The Gryffindor and Slytherin Collide

Author's Note: I was playing around with some of my old writings and this just kind of popped into my head. I'm not sure if I will keep going with this or if this is the end. I think this might be all, but I DO like to do things in threes... Please review.

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Part 2

Ginny pulled the heavy wooden door shut behind her before she quietly made her away across the Astronomy Tower. It was well past curfew and the last thing she wanted was to be caught outside of the common room by Filch or Mrs. Norris. But Ginny couldn't sleep, and she had felt stifled in the quiet Gryffindor common room. Once Neville had finally fallen asleep on the plushy red couch before the fire, Ginny had snuck out as quickly as possible.

She walked out onto the stone balcony of the tower. As she raised her eyes to the star-dotted skies above, Ginny realized that this was probably her favorite spot in all of Hogwarts. The Astronomy Tower was quiet and secluded; students didn't really come up here unless they had homework. Fortunately, Astronomy classes weren't being held during this term; it was too cold. The redhead subconsciously nodded in agreement; it was a crisp November night, and as she pulled the ends of her sleeves down around the tips of her fingers, the tiny Gryffindor wished she would have brought her cloak.

"It's past curfew," a velvety voice spoke up from behind her.

Ginny gasped, startled, as she whipped around. The tower was not very well lit, just the natural light from the moon and stars shone down upon it, so it took Ginny a moment to find the owner of the voice.

Blaise Zabini was sitting on the far left balcony ledge of the Astronomy Tower. He was the picture of tranquility, with one leg straight out before him and the other bent at the knee; his arms encircling the limb, his fingers clasped loosely about his knee. A gathering of clouds drifted across sky and newfound moonlight lit the Slytherin's face. He was watching Ginny intently, his eyes glittering with interest.

Ginny shivered, not from the cold but from the intensity of his gaze. Since their encounter in the hallway a few weeks ago, she had thought of the mysterious Slytherin here and there. Even more so once she and Dean and mutually called things off. Of course the fact that Blaise Zabini was a current topic of gossip wasn't helping to ease her thoughts any. Just this past weekend Zabini's stepfather, fourth husband to his mother the notorious man-eater, had "passed away." Apparently, Mrs. Zabini always kept her maiden name, and her husbands didn't last for more than a year or two, though they all always died of "natural causes."

Ginny wrapped her arms around herself and bit her lip. "Then I guess we're both breaking the rules," she finally replied.

Zabini gracefully hopped off of the ledge. He casually stuck his hands into his pockets before stepping closer to Ginny. "Ah, but you seem to forget, Weasley, I'm Head Boy."

Damn. Ginny had forgotten. She pursed her lips in annoyance, "Well, aren't you lucky."

Zabini laughed, but the sound made the blood in Ginny's veins freeze. It wasn't his velvety, charming laugh that he had used on her during their last encounter. Nor was it his carefree and friendly laugh that she heard him use when he was amongst his friends. It was a hollow, empty sound. Almost as if he had forgotten how to laugh altogether.

"Lucky?" he growled, as he stepped closer to her. Ginny backed away, mentally cursing as she hit the stone wall behind her. She had nowhere left to go and Zabini had noticed as he advanced upon her. "I'm not feeling so lucky these days, my little Gryffindor."

Ginny could feel her heart hammering in her chest. It was beating so fast she wondered if Zabini could hear it. Still, she wasn't sure if it was from his proximity or the fear that was prickling along her spine. Zabini had never frightened her before, but now… he seemed different. "I heard about your stepfather," Ginny said quietly. Zabini turned his face to the side, he seemed to be looking out across the vast grounds of Hogwarts but Ginny thought he might of done it so she couldn't see his eyes. She noticed a tick in his jaw as he gritted his teeth. "I'm sorry."

Zabini's face snapped back to hers. "You're sorry?"

"Yes."

"Why? You didn't know my stepfather. Hell, you don't even know me. Why in the world would you be sorry?" Zabini shouted the last few words close to her face. He was breathing heavily now and Ginny was vaguely aware of his fists clenching at his sides.

"I-I don't know," Ginny stuttered. He was scaring her. Zabini leaned back and eyed her. A smirk graced his features. Ginny wasn't sure what to do. She had obviously upset him but she wasn't sure why. Ginny had only expressed her condolences; she felt bad for Zabini. That in itself was odd, but there it was. Zabini continued to stare at her in quiet fury and Ginny decided it was time to leave. "I'm going to go back to the Gryffindor Common Room now," she said as she tried to hedge around the irate 7th year.

Both of Zabini's arms immediately shot out, blocking Ginny's escape. He leaned forward, his hands resting on the cool stone wall at Ginny's back. Ginny flinched away from him and shrunk back farther against the wall. Zabini frowned, the fury on his face instantly replaced with confusion. "What's wrong with you, Weasley?"

Ginny bit her lip. "You're scaring me."

Zabini jerked backwards as if he had been slapped. A look of regret flashed across his face as he calmly stuck his hands back into his pockets. For a moment, Ginny thought he was going to apologize to her. "I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave," he said instead. He smirked at Ginny's affronted look.

"Brave, Zabini. Not stupid, you prat," Ginny scowled. "I'm thinking that being alone with an irate Slytherin, in the middle of the night when no one knows where I am no less, isn't the best of ideas!"

"Ah, so the house of the lion has a few intelligent students in their mists, eh?" Zabini grinned. "It's nice to know there's a brain behind all that beauty, my little Gryffindor."

Ginny's mouth hung agape. He thinks I'm beautiful? "Are you on drugs, Zabini?"

"No," he smirked.

"Are you bipolar?"

"Don't think so. Why?"

Ginny looked at him in confusion. "How can you go from being completely furious one minute to a charming idiot the next?"

Zabini's grin widened, his perfectly white teeth gleaming. "You think I'm charming?"

"And an idiot," Ginny reminded him. "Don't forget that part.' She watched him for a moment longer, "I think you're bloody mental," she finally sighed, not sure what to make of him.

"In that case, you can blame my unexplainable behavior tonight on my unusual mental faculties," Zabini said. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but he bit his lip and looked away from her. Ginny watched as he rubbed the nape of his neck in irritation. His eyes found hers again: violet versus brown. "I'm sorry if I frightened you," he admitted.

Once again Ginny was clearly able to detect the regret in his dark eyes. He took a step closer to her. She did not retreat. "S'okay," she murmured, her eyes flickering down to his full lips.

Zabini slowly brought his hand up to brush some hair from Ginny's face. The small redhead shivered as his fingers grazed through the hair behind her ear. His hand came to a rest, his warm palm caressing Ginny's jaw. "You're the only one whose said anything to me about my stepfather," Zabini quietly confessed. "The only person whose even acted as if they care."

Ginny felt her lower lip tremble as her eyes reflected the sorrow and loneliness in his. She wasn't sure what to say; so instead of saying anything at all, she pushed herself to the very tips of her toes and gently brushed her lips against his. Zabini eagerly responded to her kiss. After a moment, Ginny pulled away, her cheeks flaming. She had no idea what had come over her. She was shocked at her own actions and terrified at how much she had enjoyed the kiss. Ginny hesitantly raised her head, intent on apologizing, but she didn't even get the chance.

Zabini reached out and grasped the back of Ginny's head. He tilted her face up and within seconds his lips were eagerly battling with her own. Protesting was the farthest thing from Ginny's mind as Zabini pushed her back against the wall, his free hand gripping her waist.

Ginny had never had such a delightful experience in her life. Zabini seemed to know exactly what to do with his lips and tongue to make her knees turn into jelly. She was pretty sure that if he wasn't holding her so tightly, she would have collapsed to the ground ages ago.

When oxygen became an issue, Zabini reluctantly separated his mouth from Ginny's He watched her in contemplation for a moment as he regained control of his breathing. Ginny watched him just as avidly. Her lips were swollen and red and her face was flushed.

Finally, Zabini spoke. "Aren't you going to tell me that was a mistake before you go darting off down the stairs?" he asked in bemusement.

"What would I do that? That was the best snog I've ever had," Ginny answered bluntly.

Zabini chuckled. "You keep surprising me, my little Gryffindor."

Ginny shyly smiled at him. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Definitely a good thing," he responded quickly before his lips once again descended upon her own.

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More author ramblings: I know JKR has established that Blaise is a black boy and I know that's how I've written him in this story but honestly, he will always be a hot-looking Italian boy to me. Think Henry Cavill lol.