Pink Hearts
Author: Faith
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Flying pink hearts, chocolate frog songs, and muffins. What ever is Draco to do? Very late Valentine's ficcie.
Disclaimer: Created by J.K. Rowling. I am in no way affiliated ot linked, or in association with her. I do NOT own Harry Potter, the book series.
If Draco Malfoy saw one more pink heart he was going to explode.
Damn family honor. Damn his pride. Damn his normally cool exterior. If one more Merlin-forsaken Valentine whizzed into the Great Hall this miserable morning he was going to Avada Kedavra somebody, and he didn't care about the consequences. He'd rather bunk it up with dementors than suffer through one more 'you're the chocolate card I've wanted all my life!' song.
Something red and pink whizzed passed his left ear-lobe, and hit Pansy Parkinson smack-dab on the nose, who squealed so loud he was sure his ears popped.
Draco blinked and his grip tightened so hard on his silverware that later that day he would find imprints.
Well, it wasn't a pink heart. It was a completely harmless card. And it wasn't singing. He could let this one pass.
"Beautiful day, isn't it, my dear friend?" Blaise Zabini lazily dropped into a seat next to him, a broad, knowing grin on his face.
Draco scowled. "Shut it, Zabini."
Blaise carefully unfolded his napkin and dutifully placed it in his lap. "Ah, ah, ah. It's Valentine's Day, mate. You have to be happy and loving and pick pretty flowers for even prettier girls." He bit into a chocolate muffin, the twinkle in his eyes the only evidence of his real tactic- to annoy his friend as much as humanly possible.
The blonde Slytherin felt the urge to spew. All over Blaise, of course. "I'd rather have the Cruciatus Curse performed on me by Snape while he dances around in a tutu."
Blaise brushed a few crumbs off his sleeve. "Please refrain from sharing your late-night fantasies with me, Draco."
"And please remember the silencing charm next time you feel certain urges during your late nights, Blaise."
"Touchee." He commented, sounding mildly impressed. A moment passed. "Sickle for your thoughts? I'm guessing some woman troubles?"
"Sod off." Draco hissed, knowing where Blaise was going with this.
"But that's impossible, of course," Blaise continued, "Draco Malfoy doesn't have woman problems. They all swoon after him. He can have anyone he wants, I'm told. Except a certain Gryffindor. She presents no interest in him at all, in fact-"
"Do you like that muffin, Blaise? How would you like me to shove it down your throat and watch while you choke to death?"
Blaise smiled very slightly and nodded. "Message understood."
Grey eyes narrowed into tiny slits, pushing the thought of Ginny Weasley out of his mind, because Blaise was, without a doubt, as off-target as Ron Weasley in a duel. Where was he in describing his hatred before Blaise the-oh-so-witty Zabini interrupted? Oh, yes. Pink hearts. That sang.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Blaise." Draco looked up from his thoughts to find Tracey Davis's soft smile, which was met with an equally sickening grin.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Tracey."
Not unexpectedly, Draco felt his stomach lurch in what he could only describe as disgust. "You two make me sick." He grumbled as she slid in at the edge of the bench, very comfortably, and very close, to Blaise.
"What was that, Malfoy?" Blaise inquired, offering Tracey half his muffin.
"Nothing."
An acute shade of red had painted Tracey's cheek from his comment, and Blaise's grin widened. Draco had to avert his eyes to hold down his own muffin.
Consequently, (and thankfully) that same movement saved him from a collision with the next Valentine to grace his breakfast, and the pink, fluttering heart flew passed him, at top speed to skid to a halt before red hair and freckles two tables over.
Pink. A heart. For Ginny.
The little Weasley blushed fiercely, her red ringlets matching her face as Lavender and Parvati (Or was it Parvati and Lavender? He couldn't tell half the sodding lot apart, anyway.) Oohed and ahhed over it, motioning for her to open it, Seamus Finnigan grinning stupidly next to her.
Those fingers slowly reached for the small heart...
Draco's fingers curled around the edge of the table, intently watching, something akin to murder in his eyes.
...and the card was open.
And it sang. It sang that song. For Ginny. His Ginny.
"You've ended my strife,
You're the chocolate card,
I've wanted all my life.
Love, Seamus"
He almost took his wand out right there and cursed the whole Hall into oblivion. Where did that bastard get off? (Ginny, supposedly, said a voice, fueling his anger.)
Ginny's blush deepened and Lavender and Parvati (or Parvati and Lavender) giggled. Seamus Finnigan slung an arm over her shoulders.
That had to be the most unoriginal valentine he could have chosen, and it was completely uncalled for! He could not believe she was falling for this!
He stoically glared into Seamus's direction, willing him to look over. Oh, this unholy day wouldn't be completely wasted if the git pissed his pants from fright.
Look over, he seethed. Come on! But Seamus was too busy flirting.
This had all started because of the old buffoon (more commonly referred to as Professor Dumbledore) a few months previous. Could he help it if he was paired with the redhead against his will? It certainly wasn't his fault. Of anyone, she was the last he expected to be forced to during Dumbledore's improving house relationships crusade.
So, after a few well-aimed slaps and snide remarks, Draco was, for some unattainable reason, completely smitten with the spitfire (damn her), but unfortunately, as he had come to learn, so was Seamus Finnigan (damn him).
Damn the whole lot of them. Damn the bloody pink hearts that sang that damn bloody song.
Damn the decorations, the cards, the chocolates (although he really did love chocolate), the candy, and the flowers! And just for good measure, damn Potter too!
Draco took a last distasteful look at the two before setting his eyes on the remains of his breakfast, finding he wasn't very hungry anymore.
Damn the whole bloody holiday.
If Ginny Weasley saw one more pink heart she was going to explode.
On a second thought, she wasn't going to explode. She was going to spontaneously combust from pure frustration, in a horrible display of fire.
She had known Seamus was going to send her one. It was inevitable. It was inescapable. It was annoying beyond anything she had ever experienced. Not to mention, utterly mortifying. She wished he would stop smiling at her like that, or learn the meaning of personal space, or maybe just charm his breath so it didn't reek of bacon.
Why couldn't he have had a muffin instead? Muffins don't give one bad breath, or at least, not to this extent.
"Did you like the valentine?"
Ginny knew if she looked his way, she'd only see a huge white smile, and (the horror!) Maybe even bacon bits between said white teeth. So, that was out of the question. Best to look at anything else. At all. Anything at all.
Her cinnamon eyes rested on the sulking, blonde Slytherin straight ahead of her.
"Very much, thanks." She whispered, and swallowed.
A few strands of white-blonde hair dangled across grey eyes. They looked sideways at Blaise Zabini and Tracey Davis with obvious repulsion as they shared a secret joke over their shared muffin.
She almost snorted in a very un-ladylike manner. Just like Draco to think it was nauseating. It was rather cute, actually. Just as the thought reached her, she chided herself, her conscious sounding much like her mother. Stop thinking about him.
Ginny sighed. The past was the past. A mere week ago they were coerced into daily activities with each other. Studying, eating, everything one could possibly do with a friend. And they had excepted it at first, calming deciding not to attack each other's throats. Most of the time. Some of the time. Truthfully, that plan had been a bit of a dud.
After a month of such, it was hard not to notice his strange habits, the little things he did, his expressions. According to her brother, Draco Malfoy was a cold, evil boy, but, in her eyes, he was just lonely and sad, and just a little bit (or maybe a lot) snarky.
Ginny had to try even harder to hold down a bitter laugh. How dramatic she sounded.
So, she just might have developed some one-sided feelings for him. Arguing twenty-four seven had gotten old after the first week, and terribly draining. So they had become almost tolerable friends for the last two weeks, and now that they didn't have to stand each other, why do so anymore?
Ginny Weasley had gotten herself into a bad, bad situation.
With a last look of nausea, the object of her ponders stood up, most likely intending to leave. Suddenly aware of Seamus's breath on her cheek, she realized how much she wanted to leave also, just to escape the bacon-smell alone.
"So, Ginny," he began, "are you going with anyone special to Hogsmeade today?"
Ginny felt as if the Hogwarts Express just flattened her.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?"
Damn pink hearts. Damn song. Damn holiday. Stupid her. She should have expected this. Damn, damn, damn.
"Um..." She stuttered, her eyes fixed on Draco, as if the sight of him could conjure up an answer. Oh, this was wrong. She was leading Seamus on, she knew she was, but she didn't want to hurt him...
Draco was getting closer, and his pale sliver eyes slowly caught her deer-in-headlights gaze.
Her mind screamed. Think! Think of something! Anything!
And quite suddenly, she did. And she regretted it the moment the words spewed from her mouth. "Draco!" She squeaked.
Seamus started, looking up to the halted Seeker, than back at Ginny, who took that as the opportune moment to wrench herself from under his arm. "Huh?"
"Draco." She repeated. "I... can't go to Hogsmeade with you, because... I'm- I'm going with Draco."
Seamus blinked. "That's funny, Ginny." He said, breaking out into a smile.
"But I am." She repeated, looking over to a slightly surprised Malfoy. "Right?" She let the next word be for Draco, only. "Please?"
The shocked look on his face slowly filtered off, and he raised one eyebrow, a slight smirk quirking his mouth, and Ginny felt her heart fall into her stomach for more than one reason. "Of course." He accepted with stride, his smirk growing to a wicked smile. "McGonagall and Snape thought we needed more time to set out our differences, since we spent most of the time thinking ways to hex each other anyway. Decided to torture us into a submission of sorts."
"Oh." Seamus accepted with general dislike, his bacon-smile wiped off his face.
"Well, c'mon Red, better get going." Draco continued, his simper even wider, shark-like, unnerving her. He was assenting to this much too readily. It was entirely possible Ginny has gotten herself into an even worse situation.
With a ruined vigor in his step, Draco exited the Hall, not even looking back to check if Ginny followed.
He took it all back, all his previous misgivings about Valentine's Day; his damning of the chocolate, the flowers (maybe not so much), the decorations, the candy and the cards. Even those ruddy pink hearts that sang that dreadful song.
Except for Potter. Potter could stayed damned.