A/N: Just warning you, there is a small scene about abuse in here, nothing to horrible or scary, but I just wanted to let you know.
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Ginny
The next three weeks flew by for the students as they settled back into the routine of school, figured out what clubs to join or which club hadn't been established yet.
Ginny had attended a birthday party for Hermione, who turned 19 in September. Draco had been invited but had to stay back, having given a first year two weeks of detention for hexing a fellow Hufflepuff in class. The birthday party was combined with a celebration of sorts for Hermione being accepted at St. Mungo's as part of the "Healer in Training Program".
When the end of September arrived, Ginny finally got a chance to breathe, having caught up on her homework and it was then that she realized she hadn't really seen or talked to Draco since the first week of school.
He was civil to her in class, like the other students, but he had a totally different teaching style from Harry who used first names and talked to her like she was his equal, which wasn't to hard to do since there were only six students in the NEWT level DADA class.
With Draco… she sometimes ran into him on the weekends in his class room when she checked up on her potion (they were now working on one that would reverse the effects of the Draught of Living Death) and if they were alone, they would talk freely, usually about classes or she would share what she heard about Ron's adventures in writing Quidditch. Once in the stock room he had kissed her, reminding her of how long it had been since they had been together, but that was all they managed to fit into their busy lives. As each day progressed, she realized she missed him more and more.
Ginny and the other Quidditch Captains had posted their try out notices on the boards and had gone through the motions of having try outs for hours on end on their designated day.
Ginny had managed to put together a young, but talented team with her and Tom, who had made it as a Beater, and Demelza as another Chaser being the only 7th years. Ginny put herself into Seeker and found that Oliver Wood's cousin, Jacob, a third year, was a talented Chaser, as well as Mindy St.John a fifth year. Rounding out the beaters was a fifth year named Seth Michaels. She had scheduled practices for Tuesday evenings and Friday evenings, starting the following week…which would be the first week of October.
Now, as the first day of October dawned bright and clear, Ginny walked into her Thursday DADA class to see Harry sitting at the desk, staring at a piece of parchment with a look of utter surprise on his face. Setting her books down and seeing that she was the first person in class she walked up to him.
"Harry, are you ok?" Ginny asked and he looked up at her almost as if he didn't see her, then back down to the parchment.
"Here," he pushed it across his desk and she picked it up, feeling him stand up and come over to her side only to sit against the desk again. Looking down she saw Hermione's familiar handwriting and after the first three words, "Harry, I'm pregnant…," she couldn't make anything else out.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked up at him and smiling widely she threw her arms around him whispering "Congratulations" in his ear.
He held her tight, trying to get his emotions under control and Ginny glanced down at the parchment in her hand, blinking fast and seeing the words "Due in May," and "everything is fine," and Ginny squeezed Harry hard before pulling away.
"It'll be alright, really," Ginny said, standing in front of him blocking any entering student from seeing his face. He had his glasses off and pressed his fingers to his eyes.
"You know, if she is due in May that means she got pregnant in August. It's been two months and she's doing fine she says," Ginny said, knowing he was thinking about the miscarriage that happened almost one year ago exactly. She briefly wondered why she told Harry in a note instead of in person. Knowing Harry he had probably noticed something was different and made her go to the Healers.
"I know," Harry whispered, settling his glasses back on his face then reached out and squeezed her hand, hearing a student walk in. "Thanks, but don't say anything to anyone. I'll tell Ron since I'll see him this weekend." Ginny nodded and resisted the urge to kiss his cheek as she turned back to her desk.
"Being friendly with a married professor?" Lisa, one of two Slytherin's in the class, asked Ginny. Ginny ignored her and sat down, getting out her books as she felt Lisa's gaze on her. Looking up she met the brown eyes of Lisa and they stared at each other for a moment.
"What," Ginny asked flatly and Lisa smirked at her and briefly Ginny was reminded of how Draco would do that.
"I hear you aren't going out with Draco Malfoy anymore, is it true?"
'Here we go,' Ginny thought; it was only a matter of time until people noticed that they weren't together and leave it to an annoying Slytherin to ask the question she was dreading.
Ginny shrugged but thankfully Harry had heard Lisa ask and interrupted, telling her to get ready to take notes. Ginny silently thanked Harry as he turned back to the chalkboard, writing something then settled in as she heard the other four students sit behind her, who didn't mind sitting at the front of this class.
After dinner that evening, Ginny was sitting by herself in the Common Room when Harry walked in.
"Hey," Ginny looked up from her Arithmancy homework and watched Harry walk over and sit with her.
"Hermione wanted to know if you wanted to come over tonight? She said something about a dessert she made and wanting to talk," Harry sounded as if he was still in a daze about the pregnancy.
"Ok, like now?" Ginny asked and he nodded.
"Alright," She gathered all her items and shoved them into her bag.
"You could see Malfoy too; he's probably home. I know it's been awhile," Harry said, his fingers tracing the familiar pattern of the wood grained table.
"Yea, it has…how did you know that though?"
"He said something the other day at lunch," Harry said standing up with her, "how it's been like three weeks or something since he has properly talked to you."
Ginny felt a warm glow deep inside her as she thought about Draco talking about her, and to Harry nonetheless. Ginny followed him into the floo, glad that it wasn't her turn for rounds…it was John from Ravenclaws turn.
Stepping out of the fireplace with Harry, she noticed how much they had added to their flat to make it more like home. It had the exact same floor plan as Draco's, though with Hermione's taste she decorated it very nicely.
"Hi Ginny! Harry told me you know now…," Hermione walked over and Ginny hugged her hard.
"Congratulations! I am so excited for you! How do you feel?"
"I have thrown up every morning for the past two weeks, and now have a craving for chocolate…so I made a cake!" Hermione stepped away from Ginny and Harry went into the bedroom to change.
"It's very strange being here, in your flat," Ginny admitted, taking a seat at the table and tucking her legs under the chair. "I still can't believe you are married, that you're a Healer and now you are pregnant. What other huge surprise is waiting around the corner?"
"Hopefully nothing," Hermione admitted. "I ran into Draco on my way home an hour ago and invited him over."
"You did? It feels like I haven't seen him in forever," Ginny thanked her for the glass of milk and took a drink.
"You know, I have had more people ask me if I am still with him; you would think that the rumor that it's on hold would have made its way around Hogwarts by now."
"I think the students think that there is more to the story…which there is and they are hoping that someone will have a juicy tidbit for them," Hermione filled two more glasses with milk and whisked them to the table. never leaving the kitchen.
They chatted a bit more, and Ginny got up to use their bathroom. As she washed her hands she noticed the typical married life around her, two towels, two hand towels, and a dish of decorative soaps. Smiling to herself at the soaps she stepped out of the bathroom and saw Draco leaning against the counter, looking at the Prophet and as she entered the living room he looked up…but before either of them could acknowledge the other's presence, Hermione announced that cake was served.
For the next hour Ginny enjoyed herself immensely, chatting with the three of them comparing school stories, listening to Hermione talk about some of the strange cases she had seen come through St. Mungos, and even Draco joined in the conversation. Before Ginny knew it, it was approaching ten o'clock and she announced that she needed to get back to school to finish her work.
"Did you bring it with you?" Draco asked and she nodded. "Then come next door and finish it; it's quieter there than your Common Room I'm sure."
Ginny thanked her two friends and hugged Hermione, whispering that they would talk more later and she followed Draco next door, walking through the door he held open for her. It was the first time since her birthday that she had been there and not much had changed, except it looked a bit more lived in. A glass on the table, blanket tossed along the back of the leather sofa, his office light was on and as she dumped her books by the sofa she saw there was a fire going.
"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" he asked, drawing the blinds on the windows with a flick of his hand.
"I haven't been here since my birthday," Ginny said and Draco shook his head as he came over to her and rested his hands on her shoulders.
"I meant us, talking…that sort of thing," and Ginny flushed while looking down at his boots.
"That too."
"I'm not ignoring you, you know," his hands pulled back her hair and he held it in his hand for a moment before letting it fall around her shoulders.
"I know," for some reason her heart was in her throat.
This was real now. This was his flat and she was here at night, her books next to her. This was her teacher. This was her boyfriend. She looked at him and saw him standing there in a black button down shirt and jeans, looking so casual and she felt a wave of emotion for him crash over her. She leaned over and touched her lips to his, keeping her eyes open and on his, taking his steady blue gaze. She pulled away slightly, his hands still on her shoulders, and she touched her forehead to his.
"I love you, no matter if you are my teacher, my boyfriend or something else," Ginny whispered and she saw his eyes shift over hers for a moment before he leaned forward and kissed her back, tenderly.
"I love you," he said between his kiss, "even if I can't show it like you can, just know that I do," he kissed her forehead and drew her to him and held her tight. Ginny didn't mind, just loving the feel of his arms around her and hearing him say those words meant all the world to her.
Eventually, Ginny got settled down to do her homework, sitting cross legged on the sofa, her Arithmancy book and parchment spread over her space. Draco was in the office grading papers and suddenly she got that feeling she was being watched. She turned her body and looked into the office to see Draco staring at her.
"What?" she asked and swore from across the room she saw him blush.
"Nothing," he said shortly and looked back down at the paper he was grading, making a mark across it.
Ginny turned back around slowly, wondering what that was about and managed to get herself focused again on her school work…and managing to finish in under an hour, surprising herself. She wondered if it was the lack of interruptions or the fact that she was actually beginning to understand the subject a bit better.
As she was packing her bag, her neck prickled again so she spun around on the sofa and caught him looking at her, this time she didn't say anything, she just met his stare. She could sense some inner turmoil going on inside him and wasn't sure if she should address it or just back away, say goodnight and floo back to her dorm. Sometimes the thoughts Draco had going through his head were way over hers and she couldn't understand what he was feeling.
Realizing that she wasn't going to win this stare down, she broke their connection first, turned and grabbed her bag while standing up.
"I should get going," she declared, hiking her bag higher on to her shoulder. She heard his chair scrape across the wood floor and heard his footsteps coming towards her.
"You sure?" he asked, coming around to the front of the sofa and Ginny nodded, her arms crossed across her chest.
"I have an early morning class and it's past eleven now," she saw him lean in and she met his kiss, and for some reason she thought it held more meaning than just a simple kiss.
"Thank you for letting me work here; it helped a lot."
"Anytime," he said his voice so serious and definitive she could only nod. Saying Goodnight and sharing one last kiss she floo'd back to her Common Room.
It wasn't until she was in bed with the lights off that she realized for the first time she had sat in the same room, HIS flat, and they each had done their own thing, but yet were still with each other and that satisfied her as much as having sex with him. She wondered if he realized the same thing…and as her mind relaxed and she drifted off towards sleep a thought edged it's way into her conscious…like she was looking from his eyes onto the back of her head sitting on the sofa…the thought that maybe he wanted this type of moment for more than just the next year and that thought jerked her awake so quickly she sat up.
"Marriage?" she said aloud to her empty room. The thought never really entered her head before and now all of a sudden it flowed out of her mouth. Her heart sped up as she thought about this detail and found that she couldn't wrap her brain around the thought of Draco even marrying, let alone her. She flung herself back down onto her bed and forced herself to relax and drift off towards sleep again.
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Ginny walked the halls with John, the Head Boy from Ravenclaw, a week later and being a few weeks from Halloween, many students had been playing pranks on Mr. Filch and each other's houses.
"Watch it," John grabbed her arm and pulled her away from a ladder that appeared in her path. "You don't need seven years of bad luck."
"Thanks. All we need now is a black cat to run in front of us," Ginny thought of what Mrs. Norris would do in that instance.
She walked silently next to John Campbell; he was one of the quietest but smartest people besides Hermione that she knew. This is why he was in Ravenclaw and was highly sought after by the female population. He was good looking, quiet, polite and generally all around nice. Susan had told Ginny that she was debating as to whether to ask John or Tom to the Halloween Dance that was happening again this year. Ginny was glad she wasn't going; luckily Samantha had scheduled a dress fitting for that day and the two boys that had asked her, Tom and Colin, were given a valid excuse for her not being able to go.
As Ginny and John rounded the corner near the top of the stairs to the dungeons, where they would split and go back to their respective houses, she ran into something quite unexpected. Since it was a Friday night, many seventh years has snuck out through the now not so secret passage way to Hogsmeade. Ginny had just said goodnight to John, after wishing him luck in the upcoming Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff Quidditch match (which was to happen on Halloween) and was turning away from the stairs when she ran straight into Thomas Nott, Theodore's younger but bigger, wider brother who was a fifth year.
"Sorry," Ginny started then smelled alcohol on him. "Have you been drinking?" she asked sharply and he glared at her.
"None of your business," he said roughly, trying to move by her down to the dungeons.
"Actually, it is, since you aren't of age and came into school in this condition," she began and suddenly felt herself slammed up against the wall, his face in hers, his hands on her arms.
"You think you are so high and mighty, having dated Malfoy-,"
"No, this has everything to do with YOU breaking the rules and my authority-," Ginny tried to reach her wand but he kept her arms pinned against the wall and he was so close she could smell the firewhiskey on his breath.
"I don't take orders-," he began his fingers digging into his arms Ginny tried to move her legs so she could push against him but he was much bigger than she was and she felt him press closer.
"Get off me Nott," she felt his breath on her neck as she turned her head to move away from him. Her heart was racing, she couldn't reach her wand, she didn't hear anyone in the castle at all and her mind was racing, trying to think of some spell she could do, but she wasn't very good at wandless magic.
"Actually, I think I would rather like to kiss you, I hear red heads are feisty," Nott breathed and pressed his lips to her neck. She struggled, moving her arms a bit and he wrenched them up above her head, using one of his huge hands to hold them against the stone wall. She tried to bring up her knee, as her brothers had told her would take any guy down but he anticipated that and pressed up harder against her so she couldn't move. His mouth was making her ill, moving up to hers as she struggled.
"GET OFF ME…NOW!" she yelled as loud as she could and found his mouth suddenly plastered to hers and one hand working it's way under her shirt. Her mind was screaming, her body was fighting along with her, moving and trying to writhe away from him, feeling his rough hand on her stomach.
'Not here, please not here,' she was screaming in her head, feeling sick to her stomach. Then all as if someone had flipped a switch he flew backwards off her and she crumpled to the floor in a daze.
"Take him to Dumbledore, now," she heard an icy, very angry voice say. She glanced over at Nott's still form and saw John haul him up by the back of the robes. He looked at her concern etched all over his face and opened his mouth to say something but Nott started moving so he dragged him up the stairs, wand out and pointing at him. Ginny rested her head on her knees, having balled herself up on the floor and took deep breaths willing herself not to throw up.
"Ginny," she heard Draco say as he got down on his knees in front of her and she looked up at him, never seeing so many emotions move over his face.
"I'm going to be sick," Ginny moaned and turned away from him and stuck her head over the trashcan that suddenly appeared vomiting into it. She took a few shaky breaths, feeling Draco's hand on her back. She wiped her mouth with a tissue and found a piece of peppermint candy in her pocket robes, which she popped into her mouth, turning back to Draco.
"Did he hurt you?" he asked in a voice that could cut glass and Ginny shook her head, unintentionally flinching when he touched her shoulder. Draco understood and pulled back.
"Campbell is taking him to Dumbledore now who will probably want to talk to you too, can you do that?"
Ginny nodded, not being able to look at him, feeling stupid that she couldn't defend herself.
"Who do you trust in your dorm?" he asked and Ginny couldn't fathom why he was asking her.
"Maggie, Susan…," she whispered and she felt Draco scoop her up, walking with his long strides to the Gryffindor Tower.
"I need to go tell Dumbledore what I saw and I don't want you there. Stay with Maggie and Susan until I come and get you, ok?" he put her down so she could walk through the portrait and he followed her into the deserted Common Room.
"I've got it from here," Ginny said in a dull voice and Draco ignored her, his hand on her back as he followed her up the stairs, then reached around her and opened the door to Maggie and Susan's room…and three other 7th years. The lights were on and Susan and Maggie were in their pajamas taking some type of quiz in a magazine and they looked up and froze. Someone else was in the shower and the other two beds were empty. Susan took one look at Ginny and she jumped down off her bed.
"Both of you, follow me," Draco commanded and he directed them across to Ginny's room. She muttered her password and the four of them piled into her room, shutting the door behind them.
"I need you to stay with her. Don't leave her until I come back, got it?" he looked at her two friends standing there in flannel pajamas and they nodded, totally freaked out that he was there and knowing something had gone horribly wrong. Draco glanced at Ginny who had sat down on the bed and was removing her shoes and without saying anything he turned and left, slamming the door behind him.
Susan and Maggie stared at each other then slowly made their way to either side of Ginny. Maggie laid a hand on Ginny's back.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Susan asked quietly, her hands tucked between her knees, watching Ginny stare at the ground, her hair framing her face.
"I need to use the bathroom," Ginny said suddenly and she got up and disappeared into the bathroom.
"Did she get attacked?" Maggie asked her hands over her mouth.
Susan sighed, "She smells a bit like firewhiskey and I know she doesn't like that stuff so maybe…but she looks ok besides being pale."
"I think we should owl Ron," Maggie said suddenly, scrambling for a piece of parchment and quill. Luckily, Hedwig had been sleeping in Ginny's room not wanting to stay in the Owlry and quite tired of Crookshanks following him around the flat.
"Think so? What if-," Susan started and Maggie repeated they needed Ron.
"She feels safe with him and I think she needs that security now," Susan scribbled something quickly on the parchment and went over to Hedwig who now knew something was up and was looking at her with his cool yellow eyes. She attached the note with trembling fingers and told her to go find Ron, opening the window.
Susan and Maggie could hear the shower running and they threw ideas back and forth about what happened for the next half hour as they waited for Ginny who was done the shower now and was silent.
"Ginny," Maggie said from the other side of the door, "can you talk to us, please?"
They heard the sound of a flushing toilet, but she didn't come out.
"Thomas Nott was drunk and pushed me up against the wall. I couldn't reach my wand, I couldn't move and as he was kissing me and had his hand under my shirt, Draco and John Campbell came by," Ginny pulled open the door, her hair wet but brushed and stood there in a pair of sweatpants and a HOGWARTS sweatshirt. She had barely stepped out of the bathroom when Maggie and Susan hugged her at the same time, no one saying anything until they heard the tell tale whoosh and pop sound of someone flooing in.
Ginny looked up and for a minute didn't know who was standing in her room until he locked eyes with her.
"Ron," Ginny choked. Susan and Maggie stepped back and Ginny ran over to him, both of them collapsing on the sofa, his arms around her as she cried into his shoulder. Ron pushed his longer hair out of his eyes and looked at Susan.
"Can anyone tell me what happened?"
Ron had been at Gimmauld Place, writing out an article for the weekends Daily Prophet when Hedwig had flown in, dropping a letter with handwriting he didn't recognize on his desk. Fred and George were out with their girlfriends, leaving Ron alone. In the note it just said simply, "Something has happened with Ginny; she seems ok but can you come? Susan and Maggie" and he felt dread spread throughout his chest as he dropped everything and floo'd to her room.
"She just told us," Susan said quietly and they filled him in on the details, watching the anger cross his face. Susan had barely finished her last word when two more figures stumbled out of the fireplace. Fred and George who looked frantic. Maggie stared at them and they stared back.
"We saw your twos letter-," Fred began catching sight of Ron holding Ginny.
"On Ron's desk and knew if he left his Quidditch something was wrong," George finished, crouching down beside Ginny.
"I thought you two were on a date?" Ron asked, feeling Ginny calm down and move her head off his shoulder. She looked at Fred and George who wore identical expressions of anger and confusion.
"Yea, well it ended early," was all George would say and he touched Ginny's knee.
"You guys need to teach me some more self defense so I can kick his arse," she said suddenly and the twins nodded, not questioning her. Ron filled them in on the details as Ginny blew her nose and wiped her face. Maggie pulled Susan over to the sofa, who was very self conscious being in her pajamas in front of an 18 and two 20 year old guys. They sat down on the other side of Ginny, forming a circle around her.
"You won't see him in school again," Maggie said and Susan nodded.
"With Draco and John up there, you know he is probably gone already, and with a hex or two following him out the door," Susan said and Fred smiled.
"That would be way too nice. I'd like a go at him," he said roughly and George nodded along with Ron. The door to Ginny's room opened and Draco walked in, looking more angry than anyone had ever seen him.
"Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall want to talk to you know, are you ready?" he asked quietly, nodding at her brothers in the room, not surprised to see them in the least. Ginny stood up and placed a hand on Ron's shoulder.
"Stay here," she said softly and the three of them looked at each other than back at her.
"I'll take her up there and wait for her," Draco said shoving his hands into his robe pockets. Fred nodded and he and George sat on the sofa next to Susan and Maggie.
Ginny squeezed all three of her brother's hands and followed Draco out of her room, concentrating on their echoing footsteps and grateful he wasn't trying to talk to her.
She felt his hand on her back as he escorted her into Dumbledore's office where he and Professor McGonagall were waiting in wing back chairs and she sat down across from them, seeing Draco do the same. She wasn't sure if she wanted him there, but part of her didn't want to be alone either.
A cup of tea materialized beside her and she didn't hesitate in taking it, steadying her hands around the warm cup and looking at the two professors in front of her.
"I'm sorry this happened," Professor McGonagall said in the softest tones she had ever heard her head of house use. "He has been expelled and his parents have been notified, but we still need to hear your side of what happened."
Ginny nodded and took a deep breath. She stared into her cup, telling them that she had been doing rounds with John and they had gone their separate ways when she ran into Nott. She recounted how he smelled, what he said and her voice faltered when she mentioned him grabbing her arms and putting them above her head. She felt anger emanating from Draco but he had stayed still and quiet thus far and she was sure what she was going to say next would upset him even more.
Ginny took another sip of her tea and heard Dumbledore to tell her to take her time, she nodded.
"See, Ginny," Professor McGonagall leaned forward and using her first name got Ginny's attention, "He can be officially charged if he touched you inappropriately along with the charge of abusing a student; we just need to know if anything else happened."
Ginny nodded, and looked back down at the tea cup in her hand, trying to make sense out of the leaves at the bottom.
"He kissed me after I yelled at him and with the hand that wasn't holding my arms…he…," she was blushing now along with feeling nervous, "he put it under my shirt…and…touched me," she managed to get out. All she heard out of Draco was a deep breath but she could see his knuckles were white against the chair and she turned her head to Dumbledore. "Am I done now?"
He smiled kindly at her and took the tea cup from her hands.
"For now. I just want you to know…it's not your fault," he started and Ginny interrupted him.
"There had to have been something else I could have done!" she said so forcefully she surprised her self. She was beginning to feel the anger part seep into her, but she was so tired and drained she could only sit there.
"No, in a situation like that, you did what you could. Yelling out so Mister Campbell and Professor Malfoy heard you was the best thing you could have done," Dumbledore said firmly.
"You aren't going to tell my parents are you?" Ginny looked up at him.
"Since you are of age, we aren't required too, but I have a feeling with your three brothers here it won't take long until your whole family knows," Dumbledore said wisely and Ginny nodded.
"Go try and get some rest. Relax tomorrow; I will have Professor Potter take over Quidditch practice for you," Professor McGonagall said and Ginny nodded her thanks, wondering how she would be able to function at eight in the morning and manage her team. They said a few more words and offered her their support before she walked out behind Draco, seeing the stress in the way he carried himself down the stairs and out into the hall.
"I'm taking you home with me," Draco said with a note of finality in his voice. Ginny just nodded, not caring if she slept there, Grimmauld or her own bed. She just didn't want to be alone.
After talking to her brothers and saying she would be fine, and made them promise not to tell their parents she hugged each of them, hard, telling each of them that she loved them and thanked them for coming over. They made plans to try and get together in Hogsmeade tomorrow and she watched them floo back to Grimmauld. She then turned to Susan and Maggie receiving hugs from them.
"If you see John, tell him thanks and that I am ok," Ginny said to Susan who nodded and they quietly left her room, leaving Draco and Ginny alone. He handed her her school bag.
"Why don't you get what you will need for tonight and tomorrow?" and Ginny complied, to tired to resist. She threw a change of clothes, her robes and toiletries in to her bag and followed him silently to her fireplace hearing him say "Malfoy Flat" and felt the familiar spinning take over as she made her way to his place.