A/N: This is a rewrite of a song fic I wrote when I was 13. The song was "17" by Mandy Moore, and it's what inspired this story. However, I took the song out because I thought the plot was enough to stand on it's own. I redid it all and changed/added some things, and I gave it a new title. PLEASE review. All feedback is good feedback.
Not Giving Up
Ginny Weasley sat alone in the Great Hall poking aimlessly at her full plate of food. She wasn't hungry. She didn't bother kidding herself. She didn't notice a thing that was going on around her. Instead, she was staring fixedly at the other side of the Hall.
Luckily, no one noticed. Or at least, she didn't think they did. This was lucky because she was staring at none other then Draco Malfoy. He looked up and she looked down at her plate. She risked another glance hoping he wasn't looking anymore but she caught his eye and they stared each other for a minute or two until, suddenly realizing where they were, Draco winked and they both looked down again.
Ginny checked to see if anyone would notice that she was leaving. Then, remembering she was sitting by herself, she stood up and left the Great Hall. She waited for a minute or two and then, as had happened so many times before, Draco appeared and looked around for her. His eyes landed on her and he smiled. He walked in her direction and together they ventured silently to a deserted classroom. It was never used. In fact, Ginny wasn't sure it was always there. It seemed to appear when she needed to meet Draco though, and that was what mattered. When they entered the room they sat down next to each other and Ginny put her head on Draco's shoulder. She looked at him and sighed.
"What's wrong?" he asked her gently. "I hate this!" she replied, clearly upset. "Hate what?" Draco stood up, sounding alarmed. "What did I do?" "Not you." Ginny heaved yet another sigh and stood up as well. She paced the room a bit as she continued, "I hate that we always have to meet privately. "It's so ridiculous"
Draco placed a hand on her arm to stop her from pacing. "But you said it yourself, they'd never let you if they knew." "I know, but I'm not a baby anymore, and they don't even realize it!"
Ginny was currently in her fourth year and Draco in his fifth. Ever since the day Ginny had stepped foot inside Hogwarts she had been watched like a hawk. Her older brothers Fred, George, Ron, were always keeping an eye on her. They were so overprotective, they barely gave her the chance to do what she wanted. Miraculously she had kept Draco from them for months now, mainly because she feared what would happen if they found out. The fact that she'd been sneaking around without them knowing was bad enough. The fact that it was with Draco was what made her afraid. She knew they'd never like Draco, they'd never get along with him, they'd never even think about it, but sooner or later they were going to have to try because she wasn't giving Draco up for them. She wouldn't.
"For what it's worth, I know you're not a baby. You're more than capable of taking care of yourself." said Draco reassuringly. "Exactly," Ginny said. She smiled at him involuntarily, and they returned to their seats next to one another. "But let's not worry about that now. I just want to enjoy being with you"
Draco smiled in agreement.
The two stayed in the hidden classroom for hours. It was Friday night, so they had no classes and nowhere else to be. Ginny had told the boys that she was helping a friend with a homemade Christmas gift. The students who were going home for Christmas would be leaving in the morning, and Ginny's parents had decided they wanted to spend this Christmas with their children. This would be the last night Ginny and Draco could spend together until after the holiday break. Ginny was determined to make the most of it.
Back in the Gryffindor common room, Ron and Harry sat on a couch, waiting up for Ginny. She hadn't said how late she'd be, but they didn't think she'd be this long. It was getting late and nearly everyone had gone to bed already.
"Why isn't she back yet?" Ron asked no one in particular. She knew they had to be up early tomorrow morning. It wasn't like her to stay out late like this.
"I'm sure she's fine, mate." Harry said, stifling a yawn. "She probably just lost track of time. Go to bed." Ron knew she could take care of herself, but still, she was younger. Fred and George didn't seem quite as worried, as they had gone to bed already, but they had said to wake them up if there was any reason to really worry.
"I'm not waiting anymore. I'm going to go look for her." Ron said decidedly.
"It's pretty late." Harry said. You better take the cloak. And if she's not in any trouble, just leave her alone and come back, okay? She doesn't need to know how worried you are"
Ron agreed, put on Harry's father's invisibility cloak, and headed out the portrait hole.
Inside the silent classroom Ginny awoke and looked around slowly. Suddenly realizing where she was, she shook Draco awake. "Draco! Draco, wake up!" she squeeked sounding hysterical. What time was it? She prayed she hadn't slept long enough to keep her brothers up waiting for her. She prayed that this one time, they would trust her enough to leave her alone. Not believing that this was possible she grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him out of the classroom.
She sprinted down the hallway, still dragging Draco behind her. When she stopped at the end of the hall to catch her breath, Draco caught his own breath and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I guess this is where we go our separate ways." he began. "Yeah…" she replied, not looking forward to it. "I'm sorry we fell asleep"
"It's not your fault"
"I'll miss you over the holiday"
"I'll miss you too, Draco"
She looked up him as a smile spread across her face. Maybe everything would work out this time. Maybe her brothers were all asleep.
"Oh, and Ginny…" Draco said, taking a deep breath.
"Yeah"
"I love you."
Ginny stared at him, shocked. Whatever she had expected to him to say, that wasn't it. She was silent for a moment, not knowing how to react. Then, seeing the hurt expression on his face, she whispered in shaky voice "I.. I love you too Draco."
Ron, under the invisibilty cloak, headed as quickly and quietly as possible towards the Great Hall. That was the last place she had been, and if her friend was in another house, he figured that's where they'd be meeting. He was passing where he knew the kitchens to be when he heard people talking. The voices were hushed, and Ron stopped where he was to listen. The voices were still a way off, but he could distinguish two separate voices, one of which he recognized as his sister's.
"That's Ginny!" he thought, relieved at the idea that she was okay. He listened a moment longer. "Who is she talking to?" he continued thinking. "She never mentioned that her friend was a guy.." With this new worry in his head, Ron started off again towards the voices.
"Do you really mean it?" Draco asked, as though he hadn't expected her reply.
"I do." Ginny answered him. "With all my heart." Ginny couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so happy. Before she realized what was happening, Draco had leaned over and kissed her, right in the middle of the hallway. In that moment, nothing else mattered to her, and she kissed him back, not caring if the whole world was watching.
Ron followed the voices down an unfamiliar hallway, but suddenly the voices stopped. He kept going in that direction, wondering why there was no noise. He rounded one more corner and stopped dead in his tracks. What he saw was enough to make him sick. He had found Ginny, alright. There she was, in the middle of the hallway, in the middle of the night, kissing the person Ron hated most in the entire world.
Ron gathered all his strength to keep from losing it completely. He took a deep breath, pulled off the invisibility cloak, and yelled at the top of his voice. "VIRGINIA WEASLEY! WHAT IN GOD'S NAME DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"
The kissing couple pulled away from one another, both looking shocked. Draco opened his mouth to say something but Ginny stopped him. "Don't." she whispered. Then, she turned to face her brother. "What do you mean?" she asked calmly, though her eyes were full of emotion. Ron looked ready to kill but his gaze softened when he looked at her. The air was tense, and no one moved.
Ron stuttered over words that wouldn't form.
"But.. How.. Why.. Him"
His feelings were beyond anger, beyond sadness, he felt betrayed. He couldn't tell if he were more angry with Ginny or Draco. He didn't know whether he wanted to keep screaming at his sister or start swinging at the scum she was standing next to.
Ginny remained calm. She was clinging to Draco's hand as though, if she let go, she'd fall and never be able to get back on her feet. "If you want to know why I'm here, with Draco, there's a simple answer." she said. "Is there?" said Ron, his ears reddening, his anger clear. "Then why don't you explain it to me." "I've been meeting Draco in private for two reasons," she said feeling horrible about betraying her brother. At the same time, though, she felt a kind of power she'd never had before. Having Draco there, silent by her side, made her feel like she could handle any situation.
"Well, for one thing, I knew you would never approve if you knew about it, and I didn't want you to stop me from seeing him."
"You're damn right I would have stopped you! It would have been for your own good too! You deserve better than this waste of…"
"And the other reason.." she interrupted him. She could tell Draco was as angry as Ron, but she knew as long as she was holding his hand he'd remain quiet. He loved her as much, if not more than Ron. She felt terrible for the pain she was causing both of them. She didn't want to think about having to choose between them, and so she finished her statement before she could change her mind.
"The other reason is that I love him."