Disclaimer:
Hey, I wish I had the ingredients to do the Polijuice Potion, to make myself look like J.K Rowling, but I would still lack the writing talent, so stick with me…
I do not own Harry Potter… And, I'm really sad that I don't own Draco Malfoy (*sobs*). Oh well, life goes on!
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Chapter 8 - Winning his heart
Later that night, Ginny waited until Thomas had his dinner, helped him change to his pyjamas, and put him to sleep. He still scowled at her, and yelled in outrage, but Ginny just pretended not to listen to him, and kept on doing her duties.
As she was about to leave the Manor, a cold hand caught her wrist, and held her strongly, scaring her to death.
"Malfoy! Don't you ever, ever do that again! I almost had an heart attack…" she sighed in relief, when she recognized the owner of that strong and pale hand.
"I think your heart is stronger than that…" he chuckled, and turned her around to face him. "You're leaving already?"
"Yes, Thomas already had dinner and now he's sleeping…" Ginny explained, not noticing that Draco's hand on her wrist had slipped into her hand, and they were now holding hands, without realizing it. "I'll be back tomorrow, and yes, I think Thomas is worth a try… Every one deserves a chance!"
"Even me?" Draco whispered, bringing his face really close to hers, feeling her strawberry lip gloss scent.
"Yes, even you…" she smiled sweetly, kissing the tip of his nose, before leaving the Manor and Disapparated to the Burrow.
Draco just stood there, in the hall looking at the closed door with his eyes sparkling and a small smile on his lips. He was worth a chance, and that made his heart jump happily in his chest.
The Burrow was full with life when Ginny arrived.
There were so many red heads that all Ginny saw was a big red dot on the middle of the living room.
Fred and Angelina were there with their 6 years old twin boys, Andrew and Anthony, both had brown hair, thank good. George and Katie were sitting on a small armchair, looking like a young couple with wide smiles on their faces, as they watched the 5 y-old red haired beauty playing with her dolls in front of them. That was Jessica, and she was the cutest girl Ginny had ever met, although she could be worse than Andrew and Anthony, when she wanted to prank someone. Ron and Luna were there as well, with Sean.
So, summing all the red heads, there were 7 of them. And the rest of her brothers weren't even there, so you can imagine how reddish her family is.
"Piggy!" Sean yelled when he saw his aunt, running to her arms. Soon, all her nephews and niece were on top of her, kissing and hugging her like there was no tomorrow.
"Oh, my babies, I've missed you all so much!" Ginny laughed, kissing each one of them on the nose, like she had done with Draco.
"Piggy, I have a new doll…" Jessica said excitedly, running to her dolls, and bringing back to Ginny one of them, with bright red hair and freckles on her plastic face.
Ginny laughed when she saw the doll… It must have been George's idea…
"Good evening family!" Ginny smiled warmly at them, finally standing up from the floor. "It's so good to see a part of the family together…"
"I totally agree!" Molly replied, with a huge smile on her face, as she fixed the piggy tail on Jessica's hair. Her mother loved all her children, but she was absolutely crazy for her grandchildren… All eight of them…
"So, Ginny, where were you all day?" Fred asked, noticing her tired face.
"I've had a long day at work… I was dismissed from the Clinic, and now I'm working for a private client." Ginny sighed, caressing Anthony's head, while he leaned his head against her lap.
"Who?" Ron asked suspiciously. Always the big brother, that one…
"I can't say, Ron… It's private information." She replied. "Well, I'd love to stay a little longer, but I'm terribly tired, I need a shower and a good night of sleep.
Everyone said goodnight, and her nephews and niece kissed her nose and whispered `sweet dreams'… She loved those brats! Only Luna remained quiet, silently watching Ginny, understanding what had happened that day at Malfoy Manor.
"Ginny, could I speak with you?" Luna asked, standing up from Ron's lap.
"Yes, I need to talk with you as well… Come with me." Ginny replied, climbing the stairs to her bedroom.
As soon as they both were on Ginny's room, Luna started throwing her questions.
"What did he want from you? Whom are you working for?"
"Well, he wanted to employ me, Luna… He wants me to take care of that boy I saw last night!" Ginny replied, throwing herself on top of her bed. "Thomas… that's the boy's name, and he's a small version of Draco both in looks and personality."
"So, he's a small git?" Luna chuckled, sitting next to her friend.
"No, he is just lonely, I guess… He never leaves the house, he used to have a teacher, but now he doesn't have one… He sleeps all day and night, and only wakes up to eat what the House-elves bring him!" Ginny explained, sadly. "I had to place him on a binding curse to be able to give him a bath… He was truly filthy and smelly!"
"How can Draco allow that?" Luna wondered in shock.
"He never visits Thomas… Both Draco and Thomas say that they are not related, but I just can't understand why the boy is under Draco's roof, and what the hell is going on!" Ginny complained, going from sad to furious. "One of the things that led me to accept this job was the need to find out what secrets they're hiding from the world…"
"Painful secrets, Ginny…" Luna sighed, sadly, once again sounding as if she knew something Ginny didn't.
The conversation ended, and Ginny took her long bath, before going to sleep. Tomorrow was a new day…
*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next morning, Ginny arrived to the Malfoy Manor and was informed that Draco wouldn't be home for the next week. Those were good news…
Ginny wanted to win Thomas' trust before starting to work with him, so, she would use that week just to get to know the boy.
It wasn't an easy task, I guarantee you… But there was a good side in all of this! Ginny's mind was so busy with the boy's screams and name calling, that she never thought of a certain blond haired git we all love.
The following week, Ginny imposed a routine… She would arrive at the Manor, wake up Thomas and carry him to the bathtub. Usually he screamed and tried to hit her face, so, Ginny always placed him under the Full Body Bind. After he was dressed, she pushed his chair to the dinning room where she gave him his breakfast, always ending up dirty of the food Thomas threw her way. He acted like a 2 y-old baby!
After breakfast, Ginny took him out, to the garden, and tried to enjoy the ride, despite Thomas' screams. He had to grow tired of so much screams, by himself… She wouldn't do anything to stop him.
Ginny always sad under a tree, with Thomas in front of her, sitting on his wheelchair, and she would read a couple of stories, before taking him back inside the house for lunch. Another food war, and she would take him to his bedroom for a nap. When he woke up, she made him play with his toys and read his books, before making him eat dinner and go to bed.
Only then, Ginny could go home. Usually she felt so drained, that she feel on her bed and went to sleep.
After that week, Thomas showed no signs of slowing down his bad temper, and Ginny was growing very tired of it.
One of those days, while Thomas was taking a nap after lunch, Ginny sat under her usual tree, and allowed a few tears of frustration to escape.
"What's wrong?" a male voice asked, standing close to her.
"Nothing…" she sighed, recognizing Draco's voice.
"You wouldn't cry over nothing… I saw you screaming with your boyfriend, breaking up with him, and I never saw one tear in your eyes!" Draco insisted, placing a finger on her jaw, forcing her to look at him.
He shivered involuntarily, when he saw the despair and frustration in those warm brown eyes. Something was wrong with her, and that made him feel a small knot in his stomach, although he couldn't understand why.
"I'm just feeling a tad bit sad, that's all…" she replied, feeling lost in his eyes.
"Is it because of Thomas?"
"He's not accepting me, and until he does, there's nothing I can do to help him get better… He's so cold and violent!" Ginny explained, as her tears finally stopped rolling down her flushed cheeks. "He's just like…"
Draco noticed that she stopped before saying anything that would insult him.
"He's just like me, isn't that what you were about to say?" he asked coldly, his eyes becoming stormy dark grey. That was enough for her to know that he was truly mad at her.
"Yes, that's what I was going to say, but I didn't, in case you haven't noticed… Back at Hogwarts you had a temper worse than Thomas'! No wonder he acts like you! Like Luna says, he's a git…" Ginny replied furious as well, standing up from her seated position.
"No need to insult, Weasel!" Draco sneered, in his usual Malfoy way. "Are you saying you want to quit because you can't control a 6 y-old boy?"
"I never give up, Malfoy! Never!" she growled back. "I'm going to win Thomas… Just you wait and see!"
With that said she stormed back to the Manor and patiently waited for Thomas to wake up and start screaming again.
The next few weeks, Ginny worked with Thomas and avoided being close to Draco, but it was hard, as he was now working at home.
When they were in each other's presence, they would look the other way or glare at the other. It was quite childish, actually, but Ginny wanted to prove him she wasn't a quitter and Draco wanted to have that woman away from him. At least in the physical sense, because she was in his mind all day and night, which was terrifying…
"NO! I don't want to! NO!" Thomas screamed, his voice echoing in the huge house. Soon, dozens of house-elves were looking at Ginny pushing Thomas' wheelchair to the house front. Some of them smiled, supporting Ginny, but others just glared at her.
"Thomas, you should have stopped these screams by now, don't you think so?" Ginny complained. "If someone hears you, they'll think I'm killing you, or something!"
"I don't want to go out!" the boy yelled furiously.
"What's going on in here? Can't you see I'm working?" Draco complained furiously, walking towards them menacingly.
"I'm working as well, in case you haven't noticed!" Ginny replied. "Why don't you cast a Silencing Spell on your office? You are a wizard, you know?"
"Yes, I do know, Miss Weasley! But thank you for the information…" he replied impatiently.
"You're welcome…" she replied with sarcasm.
"Boy, stop this screams, you hear me?" he menaced, throwing a dirty look at Thomas, whom immediately closed his mouth and nodded in understanding.
`Ah, so, all I have to do is act like Malfoy to get Thomas to obey, uh? Let's see if it works…' Ginny thought, taking Thomas out to the garden, starting their usual walk. `I'm sure he'll start screaming as soon as he understands no one can hear him inside the house…'
And she was right… As soon as they were out of the house's hear range, Thomas started yelling again.
"Take me inside! I don't want to be out here!" he yelled, hitting his knees with his fists.
"Thomas, I'm not an house-elf you can order any time you want! I'm a woman, trying to be your friend and help you overcome some of your problems…" Ginny hissed, stopping his wheelchair. She walked around it and kneeled in front of the boy, holding his face between her gentle yet firm hands. "I won't be able to help you until you start helping me… You don't like my company? Too bad… You don't like walks in the garden? Bad luck! You're stuck with me, and until you start showing some respect and acceptance of me, I won't stop this walks outside!"
That seemed to work… Thomas was looking at her, shocked with her outburst.
True, he had been testing her patience, but he never expected her to look so menacing… Thomas looked at the blanket spread out under their usual tree and gasped. It was full of food!
"What's there to eat?" he asked, playing with his white shirt buttons.
A victorious smile appeared on Ginny's face and she hugged him tightly, although he screamed he wasn't able to breathe.
"Just trust in me, Thomas… We'll be good friends!" she said, kissing his cheek. "Now, let's eat…"
Ginny had ordered the house-elves to prepare a picnic and place it under that tree. She had done that for two reasons. One of them was that she expected to win Thomas' trust; the other one was that she wanted to avoid being in the same room as Draco Malfoy.
Ginny took the boy in her arms, and sat him against the tree trunk, then she sat next to him, and placed a full plate of food in his hands. The boy immediately started eating and talking about his daily activities before she arrived 3 weeks ago. But there was something she noticed in all this… Thomas never mentioned Draco in his conversations…
"Thomas, who are your parents?" she asked him, giving him a slice of apple pie.
"This pie is great… Tabby never gave me dessert!" he complained, not answering her on purpose.
"Why can't you tell me?" she whispered sadly.
"It was my fault, you know?" he replied, not being able to face her.
"Why do you say that? What happened?" Ginny asked, worried with his sad words.
"All my fault…" Thomas whispered once again, removing his back from the tree's support, to lay his head on Ginny's lap, surrounding her waist with his arms, seeking for comfort.
"You're scared, and sad… I wish I knew what makes you feel this way, to help you." She sighed, running her hands through his soft hair. "So much suffer in such a little body…"
A few moments later, Ginny heard him sigh, and noticed that Thomas was asleep. Just like a small angel, on her lap.
"Who gave you permission to make a picnic in the Manor's gardens?" an angry voice said, behind her.
`Oh oh… I've angered the boss!' she thought.
"Sshh! Can't you see he's sleeping?" she whispered angrily, placing a finger in front of her rosy full lips. "It's just a picnic, we aren't destroying anything!"
"But you didn't ask for my permission…" he hissed, whispering as well, as he made the food vanish and sat on the blanket in front of her.
Ginny smiled as she watched him struggle to sit down, Chinese style, although his robes didn't allow him to do so. As he tried to fold his right leg, he made a tear on the sides of his robe and she wasn't able to hide her laughter.
"Aren't we amused?" he sneered, removing the ruined robe, sitting again, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a baby blue shirt, looking good enough to eat.
Ginny tried hard not to drool at his relaxed and practical look. That man was too hot for his own good…
"So, you won him over?" he gestured towards Thomas.
"I'm getting him used to the idea that I'm going to be around here for a while…" she replied, caressing the boy's cheeks. "He told me he's the fault, but I don't know what he's talking about… What has he done? Please, help me understand."
Draco remained silent, looking at the horizon, lost in his thoughts.
"Probably he feels guilty, because he saw his mother die… That's all I have to say." Draco whispered, before standing up and walking back to the Manor.
Ginny just sat there, in shock, feeling extremely sad for the little boy. It must have been a huge trauma.
"Ginny?" a small voice mumbled.
For the first time, Thomas said her name… Until then, he had only called her "Servant", or "You", but now, he seemed to finally accept her. And the sound of that boyish voice, calling for her, sweetly, made Ginny's heart melt.
"I'm here, Thomas… We better go home, now…" she smiled, holding the boy in her arms, to place him back on his wheel-chair.
Silently, she rolled the blanket and placed it on Thomas' lap, as they headed back to the house. It was time to start really working with the boy.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hello, dear readers…
Yes, here is another chapter, and long one, at that…
Soon, the plot will start getting more interesting but I wanted to get these ideas out, so bare with me.
I've loved your reviews, and I hope you all keep on reading.
Love, Carina