A Discerning Palate

It was finally, gloriously, Saturday.

Draco Malfoy was sitting, unaccompanied for once, under a large oak tree. His back was against the trunk, he looked out over the lake. All in all, he presented a very contemplative picture.

One that Ginevra Weasley couldn’t help but contemplate. Even though she’d been determined that today would pass incident-free. It still could. She could turn around and walk right back up the hill…

“You’re out of your territory again.” Draco warned softly.

Ginny gave him a very unladylike snort. She had been going to turn around and take herself back up to the castle, but Draco had challenged her. So against her better judgment, she sat down next to him.

“Who’s out of their territory now?”

Draco turned to face her. “There’s no one here to save you, Little Red. And all the stories are true. I am the Big Bad Wolf.” His voice dropped as he began to close the distance between them.

“I’m not afraid of you.” Ginny held her ground and refused to lean into him, lean into the hard set of his mouth, the pleasures promised by the heat that radiated from him, forcing her to feel his touch, to want it before his skin grazed hers.

The spell was broken when Blaise sat down on the other side of Ginny. “Isn’t this interesting?”

“Not really.” she answered.

“It could be.”

“I didn’t think either of you were the type to share. Wait,” Ginny pretended to be deep in thought. “You both shag Pansy, so I guess I was wrong. Do you do it at the same time?” She was smug.

“Speak of the devil…” Blaise nodded in the direction of the hill and the three of them watched Pansy descend.

And if the other girl thought anything odd about the Weasel King’s sister sitting with them, she didn’t mention anything about it.

“Thank Merlin it’s Saturday.” Pansy sighed a delicate huff and perched herself on the ground in front of them, her back to the lake.

“Gods, Pansy. It isn’t like you are stressed from schoolwork or anything. You didn’t even go to classes the rest of yesterday.”

“And whose fault is that?” Pansy eyed him knowingly.

Blaise had the good grace to color slightly.

“And we never got any strawberries.” Pansy pouted.

“Strawberries?” It was Ginny’s turn to color as she remembered their conversation yesterday.

“That was all they could talk about. Gave me the most horrendous craving.”

“It was Ginny here. She had the strawberries, didn’t you girl?” Blaise goaded her.

“I did, but you were the one who was talking about eating them.” Ginny returned in a sing-song voice.

“I know, but I had apples instead.” Blaise looked at Pansy pointedly.

Pansy’s mouth fell open, but she snapped it shut quickly as she suddenly realized the significance of strawberries.

Draco remained suspiciously silent.

“On that note, I will be going.” Ginny stood up, but surprisingly, Pansy stood with her.

“Wait for me, Gryff.” The Slytherin girl dusted off her robes and began the trek back up the hill.

They walked in silence until they were almost back at the castle.

“Apples, huh?” Ginny was the first to break the silence.

“Yeah. It’s a flavored contraceptive charm. I could get you some. Strawberry?”

Ginny laughed, but sobered quickly. “Why are you talking to me? Is this going to turn into some ‘stay away from my man’ type thing?”

Pansy gave her a half smile. “No. Neither of them are marriage material for me. They are both prats and neither would spoil me as I deserve. Good lay though.”

“Which?”

“Both?” Pansy offered.

Ginny giggled.

“Look, all of the girls in Slytherin are simpering little whores who would backstab me the minute they had the opportunity. All for the chance to compete for Blaise or Draco.”

“How do you know I wouldn’t? Just because I’m a Gryffindor doesn’t mean that I’m a good person.”

“But you are. Harry cares for you.”

“Merlin H. Fucking Smith! You’re in love with Harry?” Ginny squealed.

Pansy looked around quickly to make sure no one was looking. “No, of course not. Well, maybe. Yes. No. Damn it!”

Ginny decided that maybe Parkinson wasn’t so bad after all. Seeing her vulnerability made her more real, more human. And Ginny tried to remember the last time that Pansy had actually been nasty to her. Or the Trio for that matter. It had to have been back in third year.

“Sorry I called you a slag.”

“Sorry I called you ‘Weasel’. But I draw the line here. This is as far into the chewy center that you get. I like my hard candy shell.”

“I think I could use your help. Apples, strawberries and whatnot.”




“That can’t be good.” Blaise commented as the two girls walked away.

“It could have been, until you interrupted me.” Draco snapped.

“Oh-ho, is the ‘Big Bad Wolf’ a little testy? I heard that line of shite, Mate. That was rich.” Blaise chortled.

“She was buying it just fine.”

“Yeah, well you are going to have to work harder now. Pansy is free with her charms, but only because it’s what she wants. And now it looks like she’s on Ginny’s side.”

“That will just make it more interesting. You know how I hate to be bored.” Draco returned lightly, but his thoughts were on Ginny.

He’d been so close. Only a fragment of an inch away from tasting her mouth, from feeling her feminine softness crushed against him- from sampling that prize that he sought. Of course he wouldn’t take her there on the lawn like a common slag, she was pure-blooded, after all.

He would seduce her. He would dare her to care. Sooner or later she would, like they all did, seeking to change him, to reform the bad boy, to save him from himself. To light his darkness or some such nonsensical tripe. And all he had to do, was let her believe that she could. Then he would use her, enjoy her, until he tired of her and she would go the way of the rest of his conquests.