"To be or not to be a Weasley"
Chapter 8: Daytime Shadows
By: Adrial
The world is a lonely place
But I soon found out
That love was the saving grace
I know that once in a thousand years
There will come a time
When joy will replace our fears
And you and I
Will fly away together
Is it just a game
That we're playing now?
Were we born to win, can we lose somehow?
Does it all come down to what we've done before?
Is it truth and love that we're searching for?
The truth may be hard to find
But then again love is blind
Justin Hayward-'Is it Just a Game?'
---------------------------------------------------
A gray whiskered wizard blew his whistle shrilly, calling all aboard the Hogwarts Express for another year of magical study for the hundred or so bustling wizards and witches of years one through seven that were scurrying rapidly upon the buzzing platform nine and three quarters, placing haste kisses upon loved ones' cheeks before climbing aboard and pressing their faces against the glass windows for one final goodbye grin and wave.
Ginny Weasley's red head bobbed up and down amongst the roaring crowd accumulating in the main corridor of the train, trying futilely to find Hermione's curly mane or Ron's lumbering frame. She even tried to listen for cries of "Oy! Potter! How's the scar been treatin' ya?!" or "Harry! Could I have a picture or two?" but to no avail.
She tucked a disobedient lock of hair behind her ear, sighing as squealing witches huddled in compartment doors, exchanging animated stories of their summer and exclaiming over new hair colors or the latest robes. She dragged her trunk behind her, attempting to not run over the hem of anyone's robes or assorted body parts in the process.
"Bloody first years…they're everywhere…" Ginny grumbled as she dodged to miss a tiny, quivering wizard who was clutching his wand in his hand like a vice, gazing fearfully into the crowd as if expecting to be attacked by one of the fifty or so rambling bodies that towered over his head at any moment.
She'd already been invited to join Hailey Atkin's compartment which she'd been sharing with one other blonde-haired witch and two cheeky looking wizards. Ginny recognized Seth Paisley's boyish face immediately; a wave of scarlet washed over her at the questioning gaze he cast at her. She noticed him cast a weary glance over her shoulder, as if expecting her brothers to leap onto the scene and begin flinging dancing hexes in all directions. No doubt he'd been forewarned by his brother to be on the look out.
She felt the need to roll her eyes as he tried to avert his gaze from hers and refused to answer with more than a nod at her acknowledgement of his presence. She decided to politely refuse Hailey's invite and wearily forced her way back into the rambunctious crowd once again, where she was jostled to and fro until her hair was a mess and her robes were a sight worse off than they had been twenty minutes before when her mother had been anxiously removing invisible specks of lint and dust on the platform as she tearfully wished them all a good and safe (she'd glared at them all as she stressed the word 'safe') year.
She was due to meet the other prefects in compartment 56B in ten minutes, but she was at a loss at how much time had passed since Chris Connolly had passed off that rushed message to her and was sure that she was more than late by now. Growling, she barged into the first open door she saw, ignoring the cries of protests as she jerked her trunk along with her and successfully ran over several toes in the process.
"Sod off!" She called behind her shoulder, annoyed that her brother had abandoned her the very minute their mum had disapparated from the platform with their father and that she'd have to spend the entire train ride with someone she probably didn't even know.
Just please don't let it be another sodding first year-
She paused abruptly in place after she'd stomped into the compartment and slammed the door behind her only to encounter Draco Malfoy's smirking face as he was perched regally upon a black, leather sofa with the silver monogram D.M. on the arms. Pansy Parkinson was sprawled out beside him, practically in his lap, and Crabbe and Goyle were standing in opposite corners like statues keeping silent guard over the pair.
Ginny wiped her brow and beamed, a wave of relief washing over her at the sight of a familiar face.
"Oh, Draco-I'm so glad I found you. When's that prefect meeting again? Are we late?" She nudged her trunk into the corner with her foot and searched her robes for her wand, making sure it hadn't been lost in all the mayhem. She smiled when she felt the thin object tucked securely in her pocket and turned expectantly to Draco when he'd failed to answer her.
Pansy's mouth was set in a distinctly livid expression, her round brown eyes narrowed at Ginny as if inspecting hippogriff manure on the bottom of her mary-janes. She coiled her arm tightly around Draco's with a possessive frown and turned her pudgy face toward his own.
"Draco? What's this Weasel doing in our compartment? Surely you can't have invited it?" She whispered loud enough for Ginny to hear, casting scathing glares in her direction with every other word.
Draco's eyes hadn't left Ginny's since she'd turn to face him, and the blurry clouds swirling within their gray depths hardened to ice as Pansy nudged herself closer against him. Ginny raised her eyebrows, placing her hands upon her hips at Pansy's blunt rudeness.
She threw Draco another questioning gaze. He stiffened considerably at the familiar sparks flashing in her eyes, warning him that if he didn't speak up soon, she'd be sending Pansy home via Air Weasley.
Crabbe and Goyle cleared their throats roughly and stepped in front of Pansy and Draco, successfully shielding them from her view.
"Oh, please, you great big oafs. I'm not going to hurt the royalty." She scoffed at the pair and rolled her eyes.
"Crabbe, Goyle, sit your bloody arses down," Draco's voiced command sounded from behind their thick bodies, and Ginny glared at them once more as they stomped over to an adjoining pair of plush benches and plopped down, arms crossed and both staring hard and dumbly at her.
"Why, thank you, Your Majesty. I do hope I haven't interrupted some royal engagement or anything." Ginny curtsied with mock reverence, sarcasm lacing each of her words.
Draco's eyes flashed. "No need to worry yourself, Weasel. But I do hope you don't intend on further polluting our compartment with your presence. The stench of poverty is mildly erosive on one's dress robes, wouldn't you agree, Pansy?" He nodded towards his companion, though his eyes never left their firm hold on Ginny's.
Pansy sneered at Ginny and nuzzled herself against Draco's side, scrunching her nose up at the air around them.
"Why, darling, you shouldn't be so rude. You can't blame her for being born to a family of wizard rejects, after all. She's simply a victim of the disgraceful life she was meant to live."
Ginny's mouth flapped open, but she quickly snapped it shut, collecting herself and raising her own set of sharpened claws.
"Oh, certainly, Pug-I mean, Pansy, was it?" She secretly grinned at the look of fury that flashed over Pansy's face, "I was just checking in on Draco, you know, to make sure that after living in my house for a week, he hadn't become infected or anything." She cast a worried frown at him and stepped forward to lay the back of her hand over his forehead. She muttered softly, 'tsking' beneath her breath as her mother did whenever one of the Weasley's coughed, sniffed, or even looked like their stomach ached.
"Weasel, what in the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Draco flinched at her warm touch, but Ginny promptly ignored him, pushing his head sideways so she could have a look in his ears. After a few seconds of prodding, she straightened herself and shook her head gravely.
"My, my. I do believe you've got Frugal Fever, Draco. Oh, this is terrible!" Ginny swept the back of her hand to her forehead dramatically and fanned her face.
"Goodness, we must get you straight to the train's mediwitch as soon as possible. Why, your robes could start looking threadbare if we waste another moment!" She grabbed his arm and yanked him up from his seat.
Pansy cried out at her diagnosis and placed a hand over her horrified face.
"Draco! Have you really caught fru-friga-fruga-"
"Frugal Fever," Ginny quipped.
"You're going to start looking…poor?!" Pansy's face was red and she looked fit to faint with the way she carrying on; great fat tears were even welling up in her eyes.
Ginny paused to let her sheer dumbness settle in. With that mind on her, it's a wonder the sorting hat didn't spit her head right back out.
Draco glared at Ginny, struggling at the tight clasp she had on his arm. She glowered at him and tugged more insistently towards the exit. Crabbe and Goyle finally caught on that she was intending to leave with their "King" and stood up to intervene.
Ginny pushed herself in front of Draco instantly, arms spread behind her as if protecting him.
"Oh, no! You mustn't get near! It's highly contagious, Frugal Fever. I've heard of people who've starting donating to charities and freeing houselves just by associating with one of the…erm-contaminated," She finished quickly, hoping they'd take the bait.
Pansy wailed, "Noo!"
"Unfortunately, yes. Loads of galleons to poor orphans in Switzerland. Dreadful, really. " Ginny shrugged apologetically.
Crabbe and Goyle gave their leader a weary glance before backing off and dusting off invisible disease germs from their sleeves.
Pansy was on her knees on the sofa, raking her hands through her mass of stringy brown hair frantically. "Get it out! Get it out!" She squealed.
"Wait!" Ginny exclaimed, slapping Draco's hand away from her arm and giving him a 'you'd better shut that mouth of yours before I do' glare. "There's a way to prevent it!"
She racked her brain and suddenly grinned slyly.
Pansy lowered her wand, which she'd extracted seconds prior to begin launching scourgify charms all over her robes and belongings.
"What is it?" Pansy flung herself at Ginny's feet. Ginny fought the urge to laugh. Even Draco's lips were twitching defiantly at the sight of the blubbering witch.
"You must first find a…erm…a-a toad!" She frowned but couldn't back out now. "Yes. A toad! And you, um…you have to-erm-raise it high above your head and dump a bagful of galleons on the floor and dance around it seventy times." She finished lamely.
Draco narrowed his eyes at her. She was literally going insane, or so he mused.
"A toad?" Pansy let the information roll around in her mind for a moment before she launched herself out of the compartment ("Out of my way, Weasel!"), followed closely by a grumbling Crabbe and Goyle.
Her cries of "Longbottom! Where's that bloody frog of yours?!" echoed off of the train's walls until only the sound of rushing scenery filled the air around the pair left in the compartment, one of which was bent over and laughing uncontrollably.
"Oh-my-what a-she actually bought it!" Ginny doubled over again, clutching her stomach with mirth.
Draco straightened his ruffled robes and cast another glance in the direction Pansy's shrieks had headed off to, and he quickly shut the compartment doors.
"Great, Weasel. Now I'll be hearing from the whole of slytherin house's parents thinking I've gone and given their kids some disease. Mother won't be pleased either." He tried to look scornful and malicious, but the giggling witch beside him only laughed harder.
"Dear, D-Dumbledore. My son claims he's been having decent thoughts lately. I m-must insist that you allow him to come home immediately for medical treatment." Ginny was growing breathless now.
Draco crossed his arms, content to wait until she managed to control herself. Eventually, Ginny's laughter subsided and she was able to look at him straight with shining eyes and scarlet cheeks of mirth.
"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport!" She scoffed and playfully smacked his arm, "You've got to admit it, Draco. That girl's about one bubble short of an imbecile potion."
Draco's eyes hardened once again. "You'd better leave before she gets back, Weasel. She'll have it out for you, and I know Parkinson. She's got one hell of a knack for pay-back." He made to open the door for her, but Ginny placed a hand on his arm, stopping him.
"I can take care of myself, thank you. Besides, I thought you'd be glad to get away from her. She's terrible, isn't she?" Ginny scrunched her nose at the memory of Pansy's snarling face.
"I'm not up for your games right now, Weasel. You have no business being here. Leave." He began to open the door once again for her.
Ginny felt her heart clench at the ice that bordered his speech. She resigned to brush it off, though. No need letting that one on.
"Aren't you the grouchy one this morning? What is it? Feeling a bit off? You don't suppose you really are coming down with Frugal Fever, do you?" Ginny pressed her hand to his forehead again and quickly dug into her robes, withdrawing a few shiny coins and holding them in front of Draco's face.
"Quick, Draco. How many coins do you see?"
Draco eyed the money with a bored glance and took in her twinkling hazel orbs, realizing at that moment that whatever cruel comment he'd lined up had dissipated into the air around them. He was immediately inclined to check his text books to see if there really was such thing as Frugal Fever.
"You're impossible, Weasley. Bloody impossible." He held the door open for her, and she grinned widely.
"Oh, believe me. I know." She laughed and led the way down the corridor towards compartment 56B. Behind her, she could feel the shadow of a smile gracing the contours of Draco's face and suddenly found herself looking forward to the impending term. Perhaps she'd have a little something to keep her life interesting besides midnight kitchen raids and quidditch practice this year.
"A little faster, Weasel. I can't be seen walking so close to you." Draco uttered through clenched teeth.
Ginny smiled silently but obliged by quickening her pace.
This year will definitely be interesting, that's for sure.
Behind her, Draco Malfoy was furrowing his brow, a similar thought burrowing its way through his mind at the same time.
At the feast later that evening, Ginny resorted to giving Ron the silent treatment, of which he was completely oblivious to as usual, having averted his attention to his overfilled plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and gooey chocolate concoctions that made Ginny's teeth hurt just by looking at them.
She toyed with her fork, making it swirl designs into her Yorkshire pudding and listened with half an ear while Hermione rattled over a paraphrased list of rules and regulations that went along with prefecthood. Harry was watching her, however, with a look akin to the utmost attentiveness.
Ginny smirked, realizing that he'd been staring at some point directly behind Hermione's head the entire time, the glazed over expression in his emerald orbs betraying him.
"-and you mustn't forget that only Head Boy and Girl are allowed to take house points. If McGonagall catches you threatening to dock them, she'll have you cleaning the prefect's bathroom for a week…isn't that right, Ron?" Hermione's honey gaze landed on the unsuspecting prefect, and she raised her eyebrows.
Ron swallowed his mouthful of food and shrugged, "Erm…right!" He nodded fervently, the mental ticking of his brain practically visible beneath the shade of red that was tinting his face. "McGonagall…boys docking…erm…bathroom…are you going to finish that, Gin?" Ron glanced hopefully at his sister's mutilated pudding, his earlier attempts to avoid a lecture from Hermione abandoned.
Ginny sighed and pushed her plate towards him, feeling the beginnings of a back-to-school headache brewing behind her eyes.
"Ronald Weasley! You should be setting a better example for your sister!" Hermione chastised, glaring at his already full mouth.
"Wha'd I do?" His eyes widened at her and he swallowed nosily. Hermione sighed dramatically and retreated her gazes to her own food.
Harry shrugged at Ron's perplexed frown, and he quickly busied himself by joining Seamus Finnegan and Daniel Clayton's conversation about the Canon's victory at nationals. Only Ginny noticed when his hand slipped beneath the table and Hermione's face suddenly relaxed, earlier traces of annoyance dissolving from her face like rain sliding over a window pane.
Ginny chanced a look at the Slytherin table, spotting a flaxen head after a few seconds of searching. Draco was facing her, his sides flanked by Pansy Parkinson (Ginny smiled to herself as she noticed the way Pansy refrained from making direct contact with Draco whenever she reached for anything) and Marcus Flint who was animatedly grunting and growling about something that Draco was supposed to be paying attention to.
However, as Ginny noticed, his eyes were flitting casually across the room, eventually landing on hers and locking for the briefest of seconds before tearing themselves away and flitting towards the giant doors of the Great Hall.
Ginny's stomach flipped inside her, grateful for any means of a distraction. She quickly dumped the rest of her plate onto her brother's, ignoring his exclamations of thanks and excused herself quietly.
Hermione glanced at her in passing, offering a small smile to her younger friend, and hoping that she hadn't made her nervous by rambling about prefect responsibilities or anything.
"D'you want me to go with you, Gin? I could show you where the prefects meet every week. They should have our assignments posted for the next week." Hermione made to stand up, but Ginny placed her hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back down.
"Oh, no. Don't worry about me, Herm. I'm just going to go up to bed. I'm awfully tired after the train ride." She waved goodbye and threw in a yawn for good measure. "I'll see you all tomorrow at breakfast. G'night!" She didn't wait for a response and quickly scurried out of the hall, hoping they wouldn't come after her.
Once she'd slid into the main entrance hall and up the winding staircase to the changing stairs, she leaned against a statue of some ancient mediwitch and waited.
After a few tense moments, the sound of footsteps began to permeate the air, strong and sure of where they were headed. Ginny smiled softly.
A blur of black filled the entryway and Ginny latched onto the hem of Draco's robes, pulling him into her hiding place.
His face met hers with an unreadable message, cold grey eyes not betraying their surprise. Ginny grinned and giggled softly.
"Want me to show you something?" She whispered, peering over his shoulder for signs of any onlookers. The brightly lit torches were casting dancing shadows across Draco's face and the rest of the corridor, and she found herself admiring the liquid silver of his eyes as they narrowed at her own.
Draco's reply was a glance over his own shoulder and quick shove in her shoulders. Ginny gasped and quickly hid behind the statue, hoping she wasn't visible. Draco pressed himself next to her, shielding her from view.
Voices became less distant and finally filled the entrance to the stairwell. Ginny recognized Lavender Brown's high-pitched voice and Parvati Patil's fluid giggles. Their animated conversation droned on up the stairs and most likely to Gryffindor's common room.
"The feast must be ending…" Ginny whispered, and once she felt it was safe enough, she tugged Draco's arm and they made their way in the opposite direction, taking a rarely used staircase up and up until Ginny paused at a dusty wooden door, panting softly. She motioned for him to be quiet and carefully nudged the door open.
Draco felt strange being led around like some dog by the female Weasel, but he'd grown quite used to doing unusual things around her. Saying 'thanks' and things of the like.
Ginny sighed loudly, stepping out onto stone floor serenely. It was slightly drafty, but the room was wide and had an open ceiling, revealing the sparkling night sky overhead. The walls weren't lit by torches, but by glowing silver orbs that cast just enough light to make the floor visible, much like the half-moon that was shining above them.
Draco was curious, but he didn't question how she'd discovered this room, and he followed her silently to the middle of the floor where she knelt upon the ground and laid down on her back. He was instantly reminded of his first night at the Burrow, with the youngest Weasley lying flat on her back, hair fanned out around her head in dark curls, her pale skin glowing with moonlight.
Ginny closed her eyes serenely after a moment.
"I love it here, don't you?" She spread her arms out as if she were making a snow-angel and stretched lazily.
Draco sat beside her, his legs casually laid out before him. He leaned back on the palms of his hands, finding that the floor had softened considerably, almost like grass now.
"Reminds me of home…" Ginny's eyes fluttered open and leaned up on her elbows to take in the sight of Draco more clearly. She noticed how angelic his features appeared to be, bathed in the light of stars and shadowed in just the right places. She smiled softly, wondering if he were thinking her stupid for wasting hours away on her back in a room that never met sunlight, that was forever a starry night, forever hers.
"Already missing that sty, Weasley?" Draco sneered, breaking the silence around them. Ginny ignored his comment and shrugged. "I always come here…at least once a week…to think."
"Have you ever heard that perhaps you think too much, Weasley?" Draco was growing unnerved at how comfortable he was feeling sitting next to her, the heat of her body so close to his own icy demeanor.
"Have you ever heard that perhaps you talk too much, Draco?" Ginny laughed and suddenly stood, brushing off her robes.
Draco followed suit. "Why'd you bring me up here anyway?"
"Why did you follow me?"
Draco was silent for a moment. "Alright. If you're going to insist upon straggling along beside me all bloody year long, Weasel, then we're going to have to come to an understanding."
Ginny nodded as if she'd been thinking something along similar lines and patiently waited for him to continue.
"No one knows. Not Granger, not Potter, not even your thick-headed brother."
Ginny giggled, "Are we going to be secret friends, then? Is that what you are proposing, Mr. Malfoy?" She playfully smiled at him, eyes glittering.
"Well I've come to the conclusion that I'm never going to be rid of you, Weaslette. But I'm not about to risk my reputation just so you can goggle at me all the time."
Ginny scoffed, "Oh, get over your self. It just so happens that compared to the rest of my friends, you happen to be the most interesting."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"I knew you would."
"Do we have an understanding then?" He crossed his arms impatiently, waiting for her answer. He tried to squelch the rising feeling in his chest that if she said no, he'd be sorely disappointed.
Ginny took a moment to consider before nodding silently.
"You continue to act like a royal arse to me and my friends and I'll act like I can't stand the sight of you. Sounds lovely to me." She smiled coyly.
"But, Draco?"
"What is it?"
"You might want to borrow Neville's toad after all. I do believe you've begun to be a bit of a softy, wouldn't you agree?"
Draco glared at her warningly. "Do we have a deal or not, Weasel?"
Ginny held out her hand and shook his firmly.
"Deal."
------------------------4 Weeks Later---------------------------
"Ginny, would you come on already?! We're going to be late for McGonagall!" Collin Creevy glanced swiftly at his watch, tapping his foot impatiently as Ginny fumbled to down the rest of her pumpkin juice and juggle her books into her book bag at the same time.
"Oh, stuff it, Collin. We're not going to be-"
Just then the chime of a clock filled the room, singing the tune of half past one.
"LATE!" She squealed and grabbed Collin's arm, flinging him down the length of the Great Hall and speeding towards the transfiguration class room. They were just tearing down the fifth long corridor with a few more doors to go until they were roughly half a minute early for class when Ginny felt herself being flung forward, waiting to crash into the ground and possibly knock herself unconscious.
"Oof!" She grunted, feeling fabric gripped in her fingers and a warm body surrounding her. Suddenly, she was thrown forward and had to stumble to regain her balance.
"Watch where you're going, Weasel!"
Ginny huffed, ignoring Draco's biting dialogue and stooped to help Collin retrieve her books.
"Save it, Malfoy. I'm late." She brushed off her robes and cradled her book bag in her hands, inspecting it for any damage. She finally met Draco's eyes, noting the practiced glare of annoyance they glowed with and fought the urge to reach up and punch him in the shoulder for further delaying her.
"Shouldn't you be somewhere helping Snape grease his hair or something?" She said with ease, even achieving a look of disgust at the thought.
Collin was bouncing on the balls of his feet, itching to step just a few feet further into the safety of McGonagall's room, but duty as a best friend kept him locked in place.
"C'mon, Gin. Let's go before we're even later," he urged, taking her arm.
Ginny nodded, glaring heatedly at Draco's sneering face.
"Go along now, Malfoy. Mustn't keep Snapey waiting, should you?"
"Touché, Weasel. Taking lessons in offense from St. Potter, are you?"
"Eat dung, Malfoy."
"With a silver spoon, as always."
"GINNY." Collin forced himself between them, flung a few of her books into her arms and shoved her away from Draco and into the classroom. Once inside, Ginny realized she was missing her quill and quickly backtracked. Unsurprisingly, she met Draco around the corner where he was leaning casually in his slytherin robes against the stone wall.
"You're such a prat, did you know that?!" She rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself and holding out her hand expectantly.
Draco whistled innocently, twirling her swan feathered quill between his long fingers.
"Hand it over, Draco-McGonagall's waiting."
Draco smiled deviously, "Hand what over?" He was now holding a shiny pocket watch in his hand.
Ginny's eyes widened. "You'd better change it back, Draco! Mum got that for me for my birthday!" She glanced wearily at the silver oval, praying Draco was good enough at transfiguration to turn it back into her favorite quill.
Seeing her obvious distress, Draco dangled the watch in front of her eyes, enjoying the way her hazel orbs followed the swinging object lethargically.
"See that time?"
Ginny blinked, focusing in on the watch's hour hand.
"10:00."
Draco smirked. "Meet me tonight-you know where."
Ginny sighed, annoyed at the game he was playing with her. "What for? So you can have me do your Arithmacy homework for you again? You haven't even finished looking over my potions scroll!"
Draco laid the watch carefully into her palm and with a tap of his wand it was back in perfect quill condition.
"Meet me?" He looked at her evenly, knowing that she would meet him whether she said so or not.
Ginny glared at him for a long moment before briefly nodding. "But you're still a prat."
"What are friends for, Weasel?" Malfoy winked at her with a bemused smirk (something only he could pull off, Ginny believed wholeheartedly) and sauntered off in the opposite direction.
Ginny sighed heavily, leaning back against the wall and absently sliding the smooth quill between her fingers. She and Draco had been keeping their friendship secret for a month now, meeting a few nights a week in the Gazing Room. She found it hilarious to banter with him in the hallways, colorfully wishing every type of cruel death upon him while others looked on, completely fooled.
But in the past few days, she'd found herself living for those moments afterward when they would find a dark corner and laugh at their acting skills or the game they'd perfected. She stopped talking to a lot of her close friends lately, finding more comfort in sharing her thoughts with Draco, who was content to sit and listen, offering sarcasm to lighten her moods and in some situations a shoulder to cry on when she'd fail an exceptionally hard test or fought with her brother.
She smiled softly at a memory two weeks aged, of herself in his arms, staining his quidditch robes with her tears after Ron had been knocked out during a match and had to spend a week in the infirmary. The bludger had been meant for her.
Another scene played across her distant eyes, raising her spirits all over again at the thought of the day she'd been made a Gryffindor chaser and ran full-fledged to their secret place to find him sitting silently, pouring his eyes over a thick book. She'd landed on him with a squeal, laughing out her news as he listened to her recount the entire moment until she could no longer speak over her tears of joy.
He never offered her more than he felt comfortable with, keeping himself within certain limitations of protocol, but she knew that he cared for her. As a friend. She knew it by the way he'd lead her through dense crowds with his hand on the small of her back, hidden by the bustling bodies; she felt it in the way he bickered with her over silly things like staying out past curfew or wandering alone during her prefect patrolling, insisting upon joining her at a distance.
She spent hours helping him write letters of encouragement to his mother while he was away, urging her to be strong, to know that soon he'd be home and able to care for her. She slowly grew to know Draco Malfoy, and whether he'd wanted to or not, he let her.
She knew she was losing control of the game she'd started. Her feelings were slipping, falling into new molds, becoming more than what she'd thought she'd been able to sustain. But she couldn't stop, wouldn't stop for fear of losing him.
"Ginevra Weasley! Are you planning on standing there all day long or were you intending on rejoining your classmates before the end of the lesson?" Minerva McGonagall's authoritative form filled the doorway of her classroom, and Ginny scrambled over to her, offering a small smile of apology before meekly slipping past her.
The aging professor sighed loudly and began to follow her absentminded pupil in. Before she fully entered the room, she cast a wise amber eye over her shoulder to where Draco had been standing silently before, watching the oblivious fifth year with carefully hidden eyes.
He met her gaze silently, letting her eyes penetrate his own, digging and searching, hoping for what she knew was truth to dissolve within his icy orbs. When he made no attempts to stop her probing, she released her lock on his eyes and disappeared into the classroom, leaving Draco alone in the cold corridor, not-so-secretly missing the warmth of a certain Weasley's presence.
He quickly turned on his heel, heading back to the Slytherin common room for the rest of his free period. Perhaps he'd study or write to his mother. Or perhaps he'd sit and brood over a fiery red-head, waiting impatiently to hear her babble animatedly about her day or pester him about his classes or her homework.
"Weasley Is Our King." The Slytherin passageway opened, and he stepped through, finding a free arm chair and slumping heavily into it, though he still looked every bit as regal and refined as he always did in the casual position.
The sound of clicking heels sounded against the stone floor, and soon Pansy Parkinson was standing before him, dangling a sealed letter between her manicured fingers.
"This just came for you, darling," She smiled at him and made to sit next to him on the chair, but Draco immediately stood, snatching the letter from her grasp.
"Something wrong, Draco?" She narrowed her eyes. She'd been hoping for a little playtime before dinner, but obviously he wasn't in the mood. In fact, he hadn't been the mood for anything other than quidditch, eating, or sleeping since term had begun.
Draco stared at the burnt-yellow colored letter; the Malfoy crest glared back at him. However, a silver serpent had been added to the emblem, outlined in scarlet as it slid slowly around the design. Draco's heart was beating rapidly, thumping wildly within his chest and practically stopping his lungs from being able to breathe.
"Leave." He spat. Pansy huffed and stomped out of the room, deciding to go see if Marcus was busy until Draco came to his senses.
Once alone, Draco tore open the letter as if it was burning his hands to keep it sealed any longer. There on inky black parchment was a date scrawled in silver script. The blood ran cold through Draco's fingers, and his back went rigid. Beneath the writing was an illustration, a memory in Draco's case. He closed his eyes, shielding his grey eyes from the world's view to focus on the night he'd listened to his mother and father arguing heatedly. He saw his mother tear apart his father's sleeve, saw the Dark Mark's lifelong stain on his father's forearm, and felt the rush of bewilderment all over again.
Draco wrenched his mind away from the memory and stormed to the opposite side of the common room.
"Incendio!" He roared and flames erupted within the hearth. With a strangled cry, he threw the letter into the fire, letting the flames eat it alive. Inside he knew, however, that this was only delaying the inevitable. December 20th was hurtling its way forward with no chance of slowing down. His hand flew to his own arm, massaging the bare flesh beneath his robes silently.
In the fire the letter had been reduced to ashes, and he found himself imagining another flame, the one that had been lighting up his life since he'd knelt beside it for much needed warmth more than five weeks before.
He thought of what Ginny would say. What Ginny would think if he told her that the rumors were true? That he would be meeting the Dark Lord in less than three month's time. That he probably wouldn't be coming back.
"Damn it!" He threw his fist into the back of one of the leather-bound sofas peppered throughout the room. His knuckles connected with hard wood and hot, white pain shot up and down his arm.
Somewhere a clock signaled the end of the day's classes, and he covered his bleeding and broken hand with the other. He'd be facing her in 5 hours. He ran a blood-stained hand through his flaxen locks and set his face to stone.
Outside, the sun snuck behind a barrier of clouds, refusing to shed its warmth upon the desolate hour. Draco basked in the shadow of day and swiftly left the common room, leaving the fire to lick and groan over his heavy burden until only ashes remained.
--------------------------------------------------------------
AN: Really hope you enjoyed this one and that it was worth the unusually long waitI Can't wait to hear from you all! Thanks so much for your wonderful reviews!
Ciao!
~Adrial~
PS: Review…give me some energy to get me through this week and get the next chapter out! ;-) I promise I'll respond to your review ASAP!