Chapter 14- As Long as You’re Mine
Ginny sat in the practice room, angrily plunking out white-key scales. ‘I warmed up just like Patrick always tells us to do, I didn’t have any milk or other throat-coating junk at lunch, and I still can’t sing this stupid song! Merlin, I might as well-”
Her mental rants were interrupted by the door to the practice room opening and Draco Malfoy stepping inside. Not wanting him to see her anger, Ginny started to plunk out the melody line of one of her songs, pretending that was what she’d been doing anyway. Draco just walked over to lean against the wall, and Ginny could feel her face turning red. ‘Oh, Merlin, now I’ll never be able to concentrate.’
Unknown to a certain redhead, Draco was feeling nearly the same emotion as Ginny was. He leaned against the wall beside the piano, watching in fascination as dull color crawled up the back of her neck. He unknowingly found himself breathing harder as he looked at her. ‘Merlin she’s beautiful.’
Draco listened as Ginny continued to play Masquerade, her fingers hitting wrong notes more and more frequently as the back of her neck grew steadily redder. She eventually gave up on the pretense and let her hands fall to her lap. She didn’t speak, and Draco didn’t move, content to just watch her. After a minute or two, he started to sing quietly, watching her for a reaction.
“Maybe I’m brainless, maybe I’m wise,
But you’ve got me seeing through different eyes.
Somehow, I’ve fallen under your spell,
And somehow I’m feeling, it’s ‘up’ that I fell. . .”
Ginny didn’t rise, or turn, or give any indication that she’d heard him, but she started to sing.
“Every moment as long as you’re mine
I wake up my body, and make up for lost time.
Say there’s no future for us as a pair.”
Ginny bit her lip, looking down at the piano as she sang the next line. She sucked in a deep breath and turned around on the bench, taking Draco’s outstretched hand and letting him pull her up.
“And though I may know, I don’t care!
Just for this moment, as long as you’re mine
Come be how you want to, and see how bright we shine.”
Moonlight streamed through the windows, casting shadows over their figures and, somehow, their voices as Draco pulled Ginny into him, his gray eyes dark with ardor.
“Borrow the moonlight until it is through.
I know I’ll be here holding you
As long as you’re mine.”
Draco stood and gazed down at her for a moment, then unhurriedly lowered his lips to hers.
Days later, sitting in her room at Headquarters, Ginny tied the bow on the second gift with a flourish and gave both packages to Hedwig, who carried them out the window and off into the London suburbs. She watched the snowy white owl until it was just a speck in the sky, unconsciously nervous. She’d never sent a Christmas present to a Slytherin before.
Ginny was just turning away from the window when something caught the corner of her eye. A large eagle owl was flying straight toward her, a large box clutched in its talons.
The bird swooped into the room a moment later and landed on the bed. Ginny gently untied the twine that held the package to its feet, fed the owl a treat, and watched for a moment as it took off again. She closed and latched the window, then turned her attention to the mysterious package.
Quickly, Ginny ripped the brown paper, wondering vaguely how the owl had found her at Headquarters. She pulled open the box, and two smaller packages fell into her lap, identically wrapped. The smaller of the two said OPEN ME FIRST in bold letters, so Ginny complied.
The note in the very top of the box was written in a hand Ginny recognized as Blaise’s, and she settled back on her bed to read it.
Dear Ginny,
Hello, Love! I can only imagine how dreary your holidays are without Yours Truly around to brighten them. As difficult as it must be to function in everyday life without me, I hope you’re enjoying yourself anyway. I’m spending Christmas at Malfoy Manor, so, of course, my cheerfulness is in high demand. The other package is from Draco, and he wouldn’t tell me for anything what he got you (meaning you must write me as soon as you open it and tell me what it is).
Getting down to your gift, I seriously considered sending you an empty box. After a bit of reflection, however, I decided that you might not find that as humorous as I did. Far be it for me to send a gift that might not be received correctly, so I asked for a bit of help. Mother made a few modifications to the style; she says it was too masculine or some such thing. Anyway, I hope you like it.
The greatest and best looking friend you could ever hope for,
Blaise Zabini
Laughing, Ginny put the letter aside and peered into the box. A ring made of the purest silver lay inside, a diamond-shaped emerald set in the middle. A second card was next to it, and she picked it up to read it.
Surprise! This is a sort of ‘summoning ring.’ Mother thought you’d prefer silver to gold, and she insisted on an emerald. Apparently a different stone just wouldn’t do. Anyway, here’s a little rundown on how this works. You have to wear it on the middle finger of your left hand or it won’t do anything. Doing the actual summoning is going to be a bit more complicated with three people now in the loop, but it should still work. When you want one of us, just put your wand tip on the stone and shoot our spark into it. For instance, if you wanted Draco, you’d shoot red sparks. My ring has a sapphire, so you’ll have to shoot blue sparks for me. Enjoy!
Ginny lay the card aside and took the ring from the box, still confused over what it was for. Figuring she’d find out eventually, she slipped it onto the middle finger of her left hand and watched as it shrank to a perfect fit. Ginny smiled and reached for the letter she now knew to be Draco’s.
Ginny,
Assuming- and rightly so, I’m sure- that Blaise has said enough for both of us, I’ll skip the pleasantries and small talk. Your gift gave me a good bit of trouble, so pretend you like it even if you don’t.
Draco
Feeling more than slightly apprehensive about what this gift might be, Ginny set aside the letter and pulled the box open. A long, slender jewelry case lay inside, closed. She slowly withdrew the case and opened it. A thin silver chain was mounted inside, a small pendant strung on it. Upon further inspection, Ginny saw it was in the shape of a rose with a small crack up one side. She slid her fingernail into the crack, and the locket slowly opened.
A black and white wizarding photograph of two people stared up at her, their faces making her breath catch in her throat. It was she and Draco at rehearsal, just about to share their first onstage kiss. Ginny watched as her photographic self slid her arms around ‘the Phantom’ and drew him close. On the backside of the locket was one small word, written in an agonized script: Wicked.
With nothing but thoughtfulness on her face, Ginny pulled the necklace from its case and fastened it around her neck.
MEANWHILE, AT MALFOY MANOR:
“Do you think she’s gotten them yet, Draco?”
“I don’t know, Blaise, and if you ask me that one more time I’m going to curse you into oblivion!”
Blaise frowned and was quiet for a few minutes, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. When he grew bored, he spoke again as he lifted his martini glass to his lips. “So. . .do you think she’s gotten them yet?”
Draco growled low in his throat and made to reach for his wand, but his gaze went to the window instead. Hedwig was hovering just outside it, the two packages from Ginny clutched in her beak. Blaise jumped up and threw open the window, letting the snow-covered bird land on his outstretched arm. After carrying her to a stoop in front of the fire, he took both packages back to the sofa he’d been lying on.
Draco, rolling his eyes, took out his wand and summoned his present from Blaise’s lap. Once it was in his hands, however, he set it down and watched his friend read.
Hi, Blaise!
I hope you’re having a fabulous holiday wherever you are. I haven’t heard from you, but I have a sneaking suspicion you’re camping out at Draco’s. You’d better keep working on the show songs, or I’m going to have to be very angry with you.
Now, I’ll be the first one to admit I was slightly iffy about what to get you. Keeping your personality in mind, though, I had this made for you. I hope you like it, or at least get as much a laugh out of it as I did.
Love you always,
Ginny
With a raised eyebrow, Blaise set the letter carefully out of Draco’s reach and opened the package. A pointed wizard’s hat lay inside, Slytherin snake sewn boldly on the brim. He turned it around in his hands, staring at the base of the cone in amazement. There, in shining green letters, were the words THE PHANTOM’S LACKEY. A broad grin broke out across Blaise’s face, and he promptly stuck the hat on his head.
Draco, who had been watching the entire time, snorted and turned his attention to his own gift. The letter stuck to the top was short and to the point.
Draco,
I hope you’re enjoying yourself on Holidays. Your present gave me no small amount of trouble, so I hope you like it. In the end, I had to go to Snape and ask his advice (which was not a pleasant experience let me tell you), so you’d better act like you appreciate it.
Ginny
PS- Hermione says it’ll match your eyes beautifully, but she told me not to tell you that.
Draco pulled the brown paper from the squishy package and surprise itself seemed to appear. A cloak of purest gray silk fell into his hands, warming whatever part of him it touched. Confused at this, he stood and flung it around his shoulders. Warmth immediately enveloped him, sending shivers down his spine. Across the room, Blaise whistled and drained his martini.
Ginny sat in the practice room, angrily plunking out white-key scales. ‘I warmed up just like Patrick always tells us to do, I didn’t have any milk or other throat-coating junk at lunch, and I still can’t sing this stupid song! Merlin, I might as well-”
Her mental rants were interrupted by the door to the practice room opening and Draco Malfoy stepping inside. Not wanting him to see her anger, Ginny started to plunk out the melody line of one of her songs, pretending that was what she’d been doing anyway. Draco just walked over to lean against the wall, and Ginny could feel her face turning red. ‘Oh, Merlin, now I’ll never be able to concentrate.’
Unknown to a certain redhead, Draco was feeling nearly the same emotion as Ginny was. He leaned against the wall beside the piano, watching in fascination as dull color crawled up the back of her neck. He unknowingly found himself breathing harder as he looked at her. ‘Merlin she’s beautiful.’
Draco listened as Ginny continued to play Masquerade, her fingers hitting wrong notes more and more frequently as the back of her neck grew steadily redder. She eventually gave up on the pretense and let her hands fall to her lap. She didn’t speak, and Draco didn’t move, content to just watch her. After a minute or two, he started to sing quietly, watching her for a reaction.
“Maybe I’m brainless, maybe I’m wise,
But you’ve got me seeing through different eyes.
Somehow, I’ve fallen under your spell,
And somehow I’m feeling, it’s ‘up’ that I fell. . .”
Ginny didn’t rise, or turn, or give any indication that she’d heard him, but she started to sing.
“Every moment as long as you’re mine
I wake up my body, and make up for lost time.
Say there’s no future for us as a pair.”
Ginny bit her lip, looking down at the piano as she sang the next line. She sucked in a deep breath and turned around on the bench, taking Draco’s outstretched hand and letting him pull her up.
“And though I may know, I don’t care!
Just for this moment, as long as you’re mine
Come be how you want to, and see how bright we shine.”
Moonlight streamed through the windows, casting shadows over their figures and, somehow, their voices as Draco pulled Ginny into him, his gray eyes dark with ardor.
“Borrow the moonlight until it is through.
I know I’ll be here holding you
As long as you’re mine.”
Draco stood and gazed down at her for a moment, then unhurriedly lowered his lips to hers.
Days later, sitting in her room at Headquarters, Ginny tied the bow on the second gift with a flourish and gave both packages to Hedwig, who carried them out the window and off into the London suburbs. She watched the snowy white owl until it was just a speck in the sky, unconsciously nervous. She’d never sent a Christmas present to a Slytherin before.
Ginny was just turning away from the window when something caught the corner of her eye. A large eagle owl was flying straight toward her, a large box clutched in its talons.
The bird swooped into the room a moment later and landed on the bed. Ginny gently untied the twine that held the package to its feet, fed the owl a treat, and watched for a moment as it took off again. She closed and latched the window, then turned her attention to the mysterious package.
Quickly, Ginny ripped the brown paper, wondering vaguely how the owl had found her at Headquarters. She pulled open the box, and two smaller packages fell into her lap, identically wrapped. The smaller of the two said OPEN ME FIRST in bold letters, so Ginny complied.
The note in the very top of the box was written in a hand Ginny recognized as Blaise’s, and she settled back on her bed to read it.
Dear Ginny,
Hello, Love! I can only imagine how dreary your holidays are without Yours Truly around to brighten them. As difficult as it must be to function in everyday life without me, I hope you’re enjoying yourself anyway. I’m spending Christmas at Malfoy Manor, so, of course, my cheerfulness is in high demand. The other package is from Draco, and he wouldn’t tell me for anything what he got you (meaning you must write me as soon as you open it and tell me what it is).
Getting down to your gift, I seriously considered sending you an empty box. After a bit of reflection, however, I decided that you might not find that as humorous as I did. Far be it for me to send a gift that might not be received correctly, so I asked for a bit of help. Mother made a few modifications to the style; she says it was too masculine or some such thing. Anyway, I hope you like it.
The greatest and best looking friend you could ever hope for,
Blaise Zabini
Laughing, Ginny put the letter aside and peered into the box. A ring made of the purest silver lay inside, a diamond-shaped emerald set in the middle. A second card was next to it, and she picked it up to read it.
Surprise! This is a sort of ‘summoning ring.’ Mother thought you’d prefer silver to gold, and she insisted on an emerald. Apparently a different stone just wouldn’t do. Anyway, here’s a little rundown on how this works. You have to wear it on the middle finger of your left hand or it won’t do anything. Doing the actual summoning is going to be a bit more complicated with three people now in the loop, but it should still work. When you want one of us, just put your wand tip on the stone and shoot our spark into it. For instance, if you wanted Draco, you’d shoot red sparks. My ring has a sapphire, so you’ll have to shoot blue sparks for me. Enjoy!
Ginny lay the card aside and took the ring from the box, still confused over what it was for. Figuring she’d find out eventually, she slipped it onto the middle finger of her left hand and watched as it shrank to a perfect fit. Ginny smiled and reached for the letter she now knew to be Draco’s.
Ginny,
Assuming- and rightly so, I’m sure- that Blaise has said enough for both of us, I’ll skip the pleasantries and small talk. Your gift gave me a good bit of trouble, so pretend you like it even if you don’t.
Draco
Feeling more than slightly apprehensive about what this gift might be, Ginny set aside the letter and pulled the box open. A long, slender jewelry case lay inside, closed. She slowly withdrew the case and opened it. A thin silver chain was mounted inside, a small pendant strung on it. Upon further inspection, Ginny saw it was in the shape of a rose with a small crack up one side. She slid her fingernail into the crack, and the locket slowly opened.
A black and white wizarding photograph of two people stared up at her, their faces making her breath catch in her throat. It was she and Draco at rehearsal, just about to share their first onstage kiss. Ginny watched as her photographic self slid her arms around ‘the Phantom’ and drew him close. On the backside of the locket was one small word, written in an agonized script: Wicked.
With nothing but thoughtfulness on her face, Ginny pulled the necklace from its case and fastened it around her neck.
MEANWHILE, AT MALFOY MANOR:
“Do you think she’s gotten them yet, Draco?”
“I don’t know, Blaise, and if you ask me that one more time I’m going to curse you into oblivion!”
Blaise frowned and was quiet for a few minutes, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. When he grew bored, he spoke again as he lifted his martini glass to his lips. “So. . .do you think she’s gotten them yet?”
Draco growled low in his throat and made to reach for his wand, but his gaze went to the window instead. Hedwig was hovering just outside it, the two packages from Ginny clutched in her beak. Blaise jumped up and threw open the window, letting the snow-covered bird land on his outstretched arm. After carrying her to a stoop in front of the fire, he took both packages back to the sofa he’d been lying on.
Draco, rolling his eyes, took out his wand and summoned his present from Blaise’s lap. Once it was in his hands, however, he set it down and watched his friend read.
Hi, Blaise!
I hope you’re having a fabulous holiday wherever you are. I haven’t heard from you, but I have a sneaking suspicion you’re camping out at Draco’s. You’d better keep working on the show songs, or I’m going to have to be very angry with you.
Now, I’ll be the first one to admit I was slightly iffy about what to get you. Keeping your personality in mind, though, I had this made for you. I hope you like it, or at least get as much a laugh out of it as I did.
Love you always,
Ginny
With a raised eyebrow, Blaise set the letter carefully out of Draco’s reach and opened the package. A pointed wizard’s hat lay inside, Slytherin snake sewn boldly on the brim. He turned it around in his hands, staring at the base of the cone in amazement. There, in shining green letters, were the words THE PHANTOM’S LACKEY. A broad grin broke out across Blaise’s face, and he promptly stuck the hat on his head.
Draco, who had been watching the entire time, snorted and turned his attention to his own gift. The letter stuck to the top was short and to the point.
Draco,
I hope you’re enjoying yourself on Holidays. Your present gave me no small amount of trouble, so I hope you like it. In the end, I had to go to Snape and ask his advice (which was not a pleasant experience let me tell you), so you’d better act like you appreciate it.
Ginny
PS- Hermione says it’ll match your eyes beautifully, but she told me not to tell you that.
Draco pulled the brown paper from the squishy package and surprise itself seemed to appear. A cloak of purest gray silk fell into his hands, warming whatever part of him it touched. Confused at this, he stood and flung it around his shoulders. Warmth immediately enveloped him, sending shivers down his spine. Across the room, Blaise whistled and drained his martini.
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