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The next few days had also gone to answering questions, especially from her brother and his two best friends. Ron was furious with Draco, Harry was furious with Ginny, and Hermione was just frustrated, but they all asked the same questions over and over. After a few days however, the buzz had settled.

Although she still heard people whispering as she passed, they were mainly more focused on Millicent Bulstrode's recent accident in Potions, where she managed to turn Gregory Goyle green. Ginny spent the following week jumping out of sight every time she saw blonde hair, taking routes to classes that would most likely not lead her anywhere near Draco.

When two weeks had passed, she had not heard anything further from Draco. She had passed him in the hallways a few times, and he would smirk and tip his hat to her, but he had not talked to her since the Hogsmeade weekend. Ginny figured he had either let it go, or had just meant it as a fun game from the start and never meant to take her anywhere, except perhaps to Hogsmeade against her will.

When the weekend came, she had almost begun thinking that she had imagined the whole thing. To her surprise she realized she was kind of disappointed. It wasn't that she really wanted to date Draco Malfoy, but it had felt kind of good to have one of the school's best looking guys wooing her.

That Sunday she was awakened early by a tapping on her window. She opened her eyes and saw a beautiful snowy owl carrying a rather large package. She understood at once that it had to be from her mother, but didn't understand why it came to her room so early; they usually got all the mail at breakfast.

She got up and let the owl in with its package. The owl dropped its weight and waited patiently for Ginny to remove the letter it was carrying before it took off. The letter was sealed with a seal she didn't recognize. She couldn't remember the owl either, but then again there was a post office not too far from their house, and Ginny supposed her mother could have used their services instead of making poor Errol carry the heavy package.

As she opened the package she started to realize that it might not be from her mother after all. When the brown wrapping paper had come off she could see it was gift wrapped in a silver box, and when she opened it extravagant silk paper lay on top of whatever she was sent. She picked off the silk paper on top, and saw a very expensive looking red fabric underneath. She picked it up, and a gorgeous dress unfolded before her. Flabbergasted she dropped the dress and tore open the letter.

It said in careful handwriting:

Weasley

I went for red after all, so be careful not to blush.

And wear your hair up.

Draco Malfoy

Ginny found Draco as he was on his way to breakfast with his two cronies Crabbe and Goyle.

"Malfoy," she called sharply. He turned around and saw her. With a smile he motioned for Crabbe and Goyle to go on without him.

"You got the dress, I presume," he said smugly as he strolled over to her. "Was it to your liking?"

The dress was indeed very much to her liking. She had managed to keep herself from trying it on, but had held it up in front of the mirror for a long time before leaving to find Draco. At the moment it was stored very carefully in the box under her bed. She did not tell Draco any of this. Instead she started on the speech she felt she had done too many times already.

"I am not going anywhere with you! Can't you understand that I really don't want to go to the ball with you?" She was working herself up to what would be a long and rejecting speech, but Draco interrupted her.

"Look, Weasley, this is getting kind of boring," he said.

"What do you mean?" Ginny said tiredly.

"Well, I understand that you need to put on a show of not wanting to go. Pride and all. I get it," he said. "But really, it's getting boring now. I've heard it before. You can drop it."

Ginny just looked at him, completely surprised that anyone could ever be so self-confident.

"Has it ever occurred to you that I actually don't want to go?" she asked. Draco merely shrugged.

"Why did you ask me anyway?"

Draco looked at her with the overbearing, arrogant smirk he was so good at.

"Come on, Weaslette," he said arching an eyebrow. "Haven't you ever wanted to do something just to go against your usual ways? Do something just to oppose everyone who expects you to be this way and that way?"

Ginny merely stared at him. She didn't know what answer she had been expecting, but that was certainly not it.

"Does my reasoning stun you?" he asked; his smirk widening. "Just try on the dress and imagine my father's face when he sees you with me and I think you'll have reason enough to come."

He turned to leave, but turned again and added, "Oh, and if you want a third reason I can throw in a rumor that we slept together to upgrade your social status."

He winked at her and left before she managed to reply with more than a "bah!"

"So you're going to go?"

Ginny was standing in front of the mirror with a very excited Melissa, and a rather less enthusiastic Hermione. The dress fit her perfectly; it made her waist small and her curves bigger, and didn't clash with her hair in the least.

"I don't know," Ginny said. "It is awfully pretty."

She turned around and admired the way the back fell down into a v-shape. Hermione scoffed.

"You can't let him get his way just because he buys you pretty things!" she exclaimed. "Have you forgotten who we're talking about? Malfoy is horrible, he's scum, he's-"

"Lately he's been kind of sweet actually," Ginny interrupted. Hermione stared blankly at her.

"Ginny!" she cried outraged. "He cast a spell on you so that you were tied to him for an entire day and forced you to go wherever he wanted. And now he's trying to buy you off! And you think he's been sweet?"

Ginny looked down at her feet.

"Yes...?" she whispered hesitantly.

Hermione gave her a hard look, and walked out.

Ginny had not yet made her decision when Draco yet again cornered her the following day. He was leaning against a wall obviously waiting for her. How he managed to find her every time she was on her own in a deserted corridor she had no idea and she opened the conversation by asking him about it.

"I stalk you, obviously," he said casually. Ginny didn't know what to make of the comment, but decided to pass it off as a joke.

"So? How's the dress?" he asked as he pushed himself off the wall and faced her.

Ginny sighed and started, "Well, it's obviously very pretty, but-"

"Uh huh?" Draco said, and taking a step closer.

"-but it's way too expensive for me to accept. Besides-"

"Mhm?" Draco said and had now come very close; close enough to place his hand on one side of her. She backed up against the wall and continued.

"-besides... uh, well, I don't really know if I'm-"

"Yes?" Draco said, and moved so close she could feel his breath on her neck. It made her break out in goosebumps, and she struggled to finish her sentence.

"-if I'm ... really... really going."

"Hmm," Draco said pensively, nodding. Then out of the blue, he leaned down and kissed her.

At first she was too surprised by this to do anything, but soon she started leaning into it without really thinking about it. She could feel him pressing her up against the wall; feel the muscles beneath his shirt. Just as the kiss was getting good he backed away. He arched an eyebrow and said, "Okay," with a shrug and a nod before he started walking away.

As she walked up to the Gryffindor common room she could still smell his scent on her shirt.

She had forgotten whatever it was she was doing, and had gotten a lot of new thoughts swirling around in her head.

Anyone at the school would verify that Draco Malfoy was handsome; even she had to admit it, as little as she liked him. Or maybe she should say as little as she used to like him. Did she like him now? She still thought he was a brat, and a spoiled one at that, but her mind kept going back to him kissing her and she got butterflies in her stomach every time. Every time she drew a sharp breath his scent would catch her off guard, and her heart skipped a little faster for a second.

She quickly got through the common room and climbed the stairs to her dormitory not wanting to face her friends downstairs just yet. She walked over to her closet without thinking, and absentmindedly took out the red dress. The fabric was so soft under her fingers, and was heavy as she picked up the hem of it. Before she knew it she was trying it on again. As she stood in front of the mirror she tried to imagine being at the ball with Draco. She imagined walking in, having all eyes on her, perhaps dancing with him. As that picture ran through her mind, her thoughts wandered again to the hallway, and to Draco pushing her up against the wall, his hands on her hips.

"Damn it," she said, flopping down on the bed.

When did things get so complicated?

She was still on the bed in her dress, merely staring at the roof when an owl rapped on her window ten minutes later. She recognized it as Malfoy's owl, and removed the letter it carried swiftly. There were only two words printed on it. In neat handwriting it said 'Transfiguration classroom'.

Ginny gave it only a second or two of consideration before deciding she had to go. She swiftly changed into something less extravagant; however she made sure to keep a little cleavage.

Draco was already there when she arrived. His eyes went straight to her cleavage, and he rewarded her with the raising of one eyebrow and an approving nod, something which sent colour to her cheeks immediately.

"I had of course forgotten," he started, strolling over to one of the desks, "this."

He held out a flat box for her, and she took it tentatively. He watched her with a smirk as she opened the box. Inside was a necklace in gold, with dark red stones set in - rubies as far as Ginny could see. Once again Draco had succeeded at making her speechless, and she was not happy with the increasing number of silences he had managed to get from her. Draco walked over to her and took it out of its box.

"Hold your hair up," he said, and she did.

He stood directly in front of her and fastened the clasp behind her neck. His arm stroked her sensitive skin once or twice, giving her back the goosebumps she'd had earlier in the day. When he had fastened it, he took a step back as if to admire his work, and for a second Ginny thought she saw a genuine smile. He stepped forward again to adjust it, and his body in such close proximity yet again was too much for Ginny. She felt his hand on her shoulder, his breath by her ear, his cologne, the warmth coming off his body, and before she knew what she was doing she had kissed him.

For once she had done something that caught him completely off guard, but within seconds he was kissing her back. This was nothing like the innocent kiss they had shared in the hallway; this time they were both kissing fiercely and passionately. He pushed her back against the wall, and slipped his hands beneath her cloak and around her waist. She felt a chill down her spine when his hands lightly touched her bare skin in the small gap between her top and her skirt. She had somehow managed to pull his shirt out from his pants, and was now slipping her hands under it without thinking. She felt him shiver as she touched the bare skin underneath, and savoured the feel of his firm muscles under her small hand. As they both stopped for a breath their hands stilled, although neither let go of the other.

"I guess this is a yes to going to the ball with me?" Draco asked after a small silence.

Ginny felt too shaky to risk saying anything, but gave a small nod.

Ginny didn't feel like talking to anyone as she came back to the common room, so she went straight up to her dormitory without even saying hi to anyone. She flopped herself down on her bed with a sigh, and Melissa, who was combing her hair by the mirror, turned immediately.

"Harry?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Ginny, too lost in thoughts realized what she was asking a minute too late, and therefore only answered her with a quizzical look. She regretted this, as it made Melissa instantly exclaim, "Malfoy!" excitedly.

Ginny sat up quickly and put one finger over her lips to silence her, something which only increased Melissa's glee.

"Oh holy mother of Dumbledore," she swore and went over to sit with Ginny on her bed. "Ginny, what have you done?"

"I said yes to go to the ball with him," she said, "but that has to be between us, ok?"

Melissa looked at her cynically.

"And that was of course all you did?" she asked with a smile.

"Fine," Ginny said, getting up, "we kissed."

"YOU-" Melissa started, but Ginny had anticipated it and covered her mouth quickly.

"Yes," she said. "But I am telling you this in complete confidence. No one must know, least of all Ron, Hermione or Harry. Do you understand?"

Melissa nodded. "But you have to tell me everything."