Ginger and Icing
By Jedi Tess of Gryffindor
Summary: Simply put - Ginny, Draco, lots of icing, a bit of gingerbread, and three mischievous house elves. Oh, yeah - and some atrocious socks!
A/N: Hope this tides you all over until "Sometimes, I Even Amaze Myself" is finished!
Disclaimer: I think Santa'll bring me more presents if I do this right for once, so here goes. All character and situations belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Respectively. I am making no money off the creation of this fic.
How was that?
Merry Christmas, all!
_______________________________
She was a woman on a mission.
The tall redhead stole silently down the corridors of Hogwarts with bated breath. It was her favorite day of the entire year. December 24th - Christmas Eve.
Passing one of the windows through which shown the ethereal glow of the unclouded moon, she paused, keeping the borrowed invisibility cloak wrapped securely around her shoulders. Gazing out over the frosty landscape, she couldn't help but allow a sigh to escape her lips. So far her Christmas break had been perfect. She had opted to stay alone at Hogwarts for the holidays this year, while her brother and his two best friends went home to the Burrow to be with the family.
The sixth year had had no desire to join her them. She needed solitude this year - needed freedom from the typical hustle and bustle of her house. She needed the liberty to do whatever struck her fancy, whether it be sleeping all day and getting up to play under the stars at night, or sneak down to the kitchens at eleven at night to putter around, as she was now doing.
In fact, her entire holiday thus far had been lovely. She hadn't felt lonely, despite the fact that there were no more than ten other students remaining at Hogwarts for Christmas and none of them were Gryffindors.
The only thing missing was snow.
The girl sighed again, glaring at the moon. Never in her entire life had it not snowed for Christmas. And now, though it was bitterly cold, the sky remained cloudless by day and night.
She snorted. Trust the fates to stick one sharp thorn on the long-stemmed rose of her happiest holiday ever!
She shook herself. No! She would not get dismal over a little thing like snow. She was having a fabulous time, dammit, and the uncooperative weather was not going to spoil anything. Turning from the window, she hurried along the narrow passage that led to her destination, praying that Mrs. Norris wouldn't pop up suddenly, as she was frequently apt to do.
No Mrs. Norris appeared, however, and the redhead at last reached her objective.
The kitchens.
She tickled the pear, as the twins had taught her years ago, and climbed through the open portrait hole. The smell of fresh cider and homemade gingerbread made her mouth water. One of the only things she really missed about not going home that year was her mum's gingerbread. Every Christmas Eve that every Weasley child was at home, the seven would stay up until midnight building gingerbread houses. Often, they turned into lopsided, haphazard castles of gingerbread, creamy icing, and gumdrops, but the memories still brought a smile to her face. She was just removing the invisibility cloak when -
"Miss Wheezy!" a green blur slammed into Ginny's gut so suddenly that she was nearly knocked over.
"Dobby!" she gasped, working desperately to pry the house elf's arms from her waist. "Look, I'm happy to see you, too, but I can't breathe!"
"Dobby is sorry, Miss," the elf released her immediately and backed up a step to beam happily at her. "Dobby is just so happy to be seeing Miss Wheezy again, Miss."
"It's good to see you, too, Dobby," she smiled in return. Harry had introduced her to the house elf a few years ago and she had dutifully come to visit every holiday since. Reaching into her pocket, she produced a gold- wrapped package and handed it to the elf.
"Happy Christmas, Dobby," she said, watching in some amusement as his large eyes widened to engulf about half his face. Slowly and with great care, the elf unwrapped his gift and gasped as a hideously mismatched pair of socks fell out. One was paisley and burst into burn-safe flame at unlucky moments. The other had been enchanted with pictures of Harry's head orbiting the ankles, while Ron smiled up from each of the toes. She had always been especially good with Charms.
"Oh, Miss Wheezy!" Dobby gasped, fingering the atrocious socks lovingly before bursting into tear. "Miss is too good to Dobby, Miss is."
"Don't worry about it," Ginny assured him, patting his head. "They were loads of fun to make."
"Miss is making Dobby's present?" the elf squealed in delight.
"It was fun," she repeated with a shrug, accepting another rib-crushing hug from the hysterical elf. "Um, look - whatever you guys are making in here smells fantastic. Is it cider?"
"Yes, Miss," Dobby was wiping his eyes. "Cider is Winky's favorite holiday food, Miss. She is making it very well." Winky, after a long sabbatical from life in general, had at last returned to the Hogwarts' house elf staff. To the best of Ginny's knowledge, the once depressed elf was doing quite well and enjoying her work immensely.
Ginny followed Dobby further into the kitchen, again struck by the mouth- watering scent of ginger and cinnamon.
"Dobby, are you making gingerbread?"
"We is, Miss, we is indeed," the elf replied, proffering a cup of cider that had appeared out of nowhere to her.
"Can I have some? Mum always makes it at home."
"Certainly, Miss, certainly," Dobby said. "But I is afraid you may be waiting a few minutes. We was making the gingerbread for Mr. Draco, Miss, and he is using all of it."
Ginny almost dropped her mug. Draco? As in Draco Malfoy?
"What's he using it for?" she demanded.
"Come and see, Miss," Dobby ushered her through the main part of the kitchen, where they were greeted by hundreds of smiling elves, and through a wooden archway hung with fir and holly.
And there, seated with his back to them at a scrubbed wooden table, was the pale blonde. He was bent over something, muttering nonsensically to himself. His tall figure blocked whatever he was working on from view.
"Malfoy?" she blurted out. He whirled, obviously too wrapped up in whatever he was doing to notice her entrance, and Ginny took a moment to size him up. He was looking tousled, his blonde hair spiking becomingly in every direction all over his head. He was dressed in a pair of midnight blue, loose-fitting flannel pajama pants and a tight silver silk tee with a green snake curled in the middle.
Bottom line: he was adorable.
Ginny giggled.
"Weasel!" he snapped, glaring at her and still blocking whatever he had been working on with his tall form. "What're you doing?"
"I could ask you the same thing," she said curiously, glancing around. The small room in which they stood had only a table, two comfortable armchairs, and a little cottage door. The torchlight in the room was dim and Ginny could just make out, through the door, a pretty courtyard, bathed in moonlight. She glanced back at Draco, catching sight of a flash of white from behind him.
"What's that, Malfoy?" she asked, taking a step closer and trying to see around him. He moved to block her view.
"Go away," he said irritably. "Don't you have someone else to bother?"
"Not really," she grinned cheekily at him and took another step closer.
"I'm warning you, Weasel," he growled. He still was glaring imposingly down at her when a house elf came hurrying through door, bearing a tray of every kind of hard candy imaginable.
"Sorry Crinkle is taking so long, Mr. Draco," the elf apologized. "I is having a hard time finding what you is needing for - " he broke off, his gaze falling upon Ginny. Then he giggled. "Ooh, Mr. Draco, is this pretty lady Mr. Draco's girlfriend?" Ginny blushed to the roots of her hair.
Draco actually quirked a smile and snorted. "Hardly." He quickly relieved the elf of his load and turned back to Ginny. But the young woman had been pulling her wits together and before Draco could stop her had dove around him.
"Oh - it's lovely!" she breathed, gazing down with childish delight at the magnificent work of art. It was a gingerbread faery land. Not only was there a glittering house in the center, but Christmas trees, sleds, and even street lamps decorated the marvelous scene.
"Draco," she whispered, turning to regard the thoroughly embarrassed young man now standing helplessly behind her. "Did you make this?"
"No, I just waved my wand," he muttered sardonically. "Of course I made it, Weasel."
"But - well - ?" she faltered. Draco Malfoy, building gingerbread wonderlands? It didn't fit.
"What?" he snapped, reseating himself and getting back to work. He began lining the thatching of the house's roof with red peppermints.
"I'm sorry," Ginny took a seat across the table. "I just didn't fancy you being a Christmas-y kind of guy, I guess." She glanced up at him and was surprised to see a reluctant grin on his face.
"Put it together, Red," he said, still bent over the eves. "What kind of reputation would I have if people knew that I, the high and mighty Draco Malfoy, master of all he surveys, enjoyed Christmas as much as the next bloke?"
"I suppose Ron would have a field day," Ginny returned the grin tentatively. "And Harry wouldn't let you live it down. And Hermoine might actually start liking you - "
"Alright, already!" he interrupted, looking up from where he had been adding clear sprinkles to glare at her severely. "And you're not going to go blabbering about this to anyone, Weasley. Or you'll wish you'd never been born - got it?"
"Don't worry," Ginny raised her hands in mock surrender. "Why would I go ruining something that obviously makes you so happy?"
"It doesn't make me happy," he protested, though Ginny didn't believe it for a moment. "And why shouldn't you do whatever you can to make my life worse than it already is? I haven't exactly given you any good reasons to been nice." He picked up one of the many icing bags strewn around him and began icing a gingerbread tree green.
She shrugged.
"Just cuz you're an arse doesn't mean I have to be as well," she pointed out. He looked up from his fir tree in surprise at her bluntness. But after a moment of regarding her thoughtfully, he seemed to shake himself and went back to his work without a word.
Ginny watched quietly for a while, before finally venturing, "Er - can I help, Draco?"
Whether he was taken aback by her use of his first name or her request was impossible to determine. He stared at her from under his disheveled hair for a long moment.
"All right," he said reluctantly. "But don't screw it up."
Ginny stifled at laugh at Draco's uncharacteristic overprotectiveness of something as trivial as gingerbread and slid her chair over next to his.
"Right," he said, stretching and cracking his fingers. "We need some sparkle. Have at it with the sprinkles."
She did, though she was careful only to sprinkle where she was told. She had a feeling he'd start crying if she botched up his hard work at all.
"So," she said, picking up a bottle of green sparkles and starting on the nearest tree. "What's a guy like you doing with festive cheer?"
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"Put it together, Mal-ferret," she smirked, throwing his words back in his face. "Reputation or no, Malfoys don't seem the types to do this sort of thing."
"Put it this way," Draco added several pretty green icing/holly-looking things to the top of the doorframe. "When you don't have something like a holiday-card Christmas just handed to you in a bucket, you make your own tidings of joy." Something in his voice made Ginny decide to drop it. On the other hand, that left an open-ended silence in the room, and Ginny didn't like it. However, she let it go on until Draco was satisfied with their gingerbread house/sledding/winter-wonderland.
"Looks a treat," he grinned boyishly at it, seeming to have forgotten Ginny. She had the good sense to ruin the moment by sighing and leaning her head on his shoulder without thinking.
"It's beautiful," she murmured, unaware of the alarmed look he was giving the top of her head. She sat up after a moment and absently licked her fingers clean.
"That's disgusting, Weasel," Draco stared at her as her tongue cleaned the delicious icing from her skin.
"No it's not; it's yummy," she told him flatly. A wicked thought entered her mind and she lifted her frosting bag and squirted some directly into her mouth. She giggled as it squelched wonderfully in her mouth. Draco looked revolted, and unwillingly amused.
"What?" Ginny sniggered at his comical expression. She held out the bag and watched him back nervously away. "Really, try it, Draco. It's sugary goodness."
"No, that's really okay," he assured her, backing into the wall. Ginny followed, armed with her frosting.
"No, I really think you should try some," she insisted evilly.
"And you know, I really think I'll pass - thanks."
"Right - you asked for it." She took aim and fired. Green icing shot out of the bag and appeared again in a squiggly mess across his face.
"What the - Weasel!" he spluttered. He gaped at her for a long moment, before an evil twinkle entered his stormy eyes. Whipping out his wand, he pointed it at the table.
"Accio red icing." It shot into his hand and before Ginny could move, her entire face and front were covered in swirls of red. She shrieked and grabbed another tube of f the table.
"Bring it, Malfoy!" she shouted, firing even as he dove around her and grabbed another icing bag. He took aim with a rather maniacal bark of laughter. Furiously squirting spun sugar of various colors at each other, Draco and Ginny were soon in similar states as the gingerbread house. It was only a matter of time before Ginny was also equipped with a sprinkle shaker and Draco had a handful of multicolored gumdrops.
It was Ginny whose fingers found the knob of the door into the courtyard. She almost managed to slam it on Draco but he jammed himself between the closing door and the frame in time to stop the door from closing. Ginny squeals and tore off across the courtyard.
"You can run, but you can't hide!" Draco stalked across the stone path. Ginny gasped as she realized she was being backed into a huge statue of Eudora the Endearing and promptly emptied her ammunition into Draco's hair.
"You'll pay for that, Ginger," he promised, trying to run a hand through his blonde locks and winding up with a spiking green and blue mess and a handful of frosting.
"I live in fear," she mocked, pulling the top off her sprinkle bottle and dumping it over his head with agonizing slowness. He closed his eyes in mock rage as the sprinkles poured down over his front.
"Blue dandruff," Ginny couldn't help giggling. "Dunno, Malfoy, but I'd have a problem like that looked at by professionals."
Try as he might, Draco couldn't keep a smirk from his face. In fact, he looked as though he was having the time of his life despite his ruined clothing and the disgusting state of his hair.
"Would you?" he asked. "Reckon green hair's more of a personal problem, don't you think?" And he emptied the last of his green and red into her hair in a would-be crown of frosting. Blue and multicolored sprinkles followed. Ginny stood perfectly still until he was quite finished.
"Are you quite finished?"
"Quite." He took a step back to survey his handiwork appreciatively.
"Good, cuz I want another go!" And she scraped some of her icing beret off and pressed her hand to his face. She wasn't finished, although his sputtering lips were tickling her palm. Deliberately she rubbed her hand across his face a few times. She removed her hand and waited for a reaction.
"Okay, that was just sick-making," Draco informed her, ineffectually wiping at the mess that was his face with the back of his hand. Ginny waited for him to retaliate, but instead he surprised her by going to sit on the stone wall of a pretty fountain at the center of the courtyard. Ginny hesitated, and then followed him. She took a seat beside him.
"Ha! Fooled you!" And he whipped a final bottle out of his pajama pocket and squirted the contents down the front of Ginny's low-cut shirt. She shrieked as a majority of the red goo settled into her bra. Draco burst out laughing at the look on her face.
"Good god, what I wouldn't give for a camera!" he gasped, resting his forearms on his knees to catch his breath. "Where's your little friend Creevey when you need him?"
"Sod off, Malfoy," Ginny muttered. She gave up any thought of cleaning out her shirt, as there was just no discreet way of doing it with Draco around. She couldn't help smiling, though. This really was making her Christmas Eve. Who'd have thought a furious frosting fight with Draco Malfoy would have been so much fun?
The above-mentioned young man was currently bent over the fountain, using the water still flowing from it (apparently, it was enchanted not to freeze) to wash the icing from his face and hair.
"Reckon those sprinkles are there to stay," Ginny pointed out, splashing her own face with the frigid water. She didn't bother with her hair. Only several shampooings would see that clean.
"I should make you pay for that, Ginger," he said, lifting his soaking head from the water and shaking it like a wet dog. Ginny shouted as icy drops hit her.
"Hey!"
He grinned at her.
"Oh, sorry, Weasel, didn't see you there," he smirked, though the expression held none of its usual malice. He shook his head again, and though Ginny made loud noises of protest and jumped further away, she noticed how nice he looked with his hair hanging in complete disarray. It took her a moment to notice that, though Draco was no longer shaking his head, wet drops of water were still hitting her. She looked up -
"Snow!" she exclaimed. Indeed, masses of thick, white flakes were falling silently all around her. She gave a delighted squeal and threw her arms around Draco, jumping up and down. She ignored the icing squishing in her shirt.
"It's snowing! It's snowing!" Draco stood in stiff surprise for a moment, then Ginny felt his arms wrap around her waist and to her astonishment, he put on a high falsetto and mimicked her.
"It's snowing! It's snowing!" She pulled back and slapped his arm.
"Shut up! I'm excited, okay?"
"Yeah - if excited is another word for 'mental,'" but Draco was smiling thoughtfully at her. "I just don't know about you, Weasel."
They stood there for a few more minutes, half hugging and watching the courtyard being covered in a thin blanket of white.
"Not to break up the moment, Ginger, but I'm getting bloody cold," Draco finally said softly.
"It's no wonder, really," she giggled. "If you're not careful, your hair'll freeze like that, Draco." This was already happening. Tiny icicles were forming in his sopping blonde locks. He smirked. She took his hand and dragged him back toward the door of the kitchens. Waiting for them were Dobby, Winky, and the little elf called Crinkle.
"Miss Wheezy, what is you THINKING?" Dobby squealed, pulling her in.
"Mr. Draco will get so sick!" Crinkle moaned, dragging Draco toward the fireplace of the main kitchen.
"Stop that! I'm fine!" Draco managed to wrench his arm from the excitable elf's strong grip at the doorway.
"We should probably go," Ginny sighed, realizing how late it was. "What should we do about your gingerbread house?"
"We could come down and eat it tomorrow morning," Draco suggested, not meeting her eyes. Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"Is that an invitation?" she asked, mock-coyly.
"Sod off, Weasel," he snapped. "I could just eat it myself, you know."
"I wasn't saying no," she told him. "And you've already made the offer. I'll be here." She stepped to the door and tried to push passed, but someone was gripping the back of her shirt. She glanced down. Dobby was smiling slyly up at her.
"Miss can't leave yet," he said, nodding toward the doorframe above her and Draco, who was sharing the doorframe. They looked up and Ginny groaned. What she had initially mistaken for holly was now showing its true colors:
"Bloody mistletoe," Draco muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Well, really!" Ginny couldn't help feeling a bit defensive. "I'm not that repulsive, am I?"
"At the moment?" Draco gave her an expressive once-over and Ginny smiled reluctantly. She was still covered in frosting, of course.
"Mr. Draco must kiss his girlfriend before his is leaving," Winky put in, looking rather gleeful.
"He's not - "
"She isn't - "
The three elves grinned toothily at them.
"Oh, bloody - " Draco suddenly grabbed her shoulders and gave her a firm, quick kiss. Ginny felt her eyes widen. She hadn't actually expected him to do it. He pulled back and glared at her, as though the whole mess was her fault. She glared back for a moment, then her face split into a grin.
"You taste like vanilla," she told him, smiling innocently.
"Oh, big surprise," he retorted, the corners of his mouth twitching in a barely suppressed smirk.
"Oh, Mr. DRACO," Crinkle sighed in disappointment. "You is not giving her a PROPER kiss, you isn't!"
Ginny couldn't help herself.
"Yeah, Draco, what's your problem? THIS is a proper kiss, you silly boy," and she wrapped her hand around the back of his head and pulled his mouth down to hers. In his defense, he pretended to resist at first. But when her tongue prodded his lips he opened his mouth quite willingly. He didn't even object when her frosting-covered hands tangled in his newly washed hair.
The cheering of every house elf in the kitchen brought Ginny round and she pulled away. He stared down at her in wonder for a long moment.
"Funny thing," he said at last. "You taste like vanilla, too." He turned away and walked slowly across the kitchen to the main door. Then he paused and turned.
"Sweet dreams, Ginger."
________________________________
*Sigh* I love Christmas!! This just kinda came to me and has been begging to be written. As my other story "Sometimes, I Even Amaze Myself" also ends on Christmas, I'm trying desperately to finish the last chappy before X- mas. Have faith in me, my faithful readers!
Cheers!
By Jedi Tess of Gryffindor
Summary: Simply put - Ginny, Draco, lots of icing, a bit of gingerbread, and three mischievous house elves. Oh, yeah - and some atrocious socks!
A/N: Hope this tides you all over until "Sometimes, I Even Amaze Myself" is finished!
Disclaimer: I think Santa'll bring me more presents if I do this right for once, so here goes. All character and situations belong to Ms. J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Respectively. I am making no money off the creation of this fic.
How was that?
Merry Christmas, all!
_______________________________
She was a woman on a mission.
The tall redhead stole silently down the corridors of Hogwarts with bated breath. It was her favorite day of the entire year. December 24th - Christmas Eve.
Passing one of the windows through which shown the ethereal glow of the unclouded moon, she paused, keeping the borrowed invisibility cloak wrapped securely around her shoulders. Gazing out over the frosty landscape, she couldn't help but allow a sigh to escape her lips. So far her Christmas break had been perfect. She had opted to stay alone at Hogwarts for the holidays this year, while her brother and his two best friends went home to the Burrow to be with the family.
The sixth year had had no desire to join her them. She needed solitude this year - needed freedom from the typical hustle and bustle of her house. She needed the liberty to do whatever struck her fancy, whether it be sleeping all day and getting up to play under the stars at night, or sneak down to the kitchens at eleven at night to putter around, as she was now doing.
In fact, her entire holiday thus far had been lovely. She hadn't felt lonely, despite the fact that there were no more than ten other students remaining at Hogwarts for Christmas and none of them were Gryffindors.
The only thing missing was snow.
The girl sighed again, glaring at the moon. Never in her entire life had it not snowed for Christmas. And now, though it was bitterly cold, the sky remained cloudless by day and night.
She snorted. Trust the fates to stick one sharp thorn on the long-stemmed rose of her happiest holiday ever!
She shook herself. No! She would not get dismal over a little thing like snow. She was having a fabulous time, dammit, and the uncooperative weather was not going to spoil anything. Turning from the window, she hurried along the narrow passage that led to her destination, praying that Mrs. Norris wouldn't pop up suddenly, as she was frequently apt to do.
No Mrs. Norris appeared, however, and the redhead at last reached her objective.
The kitchens.
She tickled the pear, as the twins had taught her years ago, and climbed through the open portrait hole. The smell of fresh cider and homemade gingerbread made her mouth water. One of the only things she really missed about not going home that year was her mum's gingerbread. Every Christmas Eve that every Weasley child was at home, the seven would stay up until midnight building gingerbread houses. Often, they turned into lopsided, haphazard castles of gingerbread, creamy icing, and gumdrops, but the memories still brought a smile to her face. She was just removing the invisibility cloak when -
"Miss Wheezy!" a green blur slammed into Ginny's gut so suddenly that she was nearly knocked over.
"Dobby!" she gasped, working desperately to pry the house elf's arms from her waist. "Look, I'm happy to see you, too, but I can't breathe!"
"Dobby is sorry, Miss," the elf released her immediately and backed up a step to beam happily at her. "Dobby is just so happy to be seeing Miss Wheezy again, Miss."
"It's good to see you, too, Dobby," she smiled in return. Harry had introduced her to the house elf a few years ago and she had dutifully come to visit every holiday since. Reaching into her pocket, she produced a gold- wrapped package and handed it to the elf.
"Happy Christmas, Dobby," she said, watching in some amusement as his large eyes widened to engulf about half his face. Slowly and with great care, the elf unwrapped his gift and gasped as a hideously mismatched pair of socks fell out. One was paisley and burst into burn-safe flame at unlucky moments. The other had been enchanted with pictures of Harry's head orbiting the ankles, while Ron smiled up from each of the toes. She had always been especially good with Charms.
"Oh, Miss Wheezy!" Dobby gasped, fingering the atrocious socks lovingly before bursting into tear. "Miss is too good to Dobby, Miss is."
"Don't worry about it," Ginny assured him, patting his head. "They were loads of fun to make."
"Miss is making Dobby's present?" the elf squealed in delight.
"It was fun," she repeated with a shrug, accepting another rib-crushing hug from the hysterical elf. "Um, look - whatever you guys are making in here smells fantastic. Is it cider?"
"Yes, Miss," Dobby was wiping his eyes. "Cider is Winky's favorite holiday food, Miss. She is making it very well." Winky, after a long sabbatical from life in general, had at last returned to the Hogwarts' house elf staff. To the best of Ginny's knowledge, the once depressed elf was doing quite well and enjoying her work immensely.
Ginny followed Dobby further into the kitchen, again struck by the mouth- watering scent of ginger and cinnamon.
"Dobby, are you making gingerbread?"
"We is, Miss, we is indeed," the elf replied, proffering a cup of cider that had appeared out of nowhere to her.
"Can I have some? Mum always makes it at home."
"Certainly, Miss, certainly," Dobby said. "But I is afraid you may be waiting a few minutes. We was making the gingerbread for Mr. Draco, Miss, and he is using all of it."
Ginny almost dropped her mug. Draco? As in Draco Malfoy?
"What's he using it for?" she demanded.
"Come and see, Miss," Dobby ushered her through the main part of the kitchen, where they were greeted by hundreds of smiling elves, and through a wooden archway hung with fir and holly.
And there, seated with his back to them at a scrubbed wooden table, was the pale blonde. He was bent over something, muttering nonsensically to himself. His tall figure blocked whatever he was working on from view.
"Malfoy?" she blurted out. He whirled, obviously too wrapped up in whatever he was doing to notice her entrance, and Ginny took a moment to size him up. He was looking tousled, his blonde hair spiking becomingly in every direction all over his head. He was dressed in a pair of midnight blue, loose-fitting flannel pajama pants and a tight silver silk tee with a green snake curled in the middle.
Bottom line: he was adorable.
Ginny giggled.
"Weasel!" he snapped, glaring at her and still blocking whatever he had been working on with his tall form. "What're you doing?"
"I could ask you the same thing," she said curiously, glancing around. The small room in which they stood had only a table, two comfortable armchairs, and a little cottage door. The torchlight in the room was dim and Ginny could just make out, through the door, a pretty courtyard, bathed in moonlight. She glanced back at Draco, catching sight of a flash of white from behind him.
"What's that, Malfoy?" she asked, taking a step closer and trying to see around him. He moved to block her view.
"Go away," he said irritably. "Don't you have someone else to bother?"
"Not really," she grinned cheekily at him and took another step closer.
"I'm warning you, Weasel," he growled. He still was glaring imposingly down at her when a house elf came hurrying through door, bearing a tray of every kind of hard candy imaginable.
"Sorry Crinkle is taking so long, Mr. Draco," the elf apologized. "I is having a hard time finding what you is needing for - " he broke off, his gaze falling upon Ginny. Then he giggled. "Ooh, Mr. Draco, is this pretty lady Mr. Draco's girlfriend?" Ginny blushed to the roots of her hair.
Draco actually quirked a smile and snorted. "Hardly." He quickly relieved the elf of his load and turned back to Ginny. But the young woman had been pulling her wits together and before Draco could stop her had dove around him.
"Oh - it's lovely!" she breathed, gazing down with childish delight at the magnificent work of art. It was a gingerbread faery land. Not only was there a glittering house in the center, but Christmas trees, sleds, and even street lamps decorated the marvelous scene.
"Draco," she whispered, turning to regard the thoroughly embarrassed young man now standing helplessly behind her. "Did you make this?"
"No, I just waved my wand," he muttered sardonically. "Of course I made it, Weasel."
"But - well - ?" she faltered. Draco Malfoy, building gingerbread wonderlands? It didn't fit.
"What?" he snapped, reseating himself and getting back to work. He began lining the thatching of the house's roof with red peppermints.
"I'm sorry," Ginny took a seat across the table. "I just didn't fancy you being a Christmas-y kind of guy, I guess." She glanced up at him and was surprised to see a reluctant grin on his face.
"Put it together, Red," he said, still bent over the eves. "What kind of reputation would I have if people knew that I, the high and mighty Draco Malfoy, master of all he surveys, enjoyed Christmas as much as the next bloke?"
"I suppose Ron would have a field day," Ginny returned the grin tentatively. "And Harry wouldn't let you live it down. And Hermoine might actually start liking you - "
"Alright, already!" he interrupted, looking up from where he had been adding clear sprinkles to glare at her severely. "And you're not going to go blabbering about this to anyone, Weasley. Or you'll wish you'd never been born - got it?"
"Don't worry," Ginny raised her hands in mock surrender. "Why would I go ruining something that obviously makes you so happy?"
"It doesn't make me happy," he protested, though Ginny didn't believe it for a moment. "And why shouldn't you do whatever you can to make my life worse than it already is? I haven't exactly given you any good reasons to been nice." He picked up one of the many icing bags strewn around him and began icing a gingerbread tree green.
She shrugged.
"Just cuz you're an arse doesn't mean I have to be as well," she pointed out. He looked up from his fir tree in surprise at her bluntness. But after a moment of regarding her thoughtfully, he seemed to shake himself and went back to his work without a word.
Ginny watched quietly for a while, before finally venturing, "Er - can I help, Draco?"
Whether he was taken aback by her use of his first name or her request was impossible to determine. He stared at her from under his disheveled hair for a long moment.
"All right," he said reluctantly. "But don't screw it up."
Ginny stifled at laugh at Draco's uncharacteristic overprotectiveness of something as trivial as gingerbread and slid her chair over next to his.
"Right," he said, stretching and cracking his fingers. "We need some sparkle. Have at it with the sprinkles."
She did, though she was careful only to sprinkle where she was told. She had a feeling he'd start crying if she botched up his hard work at all.
"So," she said, picking up a bottle of green sparkles and starting on the nearest tree. "What's a guy like you doing with festive cheer?"
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"Put it together, Mal-ferret," she smirked, throwing his words back in his face. "Reputation or no, Malfoys don't seem the types to do this sort of thing."
"Put it this way," Draco added several pretty green icing/holly-looking things to the top of the doorframe. "When you don't have something like a holiday-card Christmas just handed to you in a bucket, you make your own tidings of joy." Something in his voice made Ginny decide to drop it. On the other hand, that left an open-ended silence in the room, and Ginny didn't like it. However, she let it go on until Draco was satisfied with their gingerbread house/sledding/winter-wonderland.
"Looks a treat," he grinned boyishly at it, seeming to have forgotten Ginny. She had the good sense to ruin the moment by sighing and leaning her head on his shoulder without thinking.
"It's beautiful," she murmured, unaware of the alarmed look he was giving the top of her head. She sat up after a moment and absently licked her fingers clean.
"That's disgusting, Weasel," Draco stared at her as her tongue cleaned the delicious icing from her skin.
"No it's not; it's yummy," she told him flatly. A wicked thought entered her mind and she lifted her frosting bag and squirted some directly into her mouth. She giggled as it squelched wonderfully in her mouth. Draco looked revolted, and unwillingly amused.
"What?" Ginny sniggered at his comical expression. She held out the bag and watched him back nervously away. "Really, try it, Draco. It's sugary goodness."
"No, that's really okay," he assured her, backing into the wall. Ginny followed, armed with her frosting.
"No, I really think you should try some," she insisted evilly.
"And you know, I really think I'll pass - thanks."
"Right - you asked for it." She took aim and fired. Green icing shot out of the bag and appeared again in a squiggly mess across his face.
"What the - Weasel!" he spluttered. He gaped at her for a long moment, before an evil twinkle entered his stormy eyes. Whipping out his wand, he pointed it at the table.
"Accio red icing." It shot into his hand and before Ginny could move, her entire face and front were covered in swirls of red. She shrieked and grabbed another tube of f the table.
"Bring it, Malfoy!" she shouted, firing even as he dove around her and grabbed another icing bag. He took aim with a rather maniacal bark of laughter. Furiously squirting spun sugar of various colors at each other, Draco and Ginny were soon in similar states as the gingerbread house. It was only a matter of time before Ginny was also equipped with a sprinkle shaker and Draco had a handful of multicolored gumdrops.
It was Ginny whose fingers found the knob of the door into the courtyard. She almost managed to slam it on Draco but he jammed himself between the closing door and the frame in time to stop the door from closing. Ginny squeals and tore off across the courtyard.
"You can run, but you can't hide!" Draco stalked across the stone path. Ginny gasped as she realized she was being backed into a huge statue of Eudora the Endearing and promptly emptied her ammunition into Draco's hair.
"You'll pay for that, Ginger," he promised, trying to run a hand through his blonde locks and winding up with a spiking green and blue mess and a handful of frosting.
"I live in fear," she mocked, pulling the top off her sprinkle bottle and dumping it over his head with agonizing slowness. He closed his eyes in mock rage as the sprinkles poured down over his front.
"Blue dandruff," Ginny couldn't help giggling. "Dunno, Malfoy, but I'd have a problem like that looked at by professionals."
Try as he might, Draco couldn't keep a smirk from his face. In fact, he looked as though he was having the time of his life despite his ruined clothing and the disgusting state of his hair.
"Would you?" he asked. "Reckon green hair's more of a personal problem, don't you think?" And he emptied the last of his green and red into her hair in a would-be crown of frosting. Blue and multicolored sprinkles followed. Ginny stood perfectly still until he was quite finished.
"Are you quite finished?"
"Quite." He took a step back to survey his handiwork appreciatively.
"Good, cuz I want another go!" And she scraped some of her icing beret off and pressed her hand to his face. She wasn't finished, although his sputtering lips were tickling her palm. Deliberately she rubbed her hand across his face a few times. She removed her hand and waited for a reaction.
"Okay, that was just sick-making," Draco informed her, ineffectually wiping at the mess that was his face with the back of his hand. Ginny waited for him to retaliate, but instead he surprised her by going to sit on the stone wall of a pretty fountain at the center of the courtyard. Ginny hesitated, and then followed him. She took a seat beside him.
"Ha! Fooled you!" And he whipped a final bottle out of his pajama pocket and squirted the contents down the front of Ginny's low-cut shirt. She shrieked as a majority of the red goo settled into her bra. Draco burst out laughing at the look on her face.
"Good god, what I wouldn't give for a camera!" he gasped, resting his forearms on his knees to catch his breath. "Where's your little friend Creevey when you need him?"
"Sod off, Malfoy," Ginny muttered. She gave up any thought of cleaning out her shirt, as there was just no discreet way of doing it with Draco around. She couldn't help smiling, though. This really was making her Christmas Eve. Who'd have thought a furious frosting fight with Draco Malfoy would have been so much fun?
The above-mentioned young man was currently bent over the fountain, using the water still flowing from it (apparently, it was enchanted not to freeze) to wash the icing from his face and hair.
"Reckon those sprinkles are there to stay," Ginny pointed out, splashing her own face with the frigid water. She didn't bother with her hair. Only several shampooings would see that clean.
"I should make you pay for that, Ginger," he said, lifting his soaking head from the water and shaking it like a wet dog. Ginny shouted as icy drops hit her.
"Hey!"
He grinned at her.
"Oh, sorry, Weasel, didn't see you there," he smirked, though the expression held none of its usual malice. He shook his head again, and though Ginny made loud noises of protest and jumped further away, she noticed how nice he looked with his hair hanging in complete disarray. It took her a moment to notice that, though Draco was no longer shaking his head, wet drops of water were still hitting her. She looked up -
"Snow!" she exclaimed. Indeed, masses of thick, white flakes were falling silently all around her. She gave a delighted squeal and threw her arms around Draco, jumping up and down. She ignored the icing squishing in her shirt.
"It's snowing! It's snowing!" Draco stood in stiff surprise for a moment, then Ginny felt his arms wrap around her waist and to her astonishment, he put on a high falsetto and mimicked her.
"It's snowing! It's snowing!" She pulled back and slapped his arm.
"Shut up! I'm excited, okay?"
"Yeah - if excited is another word for 'mental,'" but Draco was smiling thoughtfully at her. "I just don't know about you, Weasel."
They stood there for a few more minutes, half hugging and watching the courtyard being covered in a thin blanket of white.
"Not to break up the moment, Ginger, but I'm getting bloody cold," Draco finally said softly.
"It's no wonder, really," she giggled. "If you're not careful, your hair'll freeze like that, Draco." This was already happening. Tiny icicles were forming in his sopping blonde locks. He smirked. She took his hand and dragged him back toward the door of the kitchens. Waiting for them were Dobby, Winky, and the little elf called Crinkle.
"Miss Wheezy, what is you THINKING?" Dobby squealed, pulling her in.
"Mr. Draco will get so sick!" Crinkle moaned, dragging Draco toward the fireplace of the main kitchen.
"Stop that! I'm fine!" Draco managed to wrench his arm from the excitable elf's strong grip at the doorway.
"We should probably go," Ginny sighed, realizing how late it was. "What should we do about your gingerbread house?"
"We could come down and eat it tomorrow morning," Draco suggested, not meeting her eyes. Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"Is that an invitation?" she asked, mock-coyly.
"Sod off, Weasel," he snapped. "I could just eat it myself, you know."
"I wasn't saying no," she told him. "And you've already made the offer. I'll be here." She stepped to the door and tried to push passed, but someone was gripping the back of her shirt. She glanced down. Dobby was smiling slyly up at her.
"Miss can't leave yet," he said, nodding toward the doorframe above her and Draco, who was sharing the doorframe. They looked up and Ginny groaned. What she had initially mistaken for holly was now showing its true colors:
"Bloody mistletoe," Draco muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Well, really!" Ginny couldn't help feeling a bit defensive. "I'm not that repulsive, am I?"
"At the moment?" Draco gave her an expressive once-over and Ginny smiled reluctantly. She was still covered in frosting, of course.
"Mr. Draco must kiss his girlfriend before his is leaving," Winky put in, looking rather gleeful.
"He's not - "
"She isn't - "
The three elves grinned toothily at them.
"Oh, bloody - " Draco suddenly grabbed her shoulders and gave her a firm, quick kiss. Ginny felt her eyes widen. She hadn't actually expected him to do it. He pulled back and glared at her, as though the whole mess was her fault. She glared back for a moment, then her face split into a grin.
"You taste like vanilla," she told him, smiling innocently.
"Oh, big surprise," he retorted, the corners of his mouth twitching in a barely suppressed smirk.
"Oh, Mr. DRACO," Crinkle sighed in disappointment. "You is not giving her a PROPER kiss, you isn't!"
Ginny couldn't help herself.
"Yeah, Draco, what's your problem? THIS is a proper kiss, you silly boy," and she wrapped her hand around the back of his head and pulled his mouth down to hers. In his defense, he pretended to resist at first. But when her tongue prodded his lips he opened his mouth quite willingly. He didn't even object when her frosting-covered hands tangled in his newly washed hair.
The cheering of every house elf in the kitchen brought Ginny round and she pulled away. He stared down at her in wonder for a long moment.
"Funny thing," he said at last. "You taste like vanilla, too." He turned away and walked slowly across the kitchen to the main door. Then he paused and turned.
"Sweet dreams, Ginger."
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*Sigh* I love Christmas!! This just kinda came to me and has been begging to be written. As my other story "Sometimes, I Even Amaze Myself" also ends on Christmas, I'm trying desperately to finish the last chappy before X- mas. Have faith in me, my faithful readers!
Cheers!