Archive of Our Own ^beta

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful young witch by the name of Ginevra Weasley. Her friends called her ‘Ginny’ and her enemies called her many names that thirteen year oles should nor be called. She was the youngest amongst her siblings, and smaller than her peers, yet she had the might to fight those double her size.

It was the night of the Yule Ball, a ceremony that accompanied the Triwizard Tournament held between three Wizarding and Witchcraft schools; Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons. The post dusk air was cold and crisp, the ground was blanketed with snow, and the occupants of the castle were buzzing with excitement. The ball was open to all the fourth year students and above, but unfortunately for little Ginny Weasley, she was only in her third year at Hogwarts. What made matters worse was that the only way she could attend was if she was escorted by someone older. It was a shame since the only person the young girl wanted to go with, Harry Potter, already had a date.

Parvati Patil.

“Of course Harry would go to the ball with someone like her. ‘Oh, I’m Parvati! I have long, shiny black hair and long legs. My face is annoyingly symmetrical and like my twin sister, I have perfect freaking eyebrows and long eyelashes. Teeheehee…’ Ugh! She even laughs like a princess! How annoying! If only she was nice like one. Did you know what she said to me?” Ginny whined to her friend, Hermione Granger, who looked more amused than anything. 

Ginny couldn't stand to watch her roommates, including the Patil twins, get ready while they danced to the music from the gramophone and gushed over their dates. So, she went to Hermione’s dormitory, forced her way onto the older girl’s bed—after pushing off a pile of books to make space for herself—and shut the canopy curtains before blabbering about how upset she was. Hermione was quick to put up a Silencing charm when Ginny came in.

“What did she say?” Hermione asked as she leaned against the headboard.

“She said ‘oh, it’s such a shame you can't join us, Ginny. You’d be missing out!’” Ginny parroted the words Parvati had said to her right before she stormed out.

Hermione giggled. “That just sounds like she feels bad that you can’t come, Gin.”

“No! You had to be there to hear the way she said it. Let me try again.” Ginny then repeated the sentence but that time, she mimicked Parvati’s faux sympathy.

Hermione made a face and nodded. “Yeah, I hear it now.”

“Right?! Padma even asked me to clean up after them since they would be too busy tonight to do it themselves!” Ginny exclaimed, crossing her arms and pouting.

“Oh, those catty hussies!” Hermione cursed, mirroring Ginny’s vexation.

“Yeah!” Ginny said with a huff.

“Alright! That does it! You have to come to the ball!” Hermione said before peeking her head out of the canopy.

“But how? I don’t have a date! I can’t go!” Ginny whined and pulled Hermione back so she could look at her.

“Have some faith in me, will you?” Hermione said, reaching under her bed. 

Ginny held onto her so she wouldn't fall down while the older girl rummaged around for something.

Hermione came back up with a yelp before revealing a box in her hands.

“What’s this?” Ginny asked, reaching out for the box.

Hermione smacked her hands away.

“This is where I keep my… ‘unauthorised medication’,” Hermione said with hesitance.

“Oh my gosh, Hermione. Are you asking me to drug Parvati so I can go with Harry?” Ginny whisper-yelled in horror. She didn't know Hermione had it in her to be so—

“No! Seriously, Gin?!” Hermione snapped, opening the box and revealing a few vials, some scrap papers with indecipherable scribbles, and a few other random bits and bobs.

“What…” Ginny trailed off as she took in the other odd items in the box.

“These help you get past the age restriction charms at the door,” Hermione said before pulling out a bulbous vial containing a teal green potion.

“Are those the ones Fred and George used to put their names in the Goblet of Fire?” Ginny asked as she picked up the vial to inspect its contents.

“I caught them stealing newt spleens from the Potions cabinet and made them promise to give me some in exchange for me not snitching on them to Professor Snape,” Hermione explained with a shrug.

“Resourceful,” Ginny praised.

“As always,” Hermione replied with a wink. “Though, it’s not enough. You’re going to need something to hide your identity or else the prefects will just kick you out the moment they notice you.”

“Oh…”

“Polyjuice would be too risky because you’ll be around too many people,” Hermione said before pulling a white masquerade mask out from the box. It wasn’t like the ones Ginny had seen before—granted, she had only seen a few—and it looked very grand and intricate.

“What is that?” Ginny plucked it out of Hermione’s hands to get a closer look.

“It turns the wearer incognito for a few hours. People can still see you, but no one would be able to recognize you. It confuses them instead of altering your look, really. This is my last pair. I got them over the semester break when I went to Italy with my family. The Venetian witches who crafted these are exceptionally talented!” 

“What do you mean they only last a few hours?” Ginny asked, flipping the mask around to examine the inside face.

“They could never figure out how to make the magic permanent or toggleable, so the mask always ended up dematerializing after a period of time. The more expensive the mask, the longer it lasts—it all depends on who made it,” Hermione explained, her eyes sparkling as she rambled about the specifications of the mask.

“And this lasts how long exactly?” 

“Three hours. So, if you get ready now and leave at nine o’ clock, you’d have until midnight before you have to sneak back into bed, or at least away from where your brothers could see you.” Hermione peeked her head out of the canopy again. “My dorm mates are gone! We should get ready now, and quickly!”

“Wait, why did you even have this mask?” Ginny asked before jumping off of the bed and following Hermione to her trunk at the edge of the bed.

“Sometimes I forget to bring my borrowed books back to the library, or I’m not done reading them, and Madam Pince won’t lend me any more, so I just keep the masks in my bag in case I need to borrow more,” Hermione said with a shrug. She then pulled out a clothing dust bag that was entirely too big for the trunk. “Is that your dress?” Ginny asked.

“Yeah!” Hermione said, going behind the room divider and dragging the dust bag behind her. After a few minutes of watching the screen and listening to the shuffling from the other side, Ginny was amazed when Hermione stepped out from behind the screen in a puffy, periwinkle gown that seemed to swoosh with every step, making her look like she was floating.

“Oh, Hermione! You look beautiful! Like a fairy!” Ginny exclaimed excitedly as she took in all the details of the exquisite dress. Ginny wished she owned something even half as nice.

“God!” a third voice yelped.

“Mother—” and another voice cursed from the now open dormitory door, and Ginny turned to see Padma Patil almost trip over someone’s sneaker.

The Patil twins were aghast at the state of the room, which was in even more disarray than their dormitory. The occupants had made a mess while getting ready and were long gone, leaving Hermione and Ginny with their scattered piles of clothes and makeup messes. 

“Oh, Ginny! Have they left you to clean up their room as well?” Padma asked with a pout. 

“Sod off.” Ginny scowled at her, but the other girl didn’t seem affected.

“We just wanted to stop by to let you know that we’ll be heading out now, and that you’ll be alone in the room since all of us will be at the ball,” Parvati said with faux worry plastered on her face. 

Oh, Ginny hated them. The fact that they both looked gorgeous fed Ginny’s urge to gnaw at their eyeballs.

“Maybe you two should worry more about how you plan to prevent yourselves from falling on your faces,” Hermione spat, which reminded Ginny of Hermione’s retelling about how the twins struggled to keep up during Professor McGonnagall’s dance class. Ginny giggled at the memory.

“You both might want to ditch the heels just in case, considering you, Parvati, have two left feet, while your sister has two right ones. Switched them at birth, did you?” Ginny added, causing both of her and Hermione to break out into laughter, Hermione doubling over and clutching her stomach while Ginny slapped her thigh repeatedly.

Padma frowned and opened her mouth as if to retort, only for Parvati to grab her arm to stop her.

“Hilarious as always, Weasley,” Parvati spat with a fake smile. “Do stay up and wait on us so we can tell you all about our night. I am going with Harry after all.” 

Ginny could just slap that smirk right off her face.

“Ronald’s been real sweet too. I’m actually really looking forward to the ball… and any festivities that may come after,” Padma said, giggling as she shared a look with her sister.

Ginny swore she heard Hermione growl next to her.

“Well, we should be off! Wouldn’t want our dashing dates to wait on us!” Parvati said, then turned around obnoxiously, letting her sparkly fuchsia lehenga swirl—clearly showing off—before leaving the room.

“See you at the ball, girls. Oh, wait. I guess I’ll only be seeing one of you.” Padma followed her sister with a smug smirk, the skirt of her draped magenta saree flowing behind her.

Ginny let out a frustrated “argh!” before tossing a hairbrush she found on one of the other beds at the door. Unfortunately for her, the two girls had already left unscathed.

“They’re infuriating,” Hermione gritted as she adjusted her dress and turned around so her back was facing Ginny. “Zip?”

Ginny sent one last scathing glare to the closed door before helping Hermione with her dress.

“Ron? Dashing? Please,” Ginny snorted.

“Well, I did see him before he left and I wouldn't say he looked dashing, but he cleaned up well,” Hermione defended him, turning around to face Ginny.

“Of course you think that, ‘Mione,” Ginny said.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure Viktor will be an even better date than my daft brother.”

“Yeah,” Hermione agreed with a half-hearted nod. “Though I do hope Padma steps on Ron’s toes all night,” she added with a snicker. Hermione then stepped in front of one of the two floor length mirrors in the room and lifted her wand to her hair, casting a charm that set her hair up in an elegant updo that framed her face perfectly.

“Oh, wow. You look like a proper princess. Do me next!” Ginny chirped, moving to stand next to her.

Hermione repeated the incantation and Ginny giggled excitedly when her hair fixed into a half-up half-down updo, keeping her hair naturally straight but with some twists and braids to keep it interesting.

“I love it!” Ginny squealed and then hugged Hermione, who returned the embrace with the same amount of excitement.

Then, something dawned on the younger girl.

“Oh! I have nothing to wear!” Ginny gasped, looking down at her shabby old nightgown.

“I’m really starting to take offence that you don’t have confidence in my abilities, Gin,” Hermione tutted, waving her wand and saying a spell Ginny didn’t recognize, which turned Ginny’s nightgown to a proper gown. 

It was light pink and teal, the same colours of the original fabric, and even had the same Peter Pan collar. 

Hermione made a face at the outcome of her spell. “It’s not particularly trendy, but I think it suits you well, Gin! Sorry, the spell can only modify to a certain extent,” Hermione clarified as she looked Ginny up and down. “It’s age appropriate too! So if you get caught and your mum sends a Howler, that’s one less thing for her to yell about!” she insisted.

Ginny could tell that Hermione was trying to make her feel better about the dress. Ginny stared at herself in the mirror and turned side to side to get the full picture. It wasn’t as exquisite as Hermione’s gown or as eye-catching as the Patil twin’s outfits, but she liked the colours and she didn’t hate the fit.

Ginny shrugged. “I kinda like it!”

“Really? Oh, lovely!” Hermione clapped delightedly. “Well, we better get going ‘cause the Transformation spell only lasts a few hours as well.”

“Seriously?! How am I supposed to enjoy myself knowing all the spells that are letting me go to this ball only lasts a few hours! It’s like I’m on a timer!” Ginny wailed, pouting as she looked up at Hermione who was frowning now.

“You’re not even supposed to go without an escort, Gin. Just be grateful that you do get to go,” Hermione snapped, picking up the mask from the bed and putting it on for Ginny. “Wow, I’ve never seen what the masks looked like on someone else. I know it’s you but my brain doesn’t see you, you know?”

“No, I don’t,” Ginny huffed, still a little bitter about the time limit.

“Stop sulking, or I’ll undo everything,” Hermione threatened, a finger pointed in Ginny’s face.

Ginny pouted one last time before nodding.

“Drink,” Hermione ordered, uncorking the glass vial and passing it to Ginny.

Ginny pinched her nose and downed it in one gulp. She grimaced at the aftertaste.

“Let’s go, then. Just remember, be back by midnight, alright? And try your best to stay away from people you know, just in case,” Hermione advised as she grabbed Ginny’s arm and hauled her out the room. 

“Who am I going to dance with then?!” Ginny whined.

“Grab some nice-looking bloke from Durmstrang, or someone from a different house,” Hermione suggested as the two girls went down the slide, rushed through the common room and out to the portrait door. “If anyone gets too handsy or weird, come find me, alright?”

Ginny nodded, worried now since she hadn’t considered that that might happen. She was younger than most of the other attendees after all. Was she about to make a big mistake?

When they stepped into the main hallway, Ginny gasped when her feet hit the floor.

“What?” Hermione asked, turning to look at Ginny, then scanning the people around her to find what Ginny was reacting to.

“I forgot my shoes!” Ginny yelped, lifting up her dress and looking down at her bare feet.

“Oh, you’re worse than Ronald. It’s a miracle you even found your way to my room, Gin,” Hermione ranted, looking around as if she could find a pair of stray shoes lying around somewhere. She then plucked two empty glasses off of a tray that was being carried by an elf who was on the way to the Great Hall. “Here,” she said before placing them down in front of Ginny.

“And what do you expect me to do with—” Ginny cut herself off when she remembered what Hermione said about having faith in her. “Just do your thing,” she urged.

“Quick learner, aren’t you?” Hermione joked before repeating the spell she performed on Ginny’s nightgown, which then turned the two glasses into a pair of glass heels. 

“Glass heels?” Ginny questioned, hesitantly slipping her left foot into the corresponding heel. 

“That was the best I could do given the extremely ‘early’ notice you gave me,” Hermione said with an eye roll.

“And let me guess, they’ll only last a couple of hours?” Ginny asked as she slipped on the other heel and walked around in circles to test them. “They’re actually quite comfortable!” she exclaimed.

“You’re catching on!” Hermione remarked. “We should head in now.”

“Thank you so much, ‘Mione! You’re the best!” Ginny cheered, forcing Hermione into a tight embrace that no doubt could wrinkle both their dresses. 

Hermione laughed as she returned the hug. “Go have fun, yeah? And don’t forget—”

“Be back by midnight!”

“Good girl.”

“You have fun too! With that Viktor hunk of yours,” Ginny said with a girly giggle.

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but something behind Ginny seemed to have caught her eye. 

Ginny turned around to follow her gaze and her stomach dropped when her eyes found her brother and Harry coming down the staircase.

“I should go!” Ginny said and tried to leave, only for Hermione to grab her arm and force her to stay in her place, renouncing her ‘don’t talk to you people you know’ rule.

Harry seemed too busy looking for someone in the crowd, while Ron approached them, his eyes completely focused on Hermione. He was clearly in awe of her.

“Hi.” That was all he could come up with apparently.

“Hi, Ron,” Hermione returned the pathetic greeting.

“You look… well.” Ginny wondered if her brother was always this awkward around Hermione.

“You look beautiful too,” Hermione said sarcastically. She crossed her arms and watched him for a moment, and when he didn’t try again, she sighed and turned to look at Ginny before nodding towards the Great Hall entrance.

“You look beautiful!” Ron blurted out to stop Hermione from leaving, and his face turned as red as his hair.

Ginny couldn’t help the fit of giggles that broke out.

“What are you laughing at?” Ron snapped at her.

The mask’s magic was working quite well.

“Nothing,” Ginny said to him. She then turned to Hermione and sent her a subtle wink. “Have fun with Viktor Krum!” Ginny teased before heading towards the hall. She almost laughed at the sight of Ron scowling at the mention of the professional Quidditch player.

“Who was that?” Ginny heard Ron ask as she entered the Great Hall.

Ginny felt a shiver flutter down her spine when her eyes took in the enchantingly decorated Great Hall. The walls looked like shimmering ice, a silvery curtain of frost covering the muted brown wood. Instead of candles floating overhead, the ceiling was covered in a forest of mistletoe and ivy, casting snowflakes and green particles down in a mesmerizing display.

Ginny wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't just approach someone she knew, and she wasn't confident nor comfortable enough to talk to any of the Beauxbatons or Durmstrang students. She had realized then that attending a ball last minute wasn't the best idea, considering she didn't have a date. The magical night she had played up in her head might just end up with her sitting in a sad corner as she watched her seniors dance through the night.

Ginny refused to let everything Hermione had done for her go to waste. She was going to find a date, no matter what!

Just then, a boy from Durmstrang, who looked much older than she was, came up from behind her and tapped on her shoulder.

Ginny turned around and hummed in response. He was just as tall as Viktor Krum but not as muscular. He had dark hair and dark eyes, just like Harry did, and his face was ridiculously chiseled. Ginny wondered if she would prick her finger if she dragged it across his jaw.

“What?” she asked. When she noticed her unfriendly tone, she corrected herself. “Sorry. Can I help you with something?”

“You have date?” the boy asked.

Ginny shook her head, already blushing when she realized where the conversation was going.

“Would you like to—” Before the boy could finish his sentence, his voice seemed to have gotten caught in his throat. He coughed as if to clear his airway, but as he mouthed the words, no sound came out.

“Are you alright?” Ginny asked worriedly.

The boy shook his head, eyes wide in fear, before running out the hall where Ginny saw him rush to a group of Durmstrang boys.

“Weird.” Ginny huffed, upset that her chance of getting a date was immediately ruined the moment it presented itself.

Defeated, she made her way to the banquet table to get herself a drink. She sipped on her drink while leaning against the table. Then, she saw Harry Potter approaching the table.

He was smiling as he came close and Ginny wondered if he could tell that it was her under the mask, or if he happened to be interested in the unrecognizable version of herself. He held out his hand and Ginny’s heart started beating faster, thinking that he was going to invite her to dance, only for him to grab an empty glass from the table. Ginny stared at the ground as her face heated up in embarrassment.

Oh, how foolish of me!

She wished that the ground would swallow her whole right then. 

“You’d think with the budget, they’d have a better spread,” Harry muttered as he eyed the food selection. “These are all quite typical-looking.”

Is he talking to me? 

“I’m just glad they have actual food. The Start-of-Term feast was rather disappointing. I thought the elves were saving the best for the ball, but I guess not,” Ginny said with a shrug.

Harry’s head snapped to face her, his eyebrow raised. “Oh, I was actually talking to myself, but you’re right,” he said with a chuckle. 

Ginny really wished that the ground would crack open so she could slip right through. Harry was clearly apathetic to her presence, how could she let herself be so confident in thinking he was engaging with her? 

His eyes then travelled down her form, and stopped at her feet. “Are those made of glass?” 

“Oh, yeah.” Ginny hoped he didn’t notice her nervous gulp. She didn’t want to explain how they came to be. 

Then from the corner of her eye, she could see Parvati coming up to Harry. It was as if Parvati knew that it was Ginny, because she was already glaring at her as if Ginny had decapitated her twin.

“Can I help you?” Parvati snapped, looping an arm through Harry’s free one. 

Harry’s eyebrows raised in shock as he looked between Parvati and Ginny—the Ginny he didn't know was Ginny.

“W-What?” Ginny stuttered. She wasn't expecting to bump into Parvati so early on into the night, and she especially didn't think they’d already have problems before the dance actually began.

“You were clearly hitting on my date,” she snarled, pulling a confused Harry closer to her.

“I wasn’t! We were just talking about the food,” Ginny argued, frowning as she stared down the older girl.

“And her heels. They’re glass!” Harry exclaimed, still in awe.

Parvati’s eyes dropped to her feet, and her eyebrows raised as if in surprise. She then scowled and looked back at Ginny. “Well, your body language says otherwise. Now, run off to your own date, unless of course, you came alone,” Parvati snorted which was followed by cruel giggles that were making Ginny bubble with anger.

She didn't even know that it was Ginny she was talking to, yet she was insulting her like she did earlier that night!

“Parvati, relax. Nothing happened. Me and—” Harry paused and squinted at her as if to place her face. “What’s your name again? You should be from Hogwarts if you were at the Start-of-Term feast, but I don’t recognize you.” 

“You’re right, Harry,” Parvati joined in, looking Ginny up and down. “You’re certainly not in my year, and I’m sure you’re not my senior. Are you in your third year, perhaps?” 

Ginny didn't want them to keep interrogating her, so she just nodded, hoping that Parvati would shut her gob and leave her alone.

“But third years aren't allowed to attend the ball without senior dates.” Parvati tilted her head and smirked like she knew she had Ginny.

Crap.

Ginny did not want to get kicked out of the ball, not when she hadn't even had the chance to dance.

“I do have a date. He’s a fourth year,” Ginny lied through her teeth, her hands on her hips in hopes to manifest some confidence.

It was clear that Parvati didn't buy her lie.

“Well, who is it then?” Parvati asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ugh.

She was an infuriating character to talk to. Ginny considered lying and using a random student’s name, but if Parvati talked to them and they denied it, she would seem deranged.

Parvati was tapping her heels in an obnoxious move to force an answer out of Ginny.

Just then, Hermione entered the hall with Viktor Krum, earning looks and ‘wow’s from the occupants of the hall.

Oh, of course!

Ginny quickly tried to recall any male Bulgarian name. She was sure that Parvati wasn't going to hunt down random Durmstrang students to confirm who her ‘date’ was. Unfortunately, Ginny couldn't think of a single name that wasn't a rendition of ‘Viktor Krum’. 

Liktor Dum? Seriously, Ginny?!

Parvati’s slight smirk was becoming clearer now, and Ginny braced herself for the next round of humiliation but then, Parvati’s smile fell the same moment Ginny felt someone’s hand on her waist. Harry’s disinterested expression turned cold all of a sudden. Ginny froze at the sudden contact. She turned to look at who the person was and came face to face with Draco Malfoy.

What the!

Draco Malfoy was a handsome fourth year Slytherin bloke who was notoriously known for being a grade A git. Most of the things Ginny knew about him was from word of mouth; Hermione revealing all the mean comments he had made about her, Ron cursing Malfoy and his whole bloodline (which he claims Malfoy also did with the Weasleys), and Harry ranting about all the times Malfoy cheated at Quidditch. It was a shame, because he was quite nice to look at. Ginny had yet to hear a single good thing about Draco Malfoy, despite Ginny’s encounters with him being mostly harmless. He wasn’t exactly friendly, but despite Ginny being a Weasley and best friends with Hermione, she hadn’t been on the receiving end of Malfoy’s tirades of vitriol. He was always cold, but never rude, and he even gave up his table for her once at the Brews and Stews Café.

She had done a good job at staying out of the git’s way, until then, when he forced himself into her space.

Ginny tried pulling away, but he gripped her waist tight and pulled her closer.

“She’s my date. Got a problem with that?” Malfoy spoke, his voice uncomfortably close to Ginny’s ear.

His date?! Oh, heck no!

Ginny opened her mouth to deny his claim on her, but when she saw the shocked look on Parvati’s face, she wasn’t as eager to do so. Ginny had no chance of finding a proper date when the dance was already ongoing, and she refused to spend the rest of the night drowning in the faux pity that Parvati was giving her. 

No one would know that it was actually Ginny who was Draco’s date, so she should be safe from her brothers. What was the harm?

Harry snorted. “Didn’t you say redheads have garish hair to make up for the lack of colour in their skin? And that they’re the third worst beings after muggles and giants?”

Ginny felt Malfoy tense against her.

"At least they have colour. It would only take white and black paint to draw Malfoy,” Parvati jeered, earning a cackling laughter from Harry, and Ginny had to try her hardest not to laugh.

“You’ve got a lot to say for someone who has to share a face with someone else,” Draco spat, his signature sneer on his lips. “Which one are you again?”

That got a giggle from Ginny. 

Parvati glared at Ginny and she looked like she might pull out her wand.

“Watch it, Malfoy,” Harry threatened, stepping in front of Parvati protectively like the Chosen One he was.

“Oh, you must really like this girlfriend-of-the-week! It’s a shame though, I knew how much you liked Cho Chang,” Malfoy taunted with a mocking pout, which turned Parvati’s perfectly made up face red.

She was clearly embarrassed, and if she hadn’t been so awful, Ginny might've felt bad for her. 

Harry opened his mouth to fight back, but Malfoy quickly pulled Ginny away from the pair, ending the conversation while he still had the last word in. Ginny let Malfoy drag her to one of the empty round tables, where he pulled out her chair for her and practically shoved her in.

“Why did you do that?” Ginny asked, the questions flooding her now that she didn’t have to front for Parvati.

Malfoy ignored her, then sat next to her, adjusting her dress so it wouldn’t crumple when he moved his chair closer. 

Ginny wanted to move away. This was dangerous. Draco Malfoy was not a good person, and she would get in such trouble if her brothers found out she was fraternizing with the snake.

“What’s your name, love?” he asked, leaning back into his chair.

Ginny grimaced at the pet name.

“It’s Gin—” Her eyes widened when she remembered the facade she had taken on. “Genevieve.” It was the closest save she could think of, and she instantly regretted it, considering how close it was to her actual name.

“French, huh? Though you’re clearly not from Beauxbatons,” he said with a curt nod.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The girls from Beauxbatons were elegant, beautiful, and way out of most men’s league. Ginny knew exactly what he meant.

“You don’t have an accent,” he said matter-of-factly.

Oh. Right.

“So, Genevieve. How did you get into the ball? If what Patil and Potter were saying was true, the temporary barrier should’ve blasted you right across the corridor and ruined your pretty dress,” Malfoy asked. His eyes found her heels and he seemed to forget his first question. “My mother is ‘in the business’—” he raised his fingers in air quotes,”—of collecting extortionate articles just to squander my father’s fortune, so I must ask, where did you get those heels?”

“Um…” Ginny could only think of one story that would hopefully end his curiosity about her shoes. “Goblins?” she tried.

“Oh? I never realized they dabbled in glasswork.” He then glanced down at her dress again and Ginny could see the corner of his lips twitch. “Cute dress, by the way. Robbed a Victorian toddler, did you?”

“You’re a terrible date,” Ginny snarled with a glare. “Why are you my date?” Ginny added.

Malfoy sighed and he looked like he was trying hard not to roll his grey eyes. “I got a date from Beauxbatons but then I found out a little too late that the reason she was in an all-girls school was because she was all for girls. She had only accepted my invite because she felt bad for me, apparently.”

Ginny couldn’t help the giggle that slipped past her lips. Knowing that Draco Malfoy, the handsome git that he was, also had problems getting a date made her feel less pathetic.

“Oh, you think it’s funny, do you?”

“A little, but that doesn’t explain why you lied about being my date.”

“Wasn’t lying. You’re my date now since you didn’t reject me,” he said with a wink that annoyingly made Ginny’s heart flutter. “I saw how Patil was talking to you, and you looked like a sad little thing yet Potter wasn’t doing anything to help. Thought I’d do a good deed to help my odds of getting on Santa’s nice list.”

He’s being so charming! Maybe he isn’t feeling well?

“I didn’t know you were so charitable.”

“You know me then?” He smirked, raising his eyebrows in question.

“I…”

“I’m not sure if I know you. Don’t take offence, you’re a year below me so we haven’t crossed paths much surely, but still, I’d like to get to know the damsel I’ve rescued tonight.” 

Ginny couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic, or if he really was a proud prick.

“I snuck in.” She hoped it was enough. She didn’t want to expose herself, since Hermione would get in loads of trouble for all the magic she did to help her get in.

“Gryffindor, then?”

Crap.

“What makes you say that?” Ginny bit her lip nervously.

“In the nicest way I can say, only your lot would be desperate enough to do something so stupid just to attend a ball,” he explained with a chuckle.

What a prat!

“How boorish!” Ginny spat, pushing her chair back so she could stand up.

He looked properly amused. “Oops, it seems I’ll be on the naughty list then.” 

Ginny wasn’t sure if her dress had got caught under the chair, or if she was stepping on it with her glass heels, but she ended up tripping and fell right into Malfoy’s arms. Ginny yelped in surprise and tried her best to get off of him, which only made her fall further onto him.

The git snorted before wrapping a supporting arm around her waist while his free hand moved her chair back.

“Looks like I keep having to save you, love.”

“Stop calling me that, Malfoy!”

“Alright, alright. There’s no need to yell. People are staring at us as if I’ve forced you to be my date,” Malfoy whispered, shushing her as he guided her back onto her chair. “Are your feet okay? Perhaps the glass is slippery.”

“I’m fine,” Ginny snarled, huffing as she pulled the fabric of her dress close so she wouldn’t trip on them again.

“So, a third year Gryffindor. What else should I know about you, Red?” he asked, clearly trying to dissipate the tension.

“That I hate pompous gits.”

“You’re cute.”

“You’re a pompous git.”

“How about you dance with this pompous git, yeah? It’s a ball after all. I’ll even let you step on my toes,” Malfoy invited, holding out his hand as he stood up.

“I’m not dancing with you,” she snapped, scrunching her nose in an attempt at expressing disgust.

“You’re my date. You have to.”

“Nuh uh.”

“Come, or I’ll inform the prefects that you snuck in.”

Earlier that night, Ginny didn’t even think she’d get the chance to attend the Yule ball, and now, she was dancing at the ball in a cute dress, and a decent date—who was only decent if he kept his gob shut. Though Ginny had to admit, he looked painfully handsome in his dress robes, like a prince almost.

Malfoy was a great dancer. Ginny was not. 

Ginny let him guide her and she tried her best not to indulge in the warmth in her chest that was bubbling when he held her close against him or used his hands to puppet her movements. He was surprisingly respectful, never touching her anywhere she didn’t like, and he didn’t make any more queries about her trespassing.

“Is this worth it?” he asked after a while of silence.

“What is?”

“Is this worth breaking the rules and sneaking into the ball? Is it everything your little mind dreamt of?” The lack of malice in his tone made her think he was genuinely curious.

“I thought it’d be a little different.”

“‘Different’ how?”

“Honestly, Malfoy, I didn’t expect you to be my date,” Ginny confessed, and she missed a step in the dance he had briefly taught her, causing her to fall against him again. 

Ginny blushed as he righted her up.

“You do know me. How do you know me? And why don’t I know you?” he asked, his eyes squinting down at her.

“My friends know you. You’re not very kind to them,” Ginny said honestly. He was awful to lots of people, so that shouldn’t narrow it down too much for him.

“Well, I’m sure they deserved it.”

“They didn’t,” Ginny snapped.

Malfoy looked at her for a long moment, his head tilted as if he was trying to read her mind.

“If you tell me who they are, I’ll apologize.”

Huh?

“Why would you do that?”

“I’d like some presents. The nice list is rather exclusive, you know?” he joked with a smile that earned one from Ginny too.

“Shut up.”

“But really. How do I not know you?” Malfoy repeated, shaking his head as if in disbelief.

“Why do you sound so surprised? Surely you don’t know every Gryffindor third year.”

“I wouldn’t miss a pretty girl no matter what house she's in,” he said with a small smile. He squeezed her hip slightly and she let out a soft gasp.

Oh.

The butterflies in her stomach were undeniable now.

He thinks I’m pretty?

Ginny wondered if that was why he wasn’t awful to her like he was to others. It almost made her feel special almost.

Then, she remembered.

The mask. He probably didn't even see her. Perhaps the disguise enhanced her looks on top of obscuring it.

Ginny blinked a few times, forcing whatever girly thoughts she had about Malfoy out of her mind.

“Even with my garish hair?” she said, recalling what Harry had said.

“You make it work.” He smirked that stupid Malfoy smirk.

Ugh, why is he being so charming?!

“You’re a flirt,” Ginny stated, feeling almost suffocated by his charm. Most boys were subtle about their attraction towards her, all thanks to her overbearing brothers, so she was not used to how forward Malfoy was being.

“I’m usually not. Though I think this romantic ambiance calls for some shameless flirting, don’t you think?” 

Ginny rolled her eyes and bit her lip to contain her smile. She knew she shouldn’t be enjoying her time with him, but he was making it difficult not to.

“Tell me about yourself, Genevieve. I’d like to know more about the girl I saved. Isn’t that how people fall in love nowadays?” 

“Is it?” Ginny thought she’d find his cockiness vexing, but the fact that he was so unserious about it made it quite amusing.

“Well, some flowers and a cheesy Valentine's poem isn’t going to cut it now that Diggory saved his girlfriend from getting speared in the lake. He upped the standards for the rest of us,” Draco said, nodding at the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff couple that were also on the dance floor. 

Is he talking about my Valentine’s gift to Harry?

The mention of a ‘cheesy Valentine's poem’ made Ginny’s train of thoughts stutter, which led her to step on Malfoy’s left foot.

“Shite!” Malfoy yelped, stepping away from Ginny and grabbing his foot.

“I’m so sorry!” Ginny reached out to grab his shoulders to stabilize him as he hopped on his unscathed foot.

Ginny heard laughter from nearby, and she turned to find Harry, Ron, and the Patil twins laughing while pointing at Malfoy . Ginny felt bad for him, but she knew that if he wasn't her date, she would’ve laughed too.

“Dancing with a girl who has glass heels on was probably not the best thing for my dignity, huh?” Malfoy joked, clearly forcing a smile as he rubbed his toes over his dragon hide dress shoes.

“I really am sorry. I’m not the best dancer, and I don’t actually know any of these dances!” 

“I know, Genevieve. Relax.”

Malfoy took in a deep breath before straightening up, and he wrapped his arms around Ginny’s waist again.

“Maybe swaying is enough for now, yeah?” Malfoy asked, clearly worried for his precious toes.

“Swaying is good.” Ginny nodded.

“Now, no more dodging. Tell me more about yourself.”

Ginny hummed as her eyes moved around in thought. “What do you want to know?”

“All I know about you is your first name, age, and house. How about we start with your family name?”

She had to come up with something quick. “It’s Wright. I’m Genevieve Wright.” Maybe it wasn’t the best idea for her alias to share the same initials as her true self.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow like he didn’t believe her, then pursed his lips as if to hold in a smile.

Huh?

“Like Bowman Wright?” Malfoy asked.

“The inventor of the Snitch?”

Malfoy nodded, smirking.

“Nope, just another Wright.” Ginny hoped he wouldn’t ask more about her lineage, or even blood status.

“Alright then, Genevieve Wright. Any siblings?”

“Yeah, I have six—” Ginny caught herself before she could finish her sentence. Surely there weren’t many other redhead families with six sons and a daughter. “Sisters. I have six sisters.” It wasn’t the best save, but it would have to do. 

“I can only assume that your parents had that many to try to get an heir,” Malfoy said with a snort. 

What a Malfoy thing to say, Ginny thought as she scowled at him.

“Jokes, all jokes.” Malfoy smiled before looking around the hall. “I’m starting to realize how silly we must look just swaying over and over.”

“It’d be more silly if you spent the rest of the ball on the ground clutching both your feet,” Ginny countered.

“Good point.” Malfoy chuckled, shaking his head before readjusting his hands on her waist.

It was weird. Despite only speaking that night, she felt comfortable with his hands on her. 

What an awful thought! Ginny scolded herself. She shouldn’t get too roped in. It was a one time thing—just for the sake of having a good time at the ball.

“Any hobbies?”

Ginny couldn’t lie about that. She was not going to be able to convincingly speak passionately about things like reading, singing, or knitting.

“I love flying.”

“Oh, you like Quidditch, then?”

“I love Quidditch. Me and my bro—sisters play in the backyard when we can!”

“What position?”

“I usually play Chaser, but Seeker is really fun too.”

“You don’t play for Gryffindor, do you? I haven’t seen you when we play against your team,” Malfoy asked, tilting his head.

Ginny shook her head. “I’m not good enough to make it on the team.”

“Yet,” Malfoy said reassuringly. “I’m sure you’re amazing.”

“You’ve never even seen me fly,” Ginny retorted, scrunching her nose.

No one did besides her brothers. She would sometimes steal the practice brooms and fly around at night, but she doubted that he would’ve seen her considering how late it would’ve been.

“I have no doubt that you’d be fantastic, Genevieve,” Malfoy said with a genuine smile as if he knew her enough to even think that, but his confidence in her made her feel good, so she didn’t push it.

“Thank you.” She smiled up at him.

“Of course.” He returned the smile and leaned down closer.

Ginny yelped and pulled away in surprise.

Malfoy chuckled, then pulled her back in until she was flush against him, then leaned down towards her ear.

“Relax, I don’t kiss girls on the first date,” Malfoy whispered, looking up at the ceiling. “Even if we’re under hundreds and thousands of mistletoes urging us to do it.”

“This is a date?” Ginny asked, blinking in awe.

“I’d like it to be.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“That’s what the first date’s for, yeah? To get to know one another.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been on a date.”

Malfoy smiled at her. “Good. I’m glad to be your first,” he said, solidifying that it was their first date.

Ginny returned a strained smile. She felt bad that she was deceiving him. He thought he was going on a first date with Genevieve Wright, but really, he was on a first and last date with Ginny Weasley.

“You haven’t told me much about yourself, mister,” Ginny said, turning the tables on him now that she had practically been interrogated by him all night.

“I thought you knew me?” Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

“I know you exist, but I don’t really know you as a person, Malfoy.”

“Besides the things you’ve heard about me?”

Ginny bit her lip, then nodded.

He knows.

“How about we start with you calling me ‘Draco’?”

“Draco?”

“Yes, love,” Draco replied, leaning down with that stupid Malfoy smirk.

“I said not to call me that,” Ginny snarled.

“But you’re so cute when you blush like that.”

“Sod off.”

“Alright, alright. What did you want to know about me?”

“Anything.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“Family name, siblings, hobbies?” she teased.

“Funny,” he replied, squeezing her sides lightly. “Malfoy, none, flying and potioneering.”

“Potioneering? Is that a Slytherin thing? You and Professor Snape?” Ginny asked. 

“Perhaps. It gives me the same peace as flying, with the lack of wind burn. The precision it takes to make potions makes it really satisfying when you get it right, just like the rush you get when you land a trick on a broom,” Draco explained, his smile wider than she’d ever seen on him.

Cute. 

Hearing Draco talk about his hobbies with so much passion humanized him, and Ginny saw more than the whiny boy who bought his way onto the team or the Slytherin who only got Outstanding in Potions with Professor Snape because of house bias.

“I like flying for a reason similar to yours, but it might be a little bit more depressing,” Ginny began, her voice low as she tried to gather the courage to talk about her past. She didn't mean to open up about something so serious, but it was too late. She had gotten too comfortable, too soon and was already spewing her deepest, darkest secrets and fears to him. “Something happened to me a while ago that made me… afraid of dungeons? The sky is the furthest place from it so I’m not afraid when I’m up there, and it’s the complete opposite from feeling trapped. Up there, there’s not walls keeping you trapped, it’s—”

“Freeing,” Draco completed her sentence for her, with an understanding nod.

“Yeah.” Ginny gave him a tight lipped smile. “Even the ground feels threatening at times, knowing what’s right under me.”

“Well, if you ever get trapped in the school’s dungeons again, at least you know a Slytherin who can help guide you back to the surface,” Draco said with a reassuring smile. “To the sky, even.”

Wait, how does he—

“Oi!” Ginny heard someone hiss. She turned around and came face-to-face with Hermione. Ginny’s stomach dropped at the realization. Hermione knew it was her, which meant that Hermione could see that she was dancing with Draco Malfoy.

Ginny was grateful then that she went to the ball that night, since it would probably be her last night ever.

“Can we help you?” Draco snarled, scowling at Hermione as his arms tightened around Ginny.

“You,” Hermione said, pointing to Ginny, “come with me.”

Ginny managed to slip out of Draco’s tight grip and ignored him calling after her as she was pulled away by a furious Hermione. They ended up in an empty corner of the hall, where Hermione stepped scarily close to her.

“You’re dancing with Draco Malfoy?!” Hermione whisper-yelled.

“I didn't plan to! It just happened!” Ginny yelped, backing up against the wall.

“Ginny, he’s the worst bloke you could’ve picked! It's like you're asking for trouble…”

“I know! But he was the only person who wanted to dance with me!”

“You would stoop that low just for a dance?!” Hermione spat.

That stung Ginny badly. Hermione was right, of course, but Ginny had no choice! What’s a girl to do? Harry was far from interested, and she didn’t want to spend the whole night being a wallflower.

“Sorry, that was harsh,” Hermione apologized, placing a hand on Ginny’s shoulder, “but you must understand, Gin. He’s awful! I can’t let you dance with him, your brothers will surely curse me! I refuse to get taken out by a band of ginger boys!” 

“But ‘Mione—”

“He’s probably just dancing with you to get a reaction out of your brother, or even Harry and me.”

“He doesn’t know it’s me, remember?” Ginny countered, hiding the hurt from the notion that Draco would only be interested in her for the sake of pissing off her brother.

“Oh.” Hermione’s hand dropped back to her side, and she seemed to ponder on something. “Then, perhaps there’s no harm then.”

“Yeah—”

“Has he been creepy?” Hermione asked, entering protective ‘older sister’ mode.

“No!”

“Overly touchy, then? He seemed quite territorial even.”

“No, he wasn’t!”

“Has he insulted you at all?”

“Not really.”

“‘Not really’?! Oh, I’m going to rip his—” Hermione looked like she was ready to sock Draco in the face, but Ginny blocked her and stopped her.

“‘Mione, please! It’s fine! He’s been quite lovely, actually,” Ginny defended. She didn’t want Hermione to ruin the dance for her, even if she was the reason why Ginny got to attend in the first place.

“Draco Malfoy? Lovely?” Hermione seemed unconvinced.

“Yeah! He helped me when Parvati was taking a piss—”

“No cursing,” Hermione warned, her big sister cap still on.

“Taking a pee at me,” Ginny corrected. Both girls grimaced. “And he’s teaching me how to dance! Well, at least he tried to. I even told him that he’s been mean to my friends and he said if I told him who they were, he’d apologize to them.”

Hermione looked surprised. “Seriously?”

Ginny nodded. 

“Odd,” Hermione said, her brows furrowed. “But fine. You can dance with him. Just make sure you make it back by midnight. I don’t want to see what will happen when he realizes who you are, or if your brothers see you with him.”

Ginny frowned at that. “What do you mean? You think he’d be upset if he knew it was me?”

“He hates your entire family—I would assume that includes you. It doesn’t help that you’re a Gryffindor and didn’t he make fun of you for your Valentine’s to Harry?” Hermione was making a lot of sense, which she always did, and it was making Ginny feel bad about what she thought was a good experience.

How would Draco react if he knew it was her? Would he be disgusted and call her the same names he called Ron? 

“But don't worry about it. He won’t know it’s you. Just enjoy your night, alright?” Hermione advised. 

Then, Viktor Krum came and swooped in to invite her to dance. Ginny noticed the annoyed look in Hermione’s eyes, and she wondered if her friend was enjoying her night.

Before Hermione left, Ginny grabbed her arm and whispered into her ear, “go find Ron. Dance with him.”

Hermione’s eyes widened at her words and she shook her head as her cheeks started to redden.

Ginny nodded twice as fast and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. She knew about Hermione’s crush on her brother and vice versa, and it was painful to see Hermione be so clueless about Ron’s returned feelings. Ginny hoped that they’d come to realize it soon.

Ginny watched Hermione leave and giggled at how obviously uncomfortable she looked. Then, her eyes found Draco who was now sitting at the same table they had occupied earlier, watching her. 

Ginny’s heart fluttered stupidly again.

She made her way to him, holding the length of her dress in one hand so she wouldn't embarrass herself by faceplanting in the middle of the venue.

“Intense gossip?” Draco asked, pulling her chair back for her to sit down.

Ginny noticed a slight edge in his voice and he was almost glaring. He was clearly bothered by something. 

Just then, the food on the table dematerialized and the candle lights were dimmed. A kaleidoscopic glow covered the walls and projected onto the tall ceiling of the hall, which was now absent of floating decorations. It looked like the Aurora Borealis she’d seen in a book Hermione had shown her last year.

“Woah,” Ginny gaped.

At the podium, Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat before speaking with a Sonorus charm. 

“Good evening, students. It seems that you’re all enjoying your Christmas Eve, and I’m grateful to see such unity and peace between all the houses, and especially between the schools. I would hate to cut your nights short—” the crowd broke out in disappointed groans, “—so I shall not. The elves will be retiring for the night, so food will no longer be served, but you may dance and dance ‘til your hearts’ content. Then, I expect all students, Hogwarts or non, to make their way back to their respective dormitories. Prefects will be monitoring the halls as always and the Great Hall doors will lock at midnight. It’d be quite embarrassing if we found someone stuck here next morning in tonight’s garb, wouldn't it?” Professor Dumbledore was charismatically sarcastic and simultaneously dull as always. He smiled as best as he could under his thick beard before stepping down and heading out of the Great Hall, leaving the students under the prefects’ orders.

Since food was no longer being served, Ginny held out her hand to Draco.

“To our heart’s content?” she asked with a smile.

The oddly cold look on his face dissipated and he took her hand in his larger one, then led her back to the dance floor.

“What were you talking about with Granger?” he whispered into her ear as they swayed to the music. “Didn't know you were friends with her.”

“She was asking how I snuck in, and we live in the same wing of the girls’ common room, so we’re quite familiar with each other, actually.” Good lie. That saved Hermione from being affiliated to Ginny’s crime of sneaking into the ball.

“And what did you tell her?” Draco asked. He was clearly curious about how she did it too.

“Magic,” Ginny replied with a cheeky wink, which earned a chuckle from Draco.

“Of course, witch.”

Ginny smiled and let herself lean in closer to him.

“Will you still speak to me after the ball?” Draco asked suddenly, and Ginny noticed his breath hitch. “Or is this a one time thing?”

Ginny pulled away slightly to look up at him. “Would you like me to?” She didn’t stop to think about what that entailed.

Draco’s expression was unreadable. “I would.”

Ginny smiled. “I will then.”

Draco mimicked her smile and before she could react, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. 

Ginny froze. 

She had never been kissed by a boy before. She liked it a lot—even if it was Draco Malfoy who had kissed her. Perhaps she liked it a lot because it was Draco Malfoy who had kissed her.

“Shit, I’m sorry, G—Genevieve.” Draco sounded frantic and he looked horrified. “I don’t know what I was thinking, it just happened and I—”

“No!” Ginny yelped, not wanting him to say he regretted it when she was already gushing over the kiss. “It’s alright. I liked it,” she confessed, smiling sheepishly.

Draco’s face relaxed and he returned the smile. “Yeah?”

Ginny nodded.

“Maybe I’ll kiss you after the ball too, then. If you’d like.”

Only then did she remember. She wouldn’t be Genevieve after the ball. She would be Ginny Weasley. Draco might never want to speak to her again if he found out. Her heart dropped at the realization, and Draco seemed to notice the change in her emotions.

“Unless you don’t want me to,” he quickly said, his cheeks turning pink as if he was embarrassed.

“I want you to,” Ginny said softly, though she avoided meeting his eyes as her mind started to worry about how it would all play out. For as long as it was Christmas Eve, she would let herself indulge in that fantasy, even if it would all fall apart at the midnight hour.

They kept dancing for a while, sharing a few more things about each other while Ginny giggled at the jokes he made about the people around him. At the corner of her eye, Ginny caught a glimpse of her brother and Hermione awkwardly dancing together. Ron was blushing furiously and Hermione’s steps were completely off, but they were both smiling brighter than they did when they were dancing with their actual dates. 

Ginny smiled at the display. At least they’d both leave with good memories of the night too.

“Is this how you expected the ball would go?” Draco whispered into her ear.

“Not at all,” Ginny replied honestly. She did hope that she’d be dancing with Harry, but Draco was surprisingly a much better date than she thought Harry could’ve been, especially considering he had ditched Parvati and was now sitting in a corner while he watched Cho and Cedric dance together.

“Are you glad that it turned out this way?” 

Before she could respond, a loud ding echoed through the hall. Ginny jumped at the sound and looked around in confusion. 

“What was that?” she asked Draco, who merely shrugged.

They ignored it and continued to talk.

“I am, I really am,” Ginny answered honestly.

“Good.” Ginny had never expected Draco Malfoy to be able to smile more than once in a day without imploding in on himself.

Ginny started to notice that people were clearing the dance floor and making their way to the exit, but it surely wasn't close to midnight. It didn't feel like it had been that long since the night even started.

Just as Ginny was about to comment on it, there was another loud ding.

Then, Ginny saw Hermione jump slightly in Ron’s arms. She looked at Ginny then held up one arm, and then tapped on her wrist with her other hand.

The time?

Ginny looked up at the big clock at the back of the Great Hall and saw that it was four minutes to midnight. The dings must've been counting down the minutes.

“Dear students, the Great Hall doors will be closing soon. Please collect your belongings and make your way out of the hall in an orderly manner,” said a prefect at the podium.

As if on queue, Ginny felt the tightness of the braids in her hair loosen. The first bit of magic she had on was gone, and it wasn't even midnight yet.

Crap!

Draco seemed to have noticed. “Oh, your hair—

“I’m so sorry, Draco. I have to go!” Ginny exclaimed, stepping out of his grasp and collecting the fabric of her dress in her hands.

“What?” Draco asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he stepped close to her as she backed away from him. “Is this about the hair? I don't mind it at all! I actually like it more with all of it down.”

“It’s almost midnight!” Ginny yelped before running towards the door.

“Yeah, but no one will die if we take our time to leave! Running out isn’t very orderly!” he yelled and chased after her.

With a sudden puff of smoke, her dress had turned back to her nightgown, and it allowed her to run even faster. Ginny took advantage of the smoke and forced her way through the crowd, instead of taking the clearer route, in hopes of losing Draco. She ignored the odd and angry looks she got from the students who were leaving the hall as she ran up the marble staircase. It was a miracle she didn’t trip in the glass heels. 

“Genevieve, wait!” Draco called out after her as he followed her up the stairs. “How are you so fast?!”

“Leave me alone, Draco!”

“We’re out of the hall, why are you still running?!”

“I need to get back to my dorm!” She made a turn down a corridor and bumped into someone.

“Ginny? What are you doing here?” It was Neville. He looked like he had just been crying, but Ginny didn’t have time to stop and comfort him.

Wait. 

“How do you know I’m Ginny?” she asked, looking back to see if Draco had caught up.

“Because I can see your face?” Neville replied with a confused frown. “Are you feeling alright?”

The mask is gone too! 

She thought it would all disappear exactly at midnight, but Hermione wasn't precise when timing the magic, so they would start disappearing based on which spells were performed first; her hair, the dress, the mask, the potion, and finally, the heels. 

Ginny continued her trek, wanting to get back to Gryffindor tower before Draco could get a glimpse of her face. She made it to the Grand Staircase, which was perfectly aligned to get her to the South Wing. She thought that she'd be able to lose Draco if he missed the timing, but as she ran up the stairs, she could still hear his heavy footsteps clacking and his voice calling out for ‘Genevieve’.

Click, clack, click, clack.

More people were starting to notice her now. She was in the hall leading up to the tower stairs when she realized what was coming next. Her mask and dress were gone, the next thing would be her slippers. Ginny couldn’t stop to take them off, but she was worried about what would happen if they turned back to the glasses. 

Click, clack, click, clack.

“Ginny, slow down!” Ginny ignored his voice. “You’re going to get hurt!”

Click, clack, click, clack.

“Ginny, you don’t have to keep running!” Despite his echoing voice, she couldn’t hear a word he was saying over the sound of her own heartbeat thumping in her ears.

A sudden loud clink was heard on the floor below and her glass heels turned back to glass drinkware, causing Ginny to trip and fall, breaking the glass beneath her.

“Ouch!” Ginny yelped when she braced her fall and caught herself with her arms. She looked down at her feet and was horrified to find that there was a large red gash across her left foot, where the broken glass had cut her. She heard Draco catch up to her, and she was terrified of how he would react the moment he noticed who she really was.

“Shit, Ginny. Let’s get you to the infirmary,” Draco said when he caught up to her.

Ginny?

“Wait. Y-You know it’s me, and you’re not upset?” Ginny managed to ask through the pain as her eyes welled up in tears. She wasn’t sure if it was from the burning sear of the cut or from the fear of how Draco would react to her.

“I always knew it was you. You’re a very easy person to recognize, regardless of whatever shite disguise you’ve got on,” he said as if he hadn’t been referring to her as Genevieve the whole night. Ginny had never been more confused. “Come.” He slipped an arm under her knees and another under her back and lifted her up. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight.

“Oi, Malfoy! Put my sister down, creep!” Ginny heard Ron yell from down the hall. It seemed that the other Gryffindors were making their way back too.

No, no, no. 

She wasn’t ready to face her brother, not when she had just found out that Draco had known that it was her all along. It was too much.

Ron stood in front of Draco, blocking his path.

“Move out of the way, Weasley. She’s injured. I’ve got to take her to Madam Pomfrey,” Draco barked, pushing past Ron, and rushing towards the infirmary wing.

“And why is that any of your business, Malfoy? For all I know, you were the one who—” Ron was cut off by Hermione, who was out of breath since she had clearly chased after them.

“Ron, let them be!” Hermione scolded him, grabbing his arm to stop him from following them. Ginny was surprised that Hermione wasn't siding with Ron this time.

“What?! ‘Mione, I can’t just let this git kidnap my sister!”

“I’m not kidnapping her!” “He’s not kidnapping me!” Ginny and Draco said in unison.

“You’re going to hurt my sister! Put her down!” Ron was unrelenting, which was sweet but also annoying. 

“I’m trying to get her to the fucking infirmary, dimwit,” Draco spat.

“Besides, if he actually hurts her, I’ll make sure he spends the rest of his life as a mustelid,” Hermione promised.

“A what?!” Ron asked.

Ginny was in terrible pain and Ron was delaying her access to help.

“Ron, sod off!” Ginny yelled.

Ron’s eyes widened in shock and he raised his free hand as if in surrender. Behind him, Hermione's expression could only read ‘tell me everything later’.

“Damn, fine! But if he does anything, I’ll rip his bollocks off and feed it to Crookshanks,” Ron spat before storming away.

“What?! Why would you feed that nasty thing to my cat, Ron?!” Hermione called out after him.

“It’s a figure of speech, ‘Mione!”

Hermione sighed, then turned to Draco. “Get her fixed up. Hurt her, and we’ll all kill you.”

“If you’d leave us alone, I can get her fixed up sooner,” Draco snarled.

Hermione rolled her eyes before leaving to chase after Ron.

Draco was quick to reroute towards the hospital wing.

“You doing alright?” Draco asked, his steps getting faster. Luckily, the corridor to the tower stairs was the same corridor that led to the infirmary, so it wasn't much further.

“It hurts,” Ginny whimpered.

“I know, love. We’re almost there, alright?” 

Ginny never thought she’d ever see Draco Malfoy’s caring side, she especially never expected to be on the receiving end of it.

When they made it to the infirmary, Draco placed her on an empty cot and called out for Madam Pomfrey. He sat on the very edge of her cot next to her, a hand on her shoulder, caressing her softly.

“Mr Malfoy! What could you possibly be here for? It’s Christmas Eve, and midnight—Oh! Miss Weasley!” Madam Pomfrey cooed when she finally saw Ginny and her wound. “I see. Give me a moment!” she said, rushing off to her supply closet. She came back a few moments later with a tray of medical supplies; a pair of tweezers and her wand. She began with cleaning spells, before she grabbed her tweezers.

“Brace yourself, sweetheart. This might sting,” Madam Pomfrey warned Ginny, gesturing to the glass stuck in her wound.

“Here,” Draco said to Ginny, offering her his hand. 

She grabbed it and held on tight, ready to squeeze the ever-living crap out of it.

“Can’t say I ever expected this pairing, but I do love a star-crossed lovers story,” Madam Pomfrey said, inspecting the wound and holding the tweezers close to the broken glass.

“Star-crossed? Ah!” Ginny yelled when Madam Pomfrey yanked the glass in one swift motion. Ginny squeezed Draco’s hand tight to get over the sharp pain, and she felt the telltale sting of tears flooding her eyes.

“Sorry, sweetheart.” Madam Pomfrey quickly performed a cleansing charm, followed by a bandaging charm. “Weasleys and Malfoys aren’t exactly allies. You know of the family feud, do you not?” she continued.

“Well, family feuds do make for strange cotfellows,” Draco joked, earning an unimpressed look from Madam Pomfrey, but a proper laugh from Ginny. 

“Always a pleasure, you foul teen boys,” Madam Pomfrey said, shaking her head. “You may stay here for the night, Miss Weasley, if you’d like. There’s nothing much to it, the bandages will make sure the gash closes up.”

“I’d like to go back to my dorm,” Ginny said. She refused to spend Christmas morning in the infirmary.

“I’m sure Mr Malfoy would be glad to help you back, yes?”

“Of course.”

“Perfect,” Madam Pomfrey said with a dismissive wave. 

“Let’s go,” Draco said, moving off the bed and getting ready to pick Ginny up again.

“I’ll likely see you soon, Mr Malfoy.”

Draco frowned and looked at the older woman. “What makes you say that?”

“I don’t think the Weasley brothers would be too happy about this,” she explained, gesturing between Ginny and Draco. “The twins are menaces, I’d be most worried about them. No offence, Miss Weasley.”

“No, she’s right,” Ginny concurred, then looked at Draco, who was clearly bothered by the warning. 

Draco nodded, visibly gulping. He then lifted Ginny off of the bed and turned to leave, not before thanking the Healer.

“Thank you, Draco,” Ginny said when they left the infirmary. 

“It’s no trouble.”

Silence fell between them as Draco made his way down the corridor. The halls had cleared out and everyone was likely back in their dormitories. The only sounds were the flickering of the wall sconces, Draco’s footsteps, and faint footsteps of prefects somewhere in the distance.

“How did you know that… I was me?” Ginny asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“Besides the fact that there aren’t many short, petite redheads at Hogwarts, and that you still smell like floral peaches and sandalwood despite your disguise—”

“How do you know what kind of perfume I wear?” Ginny asked, surprised that he knew that about her.

“I've smelt it on you a few times,” he said with a shrug.

“Have we even been close enough times for you to remember my scent?” Ginny was a little bit creeped out, and maybe even touched. 

“Perhaps you’ve just never noticed.”

“Well, even then I doubt that would be enough for you to realize Genevieve was actually me. Besides, I’m not even of age to attend. How could you have been so sure that I would’ve snuck in and disguised myself?” 

Draco then looked down at her and smirked.

“Because I made sure of it,” he whispered, his voice low and almost eerie.

Huh?

“What do you mean?” Ginny asked, adjusting her grip around his neck so that she could see him better. 

They were making their way up the long, winding stairs to the Gryffindor tower, and somehow, they seemed to be the only ones occupying the entire staircase.

“You’re a stubborn girl, just like your brothers, and I knew that you’d want to challenge the age limit like the twins did with the Goblet of Fire. Then, I overheard the girls in your year talking about getting older boys to take them so they could attend the ball. I had no doubt that you were thinking the same thing, but I had to make sure that you wouldn’t come with a date,” Draco began explaining.

“What? Why?” Ginny’s eyebrows furrowed in question.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Ginny took a moment to think. She had a theory, but she didn’t want to be wrong, so she said “no.”

“I wanted to be your date.” Draco’s eyes on hers as he said that made the confession feel so intimate.

Ginny felt her cheeks warm up when he confirmed her theory. Draco liked her. Like ‘like’ liked her, or at least he liked her enough to want to have her as his date to the ball.

“Why didn’t you just ask me?”

“Would you have said ‘yes’?”

Right.

Ginny shook her head sheepishly.

“I didn't think you would, considering the stories you’ve surely heard about me.” He was right, of course. “So, I had to make sure no one else would ask you. I may or may not have been threatening guys who I knew would be interested in going with you from inviting you.”

“What?!” Ginny was shocked to find out that what she thought was an unexpected affair was actually completely premeditated. “Is that why Neville stopped talking to me?!”

“Maybe,” Draco said with a shrug.

“Draco, that’s mean! Neville’s a great friend,” Ginny scolded.

“Fine, I’ll apologize to him. Happy?”

Ginny rolled her eyes.

A lot of the night still didn’t make sense to her.

“If you knew it was me, why didn’t you say something earlier?” 

“I felt that you were only comfortable being my date because you were disguised as someone else. Surely you wouldn’t have wanted to be seen with me when your brothers were at the ball, and it actually worked out in my favour too. It would’ve been hard to steal a dance from Ginny Weasley without having the Weasley brothers threaten to castrate you, surely,” Draco explained with a chuckle, his hands readjusting under Ginny to hold her closer.

“You said you were my date to save me from Parvati.”

“I was always going to find you at the ball, regardless if she was hounding you or not. Fortunately, that conversation gave me an easy opening.”

“Easy opening?”

“I think if I had asked you for a dance, you might’ve just kicked me in the bollocks.”

Ginny giggled at the idea. 

“It was easier to talk to you, weirdly. I think if it was your face I was looking at, I would’ve frozen up and made a fool of myself,” Draco confessed.

“Why?” She wanted to hear him say it. She was terrified of making a fool of herself too.

“Ginny, come on. You’re a smart girl,” Draco urged, squeezing her waist. 

Ginny shook her head.

“You’re seriously going to make me say it?” Draco chuckled.

Ginny nodded.

They had reached the Fat Lady portrait, though she was nowhere to be seen.

Draco smiled and leaned down, until his lips were right by her ears. 

“I like you, Ginny.”

If she wasn’t in his arms right then, she would’ve melted into the floor. It had all happened so fast. Just that morning he was just a handsome Slytherin she didn’t care to speak to, but here she was, gushing as he confessed his feelings to her. She liked it a lot.

“You’re adorable when you blush,” Draco said, shaking his head like it amused him.

“I don’t understand. We’ve never really spoken. Since when—”

“August 1992. Lockhart’s book signing. You came up in my face and told me to back off from your boyfriend at the time,” Draco explained, clearly teasing her about Harry.

“Harry wasn’t my boyfriend.”

“You were a tiny little thing, even smaller then, and yet you were so fiery. You looked like you might’ve actually been ready to duel me, even though my father was right behind me. He warned me about you then. Well, about your whole family really.”

“That was a bad year for me.”

“The chamber. I know. I only found out after that it was my father’s doing. I’m really sorry about that, Ginny. That had to have been terribly traumatic, and I would like to believe that my father didn’t know what the diary truly was, but regardless, handing a cursed artifact to a literal child was downright wicked,” Draco said. He looked at her with soft eyes, though his brows were furrowed into an intense frown. 

“Even for a Slytherin?” Ginny joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

“Even for a Malfoy.”

Ginny couldn’t help but smile. It was an oddly deep conversation to have with someone she really only started talking to that day, but she appreciated it all the same.

“When will the Fat Lady be back? You’re not heavy, don’t get me wrong, but my arms are getting sore,” Draco said, readjusting his stance to distribute their weight to his other leg.

“You could put me down, you know?”

“No, I like holding you,” Draco blurted.

They shared a smile.

“So you liked me because I defended Harry?” Ginny asked, wanting to know more about how his feelings came about.

“Not quite. That’s when I started noticing you. I thought you were really cute and had nice hair. After the chamber incident, I’ve been… okay, bear with me. It’s a little creepy, but I’ve kind of been following you around,” he confessed, his face turning bright red as he spoke.

“What?!”

“Not in a weird way! I just wanted to make sure that nothing like that would ever happen to you again. I kind of felt like it’s my fault, even if it obviously wasn’t, but my own father did that to you. So, when I noticed you leaving to go somewhere alone, I would follow you. It was easy in the library because I could watch you through the bookshelves, same with the pitch and the stands. Hogsmeade was harder since we tend to frequent different shops. I think people would’ve been weirded out if they saw me at Zonko’s. I guess over the time I spent following you around, I grew even more fond of you. You’re obviously very beautiful, and you seem to always be so happy, regardless of what happened to you. I don’t see how I couldn’t have fallen for you.” Draco couldn’t seem to keep eye contact with her anymore, and was now staring at the empty portrait.

Ginny didn’t know how to feel. She was touched of course, but the fact that she hadn’t noticed him following her at all, made her wonder what else she hadn’t noticed.

“What else?” Ginny asked, wanting to know more.

“Well, I already told you about me threatening blokes not to ask you for the ball, so there’s no reason to hide it anymore—I also threatened Dean Thomas and Michael Corner when I found out they were interested in you, so that they wouldn’t ask you to be their girlfriend. I also may have cursed that Durmstrang boy that tried talking to you at the ball earlier.”

“Draco!” Ginny was appalled at the lengths he had gone. She was just as shocked that so many boys were cowardly enough to give up on her so easily.

“I know, I’m sorry!”

“You can’t be meddling with my life like that!” Ginny scolded, her grip around his neck loosening now.

“I know, I know… It’s very stalkerish, but I didn’t know how else to go about it. Our families hate each other, our friends hate each other, and I was sure you hate me,” Draco defended himself, clenching his eyes for a moment as if he was embarrassed about what he had admitted.

“I don’t think I hated hated you, but you were definitely unlikeable.”

“Damn, Weasley. I’ve basically confessed years worth of my feelings for you and all I get is ‘you’re unlikeable’? You’re cold,” Draco tutted, shaking his head.

“Don’t act surprised, you know you can be very mean.” 

Draco nodded defeatedly. “I’ll work on it. Maybe.”

“You can start by apologizing to my brother, Harry, and Hermione?” Ginny tried.

“Ginny, come on. That feud runs too deep. I’ll agree not to get into anything physical with them, but I can’t just stay silent if they have a go at me.”

“Draco, you’re the one who’s always instigating.”

“Alright, fine. I will stop initiating, but if they do, I can’t guarantee I won’t engage.” Draco looked annoyed, but from the way he was caressing her back as he held her, Ginny felt like he might actually hold onto his promise.

Then, the Fat Lady walked into her frame. 

“Well, what do we have here? The littlest Weasley and the Malfoy heir. How I love a rival family romance! Oh, I have to tell Violet, she’s going to die! Again!” she marvelled as she clapped her hands.

“Hey! Let me in!” Ginny yelled, pointing to her bandaged feet.

“Oh, yes. Of course. Password?” 

“Sod off,” Draco grumbled.

“Draco!” Ginny scolded. “Ferret,” Ginny said to the Fat Lady.

“What?!” Draco exclaimed, looking down at her with a shocked expression. “Who told you about that?!”

Everyone knew about how Professor Moody temporarily turned Draco into a ferret. The story had become a recurring special during bedtime gossip sessions back at the Gryffindor Common Room.

“That’s the password, Draco,” Ginny explained, giggling as she recalled the story.

“Rubbish password,” he muttered, scowling at the Fat Lady.

The portrait door swung open, and Draco stepped inside with Ginny still in his arms. The common room was buzzing with activity of students who were clearly too excited and happy to fall asleep after such an eventful night. Ginny hoped that since Draco wasn’t wearing his Slytherin robes, no one would notice that he was intruding. Just then, she looked up and let out a soft “oh.”

Draco’s gaze followed hers to the plant hanging at the entrance. “Mistletoe.” 

“I did say I’m open to kissing after the ball,” Ginny whispered, her eyes trailing down to his lips.

Suddenly, she heard someone yell, “fat chance! Incendio!” 

The mistletoe above them burst into flames, showering them in its ashes and ember. Ginny yelped in surprise.

Ginny snapped her head to the source of the magic to find Ron holding out his wand as he glared at her and Draco. He wasn’t alone—Fred and George were standing on either side of him. The other occupants of the common room were staring at them and whispering amongst each other. The Patil twins were looking at the unexpected pair with identical shocked expressions, and Ginny felt good that they were there to witness the moment with Draco. Ginny sent them a quick wink, which earned a glare from Parvati and a scowl from Padma. 

A bubble of pride popped in her chest.

“Seriously? All three of you?” Draco quipped with an eye roll. “Seems a little excessive, I’m a lone Slytherin in this crap tower anyway.”

“Give us our sister back, Malfoy!” George snarled, holding out his wand too.

“Alright, alright! There’s no need for the wands!” Draco said, nodding towards Ginny for someone to come get her.

“You three are so dramatic,” Ginny muttered as she was surrendered to Fred, who was not as gentle as Draco when he took her into his arms. Fred then turned to leave for the girl’s dormitory. “Oi! Put me down!” Ginny yelped, not wanting to separate from Draco just yet. There was still so much they had to talk about.

“Oh, but you had no issue with the ferret carrying you around?” Fred asked, his tone sarcastic. “Off to bed you go. You have caused lots of trouble tonight, little one.”

“Good night, Draco!” Ginny called out over Fred’s shoulder. “Thank you! Come find me tomorrow!”

“Night, Ginny!” Draco said with a smirk before winking at the girl.

“Oi!” Ron clearly didn’t like that. He pointed a finger at Draco, then at the nearest chair. “You. Sit. Now.”

“Alright, alright.” 

As Fred brought her back to her dormitory, Ginny prayed in her heart that whatever was happening in the common room would end well. She didn’t want her night to be ruined by her brothers and Draco setting the common room on fire.

“I hope that was worth it, because no way are we letting you out of our sights ever again,” Fred said.

“You’ll forget about it by the time you find someone else to bother,” Ginny spat. 

“Fair.” Fred chuckled. 

“Will you please not tell mum?” Ginny pleaded, looking up at her brother with the puppy dog eyes she always used on them. It usually worked, except on Percy.

“Sorry, kid. Ron already told her, but I’ll try to talk her out of sending you a howler, how about that?” Fred offered with an understanding smile.

“Thank you,” Ginny said, huffing in defeat. “I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

“Ronald hasn’t blasted Malfoy’s head off yet, so I think a common ground may be agreed upon.”

“You think so?” Ginny asked, looking up at him hopefully as they reached the door to her room.

“Oh, definitely not. This might’ve made it worse for Malfoy’s feud with Ron and his mates much worse, but I think in the long run, if Malfoy’s willing to act less like of a git with a silver spoon up his arsehole, it might actually be the reason why they all end up getting along.”

“You don’t think me and Draco being toge—friends would be a bad thing?”

“I think I’d be more worried for him than you,” Fred answered before knocking on the door. “You’re already so cruel to us—your own brothers—I’m afraid of what you could do to other people.

“Hey! I’m not cruel," Ginny retorted.

Then, the door opened, revealing Hermione who had already changed into her pyjamas, but still had her hair up in the same updo. She was clearly in the middle of getting ready for bed.

“Oh, Ginny! There you are,” she said, opening the door wide for them.

“What are you doing in my room?” Ginny asked as Fred settled her down on the floor, a hand around her waist as she stood on one foot.

“Waiting for you of course!” Hermione exclaimed excitedly.

“Take her, will you?” Fred asked, shifting Ginny over to Hermione who let Ginny wrap an arm around her neck for support. “And you should prepare yourself to talk to Ron. He knows you helped her sneak into the ball,” he warned her.

“Don’t worry, I can handle him,” Hermione said, waving him away. “Run off now, we have girl talk to dish out!”

“Alright, good night girls.” Fred made a ‘I’m watching you’ gesture with his fingers before leaving.

“Oh, Ginny, I have so much to tell you!” Hermione said as she brought Ginny over to her bed. The room was empty, thankfully, Ginny wasn’t ready to face the Patil twins, even if she had a better night than both of them combined.

“So, you and Ron, huh?” Ginny prompted.

“Yes! But first, I need to know how it went with Malfoy. Are you alright? Was he good to you? Do I need to blast his head off?”

“No! No. He was great. Really!”

Hermione didn't seem fully convinced, but she sighed and nodded. “Fine. Tell me everything! From the start!”

“Okay, so when I first got in the hall, there was this boy from Durmstrang…”

***

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the school,

Every creature was stirring, every sage, every fool,

The mistletoes were hung at the door of the Griffin,

In hopes that the Dragon’s love would bring light from within him.

***

When Ginny woke up the next day, she felt lighter, happier. She had a sense of pride for her newfound romance and she was excited to explore her relationship with Draco, despite everything. She hopped out of bed and slid on her slippers. She looked around the dormitory and found that everyone but the Patil twins had left for the morning. Padma was hanging halfway off of her bed while Parvati was clutching her pillow with her eyebrows furrowed like she was having a nightmare. Ginny went over to the curtains and yanked them open, forcing the morning winter light to flood into the dormitory.

“Oi!” “What the fuck, Weasley!” the twins yelled as they covered their eyes from the blinding light.

“Rise and shine!” Ginny sang, heading over to Parvati’s bed and yanking the quilt off of the shivering girl.

“You little—” Parvati swiped her arm out in an attempt to grab Ginny, but Ginny quickly backed out of the way, giggling as she did.

“Merry Christmas! Come on, we’ve got presents to open!” Ginny hopped onto Padma’s bed and started jumping. Padma’s kicks weren’t enough to get rid of her.

“Weasley, get off my bed!” Padma shrieked. 

“I’ll see you guys downstairs!” Ginny bid as she grabbed a jumper and slipped it over her nightgown, rushing out the dorm door. She slid down the slide to the common room and squealed when she saw the big Christmas tree in the middle of the room, which was surrounded by red sacks with the students’ names written on tags attached to them. They were all charmed to extend undetectably, so they looked the same size, but the sizes of the contents varied for each student. Since Hogwarts was hosting the Triwizard Tournament that year, the students would stay at the castle on Christmas Eve, for the Yule Ball, and Christmas Day. Parents owled or manually delivered their children’s gifts to the school, which was then sorted by the elves and delivered to the respective houses’ common rooms on Christmas morning.

The ambiance in the common room that morning was the epitome of Christmas; the air smelt of gingerbread and pumpkin juice, the floor was covered in wrapping paper from presents the students had just opened, and the warmth of the fireplace kept everyone cosy from the cold outside. Ginny spotted her brothers at one of the sitting areas, already in the Christmas jumpers, opening presents together.

“Merry Christmas, Gin!” “Merry Christmas, Ginny!” Fred and George greeted when they spotted her.

Ron perked up at the mention of her name and made a face before greeting her too.

“Merry Christmas, guys!” Ginny returned with a big smile as she trotted over to them.

Ginny was ambushed into a hug by the twins, leaving her to giggle as she fought to escape. She then awkwardly waved at Ron, not knowing where they stood since she had gotten no updates about how the talk with Draco went. 

Ron rolled his eyes before hugging her, rocking her side to side obnoxiously.

“Did we get lots of presents?” Ginny asked as she grabbed her present sack that her brothers had already found for her. She opened her sack and stuck her hand inside, fishing around for her Christmas jumper. She pulled it out and was glad to find that it was a muted pink—just like she’d asked! 

“Just the usual,” Fred answered.

“For us, at least,” George added.

The twins shared a knowing look before nodding at Ron.

“What do you mean?” Ginny asked, shimmying out of her jumper to slide on the new Christmas one.

“This is from Malfoy,” Ron replied, holding out a small, folded up piece of parchment.

Ginny blinked. “What? He gave this to you to give to me? Is this a prank? Is it cursed? To punish me for last night?”

“What? No!” Ron groaned, rolling his eyes irately. “I talked it out with Malfoy, kind of, and I’ve—” Ron gestured amongst the brothers, ”—we’ve decided that we’ll allow it.”

“Allow what?”

“You and him to da—” George began.

“Be friends,” Fred ended.

“We’ll let you be friends, as long as he stops slagging off on us,” Ron explained.

“I don’t need your permission for that,” Ginny spat, crossing her arms.

Fred snorted, George chuckled, and Ron mocked her words in a high-pitched voice.

“You guys are pricks.”

“Cursing on Christmas? You want a sack of coal, do you?” George taunted her, sticking his tongue out when she tried to hit him but failed.

“Good morning, guys! Merry Christmas!” a fifth voice joined them, and Ginny turned around to find Hermione approaching them.

“Shit,” Ginny heard Ron curse behind her. “Monin’, ‘Mione. Merry Christmas.”

Ginny looked back at Ron and let out a giggle when she saw how red his face was. From her story exchange with Hermione, Ginny knew that Ron had kissed Hermione after the ball, and that he couldn’t stop apologizing after, until Hermione kissed him too. 

Hermione pulled Ginny into a hug before complimenting the new sweater.

“Are you going to open the letter then?” Ron asked, probably hoping for Ginny to leave so he’d get Hermione’s attention.

“What letter?” Hermione asked.

“Malfoy gave our wee little Ginny Winny a love letter,” Fred answered, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“Oh, young love,” George cooed mockingly, slapping the back of his hand against his forehead and falling back against Fred dramatically.

“Shut up,” Ginny snapped. “It’s not a love letter, I don’t think.”

“Open it! I want to know what it says” Hermione urged, pulling at Ginny’s arm.

“Alright!” 

Ginny unfolded the parchment, and she may or may not have been expecting a long, romantic essay debrief about the ball, but in the center of the parchment, there were only five words written on it.

Meet me at the Quad. 

“He said to meet him at the Quad!” Ginny announced, bouncing on the heels of her feet. “I’ve gotta go brush my teeth!” she said, turning to head back to her dormitory. 

“Why do you need to do that?!” Ron exclaimed, sounding repulsed.

“You better not plan on snogging that snake!” Fred yelled after her.

“We said befriend, we said nothing about—”

Ginny rushed into the girls’ dormitory, did her hair, washed her face, then brushed her teeth and ran out the Fat Lady portrait before her brothers could stop her. When she made it to the Quad Courtyard, she squinted through the white icy glare of the snow to find Draco. There were only a few students at the Quad and none of them had Draco’s signature platinum hair. 

Where is he?

Then, she felt two fingers poke each side of her waist, causing her to yelp and jump in surprise.

“Good morning, Genevieve Wright,” Draco’s voice greeted her from behind her.

Ginny twirled around to face him, and was glad to find that he was smiling wide, just like she was. “Morning, Draco. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas," he replied, holding out a velvet green sack, just like her red one back at the Gryffindor Common Room. “This is for you.”

“You got me a present? Oh, Draco! I didn’t get you anything!” Ginny whined with a pout. She hated one sided presents, whether as the gifter or the giftee.

“Don’t worry about it. I didn't expect you to get me one considering we’ve only become friendly last night. Just open it,” Draco shrugged, shoving the sack into her hands. He then guided her onto the grass, magically clearing out a spot of the snow so they could sit without freezing their bums off.

Ginny sat down across from Draco, opening the sack and shoved her hand inside. Her hand wrapped around what felt like a large stick, and she frowned at the realization of what it might be.

There’s no way…

“You got me a new broom?” Ginny asked, pulling it out of the sack. It was a Nimbus 2001. Ginny stared at it in awe as she weighed it in her hands and studied the details.

“Not technically,” Draco answered with a sheepish smile. “I couldn't just ask my father to help me buy you a gift, and I didn’t dare ask for Galleons to buy a new one, in case he noticed that I don’t actually keep it, so I’m giving you my old broom. I know that you’ve been borrowing the practice brooms, so at least with this, you’d have your own.”

Ginny scowled. “Did you get an upgrade and decided to just toss me your old one?”

“What? No! Don’t make it sound like that, Ginny. I didn’t ask for a broom this year.”

“Then what broom will you use then?”

“The Slytherin practice brooms.”

For a moment, Ginny was touched that he was willing to use the old brooms provided by the school, until she recalled that Lucius Malfoy had supplied the Slytherin team with new brooms.

“You mean the other Nimbus 2001s?” Ginny asked with a cheeky eye roll.

“Yeah.” Draco winked. “I’m a genius, am I not?”

“You’re a cheapskate,” she spat, sticking her tongue out jokingly.

“Why? Because I refuse to feed into consumerism?”

Ginny snorted. “Don’t you own five uniforms? One for each day?”

“That’s called being economical.”

“How?!”

“Less laundry days,” Draco said with a shrug.

“Do you even do your laundry?” Ginny asked.

Draco shook his head, and they both burst out into laughter, Ginny doubling over, until her head rested against his leg. 

She tried to pull back up, but his hand on the back of her head kept her there.

Draco cleared more of the snow around them and said, “lie down, will you? I’d like to play with your hair.”

“My hair?” Ginny asked as she set her new present aside and got comfortable on the grass with her head in his lap.

“I’ve always been rather enamoured by the colour and shine.”

“Seriously?” Ginny giggled, looking up at him.

“Yeah! It’s more copper than ginger.”

“Your hair’s silvery.” Ginny pointed at his hair, flicking some strands hanging in front of his face as he stared down at her.

“The sexiest of the common metals,” he murmured with a smirk.

“Gold’s much sexier,” Ginny retorted.

“Silver goes with everything,” Draco countered with an eye roll.

“Whatever.”

“Do you like your present? Even if I didn’t contribute to consumerism and bought you the most expensive broom known to wizardkind despite being a mere student?” Draco asked, his hand brushing her hair softly.

“I love it, Draco. Thank you,” Ginny said genuinely, smiling up at him. She had to bite her lip so that she wouldn’t smile too wide.

They sat in silence for a moment, until Ginny’s curiosity finally caught up to her.

“What did my brothers say to you last night?” Ginny asked.

Draco chuckled softly.

“They interrogated me about the ball and my intentions. I practically told them everything I told you, but less flowery as to not get clobbered by them. Then, they threatened me a little, normal older brothers stuff, and made me promise not to hurt you and to stop being a—in one of the twin’s words—’cocksure bellend’,” Draco explained, seeming more amused than upset. His eyes avoided hers as both of his hands played with her hair.

“He called you that?!”

“I’ve called people worse, don’t feel bad for me, silly.”

“Still,” Ginny huffed. “So what? You’re best mates now, are you?”

“How could you wish upon me the terrible misfortune of being friends with those Weasleys?” Draco said, clearly jokingly, yet Ginny still slapped him on the arm. “Kidding. We aren’t mates, but I guess we can be civil. I even got the small one a gift.”

“The small one?”

“Don’t make me say his name…” Draco groaned.

“You’ll live.”

“Ron. I got Ronald a gift.”

That surprised Ginny. She didn’t realize the lengths Draco would go to make peace with her friends and family.

“Really? So you did contribute to consumerism this Christmas,” Ginny said with a giggle.

“Actually, I still did not. Due to the nature of my relationship—or lack thereof—with that triad, I thought that gifts that I’d actually have to spend money on would leave a sour taste, so I gave your brother my family’s box seats to the next professional Quidditch match. My father only cares for the Cup, he doesn’t attend league matches so it’s usually just me and my friends who attend,” Draco explained.

“Oh, I’m sure Ron loved that! But doesn’t that technically cost money?” Ginny asked.

“My great great great grandfather helped build the pitches the games are held, so we’ve had the box for years and years and have never paid a single knut."

“Lucky!”

“Well, lucky you, now that we’re friends, I can take you to the upcoming games,” Draco said, looking proper proud of himself. “Well not the next one since I’ve given those tickets to your brother, but the next next ones.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Oh, and I’m also going to give Granger a free pass to punch me.”

“What?!” Ginny exclaimed, then broke out into giggles.

“I’ve called her some terrible things, and considering she’s the one you’re closest to, I have to really apologize. She seems to have a knack for violence, so I’ll give her a pass for one proper punch,” Draco detailed with a shrug.

“Oh, Draco! She's going to annihilate you!”

“I know! I’m already regretting it.” Draco sighed, shaking his head. “Maybe she won’t accept it.”

Ginny snorted. “Not likely. Good luck, Draco.”

Draco pretended to get punched in the face, even making vocal sound effects, then played dead on top of her, with her still in his lap.

“You’re heavy!” she yelped, when he put all the weight of his head on her stomach. “Freaking big headed, you are!”

“That’s cruel, Weasley,” Draco tutted, sitting back up straight.

“Wait, you said ‘triad’. What did you get Harry?”

“Oh, I didn’t get him crap. He might actually murder me if I tried to get him anything. Ronald’s your brother and Granger’s your best friend so they were the only ones I thought were worth apologizing to.”

“Oh, that’s alright.” Ginny shrugged. “I only really care about Ron and Hermione anyway. Harry’s not really my friend, he’s Ron’s, regardless of what I tried to convince myself.”

“Yeah? You don’t care about him?” Draco asked, frowning as he looked at her, and his hands stilled in her hair.

“No, I don’t like him anymore. Not like that.”

“Really?” Draco looked hopeful.

“I maybe like someone else now,” Ginny confessed, and she could feel the heat rise to her cheeks.

“Oh, yeah? Tell me more about this someone,” Draco prompted with a shy smile.

“Oh, he’s a massive git. Some call him a ferret, others a ‘cocksure bellend’.”

“Oi!”

They spent the rest of Christmas morning talking in the Quad; skipping breakfast, ignoring onlookers, and dodging questions from their friends. It was an unexpected way to end the year, but Ginny had never had a more magical Christmas—and it was all thanks to her good friend, some good bits of magic, and good ol’ Christmas miracles.