A Stroll in Your Shoes

Disclaimer: I did not create any of the Harry Potter characters, etc.

A/n: Thanks for all the reviews! I do want to apologise about the poem in this chapter though. Unfortunately like Blaise I too have not written a love poem before, so while Draco’s poem will be better than Blaise’s terrible attempt, I also can’t say it will be that great, lol. Falsely Captured Hearts

Ginny trudged back to the Gryffindor common room that night with a feeling of great discontent inside her. It bothered her that Blaise liked her, and even more so because he had not been able to prove that he really did. Things would be weird between them now – even weirder than when he had kissed her that day and left her feeling horribly confused. This was a bit more substantial than a kiss though; this was one of her friends asking her to be his girlfriend, and she had refused him.

“Why do you have to like me Blaise? Why do you have to ruin this for all of us?”

She thought over everything Blaise had said in the boys’ dormitory and giggled to herself at the thought of what Draco would say had he heard Blaise calling her perfect. She knew whatever it was it would be the reverse to Blaise’s sentiments, but it had become apparent to Ginny that Draco’s name-calling was more affectionate teasing now rather than the rude comments he used to make when they had first got caught up in this affair.

Smiling fondly to herself, Ginny thought about just how far she and Draco had come along in a month. From enemies to reluctant friends, and now…. now she couldn’t picture Hogwarts without his sarcastic, witty comments, or his arrogant smirk and mocking grey eyes. A month ago she would have scoffed at the thought that she might actually enjoy Draco Malfoy’s company, but now she was more than happy to admit it. He made her whole world light up with his mere presence, and she would never forget how safe and warm she had felt in his arms that night he and his mother had rescued her.

Thinking over their recent conversation at the party she couldn’t help but giggle again remembering how they had both teased each other over the jersey fiasco, and both knew what the other was talking about when they had. It was just like him to remember something like that.

A goofy smile crept onto her lips as she continued to think about Draco and would not go away, not even when she entered the common room- that was until she realised what she was looking at: Hermione was sitting on the red, squishy couch very closely to Harry, her head resting against his shoulder while she smiled at something he said. Ginny watched as Harry’s expression softened when he looked down at the bushy-haired girl next to him, and quickly she stepped back, ducking behind a part of the wall that hid her from view where she could still see the two Gryffindors.

Seeing them so comfortably together made a different sort of smile come to her face than the goofy one she had been wearing earlier. This was a sort of slow smirk that was full of realisation and playful mischief. The two made a picture perfect moment right now, not that she thought either of them would realise it being too thick to ever see what’s right in front of their noses. An evil idea came into her head- the kind of idea that only a true matchmaker would appreciate, and quietly she tiptoed back towards the portrait hole.

Walking loudly towards the couple on the chair, Ginny gave them a cheeky smile. “My, my- aren’t you two cosy?”

A faint tinge of pink spread over both Harry and Hermione’s cheeks, and Hermione quickly moved away from Harry and straightened her skirt needlessly. Ginny could only smirk- something that would have made Draco very proud to see.

“Where have you been?” Hermione asked, trying to put on a stern expression. “I haven’t seen you since dinner.”

Ginny waved off her accusations with a careless hand. “The Slytherins decided to throw a party for me in honour of my helping them win the cup.” She gave a grimace and shook her head slightly. “I could have done with half their congratulations though. Some of them were a little too eager.”

Harry’s embarrassed expression descended into a frown. “I know you didn’t have much choice since you were pretending to be Draco, but did you really have to help them win?”

“C’mon Harry, what would you have done in my position? Quidditch is quidditch no matter which side you’re on. I wanted to win!”

He shrugged and gave her a rueful smile. “I guess you’re right.”

Hermione could only roll her eyes. “Honestly, the way the school is carrying on about this you’d think Ginny had helped Voldemort win the war. It’s completely ridiculous.”

“That’s quidditch for you,” Ginny said with a snort. “People think of it as a life and death situation. One day someone might be your best friend, but steal that snitch from out of their grasp and you’ll be enemies for life.”

“Well it’s stupid, and I think the school need to get over it.”

Ginny shrugged. Sure she was annoyed at the way she was being treated, but it could be worse. Her optimism was too much for her to stay angry about it for too long anyway. “I don’t really care.” Her dimple peeped out cheekily. “Besides, it’s quite hilarious to think that I’m the only Gryffindor to ever be called an ‘honorary Slytherin’.”

“No need to look so smug about it,” Harry said with an amused smile, which Ginny returned with her own cheeky grin. She was glad the tension between her and Harry had gone. Hermione had worked wonders there in getting Harry to realise that Ginny was really not the right girl for him, which Ginny would be eternally thankful for, though seeing them on the couch just before made her wonder if Hermione had ulterior motives there….

“So you were celebrating with the Slytherins.” Hermione’s expression became more amused. “Being stuck in Draco Malfoy’s body has certainly changed a lot for you Ginny.”

“I know,” Ginny said seriously. “And not just for me either.” She tucked a strand of red hair behind her ears and gave a small smile. “Narcissa Malfoy wrote me a really nice letter. She wants me to come have lunch with her in one of the Hogsmeade weekends. Can you believe it? A Weasley going to have lunch at the Malfoy’s mansion?” She laughed slightly, her eyes brewing with amusement. “I wonder what her husband will think….”

Harry rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I heard Lucius Malfoy betrayed the Death Eaters two days after you were taken back to the burrow. I don’t think he’ll mind that much.”

Ginny smiled softly to herself, her eyes taking on a distant gleam. “I guess me and Draco aren’t the only ones getting over our prejudice of each other. Who would of thought our body-switching fiasco could actually make a Death Eater like Lucius Malfoy betray You-Know-Who?”

“Well I still don’t really trust him, but I suppose we have to accept him as an ally now,” Hermione said in resignation. “By the way-” she looked at Ginny sharply- “What happened with you and Zabini? I heard from Malfoy that he had kissed you.”

“He did but things have happened since then…”

Harry gave them both an amused smile and stepped back. “I’ll leave you two to discuss your girly talk.”

“Night Harry,” Ginny said cheerfully.

Hermione smiled warmly at him, her honey-brown eyes glowing with genuine affection. “Goodnight Harry.”

Harry nodded to them both with another smile and left the common room, leaving the girls alone. Ginny suddenly gave Hermione a very knowing glance, a playful smile lurking on her lips.

“Are my eyes deceiving me Hermione, or are you watching our raven-haired friend a little too wistfully?”

Pink spread over Hermione’s cheeks and she scratched her face uncomfortably. “I am not, now Ginny don’t try change the subject!”

Ginny merely smiled but decided not to embarrass her friend further. “Fine, I’ll tell you what happened with Blaise…”

And so she did just that, explaining how and when Blaise had kissed her, and also about their conversation only moments ago in his dorm. Hermione remained silent throughout the recital, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“So what do you think?” Ginny asked once she had finished.

A frown played on Hermione’s lips, and her eyes were lowered in thought. “I know he does like you Ginny. I gathered that as soon as he started asking me those weird questions about you and what you thought of him. I didn’t want you to like him though,” she admitted with an embarrassed expression.

“Why?” Ginny asked genuinely curious. She had realised now that Hermione did not like Blaise romantically, and so was curious as to why Hermione had tried to push her away from Blaise.

“He’s a Slytherin.” Hermione shrugged and gave a tired sigh. “I just didn’t want you to get hurt. You know his reputation better than I do. Besides-” she added as an after thought- “You were going out with Harry.”

“Hrm, well I suppose you’re right there.” Ginny sat down on the couch and tucked her legs up under her. “I just don’t know what to think really. I do like him, as any girl could, but I don’t think he likes me as much as he thinks he does.”

“Well if he really likes you as he says he does he won’t let things end here.”

OOO

Blaise sat down excitedly at the Slytherin table the next morning, his amber eyes focussed completely on the Gryffindor table in hopeful expectation. Draco too found his eyes wandering along the row of seats set under the gold and crimson banners curious to see how his impish red head would take to the poem. He knew Blaise had already sent it, and even though it was written under his friend’s name, Draco couldn’t help but hope she would like the poem.

“There she is!”

Draco followed his friend’s gaze and spotted the familiar red hair swinging to and fro as the littlest Weasley made her way to her favourite seat. She sat down and started immediately talking to Hermione, while the other Gryffindors shot her suspicious and hateful glances. She did not appear perturbed by this though, and continued on her cheery way as she started eating her breakfast.

The owls soared through the windows and swooped down depositing letters and packages here and there throughout the hall, and Draco could see Blaise half standing in order to get a better look to Ginny’s reaction, a giddy smile on his handsome tanned face.

“Calm down before you wet yourself,” Draco scolded, but he too found his eyes involuntary looking at Ginny as a single letter fluttered down to her plate. He saw her chestnut eyes widen as she picked up the letter and gaze at the blank envelope. A frown descended on her lips, her dainty fingers slipping the parchment apart and then she was reading the poem.

“Do you think she likes it?” Blaise asked eagerly.

“Shh!” Draco snapped, watching intently as Ginny placed the letter back down on the table with an odd sort of smile on her face. She looked across the room, meeting Draco’s gaze briefly for a moment before moving on to Blaise. Slowly the odd smile turned into a broad grin and she nodded her head, her eyes lit up with a radiant glow.

“YES!!” Blaise shouted, and without preamble stood up off the bench and ran over to Ginny with a goofy smile on his face. The whole hall watched curiously, including Draco, as Blaise daringly picked Ginny up in his arms and kissed her fiercely on the lips.

“Well that was completely unexpected.” Draco heard Pansy mutter to Daphne Greengrass.

Her sentiments seemed to be shared with everyone else in the hall too. The teachers couldn’t believe their eyes; the students were all staring with their mouths half open or else muttering furiously like bees, and the Gryffindors all looked like they had swallowed a vial of bubotuber pus. Only Hermione and Harry appeared unmoved- Ron having stood up and was now being restrained by three boys.

Draco himself was unsure what to think. On the one hand his best friend was kissing the girl he liked- on the other Ginny obviously liked the poem enough to change her mind in rejecting Blaise. It was a sort of twisted sense of pride and dejectedness.

Not really having the stomach to watch Blaise and Ginny playing happy couple, Draco stood up and left the hall with a much more heavier heart than normal.

Ginny was far too absorbed in kissing Blaise to notice Draco’s abrupt departure, but after a while her lungs started protesting at the lack of oxygen and she was forced to pull her lips away. “That poem is beautiful,” she whispered with a shy smile on her lips.

Blaise grinned and folded a strand of her red hair behind her ear. “I told you I liked you.”

Her eyes crinkled into a smile and she touched his face lightly with her fingers. “I didn’t realise how much until I read that poem.” She hugged him suddenly, resting her face against his chest. “I’m sorry for doubting you.”

His arms wrapped around her and she felt his warmth surround her. “Well so you should be. I had a hard time trying to figure out how to prove the depth of my feelings, I can tell you that.”

She smiled softly into his chest and lifted her face back to look at him, the smile still on her face. His eyes were dancing playfully, and that flirty, almost cheeky smile was playing on his lips. He really was so very handsome, and she couldn’t believe that he was all hers.

“You don’t need to rub it in.”

He grinned and tweaked one of her red locks, but then his eyes grew more serious, a much more tender smile coming to his lips. “You don’t know how happy you’ve made me Ginny.”

Stepping back from him she leaned up and gave him a small smile. “Maybe you could show me?”

Grinning once more in reply, the playful gleam once more creeping into his amber eyes, Blaise took her hand in his and led her out of the Great Hall. He knew he’d have to thank Draco later, but right now he was willing to enjoy his time with Ginny.

Though Blaise was normally quite perceptive, he had become rather blind as of late. It did not occur to him that perhaps Draco was in love with Ginny; the thought in fact had never crossed his brain. He simply thought Draco was good at writing poems and thought no more of it. If he had known, however, that Draco did like the cheeky red head walking next to him, the happy bubble inside him would have burst very quickly from guilt. In his ignorance though, he could still find bliss, and looking across to smile at the impish girl next to him he cold only smile in contentment.

OOO

It was evening now. The sky almost looked like a child had come along and smeared different coloured pastels over periwinkle blue paper; the pinks, orange and purples all swirling through it in no particular pattern. It seemed fitting that such a pretty sky would be looking over Ginny as she once more read over the poem, hungrily taking in the romantic words that had so captured her heart…

Beauty is a fading name,

And one I would not use.

She is no flower wilting,

No fragile blossom yet to bloom.

Strong but sweet is she with simple grace,

Untamed and spirited with an impish face.

She is a witch of mischief, and always fair,

Beauty would do her no justice here.

A pampered goddess would enslave all in her path,

But my impish queen is humble of heart.

With a crown of titian adorning her head,

She lights the world with her spirit instead.

And at her feet I would worship her for all time,

If it meant I could see her smile and call her mine.

She looked down at the bottom of the parchment where the words “Ginevra, this is all the proof I can give to you. My heart is yours if you will have it.”

Smiling again and sighing in a way only a true romantic would understand, Ginny clutched the parchment to her breast and stared up at the sky with that same goofy smile on her lips.

She heard a crunching of feet on the gravel and looked around to see who was walking in the courtyard. Spotting Draco’s tall frame she waved at him happily, a broad smile fastening on her lips. He caught her gaze and paused slightly, almost hesitantly, before slowly making his way over.

“I haven’t seen you since breakfast,” Ginny said by way of greeting. “Can you believe Blaise kissed me in front of everyone?”

Draco gave her a rather weak smile and sat down next to her on the bench, his grey eyes not even looking at her but instead staring intently at the lake. By his stiff posture and closed off expression she almost felt like he was pushing her away, but then decided it was probably nothing. His silence was a little daunting, but she couldn’t help but feel the need to share some of her feelings to him.

“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go out with him to be honest,” Ginny confided softly, her eyes staring down at her hands resting in her lap. She thought she saw Draco stir next to her out of the corner of her eye, but he still remained just as silent as he was before. “I was unsure about my own feelings; unsure about his…” A small smile crept onto her lips, her eyes softening into a light chestnut. “Then I read the poem he wrote, and I knew that his feelings were real. There’s no way anyone could write that and not mean it, right?”

“Right,” Draco said emptily, still gazing at the lake. He was the one who had written that poem, but could he tell her that? The thought was absurd, and she would probably laugh at him, or maybe she would get angry with him? It was better just to remain silent on that matter.

“Is something wrong Draco?”

He shook his head and stood up quickly. “I gotta go. I have to go meet Pansy.”

“Oh.” Ginny’s brow creased slightly and the smile faded in her eyes. “Are you getting back with her then?”

In truth Draco had not thought about it; he’d just said Pansy’s name because it happened to be the first that came to his head. Faced with Ginny going out with Blaise though and being stuck as the third wheel was not his idea of fun however, and so he nodded his head. “Yeah. I hope so anyway. So, uh, I gotta go.”

“Oh,” Ginny said again in the same flat voice. “Well, um, okay. Good luck.”

“Yeah.”

Draco stood there feeling a little awkward and finally gave her a muttered goodbye before walking off back to the castle. He had a girl to make up with after all, and just hoped Pansy would take him.