A/N 1: I know, I Haven't updated in a while… I recently moved, and can't find any of my old stories that I have to update. For your enjoyment, however, this is a little Draco/Ginny one shot. Full of Fluff, because I like it. Please R&R, flames will be used to toast my marshmallows.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, the books, plot, etc…. those rights all belong to JK Rowling. So nobody sue, cause I don't have anything you would really want.

--Aurora-Sama

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If Only They Could Understand

She used to have a lot of friends, used to be quite popular. But ever since she had started her most recent relationship, she felt like an outcast. She had been tossed aside by her friends, as if she were nothing but a piece of trash.

But they didn't understand. They thought they knew him simply by how he acted around others… they thought they could judge him by what his name was, who his family was… but they had no right. They didn't know him, not really. On the outside, he was cold and cruel, heartless, intimidating. She could understand their initial opinions of him. But on the inside… he was kind, caring, gentle… and a little afraid and insecure. His heartless appearance was just that. A shell, a mask he hid behind when the world was to difficult to deal with. That's the side of him that nobody saw, the side he didn't want anyone to see. That's the side that she fell in love with.

She saw it one day while she had been walking back to the school after a day of relaxation down by the lake. He was sitting alone, blonde hair hiding his face, brilliant blue eyes fixed on the water… and a small teardrop sliding down his fair, pale cheek.

She knew than that he was different; he wasn't the person they all said he was. So she made an effort. She went to him, and talked with him, tried to be his friend. And in the midst of trying to befriend the pale-haired boy, he revealed himself to her; he let her in, more deeply than he had ever let anyone in before. And she understood him, understood what it was like to be misunderstood, hated for who she was, who her family was. They were in the same position really, just on different sides of the fence. He let her in… and she fell in love with what she saw.

But her friends were against this, right from the start. They told her it was dangerous, that he would just use her, and then throw her away. And she chose not to believe them. She chose to stay with him because he loved her, and that's all that mattered. She didn't need people telling her what was right and good for her. Why couldn't she decide that for herself, make her own decisions? And when she asked this, all her friends turned against her, and they did the very same thing that they had told her he would do; they threw her away. Even her brother turned his back on her. They abandoned her.

Hypocrites.

Ginny rolled over in bed, and wiped a small tear from her eye. People could be so cruel.

Ginny got up from bed, and went to the trunk at the foot of her bed. She opened the trunk, and pulled out a smaller box, about the size of a small shoebox. It was in here that she kept everything of value to her. After opening the small box, she reached inside and pulled out a leather bound book, a picture falling from the pages as she opened it. She scribbled something down, and then she glanced at the picture on the floor. It was a picture of them, eating Ice Cream and having fun. And in the picture, he leaned over and kissed her gently on the cheek. He was always gentle, once you got to know him. She picked up the picture and smiled, placing it back between the pages of her book, and glanced down at the words she had written

If only they could understand how much I love you…

And with another small smile, she closed the book, and held it to her chest, whispering to the darkness "I love you Draco."

She replaced the book and the small box into the trunk, closed the lid, and sighed. It had been hard these last few months. Her brother, Harry, and Hermione has all quit school, and nearly everyone felt the loss. Everyone, it seemed, except for her and the Slytherins. She was sad to see them go, make no mistake about that, but after the way they had treated her, she was glad. She had been utterly upset after she and Harry had broken up, but she quickly got over that, deciding that he wasn't the one for her. And in her misery, she found someone who was just like her. Misunderstood, lonely, miserable.

He was the only one. The only one who could make her happy, the only one who she could count on to love her. In such a large family, like the one she came from, it's easy to get ignored. She had a wonderful family, but they mainly doted on the older ones, the ones who were closer to getting out of school and getting jobs. And for most of her life, she had felt alone.

But Draco. She could always count on Draco. He would always be there for her. He doted on her almost non-stop. He loved her; he listened to her, talked with her. And she didn't feel so alone when she was with him. She felt… whole. Complete. Like she was missing something, missing a piece of her, and he was it.

Ginny got up from the floor, slipped on a pair of slippers, and headed out of the girls' dormitory. Creeping down the stairs, past the cozy chairs and the warm fireplace, she slipped through the portrait door and into the cold hallway, and began to walk.

It was freezing out here. If she had been smart, she would have brought her housecoat along with her… but it was too late now, she was more than halfway there. She rubbed her arms vigorously to relieve the goose bumps. The castle could be cold in these early fall nights.

Ginny stopped outside a large portrait of a snake with gray-green eyes. Those eyes had always mesmerized her. Every time she came down here, she had always looked at those eyes before doing anything else. Finally, glancing away from the snake, she looked eye level with the portrait, and whispered in a soft voice "parselmouth". The password for the Slytherin Common Room, given to her by Draco when he had wanted to spend time with her, away from all the friends who abandoned her. A small door, hidden within the portrait, swung open gently, without making a sound. She entered, careful not to make a sound. The door swung shut behind her, and she glanced around at the room. It was the same as it had always been, with green tapestries embroidered with silver snakes hanging from the walls, several cozy chairs, and a large fireplace. Unlike the fireplace in her common room, however, this one was not lit, and a sort of dreary chill settled over the room.

Making her way across the large space, she headed to a bedroom separate from all the others. She opened the door lightly, glancing inside to see a warm fire blazing in the hearth, and a large, luxurious bed lined with silk sheets. In the center of the bed, covered by sheets and comforters, was the sleeping form of Draco. Ginny stepped through the door, closing it softly behind her, and crept over to the bed. Pulling the blankets down for a moment, she climbed into the bed, and covered up, curling up next to Draco and kissing him lightly on the cheek. That soft touch was enough to wake him up, and he glanced over his shoulder, looking a little disoriented and confused.

"Ginny, what are you doing in here?" he asked, rubbing his eyes gently, his fair locks falling into his face as he rolled over.

"I couldn't sleep… I kept thinking back on how everyone has turned against me… just for loving you…" Draco put his arms around Ginny and pulled her close, comforting her. He kissed her on top of her head, and then leaned back down onto his pillow, bringing her with him.

"Sleep now, my love. Its alright, you're here with me now. Sleep, and be happy." Ginny smiled at hearing this, and rested her head against the chest of her love. Closing her eyes, she uttered one last thing before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

"Goodnight, my love."

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Ginny awoke the next morning feeling groggy, but content. As she rolled over in the bed, however, she noticed she was all alone. The clock on the stand read 11:30am. Damn. Good thing it was during a holiday. She glanced at the ceiling and remembered, she didn't have any clothes to put on that morning. She hadn't planned on falling asleep with Draco, but just going to him for comfort. But she had ended up staying the night, wrapped protectively in his strong embrace. Damn, what was she going to do? She couldn't just walk back to her common room still in her pajamas, not with all the teachers and prefects roaming about.

A knock came at the door then, a soft knock that Ginny had learned to associate with Draco. He opened the door slightly, and called in "Ginny, are you awake yet?"

"I am, Draco." she smiled when she saw his face peek through the door, and waited for him to enter the room. He came in, smiling lightly at her, and carrying a change of clothes. He sat at the edge of the bed, leaning over, and kissing Ginny lightly on the cheek.

"Good morning my love. I picked these up for you early this morning, figuring you needed something other than the night dress." she kissed him back, smiling. Then she took the clothes offered to her, and jumped out of bed, going behind the changing screen in his room. Removing her night dress, she fumbled with getting her other clothes on, while Draco spoke to her from the other side of the screen.

"I… have a bit of bad news, my love." she peeked her head around the edge of the screen, looking a bit worried.

"What is it?" she noticed he was pacing the room, wringing his hands. His pale blue eyes were fixed on the ground, and he looked a bit worried. "Baby? What's wrong?"

"I… I have to go home for the rest of the holidays." Ginny eyes widened when she heard this, and she hurried to finish dressing. She stepped out from behind the screen, and went over to him, grasping his hands lightly in her own. He looked up at her, and saw the small tears forming in her eyes. "I received the letter this morning. My father wants me home."

Ginny threw her arms around Draco, and started crying.

"Don't leave baby… you know you're father hates our relationship, and you know he'll try to break us apart." Draco wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close. Stroking her hair gently, he comforted her as best as he possibly could.

"I'm sorry, my love, I have no choice." he kissed her, and with that, he left the room, looking back only once to see her crying.

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Ginny fell asleep in the comfort of Draco's room. Nobody bothered to go in his room because everyone knew he was gone, and it was just as well. If she were caught in there, who knows what kind of trouble she would be in.

She had cried herself to sleep the previous night. When Draco went home for the holidays, she never heard from him, and he always came back with a distant look. He wouldn't talk to her for a few days after returning. And that always hurt her more than anything else.

She woke up the next morning, still wearing the clothes that she'd had on the previous day. She curled into his bedding, crying softly, and holding his pillows close. After a few minutes of doing that, she finally decided to go to her own dormitory. As much as she loathed to leave, she figured it would probably be the smart thing to do, before anyone got suspicious as to where she was.

Ginny fixed her hair quickly in Draco's mirror, and peeked out the door. It was a good thing it was during the holidays, otherwise the Slytherin Common Room would have been packed. As it was, there was only a few Slytherins left, and they were all still sleeping; it was still early in the morning.

She slipped out the door, closing it quietly behind her, and slipped through the eerily quiet entrance door. Once in the hallway, she made her way through the corridors, past the great hall, and up the stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room. Upon reaching the common room, she wearily pulled herself up the steps to the Girls Dormitory, kicked off her shoes, and fell into bed. She wanted to cry again, she wanted to cry so badly, but the other girls were all still sleeping. She didn't want to wake any of them up. After a few minutes of quietly fighting back her feelings, she fell asleep, still exhausted from her crying fit the previous day.

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A few days passed, and Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan sat in the Great Hall for an early breakfast. They were sitting and chatting with some other friends, when suddenly, Neville realized something.

"Seamus, have you seen Ginny at all?" Neville turned to his friend, a curious look on his face. Seamus didn't look at him, too busy in his collection of breakfast food.

"Not for a few days."

"I haven't see her either. You think something is wrong with her?" Seamus looked at him now, a worried expression on his face as well.

"You want to go see?"

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Ginny lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She had been like that most of the week, ever since Draco left for home. Padma Patil had tried to get her out of the room, to get her to have some fun. Some of them actually understood how she felt. Some of them knew how much she loved him, and how much it hurt her when he was gone.

Ginny had said she was fine. Now she lay here, waiting patiently for the end of the week, when Draco would be coming back. As she was waiting, she suddenly heard a small voice coming up the stairs to the dormitory. It sounded like Neville, which would make sense, as males could not go up the stairs to the girls dorm.

"Ginny? Are you ok up there? We haven't seen you in a few days, we're a little worried." Ginny got out of bed. Why couldn't they just leave her to her misery? Oh, that's right. They were her friends.

"I'm ok Neville." she called down the stairs. Then she closed the door, and went back to her bed. As soon as she was sure Neville was gone, she headed down to the common room. She sat in front of the blazing fireplace, and mused over her thoughts. She loved Draco so very much. Why didn't her most important friends want to see that? Her brother, Hermione, her first love, why didn't they want to accept that she was happy with him?

Ginny was in the middle of her thoughts, when suddenly Seamus came back in to the common room. Ginny was just getting ready to go back upstairs, to get away from anyone and everyone, when Seamus stopped her.

"Ginny, wait!" she stopped and looked around at him, and saw he was carrying a little plate of food with him. She went and sat down at one of the tables, and Seamus went and sat beside her. "I brought this for you… me and Neville were worried, because you haven't been around in a few days… We didn't know if you had eaten…" Ginny smiled at the thoughtfulness.

"Thank you Seamus." she took the plate of food from him, and hungrily dug into it. She, in fact, had not eaten in a few days, and she was starving.

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A few days passed, and Draco returned from home. Ginny was extremely happy that he was back, but she had no hope that this return would be any different than any of his other returns. And in fact, it wasn't.

He came back around Breakfast, the day before classes started back up. He entered the great hall with an air of greatness about him, though Ginny knew better. Just by looking in his eyes, she could see that he was confused, upset, and worried.

He sat down at the Slytherin table, and immediately put his head down, as though he were tired. Ginny went over to him, and sat down, stroking his hair lightly. He didn't shrug off her touch, but he didn't look up either.

"Draco? My love?" he didn't look at her, and she stopped stroking his hair, folding her hands over her lap and looking down at them. "please, don't do this. Talk to me. Don't make me beg and beg for you to just talk to me."

Draco reacted to Ginny's last words, finally looking up at her. She was stunned momentarily by the blueness of his eyes, having almost forgotten how brilliantly they shined in the light. Suddenly, those brilliant silver-blue eyes filled with tears. Ginny jumped quickly upon seeing tears. Draco had always tried his hardest to hold back his tears and convince Ginny that he was ok. Now, he was letting his tears flow freely, and he almost threw himself at her, acting like a helpless child.

"I'm sorry, Ginny. I'm so sorry…" Ginny held him close, and stroked his hair.

Draco hadn't said anything for the rest of the day, even though Ginny had pried, question after question to figure out what happened, why he was so upset. That was how it usually was though. Ginny went through the rest of her day, hoping that soon, he would start talking to her again.

After her classes that day, she went back to her dormitory, and fell asleep on her bed. She was in a very deep sleep, when she was woken up during the middle of the night, by what she didn't know. She stood up for a moment, and rubbed her eyes, and stretched. She stopped mid-stretch, and inhaled sharply. On her side table, was a dozen roses bound in red ribbon, and a small piece of paper, folded, addressed to her in elegant handwriting.

Draco's Handwriting.

Ginny picked up the piece of paper, turned on her side table lamp, and unfolded it gently.

'Ginny,
Meet me in my room tonight,
Around midnight.
Love,
Draco.'

Ginny looked at her watch carefully. It was around 11:30. She got dressed quickly, learning from her past error, turned her lamp off so it wouldn't wake up the other girls, and made her way quietly down the stairs. Same as before, she slipped through the hallways, her innate Weasley ability to sneak around helping her evade detection, and slipped down to the Portrait of the snake with gray-green eyes. As before, she stopped for a moment, staring at the gray-green eyes that had always captivated her, just as much as Draco's silvery blue eyes had always captivated her. And just as she was about to call out the password, she hesitated. Draco had never really called her to his room, especially late at night. Either they went there together, or she snuck in to see him.

Inhaling deeply, she whispered the password, watched as the door creaked open, and stepped inside. There was a warm fire blazing, and it appeared everyone was still asleep. She carefully made her way to Draco's room, and opened the door slowly.

"Draco, are you in here?" she stepped in the room, and closed the door behind her. Finally, she spotted Draco on the far side of the room. He was smiling, and he walked over and kissed her lightly. After leading her to the bed, he laid her down, kissing her deeply now, and running his hands over her bare arms and the fabric of her shirt. Once he pulled away, he laid down next to her, and stroked the side of her face gently.

"Ginny, I have something I need to talk to you about." Ginny looked at him, and placed her hand gently upon the one caressing her face. She looked a bit worried, a little tired, but happy.

"Ginny, when I went home for the holidays… I got in an argument with my father… it was about you." Ginny sat up at hearing this. Draco followed suit, and stared into her eyes. She was a little more worried, a little upset.

"What happened Draco?" she placed her hand over his on the bed, and looked at him, her eyes begging for an answer.

"He… wants me to leave you."

"Draco, no!" Ginny started crying once she heard this, and Draco pulled her close to him, stroking her hair. She was filled with agony, pain, and she couldn't bear the thought of losing him. She had already lost everything she knew because she fell in love with him. She didn't want to lose him and be all alone… she was still crying, when Draco spoke up.

"Baby, don't worry." he continued stroking her hair, and once she quieted down a little, he held her face in his hands, and made her look at him. "I'm never going to leave you."

Then he kissed her gently, and got off the bed. Ginny swung her legs over so she was sitting at the edge of the bed, and watched as Draco dug through one of his dresser drawers. Finally, he dug out something small, hid it behind his back, and came over to Ginny, kneeling before her, and kissed her hand gently. Then he put both hands in front of him. In one hand, he held a small black velvet box. Once he opened it, Ginny could see inside a small ring, silver, with small green emeralds and small diamonds embedded within it.

"Marry me."

Ginny took the small box that was offered to her, and held it in her hands gently. Examining the ring, studying its beauty, she started crying again, this time tears of happiness. She looked from the box, to Draco, and jumped off the bed, kneeling in front of him, and throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him and kissing him deeply.

"Draco, yes! You don't even have to ask me." she kissed him again, and they both got up on his bed, laying down and kissing. Ginny held him close, caressing his skin and enjoying the feel of his hands on her bare arms. Finally, she pulled away for a moment, and stared into his eyes, those eyes that she found so beautiful.

"Draco… I have always loved you. I just never realized it until recently." Draco smiled, and held her close.

"Too bad we couldn't have realized it sooner…" Ginny curled into him, and they held each other close.

"Draco, I love you so much. You are everything to me. Always remember that." and with that statement, they fell asleep, curled together in each others arms.

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The next morning, Ginny woke up early, and stretched, a smile on her face. She reached over, and realized Draco wasn't there, but found a short note telling her he would return soon. Ginny smiled again, and looked down at her finger, the ring still there.

She almost couldn't believe it. She found someone who loved her. And he loved her enough to want to marry her. And then reality hit her. What would her family think? What would his father think? Their families have always been great rivals, and neither wanted them to be together….

Modern day Romeo and Juliet.

She laughed at the thought.

Draco opened the door to his room, and carried a tray in front of him. It was full of breakfast foods, and he set it down in front of Ginny on the bed.

"I thought maybe you were hungry." Ginny smiled, and Draco leaned in and kissed her deeply before letting her eat. She took a small bite of her food, chewed thoughtfully, and looked over at him.

"Draco… about us getting engaged…" she looked down at her food again, suddenly not hungry. Pushing her tray away, she rubbed her hands together restlessly. "Draco… if we tell either of our families that we are engaged… it will only make things worse between our families."

"I know." he lowered his head. "But I don't care. I love you so much. And I'm finally happy with the person I am. I don't want anything to change that." Ginny leaned in and held him close, all the while thinking to herself I'm finally happy with who I am as well.

"God… Draco, I never thought I would ever find anyone like you… I never thought I would finally be able to love, and accept myself for who I was…" Ginny held Draco close, tears of joy sliding down her face. A few droplets hit Draco, and he pulled back, looking at her for a moment before wiping her tears away.

"Is there something wrong, Ginny?" she smiled again, fresh tears coming to her eyes, and let out a little laugh.

"No. everything is fine." she leaned close and rested her head against his chest. "Finally, everything will be ok."