AN: Alright, I've gone and re-written a bunch of the last section of D/G at the end. So this is version 2.0; I think I've managed to make everything clear. Sorry again for the confusion! Read, and let me know if I've missed anything. Thanks for being so great!
~Adrial~
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"To be or not to be a Weasley"
By: Adrial
Chapter 9: Of Love and Wreckage (v2.0)
-------------------------------------------------------
Hope dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption
Winding in and winding out
The shine ahead has caught my eye
And roped me in so mesmerizing
It's so hypnotizing
I am captivated
I am…
Vindicated
I am selfish
I am wrong
I am right
I swear I'm right
Swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed
But I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now
The things you swore you saw yourself…
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ginny plopped onto a seat next to a few chattering fifth year girls where she knew she wouldn't be noticed. Casting a paranoid glance over her shoulder, she found her brother staring at her back inquisitively and rolled her eyes, turning back to the girls and inconspicuously trying to look as if she were involved in all the animated nonsense.
She threw her head back a laughed at a joke she hadn't heard and in the process caught a glimpse of her protective nuisance. He was now slumping in his seat, glancing dejectedly back and forth between Harry and Hermione who were unusually quiet and both staring at their plates as if they were the pivotal point of the universe. They'd been doing a lot of that lately.
Ginny whipped back around and sighed. At least she knew she wasn't the only one with a secret to bear. Biting her lip, she dug deep into her bag and withdrew a hastily scribbled letter from the folds. She unfolded it, trying to mask her eagerness by keeping her pace at a decent level. Finally, she had it spread out before her.
Weasel Ginny,
Something's come up. I won't be able to make it tonight. Guess you're on your own with the potions scroll. Just say that I owe you one (never thought you'd have a Malfoy in your debt, did you, little weasel?)-who knows, I just might teach you how to fly properly on that ruddy contraption you call a broom one of these days.
See you,
X
Ginny's auburn brow furrowed itself into deep wrinkles on her forehead as she read and reread Draco's letter. With a miserable sigh, she lifted her body up from the table and gathered her things. She'd made it to dinner early that night so she hadn't expected to see him there, and she slowly made her way out of the Great Hall. The giggling cluster of Gryffindors droned on behind her, not missing her for an instant.
She felt extremely lonely then, wandering the dreary castle corridors with only the silent waltz of torchlight against the walls to accompany her as everyone else was either eating or off somewhere enjoying the last of the warm weather before autumn snuck upon them and set everything to rest.
She didn't much feel like going up to Gryffindor tower at the moment. Nor did she care to seek refuge from the suffocating quiet in the library where at least Madam Pince's muffled shuffling offered a soundtrack to the calm atmosphere.
Mrs. Norris slinked past her, casting an accusatory glare in her direction before realizing that she wasn't doing anything out-of-bounds and flouncing off to bother someone else lurking around alone. Ginny readjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder and slumped into an awkward position against the sill of a blurry window that overlooked the wrinkling waters of the lake. Greedy clouds were crowding around the fuchsia rays of the sun's departure, as if trying to obscure the world from its penetrating warmth.
She sighed and leaned her cheek against the cold glass; her hot breaths splashed foggy blotches over the window and she idly traced nameless shapes through them with her index finger. There was no point in denying it-she missed Draco.
She banged her head deftly against the pane and tried to force the thought from her mind by squinting her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. When that failed to succeed, she sighed and gave up. She would have given anything to be with him then, if only to hear him berate her for any number of her idiosyncrasies that he took pleasure in pointing out, or simply for her to say something that would force a smile upon his face that he would quickly hide behind a scowl in her direction.
Get a grip, Weasley. It's only one bloody day. It's not like you don't have better things to do anyway. Just erm…think of something…
And so she thought. And thought. Her brain began to ache from her concentration on an abyss of nothingness and she sighed bemusedly. Nope-all she could think of filling her time with concerned speaking with Draco, annoying Draco, laughing at Draco, thinking of Draco…
"I'm going bloody mental. St. Mungos-here I come," She mumbled and scowled at the emptiness around her.
The sudden shuffle of footsteps shook her from her reverie, and she quickly tried to bury herself deeper into the corner of the sill, though knowing that she'd be all too visible regardless.
"Oh!" Someone's muffled gasp sounded from behind her, and Ginny whipped around, only to be greeted with somber honey-hued eyes, wild brown hair that drooped miserably over sagged shoulders and crystalline tears that slipped down a blotchy red face before trickling soundlessly onto the collar of a crisp white shirt.
"Hermione?" Ginny questioned curiously, easily raising from her seat and rushing to the distraught girl. Hermione shook her head miserably and dredged up the most pitiful of sad smiles Ginny thought she'd ever seen.
A few fat tears leaked out from Hermione's eyes and she swatted them away, allowing herself to be enfolded in Ginny's embrace. Ginny patted her back comfortingly with her eyes furrowed and heart clenching for her friend whom she realized with a twist of her heart that she had been neglecting for the past month.
"Hermione…what's the matter?" She could feel cold patches of wetness where Hermione's eyes were relieving themselves of their painful burden and bit her own lip, feeling guilty moisture forming behind her own hazel orbs, now a dusky brown hue in the approaching night.
"I've-something-awful-can't-oh, Ginny! What am I *hic* going to do?" She pulled herself from Ginny's arms and looked at the younger girl helplessly, longing to borrow a bit of her assurance, or just a pinch of her shameless bravery for just one moment, if only to fix what she'd so brutally destroyed.
Ginny frowned, subconsciously shivering at the pure sadness dripping form Hermione's self. "What on earth is it, Hermione? What have you done?" She narrowed her eyes questioningly, urging Hermione to pull herself together.
But all the girl would do was release a strangled cry and slide to the floor like a broken doll, hiding her face behind her knees. Ginny knelt beside her, setting out to make up for her selfish neglect and do whatever she could to help the shadow of the girl she'd grown to love and admire like an older sister over the summer.
"Hermione…you can tell me…" Ginny smoothed the curly locks of hair that cascaded down Hermione's back and sat cross-legged beside her.
Hermione sniffled loudly and wiped her face with the back of her sleeve. After a few moments, she finally turned to face Ginny once again, this time her visage was darkened by a deep, hollow look of regret. She was silent for a long while until Ginny could no longer stand it.
"Merlin, Hermione. You're going to have to start telling me something or else I'm going to go find Harry or Ron-maybe they'd be-"
"NO!" Hermione rasped out, choking over her own cry. "You can't! That's just it…they probably wouldn't come anyway…they…I…" She trailed off, biting her lip and seemingly unable to continue. Ginny's curiosity peaked at her declaration and she settled in for a long conversation.
"What happened? Surely you can't have done anything so horrible to make them-"
"Oh but I have, Ginny! That's just it…I think I…" Hermione shuddered and shook her head solemnly, "I think I've l-lost them both, Gin."
Ginny let this sink in for a moment before she spoke, drawing Hermione into a one-armed hug and offering a handkerchief to wipe her face with as it was growing red from the over usage of her sleeve.
"Ron knows…doesn't he?" Ginny suddenly whispered, casting a questioning frown towards Hermione. Her eyes widened for a millisecond before she nodded succinctly.
"He saw us…after dinner…near Hagrid's hut…" She inhaled a quaky breath, "I didn't mean to hurt him, Ginny. Please believe me-I swear neither of us meant to. I should have told him sooner, I knew it, but it was always so hard…he was always so bloody insufferable and we were always fighting and it just never seemed like there was a time or a place to just…just tell him." She ended her rambling with a sniffle and waited for Ginny to start screaming at her, to berate her for hurting her brother, for lying and letting him believe in things that wouldn't be…couldn't be true, now or ever.
Ginny's heart tightened. She pictured her brother in her mind, his horrible way of hiding his feelings and lack of ability to read others' as well. She also knew that Hermione cared for Ron more than a lot of people realized. There was no breaking the Golden Trio's bond, unless…
"How long?"
"Since the beginning of term…I hadn't planned it, honestly. It's just…Harry and I have been feeling, well…things for some time now, and one day…" She didn't finish her sentence, and Ginny didn't ask her to.
"I don't know what to say, 'Mione…Ron-he thought he loved you," Ginny whispered the last part and her heart ached for her brother. She instantly wished she'd spent more time letting him annoy her, maybe then he would have confided in her and she could have helped his eyes open to what they'd been brutally bombarded with in a dart of lightning.
Hermione choked on her next words. "I kno-ow."
"But I know Ron. I know what's going on in his mind right now-he's thinking his best friend has betrayed him."
"But I didn't mean-"
"No…no, Hermione. Not you-Harry. Ever since Ron and he became friends, Ron has watched Harry succeed at things he'd never even dreamed of before. He was golden, and Ron was one of seven children, never special, never exceptional at much. But with you…he thought he'd finally found someone he could have all on his own, just because he was himself. He wanted you and Harry got you. It's going to be a long time before he forgets that."
Hermione's tears had dried by the end of Ginny's statement, and she sighed heavily.
"He's going to hate us. I can't bear to watch him and Harry like that-not again. Not when they need each other now more than ever."
Ginny shrugged, "There's not much that can be done, 'Mione. It's too late to go back, but I promise that he'll come around eventually. You know, Ron-he takes a bit longer than most to build bridges over things he needs to get over. Just be patient, alright?"
Hermione nodded silently and weakly smiled. "I really have missed you lately, Gin. It seems like you're never around anymore really…but I suppose with NEWT's coming up just next year, I've been locking myself up in the library more frequently than usual as well. But I kind of missed having a little sister to confide in."
Ginny bit her lip. Should she let Hermione know that she wasn't he only one at Hogwarts with a secret? No, I can't. She wouldn't understand. She hates Draco.
She quickly plastered on a smile and hugged Hermione, burying the stab of regret she felt rise in her chest, "I know. I guess I've been a bit preoccupied what with OWL's just around the corner for me as well. But I'll be here more often, I promise. Goodness knows you three fall to pieces every time there's not someone there to play referee." She winked playfully and made to stand.
Hermione rose shakily, feeling as if a hundred pounds had been lifted off of her shoulders and was replaced by a weightless sense of acceptance.
"Ginny…"
"Yeah?" Ginny began to gather her things.
"Do you…I mean…I know it's probably not my place to ask, but…are you OK with-"
"Hermione Granger, when you and Harry start popping out kids, just promise to name one of them after me, will you?" Ginny smiled deviously at her and slung her bag over her shoulder.
Hermione laughed softly and bobbed her head. "Absolutely."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next day, Ginny found a bouquet of scarlet roses on her bed and an anonymous letter attached to the stems. She stared as a few petals strayed from their flower and stained her ivory sheets like drops of fragrant blood.
She hesitantly reached for the envelope and opened it. Blue ink.
"Dammit…take a bloody hint, Thomas, would you?!" She scowled at the bouquet and gathered it into her arms, ignoring the alluring scent and focusing on hurling them out of her window at the soonest possible moment.
"Alohamora!" She shouted impatiently and flung her wand back onto her nightstand when the window opened accordingly. She reared back and let the barbed beauty shower the grounds below like crimson rain.
A group of boys ducked to avoid the flowery assault and one of them bent over to retrieve one of the less-mutilated roses, craning his neck to stare up at the blurry red-head poking out of the window.
"Ginny Weasley! I thought I told you I wouldn't go out with you until you promised to do my Transfig. homework for next week!"
Ginny grinned and itched for something else to throw. "Shut it, Finnegan! I'm having a bad day!"
Seamus scratched his head and twirled the stem of his rose between his fingers leisurely. "Keep your feminine issues to yourself, Gin. I'm not looking to die by rose anytime soon!" He laughed heartily and began to saunter off, throwing a wave behind him.
Ginny leaned farther out of the window and called after him, "Only if you'd do me a grand favor and tell that great prat of a friend you have that I'm not looking to be married before I graduate!!" She pulled out of the window before he could respond and plopped onto her bed in a huff.
"Bloody boys. And for the last time, it's SUNFLOWERS, you idiot!" She spat to no one in particular and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Crawk! You're late! Crawwwk! You're late! CRAWWK!"
"SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP!!!" Ginny roared and ran to Hailey's side of the dorm to pound her fist into her obnoxious alarm crow. The black bird ducked back inside of his two-bedroom flat and ruffled its feathers defensively.
"CRAWWK! Grouchy-Grouchy! Crawwk!!"
"I-said-SHUT-UP!" Ginny grabbed her wand and cried, "Silencio!" The ebony nuisance continued to poke in and out of the balcony but its great orange beak merely flapped open and closed uselessly.
"There…that's more like it." Ginny smiled with a satisfied smirk. It was Saturday after all. She was free to storm about her dorm in a rage and attack passers-by with projectile greenery while taking out her anger on obnoxious wizarding appliances if she wanted.
Besides, if she went into the Common Room that would mean facing her brother, and she was in no particular mood to travel down that path quite yet. He'd spent the last few days moping around, glaring holes into the wall and peoples' foreheads if they tried to shake him out of it. Hermione and Harry had kept a safe distance from him as well, and any time either of the three found themselves within a five foot radius of the other, they would flee to the ends of the earth before facing one another. To Ginny the entire thing was ridiculous, but she sympathized with all three of them for different reasons, and that would put her directly in the middle, which was the last place she wanted to be at the moment.
Now, as to the reason why she was currently ripping clothing out of her wardrobe at a speed that would have made the Firebolt II look like a feather duster?
Draco Bloody Malfoy.
She guessed his middle name must have been something different, but given the current circumstances, she thought it fit him quite nicely. Bloody. What she wouldn't give to bloody him up a bit, maybe punch his nose in or sock him in his gut. She growled as a jumper decided to be cheeky and tangle itself up in another hanger.
"Bugger!" She inserted her index finger into her mouth, noting the taste of blood as she nursed her cut issued from trying to disengage the offending piece of clothing.
He'd been ignoring her. Her! She thought back to the previous evening after she'd run across him in the hall before dinner. There were people around so he quickly pushed his nose up at her and declared her unfit to walk the halls for fear that her distracting mane of red would blind-sight pedestrians, and she skillfully bantered back with him as well.
"Oh is that so, Malfoy? And what about you? Don't you think it unsafe for a DE in training to be stalking the halls full of innocents before dark?" She spat and didn't bother to note the flash of horror that fell over his face as he let her comment sink its teeth into his chest and rip it to ribbons.
Right after, she'd snuck into an empty classroom near by, letting him see exactly which one and waited…and waited…for one minute…two minutes…five... She finally gave up and poked her head out to encounter the bustling pre-dinner traffic and no sign of Draco whatsoever. She thought perhaps that he'd been whisked off by some slytherin for dinner and couldn't raise suspicion by backtracking, but he hadn't been at dinner sneering convincingly at her from the slytherin table, and he hadn't shown up in the Gazing Room that night either. And Ginny knew because she'd stayed there for four hours, staring into open space and growing more and more agitated with every moment that ticked by. Not even the gentle comfort of the winking stars could appease her senses.
But she hadn't been aware of the torn pair of silver eyes that watched her through a crack in the door and had to rip themselves away from her alluring form to keep their owner away from charging in and spilling out his soul to her in a fit of mental weakness.
Ginny finally stuffed herself into a light blue jumper and threw on a pair of faded jeans. There was a Hogsmeade visit that day, but she planned on spending the afternoon by the lake where she could think (and brood) in peace. As she made her way down the stairs, clusters of witches and wizards passed by her, each clutching warm cloaks against their chests and babbling excitedly about the day before them.
"Hey, Gin!" Collin's voice met Ginny at the foot of the staircase and she smiled ditheringly.
"Hello, Collin. Going to Hogsmeade alone, are you?" She winked at him playfully, not missing Natalie Fletcher's becoming blush from a few feet away and the way Collin was nervously fiddling with his hair whenever she wasn't looking.
Collin cleared his throat and grinned cheekily, "Not if you tag along."
Ginny shrugged, "I don't think so, Collin. I'm really not in the mood-"
"Did that wanker send you another bloody present?" He spat and placed a friendly hand on her forearm.
Ginny laughed and nodded. "Oh just the usual you know, cupid pixies and fountains of rose petals." She winked impishly.
"Shall I hex him for you? I've been meaning to test that one your brother showed me last week…"
"I don't think Dean would fancy having spaghetti strings growing out of his ears, Collin, but thank you for the offer. Have fun today, will you?" She kissed him on the cheek and he nodded, smiling widely.
"You, too, Gin…and, erm…be careful, would you?" He added the last bit with a hesitant look and Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Not you, too, Collin!"
Another grin appeared on his face. "Can't help it. Any pretty friends of mine shouldn't be left to walk the corridors alone."
"I'm sure you could if you tried hard enough, Collin. I'll see you, OK?" She patted his cheek and walked off a bit happier than she had been before. Right before she got to the portrait hole, she turned back and looked at him deviously.
"Oh, and Collin? I don't think Natalie will be warming up to you any time soon if she sees you flirting with other girls."
Collin looked at her curiously before turning to his left only to see the aforementioned witch glaring daggers in his direction and being comforted by three babbling girls in her year.
Collin gulped and waved a quick 'thanks' to Ginny whose giggles could be heard echoing off of the corridor walls until the Fat Lady swung herself shut once again.
Ginny passed by the infirmary and then McGonagall's empty classroom before taking a set of stairs that would lead her up to one of the unused towers of the castle until everyone bustled out for the day.
As she rounded a corner, she suddenly found herself staring up into cloudy emerald eyes that belonged to a handsome boy with mussed hair and a scar on his forehead that seemed to have lost a bit of its luster after knowing him for five years.
"Oh…Hullo, Gin," Harry awkwardly stuffed his hands into his pockets, and Ginny resisted the urge to cover her mouth in shock at how utterly despondent he looked-as if his body was too young to be able to support all of the burdens life had shoved off onto his shoulders and he was buckling under the weight of it all.
"Harry, what are you doing up here? Are you alright?" She narrowed her eyes curiously at him and took in his wrinkled sweatshirt and pants, sleepless eyes and pale skin.
He offered her a weak smile, "I'm fine, thanks. Just taking a walk…you know…to think." He looked as if he would have loved to be anywhere but there at the moment, but Ginny wasn't ready to let him go just yet.
"Hermione told me what happened, Harry. I'm sorry things had to be this way." She whispered softly and noted the guarded look he flashed at her after she'd finished.
"Never one to beat around the bush, are you, Gin?" He smiled at her and ruffled her hair.
"Oh, but you are, Mr. Potter." She stared at him determinedly. Harry sighed and leaned against the cold stone wall heavily, his hands now clenched into fists inside of his pockets.
"I can't get either of them to talk to me. Even Hermione…" He paused and took a deep breath, "Even she won't come near me for more than a few moments. I can't help but think that she blames me…I was the one who was too scared to tell him…but now I'm beginning to wonder….maybe she loved him after all…"
Ginny's eyes widened and she placed a warm hand on Harry's forearm, drawing his attention.
"That's not true, Harry. It's always been you-it always will be you." Her hazel eyes were large and honest, and Harry felt a jerk somewhere inside of him at her words. And just as a light of hope flickered to life in his eyes, they clouded over once again and he shook his head.
"Doesn't matter. I've made a right mess of things here. I guess it's becoming quite a habit of mine lately…" He gave a short laugh devoid of mirth and shrugged.
Ginny bit her lip and stared at him for a moment before she spoke again.
"Lillies." She said resolutely and dragged him off of the wall.
"What?" He felt himself being shoved unceremoniously into the opposite direction of the tower and back towards the stairs.
Ginny rolled her eyes, "Hermione's favorite flower. You're going to need some kind of leverage aren't you?"
"Ginny-I can't…"
"Yes you can. First you get that girl out of her dorm and back into the swing of things, then you kiss the living daylights out of her, and after you've had a naughty snog fest in some cloak closet or another, then you can deal with my brother."
She smiled winsomely at him and gave him a final shove that started him down the stairs. He turned around, and Ginny was happy to see a trace of warmth flooding his eyes once more.
"Thanks, Gin. But I'm afraid some things just aren't this easy."
"Only if you aren't willing to try."
Harry contemplated her words for a moment before nodding silently and descending the sloping stairs. Once his bobbing head was out of sight, Ginny sighed heavily and waited a few moments to follow after. She'd forgotten to warn him that if he hurt Hermione again she'd use the imperious curse to sick Crookshanks on him. No one would ever believe him anyways. But, alas, she'd have to save that for another time. Everyone should have been long gone by then.
Out on the grounds, Ginny felt her body sigh with relaxation. Her breathing measured itself in a rhythm that flowed with the undulating waters of the lake and harmonized with the trees as their branches wrestled with Mother Nature in an attempt to hang onto their leaves for another day.
The grassy shore was deserted and Ginny found a soft patch of thick golden grass to lie down on as she turned her face to the silvery sky that promised rain. A few droplets splashed her face, and she thought bitterly of being caught in a rain storm on the very day she'd decided to enjoy a little sunshine in her life.
Oh well…
She rolled over onto her stomach and cradled her chin in her hands, casting thoughtful eyes over the lake where the giant squid had slid to the surface for a bit of air before diving back into the murky depths. In what seemed like no time, the eerie lullaby of the lake and its surroundings drew her into sleep, in which she kicked and stirred fitfully, haunted by rolling black skies and boys with platinum hair and silver eyes.
Somebody was poking her awake gently, and Ginny rolled over onto her side, swatting away the offending hand and mumbled something incoherent underneath her breath.
"You're simply adorable while you sleep, Ginny."
Ginny snapped up then, facing Dean Thomas' thoughtful face with shocked horror.
"Dean! What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing?!" She quickly stood and brushed off the grass from her bottom and hair.
He rose from his kneeling position and looked at her expectantly. "Does this mean that you didn't receive the roses?" He scratched the back of his head absently. Hadn't he had the school owl deliver them to the right room?
Ginny scoffed, "Yes I got them. They were lovely. Now if you'd please excuse me, I have things to do."
"Like?" Dean looked at her inquisitively. Ever since he'd arrived at school, everyone had noticed a definite shift in personality from the carefree, quidditch-loving fifth year they thought they'd known into a stiff-haired, ironed and pressed young man who spent every day walking the corridors as if on display for a Future Husbands of England news advertisement.
Ginny wracked her brain. Like avoiding the hell out of you and coming up with a way to disguise myself so that I never have to suffer in your presence ever again.
"Erm…Transfig essay…a really nasty one…could be hours, no, days before I finish…" She started to walk past him but he caught her arm easily and made her stop.
"Wait. I wanted to know if you'd come to Hogsmeade with me. I've been looking for you all morning, but I think we can still get in a good hour or two before-"
"Um…I don't think so." Ginny tugged her arm away from his, but he merely grasped her more firmly.
"Come on, Gin. You haven't been returning any of my letters or even acknowledging my presence since last summer. I think you owe me one." He released her when she dug her fingernails into his wrist and stared at her, shocked.
"What the bloody hell was that for?"
"I don't owe you anything! Stay away from me. This is the last time I'm going to ask." She made to leave once again, but he yanked her by her shoulders and kept her in place, struggling futilely against him.
"Let me go, you bastard! I'm not going to be Mrs. Dean Thomas! Get OVER it!" She screeched against him.
Dean growled when she managed to claw a gash onto his neck and gripped her bruising flesh with more fervor.
"This isn't my fault, Ginny. It's either my parents' wishes come true or I lose my inheritance, and I'm not willing to give up summer in the Swiss Alps because a stubborn little bint like you has decided to be difficult. Besides, haven't you ever heard of an annulment?" He struggled to keep hold of her writhing body.
"You're pathetic! Get the hell off of me!" She spat at him.
Dean growled and felt himself being shoved backward more and more as Ginny's temper flared and grew to a degree that threatened to devour him completely. He lost his footing and they tumbled together in a tangle of red-hair and limbs onto the ground. Ginny didn't have time to get in a good punch at his face or knee him in his unmentionables like she whole-heartedly wanted to, as he was suddenly thrown off of her and rolled about five meters away, heaving dry air.
Ginny stared at him for a moment before she felt herself being dragged up from the ground like a rag doll and flung behind a tall figure wearing black.
"I suggest you take your arse and drown yourself some where, Thomas, before I do it for you." Draco's malicious tone stabbed the air like iced daggers, and Ginny wasn't sure whether to be grateful or fearful as he stood before her, shaking with rage and pulsing with harnessed power that she wasn't sure she'd like to be witness to if it was released.
Dean picked himself up off of the ground and looked back and forth between Ginny and Draco for a few moments as if contemplating whether or not she was worth an impromptu dip in the unforgiving waters of the lake.
Draco instinctively hid Ginny behind him completely, and withdrew his wand from within the folds of his cloak. Dean's eyes widened substantially, and he scrambled off, throwing horrified glances behind his back every other step.
"So much for Gryffindor bravery," Draco spat and returned his wand to his cloak. Ginny was shaking silently behind him, watching as he breathed hard and forcefully as if he'd just run a marathon. When he turned to her, his gaze was still sparked by icy rage though Ginny watched as it slowly leaked out of his eyes and into the air around them, leaving them staring at each other appraisingly.
Ginny tucked some of her hair behind her ears and tried not to stare at the ground like she desperately wanted to. Nameless emotions were flickering across Draco's face as he watched her, flitting by like fast-forwarded movie scenes, too rapid for Ginny to be able to decipher them.
He finally tore his eyes away from her, feeling his entire demeanor relax after he'd taken in her un-bruised body. At least he wouldn't have to murder the bloke-though he might rethink that once he knew how he'd been harassing Ginny for the past month.
He turned to leave without pause for small talk, and Ginny felt herself gasping and moving forward, anger and resentment flooding her veins like acid.
"Where do you think you're going?" She fell into step beside him, trying to keep up.
"Does it matter? I've saved your arse and all you care about is where I'm going?"
Ginny glared at him, "Well after the way you've been ignoring me this past week, I think I have a right to know. Draco, what's going on with you?" She grabbed his arm and tried to turn him to face her. He didn't resist, meeting her gaze with haunted eyes and an unreadable expression.
"I've been busy." He declared.
Ginny scoffed, "Too busy to eat? I haven't seen you at meal time in days. Have you been wasting away in your dorm all this time?" She took in his appearance, his slick hair and paler than usual face. "You look like you've been snogging a dementor."
Draco sneered at her, "Sod off, Weasley. I'm not in the mood."
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's been stuck up your arse lately. We have all day. I can wait." She crossed her arms and stood as if she had every intention of doing just that.
Draco glared at her intensely, alarm rising in his mind. How could he possibly tell her?
"Save your energy, Weasley. You're not going to get anywhere with me."
Ginny's eyes softened with hurt. Was he turning back on their friendship now? She did her best to mask the feeling of betrayal digging a hole into her chest and narrowed her eyes at him
"We'll see about that, Draco. But if I'm not mistaken, I believe you said the same thing about a month and a half ago, didn't you? It seems that the Malfoy word isn't as definitive as it used to be." She raised her eyebrows suggestively and waited for him to say something.
Draco stared at her. Hard. She could practically feel her insides shifting to dodge the intense power of his gaze. She easily disguised this with a placid face and determined frown.
Inside of Draco's mind, his world was spinning-his forearm was screaming, his lungs were fighting to breathe, his heart was aching for something while his conscience fought desperately for dominance, his eyes were watching Ginny Weasley standing there like a siren, his legs were jelly, his stomach had turned cold. It was enough to make a body sick with confusion, but he reveled in the feelings because they were all strange and foreign to him.
In all his life, he'd always had a path laid out before him, each step carefully measured in proportion to his father's larger ones, but this girl, this miniscule dot in a world full of squares had rocked him off track, and he was speeding forward towards her light at the end of a weary tunnel as if he'd been wrong all along, as if she was the reason he kept traveling each day, if only to reach her faster.
Ginny's gaze softened at the sight of his blank face. He was nearly lost in the cold sky painted behind him, but Ginny thought he'd never looked so striking in all the time she'd known him. She shivered and realized that they were being drenched with rain she hadn't even noticed falling.
Draco caught her elbow in his hand and led her to the courtyard on the west side of the castle that bordered the greenhouses. Underneath a stone ceiling bolstered by ancient looking columns, the pair stood together, glazed with rain and filled to the brim with questions they weren't sure they were able to answer just yet.
Ginny played with a handful of hair in one hand, staring at the moss-covered ground and leaning against the pillar. Draco watched her silently from where he leaned just beside her, close enough to feel the heat of her body against his right side, and drank in the sight of her darkened-by-rain auburn hair, heart-shaped face and delicately sloped nose. She was six inches below him, and he felt as if he should have been hovering over her to better protect her from the rain. She looked so small and-Draco swallowed and had to force his eyes away from her-beautiful.
The rain slapped against the ground around them, staining the earth in shades of grey, and outlining Ginny's flaming hair in a halo of silver like a flame in a blizzard. A long, tense minute passed before either spoke again.
"Thanks for…for earlier…"
Ginny saw Draco's curt nod from the corner of her eye and she sighed.
"And I didn't mean to be so harsh before…you just worried me, is all. I…erm...well, I suppose I've…I mean…what I'm trying to say is-" Ginny stumbled clumsily once she realized she'd been about to confess that she'd actually missed the insufferable prat, and she felt a deep, burning blush stain her cheeks. Draco held up a hand to silence her.
"I told you I owed you one the other day in my letter, didn't I?"
Ginny's heart clenched at his words. Had he only been doing her a favor? Was she a fool for thinking that she'd seen something more than friendly rage sparking in his eyes as he threatened Dean? She was sure then that the flicker of green she'd noted in his gaze must have been merely an illusion.
Stupid…stupid…stupid…. She silently berated herself.
"What? No witty remarks or insults from the Weasel today? Are you sure you haven't come down with something?" Draco faked concern, and Ginny's face hesitantly slid into a smile.
"Would you care?" She found her voice leaving her throat before she could latch a leash on to its neck and drag it back.
They were enveloped in a pregnant pause, and Ginny bit her lip harshly. Why had she asked him that? She was going to ruin everything now! She knew that the number one reason that they had become friends was that they didn't concern themselves with compassion towards the other or any of the duties a friend is usually burdened with-like caring.
But in the pit of her stomach, she knew that she cared for him. And she felt her insides clench in fear that he might answer her question and shatter everything she'd been silently building up against his cold defenses for so long.
"I can't afford to care, Ginny." He uttered darkly, somewhere between cruelty and honesty. Ginny's nod was barely noticeable, but something suddenly sprang to life inside of her. A giggle escaped her lips.
"How ironic, though, isn't it, Draco?" She laughed a bit more, "That with all the money the Malfoys have, all the luxuries and all the pride, they can't seem to afford to care." She laughed harder, unsure of what exactly she was laughing at, but it helped ease the sick feeling growing in her stomach.
Draco furrowed his brow at her and contemplated her words for a moment, but he didn't speak or offer any snide remarks about her habitual knack for giggling at the oddest of moments either.
Ginny calmed herself and a stolid frown appeared on her face once again.
"It's silly, Draco, because caring doesn't cost a thing. Not one galleon of your fortune would budge if you just tried to care." She turned her eyes upon him and locked them there.
Draco sighed, "You've said it before, Ginny. Some things are more valuable than money." He smirked at her dumbfounded silence.
"Dignity. Pride. Respect. All of those things are what matters and caring is probably the downfall of all who lose them." Even in his own conviction of himself, Draco knew that he was lying.
Ginny's eyes wavered. He hadn't sounded as convinced of himself as he had that day six weeks ago when he'd thrown aside her preaching of love and loyalty as if she were an annoying quill salesman jutting her big nose into his face stubbornly.
Despite the truth Draco realized, he swallowed the epiphany like a jagged blade and ignored it as it pierced a trail of fire down his throat. The skin on his forearm was crawling. It was something that had he'd grown used to lately, as if his flesh were squirming and writhing to escape the black, inky doom that it would face in three month's time. He lifted a shaky hand to cover it, wondering if Ginny could see right through him and praying that the truth wasn't somewhere on his face, veiled by his stony eyes or passive manner.
He didn't realize that his eyes were glued to the spot on his arm that was humming beneath his hand until pale, skinny fingers overlapped his own and he flashed his gaze over to Ginny's warming eyes.
"Are you hurt? Dean didn't get to you, did he?" She narrowed her eyes and made to lift his hand to see the spot on his arm he was favoring.
Like a bolt of lightning, Draco's mind flashed back to his own reality, the place where he made things make sense, where he knew Ginny Weasley did not belong, where his fate was cold and lonely and he felt his heart wishing that she could. He seized her hand, throwing it back towards her body roughly as if his skin burned white hot when her flesh came in contact with it, darkness touched by light.
"Keep your hands off me, Weasley!" He barked and squeezed his arm more tightly so that blood had to fight to circulate there.
Ginny clutched her hand to her chest and stared at him with a horrified expression on her face.
"Draco…" She muttered, utterly taken aback by the frantic glow in his eyes. He breathed in and out roughly, nearly drowning out the reverberating rain drops falling around them.
"I mean it, Weasley. Stay the hell away from me."
Ginny felt her heart slamming in her throat. No…
Draco grabbed onto his fear and unleashed it in verbal knives, longing to destroy the eyes before him, filling with liquid pain-eyes that were making things so much harder for him.
"Look, I'm not up for these games anymore. So maybe you should find yourself another mindless git to sneak around with. I've got…responsibilities to take care of and I don't need a pest like you messing everything up for me." His throat was so dry that he could feel the air passing over it like a breeze over a barren desert.
Ginny stepped back shakily. "I'm not playing any games! What is the matter with you, Draco? Tell me!" She demanded and glared at him hard enough to make him avert this gaze from hers.
Draco shook his head wearily. "Nothing. I mean…just leave, alright! Just…LEAVE!!" He roared in her face, his own shaking and rattling beneath his voice.
A pale hand covered Ginny's mouth as she let his words cut her like glass. She was submerged in rain again, having stepped out from underneath the canopy in her stupor, though thankful for the disguising waters that mingled gently with her tears of shock.
"I-I don't understand…" She whispered. Draco barely heard her over his own strangled cries.
"What're you just standing there for? I said leave! Get away from me! Go back to your bloody house and forget you ever knew me! GO!!"
He began to step forward, and Ginny recoiled in fear. In a flurry of tears and red hair matted by the rain, she flew from the courtyard, nearly tripping in her haste and barely making it back inside without tumbling to the ground.
She disappeared with one final glance behind her, and for one second she gave Draco another chance for redemption. In an infinite war, hazel and grey collided, the clang of their souls' swords drowned out by the beating of their hearts and the pitter-patter of the somber sky above them. Life ticked once before Ginny turned back around slowly and retreated into the castle.
Draco was shaking. His lips quivered, kissed by rain drops and frozen by the icy words they'd fired off before. He stepped back slowly until he was beneath the stone canopy again and leaned against the pillar for support as he felt everything inside of him buckle and collapse, littering his body with debris and ruin. Beneath the wreckage, shimmering eyes and flame-red hair fought against the heavy fragments that had been Draco Malfoy as Ginny knew him, and Draco's hand flew over his heart to his bare forearm, once again sweeping a layer of ash over the stubborn mirage of the girl that promised never to leave him.
------------------------------------------------------------------
dun dun dunnnn! I bet you ALL were expecting big fat snog at the end there, weren't you? oh, blissful plot twisters! :D I also thought I'd give the famous love-triangle a bit of attention in this one, as well. expect a bit more on that but not too much. D/G is my #1 priority, of course. and thank you SO much for all of your wonderful reviews last chapter! they really gave me inspiration to get going on this chapter so soon. It's only Wednesday and I've already finished! *pat on the back 4 Adrial!*
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was almost as emotionally draining to write as it was to read. Poor kids are just a mess of troubles, aren't they?
hope to hear from you all soon!
Ciao!
~Adrial~
Song: 'Vindicated'-Dashboard Confessional