Rain Check

Or

Generally, it's Called a Kiss

Authors Note: Hey everyone, this story is in honor of the first snow of the year! YAY! Five inches! WOOT! The last snow we had was in 96, so it's a big deal. Anyway, this plot bunny has been jumping around my head since my sisters refused to go play in the snow with me. So, I'm sorry if the beginning is weak, I think it is. But, Enjoy!

- Anndy

Disclaimer: Can I own the snow?

Ginny stared despairingly out the window of the Gryffindor Common Room. It was snowing, and it wasn't that the snow wasn't a good thing, which it was (They had had an unnaturally hot year, it was lucky if they had gotten a few inches of rain), it was just that there was no one to go outside and romp around with. Which was a pity, because snow was great. All her friends had gone home, even her brother, Harry and Hermione had gone to the Burrow.

But Ginny had deigned to stay at Hogwarts, claiming that "Harry, Ron and Hermione barely got any time together anyway." They had left it at that, but now Ginny was starting to regret her decision. The only people left were Ginny, a few random second to fifth years, and one seventh year, Draco Malfoy.

She groaned miserably at the thought of him. It wasn't that he bothered her, it was more that he was nasty, and conniving, and had a really nice bum…. Where had that come from? Malfoy didn't have a nice bum! There was nothing 'nice' about him!

She sighed, even if Malfoy did have a nice bum, why would he look twice at her? She was skinny, her hair was a red tangle of uncontrollable curls, her reading glasses made her look about twelve, and all her clothes were hand-me-downs from pitying friends and her older brothers. She was short, which allowed her too get new robes from her much taller friends and hem them (she was getting really good at that), but otherwise, she was pretty much out of luck.

She sighed again, and tromped upstairs to her dormitory, where she began to throw on layers of old clothes. She stopped at three, and threw on her mother's old cloak. Tromping down the stairs, and out of the portrait hole, she continued her way down to the entrance hall.

She cracked open the door, and stepped out, into the bone chilling cold. Ginny smiled at the beauty of the untouched scene before her. She could see the forbidden Forest, the treetops laden with snow. Hagrid's hut was puffing smoke, the roof piled with the white puffy flakes. The lake was frozen over, but the giant squid was swimming around right beneath the surface. All in all, it looked like a Christmas card.

Grinning, she stepped onto the stairs, putting the first blemish in an otherwise perfect scene.

Or maybe, the second blemish. She thought, as a cold sarcastic voice broke through the crisp air.

"You know, Weasley, you should really donate that cloak to the poor. You would just have to find someone poorer than you." Malfoy drawled aristocratically.

"When you get me a new one, Malfoy." Ginny drawled back, doing a decent imitation of his irritating voice.

~~~

Draco held his breath as the youngest Weasley came out. Her unruly curls were loose around her head, and her usually fair skin became pink with the cold. And judging by the thinness of her cloak and the thickness of her leg, she was wearing extra layers.

He shook his head roughly, before drawling, "You know, Weasley, you should really donate that cloak to the poor. You would just have to find someone poorer than you."

He was taken aback as she whipped her head around, and her curls caught in her face. Weasley's weren't supposed to be gorgeous! Then she drawled in a surprisingly accurate imitation of him, "When you get me a new one, Malfoy."

"Once in a blue moon." He shot back.

"That could be arranged." She answered.

"Not by you."

"Oh? And why not?"

"Well, little weasel, you lack two things. One, is money, and the other, is money."

"You have a surprisingly one track mind, Malfoy. Has anyone ever told you that?" Ginny snapped.

"I get told that everyday, Weasel." He drawled.

"By who?"

"That, little weasel, is personal."

"Why? Does the esteemed Draco Malfoy have a secret lover?" She asked, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

Draco sucked in a breath. The snow that was landing in her hair was doing wonderful things for her appearance (aside from that cloak!), and that smile was going to haunt his memories forever. Then he shook his head, "Are you trying to suggest something?"

Her face went from smiling, to innocent in a flash, "Who? Me? Never."

He shrugged. "Well, if your quite finished, I have a walk to start."

"Fancy that." Ginny called as he began down the stairs. "Me too." She started down the stairs, hand gripping the rail securely.

She reached him at the last step and he began walking quickly towards the lake. The only reason, he told himself, that he was letting her come, was to ask her the questions that were zooming around his head.

"Why are you so annoying?" He finally asked.

"What?" She asked incredulously.

"You heard me."

"Why am I so annoying?" She asked, giving him a pointed look, when he only shrugged, she continued, "I suppose I had to be to get any attention at home. What, with six brothers and everything."

He nodded, and kept walking.

"So…" Ginny said as the silence grew. "Tell me something about you."

"I have grey eyes." He said without hesitation.

"Not something like that. Something that no one else knows."

He frowned; feeling inclined to tell her something real. No! He thought desperately. She's a Weasley; you're a Malfoy. By rights, you shouldn't be here. But he was, and that was something. It couldn't be something…

She looked up at him. Really, up. He had to at least be six foot, compared to her five foot four and a half. "I'll call a rain check if you tell me how tall you are."

"Six foot three and a quarter. You?"

"Five four and a half."

"Wow, Weasley, I knew you were lacking, but I hadn't thought it was height." He joked.

"Wow, Malfoy, I knew you were pale, but I didn't realize that you had a natural camouflage." She shot back.

They stopped walking and sat down on a snow-covered bench by the lake. "At least I don't blend in with fire."

"Hey, don't make me melt you!" She joked, surprising herself. Was she actually having a good time with Malfoy, of all people?

"But you already do." He said in an offhand manner, before mentally slapping himself for letting that slip out from his snow fogged brain. "I'm sorry." He said immediately, "I shouldn't have said that."

She shushed him, placing a cold and nervous finger over his mouth. Then she removed it, "Look, Malfoy. I'm calling in that rain check, that something that no one else knows. Did you mean that?"

A small shiver ran up his spine, and it wasn't from the cold snow slipping down his shirt. "I…er …that is…"

"Malfoy, a simple yes or no, is all it takes." Ginny prompted.

"Yes. Okay, Weasley? Yes. I meant it. Every blasted syllable." He cursed. Bloody stupid weasels…

His train of thought was cut off as she lean over and gave him an innocent peck on the cheek. Then she blushed, stood up, and began walking back towards the castle. "What was that?" He called after her.

"Well, generally, its called a kiss." She called back.

He stood and ran to catch up with her, "No, this is a kiss."

He placed his lips tentatively over hers, then began gain ground, and before she new it, he was running his tongue over her bottom lip, asking respectfully for entrance. She gave in after a short moment, and he began to explore her mouth. Heat exploded from her mouth down to her toes the short instant that their tongues touched, and then he drew back, breathing hard.

"Wow." She whispered, licking her lips carefully. "Wow." She said again.

"That," Draco said smugly, "is a kiss."

She nodded slowly, then said with growing smugness, "So is this." She tackled him and planted her lips firmly on his mouth, and he rolled on top of her, flattening the snowdrift. They began exploring each other's mouths again, and Ginny's hands found their way into Draco's hair. Draco's right hand was located at the waist of her jeans, and his left was at the nape of her neck. They slowly broke apart.

"Wow, Weasley." Draco whispered into her ear.

"Same to you, Malfoy." She whispered back.

Draco stood, reaching down to help her up. She struggled to her feet even with the help of his hand. Then they began brushing off the powdery snow that had clung to their cloaks.

She began to shiver and Draco slipped out of his cloak, throwing it carefully over her shoulders and fastening it at her throat.

"You'll freeze." She protested.

"I'll be fine." He said, then noted her very red nose, "Lets just go inside before your nose falls off."

She grinned ruefully and led the way back, up the stairs and through the doors (which he had held open for her).

As the reached the middle of the hall, where they would go their separate ways, Ginny began to unfasten the cloak, intending to give the warm item back to him. Her numb fingers fumbled with the clasp and he stopped her hand. "Don't. Keep it. Consider it a late Christmas present."

"Thank you." She said, taking his still gloved hand in hers as leaned down to peck her cheek. Then the warmth of his presence was gone as he made his way across the entrance hall towards the dungeon stairs. "What was that?" She called after him.

"Generally, its called a kiss."