The Starbug
The year that marked Ginny's fourth year at Hogwarts saw the Christmas decorations in the Great Hall more extravagant than ever. The tables were adorned with floating bowls of oil, sprinkled with mint, the center protruding a tiny, constantly lit candle that never seemed to run down, and their expanses covered in a fine cream-coloured table cloth that simply would not hold stains. Around the hall hovered lit candles and mischevious mistletoe, Christmas bulbs glittering higher in the vaulted ceiling. The windows were covered in vines of holly and sparkling tinsel, the great arch that led into the Hall likewise. Frankly, the moment Ginny entered the Hall, she felt like she had stepped into a startlingly wonderful fairy tale. And the best part, the best part was the tree.
This year, the Hall only sported one Christmas tree, but it was the largest Hogwarts would see in Ginny's generation, and the most elaborately decorated. It was the centerpiece, as though the whole hall, magnificent though it was, were only the table; it rose almost to the vaulted ceiling, and left little room for the eyes to wander. It sparkled all the Hogwarts colours, bringing them together in a type of unity that not even the Slytherins wanted to complain about, and atop it was the most beautiful starbug any of them had ever seen.
Of course, you had to know what a starbug was. Actually, they weren't stars, or bugs, though some people did consider them pests. They were a large type of fairy, just as vain and eager for admiration as the others, but for some reasons about ten times as beautiful. This one in particular was content to be thought a live ornament, with her wings flexed outwards, her small hands and legs ocassionally changing into a new position. She wasn't clad in particularly anything but a transparent piece of mooncloth that shimmered along her petit form, complimenting her dazzling skin. There was not a colour you could use to describe a starbug. Starbugs were all colours at once, every shade and tint of the spectrum seemed to radiate off their skin and their wings, gentle beams of light reflecting from their bright eyes.
Ginny was entranced by the starbug the moment she saw it, clapping her hands over her mouth in wonder. "It's beautiful!" she told the girl who sat beside her, "It's beautiful!!" The girl nodded, absently, and paid the eccentric Weasley no mind. This Christmas, the halls and dormitories of Hogwarts bordered on empty--most people had headed home. Ginny, however, had opted to stay; now, she greatly appreciated that choice.
The incident that calls for such a story to be written happened maybe a week into the Christmas vacation, on the Eve of Christmas itself. Ginny had always been a light sleeper, but tonight it seemed she couldn't sleep at all. She heard every snore and shuffle from the beds of her Dorm mates (at least the sparse two that had remained); every creak of branches on the grounds, every howl of wind--heck, she fancied she could hear the snowflakes floating to a stop on her windowsill. She rose from her bed, disheveled, and crept silently over to the window where she stood a few moments admiring the beauty of winter that was all around. The grounds were coated in a blanket of white snow, untouched, the navy sky dotted with stars and the atmosphere alight with little patterned snowflakes that twirled and danced about each other. Beyond, she could see the Forbidden Forest, dense as ever. Though some of the trees had lost their leaves, many of them (by some strange spell or another) had retained them. The dark, mossy green they gave to the white and brown and blue colours all around made the sight of this night even more beautiful.
Ginny had always considered Christmas Eve to be sacred. She was from a relatively poor family, so they had never had many presents to wake up to, but they had always shared family dinners and stayed awake late into the night, sitting around the crackling fire and murmuring family-like words to each other. Suddenly, she felt terribly alone, and a yearning for the Burrow's warm and jolly Christmas ambience surrounded her. She missed her home. She missed her family. Maybe staying at Hogwarts this year hadn't been her brightest idea.
To rid herself of these thoughts, she slipped out of her night clothing and into a pair of jeans and a jumper. Pushing her feet into her sneakers and murmuring a Silencing Charm on them, she quietly made her way down the stairs into the Common Room, and then out the portrait door, to the disaproval of the Fat Lady. "Go back to sleep, Miss!" the woman chided, "It's Christmas Eve and you should be asleep!"
Paying no heed to the scolding portrait, Ginny crept quietly down the many staircases and hallways, until she finally reached the Great Hall. And there it was, the large, shining Christmas tree, possibly more beautiful now that all the candles and lights had been extinguished in the Hall. It glittered all those beautiful colours, slanting downwards and moving slightly, as though it were alive. Atop it, fast asleep, was the beautiful starbug, snoring lightly and shifting her wings to the movement of the tree.
There was a scuffle behind her, and Ginny whirled around, a slight sound escaping her lips as she saw a flash of blonde hair and dark robes. Her eyes narrowing, she made a move to chase after the person, but was held back by a sharp pain in her scalp. Twisting around, she saw why. One tendril of her long, russet red hair was currently being held captive by none other than the beautiful starbug, who was hovering expectantly above her head. "Let go!" she whispered, hurriedly, afraid that whomever had just saw her would alert the teachers, "Please!"
The starbug chirped, dangerously loud, a clear and cutting sound in the echoing silence of the Great Hall. Ginny flinched at the sound, and then winced even more as the starbug began to tug her towards the open doors at the other end of the Hall. Panicked, Ginny swatted her hands at the bug, but was cleanly dodged. The one time she managed to get a whack in at the starbug's slender and graceful body, she was bitten, hard. Pulling her hand away, she saw a trickle of blood leak down from the bitten finger, and grimaced resentfully at the demanding fairy.
At this point, she had already been pulled out of the Great Hall, into the Hall that, at its end, was home to Hogwarts' magnificent oak front doors. To be festive, they had been decorated in much the same fashion as the windows and arch in the Great Hall, the only difference being that many glittering symbols of mistletoe and Christmas trees covered in snow had been carved into its length. Ginny gave up, and found herself hoping that whoever had seen her would indeed alert a teacher. She'd had no idea something so frail and bewitching could be so strong--not to mention, possessing of such sharp teeth.
Complacently, she followed the starbug, but again began to panic as she found the tiny creature leading her straight for the front doors. Surely, it couldn't take her outside of the school. It'd have to open the doors first, and something so lithe simply could not manage to open doors so large. Ginny knew she couldn't open those doors if she tried, either. Puzzled, Ginny followed, but became even more perplexed as they reached the doors and the bug stopped, looking at Ginny pointedly. "I can't open these doors," Ginny said to the creature, absently admiring the beauty of the door as she said it, "They're too big."
Ginny swore she saw the bug roll its eyes. Then, it began to glitter (even more, if that was possible), and a shimmering dust seemed to fall from its wings, enveloping both Ginny and the bug identically. It felt ticklish and soft on Ginny's cheeks, and she found herself smiling drunkenly. The dust settled like glowing embers in her red hair, on her jumper and jeans, and the bug confidently led Ginny through the door. Yes, through the door. At the moment, Ginny was a slight awestruck to actually realize that she had walked through a door, but later it would strike her as possibly the second most bizarre thing she had ever done in her life. The first most bizarre was yet to happen.
The first thing that made Ginny aware of the fact that she was outside the warmth of Hogwarts was, contrary to what would seem likely belief, the ice. She slipped and fell on her bottom, the tendril of hair the starbug had been holding being tugged hard, before the bug itself was yanked out of the air and into Ginny's wildly messy hair. The creature chirped, and tugged Ginny's hair hard, obviously a bit angry, before it once again launched itself into the hair, pulling Ginny up with it. She didn't feel the cold at all, but she was immediately alerted to the beauty of the grounds, the tranquility of a serene Christmas Eve.
She sighed, her warm breath causing a pillow of smoke to appear before her. It was only then she realized the bug was tugging her down Hogwarts' many steps, and that she was idly following. "Where are we going?" she questioned, perplexed. The bug chirped and continued to pull her forward down the steps. It seemed like forever before they had descended the many steps that led up to the front door of Hogwarts, when finally they reached the snow-coated ground. Ginny found, as she took a step, that her feet did not sink to make imprints in the packed, wet snow, but seemed to walk above it. She found herself thinking that it was amazing, and probably a result of the starbug's dust, which, as she checked, still glimmered from her jumper and jeans, even as the wet little snowflakes landed to melt on them.
The bug led her at a curve towards the right side of the castle, Ginny plodding along submissively. She supposed it was useless to fight now, since she'd need the bug in order to get back into the castle. So she may as well play along with whatever game the bug was going at.
Abruptly, the bug stopped. Ginny was amazed to see how far they had walked; she could hardly even see the front steps of the castle now, and before her seemed to be a magical courtyard she had never noticed before. It was behind a bend in the castle, with a stone wall curving a half-circle around it. In the middle was a frozen fountain, and Ginny fancied she could see the water tricking beneath the sparkling ice. All around was snow; the stone wall was covered with it at the top; but what truly made this place unique were the blood red roses that clung to the wall, and to the fountain, and to the snow covered benches that lay around the fountain.
"Waw," she said, breathlessly, and the starbug seemed to glow in satisfaction. Suddenly, it tugged her forward and onto one of the benches, releasing her hair so that it could hover before her. It chirped, pointing a finger at her, then at the bench. "You wait me to sit?" Ginny questioned. The bug nodded its head, chirping in affirmation. Ginny sat, the red roses her hands lay on feeling irresistably warm to the touch.
The bug bowed, and, to Ginny's horror, zoomed away. "Wait!" Ginny cried, pouncing off of the bench. But it was too late, the bug had already left, and she was alone in this strange, frozen wonderland, with no way of getting back into the castle. Peeved, she settled herself back onto the bench. The walk from here to the front steps seemed too far, and, strangely, Ginny couldn't even see the front steps any longer. She didn't even remember which way they had come. "Great," she murmured to herself, "I'm...lost. I'm never following a damn starbug ever again."
It seemed like an eternity before anything happened. She simply been sitting there, brooding over how much she wished was at the Burrow, and randomly admiring the pretty snowflakes and gorgeous roses, when she heard a voice. It was distinctly male. "HEY! YOU DAMNED PEST! DON'T YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH?!"
She was jolted back into reality. The starbug appeared some way off, glittering in the moonlight, with a...a scarf clutched in its dainty hands. Behind it ran a boy, his body glinting with what Ginny assumed to be starbug dust; he was clad in black, a tall, thin figure with blonde-ish hair. She gaped in realization. The voice was familiar, the predatorial run--the hair...as he drew closer, her eyes grew wider, her shock paramount. No, it couldn't be. It simply couldn't be!
But it was. It was Malfoy.
The starbug reached Ginny, dropping the silver and green scarf neatly into her lap, before fluttering off to sit on a rose on the stone wall. The boy stopped some way off, his eyes registering the female figure sitting quietly on the bench, with his scarf draped across her lap. "Weasley?" he shouted, his voice questioning and cold. She didn't answer, and he walked, casually, forward. "Give me my scarf back Weasley."
"Come and get it," she said, trying to maintain a cool outlook. What was he doing here? Damn bug. He loped forward, and Ginny found herself leaning away, her back pressed to the bench, her hands, clenched in her lap, shaking with nervousness. He looked eerily beautiful in what illumination the stars and moon provided--the starbug dust lingered on his eyelashes, and his hair fell wildly into his face from his previous run. His clothes shimmered, his breath billowing forth, harsh with run he'd just had. He walked up to her, until his knees were almost touching hers as she sat.
He held out his hand expectantly, and Ginny held the scarf with two fingers, dropping it gently onto his palm. He grasped it, then placed it around his neck, as though he were cold--although Ginny knew from experience that the dust they both shone with kept away the cold. "Your damn fairy," he spat, turning around to leave. But he couldn't. Every step away from Ginny was like walking through concrete. The feeling struck Ginny, too, and she stood, awkwardly, needing him to stay close to her. "What the hell!" he swore, and they both looked up into the glinting light above their heads, that blazed out of the corner of their eyes.
"BLOODY BUG!" Draco swore loudly, as they both realized what they were seeing. Lingering with a satisfied smile, above both their heads was the starbug, clenched in one hand (the hand that held this particular object above their heads) was a cluster of charmed mistletoe, doubtlessly picked up from the many bunches that hovered around the school.
Ginny's eyes widened. "No!" she said, indignant, "No!!" She took a step back, but was pushed forward by some unseen force. "Nooo!" The charm on the mistletoe made it impossible for them to leave until the deed was done. They maintained some space between them, but only with great effort, as the magic seemed to tug them towards each other.
Draco's eyes narrowed, as they both stood, unsure in the stony garden. He didn't want to kiss the Weasley, even as she stood looking waifishly beautiful before him. The snowflakes and fairy dust had settled in her wild mane, and on her clothing; her cheeks were flushed red from embarassment and her honey brown eyes looked fleetingly downwards. Her lips were a rosey pink...pouting lips.
"Shall we get it over with, Weasley?" he drawled, trying not to let on that he was a bit nervous, "It's no big deal. Not like you haven't been kissed before, right?" He waited for her to laugh it off so that they could just do it already--but she didn't. Instead, she shifted uneasily on her feet. "You...haven't been kissed before?" She nodded, bouncing from foot to foot now. Great. "I suppose we could stand out here all night and wait for some one to find us." The words sounded stupid, even as he said them. Who would find them here, when they didn't even know where they were? This place was obviously one of those strange, shifting places...it could be an eternity before they were found.
They looked up at the starbug, who was still waiting expectantly. "Please don't make us have to do this," Ginny whispered, pleading, to the bug, who only crossed her arms and legs, fluttering comfortably above them. It was obvious the bug had nothing better to do than ruin people's lives--it had all night and all day, and all night...
"Look Weasley, it's not like I want to kiss you any more than you want to kiss me," he said, "But the thing is obviously going to be stubborn about it." She looked directly at him for the first time, and he tried to stifle the butterflies that rose in his stomach. Damnit, she was pretty.
"I don't want to waste my first kiss on you," she said, forgetting her timidity.
"I don't want to waste any kisses on you," Draco retorted.
And so they retired to the bench, their shoulders touching because the spell wouldn't allow them to move farther apart. Ginny drummed her fingers, and Draco tapped his feet. The bug waited patiently, sitting quietly in the air with the mistletoe hanging over their heads. "Why couldn't you remain a pretty ornament?" Ginny asked it suddenly.
"Yeah," Draco agreed, "Couldn't you have stayed on your regal little perch atop that damned tree?"
"It was pretty much the only thing you were good at," Ginny said, stuffily, "Looking pretty."
"Agreed," Draco said, glancing over to look at his female companion, freezing as their eyes caught.
It was an awkward moment, but somehow perfect. The snowflakes fell all around them, the roses lending warmth to their fingers, a warmth that traveled all through their bodies, to rest at their thudding hearts. Draco felt tingles run up and down his spine, Ginny felt all her hair stand on end. But they couldn't look away. Somehow, they were captured in each other's eyes. It was almost like a scene from a muggle movie, where the hero and the heroine stare deeply into each other eyes and...
"Uhm," Ginny said, turning away, breaking the moment in two.
"Yeah," Draco said, turning away, shattering what was left of the strange occurence.
The starbug made a shrill sound, something sounding like exasperation. It changed position, then resumed its wait.
A long time later, Draco was growing impatient. He stole a glance over at his companion, who seemed content to wait for whatever saviour to plod along. He growled slightly under his breath. Damnit, he wanted to get back into the castle and get some foods from the kitchen, and retire to his room and have himself his own little Christmas party. Instead, he was stuck in some strange place with Weasley, a threatening vine of mistletoe being held over their heads by some wicked fairy.
"Ah, screw it!" he said aloud, before roughly grabbing the Weasley by her hair and, through sheer use of surprise, managing to pull her lips to his. To his strange delight, they were warm and soft, and felt oh, so, so nice...
When she realized what he was doing, she made a move to push him away, her eyes large in panic. Her mouth opened to gasp, and his tongue slipped in to muffle the sound--she melted.
Sometime later, Malfoy pulled away, breathless. He eyed his pretty company, warily; her cheeks were flushed and her lips were a swollen pink. He got up to leave, and found no force holding him back. "Good," he said, happily, and began plodding back up to the front steps of the castle. Strangely, the entrance was now clearly visible, and didn't seem as far as it been before. When he was some ways off, he stopped and called back haughtily, "You're not a bad snog, Weasley!"
Ginny gaped, outraged. "You BASTARD!" she screamed back, suddenly shocked. She had just been kissed--forced to kiss, Malfoy. She looked to the fairy, who still hovered near her, looking very, very smug. She eyed it angrily, and when she looked back to see where Malfoy had gone, she found he had disappeared. "God damnit!" she cursed, getting up to make the trudge back to the castle. "I hate starbugs."
The next morning Ginny would awake to sunshine streaming into her Dorm. She would fancy it had all been a dream--only later would she notice her sneakers--glimmering with starbug dust; and only after that would she notice the strange package at the base of her bed--one that definitely wasn't from the Burrow.
Of course, she would open it (of all her presents) last, and inside she would fine, neatly folded, a silver and green scarf.
Author's Note: A very, very, very late Xmas one-shot. I actually had the idea before Xmas, but I was far too lazy to complete it. It's very random, I know, but I think it's a slight cute. R&R