fire & snow ⇝ drinny {under heavy editing}

the three broomsticks

Ginny
"Hi." She heard herself say, not really sure of what she was doing.

"How've you been?" He said, with a rather concerned look on his face.

Ginny couldn't bring herself to believe that it had been so long since they last talked, well atleast to her, realistically it had only been a couple of weeks. It sure felt like ages.
He looked so good, better than she'd seen him in a while, still had that bit of stress in his eye, she could tell. Yet he looked taller to her, his nose and cheeks bare from the cold outside. He smelled of an obviously overpriced cologne, the smell making it's divine way up her nose, physically bringing her closer to him.

She sat down.

"I've been...okay, thanks...you?" Ginny said timidly.

"Alright." He said toneless, Draco looked away and then opened his mouth slightly to speak again. "I'm sorry, Weasley. About everything I said and the way I left you like that."

Ginny's insides churned, something about the way he spoke had changed drastically. He was more mature now, he looked older to her and she wasn't sure if it was from the bags under his beautifully colourless eyes or because something has truly changed in him, she had never really noticed how brilliantly chiseled his features were; from his pointed and slender nose to his jaw that seemed to be carved by Merlin himself, cheek bones whom Ginny thought that if she dared to touch, she would cut herself. Oh, how she wanted to touch them.

"It's fine! Really it is, if anything I'm sorry too y'know about being intrusive...But I was worried, you stupid ferret!" She suddenly felt a burst of anger spread through her.

Ginny then assumed that Draco finally decided to stay quiet and let her go about her ranting because he leaned back in his chair and let his fingers trace the outline of his chin, still watching her every move with an intrigued look on his face.

"Not only did you leave me there but you never came back to let me know you were okay! I haven't seen you around for weeks, you complete arse Draco Malfoy! You're gone for weeks, you come back and you say is "hi"?!" She paused for a breath and Draco raised an eyebrow, waiting for the rest.

"Got your breath back?" He asked with a small smile, tempting her.

Ginny thought that if she would roll her eyes any further back they would certainly get stuck that way. "Yes...thank you." She replied with gritted teeth.

She couldn't bare it any longer, he had broken her shell. Ginny bursted out laughing, bending over to hold her stomach, Draco followed her actions by putting his head in his hands, letting his shoulders bounce up and down with laughter.

As the laughter died down, they looked around to see if anyone was watching them, and to their surprise half of the hogwarts students had already left The Three Broomsticks, it was amazing how quickly time ticked away when they were together. They exchanged looks and both smiled a little.

"I missed you." Blurted out Ginny.

She looked at him with a wide eyed expression and was about to say something perhaps apologize for her words, until Draco stopped her before she could speak.

"I MISSED...you too!" Draco said quickly with a reassuring expression in his eyes.

Ginny could feel her ears whom were hidden in her hair go red and was glad Draco couldn't see them. She didn't quite understand where all of this affection from him had come from, it made her think about what had happened all that time they were apart. She wondered.

"You know Weasley, I can't see your ears turning red but your cheeks say it all." Draco said playfully and reaching over to stroke one of them with his thumb.