Chapter 2: Of Obnoxious Groupies, Blaise-Less Parties, and Convincing ‘Acting’
Ginny Apparated a few feet in front of the house, as was the custom. She was a few minutes late, as was the fashion. She looked perfect, as was the necessity. She was doing everything right, absolutely everything. Except, of course, the whole being-a-blood-traitor thing.
At the door, a servant took her invitation and analysed it for a moment. It passed the detailed inspection, which made her wonder who exactly Harry had stolen it from. Not that there had been any other option, of course. That was one thing she couldn’t exactly blame him for.
The inspector gestured her in, and she saw Draco standing with his parents, greeting the incoming guests. His pale hair was groomed back perfectly, and his black robes only succeeded in amplifying his white skin.
Rolling her eyes at any and all thoughts she might have about his appearance, she walked purposefully up to them, until his grey eyes locked with hers.
Draco was not enjoying the party. Except, you know, it had just started. But it was so boring. He laughing heartily with, and smiled graciously at, women he abhorred and truly would rather die than marry.
A few minutes after the ball began, a woman walked alone through the door. She looked to be about nineteen or so, and beautifully elegant. Not only that, but her eyes weren’t as blank as the others’; he thought she might even have some intelligent thoughts!
It was Ginny, of course. He just didn’t know. She smiled as he analysed her even more intently than the doorman had her invitation, unable to stop the thoughts of what he would think if he knew she was a blood traitor Weasley.
“Hello,” she said softly, appropriately greeting his father first. “I’m Ella Greengrass. I’m sorry my cousins couldn’t come – they so desperately wanted to.”
She got to Draco, who was undeniably entranced by her. God, she looked like she might even be interesting! Surely no one else could measure up to that.
Narcissa said graciously, “Why don’t you give your coat to–”
“Me,” Draco cut in. “I’ll take it. Would you like to walk with me?”
Ginny stared at him for a moment, almost unable to comprehend. He had an easy smile and a curious look. Not at all the bastard she remembered.
“Sure,” she answered, a smile coming across her face before she could stop it; she tried to convince herself she was just acting.
As they neared the other side of the ballroom – sneaking half-glances at each other but not saying a word – Draco gasped.
Draco stared, wanting to do anything but see her. “Ella, do you mind? I refuse to talk to her!”
Ginny followed his eyes. “Pansy Parkinson? Are you dating her–”
“Oh, God, no. That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid. Do you mind if we pretend to be dating – just for a moment – so that she leaves? I can’t – she’s awful – you have no idea.”
“Well, no, I guess not,” Ginny answered, eyes wide. Who could have guessed anything like this would happen so soon? But maybe if she got on his good side, she would find out where Blaise was and fulfil her mission.
“Okay, good.”
Without comprehending, Ginny watched as Draco swiftly dropped her coat and pulled her to him. His cold lips touched hers, feather-light. In his gesture, she could tell he was trying to say he didn’t mean anything by it; he was just acting. Of course, she felt horrified that Malfoy was kissing her. He was disgusting, and so was his kiss. At least, that’s what she told herself.
Draco indeed did force himself not to touch her too harshly, and plainly tell her he couldn’t possibly have any feelings at all for her; after all, he had only just met her and certainly knew nothing about her. He was only doing it because he wanted Pansy to think he was dating someone else… Right? Yes. Yes, of course!
But no matter what they told themselves, the kiss was an enjoyable experience all around. Well, not for Pansy, who – it must be noted – was staring in horror and loathing at the random brunette girl Draco was snogging. She was gripping her wand incredibly tightly, and a spark shot out the end.
Draco pulled away slowly, taking his hands from Ginny’s back. He looked around, and he pretended (rather convincingly) to spot Pansy for the first time. Grabbing Ginny’s hand – to, er, keep up the facade that they were dating – he walked over to her and said, “What’s wrong?”
Ginny almost laughed. It was entirely too amusing to watch her stand there glaring bloody murder.
“Have you met Ella?” Draco asked, reaching up Ginny’s hand and bringing it to his lips in a sweet gesture… that was just acting, of course.
Ginny thought she might as well do her part. She leaned into Draco, standing intimately close. She reached out her other hand. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I caught your name.”
“Draco, I need to speak with you. Now,” Pansy snapped, fully ignoring Ginny.
“Fine,” Draco agreed, attempting not to smile. “You’ll wait for me, won’t you?” Draco asked, and kissed her forehead lightly, just brushing their coolness against her heated skin.
“Of course,” she whispered back, trying very hard to feel sickened about his lips on her face.
She watched him leave and breathed deeply. If he knew who I was, he would be so disgusted right now… Think about that. With that belief firmly in place, she went lurking around the ballroom in search of Blaise.
“What do you want, Pansy?” he growled, the second they got inside the parlour.
“Are you dating that girl? Who the hell is she anyway?” she asked, her eyes flashing and her entire face threatening murder.
“Daphne and Astoria’s cousin, Ella. But I don’t see why it’s any concern of yours,” he snapped, sounding very cold.
“Draco,” she whined, softening her voice, “don’t you know that we belong together? Why are you with her when you should be with me?”
“We’re not meant to be, Pansy, and you would know that if you weren’t so bloody idiotic.”
She was trying every tactic she’d ever used, but of course none were working. “Are you dating her?”
“We've only been dating for a couple of days. I wouldn’t be having this ball otherwise. Which also means I have to dance with everyone here.” He wondered if he sounded convincing.
“I’ll kill her!”
God, Pansy was so insane. She went from angry to crying back to angry again over the course of about five seconds. Draco would choose anyone before her.
“Pansy, if you keep saying stuff like that I’ll force you to leave this party. Do you want that?”
“No… But Draco darling, why her?”
He just shook his head and left, not bothering to answer. He wondered how long it would take Pansy to figure out they weren’t – and never would be – dating. It was highly doubtful that she ever would.
Inside the ballroom, he scanned the room but didn’t see Ginny anywhere. Shrugging, he began to dance. One eligible wife down, only a couple dozen more to go…
Damn, Ginny thought. He’s not here anywhere.
Ginny had searched and searched for that Muggle-killing scum, but he was nowhere to be found. She sighed. Now her entire mission had failed, and being here was completely and utterly pointless. She could easily leave now and spend the rest of her evening at home, or with Ron and Hermione… Not that they were exactly loads of fun to spend time with, especially since they were still in that newlywed stage that was absolutely repulsive to watch.
So she placed herself in the corner, planning to watch the ball but not take part, just in case Blaise decided to show himself later.
Draco found her! She was sitting there doing absolutely nothing – in a corner, of all places.
“May I have this dance?” he said silkily.
Ginny started. “Oh! Of course,” she answered, less bored now that she had something to do.
“You didn’t wait for me,” he laughed.
“Well, who knows how things with you and Pansy could have turned out,” Ginny answered, wondering if she was acting well enough. “From what I noticed, you seemed to be quite the couple at Hogwarts.”
“Oh, God, we did?” He looked truly disgusted.
“Well, I was a couple years younger than you, but yeah, definitely.”
He began to chuckle softly. “I imagine it must’ve looked like that, I guess. She followed me around like a dog.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “So, what did she say?”
He grinned. Talking to her wasn’t boring him like the other conversations he’d had. And the dancing was definitely a plus. She was a great dancer.
Ginny felt the same way. She would never have thought that Malfoy of all people would be so graceful, but he truly was. She was having a good time, even though she certainly wasn’t used to this type of dancing. Shaking her head quickly, Ginny warned herself not to find this too enjoyable. He was Malfoy, after all.
“Oh, you know,” Draco answered, his voice heavy with amusement, “the usual. There was some sobbing and threats of violence, but in the end I think she calmed down. She’s still around here somewhere, so I would suggest being ready to curse her – even an Unforgivable, if necessary.”
Ginny found herself laughing, and didn’t even have a chance to feel disturbed. “Thanks for the advice. Do you frequently have crazed girls after you like this?”
“It’s not unheard of,” he smirked, and Ginny grinned, not finding his smirk offensive anymore.
“But you apparently settled down long enough to date me for… how long again?”
“Only a couple of days, sorry.”
“Really? So there won’t be any announcing of our engagement, or anything like that, tonight, that I should probably know about beforehand?”
“None that I can think of. I’ll let you know a couple seconds in advance.”
“Promise?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.
“Definitely,” he answered.
She grinned up at him, but quickly looked down as her expression changed. Talking to him was just so much fun, but it shouldn’t be… right? He was a Malfoy, after all….
Pansy walked out of the house into the snowy night, prepared to search for any information that would help her… Because something was odd about Ella Greengrass, and she was sure of that. But it was already ten o’clock, so she hardly had any more time.
Ginny Apparated a few feet in front of the house, as was the custom. She was a few minutes late, as was the fashion. She looked perfect, as was the necessity. She was doing everything right, absolutely everything. Except, of course, the whole being-a-blood-traitor thing.
At the door, a servant took her invitation and analysed it for a moment. It passed the detailed inspection, which made her wonder who exactly Harry had stolen it from. Not that there had been any other option, of course. That was one thing she couldn’t exactly blame him for.
The inspector gestured her in, and she saw Draco standing with his parents, greeting the incoming guests. His pale hair was groomed back perfectly, and his black robes only succeeded in amplifying his white skin.
Rolling her eyes at any and all thoughts she might have about his appearance, she walked purposefully up to them, until his grey eyes locked with hers.
Draco was not enjoying the party. Except, you know, it had just started. But it was so boring. He laughing heartily with, and smiled graciously at, women he abhorred and truly would rather die than marry.
A few minutes after the ball began, a woman walked alone through the door. She looked to be about nineteen or so, and beautifully elegant. Not only that, but her eyes weren’t as blank as the others’; he thought she might even have some intelligent thoughts!
It was Ginny, of course. He just didn’t know. She smiled as he analysed her even more intently than the doorman had her invitation, unable to stop the thoughts of what he would think if he knew she was a blood traitor Weasley.
“Hello,” she said softly, appropriately greeting his father first. “I’m Ella Greengrass. I’m sorry my cousins couldn’t come – they so desperately wanted to.”
She got to Draco, who was undeniably entranced by her. God, she looked like she might even be interesting! Surely no one else could measure up to that.
Narcissa said graciously, “Why don’t you give your coat to–”
“Me,” Draco cut in. “I’ll take it. Would you like to walk with me?”
Ginny stared at him for a moment, almost unable to comprehend. He had an easy smile and a curious look. Not at all the bastard she remembered.
“Sure,” she answered, a smile coming across her face before she could stop it; she tried to convince herself she was just acting.
As they neared the other side of the ballroom – sneaking half-glances at each other but not saying a word – Draco gasped.
Draco stared, wanting to do anything but see her. “Ella, do you mind? I refuse to talk to her!”
Ginny followed his eyes. “Pansy Parkinson? Are you dating her–”
“Oh, God, no. That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid. Do you mind if we pretend to be dating – just for a moment – so that she leaves? I can’t – she’s awful – you have no idea.”
“Well, no, I guess not,” Ginny answered, eyes wide. Who could have guessed anything like this would happen so soon? But maybe if she got on his good side, she would find out where Blaise was and fulfil her mission.
“Okay, good.”
Without comprehending, Ginny watched as Draco swiftly dropped her coat and pulled her to him. His cold lips touched hers, feather-light. In his gesture, she could tell he was trying to say he didn’t mean anything by it; he was just acting. Of course, she felt horrified that Malfoy was kissing her. He was disgusting, and so was his kiss. At least, that’s what she told herself.
Draco indeed did force himself not to touch her too harshly, and plainly tell her he couldn’t possibly have any feelings at all for her; after all, he had only just met her and certainly knew nothing about her. He was only doing it because he wanted Pansy to think he was dating someone else… Right? Yes. Yes, of course!
But no matter what they told themselves, the kiss was an enjoyable experience all around. Well, not for Pansy, who – it must be noted – was staring in horror and loathing at the random brunette girl Draco was snogging. She was gripping her wand incredibly tightly, and a spark shot out the end.
Draco pulled away slowly, taking his hands from Ginny’s back. He looked around, and he pretended (rather convincingly) to spot Pansy for the first time. Grabbing Ginny’s hand – to, er, keep up the facade that they were dating – he walked over to her and said, “What’s wrong?”
Ginny almost laughed. It was entirely too amusing to watch her stand there glaring bloody murder.
“Have you met Ella?” Draco asked, reaching up Ginny’s hand and bringing it to his lips in a sweet gesture… that was just acting, of course.
Ginny thought she might as well do her part. She leaned into Draco, standing intimately close. She reached out her other hand. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I caught your name.”
“Draco, I need to speak with you. Now,” Pansy snapped, fully ignoring Ginny.
“Fine,” Draco agreed, attempting not to smile. “You’ll wait for me, won’t you?” Draco asked, and kissed her forehead lightly, just brushing their coolness against her heated skin.
“Of course,” she whispered back, trying very hard to feel sickened about his lips on her face.
She watched him leave and breathed deeply. If he knew who I was, he would be so disgusted right now… Think about that. With that belief firmly in place, she went lurking around the ballroom in search of Blaise.
“What do you want, Pansy?” he growled, the second they got inside the parlour.
“Are you dating that girl? Who the hell is she anyway?” she asked, her eyes flashing and her entire face threatening murder.
“Daphne and Astoria’s cousin, Ella. But I don’t see why it’s any concern of yours,” he snapped, sounding very cold.
“Draco,” she whined, softening her voice, “don’t you know that we belong together? Why are you with her when you should be with me?”
“We’re not meant to be, Pansy, and you would know that if you weren’t so bloody idiotic.”
She was trying every tactic she’d ever used, but of course none were working. “Are you dating her?”
“We've only been dating for a couple of days. I wouldn’t be having this ball otherwise. Which also means I have to dance with everyone here.” He wondered if he sounded convincing.
“I’ll kill her!”
God, Pansy was so insane. She went from angry to crying back to angry again over the course of about five seconds. Draco would choose anyone before her.
“Pansy, if you keep saying stuff like that I’ll force you to leave this party. Do you want that?”
“No… But Draco darling, why her?”
He just shook his head and left, not bothering to answer. He wondered how long it would take Pansy to figure out they weren’t – and never would be – dating. It was highly doubtful that she ever would.
Inside the ballroom, he scanned the room but didn’t see Ginny anywhere. Shrugging, he began to dance. One eligible wife down, only a couple dozen more to go…
Damn, Ginny thought. He’s not here anywhere.
Ginny had searched and searched for that Muggle-killing scum, but he was nowhere to be found. She sighed. Now her entire mission had failed, and being here was completely and utterly pointless. She could easily leave now and spend the rest of her evening at home, or with Ron and Hermione… Not that they were exactly loads of fun to spend time with, especially since they were still in that newlywed stage that was absolutely repulsive to watch.
So she placed herself in the corner, planning to watch the ball but not take part, just in case Blaise decided to show himself later.
Draco found her! She was sitting there doing absolutely nothing – in a corner, of all places.
“May I have this dance?” he said silkily.
Ginny started. “Oh! Of course,” she answered, less bored now that she had something to do.
“You didn’t wait for me,” he laughed.
“Well, who knows how things with you and Pansy could have turned out,” Ginny answered, wondering if she was acting well enough. “From what I noticed, you seemed to be quite the couple at Hogwarts.”
“Oh, God, we did?” He looked truly disgusted.
“Well, I was a couple years younger than you, but yeah, definitely.”
He began to chuckle softly. “I imagine it must’ve looked like that, I guess. She followed me around like a dog.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “So, what did she say?”
He grinned. Talking to her wasn’t boring him like the other conversations he’d had. And the dancing was definitely a plus. She was a great dancer.
Ginny felt the same way. She would never have thought that Malfoy of all people would be so graceful, but he truly was. She was having a good time, even though she certainly wasn’t used to this type of dancing. Shaking her head quickly, Ginny warned herself not to find this too enjoyable. He was Malfoy, after all.
“Oh, you know,” Draco answered, his voice heavy with amusement, “the usual. There was some sobbing and threats of violence, but in the end I think she calmed down. She’s still around here somewhere, so I would suggest being ready to curse her – even an Unforgivable, if necessary.”
Ginny found herself laughing, and didn’t even have a chance to feel disturbed. “Thanks for the advice. Do you frequently have crazed girls after you like this?”
“It’s not unheard of,” he smirked, and Ginny grinned, not finding his smirk offensive anymore.
“But you apparently settled down long enough to date me for… how long again?”
“Only a couple of days, sorry.”
“Really? So there won’t be any announcing of our engagement, or anything like that, tonight, that I should probably know about beforehand?”
“None that I can think of. I’ll let you know a couple seconds in advance.”
“Promise?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.
“Definitely,” he answered.
She grinned up at him, but quickly looked down as her expression changed. Talking to him was just so much fun, but it shouldn’t be… right? He was a Malfoy, after all….
Pansy walked out of the house into the snowy night, prepared to search for any information that would help her… Because something was odd about Ella Greengrass, and she was sure of that. But it was already ten o’clock, so she hardly had any more time.
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