When Fire Meets Ice

Compaq Normal Preferred Customer 2 0 2003-07-16T21:42:00Z 2003-07-16T21:42:00Z 4 2068 9310 Puget Sound Refrigeration 290 98 14482 9.3821

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot. I got a few ideas for this fic from various movies, such as “You’ve got Mail” and “Serendipity”...but it’s a bit different so please, don’t sue!

Summary: Draco receives an enchanted computer for Christmas, and through it, meets the girl of his dreams. However, she doesn't turn out to be quite who he expected...

By the way, this Fic is on Fanfiction.net at “Fire and Ice”, but I have changed the title a little bit because that one is so overused.

~*~

Draco woke up abruptly to the bright sunlight shining annoyingly on his face. He angrily shut his bed curtains, upset that they had been opened during the night. Who needs sunlight anyway, he thought, mumbling and turning over in his sleep. His foot struck something hard at the end of his bed, and he sat up, crying out in pain. “What in the world..?”

There was one large box at the foot of his bed, wrapped in dark green Christmas paper. He rolled his eyes. “Oh, I almost forgot. It’s Christmas”, he said sarcastically to nobody in particular. Everybody but himself had gone home for the holidays in his room at Hogwarts. He turned up his nose at the thought of spending the holidays with his father. “That would be one jolly party,” he said aloud, thinking about the lectures and discipline he received in the summer holiday.

Yawning lazily, he reached for the present. “At least they didn’t completely forget about me. I wonder what they sent this year. 101 Ways to Successfully Convert to Dark Magic?” He could feel his sarcasm coming on strong today. Christmas wasn’t exactly his favorite time of year. Somehow he just wasn’t one to get into the spirit of things.

The rip of the paper sounded strangely loud in the empty room. The decorated Christmas paper fell to the ground to reveal a large box, which he opened in no hurry. Draco was very confused by what he found inside the box. “Compaq Presario? What kind of bloody contraption is this?”

Inspecting the electronic devise further, he suddenly remembered learning about these in Muggle Studies in Sixth year. They were called computers, and practically every muggle had one. They were the latest advance in technology, now that they had what they called the “World Wide Web.” Because of these, muggles thought highly of themselves, thinking they were quite clever for inventing something with such “power”.

Draco smirked, amused. “Muggles just don’t know what power is. Fools.”

Suddenly he realized there was a card laying on his bed as well. He opened it up and read the note in his father’s messy scrawl.

“Draco, we decided to send you an enchanted computer for Christmas this year. It functions like a regular muggle one, but it’s got some...magical features. Some of the other Death Eaters have been using it to communicate because the Ministry doesn’t have a very close watch on wizard’s computers. However, you needn’t get involved in that yet. You can just play around with the Dark Wizard chat rooms installed on the computer. Meet some more people like us. ~Lucius”

The note annoyed Draco greatly. “He doesn’t even trust my choice of friends! What a prat. I don’t even know how to work this thing, why on earth did he send me this piece of rubbish?”

He lay back in his bed, sighing, and left the computer where it sat. However, after a few minutes, curiosity got the best of him. “The chat rooms sound interesting. Maybe I could meet some more girls to use to my advantage. That’s always entertaining.”

He opened the box and pulled out the shiny black laptop. It opened with a snap, and he set it in front of him on the bed. He guessed that the large button in the front was the on button, and pressed it. It sprang instantly to life, surprising him. A green Slytherin symbol appeared on the screen, hissed, and then switched to the main desktop. Another screen popped up that asked Draco some questions. He read them over and then began typing, rather slowly.

“1. Name?”

He typed in “Draco Malfoy” and hit the “next” button.

“2. Choose an Email Address. (This is the name in which other wizards can send you mail.)”

He needed to think of something clever. Drumming his fingers on the edge of the keyboard, his mind went over a few possibilities before finally typing, “IceyGaze”, and pressing the “next” button again. This time instead of going on to question three, an alert window popped up. It read, “Your new email address will be “IceyGaze@wizmail.com” Is this alright?”

He hit “yes” and continued on with the questions.

“3. Write a short paragraph describing yourself. (Likes, dislikes, funny quirks, anything that you want other witches and wizards to know about you.)”

Letting out a breath, Draco began to think. Finding things to say about himself that would sound appealing to others wasn’t his specialty. The blinking cursor on the screen was becoming annoying, so he gave up thinking and just typed.

“If you are looking for a good time then you’ve come to the right place. I’m a 16-year-old guy who knows how to treat a girl. If you want to know more, you’ve got to ask.” He grinned. That ought to entice a few ladies. Yet again, he hit “next”.

“4. What level of education have you completed?”

He typed in “7^th year student.”

“5. Would you like your personal information viewable to others?”

He had to think about this one. He typed in, “Only if I agree to them seeing it first.” If he wanted to meet people, he couldn’t let everyone know he was a Malfoy. He wanted raw opinion before they knew his name.

“6. Are you single?”

Draco laughed out loud at this one. “Single and looking.” He answered, grinning.

The screen swirled black, and then returned to the desktop. A screen then popped up, another alert window. “Thank you for filling out the information. Your email address has been set up and your profile started. To view your profile and/or edit it, click on your preferences below. To check email, click on the owl icon in the corner. To look at web pages on the Internet, click on the broomstick icon at the right side. To chat with other witches and wizards, click on the cauldron icon on the left. If you need any other help, click on the spell book icon at the bottom of the screen. It can answer any question worth being answered.”

The screen disappeared and Draco contemplated what to do. On impulse, he clicked on the Cauldron. Another screen popped up, this one a little different from the rest.

“Hello, IceyGaze.

What type of chat would you like to enter?”

The choices included Dark Magic, Teenagers, Adults, Wizards only, Witches Only, General, and Freestyle. There were captions under each of the categories.

Dark Magic- The chat for wizards up to no good!

Teenagers- Something for those teenage witches/wizards with nothing to do.

Adults- Must be out of schooling to enter.

Wizards Only- Men’s chat.

Witches Only- Women’s chat.

General- A little bit of everything.

Freestyle- Be careful in this chat, there are no charms restricting anything.

After clicking on “Teenagers”, a larger window opened up. There was a list of everybody in the chat room, and a box at the bottom to type in. He wasn’t really sure what to do. There were about 25 people in the chat, talking about various things. They were talking about Quidditch, what they were doing for Christmas, what crazy spells they’d accidentally cast on younger siblings…not really anything Draco was interested in. He clicked in the little box and began typing.

IceyGaze: Anyone in here from Hogwarts?

For a moment, Draco thought everyone had disregarded his question. Then someone replied to him.

Firefly: I am.

IceyGaze: Are you female?

Firefly: Yes. If you want to talk we can PC.

Draco scratched his head. He was going to have to learn the lingo if he wanted to do this right.

IceyGaze: What’s PC?

Firefly: Private Chat. I’ll initiate it.

Seconds later, a small box appeared on Draco’s screen. In it, he saw that the only people were Firefly and himself.

Firefly: Now nobody else can see our conversation. I haven’t seen you around, are you new?

IceyGaze: New? New to computers? Yes.

Firefly: Oh, well then nice to meet you. I’ve had my computer for a couple of weeks already. Most of the wizards I’ve talked to are rather daft though. You seem... different.

IceyGaze: Do I? How so?

Firefly: Hmm….I just have a feeling. Nice profile. You know how to treat a girl?

IceyGaze: I’ve been told as much. So you go to Hogwarts, huh? What year are you?

Firefly: 6^th year. Yourself?

IceyGaze: I’m a 7^th year. You’re not too out of my league you know.

Firefly: [raises eyebrow] Is that so?

IceyGaze: [grins]

Draco was beginning to get the feel of this. He was having fun chatting with this anonymous girl. He could totally be himself, or be someone completely different, and no one would know the difference. He was starting to rethink his opinion on this computer thing.

Firefly: So, do you have a name?

Draco’s fingers froze over the keyboard. What should he say? He couldn’t dare tell her his real name. If she went to Hogwarts, she knew about the Malfoys. He’d have to be clever and cautious while talking to this girl, he realized.

IceyGaze: Does it matter?

Firefly: It be nice to be able to call you something other than “Hey you”.

IceyGaze: Well, you can call me whatever you like.

Firefly: [pouts] I want to know your name though.

IceyGaze: Well that just isn’t an option.

Firefly: Can I call you Ice?

“What a fitting name”, Draco said out loud. He was surprising himself by how much fun he was having, chatting.

IceyGaze: Only if I can call you Fire. What is your name anyway?

Firefly: Well that’s not fair. I’ll tell you my name as soon as you tell me yours. You’ve got to play by the rules.

IceyGaze: So I guess for now we’re Fire and Ice, huh?

Firefly: It’s kind of romantic, is it not?

IceyGaze: You wish.

He took a minute to stretch his fingers. He couldn’t believe what a flirt he was being. This could be anyone, he realized, they could be making everything up about themselves as well. But something about the girl just drew him to her; he couldn’t wait to find out more about her.

Firefly: So tell me about yourself.

IceyGaze: What do you want to know?

Firefly: Well, right about now, I think I want to know everything.

IceyGaze: Let’s see… I’m an only child, I play Quidditch, I get good grades, and I know how to treat a girl, as you already know.

Firefly: You play Quidditch? Oooh...That narrows it down!

Draco smacked himself in the forehead. He had to be more careful. Until he got to know Fire better, he couldn’t let her find out who he was.

IceyGaze: What makes you so sure I’m on one of the Hogwarts teams?

Firefly: Where ELSE would you play? So anyway, tell me, are you at Hogwarts right now, or did you go home for the holidays?

IceyGaze: Not telling.

Firefly: You’re a tough one. I stayed at Hogwarts, I was thinking if you did too then maybe we could meet up somewhere and meet each other.

IceyGaze: Too bad. I went home.

He didn’t really want to lie to her, but it was too soon to meet. Much too soon.

Firefly: Oh well. There’s always the rest of the year. So what house are you in?

IceyGaze: What’s with all the personal questions?

Firefly: How else are we going to get to know each other?

IceyGaze: What makes you so sure I want to get to know you?

Firefly: I’m beginning to understand your screen name. You’re not a very open person are you?

IceyGaze: It seems that way doesn’t it?

Firefly: Well, you know something?

IceyGaze: I know a lot of things.

Firefly: Well, here’s one you might not know already. Fire always melts Ice.

Once again, Draco found himself frozen above the keyboard. This girl was smooth. He was beginning to like her for it.

IceyGaze: Well, we’ll just see if you can keep up with the tradition.

~*~

A/N Well, tell me if you like it so far…I’m really excited about this story and I cant wait to get reviews!!

Compaq Normal Preferred Customer 2 2 2003-07-18T20:50:00Z 2003-07-18T20:50:00Z 4 1661 9472 Puget Sound Refrigeration 78 18 11632 9.3821

I just wanted to let you guys know that this story IS completed; I am just editing and fixing it, and posting the chapters as I complete each one on this site. I wrote it about a year ago and think my skills have improved, so this is the new and improved version.

~*~

Ginny sat in the Gryffindor common room next to the fire, playing a muggle game called Solitaire on her new laptop computer. It was nearly nighttime. She had been saving up her money for the passed year, and had finally gotten enough to purchase her very own computer. It had been something she really wanted; the endless limits of the Internet fascinated her. There was access to so many spells, much more than were in the Library at Hogwarts. She also enjoyed the chat feature; it allowed her to talk to people without getting shy like she normally did.

Most of her friends had gone home for the Christmas holidays, but she and her brother Ron always stayed with Harry here at Hogwarts. Same with Hermione. They didn’t want their friend spending Christmas alone at the castle. She had received her gifts this morning, a sweater from her mum like usual, and some chocolate fudge, her favorite. She also received various other things from her friends, including a new journal, a completely safe an un-possessed one, and some pretty new quills. But the computer was the only thing on her mind today; she couldn’t seem to get enough of it since she’d gotten it.

Ron and Hermione were off taking a Christmas walk outside, and Harry was up in his bedroom writing a letter to Sirius. He was still in hiding, they weren’t sure if they could ever get his name cleared.

Ginny was chatting online with a 5^th year girl she was friends with, one who’d gone home for Christmas, but found her mind drifting to someone else.

Suddenly the computer chimed and a window popped up. “IceyGaze has just signed in.”

Grinning, Ginny clicked on his screen name. “How ironic…” she murmured. He was exactly who she’d been thinking about. The small window popped up and she began typing earnestly.

Firefly: I missed you.

IceyGaze: It’s only been about 10 hours.

Firefly: Wow, it’s been longer than I thought.

IceyGaze: [laughs]

Firefly: Why are you laughing?

IceyGaze: You like me, don’t you?

Firefly: What kind of question is that?

IceyGaze: Well what kind of answer was that?

Firefly: So what if I do like you. Why is it funny?

IceyGaze: 1) You just met me. 2) You don’t know me.

Firefly: Well, if you’d let me GET to know you…

IceyGaze: Why are you so interested in me?

Firefly: [smiles] Because you’re interesting.

IceyGaze: I really don’t know what to say.

Firefly: Hmmm…then don’t say anything. I don’t mind.

IceyGaze: So what does your screen name mean, anyway?

Firefly: It’s my nickname.

IceyGaze: Any significant reason?

Firefly: Well, if I told you, then I’d have to kill you.

IceyGaze: [raises eyebrows] And why is that?

Firefly: I’m just kidding. But if I did tell you, it would give away my identity.

This much was true. Ever since she was little, her friends and family had called her that, because her hair was so fiery red.

IceyGaze: Why, are you really a firefly?

Firefly: Not literally… [winks]

Ginny was feeling rather playful. She didn’t know what it was about this guy, this wonderful mysterious 7^th year at Hogwarts, but she had a thing for him. Something about their conversations just made her feel excited and like a different person. His strange, closed-up ways of talking just made her want to try and find out even more about him. She wondered often why he was so closed off. Why he changed the subject every time she asked something personal. Why he was so touchy about his name.

Firefly: So what does your screen name mean?

Ginny waited about four minutes and he still hadn’t replied. What was going on?

Firefly: Hello? Are you there?

IceyGaze: Sorry. My computer froze up.

She highly doubted it. Enchanted computers didn’t just freeze up for no reason. But rather than push the subject, she decided to let the question drop. She could try asking him about his screen name later on, maybe after he’d warmed up to her a little.

Firefly: That’s ok. Happens all the time.

IceyGaze: Tell me about yourself.

It was funny how seemed so curious about her, yet avoided every question about himself at all cost.

Firefly: Like what?

IceyGaze: Anything.

Firefly: Ok…I have quite a few siblings, I love school and learning spells, I like writing, and I’ve only recently gotten over my childhood crush that lasted nearly 6 years. I’m sorry but my life isn’t that interesting.

IceyGaze: It’s more interesting than mine. I want to hear more. Tell me about your crush.

Thinking of Harry, Ginny tried to explain him without giving away who he was. Everyone knew famous Harry Potter; she’d have to be careful.

Firefly: Well, I was kind of like a lovesick little kid. I set my hopes way too high, and was miserable for years. Then in my 5^th year, he finally noticed me. We tried going out, but it just didn’t work out. Now we’re just really good friends.

IceyGaze: That’s interesting. Why didn’t it work out?

She’d actually been trying to figure that out all year. Even thought most people thought Harry had broken it off between the two of them, it had actually been Ginny. Being with Harry just never felt as good as she had always dreamed it would. They were much better off friends.

Firefly: I’m not quite sure. But if we hadn’t broken it off, I probably wouldn’t have met you. [smiles]

IceyGaze: You just don’t give up, do you?

Firefly: What’s that supposed to mean?

IceyGaze: I’ve been rude, short tempered, and not very open with you. Why haven’t you given up? I’m sure there are plenty of guys who would throw themselves at you.

His response made her think for a moment. He had a point, why hadn’t she given up? Everything he’d just said was true, except the last part.

Firefly: I like a challenge.

Again, he took his time replying. Ginny grew impatient; she wasn’t going to wait around all day.

Firefly: Ice, can I ask you something?

IceyGaze: It depends on what it is.

Firefly: You don’t HAVE to reply, you know.

IceyGaze: Well then sure, you can ask me something.

Firefly: Am I wasting my time?

IceyGaze: What do you mean?

Firefly: I mean do you have no interest whatsoever in me?

For the third time that night he took his time with his reply. Ginny hit the keys in frustration.

Firefly: COME ON, ICE, ANSWER ALREADY!

IceyGaze: You don’t have to yell.

Firefly: If that’s what it takes…

IceyGaze: no

Firefly: No?

IceyGaze: No, you’re not wasting your time.

Ginny’s head suddenly sprung up from the screen. Someone was coming down the stairs.

Firefly: Wait just a minute, I’ll be right back.

She minimized the chat window and pulled up Solitaire again. At the same moment Harry descended from the stairs.

“Hey Gin, what’s up?” he asked casually, setting himself on the couch across from her. Hedwig was next to him, almost ready to fly off with Sirius’ letter.

“Nothing much, just, uh, playing games on my new computer.” She couldn’t believe the traces of guilt she could hear in her own voice. What did she have to be guilty about? What was wrong with meeting people online? Meeting people and flirting shamelessly, she reminded herself.

“You want to add anything to my letter to Sirius? I’m about to send it off so he at least gets something on Christmas besides the cookies I sent him. Which I think were a little on the crispy side, don’t you agree?”

Ginny smiled weakly and quickly wrote, “Merry Christmas Sirius, we all miss you, Sincerely, Ginny Weasley,” on the bottom of the letter.

Harry tied the letter to Hedwig’s foot and opened the window. The snowy owl made it’s way out into the dark night.

After closing the window, Harry came back to Ginny, only this time sitting next to her rather than across from her. He looked at her game on the computer. “Oh, my cousin Dudley used to play this on his computer. Only he would get frustrated and then sit on it and break it.” He meant it as a joke, but Ginny’s mind was preoccupied.

“Hey Ginny?” Harry started out awkwardly, placing his hand on her own, which was situated on the computer mouse. She turned her head toward his, realizing what was going on. He’s hitting on me, Ginny thought to herself. After everything we’ve been through, Harry Potter is still hitting on me. He leaned forward a little, and whispered, “Let’s go find Ron and Hermione. It’s such a beautiful night tonight, let’s go for a walk.”

She stared at him with confusion in her eyes. “Harry, we’re just friends. Remember?”

His green eyes showed signs of hurt in them. Then he masked it with an emotionless face. “I know that Ginny. Of course we are. I was just concerned about the others. It could start to snow again tonight.”

Sighing, Ginny turned away. “I think I’m going to stay here tonight. Sorry Harry.”

He picked himself up and walked toward the exit of the common room. “Not a problem Ginny, not a problem. We can hang out tomorrow. I understand.” With that, he was gone.

She felt a little bad. He was still one of her best friends and hated to hurt him. But she didn’t have feelings for him anymore. And he’d just have to deal with it. She brought up the chat window again. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw he was still online.

Firefly: Thanks for waiting for me.

IceyGaze: I don’t have anything better to do.

Firefly: Do you not enjoy talking with me?

IceyGaze: Why must you point out my weaknesses?

This confused her. What was his weakness? That he was talking online? Or that he was enjoying it? She decided to not ask questions. He seemed to not like questions much, and wanted to avoid the tough ones at all costs.

Firefly: So when do I get to meet you?

IceyGaze: Define “meet”.

Firefly: I mean see you in person, silly.

IceyGaze: Silly? I don’t respond well to name-calling.

Firefly: Well you deserved it.

IceyGaze: Well well, someone’s getting a little feisty.

Deciding to go out on a whim, Ginny typed something that made her blush just thinking about it. However, she was shy in real life. She needn’t be shy online too. He couldn’t see her blush through the computer.

Firefly: Does that turn you on?

IceyGaze: Excuse me?

Firefly: Did I stutter? You heard me.

IceyGaze: As a matter of fact…it does.

Her eyes widened. She wasn’t expecting that kind of answer. She didn’t know what to say in reply. A few minutes passed.

IceyGaze: [laughs] Today’s lesson is, don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to.

Ginny couldn’t believe it. “Oh my goodness, he’s already got me all figured out!” she whispered to herself. Well, she had to prove him wrong.

Firefly: How do you know what I want and don’t want? I just didn’t want to push the matter because even if I DID turn you on, you’re not here right now and there’s nothing I can do. Because I’m at Hogwarts and you’re not.

IceyGaze: Nothing you can do? What would you do if I WERE at Hogwarts right now eh?

She blushed like mad. He was too smart for her. She couldn’t win.

Firefly: What would you WANT me to do?

IceyGaze: Remember what you learned before? About asking question you don’t want to here the answer to?

Firefly: Yeah?

IceyGaze: Well this is one of those times. [grins]

Firefly: [rolls eyes] Well I’m going to sleep. Talk to you tomorrow?

IceyGaze: Perhaps. Sleep well.

Firefly: Good Night!

~*~

A/N well that’s the end of chapter 2, I hope you all liked it…

Compaq Normal Preferred Customer 2 344 2003-07-18T21:02:00Z 2003-07-18T21:02:00Z 4 1198 5404 Puget Sound Refrigeration 164 54 6555 9.3821

Disclaimer- All is as was before.

~*~

“Draco!” a voice hissed from next to his bed. “Draco! Come on, wake up!”

He opened his heavy eyes and tried to focus on what was causing all the commotion. He didn’t get much sleep the night before; he had been lost in thought most of the night. When his vision finally cleared, he saw a very confused Goyle standing over his laptop, still open and turned on, where he’d left it last night on his nightstand. He was randomly pressing buttons, a look of confusion contorting his face.

“Goyle! Get away from that you bloody fool! You’re going to break it!” He jumped out of bed and shoved his large friend away. “What are you doing, anyway? I never gave you the permission to touch my computer. Or anything, for that matter.”

Goyle stepped back, afraid of Draco’s sudden outburst. “Well, I just, I mean, it was beeping, and, bad, I know, sorry.” He ran back to his bed and Draco just shook his head. The least they could have done was given him some intelligent people to share a room with instead of these dumb oafs. He turned his attention back to the computer, and sure enough, it was beeping just like Goyle pointed out. A private chat screen was blinking as well.

Draco scratched his head and pulled the computer onto his bed. He settled himself down behind it and closed the curtains for privacy. Goyle was still wondering what the beeping machine was. However, Draco ignored him and went on to read his waiting messages.

Firefly: Hey sleepyhead, are you awake?

Firefly: No? Well, I can wait.

Firefly: [getting impatient] Ok, I cant wait that long. Wake up!

He chuckled to himself. I like a persistent girl, he thought with a smile.

IceyGaze: I’m here.

Firefly: Oh good, I was getting worried.

IceyGaze: Worried? Why would you be worried?

Firefly: Well, because it’s the first day back from winter break.

IceyGaze: … so?

Firefly: So I was making sure you made it back to the castle ok!

Draco suddenly realized his mistake. I’ve got to quit lying to her. She’s going to catch me eventually, he warned himself. She was smoother than he was used to with girls. He had to be careful.

IceyGaze: Don’t you worry about me. I’m perfectly capable of getting myself from point A to point B.

Firefly: Well, then I’ve got a wonderful idea, if you’re up to it.

IceyGaze: And what would your wonderful idea be?

Firefly: How about point A is your bedroom and point B is the entrance to the Dungeons before breakfast?

IceyGaze: Excuse me?

Firefly: Why must you always make me repeat myself?

IceyGaze: You want me to meet you somewhere before breakfast? Is that what you’re asking?

Firefly: Yes?

IceyGaze: Absolutely not.

Firefly: [narrows eyes] And why not?

He thought about it for a second. She’d already admitted that she liked him; if she turned up her nose she would be a hypocrite, now. He really had no reason not to meet her; he was just worried about losing a friend now. That is, if she didn’t like him because he was a Malfoy. Or a Slytherin, while he was on the subject.

IceyGaze: What if I don’t have a good reason?

Firefly: Then I wont take no for an answer.

IceyGaze: You’re a devious girl, you know that?

Firefly: Well, you know, I try. [winks]

IceyGaze: [laughs] Well that’s good, I myself am rather prone to the devious types.

Firefly: So then, it’s all settled. I’ll be waiting outside the entrance to the Dungeons just before breakfast begins. Ok?

IceyGaze: What? When was this settled?

Firefly: Just now. I settled it.

Sighing, Draco just decided to accept. If she didn’t like him, it was her loss. Besides, if she really was a hypocrite, he didn’t want to waste his time on her. Better to find out now than later, he reasoned.

IceyGaze: [mutters] You know what? You win. I’ll meet you. But if this turns out how I think it might, remember, I warned you.

Firefly: [does a happy dance] Yeah! I finally get to meet my mysterious Romeo!

IceyGaze: Romeo? Who’s that?

Firefly: [giggles] Never mind. Muggle book reference. You wouldn’t understand it anyway. See you soon!

IceyGaze: Yeah… Bye.

He groaned and stood from his bed. What was he getting himself into? This was the first girl who had ever liked him for his personality, and there was a chance he was throwing at all away today, before he could prove himself better than his named proclaimed. Oh well, he thought. If she doesn’t like me, then it’s her fault. If she’s like I think she is, she’ll see past my name.

Throwing on some clothes and a splash of cologne for good measure, he hurried out the door. Crabbe and Goyle had already left, even thought they left early for every meal.

When he reached the main floor, instead of turning into the Great Hall like normal, he swung a right and walked toward the dungeons. The only people around were a few 2^nd years, so he leaned up against a wall and acted casual, playing with a lock of hair that had fallen down into his eyes. A few minutes passed, and more students began arriving for breakfast. He saw Pansy walk in; hanging on some ecstatic looking 6^th year he’d never met. Boy, was Draco glad when Pansy quit flirting with him a few years back.

He then rolled his eyes when he saw Harry walk in the room with Ron and Hermione. Don’t those three ever separate, he though in disgust. What was even worse was when he saw Ginny Weasley trailing behind them, with a lovesick expression on her face, looking as though she was walking on air. He shook his head. Probably still pinning away for her beloved Potter, he assumed. Strangely, though, she didn’t seem to be paying any attention to the trio walking ahead of her, or the scar faced boy leading it.

Then Ginny looked at her older friends, and watched them walk into the Great Hall. Instead of going with them, she veered to the right and walked right passed Draco. She looked around a few times and walked back out into the main area.

“Looking for someone, Weasley?” Draco taunted. As long as he was waiting, he could at least pester someone to keep himself occupied. She turned around and glared at him.

“What’s it to you, Malfoy?” she said, a surprising malice to her voice. With that, she turned on her heel and stalked off. She gave the Dungeons entrance one last glance before leaving altogether for the Great Hall. She was already late for breakfast, anyhow.

Draco waited a couple more minutes, but no girls showed up. Everyone was eating breakfast by now. He muttered under his breath about being shown up, and went back to his bedroom. He couldn’t walk into the Great hall now, to be laughed at. No one stands up Draco Malfoy.

He sat on his bed and pondered why she had begged him to meet her and then didn’t even bother to show up. It didn’t make sense.

~*~

Please review, I really like to know what readers think, before posting up the next (already written) chapter.

Compaq Normal Preferred Customer 2 204 2003-07-21T18:31:00Z 2003-07-21T18:31:00Z 4 999 4491 Puget Sound Refrigeration 140 50 5449 9.3821

Disclaimer: If you’ve made it this far, then you already know the deal.

~*~

Sitting down at her usual spot at the Gryffindor table, Ginny frowned slightly. After everything they had talked about this morning, Ice hadn’t shown up to meet her. She was disappointed. Hermione noticed that she was only picking at her food.

“What’s wrong, Gin?” she asked in a concerned voice.

Ginny dismissed her with the wave of her hand. Like Hermione would understand anyway, Ginny thought. Her friend shrugged and went back to her food.

“Attention Hogwarts Students.” Dumbledore said in a loud voice. He stood up in his chair, ready to speak to the group of kids. “As you know, it is the first day back to Hogwarts since Winter Break. Because we want to do something new and exciting for all of you, we are going to have another ball. This one will be taking place on Valentine’s Day, and it’s up to the girls this time to pick their dates.” He winked slightly, as if very pleased with this idea. “You have over a month to get ready. Attire will be dress robes and masks, as it will be a Masquerade. Please, get as creative as you want. That is all.” Stepping down from his chair, he resumed eating his breakfast.

Excited murmurs could be heard from around the Great Hall. Ginny was still upset about getting shown up, but felt her mood perk a little at the news. Dances were her favorite social thing to do at school; there was just something about getting dressed up and going to a dance that she loved.

She looked around the room she was in, at the faces of all the students, sitting with their houses. She wondered which one of these people was Ice. No one really looked the part. She was stumped. Suddenly, frustrated, she grabbed her bag and stood up from the table.

“Ginny, where are you going?” Ron questioned her absently.

She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not very hungry. I’m going to go back up to my room for a little while before classes. See you later.” With that, she left the Great Hall without looking back.

The computer was sitting open on her bed, as if waiting for her. She jumped on the bed behind it, and sure enough, “IceyGaze” was logged in. I knew it, Ginny thought triumphantly.

Firefly: I thought you’d be online.

IceyGaze: Well did you really expect me to go into the Great hall, after you stood me up?

Firefly: What? I didn’t stand you up, you stood ME up!

IceyGaze: I didn’t see any girls by the Dungeons.

Firefly: That’s odd. I was there.

IceyGaze: So was I.

Firefly: But then again, I didn’t really see any guys either. Maybe we just missed each other?

IceyGaze: Perhaps.

Ginny was confused. So she was wrong. She knew she shouldn’t have overreacted, there had to be a reason he hadn’t met her like he’d promised. This news cheered her up greatly.

Firefly: Well that’s not all you missed. Guess what Dumbledore told us today?

IceyGaze: What?

Firefly: There is going to be a ball, on Valentine’s Day! A masquerade!

IceyGaze: [sigh] I hate dances.

Firefly: Really? They are my favorite! How could you hate them?

IceyGaze: I always end up going with someone I don’t like, I have to dress up, and I hate asking girls to go with me.

Firefly: Well, today is your lucky day. This ball is going to be Lady’s Choice. And this Lady is choosing you.

IceyGaze: I don’t think so.

Firefly: Are you kidding me? Why not?

IceyGaze: I just don’t think it’s a good idea. We hardly even know each other. This could end up horribly.

Firefly: You are always so pessimistic. I think it’ll end up wonderfully. There are no guys I would rather go with than you.

She thought about what she was doing. It was true; she really had no interest in any of the Gryffindor guys. Lately her mind had been on Ice, and Ice alone. Why shouldn’t she go with him?

Firefly: And another thing. Don’t you find it odd that I’m the first person you met online? The first person you could really talk to? We go to the same school? Nearly the same age? I think its fate that brought us together. We’re supposed to go to this dance together.

Realizing she was sounding almost desperate, Ginny backed off a little bit, waiting for his response. She wished he would reconsider. All she could think about recently was who this mystery guy was.

IceyGaze: Well. I’ve decided.

Firefly: You’ll go with me?

IceyGaze: No, I’m going to test this so-called fate. In my hand right now I have the school library’s only copy of Melissa Evergreen’s new romance novel, “Magic and Lust”. Do you know how long the waiting list is for this book?

Firefly: No, I don’t. Why?

IceyGaze: It’s about 8 feet long. Everyone in the school is dying to read this book.

Firefly: So? What does that have to do with the dance?

IceyGaze: I’m going to write my screen name on the inside cover of this book, and write, “Yes, Firefly” underneath it. If you can get your hands on this book between now and valentine’s day, then sure, I’ll go with you.

Firefly: Well how hard could it be to get the book?

IceyGaze: [laughs]

Firefly: Well?

IceyGaze: Oh, you’ll see. Melissa Evergreen writes amazing books, people have resorted to bribing me to give it to them next, before I return it. I even heard of someone stealing it from the person who had it before me.

Firefly: Wow. Well, anyway, you underestimate me. I’ve been put up to much harder tasks than this.

IceyGaze: We’ll just see when the dance comes around. Well, I’m off to my classes. You should be too.

Firefly: Right. Oh, and Ice?

IceyGaze: Yes?

Firefly: You’d better start dress-robe shopping. [wink]

Compaq Normal Preferred Customer 2 264 2003-07-22T21:41:00Z 2003-07-22T21:41:00Z 4 1142 5117 Puget Sound Refrigeration 152 44 6229 9.3821

Nothing new. Here is chapter 5.

~*~

After turning off his computer for the night, Draco pulled “Magic and Lust” out from the drawer in his nightstand. He grabbed his favorite quill that wrote in silver ink off of the tabletop, and opened the book to the front cover. Gazing at the empty gray space, he fingered the quill and wrote in his nearly perfect script.

“Yes Fire, I will go with you. Yours, IceyGaze.”

It wasn’t exactly what he’d told her, but she’d figure out that it was the same thing. If she ever found the book, that is. Which Draco was almost certain she wouldn’t.

There wasn’t a real reason for him not wanting to go, except for simply that he didn’t enjoy dances as much as others. If he were going to actually meet Fire, he’d prefer it be some other way. Perhaps going into Hogsmeade and getting a butterbeer, or sneaking out of their rooms to meet in the Owlrey. Something a little less...public. But if she could somehow get her hands on that book, then he’d sure as hell go with her. He knew in order to get it; she’d need some determination. And he was beginning to like her more and more for that exact quality. Yawning, he turned out his bedside lamp and drifted into sleep.

-

Madam Pince looked at Draco in an ‘I’m older and smarter, therefore don’t have time for you’ sort of way. He was turning in “Magic and Lust”, so that Fire would have a fair shot at finding it. She glanced at him with a curious expression.

“Good book?” she taunted, obviously hinting that she thought of it as a trashy romance novel.

Draco smirked; he’d seen her reading the very same copy of the very same book a few nights before. “Yes, I really thought Evergreen portrayed the characters well, don’t you agree?”

Blushing, Madam Pince grabbed the book from his hands and ran her finger down the list of names on the waiting list. “Parkinson, Abbot, Creevy, Goyle, Macmillan, Granger, so many people to get this book to, not enough time,” she mumbled as she looked over the names.

Laughing at some of the names he’d heard, Draco left the flustered librarian and walked into the Great Hall for lunch. He’d already finished his morning classes, and all he had left was Potions. It was a boring class, but since Snape favored him so, he didn’t mind it.

He looked down at his plate and felt a sudden urge of fullness. Not feeling hungry at all, he pulled the laptop out from his bag and slid it under the table onto his lap. He hoped he was being casual enough about it; he didn’t want the whole school seeing him on his computer at lunchtime. Then on second thought, he picked up his stuff and walked back to the library. At least a computer would look semi-normal there.

There was a small table near the back of the library where Draco dumped his stuff and opened up his laptop. There is no way she’ll be online right now, he thought dejectedly. He even surprised himself with the sadness he heard in his thoughts. Not even bothering to check his buddy list, he clicked into the chat rooms. I’ll just meet someone else to talk to for today, he reasoned with himself. A sudden window popped up on Draco’s screen, surprising him.

Firefly: What are you doing on right now?

Draco’s mouth dropped. Every single time he signed online, she seemed to be waiting for him already.

IceyGaze: Wasn’t hungry. What about yourself?

Firefly: I’m in bed sick today. Stomach flu. I’ve been online all day. Just about mastered Solitaire. [grins]

IceyGaze: I see. Well, get better soon. [smiles] You’re wasting valuable time in that bed.

Firefly: Oh, don’t you worry. I’ve already checked the library once, and I have a friend of mine checking again this afternoon.

IceyGaze: [raises eyebrows] Is that so? Well I’ll have you know that I DID return it already.

Firefly: Well that’s a big help. And by the way, I told the friend she’s just doing a sick friend a favor in my time of need. I didn’t tell anyone about our deal, or about you.

IceyGaze: Good. We don’t need to complicate things.

Firefly: You haven’t told anyone about me, have you?

Draco laughed. Even if he were to tell someone, who would he tell? He really didn’t have any close friends, none that he discussed personal matters with. Not that he ever really had personal matter to discuss. Besides his dislike for his family. Which was something he would never tell anyone, it was almost TOO personal of a matter. After a minute, Draco realized he was thinking in circles.

IceyGaze: Not a soul.

Firefly: I already know what I’m wearing to the ball.

IceyGaze: Already!? You still have over a month!

Firefly: Ice, there is one small fact that you must remember about me. I am a girl, and I act like one, too. Things like clothes have priority in my life. [laughs]

IceyGaze: I guess that makes sense. Though I still think it’s quite early to be picking out clothing. How do you even know you’ll be attending?

Firefly: You don’t think I can do it, do you?

IceyGaze: I have my doubts.

Firefly: Well, that’s all for the better. It’ll be even more special when I find it now, because it will prove that I was right and you were wrong.

It was a very rare occasion when someone proved a Malfoy wrong. Draco noted this thought as it ran through his head. She was absolutely right. It would be more special. He decided not to comment on it, however. It was simply too un-Draco like.

IceyGaze: So what are you wearing?

Firefly: I thought you’d never ask! I’m going to wear my new dress robes that I got for Christmas, I’ve been asking for them for quite some time. They are a beautiful maroon color, my favorite.

IceyGaze: I see. Sounds nice.

Firefly: Looks nice too. [winks]

IceyGaze: I’m sure they very well do. Well, I’m very sorry, but I must be going. Potions with Snape next, wouldn’t want to be late for that.

He was sure it came across sounding sarcastic, since nearly everyone hated Snape.

Firefly: Oh yes, what a bummer it would be to miss even a second of THAT class…

IceyGaze: Talk to you later. Feel better.

Firefly: Thanks. Bye.

Snapping the computer shut, he slid it back into his bag, and walked out of the library. Madam Pince gave him an exasperated look, one that he didn’t see, since he was too busy smiling and thinking about his mysterious Fire. He then followed the cluster of students down to the dungeons.

Compaq Normal Preferred Customer 2 90 2003-07-24T03:47:00Z 2003-07-24T03:47:00Z 4 1227 5507 Puget Sound Refrigeration 169 53 6696 9.3821

Wow. 75 reviews, on only 5 chapters. Thanks, everyone who has been reading this story. ^_^

~*~

She wearily reached over and grabbed another Kleenex from the box on her nightstand. Being sick was something Ginny absolutely hated. She was an active person, and didn’t pertain well to lying around in bed all day. Besides that half hour when Ice had signed online, she’d been miserable all day.

Suddenly the door swung opened and a breathless Hermione ran in. “Ginny!” she panted, catching her breath.

Ginny looked up in surprise. “Hermione? Did you run here?”

Hermione nodded, still breathing rather heavy.

“Ok.” She said finally. “I’m ok now.” She sat down on the edge of Ginny’s bed, smoothing out the blanket instinctively as she did. She glanced sideways at Ginny and began talking. “I went to the library, like you asked me to. Madam Pince sounded rather aggravated when I asked her for the book. Though I can understand why, I’ve had my name on the waiting list for ages. She said it’s checked out right now, sorry.” She cast her sick friend a sympathetic look. “She also said that if I ask again, she’ll move my name back farther on the list.”

Ginny sighed loudly and fell backwards onto her bed in an overly dramatic fashion.

“Why do you want that book so badly all of a sudden? I know it’s supposed to be really good, but even I’m not this obsessed. And I’ve read nearly every other book in the library!”

Ginny sat up suddenly, thinking as quickly as she could. How was she to answer this question? Maybe she shouldn’t have Hermione running errands for her anymore, it could be too risky if she wanted to keep Ice a secret. “Well, I’m pretty sick, and I want something to do. And this book seems like the perfect solution! It’ll keep me busy! Uh, I really want to read it, you know?”

Nice going Ginny, she scolded herself; you’ve really got to get better at lying. Especially to your friends, they can see right though you.

Surprisingly, Hermione nodded understandingly. “I always feel better when I read a good book. Well, I’m going to go work on some homework. Feel better, Ginny!” Having said these encouraging words, she bolted from the room at a run again.

Sighing, Ginny opened her computer once more, and checked her buddy list.

IceyGaze:Offline

Darn it, she thought. She laid her head down on her and tried to fall asleep. The pillow felt too lumpy, and she felt a slight breeze. It was giving her goose bumps, but she was too tired to get up and close the window.

Ten minutes later, she declared sleeping impossible. Making up her mind to do something worthwhile for a change, she stepped into her slippers, threw on her robes, and bounded out of the room.

She felt a little bit dizzy as she ran through the halls, but she had more important things on her mind than her current health. Finally she arrived at the library, and ran hopefully up to Madam Pince’s desk.

“Madam Pince, do you have-”

She glared at Ginny in a very annoyed, tired way. “No, Miss Weasley, ‘Magic and Lust’ is still checked out. I’m sorry. You are 79^th on the waiting list, you are just going to have to wait your turn.” She said this speech as though she had it rehearsed. Frowning, Ginny realized that she probably did.

Ginny stamped her foot. “But you don’t understand! I NEED that book!”

Madam Pince rolled her eyes. “You don’t think I haven’t heard this before? Everyone NEEDS to read this book. I’m surprised it hasn’t fallen apart already; so many people have fought over it. I agree, Evergreen is an amazing author, but this is just silly.”

The finality in her voice made Ginny bite her next arguments back.

“Now, go back up to your room. Judging by the way you are dressed, I’m assuming that’s where you are supposed to be,” the frazzled librarian instructed.

Ginny unclenched her fists and stalked out of the library. Her blind anger for once did her good; she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going. It was a good thing she tripped over her robes, or else she might not have seen the note stuck in the doorframe of the library.

Curious, she snatched it up and continued on her way, paper clutched tightly in her hand. When she got back up to her bedroom, she was relieved to find it empty, just as she’d left it. She jumped feet first onto her bed, turning the note over in her hands.

“Firefly” it said in fancy silver script.

“Oh!” she cried out loud, almost dropping the envelope. It was for her? The irony of the situation was astounding.

She opened it up carefully, and a pale green piece of paper dropped out into her hands. There were neatly typed words on one side of it. She began reading, still shocked that it was in fact left for her.

“Dear Firefly,

Well, if you have found this letter than I assumed right. You’ve been checking the library on an hourly basis. [grins] I’m really sorry to disappoint you dear, but if you want to get that book, you’re going to have take more drastic measures. Believe it or not, you aren’t the only one camping out at the library to get it. In case you forgot, there are people who want it nearly as bad as you. Though, for very different reasons. [wink] Keep that in mind. Sincerely, Ice.”

Ginny was amazed. What were the chances that she would find this note before some other nosey student came across it? It was all just too ironic. To add to the coincidental events, her computer beeped, loud and annoyed, at that exact moment. When she saw that Ice was online, she nearly had a fit.

IceyGaze: Are you there?

Firefly: Sorry, I’m too amazed to speak.

IceyGaze: Oh?

Firefly: First I go to the library, find your NOTE, come back up here to my bedroom, and find you online! After you haven’t been online at all when I wanted to talk to you today!

IceyGaze: Ah, you found my note. [laughs] Nice job.

Firefly: How did you know I would find it?

IceyGaze: Well, I had a feeling you’d be in the library a lot. And I guess I was right, too.

Firefly: What did you mean by “more drastic measures”?

IceyGaze: No fair if I give you hints. To tell you the truth; I’m not even sure if I could get that book back now.

Firefly: That’s not exactly reassuring.

IceyGaze: I’m really sorry.

Firefly: Seriously?

IceyGaze: Yes, seriously. I don’t just go around apologizing to anyone, you should know that about me by now.

Firefly: So does that mean you’ll just go to the dance with me, and forget about the stupid book thing?

IceyGaze: [laughs] Dream on!

Firefly: Awww. Well, it was worth a shot.

IceyGaze: Well, you better get some rest. We can’t have you missing two days in a row, can we?

Firefly: Guess not.

IceyGaze: I’ll talk to you later. Don’t get discouraged.

Firefly: Easy for you to say.

After shutting off her computer, Ginny gave up staying awake and finally drifted off into sleep.

~*~

Compaq Normal Preferred Customer 2 578 2003-07-25T18:09:00Z 2003-07-25T18:09:00Z 5 1423 6297 Puget Sound Refrigeration 185 63 7666 9.3821

By the way, the passed 6 chapters have gone back and forth between Draco and Ginny’s POV, now it’s getting too hard so the POVs will change within the chapter.

~*~

There was only a mere week left until the dance. And she still hadn’t found the book.

Draco had almost given up on her. Not that he really wanted to go to the dance, that wasn’t it at all. It was just that he thought he’d seen more determination in her than this. But no matter what the outcome of this little escapade was, he lost. If she didn’t find it, then she wasn’t the girl he thought she was. If she did find it, he had to go to the stupid dance.

He almost wasn’t sure what was worse.

To top it off, Millicent Bulstrode had been pestering him to go to the dance with her. He could only say no in so many ways.

Sitting alone in the common room, he weighed his options. He could just let it go, and give up on the dance altogether. He’d been thinking of giving Fire some hints as to how to go about getting her hands on the book. But now Millicent would get angry with him for going with someone else, and Millicent isn’t a person you want angry with you.

Plus he still got that strange feeling when he talked to Fire. Even though it was just her words, there was something about her, something that made him run to his computer every hour to check if she was online. He wanted desperately to meet her now, to see if she was the same in person. Because if she made him feel this way through only her words, ho could only imagine what her touch might feel like.

But he’d started this stupid book thing, and chances of her finding it looked slim.

Sighing, Draco took up a seat by the fire in his favorite plush green armchair. He had mounds of Potions homework to do, anyway.

Today just wasn’t his day.

-

Ginny was sitting alone in the common room, staring off into space. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were on the other side, talking and laughing about something Ginny obviously didn’t know about. They never seemed to include her in things unless she invited herself along, which was dreadfully embarrassing for the young Weasley. Not to mention the fact that Hermione only spent time with her if Harry and Ron weren’t around.

She’d left her computer upstairs. Standing up, she walked out of the room in the direction of the girls’ rooms; not thinking anyone had even noticed her leave.

“Ginny!”

She turned around to see Hermione trailing behind her. “Hi Hermione. What’s up?”

Hermione shook her head and motioned up the stairs toward Ginny’s bedroom. “Let’s talk in there.”

Mystified, Ginny followed her into her own bedroom. After entering the room, Ginny shut the door. She then turned around to face Hermione.

“You know Harry really wants to go with you.” Hermione’s voice was direct, as if stating that the world is round, rather than Harry’s feelings.

A confused look crossed Ginny’s face nonetheless. “Go with me? Go with me where?”

Exasperated, Hermione exclaimed, “To the dance! He was just telling Ron that he couldn’t believe you hadn’t asked him yet. And he wanted to know if you weren’t planning on going or something.”

Ginny scowled. Harry sure was growing an ego lately, to think that she had to ask him or else she wasn’t going. The nerve of him, talking about her like that with Ron and Hermione. It was true, at the rate things were going, she probably wouldn’t be going to the dance with who she wanted to. She’d tried everything, and yet she still didn’t have the book in her possession. She didn’t want to just give up, but things were looking pretty bad.

“Ginny?”

Snapping her attention back to Hermione, she noted the look on her face. She was looking at Ginny with an anxious expression, almost like she wanted her to break down and go to the dance with Harry.

“Well, Hermione, see, I was maybe going to go with somebody else. But now I’m not sure, and see, oh all right.” The moment she said it, she instantly regretted it.

Hermione clapped her hands together gleefully and ran off in search of Harry, ready to tell him the good news. Ginny groaned and sat on her bed. She couldn’t believe her bad luck. Now she was going to have to go with Harry, something she really didn’t want to do.

Today just wasn’t her day.

-

Looking at the clock on his nightstand, Draco deducted that it was seven o’clock. He grabbed his computer and clicked on the chat button for the hundredth time that day. By now, he just had expected a let down.

But to his excitement, it said otherwise.

Firefly is online.

He jumped, typing a message almost instantly to her.

IceyGaze: Where have you been all day?

Firefly: [sigh] Around.

Draco decided to, for once, go out on a limb. It wasn’t very often that he showed his feelings openly to someone, but he was getting rather attached to this Firefly of his.

IceyGaze: Oh. Well…I missed you.

Firefly: I still haven’t found the book.

IceyGaze: I assumed as much.

Firefly: I’m on the verge of defeat.

She was going to give up? He couldn’t possibly let her do that. Visions of Millicent danced in his head, making him shudder.

IceyGaze: You’re just going to give up?

Firefly: Well, you were right, I can’t find it. You don’t even want to go to the dance anyway, I’m literally doing you a favor by giving in.

Some favor, Draco thought bitterly. Somehow this favor didn’t strike him as one he wanted to accept. Biting his lip, he decided to encourage her a bit more.

IceyGaze: You were really excited about this before. If it means that much to you to go, I’d be more than happy to accompany you. There ARE ways of finding that book. I just don’t think you are trying hard enough.

Firefly: I’ve tried as hard as I could! I’ve done everything! There’s nothing left for me to do!

IceyGaze: Well that doesn’t sound like the Fire I know. I thought you had more in you than that.

Firefly: Well this task was just a little much for me I guess.

Draco couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She had practically changed personas overnight. She used to be the one begging to meet him, now it was completely backwards. What was going on?

-

Ginny felt horrible. She hated to turn him down like this, but there was nothing else she could do. She was sure half the school already knew she was going with Harry. Why oh why did she ever let that slip to Hermione? She never wanted to go with Harry in the first place.

Now, even after all her work, the countless trips to the library, and trying spell after spell, if she DID find the book she was still stuck going with Harry.

One night she’d thought she would just try a summoning spell. It seemed so obvious! She stood in her common room and shouted, “Accio ‘Magic and Lust’!” It took her thirty-four tries before she realized there was a charm blocker on the book for that very reason.

After that night she tried finding spells, duplicating spells, everything she could think of. But nothing worked.

And now, horror upon horrors, her dream was coming true. Ice was actually treating her with warmth. Being flirty with HER. Showing interest in her.

But she was going to the dance with stupid Harry Potter. Not that she didn’t value his friendship, that wasn’t it at all. In fact, a year ago, she would have died to be in the position she was in now. But he’d just really messed up her plans this time.

Firefly: I’m sorry, Ice, I’ve got to go now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow?

IceyGaze: Whatever. You’re acting strangely tonight anyway.

Ginny cringed. She was going to have to fix this somehow; she just wasn’t quite sure how to do it tonight.

Firefly: I’m sorry. Goodnight.

IceyGaze: Yeah.

Ginny felt a tear sneak down her cheek. She just didn’t know how to make this right.

Preferred Customer Normal Preferred Customer 2 18 2003-07-28T18:30:00Z 2003-07-28T18:30:00Z 4 1221 5416 Dell Computer Corporation 175 62 6592 9.3821

A/N: Here’s chapter eight.

~*~

Ginny was busy upstairs in her bedroom, miserably getting ready for the dance. So were the other girls in her room, all talking excitedly and laughing. Makeup and hairbrushes were strewn everywhere. There was something appealing about getting ready for a dance the muggle way, and making a huge mess in the girl’s dormitories.

But somehow, Ginny just couldn’t get into the spirit of things. She’d already put her dress robes on, and even in her foul mood she’d admitted they looked amazing. Her hair was done up in a shower of curls, decorated with tiny hair jewels and as much glitter as she’d dared. The mask she’d chosen was gold and red, to match her dress robes, and was holding even more sparkles than her hair, if possible. Her fellow sixth year girls had helped her get ready.

There was only a half hour left before they were supposed to go down to dinner. There was going to be a fancy buffet before the dance, formal attire and all. Then they were to meet their dates and go to the dance together.

Ginny sighed.

I better just get this night over with, she thought miserably. It was such a terrible letdown, after all the anticipation of the last few weeks.

-

The Slytherin common room was empty. Draco assumed he was the only one that wasn’t going to the dance tonight. Millicent Bulstrode had finally given up on him and, in a huff, went with Goyle instead.

Propping his feet up on the table, Draco desperately tried to enjoy his victory.

For some reason, winning the bet just didn’t feel as good to him as he’d hoped.

He realized that there was nothing he would rather be doing tonight than meeting Fire at the dance and spending the rest of the evening with her. He cursed at himself for ever starting the stupid bet with the book. He’d known all along that she wouldn’t ever be able to find it; it was just his easy of way of skipping out of meeting her and going to the dance. Now he had only himself to blame.

He pulled out his computer and opened up Solitaire. He’d heard it was a great game to play when you were feeling lousy.

-

Ginny and Hermione walked down the stairs together to meet Ron and Harry. They’d wanted to leave a little bit early so they’d have time to visit with the boys before dinner. Or rather, Hermione wanted to leave early. Ginny merely trudged along behind her, traces of a pout on her delicate and made-up features.

Ron and Harry stood in the common room, waiting for them. Harry grinned, looking wonderful as usual in his dress robes. He greeted Ginny in a very formal way, bending down to kiss her hand. She forced a smile.

“Hello Harry. How are you tonight?”

He grinned. “Never been better. Are you ready to go?”

She shrugged. “I guess so.”

If her voice gave her away, Harry didn’t pick up on it. He looped his arm through hers and said nothing in response.

They were just about to walk out of the common room together when Harry stopped altogether. He suddenly reached into his robes.

“Oh yes, before I forget. I have something for you, Ginny.”

She looked at him in confusion. “A gift?”

He smiled playfully. “You could call it that.” He withdrew his hand from his robes and pulled a wrapped package out. It was small and rectangular shaped. Placing it in Ginny’s hands, he smiled again.

Does that boy ever stop grinning, she thought sourly.

“It wont be of much use to you now, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy it later on.” He explained.

She absently pulled at the wrapping paper, and dropped the crumpled paper onto the ground without even looking at what was in the package. She was too busy wishing that this night were happening differently; that she was meeting Ice instead of accompanying Harry.

“Well? Do you like it?” Harry nudged at her, awaiting her reaction.

She suddenly snapped back into reality and looked down at what was in her hands.

It couldn’t be.

She stared down at a copy of “Magic and Lust”, resting peacefully in her trembling hands. It had to be a new copy, one he’d bought for her, right?

She looked closely at it. It was worn looking, and the cover was torn a bit on the front. The library’s only copy.

Her hands were shaking. Her jaw dropped. A little squeal escaped her throat. Before she knew what she was doing she threw her arms around Harry’s neck and screamed thank you at least twenty-five times.

When she finally let go, he lightly touched her arm. “I’ve seen you checking the library time and time again for this book. I knew you wanted it, so when I saw Ernie Macmillan turning it in today, I pulled a few strings and had Madam Pince give it to me for a couple of days.”

Her smile seemed to stretch from ear to ear. “Harry, I couldn’t be happier!”

“So, are you ready to go to the Great Hall for our Valentine’s Day feast?”

Ginny halted, barely able to control her excitement. “Oh, Harry, you go ahead with out me, I’ll meet you there. I just remembered something that I have to do!”

With that, she sprinted back up to her bedroom. The second she was inside; she opened the front cover of the book, holding her breath. There, in silver ink, were the words she’d been dying to read for nearly two months.

"Yes Fire, I will go with you. Yours, IceyGaze."

-

Sixteen games of solitaire later, Draco’s self-pitying was interrupted.

Firefly: Get your dress robes on, now.

IceyGaze: Excuse me?

Firefly: You heard me, I found the book!

Her words seemed to deceive Draco. He couldn’t quite bring himself to believe what he was reading.

IceyGaze: But, how?

Firefly: No time to explain! I have to go downstairs now for dinner!

IceyGaze: I’m not coming to dinner. I’ll have to meet to at the dance; I’m not ready at all.

Firefly: That’s fine. That’s wonderful. Everything is wonderful! Where should we meet?

IceyGaze: Meet at the food table, by the punch bowl. I’ll look for the beauty in the maroon dress robes. Don’t you worry about me.

Firefly: I have to tell you something. I’m kind of stuck going with someone else, but I will meet you toward the end. I can hardly wait!

IceyGaze: That’s fine. I probably wont even be there for a little while anyway.

Firefly: Take your time... I got tricked into going with someone else but I can escape, trust me. I’d rather be with you.

Strangely, her words seemed to warm his heart little bit.

IceyGaze: I’ll see you later then? You have a feast to go to. [wink]

Firefly: You don’t even know how excited I am!

IceyGaze: [smiles] So I’m not the only one then?

Firefly: I thought you’d be angry that I was making you go to the dance now.

IceyGaze: If I were angry, I wouldn’t be going.

Firefly: You’re amazing.

Firefly has logged off.

Draco just hoped she would still think so at the end of the night.

Preferred Customer Normal Preferred Customer 2 875 2003-08-13T15:59:00Z 2003-08-13T15:59:00Z 3 996 4413 Dell Computer Corporation 121 1 5445 9.3821

A/N: I know this took a lot longer than the rest of the chapters for me to update. I was just taking a little break from portkey due to all the renovating going on. But I assure you, the fic will be updated regularly again.

~*~

Ginny shut off her computer and briskly grabbed her purse. Holding the end of her dress robes in her hands so she wouldn't trip on them, she rushed down the steps and took off in the direction of the Great Hall. When she burst in the doors, a few heads turned her way but most people were too busy enjoying themselves to notice her entrance.

Harry smiled at her and motioned for her to come over to him. He grabbed her arm and pulled her down; there was an empty seat right beside him at the table, with Hermione and Ron sitting by him as well. She was too excited to even notice how insistent Harry was being. If she hadn’t known she’d be meeting Ice later, she might have even said something about Harry’s forcefulness.

"You look beautiful," he whispered in her ear as she sat down at the table. She said a quick thanks and then looked down at her plate, to hide the smile that she didn’t want Harry to mistake as for him. It was piled high with all of her favorite things, but she found that she was too nervous to eat. Her hands were even shaking a little bit in anticipation.

What if Ice didn't show up? Or worse, what if she did something stupid around him? As dinner progressed, she had only one other single question going through her mind.

Who was he?

She sighed and began eating. She knew she would regret it later if she didn't.

-

He had nothing to wear.

Sighing in frustration, he slammed his trunk shut. All he had were regular black school robes and one set of deep emerald green dress robes, which he'd worn to nearly every other fancy event they'd had at Hogwarts. They just didn't seem fitting for the occasion, he wanted something different.

The dance was to start in a little over an hour. He'd just have to settle for the green robes. Pulling them on, he glanced at himself in the mirror. Who he saw wasn't Draco Malfoy. Who he saw was a nervous and frustrated teenager, and for once not because he was thinking about his own needs. For once, he was trying to please someone else.

Then he had another problem to deal with. His mask. He'd found one in Hogsmeade a few days before, not thinking he'd be using it. But it was rather plain. It was silver with a line of green down the center, and black ribbons hanging off the side. Sighing, he secured it over his pointed features.

Draco checked himself over. Now he understood why girls spent so much time getting ready for everything. He had to make a good impression.

He was even beginning to scare himself. He'd never been nervous to meet a girl before. This was all so new to him.

-

"So Ginny, what's new with you?" Hermione tried her pitiful attempts at starting conversation with her redhead friend.

Ginny hadn't said anything since she'd come down from her bedroom. She was too busy worrying about the dance following dinner to be very social. Harry seemed concerned about her but Ginny didn't pay any notice.

"Hey, Gin, you ok?" Ron asked, worried about his sister.

At this she snapped back from her thoughts. "What? Oh, I'm fine! I'm great! Don't worry about me, I'm just saving my energy for the dance!" They seemed to accept this answer, and returned to eating and chatting.

Well, it wasn't all a lie, Ginny thought. She was saving her energy for the dance... just not for the reasons they probably had presumed.

Her left hand was discreetly underneath the table, fingering the worn edges of the book. She'd slipped it into her purse before she's came down to the Great Hall. She couldn't believe that after all this time she was finally going to meet Ice, really and in person. By now, he didn't even seem like a real person, only her online friend. She was nervous. Very nervous.

Students were standing up from their tables; their plates disappearing to be washed by house elves. Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and guided her out of the Great Hall, Ron and Hermione following closely after. Students were to go back to their common rooms and wait for precisely ten minutes, while in the meantime the Great Hall was being transformed into a ballroom.

Anxious chatter surrounded Ginny. Harry was talking to her about his latest Quidditch match, and she just nodded distractedly. Time was moving so slowly.

Finally, after what seemed like hours later, Hermione motioned toward the others. "Come on you guys, let's go back down!"

This time it was Ginny who grabbed Harry's hand, and practically dragged him back down the steps to the Great Hall. She followed the mass of people, pushing her way through to get there among the first. When they reached the Great Hall again, Ginny made a beeline for the punch bowl.

He wasn't there yet.

"Care to dance?" Harry asked formally, holding his hand out for Ginny. An expectant look was on his face.

Ice had said he might be a little late. "I suppose..." said Ginny cautiously. She might as well dance with him at least for a little while before Ice arrived. It was only fair, since she was Harry's date, after all.

He spun her out onto the dance floor, holding her a bit closer than necessary.

-

Draco did a last once over.

He looked down at the single red rose in his hand. She's said her robes were maroon; this flower was pretty darn close to that.

He took a deep breath, and started down this stairs.

~*~

Two notes I wanted to add. One- I don’t send out updated by email. Sorry. Portkey sends out updated if you put it on your favorites list, so do that. Two- Yes, I do read all my reviews and appreciate every last one of you, so don’t feel your review gets lost in the rest. ^_^ This story will be completed soon but if you are absolutely impatient, there is a crappier version of this on fanfiction.net. However, I advise you to wait for this one, because it is revised and much better.

Preferred Customer Normal Preferred Customer 2 134 2003-08-21T00:29:00Z 2003-08-21T00:29:00Z 3 1102 4888 Dell Computer Corporation 124 34 5971 9.3821

A/N: This isn’t the last chapter, so don’t worry. Sorry it’s been taking awhile to get these up, but thanks anyway for sticking with me! I love your reviews!

~*~

Standing outside the Great Hall, Draco took in a deep breath. He could faintly hear the muffled music from behind the tall doors, the only thing separating him from Fire. His hand was gently placed in the door, contemplating when exactly to open it.

The music grew ten times louder as the door finally swung open. A few people’s heads turned out of curiosity, but no one knew who was who because of the masks, so their attention quickly turned back to what they were doing. For this he was glad.

He stood in the entryway for a few brief moments, taking in the bustling scene. People were talking and laughing; others were dancing with their dates in the center of the decorated ballroom. A few people were standing around on the sides, nibbling at the food on the tables set up along the left wall. At the very end of the table was a small group of girls standing around the punch bowl, giggling happily and sharing gossip.

The punch bowl...

Draco made his way over to the group of girls, being careful not to bump into anyone. Or rather, draw anyone’s attention. Everyone in the school thought he’d stayed back in the common room by himself, not wanting to go to some ‘silly dance’. He wanted to keep up his reputation, anyway. The only person he’d sacrifice that for was Fire.

To hi dismay, there weren’t any maroon-robed girls at the punch bowl yet. That was all right; it gave him a little bit of time to get used to actually being at the dance. He leaned casually up against the wall, distinctly hidden behind the group of girls.

-

Four songs had passed already, and Ginny was starting to get anxious. A faster and louder song came on next, almost as if it was her cue to leave. Harry didn’t seem to want to let go, pulling her closer to him when she drew back.

“Harry.” she breathed in his ear.

His face turned slightly toward hers. “Yes?”

She frowned, pushing gently away. “Harry, I’m going to sit this one out. Er... sorry.”

With that, she fled in the opposite direction, careful of not looking back until she reached the long table, covered in various assortments of food. When she was safely beside it, she looked back long enough to see that Harry had begrudgingly gone off to talk to Seamus and Dean, on the other side of the ballroom. Good.

She made her way slowly down the table, looking curiously at the people standing nearby. Any one of them could have been Ice, she thought.

No one seemed out of the ordinary.

By now, she was in front of the glass bowl, filled with bright red punch. The music seemed to be getting louder, the longer she waited. Fiddling with the strings on her robes, she looked anxiously around. Where was he? Surely she had waited long enough by now.

Hermione and Ron dancing near her, holding each other in a way that suggested something more than friends, which made Ginny smile. She gave them a little wave, but they didn’t seem to notice. Maybe they didn’t recognize her. The masks everyone had bought were pretty good at hiding one’s identity.

She sighed and leaned against the table. There was nothing she could do but wait. Though she had to admit, even waiting was better than being plastered to Harry all night.

At that exact moment of her thought, a slow song began playing, the first one of the night. The lighting of the room dimmed, so that the only light was coming from the candles floating gracefully, high above everyone’s heads. She watched earnestly as couples pulled each other closer. She looked for Ron and Hermione but they, too, were lost in the sea of couples.

A firm hand grabbed her suddenly from behind, and before she knew what was happening, someone was leading her briskly onto the dance floor.

“Oh!” a surprised gasp escaped her lips as an arm wrapped itself smoothly around her waist. She looked up and saw a stunningly silver mask. The same silver as the writing in the book... her breath caught.

“Ice...?” she whispered. He said nothing, only held more tightly, as if he was afraid she would leave if he were to let go.

She finally put her arms around him too, clinging securely around his neck, her face resting perfectly against his dark robes. She couldn’t tell what color they were, she thought briefly; it was too dark where they were dancing.

This was the moment she’d dreamed of for months. It seemed unreal; she couldn’t believe it was actually happening. She breathed in his scent, a spicy, clean-cut smell, and tried to memorize it. She was amazed by how perfectly she fell in his arms, as if she was made to go there; to stay there forever.

-

She was in his arms. He could hardly believe it. He was holding Fire, in his arms. It was just too good to be true.

He had been waiting for only about ten minutes when he’d spotted her. Standing by the punch table with an anxious, yet innocent look about her. The lights had already dimmed, so he hadn’t gotten that grand of look at her yet.

But by the perfect way she fit in his arms, he had a feeling her looks were perfect as well. Although, strangely enough, that didn’t seem to matter to him. Not this time. All he cared about was that she was finally in his arms.

His arms were tightly wrapped around her small waist, her arms now loosely setting on his shoulders. She’d had a death grip on him right away, but loosened up once they became more comfortable with each other’s touch. Her face was buried deep in his chest; all he could do was smell the cinnamon scent of her hair.

The moment was perfect. That was the only way to describe it. He just hoped that the song would never end, and that they could keep slowly spinning together for the rest of the night. Not once did it cross his mind that the song indeed would end, soon, and then they’d have to actually meet each other.

He couldn’t keep the mask on forever.

~*~

A/N: Stay tuned to find out what happens when the lights come back on!

Preferred Customer Normal Preferred Customer 2 23 2003-09-02T22:53:00Z 2003-09-02T22:53:00Z 3 1434 6217 Dell Computer Corporation 150 4 7693 9.3821

A/N: This is the last chapter of Fire and Ice, but there is a sequel… I don’t know if I can post it on this website, though, because it hints at Harry/Female!Blaise… Can someone tell me if this is alright or if I just have to direct you all to my fanfiction.net account?

~*~

The slow music had put them into a sort of trance together. They glided and spun in each other’s arms, hoping that the music would never stop.

But as all good things do, the song soon ended.

Draco dropped his arms from around her waist, and she followed suite. They stood, staring at each other for a few moments. Then Draco took her hand up in his, and led her swiftly out the front doors. Neither spoke, only walked quickly to get away from the dance.

It was time.

The lights were flickering on again, just as they were exiting the room. Draco paid no notice and headed toward the main entrance to the castle, trailing his Fire along behind him. Ginny didn't seem phased by his odd behavior; she was in a daze herself.

They were in the courtyard. It was almost completely dark out; the only lighting was coming from the windows of the castle, and a few fireflies flitting around beside them. Draco smiled at the irony, deciding that fireflies were his new favorite insects.

He turned slightly so that he was facing her. She looked up, meeting his gaze. The masks that they were wearing gave both of them a sort of hollow look. He took both of her hands in his, and was surprised to find them shaking. From cold or from nerves, he couldn't be sure.

Then he realized, in astonishment, that it was his own hands that were shaking, not hers. This was the moment of truth. The moment that he found out if she really was the kind of girl he thought she was, hoped she was. If she wouldn't care that he was a Malfoy.

She obviously wasn't a Slytherin, her innocent features displayed that. He hoped she wasn't biased against his whole house, too. They'd been standing there for nearly two minutes. It really was chilly out.

He was afraid. For once in his life, Draco Malfoy was afraid.

There's only one way to find out all the answers to my questions, he thought boldly.

Without another thought, he raised his left hand to her face, and lifted her mask up a few inches. He lifted it only far enough to reveal her lush pink lips. Then he did the same to his own mask, so that it was resting casually above his nose.

And he kissed her.

He kissed her with a sort of passion that was very new to him. It wasn't just another game this time.

Ginny was surprised. She hadn't expected him to kiss her, not so suddenly. But she definitely wasn't complaining. Instead, she returned the kiss, in a way that she had never even dreamed of kissing anyone.

Right when she thought it was going to end, he pulled his arms around her, just as he had when they were dancing. For the second time that night, she felt completely right, and leaned into the kiss even further. She didn't understand how she could call someone with such a sweet and warm kiss by the name Ice.

Finally, he broke away. She could see a sly grin on the mouth in front of her. It looked slightly familiar, though she couldn't place exactly where she'd seen it before.

He reached up to her face, and she realized he was going to take her mask off. His other hand was still resting on her waist. He carefully grabbed the bottom of the mask with his thumb and forefinger, and tugged gently at it. It slid off her head with ease, revealing her beautifully done-up hair, her dark wondering eyes, and cute little smile. His gaze drifted over her features. A few strands of red hair had escaped her up-do, and her freckles playfully dotted her nose.

Draco did a double take. Red hair and freckles?

"Gi- Gin-... WEASLEY?!" he exclaimed, a look of disgust taking his now unmasked face. His hands involuntarily reached up and wiped off his lips, a very immature thing to do, given the circumstances.

He realized his hand was still resting firmly on her waist. He dropped it immediately, and took a few steps back.

A Weasley. He'd kissed a Weasley. With passion.

Ginny looked Draco up and down. She was as surprised as he, not once had she thought that her secret crush was on Draco Malfoy, of all people, all this time.

However, the disgust in his voice hurt her more than the realization of who he was. They'd had something going. A small tear stung its way out of her eye. She tried to brush it away before he saw it, but she was too late.

"Oh, I hurt your feelings? Tough luck. You probably had this all planned out, didn't you. You and your wretched friends. They are probably all waiting in the bushes, aren’t they? Ready to come out and laugh at me? Well, I'm leaving now, before you get the satisfaction of humiliating me. Go find your boyfriend, Potter." He turned to leave.

"Harry's not my boyfriend. I told you about him," was her feeble attempt to make him stay. Her voice sounded weak.

Something about her voice made him stop. If not to hear her out, he could at least get some dirt on Potter anyway. "Refresh my memory."

She sighed and looked down. "He likes me, a lot. And I don't feel the same way."

He rolled his eyes, obviously not caring about the love triangles of the Dream Team.

"Just hear me out, will you?" she asked, voice rising.

He nodded.

"This is why I invited you to go to this dance with me. Assuming you weren't so prejudice against my family. Honestly Draco, I was going to give up. I was just going to accompany Harry to the dance and forget about you. But you were the one who pushed me to keep going. You are the one who wouldn't let me give up. Face it Draco, you liked me. So how can you stand here and be grossed out by kissing me, just because I'm a Weasley? Do names matter that much to you?" She was nearly shouting now, desperately wanting to get her message across to Draco Malfoy.

She took one step back, away from him. As she did this, the rose fell to the ground. He'd placed it behind her ear while they were dancing. However, now it waited on the ground, forgotten.

Draco didn't speak for a couple of moments. He had some thinking to do.

He remembered all of the times he’d worried what she would think of him. How long he'd spent getting ready. How he worried about being a Malfoy, being in Slytherin, hoping these things wouldn't matter to her.

She was absolutely right.

How could he stand here and say these things, when he'd hoped against hope that she wouldn't think the same thoughts against him?

He was such a hypocrite.

Something snapped inside of him at that moment. He lost his icy edge, and rushed forward, hugging her with all of his might. "Ginny..." he whispered, "I’m sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, oh, I don't know what-"

She cut him off by pressing her lips to his and kissing him, as gently as he'd kissed her, the first time.

"It's ok," she assured him once she’d pulled away. "I understand."

Draco bent over, reaching down to pick up the rose. It was still as perfect as before, and he handed it to Ginny with a smile. "I believe this belongs to you."

She took it in her hands and glanced at it, before adding it to her hair as a decoration. It really did match perfectly. "You know, I was right all along." She concluded, situating herself under his arm for warmth.

He held her closer, feeling her shivering body against his. "About what?"

She grinned up at him. "About Fire melting Ice."

His finger gently caressed her cheek. He let out a long sigh, and then said playfully, "Well, come on now Ginny, everybody knows that."

They laughed and slowly began walking back up to the castle. They had a dance to go to, after all.

~*~

A/N: I'm very sorry that this fic has reached its end. I'm going to miss re-writing it even more than you guys are going to miss reading it.

If you are interested in the sequel, either wait for me to put it here [sometime], or mosey on over to my fanfiction.net account [Sakura1287] and read it there. It’s called Water and Ashes. Don’t forget to review. ^_~