Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot and some original characters.
A/N: Thanks to my beta, Aliya.
Chapter 10
The next morning, Ginny woke up with a slight headache. She had ended up crying herself to sleep the night before, despite her determination to remain unaffected. Now, hours later, she was worse off then she'd been the night before. She slowly began to sit up and instantly regretted it. The pain in her head increased, and she lay back down. Closing her eyes, she sighed softly. She knew she should get up and take some Pepper-Up Potion, but just couldn't muster up enough energy.
By this time, Ginny was ready to fall back to sleep, but was interrupted when Hermione entered the room. "Ginny?" she called.
"What?" Ginny called back sleepily.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked in concern.
"I'm fine. It's just a headache," Ginny replied casually. "Now what did you need me for?"
"Ron wants to talk to you," Hermione informed her. "Let me get you some Pepper-Up Potion for you first."
"Thanks, Hermione," Ginny answered gratefully.
"No problem," Hermione replied, handing her a vial of potion.
Ginny took the potion and swallowed all of it in one big gulp. It wasn't the best tasting potion she had ever tasted, but it wasn't the worst tasting either. Within seconds her headache was gone, and she felt much better. Then she followed Hermione down to the Common Room where her brother was waiting.
"Finally," Ron yelled, exasperation filling his voice when he saw Ginny.
"Sorry, you had a headache while I came. By the time Ron's done with you, you'll have another one," Hermione murmured to Ginny sympathetically.
"Do you realize who you were at the dance with last night?" Ron demanded suddenly.
"Yes, Bryant Parkinson," Ginny answered, unfazed by her brother's anger.
"Do you realize that he's in Slytherin, and you're in Gryffindor?" Ron asked her loudly.
"Yes, Ron, I do, and, quite frankly, I don't care," she shot back.
"Well, you should. Slytherins are evil, Ginny! Every one of them!" Ron yelled. "Stay away from all of them. You'll be better off. Besides, there's something about him that just isn't right."
"Why do you care who I hang out with?" she snapped in reply. "I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I won't be going out with Bryant again anytime soon. What I want to know, though, is why you didn't have a problem with the fact that Draco and I are friends, but all of the sudden, you're freaking about Bryant."
When she had finished, she snuck a glance at Hermione. As much as Hermione tried to hide it, Ginny still caught her slightly horrified _expression.
"You told me he was tutoring her!" Ron yelled, pointing an accusatory finger a Hermione.
"I lied," Hermione replied with a shrug before turning to Ginny. "I was going to tell you that I told him that. I guess I forgot."
"Well, thanks for covering for me this long," Ginny said gratefully. "I wondered why he never said anything about that."
"You mean to tell me that you're friends with MALFOY?!?!" Ron sputtered.
"Yes, I am, and he's really sweet," Ginny informed her indignant brother.
"What reason could he possibly have for hanging out with you? He must be up to something," Ron shouted.
"Oh, thanks, Ron," Ginny quipped sarcastically. "You're so nice to me, your one and only sister."
"I didn't mean you were worthless, Gin. I just meant that he's bad news," Ron whined.
"I think I can tell if he's bad news or not," Ginny snapped impatiently. She was sixteen and darn well capable of making her own decisions.
"Fine. Just don't come crying to me when you get hurt," Ron sneered.
"I won't because I won't get hurt," Ginny shot back before turning on her heel and stalking out of the Common Room.
"Bloody wanker," she muttered under her breath, and then went off in search of Draco or Luna.
*~*~*~*
After wandering around most of the castle, Ginny gave up on her search and headed back toward Gryffindor Tower. That's when she ran into Luna standing outside the Great Hall. "Oh, hey, Luna," Ginny greeted. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
"Oh, I just got up and was looking for you," Luna replied with a smile. "So, where were you after you left the dance last night?"
"Crying my eyes out in my dormitory," Ginny told her sadly.
"Why? What happened?" Luna asked in concern.
"Well, I told Bryant what happened in my first year, and he started to ask too many questions. I went outside for a little air, and Draco followed me. Draco was comforting me when Bryant found us. He got really mad and forbid me to hang out with Draco anymore. We got into a fight, and then I left," Ginny recounted.
"What a jerk," Luna said sympathetically.
"I know, and he seemed so sweet," Ginny added with a sigh.
"Oh well. Now you can focus on getting Malfoy," Luna consoled.
"Yeah, right. Never in a million years could I get him to date me," Ginny whined.
"Gin, if he went to comfort you, he has to care for you, at least a little bit," Luna pointed out.
"I guess you're right. Maybe I'll talk to him about it later," Ginny lied. She was pretty sure that she would never talk to him about it. If he liked her, he could make the first move. If not, Ginny would just admire him from afar. The Lord only knew how long she'd done that with Harry.
"Good. I'm pretty sure he likes you too," Luna assured with a smile. "Besides, what's the worst he could say? I don't like you like that?"
"No, he could say a lot worse," Ginny replied bitterly.
"Like what?" Luna challenged.
"Like, I don't like you like that, never talk to me again," Ginny suggested.
"Ginny! You're hopeless!" Luna sighed in exasperation. "Just talk to him!"
"I will," she lied again.
"Then go," Luna commanded.
"Now?" Ginny squeaked in surprise.
"Yes, now. He's probably in the dungeons. Now, go find him," Luna said, giving her a little push towards the dungeons.
If I didn't know any better, Ginny thought as she wandered aimlessly towards the dungeons, she was trying to get rid of me. Maybe I should go back and spy on her. Maybe she's really meeting a guy and was never looking for me in the first place. She quickly brushed away the thought. Luna couldn't lie to save her life.
As she continued walking in the same direction, she became acutely aware of the fact that she didn't know where she was going. Great, she thought bitterly. Now, I'm lost. After wandering for a while, she heard the best sound. "Ginny," a voice yelled from behind her. She turned around and came face to face with Draco.
"Draco!" she greeted enthusiastically.
"What are you doing down here?" he asked curiously.
"Looking for you," Ginny replied, her voice adopting a slightly flirty tone.
"Oh really?" Draco asked, mock intrigued. "I thought you were lost."
"Well, it just so happens that I was looking for you, and I got lost," she replied. "These dungeons are awfully confusing."
"I guess they are to someone who's not used to them," Draco agreed. "So, why were you looking for me?"
"I was bored and wanted someone to talk to," she told him with a shrug.
"Oh, I feel so special," he said sarcastically.
"Well, you know, Luna was busy. I needed something to do," Ginny fibbed. She was lying on two counts. One being that Luna wasn't busy. The second being that she would much rather hang out with him than Luna.
"Thanks a lot, Ginny. You really know how to boost a guy's ego," he quipped.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt your feelings?" she asked sweetly.
"Yes, you did, terribly," Draco pouted.
"Oh. Would you like a kiss to make it all better?" Ginny asked boldly, surprising both of them. Draco and Ginny both froze in shock.
That's when it happened. Ginny's brain jolted itself into action, and she turned and ran. She rushed away as fast as she could. Why did I say that? she reprimanded herself roughly. I have now ruined our friendship. I'm so stupid, and I can't even confide in anyone. If she told Luna, then her friend would find out that she had lied. She didn't have anyone else to tell.
As she continued to rush away, Ginny could hear Draco calling for her to come back. His voice got fainter and fainter before it stopped. That's when she felt safe enough to cry, and that's exactly what she did. The tears just started pouring down her cheeks against her will. It was as if they had a mind of their own.
Ginny made it back to the Gryffindor Common Room eventually. She had found that if she continued to cry, it was harder to find her way around. She tried her best to stop the flow tears, but finally gave up. It was a lost cause. She gave one last futile attempt before entering the Common Room, but just couldn't stop them.
"Password?" the Fat Lady asked her a bit impatiently for the third time.
"Basilisk," Ginny choked out. The Fat Lady's Portrait swung open, revealing the portrait hole. She quickly crawled through and made a beeline for her dormitory. She made it to the stairs when Hermione's voice stopped her.
"Are you alright, Ginny?" she called in concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ginny said, forcing a smile. Hermione didn't buy any of it.
"What's wrong? Don't say nothing because I know that's not true," Hermione commanded.
Ginny sighed helplessly and continued on her way to her dormitory. She knew Hermione would follow. Sure enough, her prediction was proved correct when she heard footsteps on the stairs behind her.
When they arrived in Ginny's dormitory, Ginny flopped onto her bed and Hermione sat down in a desk chair. "So, will you tell me what's wrong?" Hermione asked her.
"Well, I guess I'll have to start at the beginning," Ginny began with a sigh. She told Hermione about her childhood, she wasn't sure if her brother had told Hermione or not and about her crush on Draco. Then she told her about their encounter today. "Then I turned and ran. I could hear him calling me, but I was too embarrassed," she finished.
"Oh, Ginny, why did you run? You never know, he might like you too. You should have at least stopped when he started calling to you. That shows you that he cares," Hermione pointed out.
"I know, I know, it was dumb, but I can't change that now," Ginny replied with a sigh. "What should I do?"
"I don't know what to tell you. All of this is such a shock. I think, the best thing would be for you to talk to Mal- er Draco about it," Hermione advised.
"I know. It's just, I don't know. What if he laughs at me or something?" Ginny whispered sadly. "I really like him. I don't know how I'll get over it if he laughs at me."
"I know what you mean, but, Gin, how will you get over him if you never know for sure that he doesn't like you?" Hermione asked her, making her think.
"I don't know, but I do know that if I never find out for sure, I can pretend that he likes me," Ginny pointed out.
"Ginny! Listen to yourself!" Hermione yelled, exasperated. "Just go talk to Malfoy, and everything will be resolved!"
"Alright, alright. I'll go as soon as we're done talking," Ginny conceded. She wasn't sure if she was lying or not. Half of her really did want to go down to the dungeons and talk to Draco, but the other half was telling her to stay as far away from him as she could.
"We're done," Hermione said, giving Ginny a push towards the door.
Ginny was out the door and on her way when she remembered something. She turned around and stuck her head back into the room. "You won't tell Ron about this, right?" she inquired anxiously.
"Not a word," Hermione assured with a smile. "Now go."
Ginny turned around once again and was back on her way. She arrived in the dungeons far too quickly for her taste. Before she knew it, she was in front of the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. Now what would she do?
Ginny thought about it and came to the conclusion that it would be best to just wait for someone. It may be dull, but it would give her time to think. Or not. "Ginny?" a voice asked curiously as they approached the Common Room. It was Bryant.
"Oh, hi, Bryant," Ginny returned nervously.
"What are you doing here?" he inquired.
"Looking for Draco. Can you go see if he's in there?" she asked.
"Sure. I'll be right back," he replied before whispering the password and disappearing into the Common Room. He appeared a few minutes later. "Sorry, he wasn't in there."
"That's okay. I'll see you later," Ginny said, disappointed. She then turned around headed toward the Great Hall. Maybe Draco was there.
*~*~*~*
"Oh, would you like a kiss to make it all better?" Ginny asked. Her eyes went wide when she realized what she said, and she started running away.
"Ginny!" Draco yelled after he. He started running also, but realized that he wouldn't be able to catch her. He was still in slight shock. Had she actually said that? He wondered as he walked back to his dormitory. Did that mean she liked him? Or had she just been teasing? If she had been teasing would she have run away? He was so confused. Now, he wished he could have stopped her. What had she meant?
Draco was still contemplating the incident awhile later when Blaise entered the room. "Just so you know, I think Ginny's looking for you. She asked Bryant if he could get you. He told her you weren't here," Blaise informed him.
Draco sat up quickly and thanked Blaise. He stood up and rushed out of the Common Room and made his way towards the Great Hall. Maybe he would find Ginny there.
*~*~*~*
Ginny was just leaving the Great Hall when she ran into Draco. Literally. They collided so hard in their haste to find each other that Ginny fell backward onto the floor. "Are you okay?" Draco asked her in concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ginny replied while standing up.
"I, uh, heard you were looking for me," he said nervously after a few moments of awkward silence.
"Um, yeah. I wanted to talk to you," she told him shyly. "Where were you a few minutes ago?"
"In my dormitory," he answered.
"What? Bryant said you weren't there!" Ginny exclaimed in surprised.
"He must have lied. I've been there since we talked earlier," Draco informed her.
Ginny glared slightly at her new-found information, but quickly brushed away her anger. "I wanted to talk to you about earlier, actually," she announce, blushing slightly.
"Yes?" Draco prompted.
"I'm sorry about that," she blurted out.
"Why?" he asked, bewildered. "I was kind of disappointed when you ran away so fast."
"You mean you really want to kiss me?" she asked in shock. "Me?"
"Yes, you. I guess I might as well tell you. I think I have feelings for you, Ginny," Draco confessed quickly. He was glad to finally get that off his chest.
"Y-you do?" she whispered, very surprised. He nodded. "Well, I think I have feelings for you too!"
Draco stood there, too stunned to move for a minute. This whole thing was pretty new to him. He wasn't used to liking girls, and he had never told a girl his feelings. He couldn't believe that she liked him back. That's when he realized that he was just standing there like an idiot.
Not one to waste time, Draco leaned in and captured Ginny's lips with his. She stiffened in shock before she started kissing him back. She slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. She had been waiting for that moment for a while now. She was going to enjoy it, and she did.
After a few minutes of kissing, Ginny pulled back, breathing heavily. Both Draco and Ginny started at each other. Their kiss had been amazing. "Do you want to go with me on the next Hogsmeade trip, Ginny?" Draco asked after catching his breath.
"Like, on a date?" Ginny wondered aloud breathlessly.
"Yeah," he replied with a charming smile.
"I'd love to!" she exclaimed excitedly. She flung herself on him and gave him a hug. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and rushed away to find Luna. She couldn't wait to tell her best friend the news.
"See ya, Ginny," Draco called after he, a little upset that she had left so soon.
"I'll see you at dinner," she yelled back. Then she was gone.
*~*~*~*
Twenty minutes later, Ginny finally found Luna in the Gryffindor Common Room of all places. When Ginny asked why she was there, she said she had been waiting for Ginny. "So, how did it go with Draco?" Luna asked cheerfully.
"Great! He kissed me!" Ginny squealed in response. "Then he asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him next Hogsmeade weekend!"
"That's great! I told you he liked you!" Luna said excitedly.
"You were right! I can't wait until the next Hogsmeade weekend! When is it, anyway?" Ginny inquired curiously.
"Next weekend," Luna answered right away.
"You were pretty quick to answer. You don't have a date, do you?" Ginny questioned suspiciously.
"Yeah, I do," Luna admitted after a minute.
"With who?" Ginny exclaimed.
"Your brother," Luna said, blushing slightly.
"Really? He finally asked you out?" Ginny squealed happily. She was glad her dumb brother had finally come to his senses.
"Yes. I was so happy when he asked me!" Luna told her with a bright smile.
"Hey, can you not mention who I'm going to Hogsmeade with. My brother would have a fit," Ginny pleaded.
"My lips are sealed," Luna assured. "I wouldn't want to get involved with that anyway. He might try to shoot the messenger, or ask why I didn't tell him sooner. It would turn into a big mess. You should probably give me your basic itinerary. I'll try to keep him out of your path."
"Thanks, Luna. You're the best. We should probably go to dinner now," Ginny pointed out.
"Yeah, let's go."
*~*~*~*
After arriving in the Great Hall, Ginny took a seat at the Gryffindor table, making sure she was facing the Slytherin one. As soon as she sat down, she scanned the room for Draco. She soon found him sitting at his house table, surrounded by three or four chattering girls. He simply looked bored as he looked around the room. When he saw her, he smiled. She smiled back and then turned to her brother who was glaring at her.
"Do you need something?" Ginny asked sweetly.
"Why don't we switch seats," Ron, who was sitting across from her, suggested.
"How about no?" she replied dryly. "I don't like looking at the wall."
She was lying, and Ron knew it. He, for some reason, didn't comment. Ginny had a feeling that either Harry, Hermione, Luna, or a combination of the three had talked to him. Most likely it was Hermione, whom he still had a crush on, or Luna.
Ginny ate her dinner in silence, reveling in the realization that she was actually going to go on a date with Draco. An actual date. She could not wait. At the moment, her life seemed perfect.
THE END
A/N: Sorry that this chapter took soooo long to finish this chapter. I've been really busy. And yes, this is the end. I know it's a really sucky place to end but i just don't have time to upload the chapters. I might write a sequel or an epilogue. Review and tell me what i should do.
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