A/N: I feel bad. I forgot to thank my awesome reviewers last chapter. Good thing I finished this one so I can thank you guys promptly. ; )

Ok, so, Many Thanks to…

Sympathetic Me

Beastie

Rashel Quinn

. .

ImxAxPhoenix

SlytherinPrincess

Oxymoron8: Thanks for the song suggestion! I listened to it, and I like it, but I don't think it's right for this storyline. But I do have another in my head that it might be perfect for. I really appreciate your input! As for your second review, in the books, Draco is in fact responsible for Katie, and so far I'm keeping with that idea, but don't worry too much about it. We all know that Lucius is a manipulative bastard. ; ) And, yeah, Harry bugs me (in fics) too! Don't worry, all shall be revealed!

Dizzydazzle: As for your question, I answered it on my profile page, but I'll put it here too. Lavender was laughed off of the stage because of both her song choice and the quality of her voice. I don't know how many of you actually listened to it, and I apologize to those of you who love Cher, but that song is terrible. And I couldn't really divide Cher's voice from it, and so I just made Lavender's performance, well… crap. :)

HopeCoppice: Your wait is over!

Disclaimer: Have you heard the news?! J K Rowling admitted that she plagiarized the Harry Potter series! She stole it from me! Ah, look, my adoring fans are lining the streets! It's a parade! Yes, thank you, thank you, I am a genius… ooh look, the cops are here for security… Listen to those sirens… wait, that's not a siren… that's my alarm clock… Damn It! Dreaming again… Oh well. Once again, pure joy is ripped from my grasp… I do not own Harry Potter or any of his affiliates… damn…

Ch. 7

Draco anxiously sat in a booth at the back of the taproom of The Three Broomsticks, waiting for the Open Mic Night to begin. He'd been patient all week, only shadowing Ginny in the evenings when he could get away from his fellow Slytherins unnoticed. Now, with her performance only minutes away, he could hardly contain his excitement. A thousand thoughts were running through his head, ''I wonder if she's nervous? What song has she chosen? Will she remember our 'date' afterwards?'' He chuckled to himself, ''a truly blind date…'' He was suddenly very grateful to have managed to ditch Pansy earlier today. She'd decided to forgo Open Mic Night this time 'round; most likely since she'd been one-upped by Ginny. Pansy tried to get Draco to take her shopping, but, somehow, she hadn't been able to find him. Draco patted the pocket that held his invisibility cloak. ''Best birthday present ever. Not that it has much to compete with.'' He'd been glancing at the door periodically hoping to spot her as she came in, and finally his efforts paid off. She walked in, laughing with Luna Lovegood, and it was all Draco could do to not blatantly stare at her.

Ginny burst through the doors of The Three Broomsticks laughing at Luna's impersonation of Lavender Brown's performance at the last Open Mic Night. Luna, as a general rule, liked everybody. But, for some reason, Lavender just irked her to no end. And Ginny found it hilarious that Luna showed derision of any kind.

''Maybe they should have a different kind of Open Mic Night, Luna. Maybe they could do comedy acts next. You'd do great with that bit.''

''If only I could be assured that I'd measure up to your standards.'' Luna smiled her beatific smile, ''I feel sorry for whoever is coming after you tonight. You're going to be a hard act to follow, especially with that original piece.''

Ginny blushed. She'd revised the poetry that her mystery man had left in the alcove, set it to music, and basically had it all worked out a few days ago. But she'd needed a second opinion, the listener's point of view, as opposed to the performer's. Ginny had caught Luna after dinner Thursday night, and took her to the hospital wing to give her a preview of the song. Luna had been an invaluable reviewer, and even suggested some harmonic movements that Ginny hadn't even thought of. Ginny was as eager to perform the song as Luna was to hear it, but for a slightly different reason. ''I hope he's here.'' she thought. ''He said that he would be. I wonder where he is?'' She started glancing around the pub looking for any sign of his presence, though knowing better than to let Luna know exactly what she was up to. Though she'd been curious about where Ginny had come up with the lyrics, Luna knew better than to press when Ginny started being evasive. And there was no reason to give her cause to start pressing.

''Where do you want to sit?'' Ginny asked, as they wound their way through the crowd.

''How about there?'' Luna pointed to an empty table in the back by the booths. Ginny nodded and they made their way to it.

Draco could barely remain in his seat as Ginny made her way towards him with Luna in tow. He nearly ran for it until she'd taken a seat at the table in front of his booth, directly between him and the stage. ''Small favors,'' he thought, ''At least no one will notice that I'm staring at her.''

Almost as soon as Ginny sat down, she could feel eyes on her. Not like someone was merely looking at her, but staring. She slowly turned her head, looking for the source of the burning sensation. She looked over her shoulder and was caught by a very familiar pair of eyes. Ginny inhaled sharply and was suddenly back in Snape's classroom, gazing intently into those mercury eyes. Though now she could see more than his eyes. She saw a fall of platinum blond hair on his brow, a straight, aristocratic nose, and a sensual mouth which was slightly parted. ''So that's who you are… But, then, why…'' Ginny's thoughts were disrupted when Luna shook her arm.

''Ginny, you're up!''

''Oh! Right…'' Ginny was flustered as she got up and walked to the stage. ''Alright, there's no denying that those were the same eyes, the same heat, the same passion, but with the rest of it… it just makes no sense…'' The 'why' of it evaded her, but, as the clapping patrons reminded her, right now she had a more pressing matter. ''Ok, deal with that later, you have to focus now.'' She stepped onto the stage and pulled her music from her temple before turning to the microphone.

Draco was reeling. She looked at him, the same as she did that day in his Potions class. Only, it wasn't the same. Now, there was more, so much more to it, to them. ''She just doesn't know how much more.'' He wondered how long they would have stared at each other if Lovegood hadn't interrupted. ''Probably much longer than was appropriate, if staring of any length can be called appropriate.'' He watched her take the stage and approach the microphone, anxious to hear her sing again.

''Good evening everyone,'' Ginny said, addressing the crowd. ''I've got a special treat for you tonight. This piece was written by a friend of mine, and, well, I hope that he likes my rendition. Thank you.'' She started counting off in her head as her music played from the amplifiers.

''Listen as the wind blows
From across the great divide
Voices trapped in yearning
Memories trapped in time

The night is my companion
Solitude my guide
Would I spend forever here
Not be satisfied''

Draco was momentarily mortified as he recognized the words that Ginny was singing. ''I wondered where the bloody hell that parchment had gotten to.''

''I would be the one to hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
After I'd wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes dear''

Quickly the mortification wore away as he was mesmerized by her voice, ''Her voice, singing my words…''

''Through this world I've stumbled
So many times betrayed
Trying to find an honest word
To find the truth enslaved

Oh you speak to me in riddles
You speak to me in rhymes
My body aches to breathe your breath
Your words keep me alive

I would be the one to hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
After I'd wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes dear''

Draco listened now to the music that accompanied her, and wondered where it came from. It was well composed and full bodied. It went well with his innermost thoughts that were now out for everyone to hear… Draco felt a bit self conscious at this, wondering if this piece's author was as apparent to anyone else as it was to him.

''Into this night I wander
It's morning that I dread
Another day of knowing
Of the path I fear to tread

Oh into the sea of waking dreams
I follow without pride
Nothing stands between us here
I won't be denied

I would be the one to hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
After I'd wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes dear

I would be the one to hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
After I'd wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes''

As the song ended, Draco watched a blush color Ginny's cheeks when the room exploded into a roar of applause. ''She's still so modest,'' he thought, ''even in the face of such acclaim.'' It was one of the many things he loved about her. ''Wait… love? Is that it? Is that what all this is?'' He looked down at his hands. ''No, surely not. We've had almost no contact, and what little we have had… well, it's been rather one sided. And… and yet…'' Draco looked back up, gauging Ginny's progress through the mob, and suddenly felt the need for flight. ''Better to meet her on familiar ground than to risk another staring contest.'' He slipped out of the booth and wound his way through the crowd towards the door.

Ginny's breath came out in a whoosh as she flopped down in her seat. Luna smiled at her and raised her butterbeer.

''A definite success, if the crowd is to be believed,'' she said. ''And I don't think that they are much in the mood to be disagreed with.''

Ginny clinked her bottle with Luna's. ''No, I don't suppose they are. Cheers.'' They both took a swig as the next act started, and Ginny took the opportunity to glance back over her shoulder. At first she was confused by the empty booth, puzzled by his escape. But then the wheels in her head began to turn, and the 'why' of it began to be less and less evasive.

Draco paced in the little alcove, peering out every so often to check the hallways for Ginny's approach. ''How long does she plan to stay in Hogsmeade for? The rest of the school year? Shouldn't she be back by now?'' He stopped in his tracks, lost in his train of thought. ''Maybe she is back. Only… she forgot to meet me… or… she didn't want to.'' His breath came up short, and Draco grasped at his chest and the sudden aching there. As he tried to puzzle out the reason for this severe sensation, a body collided into his back.

''Oh! Bollocks, sorry!'' Ginny rushed as she fought to maintain her feet. She looked up into the general vicinity of where she expected his head to be. ''I didn't expect you here. Well, of course I expected you here, but not right here, in this particular spot.''

Though immensely relieved that his fears had been for nothing, Draco didn't forget his most pertinent question, and quickly cast muffliato before beginning. ''How did you get that parchment?'' he asked, some of the phantom ache in his chest heating the query beyond what he'd intended.

Ginny raised her eyebrows 'at' him. ''Would you relax, you're the one who dropped it.'' She sighed, ''besides, it was very good. I couldn't not use it. It was too beautiful.''

Draco turned away, ''It was nothing. Rubbish. Just scribbles on a spare bit of parchment.''

Ginny put her hands on her hips. ''It was most certainly more than that, and you know it. You saw the reaction it got tonight. It's excellent, and I'm not the only one who thinks so.''

''As much as my ego might like to believe that, I think the reaction was more to you than my words.''

Ginny huffed before pushing past him to take a seat on one of the benches. ''Tell me, are you truly upset that I used your scribbles for a song?''

Draco took a deep breath and sat opposite her, his cloak rustling against the cold stone. ''No. I'm not.''

Ginny looked towards him, ''Then why all the displeasure?''

''I'm sorry,'' Draco said. ''I was upset about something else, and it just bled over onto you. Forgive me, it was inexcusable.''

''What were you upset about?'' Ginny asked, the concern plain in her voice.

''Nothing, just a misapprehension.'' He paused, looking at her for a moment. ''You were wonderful tonight, by the way.''

Ginny smiled and ducked her head. ''Thank you. Though you deserve as much credit as I do. You could be a rather brilliant lyricist if you put your mind to it, you know.''

He laughed, ''I'll keep that in mind.'' He watched her bite her lip, like she was on the verge of speaking, but striving to keep herself in check. ''What is it?''

''Can I ask you a question,'' she said, without looking up.''

''Of course.'' He was puzzled as to why she felt the need to ask permission for such a thing.

She took a breath and paused for a moment. ''What color are your eyes?''

''What does it matter?'' He was immediately wary, wondering where in the world this had come from.

''Will you tell me if I guess right?'' she pressed.

''Fine, guess away…'' he said hesitantly.

''Are your eyes… Are they…'' she scoffed and shook her head. ''It's seems silly now, trying to say it out loud.''

''What?'' he asked, now with impatience.

''Do they look like… quicksilver?''

His inhalation was sharp and his entire body stiffened.

''I'll take that as a yes, then.'' she said, still looking at the floor.

He cleared his throat before responding. ''I've never heard it put quite that way. How did you know?''

He could see a smile spread across her face. ''It was you in Snape's class that day wasn't it…'' She looked up almost directly into his eyes, ''Draco.''

''What… how…'' Draco was at a loss for words, hearing his name fall from her lips.

''Well, I didn't know it was you in Snape's class until I saw you earlier tonight at The Three Broomsticks. The look in your eyes was so confusing. I couldn't fathom why you'd look at me like that, and then after I sang, you were suddenly gone. The pieces just kind of… fell together at that point.''

''And here I thought I was being mysterious.''

Ginny laughed. ''You have been, believe me.'' She raised an eye brow in his general direction with a mock-serious look on her face. ''It's just that you are no match for a woman's intuition.''

Draco laughed at this and Ginny quickly joined him. She tilted her head to the side, a now earnest look to her features. ''Let me see you. Please?''

Draco was again surprised, and for a moment did nothing. Then he slowly lifted the cloak, exposing his face, then let it pool on the bench. His face gave away no emotion, waiting for her to react.

Ginny looked into his eyes, seeing that passion again, that same heat. A smile grew on her lips. ''Thank you.''

''For what?'' Draco asked, puzzled yet again.

''For trusting me.''

Draco gave her a little lopsided smirk. ''It's my pleasure.''

The two talked until almost curfew, and mutually decided that they'd best return to their respective houses before search parties were sent out for them. Draco insisted escorting her to Gryffindor Tower, claiming, with a sarcastic grin, that the halls were filled with all manner of villains. Ginny agreed, eyeing him humorously as she told him just how true that was. He walked next to her, with the hood of his invisibility cloak up, but with his face bare so they could talk without her feeling like a nutter. This new aspect of their friendship had Draco delirious with joy. She knew him, and did not run. Ginny was elated as well, knowing that the connection she felt with the boy with mercury eyes and her mystery man were one and the same. As they drew nearer the Fat Lady's portrait, her joy diminished slightly, knowing that the evening had to end. They stopped somewhat down the hall from the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, not wanting to run into any other students.

''You are delivered safely, my lady.'' Draco made a courtly bow, though all Ginny could see was a bobbing disembodied head.

''Yes, and not a villain in sight.'' Ginny raised an eye brow at Draco's head. ''Well, not a whole one at any rate.'' Her breath caught at his roguish smile. ''Well that's going to take some getting used to,'' she thought.

''Well, I suppose I should leave you to get your rest then,'' Draco said, though he was loath to leave her. He gazed into her eyes, reveling in all these new sensations.

''That does seem like the logical thing to do,'' Ginny said. ''So I suppose we should say good night, then.'' She gazed back at him, leaning closer to the heat of his body.

Draco leaned closer, ''Good night, Ginny.''

''Good night, Draco.''

As if in a concerted movement, Draco lowering his head, and Ginny rising onto her toes, their lips met. If Ginny had felt nothing with Harry, she felt everything Draco. It felt as if a lightning bolt had hit her, the sensation spreading from her lips to the top of her head and to the soles of her feet. After a moment she broke away with a gasp, blinking up into Draco's face. She saw the same wonder she felt mirrored in his eyes.

''You felt it too?'' she asked, breathily.

''What was that?'' Draco had never felt anything like that before in his life. It was powerful, yet gentle. Calm and wild, all at once.

Ginny shook her head, ''I have no idea.'' She smiled at Draco, thinking that she wouldn't mind seeing if it would happen again when Mrs. Norris came around the corner.

''Bloody Bollocks,'' Draco muttered. ''You'd better get inside Ginny, Filch won't be far behind.''

Ginny's smile fell. ''Yeah, alright.''

Draco stuck a hand out of his cloak and brushed his fingers across her cheek. ''I'll see you tomorrow?''

''Definitely,'' Ginny said, her smile returning with a vengeance. She gazed at him for a moment longer before dashing to the portrait hole and rushing inside.

All the way back to the dungeons, Draco was in a daze. He'd never been so happy in his entire life. In fact, he'd never felt so alive. ''It was that kiss…'' he thought, as he climbed into his bed, ''and whatever else it was that came with it. What in the name of the gods was that?'' Draco felt a residual tingle at the thought, and closed his eyes, reliving that moment over and over until he fell asleep.

It had started storming outside. Ginny lay in her bed listening to the rain, and thinking of Draco. ''Draco,'' she smiled at the thought. ''Draco. Oh what the twins would say if they knew.'' She thought about that for a moment, and decided that they probably wouldn't mind, nor would she care if they did. ''Not after what I felt with that kiss. Not even the gods themselves could stop me.'' Ginny felt a tingle ripple through her body from head to toe, and snuggled into bed, reliving their kiss over and over until she fell asleep.

Over the castle, the storm raged through the night, lightning crashing, and thunder rolling. And amid the thunder came a sound that some would akin to divine laughter.

A/N: Holy crap, that was rather painful. Two chapters in how many days! lol. Well, I hope you guys like it, I think I'm pretty ok with it. Ginny's song this chapter is Possession by Sarah McLachlan. I picked it because it's a really awesome Draco's-point-of-view song. And Hurray for some DXG action! I nearly didn't get it in this chapter, but I just kept pushing, and I birthed it from my literary womb. (sorry about any disturbing visuals) Alright everybody, go click the little button and give me review-type-sustenance so that I may find the strength to continue. (pretty please! Otherwise my brain will starve!)