Written for the Word Count Challenge on HPFC.
Prompts: Draco/Ginny ; Autumn ; Freckles ; "Don't you dare turn away from me!" ; Maybe
Goal: 1550
Count: 1548
The Auror Academy was a twelve-month program, designed to teach and to train those interested in becoming an Auror who had already passed the background check, the aptitude tests, and had obtained the appropriate N.E.W.T.s. It was the final stage and the third year of training, and it was also by far the most difficult and stress-inducing. It was the weed-out phase, and since the Second Wizard's War had ended and this school had been implemented, it was estimated that, at most, only two of the ten students enrolled anually would receive certification.
Ginny Weasley's first two years of training had been a breeze. She'd had no criminal record, a stellar academic history, and had always done well in high-pressure situations – until she had enrolled in the academy, that is.
She had felt extremely prepared, that the whole year would be a breeze and that, very soon, she would be able to proudly wear her scarlet robes and her Auror badge.
Of course, that was before she'd known who she would be dealing with. Each student was assigned a former Auror Academy graduate to be their mentor, and on the first day of classes, Ginny considered quitting right on the spot.
With Draco Malfoy as her mentor, she would never make it.
Despite her initial concerns, Ginny stuck with the program. She had to. She couldn't let her family down, and she was tired of living in the shadow of her older brothers. It was time for her to shine, and becoming an Auror was the only way that she knew how.
It was October, and she had already been at the academy for four months. She was sufficiently exhausted – both mentally and physically – and autumn was in full swing, which meant that the weather was getting colder and colder. But it didn't matter. Malfoy insisted on outdoor training, and despite her withered protests and her constant shivering, he didn't appear sympathetic in the slightest.
She was on the obstacle course – which was something she didn't quite grasp the point of. As an Auror, she couldn't see herself running through Muggle car tires while in the field, and she was also fairly certain that crawling in the mud under jagged wires wouldn't be a frequent occurrence, either. But Malfoy had put a lot of emphasis on it, and he forced Ginny to practice the course every single day.
"Come on, Freckles," Malfoy taunted, watching with amusement as she struggled to scale the wall. "You've gone through this course hundreds of times. There is no excuse!"
She was panting. "Well – maybe – if I – had – my wand," she managed to utter between breaths.
He crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing her with amusement. "No wands on the course, Freckles!"
"Stop calling me Freckles!" she hissed, and then shouted as she lost her grip and dropped the last two meters, landing on her behind with a loud thud. "Merin, that hurt!"
Malfoy walked towards her and crouched down to meet her at eye level. His grey eyes were fixed and narrowed. "Maybe," he hissed, his voice low and dangerous, "if you were less concerned with what I call you, you would focus more. Your concentration is severely lacking, and in the field, one second of lapsing could get you killed." He stood up, his posture perfect and intimidating, arms crossed over his chest lazily. "Not that you're going to make it to the field if you keep going in the direction you have been."
Before she could think of a proper retort, Malfoy had turned on the heel of his expensive dragonhide boot and walked away, leaving behind a defeated – not to mention filthy and sweaty – Ginny, who was feeling more and more convinced that she should have quit the moment he was named as her mentor.
Three more weeks went by. Malfoy still called her Freckles, and he still made her go out onto the obstacle course daily, even though it was November and it had begun to snow. She tried her hardest at everything he had told her to do, but somehow, she just didn't feel like she was improving, and the other students were far more fit than she was.
She had just pulled back the duvet on her bed when she heard a knock on the door to her bedroom. It had to have been Malfoy, she knew, because there was no one else at the academy that she spoke to.
With a sigh, she opened the door. "I was just going to bed, Auror Malfoy," Ginny announced. "I'll be fresh at five, I swear." She yawned heavily.
"There's no need for that," he said. "You're going home tomorrow."
Her heart nearly stopped. "What? Why?"
He crossed his arms over his chest. "Because you're not improving. You are a waste of time and resources – resources that can be used on people who are serious about becoming Aurors."
"I am serious!" Ginny insisted, her hands catching at his arm desperately. "I want this more than anything. I need this. Please," she begged. "Give me another chance."
His icy gaze did not soften. "You've had plenty of chances. You're done here."
He turned to leave, but he was halted by her next words.
"Draco Malfoy, don't you dare turn away from me!"
Slowly, he rounded on her, still glaring icily in her direction. He seemed larger – taller and stronger – and more intimidating than he had ever appeared before. "What did you say to me?"
She swallowed down the lump in her throat. "I – I said... Draco, please. Don't give up on me." Her legs gave out as she fell to her knees before him
He looked down, face unreadable and posture stiffer than ever. Tension radiated from his body. "Goodbye, Freckles," he said with finality as he turned and walked away.
The sun had yet to rise, but that wasn't going to stop her. For the first time in her life, she had been told that she wasn't good enough. But that couldn't be the end. She wasn't going to allow herself to give up yet.
Her tired body entered the obstacle course. She allowed her eyes to scan over the field – over the part of her training that she had had the most difficulty with – and took a deep breath. She couldn't leave the academy without knowing that she had tried her best, had done everything she possibly could to succeed. Before she had time to think about the fact that it was the middle of the night or that her body was exhausted or that there was a real chance that, no matter how hard she worked, it wouldn't make even a bit of difference, she ran through the course, over and over again until she got it right.
It wasn't until morning that she could feel someone watching her. It was Malfoy, of course, and she knew that without him saying a word. She could sense his eyes following her through the motions, analyzing everything that she was doing. She couldn't be sure if he was angry or impressed or neither or somewhere in between. All she knew was that he hadn't sent her home again, and that was a good sign.
"Pick your feet up, Freckles!" he demanded, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife.
For a brief moment she hesitated, allowing herself to glance over at him. The corners of his lips turned up just a little, and she smiled to herself as she braved the rest of the course.
Training had finally ended.
Her body was exhausted, and she hurt in places that she didn't realize she had. All she wanted to do was go to sleep for the next six months to make up for what she had missed over the last year.
She wasn't sure when she'd find out if she had passed; that information had never been clear. All Ginny knew was that it was time to pack her things and head home.
Her dorm room was nearly emptied when she heard a knock on the door.
Wordlessly, she answered it. She was only half-surprised to see Draco Malfoy on the other side. He had not come around since the day of her final evaluation.
He was holding an envelope. "Freckles, this is for you."
Ginny swallowed hard before accepting it. This was it. It had to be. She went to open it, but was halted by his hand on her wrist.
"I know I was hard on you," he said, his eyes honest and open, "but it was only because I knew you could do better."
The corners of her lips turned up just a little, but she said nothing. Instead, she slowly tore at the envelope, removing the piece of parchment within.
Her eyes went wide as she read. She handed him the letter.
Draco's eyes scanned over it, a small smile forming as he did. He set it down as he finished reading, and in one quick moment, he was beside her, his arms engulfing her in a hug.
Ginny Weasley was now an Auror, and she would have never made it without Draco Malfoy as her mentor.