"You better believe it..."

A/N well, this was a challenge! I’m not actually a fan of this pairing myself, but someone challenged me to write this and I’m not one to refuse! This accompanies my other story “My Emerald”, a prequel I guess, so you may be slightly confused if you don’t read that too! I hope I did this justice, for all you D/G fans out there. I had fun with it anyway, although I think perhaps my Draco is a little nicer than in canon to make this a tad more believable. I sort of made it so that he is the “tough guy” around his mates if you see what I mean! I hope you like it; let me know what you think! (Apologies for any errors.)

Ginny laughed at Dean’s joke as she sat eating breakfast in the Great Hall. She could see Harry and Hermione nearby, heads bent together over the Daily Prophet. They look so cute like that, she realised. They should date! What a relationship that would be!

Actually Hermione seemed to be acting a little differently lately. Ginny knew the Voldemort situation was tough on everyone, but Hermione seemed extra concerned about Harry. I’ll have to talk to her about it, I wonder if I can get those two together!

“Gin?” Dean questioned.

“Ooo, sorry! I was just thinking,” she laughed.

Dean put his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek. “You were? Did it hurt?”

“Dean!” she cried playfully, hitting him on the shoulder. Looking up she saw Ron glaring in their direction. Dean followed her gaze and gave a cheery wave.

“I don’t think he likes me dating you,” Dean whispered into Ginny’s ear as he waved.

“You think?” she relied sarcastically, turning back to her bacon, “he hates it!”

“Why? I’m not hurting you or anything.”

“I know,” she sighed, “but I’m his little sister and you’re his mate. I guess he just finds it weird. And, let’s think about this,” she said, putting her finger to her lips in mock puzzlement, “his ickle sister is dating before he is!”

Dean laughed. “I love it when you pout like that,” he grinned. “You read people too well.”

“That’s why you’re a lad and I’m a girl,” she grinned back.

“Listen, I gotta go, I promised I’d meet Neville before Charms. Have a good day won’t you? I’ll meet you in here at lunch.”

Ginny just smiled and nodded. Dean leant in to kiss her, but Ginny turned her head slightly, and he settled for planting a kiss on her cheek before wandering off.

Ginny sighed, her brother still looking at Dean as he went with distaste. I wonder why I turn my cheek to him most of the time, she thought to herself. Dean was a great mate, they had such a laugh together… but the kissing aspect. Ginny wasn’t so sure. Just the other day Dean had said that he loved her and Ginny found herself unable to return the words. It was a shame; she didn’t want to dump him but at the same time she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were just good friends. Clearly Dean thought there was something else in it, but she just didn’t feel it. Maybe it would grow with time.

********

Ginny sat in transfiguration staring into space, still lost in her thoughts from breakfast. She loved having a boyfriend-that was for sure! She loved feeling loved by someone, even if her own feelings didn’t reciprocate. But surely it wasn’t fair on Dean to be in a relationship just because she liked knowing that somebody cared for her.

“Miss Weasley!” Professor McGonagall called, shaking Ginny out of her stupor. “Perhaps you would like to demonstrate how to transfigure this teapot?”

Ginny flushed, realising McGonagall knew she hadn’t been paying attention at all.

“Come on now Ginny, I have been explaining this method for the past half an hour! Even if the teapot does not transform the class would like to see an attempt!”

Ginny heard sniggers from the back as she rose from her seat and walked up to the front desk. She held out her wand at the teapot.

“Off you go then,” McGonagall said with a small smile.

Ginny looked at her for silent confirmation that she really did mean to humiliate her in front of the class. McGonagall’s icy stare told her she was in for it.

Suddenly she had a flash of inspiration. Just as McGonagall began to say, “Ten points from Gryffindor,” Ginny raised her wand, bringing it down with a swift flick, saying, “Impatus!” 

The class stared as a teacup sat on the desk instead of a teapot, just as Professor McGonagall had been explaining. The class began to giggle.

“Silence!” McGonagall shouted to the class. “You may return to your seat Ginevra.”

Ginny sat down, face flushed with relief.

“Now for homework I would like an essay…”

********

At lunchtime, Ginny bounded down to the Great Hall saving a seat for Hermione.

“Hey,” called Dean, sitting down on the other side of her. “Are you waiting for someone?”

“Hermione!” Ginny yelled as she saw the familiar bushy hair enter the hall, hardly noticing Dean.

As Hermione sat down, Ginny hugged her. “Thank you, you saved my life Hermione!”

“I did?” Hermione replied, looking at her friend with interest.

Ginny proceeded to tell Hermione all about the lesson.

“…and if you hadn’t taught me that spell I would probably be sat in detention right now!” she finished.

“Lucky I did then, huh?” Hermione said with a chuckle. “I told you you’d need it!”

The girls continued to chat for a while, before Ginny turned around to find herself looking at an empty seat.

“Where did Dean go?” she wondered aloud.

Hermione looked around the hall. “I don’t know…maybe you upset him because you were talking to me?”

Ginny sighed. “I better go apologise. I’ll see you later Hermione.” She picked up the pile of books off the table and started to trudge towards the common room.

Out in the corridor she spotted Dean a little way in front of her. Starting to jog with eyes firmly fixed on the back of Dean’s head, she didn’t notice the suit of armour in front of her until she had crashed right into it, falling over with the books landing all around her.

A hand poked under her nose and she grasped it, grateful for the help. Straightening her skirt she looked up, finding herself staring at Draco Malfoy.

“Alright there, Weasley?” he asked, bending down to pick up her books.

Draco Malfoy is being NICE to me?

“Th-thanks,” she stuttered, as he stood up and placed the books in her arms. She felt herself look up into his eyes, a beautiful grey colour, and a blush rose in her cheeks. She had never realised how astonishingly handsome he was…

Lost in his eyes she failed to notice Crabbe and Goyle’s appearance. Draco visibly shook himself and looked away.

“C’mon,” he said to his friends, “I don’t want to hang around that Weasley for too long, I might catch something!”

And with that, he disappeared, leaving Ginny open mouthed and stunned.

“I guess he’s the same old Draco Malfoy,” she said to herself as she started towards the library, think of writing her Transfiguration essay.

********

She met Hermione in the library, her tiny writing covering reams of parchment.

“How do you so that?” Ginny asked as she sat down beside her.

“Do what?” Hermione asked.

“Write all that.”

“I don’t know,” Hermione relied, “I just write down what I know and then add new information that I find out. There’s so much information, anyone could do it if they tried.”

Ginny laughed. “Not me!”

She got out some parchment and opened her books.

“oh, did you find Dean?” Hermione asked.

“Dean?” Ginny said, puzzled for a moment. “Oh right! No, no… I didn’t find him in the end.” She had completely forgotten about Dean after the fiasco with Malfoy.

“I’m sure Dean will be okay with it,” Hermione said.

“Yeah…” Ginny said vaguely. She considered telling her friend about the Malfoy incident, but decided not to. Hermione wouldn’t believe that he had been nice to her anyway.

Neither could she for that matter. Draco wasn’t nice to anyone. But maybe he was just like that around his friends, she thought, maybe it was an act!

She sat thinking, unable to get the though of those eyes out of her head. He was gorgeous. Amazingly so.

“Erm…Ginny?”

“Yep?” Ginny said with a start. Hermione was stood looking down at her.

“You’ve been sat there for half an hour and you haven’t written anything! Daydreaming about Dean I bet!” Hermione laughed.

“Yeah,” said Ginny, “Yeah, that’s right. I s’pose I ought to get going to class.”

Walking out of the library she found herself looking at Draco Malfoy for the second time that day.

“Ah, Ginny? Erm…come in here,” he said, pulling her into an empty classroom.

Ginny couldn’t speak. She knew she was an attractive shade of red. I am in an empty classroom with this gorgeous lad…

Trying to kill her thoughts, she looked nervously at Draco.

“Hey,” he said. “Yeah, erm…I don’t usually do this, but I wanted to say sorry about earlier.”

Ginny remained silent.

“Yeah…I err, shouldn’t have said that last thing. I’m sorry anyway.”

Ginny surprised herself by opening her mouth. “That’s okay.”

“Oh,” Draco said, “That’s alright then.” He turned to leave.

“Draco?” Ginny said quickly, “Erm, I know I don’t know you personally or anything, but you don’t seem like the type…”

“to be nice?” he finished.

She nodded.

“Yeah, I know, but man, it gets you places sometimes. I figure you’re not like the rest of your trashy family.”

“My family are not trashy,” she relied, hurt.

“Well, whatever,” he grinned. “Being Mr Nice Guy goes down better with the chicks.”

He walked right up to her until she could feel his breath hot on her cheeks. She was mystified, he was so close…

“I wouldn’t do it for just anyone,” he said into her ear.

Ginny shivered, her skin goose-pimpled.

“I’ll see you around Weasley,” and with that he walked out of the room, leaving Ginny dazed.

********

Later Ginny sat with Hermione in the common room. Hermione was reading “Hogwarts; A History” again, and Ginny sat in the armchair opposite.

Hermione looked at her over her book. “Oh, by the way, Dean was looking for you earlier.”

Ginny was clearly daydreaming again; her eyes were unfocused as she sat frozen.

Hermione put her book down. “Ginny?” she called.

Ginny jumped and looked up at her friend.

“Ginny are you okay? You haven’t said a word,” Hermione remarked.

“Yeah, I’m alright, just…thinking,” she replied.

“Well, as long as you know you can talk to be if you want.”

“Thanks Hermione,” Ginny said.

Suddenly an owl swooped into the room. Circling, it laded in front of Ginny. She unrolled the piece of parchment and flattened it out, letting Hermione see it too:

I really need to talk to you.

Meet me on the Quidditch pitch tonight at .

D.

“Ooo,” Hermione said, “Dean wants to meet you on the pitch at ! How romantic!”

“Yeah, I guess,” Ginny said with a sigh.

Hermione was oblivious. “You’ll get sorted out properly.”

Ginny didn’t really want to go, especially not after that ‘moment’ with Draco earlier. She thought perhaps it would be easiest to sleep tonight, and pretend to Dean that she hadn’t got his message. Then she could talk to him in the morning.

********

Hermione had other plans as she shook her friend awake at half eleven.

“’Mione, it’s the middle of the night!” Ginny mumbled.

“Yes, and you’re meeting Dean, remember?”

Hermione helped her friend get up and dressed. She felt guilty about distracting Ginny at lunch and wanted them to be okay.

“Go on, you’ll be late!” she said, pushing Ginny out of their dorm. “Tell me about it tomorrow!”

Ginny waved and finished climbing down the stairs, across the common room, and out of the portrait door.

She sighed whist walking, trust Hermione to wake her up! Maybe it was for the best, and she could get sorted out with Dean. Then she could stop thinking about Malfoy…

Stepping out into the grounds she muttered, “Lumos!” By the light of her wand she could just see where she was headed. She looked up at the castle nervously, hoping the teachers were all asleep.

Five minutes later she was stood on the dark Quidditch pitch. She couldn’t see Dean anywhere and she felt a little unsure now. It was dark, and there was no one around.

Suddenly she heard a voice and looked down at the ground.

“Ah, Weasley, glad you could make it.”

“Draco?” she asked, looking down at the figure lying on the floor. He stood up.

“Yes it’s me. Who else would it be?”

“But I thought….Dean…?”

“That twat?” Draco said with a snort.

“That ‘twat’ is my boyfriend Draco,” she said angrily.

“Oh really?” Draco said with a snigger.

“So, what am I here for then?” Ginny said, annoyed now.

Draco steeped closer to her, trailing his fingers down her bare arm. The mood seemed to change and Ginny shivered.

“Why are you a Weasley?” he asked huskily.

Ginny’s breath caught in her throat.

“You know I can’t be seen with a Weasley, don’t you?” He rested his hand lightly on her waist, staring into her eyes.

“You stand there, with those curves…and those unforgettable eyes, and I’m supposed to pass you by?” he said softly.

He was too close now, and Ginny’s mind was reeling. She didn’t know what made her do it, but suddenly she was asking, “Do you love me?”

Malfoy looked taken aback. He relaxed, leaning towards her, and pulling her to him tightly.

“You better believe it Ginny.”

His lips met hers, and they were kissing unchaste. A kiss that shocked both of them as the intensity revealed their feelings for each other.

Ginny pulled back, staring into his eyes astonished.

“I’m kissing Draco Malfoy,” she whispered.

“Yeah,” he mumbled against her lips, “and you love it, don’t you?”