Restoration
*noun:
the action of returning something to a former owner, place or condition …
Chapter One
GINNY Weasley scrunched up her button nose in distaste as she slapped down the copy of the Daily Prophet she had been reading onto her large, oak desk. Her slender fingers gripped the edge of the expensive wood and her small hands pushed forward. Rising from her plush, leather chair the red head witch made her way towards her wide window which sat behind her desk like a moving painting. It was her favourite place in her opulent but tasteful office.
Taking a seat on the thick window ledge, Ginny looked over Diagon Alley, enjoying the view of the snowy white wizarding bank, Gringotts. Grey clouds loomed over the imposing dragon statue that sat atop the multi-storeyed building, which shadowed the little shops around it. Birds soared around the marble making the sight picturesque and calming for Ginny. She leaned her head on the cool glass with a relaxed sigh but it did not take long for Ginny's mind to wander back to the less than flattering article that had been published about her today.
There was only one word that Ginny had become fixated on in the five hundred and fifty-two words of trash that had been printed about her today. Surprisingly it was not one of the bold phrases from the revealing headline, but a six letter description that had been a direct quote from her ex boyfriend Alistair Morgan.
Frigid.
The word had jumped out of the newspaper, flashing neon in front of Ginny's bright brown eyes until she had almost felt dizzy with revulsion. Of course Ginny knew that Al was bitter over their split, he had not been ready to end things between them, but after nine months of dating it had become painfully obvious to Ginny that she had given up on their relationship for quite a while before she had officially called it quits.
She had not expected for Al to lash out in such a public and mean way though. Maybe it was naïve of her to think so, or maybe there were sides to her former boyfriend that she wasn't privy to but regardless of that, it still stung though. To think that someone she had cared about would go so far in his misery as to give out an exclusive interview about her and their time together, when he knew how much her privacy meant to her, made Ginny reluctant to face what that said about her choice in partners. Ginny was just grateful that she had not admitted how terrified she really was of sex to Al, or the entire wizarding world, including her family, would have become privy to some cringe-worthy information.
In truth, Ginny could not even explain to herself why she, an attractive and healthy young witch, at twenty-six, was still a virgin. The Prophet had latched onto Al's claims though, wildly speculating that her frigidity was the reason why the famous Harry Potter had called off their engagement in 2001. No one besides her family and closest friends knew that it was actually Ginny who had broken up with Harry though.
She had never cared about the tripe the wizarding rags published and so Ginny had not been interested in clearing up the misconceptions about her private affairs, even when Harry had been adamant about giving out his own press release. She hadn't been bothered about the views of the wizarding public then and she certainly could not care less about them now.
It was only her family and friends who she hated torturing because she knew that an insult to her was a personal insult to them as well. It made them want to bludgeon anyone who sullied her name and while she appreciated their thoughtfulness, it often made her feel undermined. Fragile. Ginny was old enough to handle her own affairs now, in her own way.
In a sense Ginny also felt guilty about the rubbish the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly wrote about her. She knew that her reluctance to open up about her personal life was partly why the media was so desperate to publish stories about her, hoping to manipulate her into finally speaking up. After all, a one-on-one interview with the renowned, successful and beautiful Restorer, Ginny Weasley would boost anyone's career. Her last name was incentive enough to sell newspapers and magazines, but combined with her romantic association with Harry Potter and her family's affiliation with Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt, Ginny was a public figure who intrigued people.
Ginny sighed. She would not be bullied or bribed into going against what she believed in, that was the easy way out. Moving her head away from the glass to glance back at the offending newspaper on her desk, she plucked out her wand from inside her silk robes and aimed it determinedly at the hateful material.
"Evanesco." She whispered softly and felt a small sense of relief when the offending newspaper vanished from her sight.
After almost half and hour of reflection and how best she would handle this new hindrance when it came to dealing with the doubts of new and existing clients alike, Ginny watched as a familiar barn owl flew straight towards her, flapping its wings in mid-air outside the closed window. She leaned back and slid the glass up. The frosty wind stung her cheeks but she took the letter from the bird's beak and petted it in thanks.
Being very familiar with Harry's owl, the bird affectionately rubbed its head against her fingers before flying off. Ginny closed the window before sitting back comfortably. She turned the letter around in her hand a few times without opening it. A fond but rueful smile crossed her full lips as she saw her name in Harry's untidy scrawl.
Ginny knew exactly why Harry was writing to her. He had obviously seen that stupid article and his protective instincts had kicked in. With a heavy sigh Ginny got up from her favourite spot in her office and walked towards her desk. She tossed the sealed envelope into one of her desk drawers, watching as it landed haphazardly inside the wooden box. She was not in the mood to read the predictable letter right now.
Harry's comforting words, and probably an earnest request to take her out to dinner for the purpose of cheering her up, would only serve to make Ginny feel guilty. Harry's kindness and unrequited love for her left her feeling like a complete cow more often than not because she was unable to return his sentiments. After the War, it had been easy to kiss Harry, hug him, hold him and pretend that she felt something close to desire for him. There was a sense of familiarity about the raven haired wizard that instinctively made Ginny feel safe and secure in his presence. At the time, struggling with her memory loss, Ginny had needed that reassuring warmth to heal.
Her mother had also drummed it into Ginny's head that she had been in love with her brother's best friend since she had met Harry. Her family's not so subtle matchmaking attempts had actually proven to be useful with regaining some of her lost memories though, because the more time Ginny had spent with Harry the more memories she had regained of him. She had seen herself with Harry, sitting by the Black Lake outside of the Hogwarts castle, pale sunlight illuminating their embracing figures as if shedding light into the darkness of her mind where all her lost memories were hidden.
Upon her request, Harry had told Ginny about how they had become a couple. Harry's honest nostalgia had struck a chord of real emotion in Ginny for the first time since she had left St Mungos. The witch had then experienced a few flashbacks about their past, which at the time had been like solid proof, something more than unrecognisable words, for a struggling Ginny to hold on to. However, the slow and sporadic return of vague memories had not been enough to fully settle a disorientated Ginny. She had been lost in an innate sense of emptiness which had made it difficult for her to connect with her memories on an emotional level, and as a result Ginny had found it difficult to connect with her loved ones.
She had felt as if she had been unwillingly thrown down a Pensieve, caught in the midst of memories which did not belonged to her. It had been like watching the life of someone else, like reading a book where you became attached enough to the character to empathise with them but forgot the emotions the moment the book was closed. She had felt as if they weren't her feelings, like she was simply sympathising with someone else. Ginny had felt like an outsider in her own body. However, as the time had passed she had grown more comfortable with the continuous presence of her family and friends. It had helped that everyone who had been a part of her life were easy to care for all over again. They were good people, honest and kind. And after a while Ginny had learned to trust her memories, trying to draw from the emotions they had showed her she had once felt.
It had not always been an easy task though. There were times when she had had no choice but to fake sentiments, which she still did on occasion, because Ginny would meet someone who looked at her with such open affection while she felt like they were a stranger to her. She had also hated the way her memory loss had hurt people and strained relationships, making her feel like she was to be blamed for not being able to remember her loved ones. And so Ginny had tried her best to be sympathetic to their emotions without driving herself crazy in the process. In the end, after spending ten years with the people who had always been a part of her life, things hadn't turned out so bad after all. She was fortunate that those who surrounded her were thoughtful and understanding people who seemed to love her unconditionally.
However, as much as it was a blessing, it could also be a curse at times. Like with Harry. Ginny knew that he hadn't given up hope on her and sometimes she felt like she was letting him down by not giving him another chance.
Ginny had appreciated her relationship with Harry. He had been sweet, understanding and patient with her at a time when she had been the one putting the most strain on herself to remember who she had been. He hadn't pressured her or made her feel like she needed to be the old Ginny. He had looked at her adoringly and Ginny had found it refreshing since the others who saw her, expected her to remember them and interact with them the way she used to. They had wanted her to be someone she couldn't remember ever being.
However, as the days crept into years and Ginny began remembering more and more of Harry, she had started to wonder if maybe her mother had misinterpreted her childish crush. What if Ginny had simply been in love with the idea of the great hero Harry Potter but only just infatuated with the boy himself?
Those doubts had only started to grow every single time Harry had tried to initiate intimacy with her. Ginny would immediately tense at his efforts and revulsion would set in, as if she were doing something wrong. The undemanding touches that had turned into more intimate caresses had caused Ginny sudden bouts of nausea instead of arousal, making her unable to enjoy even his kisses any longer.
While Harry had not shown her his frustration in the least, being gallantly patient, Ginny could tell that she had confused him. Her body's rejection of him, which she had found continuously difficult to hide, had started to hurt him and he had become unhappy in their relationship. Ginny had not known much about her old self, but the person she had been in that moment knew without a doubt that she did not want to be the reason for someone else's unhappiness.
So doing what was best for the both of them, much to the disappointment of her family and friends, Ginny had ended her three year relationship with Harry. He had tried to persuade Ginny to give him another chance, but his reasons had only served to water the seed of doubt in Ginny's mind – maybe Harry too had been looking for the old her. The one she had lost during the War. It was as if Harry believed that her love for him had also been forgotten and would one day return, just like most of her memories had. But emotions weren't something you remembered or forgot, it was something you felt and Ginny couldn't feel passion or desire for Harry no matter how hard she willed herself to. With that thought taking root and growing in her conflicted mind, Ginny had never been able to go back to him. Instead she had embraced dating wizards who she had never met before.
Now though, Ginny couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe Al was right. Was she frigid? A few years after Harry, Ginny had dated an acquaintance at the time, Eoin Grock. However, after a year of enjoyable dates, Ginny had not been able to sleep with him either.
Al had been the worst though. He had pulled out all the stops, tried to seduce Ginny in every manner possible that eventually it had set her teeth on edge. In reality she was glad to be shot of him and his dramatic displays of affection.
Ginny's thoughts were disturbed by a knock on the double doors of her office. She turned towards the sound, certain that her heart had missed a beat as she stood up straighter and gripped the back of her chair. Glancing at the elegant, gold watch on her small wrist Ginny knew exactly why there was a knock on her door at this time. Steadying her voice and ridding it of any nervousness that might linger Ginny cleared her throat.
"Come in." The red head called out professionally.
One of the light coloured, wooden doors opened and Amelia Bell poked her brown head through the gap. "Miss Weasley, Mister Malfoy is here to see you."
Ginny took in a steadying breath and nodded her head, idly touching the side of her hair to make sure her chignon was still in place and no rebellious strands had made their way out of its hold. While the old Ginny had clearly been more casual with her dressing, having mostly worn clothes that had been hand me downs from her six older brothers, she preferred to take more care in a her dressing. Ginny's outfits nowadays were mostly reserved but always stylish and professional. She wore them with an elegance and grace that endeared her to designers and socialites alike.
Maybe her new style of dressing was a façade she presented for her family, to subtly remind them to stop expecting her to be someone she could no longer remember being. Or maybe it was a shell that she hid her vulnerable self behind because it scared her to not know who she really was. For so long she had been terribly unsure of herself as a person, only having the ideas of others to rely on, her own memories faded and washed out, that she had fashioned herself into someone who she thought she should be. A lady. Ginny had recreated herself.
"Send him in, Lia. Thanks." Ginny watched as her efficient assistant smiled her pretty smile and closed the door again.
A moment later the door was pushed inwards. Amelia waved her hand inside and Ginny's brown eyes narrowed as a tall figure walked the plush, white carpets of her office.
Draco Malfoy's gait was confident, poised. He was clearly very self-assured in his own skin and he had no problem looking down his aristocratic nose at her. His features seemed displeased that he was here, in her office. His full lips were set in a grim line.
Ginny tilted her head to the side slightly, just for a moment. She simply wanted to take in his presence, grasp a measure of the wizard she was meeting for the very first time. Then Ginny quickly composed herself and stepped out from behind her large desk to greet him.
Ginny immediately wished that she had stayed behind her desk, using the large chunk of wood as protection, because the air surrounding Draco Malfoy was thick with animosity, proving that there was indeed a long and feuding history between her family and his. However, from what she had gathered, Ginny's interactions with Draco Malfoy had been passing at most. Therefore, she was hoping that he could look past her last name to actually work with her.
"Mister Malfoy, I'm so glad that you could make it." Ginny used her cool but charming professional voice, the husky undertone always aided her with buttering up clients. The red head offered him a small hand and engaging smile.
Draco Malfoy seemed inclined to do his best to be difficult though. "Weasley." He said sourly and Ginny could have sworn she had heard him spit her name out many times before.
He looked at her hand with an unpleasant sneer and the appendage jerked awkwardly before falling disappointedly to her side. Ginny hesitantly stepped back, feeling like a chick trying to befriend a dragon.
"Please, take a seat." Ginny nervously gestured towards the opposite side of her desk before she hurriedly made her way towards her own chair.
Once she sat down in the expensive leather of her familiar chair, Ginny was instantly comforted and some of her confidence returned to her. Ginny had done this countless of times before. She could convince wizards to buy dry ice in winter if she wanted to.
Draco Malfoy however stood still, watching her with open irritation. "I would rather not." He said coldly. "Look, Weasley, the only reason I'm meeting with you today is because I've grown tired of you pestering me for the last five months."
Ginny raised an eyebrow at this. "You've come all this way to tell me you're not interested?" She injected as much disbelief as she could to make it sound like a challenge to prove himself and not as condescension to him having given in to her requests.
"Yes." He replied shortly.
Ginny bit her lip when she realised that that was all the blonde was going to say on the matter. "Why?" She asked carefully. She was equally simple in her tone.
This seemed to irritate Draco Malfoy. "Weasley, don't for a second think that I do not know what you're up to here. I am a highly successful magnate, much higher up on the gold market than you are."
Ginny shrugged her shoulders. "It just seems a little far fetched that you would come all this way from Norway just to tell me that you're not interested in my business proposal."
"If my owls had gotten through that thick skull of yours, then I wouldn't need to be here. However, I was in the country for business and that is why I agreed to meeting you today." Draco Malfoy griped. He sounded angry. Did he really dislike her that much?
"If my owls have not convinced you of what a beneficial proposition I am offering you, Mister Malfoy, then it is you who needs to question the density of your skull." Ginny bit her tongue the moment the gibe had left her mouth.
Ginny was not sure where such a forward taunt had come from, considering she normally dealt with difficult clients in a much more patient and professional tone than she did everyone else in her life.
If Ginny expected for her comment to anger Draco Malfoy however, she was mistaken. For the first time since he had entered her office, the stoic wizard showed another emotion besides disdain and annoyance at her. He smirked. The grey of his cold eyes flashed with amusement for just a second before it vanished to be replaced by indifference. There was no doubt in Ginny's mind that he was much more adept at masking his emotions than she was.
"Ah, beneath those expensive dress robes and prim attitude the uncivilized, brazen, Weasley wench lurks." This time his voice was a mocking drawl and Ginny knew this tone.
She felt her cheeks, of its own accord, turn red at the insult and Ginny was not sure why the wizard in front of her was capable of getting her wand in a knot. "You seem to have a predisposed opinion of me, Mister Malfoy."
At this Draco Malfoy arched a pale blonde eyebrow in her direction. He took a stealthy step forward, looming over her desk and Ginny wished he would bloody well sit down. His presence was intimidating enough from all his undisguised hostility, without making her feel like he was disciplining an errant child.
"Weasley, I know you want my money, but all this mister Malfoy crap and professionalism is grating on my nerves. It's bad enough that I'm in the same room as you, but I can't bear to be polite to you as well." Draco Malfoy said.
Ginny eyed him sceptically but after a while she could tell that he was actually very serious. "I see that." She said dryly.
When the Weasleys spoke of the Malfoys who had fled Britain after being acquitted for their War crimes, they always spoke about the family of three with open contempt. She had heard the stories of Draco Malfoy being a cowardly bully who had taken great pleasure in tormenting Harry, Ron, Hermione and her included amongst others, but she could not remember anything about the blonde man standing before her now.
He was a stranger to her. All Ginny knew about Draco Malfoy was what she had researched about him. Which was mostly what he did now, unbothered to delve into his history. Ginny's interests focused on what he had achieved in the wizarding world, nationally and internationally, since he had left Britain. Personally she had no interest in Draco Malfoy as anything but a client, so if he had been condoned for his part in the War, and was no longer a Death Eater, then who he used to be did not bother Ginny in the least.
According to Ginny's memories, she had never met Draco Malfoy before today. She had also always been drawn to his latest success stories and his recent acquisitions, most of which made her salivate with the desire to work in those buildings he had a stake in. However, she had not been successful or renowned enough to approach him before. Until now that was.
For the last seven years, Ginny had painstakingly built a name for herself, and if her impressive reputation had finally brought Draco Malfoy into her office, then she knew she really was successful. Even if he was telling her that he did not want to work with her, she knew that she could convince him to change his mind. Firstly she needed to set him straight though.
"The thing is, mister Malfoy, that I do not have the same problem as you do." Ginny said and she was pleased to see a flash of confusion whirr in his steel coloured eyes.
"Of course you wouldn't now. You stand to gain too much from this deal to be anything but nice to me." He hid his uncertainty with arrogance.
"No." Ginny shook her red head before looking up candidly at Draco Malfoy. Her brown eyes met his contemptuous gaze steadily. "I am not predisposed to hating you, Mister Malfoy, because I don't remember you at all."
This time a severe frown marred his pale forehead and Ginny could not help but feel a buzz of satisfaction at throwing him for a loop. "Excuse me?"
Ginny smiled enigmatically at Draco Malfoy, enjoying his confounded state. "This is the first time we're meeting, Mister Malfoy. Well, for me at least. You see, while our paths have crossed in the past and you may remember me from school … and I might have heard countless of stories about you and what you were like as a boy – you're a stranger to me."
"Is this some sort of a ploy to get me to accept your proposal, Weasley?" The blonde asked suspiciously, his frown only deepening in response.
Ginny shook her head again. Seeing that he had a deep lack of trust for her, she opened a drawer that sat under her large desk. Pulling out a red file Ginny tossed it towards Draco Malfoy.
"Go on." Ginny said when he made no move to take it, still staring at her. His grey eyes were piercing and Ginny wondered if he was trying to use Legilimency on her. "Read it."
Draco gave her another sceptical look before reluctantly reaching for the file. He flipped it open. Ginny watched as his eyes roved over the words written there. She knew the first page in that file was her medical history from St Mungos, proving that during the final battle at Hogwarts, Ginny had not ended up with a missing limb or physical scars, like most people had, but her entire mind had been damaged. She had lost all of her memories.
She had woken up and not remembered who she was, where she had come from and what she was doing in a bed in a strange place surrounded by so many people with red hair. The shock had sent her into a coma that she had not emerged from for months afterwards. Ginny had been fortunate to regain consciousness a second time around, and while it had not been any less terrifying, waking up to only a kind Healer at her bedside had ensured she had remained awake.
Slowly she had been reintroduced to her family and friends and surprisingly meeting them all had conjured up memories about them as well. It had been a slow and painful process. Ginny had suffered from depression, headaches, nausea and even bouts of uncontrollable rage for well over a year before she had felt any sense of normalcy.
"Weasley." Draco Malfoy said softly, as if he was at a loss for words. Somehow Ginny knew that this was a rarity. He sat down almost unthinkingly on her desk, long legs becoming visible as his black robes parted at the centre.
That close to him Ginny could smell a scent of crisp cotton and sultry spice and she inadvertently breathed in the clashing scents, thinking that it was by no means unpleasant. Immediately the fragrance caused a spike of pain at the base of her temples but the witch ignored it. She did know this man, she reminded herself. She just could not remember him. Yet. Spending time with him would change that and she would have to be prepared for the side effects that came with it. Ginny had ten years worth of experience with the pain returning memories caused; she would not let the sensations of her recollections forcing its way to the surface of her mind to overwhelm her into sickness.
Ginny just hoped that she did not hate him as much as her family did. That would make working with him terribly difficult. Ginny did not want to regret contacting Draco Malfoy, especially since she had not told anyone but her assistant about her plans.
The truth was that she did not want to get those closest to her worked up over the possibility of her working with Draco Malfoy if things did not pan out the way it was supposed to.
Grey eyes left the pages of her red file and stared directly at her and Ginny felt a shiver race down her spine. "I don't know you, Mister Malfoy." She licked her lips to try and moisten her suddenly dry mouth. His eyes flickered to her mouth for the briefest of seconds before returning to her face, searching. "However, that hardly matters since I'm not looking to chum up to you but to work with you."
"Draco." Ginny's head shot up in surprise and she felt herself smile when she looked up to meet intense, grey eyes watching her.
The aloof Draco Malfoy had just offered her his first name. The red head couldn't help the thrill that jolted her heart, making her chest expand with excitement.
"Ginny." She said in reply and this time he nodded, his frown fading and he stood up from his place on her desk, pulling up the very chair she had offered him upon his arrival.
"I know." He told her softly and his drawl was unaffected but Ginny could tell that he was trying very hard to achieve such a feat. He was clearly bamboozled and did not know what to make of the situation or her.
Those two words reverberated at the back of her mind though and she tried her best to ignore it and focus on the wizard before her. Ginny nodded as she watched Draco sit down with poise. He was just as slender as the countless of pictures she had seen of him in newspapers but he looked slightly more approachable in person. His face was not set in a haughty look that even moving pictures generally caught of him.
"Did we really hate each other? In school I mean." Ginny could not help asking as she watched him watching her. She felt as if the invisible barrier that had been forcing him to hate her had been broken down. It almost seemed like he had shown sympathy towards her when he had read her file, but her parents had made him out to be a cold hearted reptile.
He looked up at her, studying her as if he did not know what to make of her and how much he should tell her. Then he shrugged slightly. "I disliked you simply because of your name. I did not know enough about you to hate you." He watched her reaction and when she nodded as if that made sense he continued. "I did hate your brother though, Ron, and his friends."
"Yes, I've heard." Ginny said slowly. "Harry and Hermione."
Ginny was becoming intrigued by Draco. He was someone who her family had warned her against. He wasn't someone who she had immediately been told to care for. Like Neville and Luna. As much as she loved her friends, it felt as if she had not chosen them for herself. As if they were extended family that she was stuck with, like Hermione.
Of course her memories of them returned, but in her heart, sometimes Ginny felt like she was rejecting everything her mind showed her. When she saw her memories, it was like looking at pictures depicting stages of someone else's lives. Ginny had never been able to keep the reignited emotions her memories so clearly showed her that she had felt burning. Why it had been so hard for her emotions to kick in and take over, Ginny did not know. She wondered if her lack of feelings had caused her frigidity.
"It says in your file that you remembered nothing. No one." It sounded like Draco was having a difficult time comprehending such a thing.
Ginny nodded. "It was scary. I didn't know who I was and the harder I forced myself to remember the more withdrawn I became. They were scared I would end up like a cabbage at one point." Ginny gave a small laugh here but it was not amused. Not in the least. In fact, her chortle was more to disguise the reality of what could have been. The fear that she had become so empty she might not have been able to exist still haunted her till this day.
"How is it that you didn't then?" Ginny was glad for his blunt tone. She was used to people walking on eggshells around her – except maybe for Luna – too afraid to ask her something traumatic for fear that it might cause Ginny to relapse.
The red head shrugged. "I was greeted by a real stranger the second time 'round. My mind did not fear the Healer and my body remained calm. He eased me into the situation." Ginny watched as Draco studied her and she was surprised that her first meeting with him was straying so far from professionalism and so close to personal.
She always strived to develop a good working relationship with her clients, this however, exceeded sociable and delved into private. However, if this was what it took to earn Draco's trust, then so be it. She had nothing to hide after all, not really.
"I take it your memory hasn't fully returned." He deduced.
Ginny shook her head at this. "There were times when I couldn't even remember how to read or write. I would get so frustrated because I knew I could do it, but my mind would forget. Then there were times when my body just reacted and my mind caught up later. That brought back memories or spending time doing things I've already done with people I already knew helped."
This time Draco surprised her with his comment. "Your memories of me won't be pleasant."
Ginny chose her words carefully. "Honestly, that doesn't bother me. I'm not trying to gain sympathy from you. I just want you to see that without our last names, we're two people who can benefit from my proposal."
"There's just one problem with your proposal." Draco surprised Ginny by saying.
"You've read them then?" Ginny could not disguise the enthusiasm in her voice.
Draco nodded his blonde head, his slicked back hair so perfect not a strand was out of place. Was he always this put together? "I'm not willing to open the Shrieking Shack to the public. It took me years to finally go through the right procedures with the Ministry before I could purchase it."
Ginny bit her lip as she considered this. Part of being a Restorer was dealing with difficult clients; however, there was something so determined about Draco's insistence that she wondered if even she could change his mind.
"What made you desire having it so much?" Ginny decided to figure out why it meant something to him. The more information she gained the better it would be for her to decide which way to go about her job.
"I made use of it in my seventh year. During the War, when the Dark Lord had returned to full power." Grey eyes met Ginny's and there was something so raw about his admission that Ginny could understand his need to hold onto the building. It had been his refuge.
Unfortunately the one thing that inspired raw emotions in Ginny was the War. She would dream about how she had battled for her life and that type of adrenaline and fear was not something she could shake off, even if those were the memories she would not mind forgetting. She would awake in the middle of the night having come face to face with Voldemort himself and that would always leave her terrified and hollow, as if there was always more which she could not place.
Her mother had explained how Ginny had been personally preyed upon by Voldemort in her first year at Hogwarts and how she, Neville and Luna had led a resistance in Hogwarts during her sixth year which brought about such fear and loss. Ginny had the nightmares to know that it was the truth, but there was something else. It was as if every time she dreamt about the War, it was only a façade for something deeper and more traumatic that had happened to her. Her dreams always left her feeling like she was missing a poignant piece of the puzzle, as if she had awoken too soon, too abruptly to understand what was happening.
"Look, all I want is to restore the building to what it once was. I know it was badly damaged by the War and that while you've had it preserved, it isn't the same Shrieking Shack any longer."
This time Malfoy looked at her with a disdainful sneer. "And what Shrieking Shack is that? The one where the Dark Lord almost killed Severus Snape in, or the one where a conflicted seventeen year old boy hid in to keep away from both sides?"
"The one where a hero was born in. The sanctuary of a scared boy who had nowhere else to go. That one." Ginny corrected but was rewarded by a sneer. "It means something to more people than just you and Professor Snape, you know."
Ginny did not want to tell him about Sirius being cleared of his conviction in Harry's eyes in the Shrieking Shack or how Dumbledore had had that place built for Teddy Lupin's father because she did not believe those facts would help the cause. There was no love lost between Draco and the people she cared about.
"For what purpose, Weasley? So that the Ministry can try and lay claim to it again, so that they can turn it into something that needs to be gawked at, simpered at?" The disgust in Draco's voice was clear and Ginny could tell that he did not set much store with their government.
"No. I want it to represent something more than the fear and pain that it currently does. I want it to give something back to those who have lost so much. It's a part of our history. It should not be left to lie there. People were afraid when they thought it was haunted; now they just don't want to be near it because they're terrified to face the memory of Voldemort. The Shrieking Shack is a monument that is always being overshadowed by the darkness that has been exposed in there, instead of it being praised for all the good that it holds within its walls. It should be embraced, not feared."
"There's nothing to gain from a dilapidated building." Draco sneered.
"Then why did you spend so much of gold to acquire it?" When Draco looked up at her sharply, Ginny continued, unperturbed by his dark glare. "It reminds you of the boy you left behind but it shows you who you've become. It's a constant reminder of your strength, not your weakness. You survived. Why should others be deprived of its true symbolism?"
"You're romanticising the building, Weasley. I've seen your work. Your style is too idealistic for a Malfoy." He argued, still fighting.
"I don't doubt that." Ginny agreed and she was pleased when Malfoy looked up at her in surprise and curiosity. "That's why my proposal is so perfect. This restoration to the Shrieking Shack will not reconstruct any part of the building. It will remain the same as it used to be before the War. If by then end of it all you're still unhappy with my vision, then I will bear all the costs and you can do with the Shrieking Shack as you please. If not, I want an equal ownership to the building."
A small smirk lifted one corner of his lips. "Ah, this isn't about the history of the building and what it symbolises, is it?" Draco guessed astutely. "This is personal."
Considering that Ginny had been saving for what felt like her entire life for this moment, and since she planned on investing her personal savings into the restoration of the Shrieking Shack, she decided that the best thing to do now was to be honest with Draco. After all, so far he had afforded her the very same, if a little harshly and unwillingly.
"Partly. Yes, it is personal." She confirmed. Then Ginny pulled open the drawer that had contained her medical information again. This time she pulled out a black file and handed it to Draco. He took it without hesitation, his curiosity clear.
"This is the Shrieking Shack." He looked up at Ginny, grey eyes wide for a change.
Ginny nodded. "For years now I've dreamt about an old building and shaggy setting. I used to get up in the middle of the night and just sit and draw what I had seen in my sleep. I later found out that it was the Shrieking Shack. I want to go inside it. I want to work in it, on it, with it. I think it might just be the key to remembering everything."
There was a long moment of silence where all Ginny could hear was her heavy breathing as she spoke with a greedy passion about the Shrieking Shack. Draco watched her with piercing eyes and Ginny almost whimpered at the suspense he was keeping her in.
"If I am not convinced after you have restored the building, will you stop pestering me?" Draco asked in a business like tone and Ginny knew they were negotiating now.
"Of course." Ginny accepted, sitting up straighter.
"Then, you have three months." Draco said simply before standing up. He adjusted the collars of his dress robes before looking down at Ginny once more. It was almost like he was still taken aback by seeing her. "I'll send you the details in writing. We can meet for the signing and to negotiate any changes you feel necessary."
Ginny stood as well, unable to keep the beaming grin of her face. "Perfect. You won't regret this." Ginny said and this time when she extended her hand to Draco he only hesitated for a brief moment before grasping it with his own.
His fingers were long, they curled around her tiny hand with surprising gentleness and his palm was cool against her own, but there was something almost searing about his touch.
"I know. I don't think he liked your poem. I know. Are you trying to impress Potter with your riding skills? I know. I know. I know."
Distant echoes rumbled in the recesses of Ginny's mind and she strained to listen carefully but they were blown away by the present before she had a chance to fully take a hold of them. In reality Ginny heard a jagged breath being indrawn. She was surprised to find that it had not been her who had breathed in sharply, but Draco. She watched as Draco's eyes narrowed before they both pulled back their hands hurriedly. She swallowed, putting her palm behind her, clenching her fists as if she could hold on to whatever his touch had triggered making her mind start to buzz. She felt sweat bead on her upper lip. Had the words she had just heard in her mind really been things that Draco had said to her in the past? She watched as he awkwardly and hurriedly stuffed his hands into his robe pockets and Ginny wondered if he were clenching his fist just as she was.
"Right." He said, but his usual, confident drawl sounded uncertain. Before Ginny could say anything in reply, Draco turned around abruptly and walked briskly out of her office.
Spending time with Draco would bring back her memories of him. She knew this. She just needed to be prepared for the inevitable backlash. He had told her they weren't pleasant occurrences and she believed him. However, he had also told her that he had not known her very well. At least he had not harboured such strong feelings of hatred towards her like he did for Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Ginny convinced herself that this was the right thing to do. She was closer to unlocking the secrets the Shrieking Shack held of hers and if she remembered Draco Malfoy in the process, then so be it. Whoever he used to be, she could handle it.
