A/N: Yep, this fic features two extreme rarities in the Anise-verse-- it's fluffy, and it's short. Enjoy it while you can. ;) It grew out of a discussion on the CS H/G thread over on Fictionalley about how often silly symbolism is used to bolster H/G (well, in our opinions, anyway...) That led to a discussion about the symbolism of chocolate associated with romance, and what would happen if this turned out to be literally true.

***

Drearily, Ginny trudged towards the statue of the gargoyle on the second floor. "Chocolate frogs," she said in a dispirited voice, and without the least bit of enthusiasm. After all, it was chocolate that had got the entire school into this mess in the first place.

"Wait, Ginny!" called a voice behind her. "Wait up a moment!"

"Hello, Neville," she said, trying to summon up a tired smile.

"Going to see Dumbledore?"

"Yes," sighed Ginny. "I have to. He gave me hot chocolate once, back in second year, when I came out of the chamber."

Neville winced. "Hard luck," he said sadly. "Still... er...remember that time Harry gave me chocolate after Draco hexed me?"

"Ooh," said Ginny sympathetically. "So that's where you've been all morning."

"Yes," sighed Neville. "In one of those little Rooms of Requirement that have been popping up all day. Then Ron had to take my place for the afternoon. He shared chocolate with Harry on the train on the way to Hogwarts before first year, you know."

"Oh, dear."

"Still, it's better than the way Ron had to spend all of yesterday."

"Do I want to know?" asked Ginny apprehensively.

But Neville plowed on regardless, too wrapped up in his own misery to realize that Ginny could have lived happily without ever knowing what he was about to tell her.

"Hagrid gave Ron a huge bar of chocolate as a prize once," said Neville. "When his Niffler found the most gold back in fourth year, remember?"

Ginny clapped her hands over her ears at once. Then a dreadful thought struck her. "Neville," she said timidly. "Lupin's still at Twelve Grimmauld Place, isn't he?"

"Oh, yes."

"Well, he gives out chocolate all the time. To everyone."

Neville shuffled his feet. "Er, that's true," he mumbled. "But he seems to be rather enjoying the entire thing, from what I've heard. In fact, they say he's had a pole and a disco ball installed in his room--"

Ginny could bear no more, and the gargoyle had already swung open. "I've got to go," she blurted, thanking all the gods that relatively few people had given her chocolate since she'd come to Hogwarts. Family members were not included in the requirement, which was, at least, some small comfort.

"Wait," said Neville, putting a hand on her arm.

"Neville," she said, "I like you, really I do. But you've never given me chocolate."

"I know," he said, blushing. "I was only thinking that, well, didn't Harry give you chocolate once? Last year, I think it was, when you were speaking to him in the library that one time?"

"Yes," sighed Ginny.

"Well, you'll have to shag him eventually then. Why not now?"

"I don't see a way to avoid it," admitted Ginny. "But for my first time, Neville... well, I'd really prefer Dumbledore."

"All right... I'm off to the lake then."

"The lake?" asked Ginny, confused.

"Don't ask," said Neville gloomily.

"Good luck!" Ginny called after him.

"Loitering in the halls between classes, Weasley," said an all-too-familiar voice behind her. "I really ought to take points from Gryffindor for this. But I'm a bit curious about what you might be doing here. So if you.... er... satisify my curiousity, I might let you off easy." She turned to see Draco Malfoy, his silver prefect's badge glittering on his immaculate black robes.

"I'm not loitering, Malfoy," she said, with as much dignity as she could muster. "I'm going to see Dumbledore on official business."

"Another one of those compulsory chocolate-shagging incidents?" he asked with a delicate shudder.

"Well-- if you must know-- yes!" she said defiantly. "And I don't see what business it is of yours."

"Why aren't you with Potter?" he asked softly. "He's given you chocolate, hasn't he?"

"None of your business!" she burst out, and then scowled. Malfoy always was able to stir up her temper like nobody else she had ever known. "I'm surprised anybody's even seen you outside a Room of Requirement for the past week," she added acidly. "I should think this would be a golden opportunity for you to shag every slut in Slytherin, except that I'm sure you've already done it."

"I neither confirm nor deny such a scurrilous rumour," said Draco Malfoy with a shrug. "But that's besides the point... I haven't been able to take part in all these dubious chocolate-related activities, you see."

"Oh, really?" retorted Ginny. "And why is that?"

"I'm horribly selfish, and I never give anybody anything," he said. "So I've never given chocolate to anyone."

"Oh," said Ginny in a very small voice. She was suddenly aware of just how close Malfoy was standing to her. Out of the corner of her eye, the doorknob to a Room of Requirement obligingly appeared just behind them both.

He reached into his pockets and drew something out, and her eyes followed it as if mesmerized. It was a small slab of chocolate.

"I might be persuaded to make an exception," he said, in a sultry purr.

Ginny hesitated. "Well... our families have hated each other since the Jurassic Era, you know..."

"And," said Malfoy, with the air of one playing a trump card, "I happen to know that Dumbledore's not here. He left on an emergency trip to Whirligig's Chocolate and Sundries Manufacturing Company, in order to try to convince them to remove their chocolate's magically shaglicious properties. So you can't shag him today, anyway."

"You mean it's you or Harry?" Ginny demanded.

"Afraid so."

She grabbed the chocolate bar out of Draco Malfoy's hand and seized him by the ear. "Get in here now, Malfoy," she ordered, dragging him into the Room of Requirement without another word.

Draco went with a marked lack of resistance, wondering idly how Longbottom was faring down by the lake.

He knew for a fact that the round-faced Gryffindor boy had once thrown a chocolate bar to the giant squid.

--end--