ink on your face.” He reached out and brushed a finger across the tip of her nose.
Ginny gave an undignified squeak and swatted at his hand. She dug out a pocket mirror and set about scrubbing her face with a faded handkerchief. Draco watched in amused silence as she muttered to herself. When she finally looked up she was once again taken aback by what she saw in his eyes.
“I guess she was right after all.” Ginny murmured. Draco looked perplexed and so she explained. “My mother always said that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, but Lav said that was bollocks and that if I really wanted to get one then I had to ignore him and drool over someone else. And since you just kissed me I would say that Lav knew a bit more about it then my mum did.” She gave a cheeky grin. “But since her ‘fail proof’ seduction was about as successful as my goodie baskets, I don’t think I will be able to remember to tell her.”
Fin
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Cream together:
1 cup sugar
½ cup shortening
Add:
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. Baking powder ( I usually add 1/2 tsp more)
1 - 6 oz. Pkg. Choc. Chips (1 cup) (semi sweet tastes best, but you can do whatever you want, even omit if you don’t like chocolate)
Bake at 350° for 25-30 min.
When doubling recipe just double everything
Tip: Bake one tin at a time for even baking
Mint Chocolate Brownies
1cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
¾ cup coco powder
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup unbleached flour
2 tsp almond extract
1 cup mint chocolate chips
1/8 tsp red pepper
1 tsp fresh crushed mint
Heat oven to 350° grease a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Melt the butter in a large pot. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, vanilla, almond and the eggs one at a time. Add everything but the flour and mint chocolate chips and beat until well blended. Stir in the flour and then fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 30 to 35 minuets or until the sides begin to pull away from the sides.
Makes around 35
The muffins are the work of my friend Lisa’s mother, Mrs. Rice, and the brownies are mine.