It was a warm spring day, and Draco Malfoy was lounging in the cool depths of the Slytherin common room, his feet propped up lazily on the table in front of him. His blond hair was slicked back, and a smug smirk sat upon his face as he read the section of the Potions textbook that the class had been assigned.

Most of the other Slytherins were either in their dormitories or up on school grounds in the sunshine, but a few other Slytherins were in the common room with him, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, and a few first and second years whose names Draco didn't know. Out of the corner of his eye, Draco saw Blaise approaching him, but didn't acknowledge the other boy until he was directly in front of Draco's chair.

"So," Blaise asked in a tone of forced casuality, "Have a date for the party this weekend?"

Draco snapped his book shut and looked up. There was a party going on in Slytherin for the spring Solstice, the last one of this year. You were only invited if you were in fourth year and above, so this was Draco's third year of being able to attend. They were always very…well, interesting nights, considering the amount of firewhiskey that was usually smuggled in. However, Draco hadn't found a date for this ball yet, not that he would admit as much to Blaise. He and Pansy hadn't been getting on too well recently, something or other about him ignoring her, and Draco wasn't sure who else he should ask on short notice.

"What's it to you, Zabini?" Draco retorted.

"Nothing, really," Blaise said. "Just that if you didn't have a date, I had a bit of a ...well, let's call it a challenge for you"

Draco was intrigued in spite of himself. "What sort of challenge?"

"Well," Blaise settled himself on the couch across from Draco and steepled his fingers in front of his face. "I want to make a bet with you that you can't get a particular girl to go with you to the ball. If you win, you get to me to act as your personal slave for a week. If you lose, the same goes for you. That is, if you think you're up to it"

"Of course I'm up to it," Draco said without thinking. He was the Slytherin Prince, what girl wouldn't want to go with him. "Who's the girl?"

"Ginny Weasley," Blaise replied smoothly.

Draco was lucky that he didn't start choking right then and there; that would have been most undignified. "What??" he exclaimed. "She's a Gryffindor! And younger than me!!"

"You know perfectly well that you can invite other houses to these parties; that shouldn’t be a problem, unless you want to back out now"

Draco seethed. He couldn't back out now, not without looking like a coward, but..having to ask Weasley to the ball? How humiliating could things get?

"I'm not backing out," he assured Blaise.

"Good. When I see her walk into the ball with you, then the bet's at an end"

"Agreed," Draco said. But as Blaise walked away, the smug smile faded. 'What the bloody hell have I gotten myself into?'

The next day passed rather quickly, and Draco became very aware of the fact that he only had two days left until the party, so he decided to make his first move. Flitwick had let the sixth years out of Charms early, so Draco decided to wait outside the Transfiguration room, where the fifth year Slytherins and Gryffindors were having class. Standing diagonally away from the entrance to the classroom, Draco could just see Ginny taking notes in the last few minutes.

He had to admit, for a Gryffindor, she was nice looking. Her bright red hair fell smoothly over her shoulders, her brown eyes shone as she listened to the lecture, and a slightly mischievous smile was on her face. Her robes fit her well, and Draco had enough imagination to figure out the rest for himself.

A few seconds later, the bell rang to signal the end of classes. Draco turned his attention away from the door abruptly; it wouldn't do for him to seem like he had been waiting!

As the students filed out, he saw Ginny coming out, talking to a group of other girls in her year. Draco figured that his was his chance, so he went up to her to talk. As he came close, all the other girls began whispering frantically, and split off, but Ginny stayed behind. This confused Draco a little bit, as she usually would avoid Slytherins like the plague, but he brushed the thought away.

"Malfoy," she said, in a thoroughly bored tone. "Can I help you?"

"Well, W- I mean, Ginny, I was wondering what you're doing this Saturday"

"And why the hell is that any of your business?"" she retorted, pursing her red lips and raising her eyebrows.

"Well," Draco said, telling himself to stay collected, "Everyone knows that Slytherin throws the best parties"

"Do they now?" Ginny said nonchalantly, not seeming to care in the slightest. "Well, you've never been to a Gryffindor party, now have you?"

"No," Draco admitted. "But I've heard about them secondhand, and I can guarantee that Slytherins do it better"

"What does any of this mean to me?" Ginny asked. "I think you can tell pretty well that I'm not in Slytherin"

"Well," Draco tried to explain, "you don't technically have to be a Slytherin to attend, just invited by one"

"Let me get this straight. You're asking me out, aren't you?"

Draco flushed, but decided that he was cornered. "Yes, I am," he admitted, trying to imagine various ways in which to make Zabini's life a living hell for the few months. Torture seemed appropriate, but probably a bit messy. Poison might do nicely.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just walk away right now," Ginny challenged.

Draco was nervous, but thanks to years of trading snide remarks in the Slytherin common room, he didn't miss a beat. "Because you're the prettiest girl in school, not to mention the best at Quidditch, and it would be a travesty for you not to be there"

Ginny narrowed her eyes and seemed to consider it for a moment. Then, her eyes flitted down to her watch. "Well," she announced brightly, "I'll have to be going. Wouldn’t want to miss History of Magic, now would I?"

"Wait, is that a yes?" Draco pressed.

Ginny turned around and gave an unconcerned shrug. "Sure. Sounds like it may be a…valuable experience. I'll see you in the Great Hall, around 7." With that, she walked away, her red hair shining in the sunlight.

Draco was stunned. Just like that, she had agreed to come? Well, he had to admit that he had gotten a little nervous, but really, he was one of the best looking guys in school. Did he really think she was going to say no?

Draco returned to his common room; he had a party to prepare for.

Around 6:45, Draco was standing in front of the mirror in his dormitory, surveying his appearance. His blond hair was slicked back using hair gel, and he was wearing silky green blue dress robes.

After assuring himself that he looked perfect, Draco climbed the stairs up to the Great Hall to meet his date. He went round the corner, and saw Ginny, dressed a bit more casually in a blouse and denim skirt. Draco would never wear Muggle clothes himself, but he had to admit that they looked pretty good on Ginny.

"Ready?" he asked, holding out his hand.

She gave a sweet looking smile and nodded. "Of course," she answered simply.

Draco took Ginny's hand, and they began to walk down to the common room. Draco muttered the password and the door swung open. He could see Zabini's face, obviously astounded that Draco had actually managed to carry through with the bet. Draco gave him a smug smile back.

Suddenly, as Draco was about to enter to common room, he felt Ginny let go of his hand. Surprised, he turned around to see what had happened. He saw Ginny, looking much angrier than she had a few moments ago. From out of nowhere, she slapped him across the face.

He was stunned, too shocked to retaliate, or even to draw his wand.

"That," she growled, "was for asking me on a date just for some stupid bet."

"How did you…" he began.

"Pansy," Ginny answered shortly. "She overheard you talking, and since she was a bit angry at you already, she decided to tell me.

Pansy came up out of the crowd, and gave Draco a sickeningly sweet smile. "Sorry about that, Draco sweetie," she mocked. "Oh," she added, "and this is for ignoring your own girlfriend, and thinking she was too stupid to notice." She punched Draco in the stomach.

This time, he drew his wand, but found that Ginny already had her wand a few inches from his face with a bored expression on her face. "Try me," she said simply. "I know quite the array of interesting hexes, and I would love to try them out on you."

Not knowing what to do, and with his face redder than a tomato, Draco stormed away down the hall.

"Oh," Ginny called as she headed up the stairs. "And you do realize that now I know the Slytherin common room password"

Draco groaned. He would get back at Zabini for this if it was the last thing he did.