~Adela H)
Kissing In The Closet
It was already two months into the Hogwarts school year and the rumors began to fly around the Gryffindor Tower. The famous Harry Potter and his girlfriend, Cho Chang, had just broken up…so everyone said.
"Yeah, apparently Cho met a guy on one of the Quidditch teams she was interviewing for the Daily Prophet." One fifth year said to a fellow student by the common room fire.
"Ouch, that must have hurt." The other student replied.
Both students looked sorrowfully at Harry, then walked away from the fire to a larger group of students and began talking about other things. They hadn't even realized that they were being spied on. No one could tell she was there, sitting so quietly and still on the couch with a large book propped open on her lap. Her heart began to increase it's beating when she heard this news, and wondered if it could really be true.
As inconspicuous as she could be, she roamed the room with her eyes just barely visible over the book, looking for Harry. She soon spotted him on the other side of the room sitting down by a window. Ron and Hermione were close by, both talking in low whispers to each other and at intervals casting a sad gaze on their friend. Looking back at Harry she noticed the way he just stared out the window, as if his mind was anywhere but here at Hogwarts, perhaps a thousand miles away where Cho was.
"It's true!" Ginny whispered to herself.
Once again she stared long and hard at him, and caught him take a deep sigh, then release it very slowly, as if he were trying to control the swelling emotions inside of him. Ginny herself felt a tidal wave of mixed emotions. She felt sad that Harry's heart was broken, and by owl, no doubt. But she also felt glad that now Harry was free, single, no longer "attached." Harry and Cho had been dating for a little under a year, and that whole time Ginny had felt miserable, but slowly she thought she was getting over him. This little incident, however, brought back all the old feelings.
Ginny's mind was no longer on the book in front of her, but on what she should do. She needed to once and for all tell Harry her feelings, but she was too shy. She wanted him to know how much she liked him, but was afraid to tell him herself. She had often thought about writing him a letter, but that would seem too impersonal for what she needed to say. To have one of her friends tell him was too juvenile. Ginny racked her brain for different ways to show Harry she liked him in a very personal way, but without her actually saying the words.
The common room soon filtered out as everyone was heading down to the Great Hall for dinner. Ginny reluctantly returned her book to her dorm and followed her best friend, Zora, down to dinner. Ginny didn't hear one word Zora said throughout dinner, but knew her friend wouldn't mind. Zora was well known for her talkative nature, her incessant prattle was heard wherever she went. She didn't quite mind if any one really heard her, as long as she could just talk. The Gryffindors often berated her talking because she would lose house points left and right because of it.
Ginny had her head propped on her left hand, which elbow rested on the table. With her right hand she forked at her food, absentmindedly, while nodding in agreement once in a while to what Zora was saying.
Going through Ginny's mind were the many different ways she could profess her undying love for Harry, but each seemed silly and childish. She had nearly given up when a new plan entered her head.
"Brilliant!" Ginny exclaimed, sitting upright in her seat.
"I thought so too!" Zora said, turning towards Ginny. "I mean, I never really thought of myself as copying the Muggles, but if our Quiddtich teams had cheerleaders it would give me a good chance to show off my legs and attract all the hot guys."
"What?" Ginny giggled, staring at her friend.
"You weren't listening, were you?" Zora said, pouting a little.
Ginny confessed, but made it up to her friend by giving her full attention to Zora, but demanded to be listened to right after. Zora explained her plan for organizing a cheer squad for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and Ginny fought the urge to laugh. When she was finished Ginny began.
"Well, rumor has it Harry was dumped by Cho." Ginny's eyes narrowed at the mention of her rival. " Anyway! I want to tell Harry that I like him and want to go out with him –"
"You mean snog!" Zora cut in.
"Zora!" Ginny blushed. "Well, ok, that too, but first I need him to know how much I like him. So, I was thinking of how to do this in the least embarrassing way, and I think I have it! I'll need your help though."
"Well, spill the beans!"
"Ok, I'll hide in a closet and you'll be outside, ok? We'll go to a part of the castle that Harry passes a lot and when he comes along you tell him there's something in the closet and that he should check it out…make sure he's alone though. Well, when we're in the closet I can tell him without him seeing me blush!"
Zora raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!" Ginny said, more confidant then ever.
Once Zora agreed and a closet picked out, Ginny looked towards Harry, he sat picking at his food. If only he knew what I was planning. Ginny thought.
The chosen day was a Friday right after afternoon classes. Harry always passed down the charms corridor on his way out to the Quidditch field for practice. Ron and Hermione would not be following him, and he'd be all alone. Ginny was waiting in the dark closet, straining to hear what was going on outside.
Zora stood outside the closet, looking up and down the corridor for any sign of Harry. A few third years passed by, discussing what they'd do in Hogsmeade the next day, when Zora spotted Harry walking her way. Zora tapped lightly on the door, giving Ginny the sign that Harry was near at hand. Zora waved at Harry who waved back, though unenthusiastically. No matter! Zora thought.
"Hey Harry, going out to practice?" Zora asked as he neared her.
"Yep." Harry responded.
Zora knew that Ginny would be waiting impatiently within, but now that she had the chance to talk to Harry alone she related her whole cheerleading program, hoping he'd like it. As she was half way explaining the benefits of a cheer squad someone came up behind them.
"No students are to loiter in the halls…even if they are perfect little Gryffindors." They both turned around to stare at Draco Malfoy.
Draco had been made Head Boy and was not reluctant to show off his badge to Harry whenever he got the chance. He also had to qualms about scrutinizing him until he did something worth taking points off of Gryffindor. Hermione, however, had been made Head Girl, and countered Draco's actions with her own. She took points off left and right when she caught Slytherins sneaking around.
"Ten points off Gryffindor, now move it."
Zora's eyes widened. No! She screamed to herself. I have to get Harry in the closet!
"But there's something I need to show Harry…it's in the closet." Zora said, hoping things would go the way they were planned from now on.
"What?" Draco looked at the closet, wondering what could possibly be so interesting in there that Harry needed to see.
"I'll take a peek later." Harry said, and began walking away towards practice.
"No! But Harry! Come back!" Zora yelled at his retreating back. "What about my cheer program?"
"Do you want me to take more points off of your house?" An annoying voice reminded Zora that Draco was still next to her.
"I'll leave but I have to get something out of the closet first." Zora stared at him, expecting him to leave. But Draco remained.
"What's in there, anyway?" Draco reached his hand towards the handle, but Zora quickly placed herself between him and the door.
"No!" Zora screamed. "You can't go in there 'cuase…'cause…well, there's spiders, you know, and we wouldn't want you to ruin your perfect hair with cob webs."
"Get out of my way." Draco began shoving her aside, but Zora pushed even harder.
"No!"
"I'll take fifty points if you don't step aside." Draco said, standing back.
Zora looked from Draco to the door, then back at Draco. "Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you."
Zora stood back and watched Draco enter the closet, closing the door behind him.
Ginny wondered what could be taking so long. She had felt her heart beat rapidly when she heard the warning knock, but the door didn't open. She could only hear muffled voices outside and she began to tap her foot impatiently. She wondered what Zora was talking about now!
As Ginny waited she scripted in her head what she would say to Harry. She'd begin with begging him to stay until she said what she had to say. Then she'd tell him she's liked him since she met him, how she could be a better girlfriend than Cho. Her thoughts were interrupted by screaming.
"Oh no!" Ginny said to herself. "He's probably leaving."
Hearing two separate muffled voices outside the door reassured her that Harry must have come back. It wasn't long before she heard the door handle jiggle. Ginny closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. The door squeaked open then shut. Ginny opened her eyes, hearing the breathing of the person who just entered.
"I have to tell you something," Ginny paused for a split second. "I really like you and—" Oh how lame! She thought to herself. I can't believe I have Harry alone and all I can say is "I really like you." Dismissing her previous plan of conversation, Ginny reached out towards the other person and roughly pulled him closer.
Harry seemed taller than she would have expected, but that didn't matter. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and with her hands brought his head down towards her own. She could feel him stiffen in shock as she kissed him just left of his mouth. She could feel protests swell in his throat, but Ginny cut them off by successfully aiming at his mouth.
His lips were so smooth and his hair so fine. Ginny had thought that his hair would be thicker and a little coarse, but it was perfect for her fingers to play with. The kiss was broken away, allowing Ginny to catch her breath for a moment, but she immediately resumed, this time more intense.
She brought her right hand on his cheek, moving her hand up towards his hair line. She pushed her body into his, wanting to feel his strength. It was then that she heard the groan sound deep within his throat, and she smiled. His hands came around her waist and he pushed her up against the closet wall, kissing back fiercely. Ginny could feel the pressure his body made against hers and she sighed, causing him to push harder. Soon his hands began to travel up her sides, causing Ginny to shiver. He begged entrance into her mouth and she obliged.
Ginny could smell the sweet aroma of the man in front of her, and wondered why she never smelled Harry like that before. As his tongue explored her mouth, his hands wondered her body. He reached down to her leg, bringing one of them up around his waist, his other hand searching for a way to touch her skin. He found her clothes under her school robes and un-tucked her shirt. The instant his hand touched her stomach, she let out an involuntary loud groan.
Quiet suddenly, like a bucket of cold water being thrown on her, Ginny realized that this could escalate into something she'd regret later. She had to stop this, it was getting too intense. Just as his hand was wondering a little too far south, Ginny pushed away. She made a dash for the door and exited, closing it shut behind her.
Zora had suspected what would happen when Draco entered the closet. She thought that within three seconds she'd hear Ginny scream. At five seconds the door would swing open and Ginny would run out. At seven seconds Draco would walk out, sneering at Zora and take about a hundred points from Gryffindor.
Well, the seconds ticked by and became minutes. Soon it had been a full five minutes and she couldn't hear anything!
"They probably stunned each other with their wands." She thought, and was about to open the door to investigate when it opened at it's on accord. Ginny stepped out, her hair disheveled, her shirt un-tucked, and her face red, panting. What had transpired in the closet was soon guessed at by Zora, and she smiled.
"Well?" She asked.
Ginny looked at the closet. "I have to get out of here! Tell Harry I'm sorry about what I did and I'll talk to him later." Ginny ran down the corridor and passed out of sight.
Zora smiled then turned her attention towards the door. She opened it and the light from the corridor illuminated the closet enough for her to see what was inside. There were a few sweeping brooms, an overturned bucket and one dazed Head Boy. His hair was tussled even more than Ginny's! Zora stifled the laughs that began to emerge. Draco turned to her, his cheeks had a faint pink blush, like he'd been running outside on a cold day.
"Well…look what I caught! A Head Boy…in a closet…with a girl. I wonder what the Head Master would say to that."
Zora expected him to beg her not to tell, to promise her money, anything, to keep quiet, but she was not prepared for what he did say.
"Who was that?"
Zora was about to utter Ginny's name but thought better of it. "Why?"
"Just tell me what her name is!" Draco came out of the closet, hoping to find someone else there, waiting for him, but there was no one else.
"Enjoyed ourselves so much, you're ready for seconds?" Zora asked, smirking.
Draco's blush depend a bit, but he soon composed himself long enough to run his hand through his hair. He could still feel the heat of her hands running through his scalp.
"I'll give you ten galleons." Draco bargained.
"Hmm…ten galleons…" Zora stood there, contemplating.
"Twenty!"
"You know, I'm not all too sure she would want to be made known. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure she doesn't want you to know who she is."
"Fifty!" Draco was becoming desperate. He thought about how smooth her skin was once he'd touched it, but it wasn't long enough. He needed more!
"I'll see what I can do…maybe I can set up another session."
Zora left without waiting for a reply.
Once Zora was in the dorm alone with Ginny, she began.
"So…tell me…how was he?"
Ginny was sitting on her bed, her legs crossed. She blushed slightly.
"You have no idea!" Ginny exclaimed.
Zora traveled from her own bed and sat down next to Ginny. "Well…I need details."
"Well…it was different than what I had planned. I just got flustered when I began talking that I attacked him!" Here Ginny erupted into giggles. "I swear, at first I thought he was going to shove me aside and demand who I was, but he didn't! Oh, his hair was so soft."
Zora smiled, knowing the truth.
"But I have to talk to Harry and tell him that I'm sorry…I need to explain."
"Wait!" Zora said. What would Harry say to Ginny when he told her he'd never been in the closet with her? "I think you should let him take a day or two to process what happened. Give him time to think things through."
Ginny thought about this, then nodded her head. "You're right. I need time too."
"Perhaps I could talk to him for you, just so there's someone who's neutral."
"I dunno…"
"Come on…he'll probably think all you wanna do is snog, but I'll assure him that it was just nerves…rather hormonal nerves."
Ginny agreed, and soon was at ease.
Draco stared across the Great Hall at every girl in school. He wondered who had kissed him. Who was just a foot shorter than him? Who had long soft curls for hair and a slim figure? Then his eyes rested on Zora, and he narrowed his eyes. He couldn't believe his fate rested in that Gryffindor. She even lowered herself to becoming a Weasley's friend.
As soon as Zora and Ginny got up to leave, Draco quickly got up and followed. He came up behind them and cleared his throat to catch her attention. The two girls turned around, one with a playful expression, the other a very confusing one.
"Remember our deal." Draco said to Zora. He sneered at Ginny, then passed by them.
"What a jerk!" Ginny said once he was out of earshot. "I wish he'd hurry up and graduate."
The girls prepared themselves for their excursion into Hogsmeade. They were going to hit the candy shop first, then take a short lunch at the Three Broomsticks, and go window shopping in the clothing district. Zora had begged to take a detour after lunch in the book store, telling Ginny she needed to buy a book for an older brother. While Zora went searching for the book, Ginny wondered around aimlessly, pulling out interesting titles, then putting them away. That's when she ran into Harry.
Ginny's face blushed. "Hello, Harry."
"Hey Gin." He said, then looked at the shelf of books.
"Looking for anything in particular?"
"Yeah, I'm trying to do some early Christmas shopping. I heard there was an excellent book of famous Quidditch players that I wanted to get Ron. Keep it a secret, kay?" He winked at Ginny.
Ginny moved in closer, expecting to feel the electricity she felt in the closet, but none of it was there. He didn't even tense up and she didn't feel the chills. She felt instinctly that there was something wrong, but before she could pinpoint the problem, Zora had come up.
"Um, come on Ginny." She said, eyeing the two.
"I don't get it." Ginny said as they were walking down the streets. "It almost seems as if Harry is different than when he was in the closet.
"Oh, isn't that funny?" Zora said. "Like a closet Harry…ha…let's just hope he doesn't come out…"
Ginny failed to laugh at the joke, but continued the conversation.
"I want to talk to him again, but I'm still too scared." Ginny confessed.
"Perhaps I should reserve a closet for you two to solve your differences?" Zora hoped she didn't sound too eager.
"I think that would help a lot…thanks!" Ginny's mind felt at ease, and she could window shop in peace.
Later that night, after dinner, Zora excused herself from Ginny and made her way towards Draco. She motioned for him to follow her and she led him out into the deserted corridor.
"She agreed to meet again, but only if it could be in a closet." Zora started.
"You're supposed to tell me her name!" Draco gritted his teeth. He'd been plagued all day with images of a face he couldn't quite make out.
"Patience, Malfoy, patience."
Zora left him and entered to the Gryffindor Common room and told Ginny she had spoken to Harry and agreed to meet in a closet. The time would be after dinner the next day in a closet on the third floor. Zora then left Ginny, claiming she had a mountain of homework that needed to be started.
Ginny began reading a work of fiction and was just getting into the story when she felt the weight of someone sitting next to her on the couch. She looked up and saw Harry. Again there was something wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"Hey Harry." Ginny said, blushing.
"Hey, Gin." Harry said, picking up a book of his own.
Ginny grew a little mad that he didn't feel as uncomfortable as she did in his presence.
"I don't know what your problem is, Harry, but you have to stop this denial."
Ginny's words caused Harry to stare weirdly at her. Ginny leaned in closer to explain when she finally noticed what was wrong.
"How come you're not wearing your aftershave?" She questioned, noticing the lack of the intoxicating scent.
"What?" Harry's face looked like a big question mark. "I don't wear aftershave…or cologne."
"Yes you do…I smelled it in the closet."
"What?"
"When we were in the closet I smelled aftershave."
"Is that what Zora was trying to show me in the closet? You?"
"What do you mean 'trying'?"
"I'm sorry, but I had to get to practice. Was there something you needed to tell me?"
Ginny was silent. It was too much trying to process all this information at once. It wasn't Harry in the closet. But someone was there! Someone who she snogged! A complete stranger? Her eyes narrowed at the thought of Zora. What a joke she must think she's playing. Ginny thought. Well, I'll play along just long enough to catch Zora in her little lie.
"Ok, get in the closet Gin." Zora said.
"Wait, I think I want to talk to him in person." Ginny said, trying to keep a strait face.
"What? You will be…you'll just be talking to him in person…in a closet! Now get!"
Ginny touched her hand to the doorknob. "Actually, on second thought, I don't really like Harry any more, I'm gonna go."
"Go? No, wait, you should at least tell him! Now get in there!" Zora opened the door and was in the process of shoving Ginny in when she fought back.
"No, really, Zora, I'm just gonna go up to the Gryffindor Tower and do some homework." Ginny shut the closet door.
"Homework? Do it later!" As they stood there, arguing over if Ginny should get in the closet, Draco came up behind them.
"What's going on?" He demanded.
Ginny stared evilly at him, "None of your business!" She said.
"Ten points from Gryffindor, now get back to your tower."
"Come on, Zora." Ginny said, ready to leave.
"She's not going anywhere…but you are."
Ginny turned around. "What could you want with Zora?" Ginny asked.
"That's none of your business. We had a deal and she has to see it through."
"You made a deal with him?" Ginny asked, turning to her friend. "What kind of a deal?"
Zora merely shrugged her shoulders, looking from one to the other.
"Is she in there?" Draco asked, pointing towards the closet.
Ginny looked at Draco, then at the closet, then back at Draco, her mouth wide open in shock. Zora understood that Ginny had guessed what was going on, but Draco was still ignorantly in the dark.
"No, she's not. She wasn't feeling well so I told her I'd come and tell you she'll meet you another day." Zora smiled.
Ginny was about to say something, but Zora pinched her arm. "Come on, Gin, we have to go tell her."
"Remember our deal." Draco's words echoed in the corridor.
As soon as they were away from Draco Ginny started in on Zora.
"It was him?" Ginny asked. "I kissed…him?"
"Well, from the amount of time you two spent in the closet, I'd guess you rather enjoyed it. Even if it was with him." "I thought it would have at least been another Gryffindor." Ginny said.
"You mean you knew it wasn't Harry?" Zora said.
"Of course I knew. Harry didn't smell like him."
There was a short pause before Zora spoke up. "What are we going to do?"
"Hmm…we tell him the girl who was in the closet died."
"Ginny…"
"What? I'm not the one that lied! I don't want him to know I liked kissing him."
"Well, he liked kissing you too. He was going to pay me fifty galleons to tell him who you were."
"Fifty?!?!" Ginny exclaimed. "Shoot, I'll take the fifty and tell him it was me!"
"Wouldn't that sort of be prostitution?"
Ginny shrugged her shoulders. "I guess."
That night Ginny lay awake, imagining Draco's image. His hair her hands played with, his lips she kissed, his hands that…
~*~*~
Ginny awoke the next morning with a smile on her face. She quickly wiped it off, though, once she realized she had dreamt of Draco the whole night. She quickly walked to the showers and stepped into the cold water. She needed to get rid of his image in her mind, but it was near impossible! Her mind was telling her to completely forget about him, but the rest of her body cried out to be near him. Ginny splashed the cold water on her face to stop the debate her body was having with her mind.
Zora noticed that Ginny was acting oddly throughout breakfast. She kept up the conversation with Zora, as if she was trying to fill the air with noise so her mind wouldn't wonder to other things. Things like Draco.
"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" Zora said.
"What? Of course not!" Ginny tried hiding her blush by shoving her face into her food.
"Gin, I'm your friend…you can tell me."
Ginny raised her head from her plate in silence. She took a quick side glance at the Slytherin table to see Draco. He seemed to be occupied at the moment by searching the Great Hall for someone.
Ginny bit her bottom lip, "I guess my mind has been wondering towards him lately."
Zora looked at her best friend and did not envy the position she was in. She had begun to grow feelings for a Slytherin…a Malfoy! Slytherins were the natural enemies to all Gryffindors…everyone knew that! It seemed that if Ginny wanted to keep up this "relationship," it'd have to be kept in the closet.
"Look, he doesn't know who you are, you can just tell him and see where it goes from there."
"Gosh, you make it sound like we're entering a serious relationship. We only spent five minutes in a closet."
"Yeah, but those five minutes have been playing over and over in your head, haven't they?" Zora saw Ginny smile. "And from the look of things, it's been plaguing him as well."
"What am I supposed to say?" Ginny demanded. "'Hey, Malfoy, I'm the girl who snogged you in the closet. You see, I thought you were Harry at first, but now that I think you kiss better than him, I'm interested in you?'"
"Um, you could phrase it a little differently." Zora laughed. "Just get into a closet with him and if he really wants to find out who you are, he will."
Ginny nodded her head, and finished the rest of her meal in silence.
Ginny was in the same closet, again waiting. Zora told her she'd go fetch Draco and tell him which closet she'd be in. Zora promised to leave right away, allowing them some privacy. Ginny played out the different scenarios in her head of how Draco would react. He'd probably fly off the handle and begin shooting curses at her. Well, she had brought her wand just in case.
The muffled sound of footsteps nearing cause Ginny to stand completely still, straining to hear them. They stopped right outside the door and in a second it was open and someone had entered. Ginny slowly backed up against the wall, not exactly sure of what she was supposed to do.
"Excuse me?" Draco said. "Is there someone in here?"
Ginny wanted to just hid behind the bucket and hope he'd leave, but it was too late. His hand brushed up against her chin, obviously he was searching for her with arms stretched out. She heard him give a sigh of relief as he lowered his hand down her arm and to her own hand. His hand was warm in hers and she squeezed it softly.
"Who are you?" Draco asked.
"I don't think you want to know." Ginny replied.
"I do." Draco persisted.
"What difference does it make? You don't even know me…I think I'm going to go." Ginny released his hand and was about to open the door when she was pulled back.
"Please, tell me who you are."
Ginny could feel the conflicting emotions stir within her. She wanted to be near him, to feel his strength again, his lips and his hair. But what good would it do? They were two different people living in two different worlds. They had never spoken more than five sentences to each other in the six years Ginny had been attending Hogwarts, and if this little closet incident hadn't happened, they would have probably never spoken the rest of the year.
Fed up with trying to reason with herself, Ginny ran into his arms, squeezing him so tightly, afraid he'd disappear. Draco hung onto her as well and it seemed they stood there for a while before Draco spoke up again.
"Tell me your name?"
"It's not important."
"It is to me."
Ginny could feel his hand run through her long curling hair. Ginny knew she couldn't tell him, and there was only one way she could show him who she was. She stood on her tip-toes and gave him a light kiss on the mouth, then backed away a little. She opened the door and let the light stream in. Draco shielded his eyes at first to the bright light with his hand, but he soon lowered it and saw the girl in front of him.
"Weasley?" His voiced was mixed with surprise and disgust.
Ginny nodded her head.
"I—you—but…" Draco couldn't finish his sentence.
Ginny bit her bottom lip and her eyebrows arched in anticipation. She watched Draco think through what was happening and in a sudden rush he walked passed her and out into the corridor.
Ginny hung her head and shed a single tear. Then anger took over. She immediately stepped out of the closet and yelled, "Stop!"
Draco stopped in his tracks, but did not turn around.
"Look, I had planned on someone else being in the closet and thought you were them. That's why I…I…acted like I did. But then I found out it was you and I was confused…probably more so than you are now. And then I couldn't get you out of my mind! Believe me, I tried! And I thought that if I came here and told you who I was you maybe would be okay with it because I like you…I like your touch…"
Draco stood silent. Ginny walked up to him slowly and touched his shoulder. He stiffened, but did not turn around. Ginny raised on her tip-toes and brushed her lips against the back of his neck. Draco turned around and caught Ginny in his arms, bringing his lips to her own. She brought her own arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
"You know," Draco breathed as he was planting kisses along her neck. "I never thought I'd need a Weasley so much."
The two were in the corridor for quiet a while getting to know each other a little…er…better.