Unofficial Portkey Archive

Disclaimer: I'm not JKR so therefore I don't own any of this!

A/N: Thank you to my beta, Aliya.

Chapter 2

The next day was the last day to do last minute Christmas shopping in Hogsmeade. Ginny was up at eight o'clock, much earlier than usual, but she hadn't slept very well the night before. Besides, she still had to get presents for a few people.
Dragging herself out of bed, Ginny stretched and rubbed her eyes. She began getting ready. She got dressed, brushed her teeth, and brushed her hair. She put a little make-up on, and she was ready to go. She grabbed her purse and made her way down to the Common Room. Colin was already down there and looked surprised to see her.
"What are you doing up so early?" he asked.
She shrugged. "I didn't sleep very well last night," she answered.
"Why not?" Colin inquired further.
"I guess the whole situation in Potions bothered me more than I originally thought," Ginny replied nonchalantly.
"I'm sure it was nothing," Colin tried to reassure.
"Yeah," Ginny said unconvincingly, even to her own ears.
Colin, sensing that she didn't really want to talk about it, changed the subject. "So, are you ready to go to Hogsmeade?" he asked.
"Let me stop in the Great Hall first. Then we can go," Ginny suggested.
"Alright," Colin agreed.
They soon arrived in the Great Hall, and Ginny ate breakfast. Colin had already eaten, as he was an early riser. When she had finished, they both stood up, and exited the Great Hall. They went outside to where the carriages were waiting to take them to Hogsmeade.

*~*~*~*

When their carriage arrived in Hogsmeade, Colin and Ginny disembarked. "Where do you want to go first?" Colin asked.
"Quality Quidditch Supplies. I need to get Ron a Christmas present still," Ginny answered.
Colin nodded. "That works for me," he said agreeably. Then they made their way toward the store.

*~*~*~*

Back at Hogwarts, Draco was just waking up after about three hours of sleep. He hadn't fallen asleep until three, and then he'd woken up about every fifteen or twenty minutes after that. It didn't make for the best mood when waking up. He lay awake in bed a few minutes before determining that he would never fall asleep again anytime soon. So he sat up and dragged himself out of bed.
Draco looked in the mirror and groaned. He had huge, purple bags under his eyes. He had pretty much known they would be there, but seeing them made them real. His day only got worse from there.
As Draco was walking downstairs to the Common Room, he stubbed his toe, twice, and he almost tripped down them. When he made it into the Common Room, he was met with a shrill good morning from Pansy. That was enough to wake him up pretty thoroughly.
After he had declined Pansy's millions of invitations to go to Hogsmeade, Draco went back up to his dormitory. He slowly got ready, and, a little after eleven, he re-emerged. He walked silently through the Common Room, ignoring anyone who called to him. He then exited the castle and boarded one of the carriages to take him to Hogsmeade.

*~*~*~*

The day passed quickly for Ginny and Colin. Around noon they had stopped at The Three Broomsticks for lunch and some butterbeer, and then they'd continued shopping. They soon had finished their shopping and decided to catch a carriage back to Hogwarts. When they arrived at the place where the carriages would pick them up, they were none waiting.
After they had waited a few minutes, Ginny and Colin were dismayed to see Draco Malfoy sauntering up to them. He kept this distance as he found a place to wait for a carriage. Ginny braced herself for a nasty comment about her family, but one never came. Draco merely stared at the ground or shot her furtive, inquisitive glances.
After this had been going on for a few minutes, Ginny's patience snapped. "Is there something you wanted to say?" she snapped.
"No," Draco answered simply.
"Then quit looking at me," she commanded. To her absolute surprise, Draco didn't reply. He merely turned away looking thoughtful. He must be tired, she thought. Now that she'd thought it, he did look tired.
They waited about ten more minutes in silence when a carriage to Hogwarts pulled up. Then three students boarded it, the two Gryffindors on one side and the Slytherin on the other, and rode back to the school without uttering a sound. As soon as they came to a stop in front of the castle, Draco jumped out and sauntered inside.
"Well," Ginny began, bemused. "That was a bit odd."
"You could say that again," Colin agreed readily. "What do you think was wrong with him?"
She shrugged. "I have no idea," she said, shaking her head in confusion.

*~*~*~*

Draco headed straight for the dungeons after arriving back at Hogwarts. He knew that Weasley and Creevey must think he was a little odd, but quite frankly, he was too tired to care. Once he had made it safely to his dormitory, he flopped back on his bed to think.
Why hadn't Snape seemed surprised when he'd said Ginny Weasley last night? Why had it even come out of his mouth in the first place? Why had Snape chosen that particular question, and only that one? There was one way to find out. That was to ask Snape.
Standing up, Draco made his way determinedly to Snape's office. When he arrived, he knocked on the door. "Come in," Snape beckoned from inside.
"Hello, professor," Draco greeted.
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, what a nice surprise. What can I help you with?" Snape asked.
"I wanted to know why you asked me what you did last night," Draco replied calmly.
"Whatever do you mean? I was merely testing a theory," Snape informed his star student behind Granger.
"And if you don't mind my asking, what exactly was your theory?" Draco inquired.
"I don't think that's any business of yours," the professor answered sternly. "Is there anything else you needed because if not, I believe it's time for dinner."
"That's all," Draco confirmed dejectedly and followed his Head of House out of the room towards the Great Hall.

*~*~*~*

The next week passed without incident. Ginny started to do some research for her History of Magic project, but didn't get very much accomplished. She needed to go home. Her mother would be able to help her. She also couldn't wait until she could go home. She would be able to see all of her brothers, which was a rare occurrence. She and her brother would be leaving the day after tomorrow to go home. Usually, her brother would stay at school or Harry would come home with them, but this year, he was going to Hermione's house. Ron had been a little put out when he'd first heard, but he'd gotten over it pretty quickly. Ginny had a feeling that he had a little bit of a crush on Hermione, but he'd never admit it. Besides, she knew that Ron was happy for his friends.
Currently, Ginny was working on packing her trunk. She was packing everything that she wouldn't need. She also packed all of her presents she'd bought for her family. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," she called.
Hermione entered the room. "Hi, Ginny," she greeted.
"Hey, Hermione. What's up?" Ginny said cheerfully.
"Colin wants to talk to you," Hermione relayed.
"Oh, thanks," Ginny replied. "Do you know what about?"
Hermione shook her head. "He didn't say," she informed Ginny.
"Alright, thanks," Ginny repeated, and then went down to the Common Room to find Colin.
"Hi, Ginny," Colin yelled once spotted her. He was sitting in one of the many arm chairs scattered around the room.
"Hey, Colin," Ginny greeted, sitting in the chair opposite him "Hermione said you wanted to talk to me."
Colin nodded in affirmation. "Yeah," he began nervously. "Ginny, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."
"What is it?" Ginny prompted.
"I like you," Colin blurted out.
Ginny had a feeling what he meant, but decided to play dumb just in case. "I like you too," Ginny answered. "You're my best friend."
"No, I mean I like you as more than a friend," Colin explained.
"Oh, Colin, I'm flattered, but I'm afraid you're just a friend to me. Nothing more," Ginny said apologetically. "And what about Mary Anne?"
"I found out she was cheating on me with a Slytherin seventh year," Colin told her mournfully.
"Oh, Colin, that's awful! I'm so sorry to hear that," Ginny exclaimed. She never would have pegged Mary Anne as a cheater.
"I'll be all right. Anyway, it's all right that you don't like me. I kind of figured that you didn't. I just wanted to tell you, you know, just to get it off my chest. I'll just go now. See you, Gin," Colin said before striding out of the Common Room.
"See you," Ginny whispered as Colin walked away. She stood up and walked slowly back to her dormitory.
As she was walking, Hermione cornered her on the stairs. "Is everything alright, Gin? You seem a little... off," she said.
"It's nothing really, but Colin just told me that he likes me as more than a friend," Ginny replied sadly.
"What did you tell him?" Hermione asked.
"That I don't like him in that way," Ginny answered miserably. "I hope I didn't hurt his feelings too much."
"I'm sure he's fine with it. He would have told you otherwise," Hermione consoled.
"I guess," Ginny said, clearly not convinced. She then brushed past Hermione, and into her dormitory to finish packing.

*~*~*~*

Draco lay on his bed, exhausted from a rigorous Quidditch practice. He'd been made captain that year, and knew that he had his work cut out for him. Almost all of his players were either young, inexperienced, or both. The only two that had played on the house team before were Crabbe and Goyle, and they didn't particularly like Quidditch, they just like sending Bludgers into unsuspecting Gryffindors.
Rolling his eyes, Draco dragged himself into a sitting position and scanned the room for his suitcase. He picked it up and put it on his bed. He began throwing random articles of clothes into it. Ordinarily, he stayed at school during Christmas holidays, but his mother wanted him home this year. They were going to visit his father and his Aunt Bellatrix in Azkaban. Quite frankly, Draco would rather screw Harry Potter than visit his father. He didn't want to see what he'd become in Azkaban.
Sighing, Draco pushed the depressing thoughts to the back of his mind. He didn't want to think about it. He finished packing his trunk, and glanced at the clock. It was time for dinner. He quickly changed out of his Quidditch practice clothes, cast a cleaning spell on himself, and then headed out of his room. As he was walking through the hallways, he heard someone saunter up next to him. Then he felt an arm slide around his waist. "Hey, Draco," a husky voice whispered in his ear. He stiffened at their touch, and turned his head to look who it was he came face to face with Pansy Parkinson. He should have known.
"What do you want, Pansy?" Draco snapped irritably.
"Don't you like me anymore?" she whined.
"No, I never liked you," he informed her in a clipped tone.
"Like I would believe that. Come ON, Draco. Get real," Pansy said with a very unappealing snort.
Draco raised his eyebrows in protest, but didn't say anything. He knew it was a losing battle. He had once seen a shirt in a Muggle store that said, "Don't start with me, you won't win." He'd thought it was the perfect shirt for Pansy. "I don't feel like talking right now," Draco told her.
"Who said anything about talking?" Pansy purred in, what Draco assumed, was a seductive voice.
"I don't feel like doing anything except stuffing my face, and you are going to make me miss dinner," Draco said, beginning to get annoyed.
"Fine then. I'll leave you alone," Pansy sniffed and walked away.
Sighing in relief, Draco continued in the direction of the Great Hall, and enjoyed his dinner in peace.

*~*~*~*

Saying that dinner passed awkwardly for Ginny was an understatement. It had been a complete disaster. She had been so nervous of doing or saying something that would upset Colin that she hadn't gotten much eating or talking done. She had then gotten grilled at her lack of activity. She'd gotten out of that one by saying that she was merely tired. Colin hadn't seemed very convinced. Overall, Ginny had been rather uncomfortable, and she couldn't imagine that Colin had felt anymore at ease than her, probably less so.
Currently, Ginny lay on her bed thinking about her upcoming trip home. Again. She was just so excited about it. She stood up and packed a few more things before curling up in her bed with a book before she went to bed shortly after.

*~*~*~*

The time soon came for Hogwarts' students to return home for the Christmas holidays. The last two Weasleys who remained at Hogwarts rose early so they could be sure to make the train. Christmas was considered one of the most important holidays in the Weasley household. It was the time that all of the many offspring could reunite for a few days. Molly loved pampering all of her children when they came home, and Arthur enjoyed catching up with them all and telling them all about the new Muggle objects he'd encountered.
When the time came, Ron and Ginny departed from Hogwarts and boarded the Hogwarts Express. Ron, of course, immersed himself in a secret conversation with Harry and Hermione, leaving Ginny to fend for herself. She went through the many compartments looking for someone to talk to or an empty one. She soon came to the last compartment and crossed her fingers. When she opened the door, her hope diminished. There was only one person in the compartment, Draco Malfoy. He had his eyes closed, and he was leaning back against the seat. He didn't look up when she opened the door so she turned to leave.
"What do you want, Weasley?" Draco drawled, scaring Ginny half to death.
"I was looking for an empty compartment," she replied off-handedly.
"There are none," Draco informed her.
"I know that," Ginny snapped. "I've already looked in all of them."
"Why aren't you hanging out with the Golden Trio?" Draco sneered.
"Why is it any of your business?" Ginny shot back.
"I'll take that as a they don't include me,'" he smirked.
Ginny glared at him. Then she turned on her heel and exited the compartment.

*~*~*~*

After wandering aimlessly through the train, Ginny went back to her brother's compartment. They had broken up their secretive conversation. Harry and Ron were discussing Quidditch, and Hermione was reading a book. "Oh, hey, Gin," Ron greeted when he saw her. "Where have you been?"
Ginny shrugged. "Around," she answered vaguely.
Ron didn't pressure the subject any further. Instead, he turned and resumed his conversation with Harry. Ginny sat at the other end of the compartment and opened a book. She began reading, and that's what she did for the remainder of the trip.

*~*~*~*

The train soon pulled into King's Cross Station, and the students exited it. Ron said good-bye to his two best friends before joining his sister on her search for their parents. They didn't have to look very far. Their mother made sure that they saw her. "Ginny, Ron! Over here!" she yelled from across the station.
The two children made their way over to their parents. They were pleasantly surprised to see that their twin brothers, Fred and George, were with also. "Hi, Mum," Ginny greeted her mother, giving her a hug. She then continued to give hugs to the rest of her family.
"How are you two?" Molly asked.
"Great," Ron and Ginny replied in content unison. There was nothing better than being home for Christmas.
"That's good," Arthur said. "What do you say we go into Diagon Alley for some lunch before heading home."
The rest of the family nodded in agreement. Then they went on their way to Diagon Alley.

*~*~*~*

Draco exited the train and looked around the train station. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for. It wasn't as if he expected to see his mother there waiting for him. She didn't have time to come pick up her SON. No, she had too much more to do now that Lucius was in Azkaban, or, at least, that's what she would say. Draco knew it wasn't true though. She just didn't like going out in public anymore because she always felt as if people were mocking her.
After taking one last scan, Draco turned to find the secret fireplace used by wizards to Floo places. He took a handful of Floo powder, dropped it into the fire, stepped in, and yelled clearly, "Malfoy Manor." Then the familiar dizzy feeling enveloped him, and he was soon inside the foyer of his home. "Mother! I'm home," he called, looking around the room. It was the same as it always was, dark and unwelcoming. Putting down his luggage for a house elf to take up to his room, he wandered around looking for Narcissa. Most likely she would either be in the Library or Lucius's old study. He checked the Library first, she wasn't there. He checked Lucius's study next and found that she wasn't there either. Confused, Draco decided to check her bedroom. As he approached the door, he didn't hear anything, but opened the door anyway, and instantly regretted it. His mother was lying on her bed, and she wasn't alone. Lying next to her was Zachariah Nott, Theodore Nott's father.
Narcissa looked up when her son entered and glared at him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at school?" she snapped.
"You told me I had to come home for Christmas holidays. So, here I am," Draco said bitterly.
"Well, what are you doing barging into my bedroom without knocking?" Narcissa demanded.
"Looking for you," Draco shot back. "You didn't answer when I called for you."
"Go to your room and don't come out until I say," Narcissa commanded before pushing him out of the room and locking the door with a simple flick of the wrist.
Draco stomped to his room, fuming. He wasn't that mad about the fact that his mother was cheating on his imprisoned father, he didn't really blame her, or that she'd forgotten that he was coming home, his parents didn't care about him and were always forgetting about him. The thing that had gotten him so mad was the fact that his mother was such a hypocrite. She'd given him the command to come home for Christmas so they could visit Lucius in Azkaban. It was so they could "keep the family together." Yeah right. She'd done the exact opposite by cheating; she was just tearing the family apart. Not that they were much of a family, but it was the closest thing they had.
Flopping back on his bed, Draco sighed. He couldn't help it. On the bright side, he and his mother might still be fighting on Christmas so then he wouldn't have to go visit Lucius there really wasn't any point anyway. What would they say? The only thing Lucius would care about was if Draco had beaten Harry in Quidditch, no, and if Hermione was still top in all of their classes, yes. He wouldn't like the answers so there was really no point in going. He'd have to tell his mother that. Maybe she'd let him stay home. Sighing again, he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and closed his eyes. He was asleep within minutes.

*~*~*~*

The Weasleys arrived home to their bright, welcoming house, the Burrow. It may have been falling apart and only held together by magic, but it was still home to them. Ginny and Ron took their trunks up to their rooms and unpacked most of their clothes. They then went back downstairs to catch up with their brothers and parents.
"So, Ginny, you said that you had a project that you had to do over the holidays. What was that again?" Molly asked.
"We have to research the history of our families for History of Magic," Ginny answered. "I know that there's a lot of stuff about both sides of the family up in the attic. I was hoping that I could look up there for information.
"Of course you can, dear," Molly responded affectionately. She was always happy to help the children when she could.
"So, Fred, George, how's the joke shop going?" Ginny asked conversationally.
"Great. We're thinking of hiring a few new employees so that we can expand our company," George started.
"We're hoping to be able to open a new shop sometime soon," Fred added. The twins were always doing that, finishing each other's thoughts. Ginny found it a little creepy sometimes, but she'd never been a twin so she didn't know exactly how they did it. She wasn't exactly one to judge.
"That would be bloody brilliant," Ron piped in. He'd always been a little envious of his brothers when they were growing up, but now he was proud of them. They'd fulfilled their lifelong dream, and he was happy for them.
"We also wanted to know if you would work for us during the summer until you get a job, Ron, Gin," Fred said.
"Really?" Ron asked excitedly.
"Really," George confirmed. "So, what do you two say?"
"I'd love to," Ginny said happily. She couldn't think of a better job than working at a joke shop owned by her older brothers.
"Me too," Ron agreed eagerly.
The twins smiled happily. They were already on their way to their new shop. "I have to say I apologize," Molly began.
"For what, Mum?" Fred asked bemusedly.
"For being so negative about the joke shop idea in the past. You've definitely proved that it was a better idea than I'd originally thought," Molly apologized. "I'm proud of you two."
"Thanks, Mum," George replied with a smile.
Just then there was a ding from the kitchen. Molly jumped up. Obviously something she had been cooking was ready. Ginny took that as her opportunity to go up to her room to finished unpacking.

A/N: Don't forget to review! I want to know what you all think about this story! The next chapter is almost ready to be uploaded and will be longer.

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