A/N: First, I would like to apologize again for taking sooo long to update. I got a new laptop and it took me ages to find out how to make the word processor compatible with portkey's requirements Also, I wanted to say that I really, really, appreciate all of the reviews I've gotten for this fic. You guys have been really great.
The Finest Silk
Chapter Three (of three)- The Ball
Last Chapter: "Due to the exceptional behavior from all of the Houses, the teachers and I have decided to hold a ball for the fifth through seventh year students. It has no particular theme, but formal wear is required. It will take place in two weeks, and a Hogsmeade trip has been set for this Wednesday and Friday so students can purchase the appropriate attire. I hope to see everyone there." And with that, he sat down while the Great Hall became filled with the sounds of joy from the older students, and outrage from the younger ones. I look over at her, and I am surprised to find out that even though she is smiling, she has a sad glint in her eyes. I suddenly realized what was wrong, and am determined to fix it. I skive off the rest of my classes and go to my dorm, to devise a plan.
The ball is tomorrow night, and I have yet to find a date. Asking Ginny is out of the question, and I haven't really been inclined to ask anyone else, but I do not want to appear as though I was incapable of finding a date. I am Draco Malfoy after all, and I know that the girls in Slytherin are practically lining up to go with me, especially Pansy.
The last two weeks have passed without incident, except for the fact that Blaise has been particularly smug because he knows that I was the one who sent the dress robes to Ginny. Speaking of Ginny, I haven't seen much of her, but I have heard plenty of talk about her from many jealous girls, debating over who had given her those stunning dress robes. I am sure that Ginny, along with those other girls, never expected me to be the one to send her the dress robes, but a part of me can't help wondering what her reaction would be if she knew. Would she be pleased? Disgusted? Scared out of her wits? I guess I'll never really know, but I do know that I would continue sending her anonymous gifts in the mail if it meant that I could see the way her beautiful eyes sparkled, and the way that her mouth curved into that delicate smile.
Sighing, I walk into the common room, which at first seems deserted, until I notice Pansy sitting on the couch in front of the fire, no doubt moping over the fact that I had not asked her for to accompany me to the ball. I take a seat next to her but she avoids my eyes, she doesn't want me to know that she's been crying. As much as it kills me inside to do so, I find myself asking her the one question that I had yet to ask anyone.
"Pansy, would you like to go to the Ball with me?" She hastily wipes the tears from her eyes and scowls.at me. At first, I thought she was going to refuse.
" You stupid git, why would you wait till the bloody last minute to ask me? What if I hadn't bought a dress?" I smirk, knowing that she had in fact bought one, hoping that I would ask her to go.
"So, shall I take that as a 'yes'?" She smirks at me.
"What do you think?" She then stands, and ascends the stairs of the girls dormitory, probably going off to tell Millicent her great news.
***
Later that day, I found myself wandering around in the corridors of Hogwarts, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ginny, and I did, but now I wish that I hadn't.
*Flashback*
I was walking down the corridor, when I saw Ginny with that Irish prat, Seamus Finnegan. I hid myself behind one of the statues so I could see what was going on. They had been walking along, when he stopped suddenly, and grabbed one of her small hands into his own. She looked surprised at this gesture, and blushed slightly. My feelings of anger and jealousy cause me to look away for a moment. I was tempted to jump out behind my hiding place and yank his hand away from hers, but what right did I have? I surely had no claim on her. I turn my attention back to the two of them, when I heard Finnegan begin to speak.
"Ginny, do you fancy going to the ball with me?" He sounds overconfident, as if he knows she will say accept his invitation. She hesitates a bit, as though considering her answer.
"Well, I'm sorry Seamus, but I was sort of hoping the person that gave me those wonderful dress robes was going to ask me." She gently pulls her hand out of his and turns to walk away when he grabs her shoulder and spins her toward him again. My jaw clenches in anger, couldn't the wanker just accept that fact that she rejected him?
" Ginny, if that bloke wanted you to know that it was him who sent you those robes, he would have left a note. He is obviously too afraid to admit his feelings for you but I'm not. I think that we would have a great time if we went together, now what do you say?" She still looks a little reluctant but she smiles at him and says:
"Alright, Seamus, I'll go with you." The prat smiles, and then has the nerve to kiss her on the cheek. This makes me absolutely furious. I waited until they were gone, and I stormed off towards the Syltherin common room.
*End of Flashback*
***
I'm at dinner in the Great Hall, and in a bloody foul mood. After pounding my fist into the wall of my dormitory repeatedly, I found myself calm enough to attend dinner, but when I get there, I find myself getting furious all over again. That stupid prat, is sitting next to Ginny with an arm draped casually around her shoulder, a smug smile on his face, while talking to the other blokes at the table. She on the other hand, had a rather bored expression on her face, seeing as how he wasn't paying the least bit of attention to her. How could someone not pay attention to her? How could they not be enthralled by her beauty? How could they resist running their fingers through that amazing red hair? How could they not be absorbed in a conversation with her? I know I haven't exactly had any stimulating conversations with her myself, but I am sure that if I did, I would be amazed.
I look along my own table at my Housemates. Pansy caught my eye and smiled at me. I wink back at her and she giggles, then returns to her conversation with Millicent. I then look at Blaise, who also caught my eye. He looks from me, to Ginny, and then smirks. It never ceases to amaze me that someone other than my father, smirks more than I do. The stupid git was probably born with a smirk on his face.
After dinner I was in the Library, doing some research for a Potions essay, on Vertiserum. (A/N: Sorry if I spelled that wrong)The essay was not due for two weeks, but I needed to get the book before Granger did, because knowing her she would want to read the whole thing, and wouldn't be finished until the essay was due.
After locating the book I needed, I used a quick duplicator spell to copy the pages about Vertiserum, and was on my way back to the common room, when I saw Ginny. She was arguing with her prat of a brother.
"Ginny, you can't go to the ball with Seamus!" She narrows her eyes at him angrily.
"Why not?"
"Because, I've heard the stories of what he does with girls who go out with him! You're my little sister and I simply won't allow it!" For once, I found myself agreeing with The Weasel. I watch, slightly amused as Ginny's face flushes with anger.
"Ron, you are exactly right. I am your little sister, and you are not my father. So I'll date whoever I bloody well please!" With that, she spins away angrily and storms down the corridor, her crimson hair streaming behind her.
***
Today is the day of the ball. All of the girls are running about chattering excitedly with each other about their dates, and I feel angry every time I imagine Ginny going with that stupid git. I almost want to skip the ball, because I don't want to have to stand there and watch some other bloke put his arms around her.
I am dreading going to the ball, which is probably why all my classes have gone by in a blur. Now I am in my room getting dressed. I put on my black, silk dress robes from last year, knowing that noone would dare comment on them. I then slick back my hair and step back to look at myself in the mirror. I look fabulously handsome, as usual. I sigh, and then go downstairs to wait for Pansy.
After waiting with the rest of the boys for about an hour, the girls come descend down the stairs, all trying desperately to look graceful, and none of them succeeding. Millicent, the big oaf, actually trips over her own two feet and rolls down the rest of the stairs. I don't even attempt to stifle my laughter. Then Pansy comes down, and I wish I could say I was entranced by her beauty but I wasn't, in fact, I was repulsed. She was wearing her hair in an odd sort of style with pointy spikes that looked like they could poke an eye out. Her dress robes were a horrendous shade of pink, and were extremely frilly. She was wearing high heeled shoes, and the heals were so thin that they looked as if they were going to break at any given moment. She approached me, smiling broadly.
"You look so handsome!" She gushes and I smirk.
"I know." I don't return the compliment, but she doesn't take any notice. I offer her my arm and we proceed to the Great Hall.
***
The Great Hall was nicely decorated, although it was nothing compared to the lavish balls held at the Malfoy Manor. The first song was a slow one, and Pansy immediately dragged me to the dance floor. I feel as though I'm going to suffocate from the vile stench of her perfume.
I look over her shoulder and scan the crowd. My eyes stop when they see her. Words cannot describe how perfect she looks. The dress robes fit her perfectly. They accentuate her slender, but curvaceous figure. They shimmer in the light that surrounds her. Her hair is pulled up with the comb, except for two ringlets on either side of her face. Finnegan approached her, and they walked onto the dance floor together. He put his arms around her, his hands going just a bit lower on her waist than was necessary.
Suddenly, I'm not in the mood for anymore dancing. I pull away from Pansy and stalk over to a chair, sitting there to sulk. My eyes involuntarily seek out Ginny. She's still dancing with that Finnegan prat and he's holding her way too close. I am strongly tempted to pull him away from her and bash his head repeatedly against the stage, where the Weird Sisters are playing, but that would probably disrupt the ball.
The last straw, was when that arse leant over to kiss her. There was no way I was going to watch her be kissed by someone else. I stand up abruptly and storm out of the great hall, not noticing that Ginny had gently pushed the prat away.
Once in the hallways, I didn't feel the slightest bit better, so I headed outside, suddenly intent on feeling the cold air on my hot cheeks. I wander over to a bench and plop myself down on it, while taking a deep breath. The cement is cool on my skin, I can feel it through my dress robes.
After what seemed like only a few minutes I hear a voice behind me. Her voice. I turn to face her.
"It was you, wasn't it?" We both know what she is talking about. Her expression is gentle. She doesn't look accusatory, disdainful, surprised, shocked, disgusted, or angry. I guess I should consider that to be a good thing, but I'm not nearly ready to admit it was me. at Seamus." Perhaps she's going to tell me that she is grateful for the gift, but she can't date me. Or maybe, she'll get mad, the Weasley temper seems hereditary, and she might even threaten to tell her brother. I sigh loudly, there's no point in denying it.
"So what?" I ask bitterly. "So what if it was me, what are you going to do about it?" Surprisingly, she doesn't look hurt or offended, she just walks over and sits beside me on the bench. While avoiding my eyes, she begins to speak.
"Well, first off, I wanted to thank you. Secondly, I wanted to know why you spend so much money on me." After she says the last part she looks up at me, and I can't quite describe the look in her eyes. It makes me look away. It's as though she can see right through me, as if she knows what I'm thinking. I'm not sure if I should be happy about that or not. She coughs slightly, and I realize she is still waiting for me to answer, looking slightly impatient. For reasons that I can't explain, I find myself getting angry at her persistence. I get off of the bench, and glare at her.
"What's it to you, anyways? You're a Weasley, and those robes probably cost more than your are worth more than your house, and your parents' Gringotts vaults combine! Can't you just be grateful that you got a gift, does it really matter why?" She stands up furiously, anger flashing in her brown eyes, and approaches me until there's scarcely two inches between us.
"You know, Malfoy, that's really getting old! Why do you always have to insult me?"
"Well, if you weren't so damned beautiful all of the time!" The words are out of my mouth before I can even consider the repercussions. I opened my mouth to take my words back, but stop when I see the look on her face. She's smiling. She's happy that I like her.
I take a step forward, and wrap my arms around her slim waist. I can't help but run my hands gently over the soft material that covers her small body. She lets out a small sigh, and rests her head on my shoulder. It's hard to describe the feelings that are coursing through me at this very moment. I am both elated, and utterly terrified at the same. I don't want to mess this up by scaring her away.
She looks up at me, and my gaze is drawn to her lips. I feel the overwhelming urge to kiss her, and at the moment I can't think of any good reasons not to. I bend down, and brush my lips gently against hers. I pull back a bit to see her reaction, when she pulls me back to her and presses her lips on mine hungrily. I was a bit surprised at first, but then I couldn't help but respond to the kiss. Her mouth opens under mine, and my knees get weak. Her taste is amazing, I realized, when our tongues finally met.
My hands move from their previous spot on her waste, to tangle themselves in her luscious red hair. It's so soft and sleek, and somewhere in the back of my mind I note that her hair feels quite similar to the silk of her dress robes. Her small hands tentatively roam up and down my back, and I feel delicious chills running down my spine. We break apart, chests heaving, breathing in unison. I pull her in my arms again, so that her head is resting under my chin.
I get the urge to laugh with joy, like I've seen others do on countless occasions. I had always been puzzled as to what they could be so happy about, but here I am, on the verge of laughter. I finally understand how they felt, like the happiness inside of them was going to explode unless they found a way to let it out. I'm happy because I realized that although we haven't actually discussed it, Ginny Weasley is officially mine, and that's all that matters.
***
Well, what did you think? Just in case anyone was interested, the first chapter of the sequel will be up in about a week or so. I hope you guys are pleased with this chapter! Please review and tell me what you thought!