A.N.: The three last books never happened.
A Beginning
It was a Saturday morning, which meant no school and no boring lessons to attend. Any normal sixth-year student with nothing to do on a Saturday would go out with friends, have fun or get up to the usual mischief. But not Ginny Weasley.
Her only close friend was Luna Lovegood, and they were both loners in every sense of the word, which meant that, though she valued the companionship she shared with Luna, most of the time she preferred spending her time reading, whether it be books or people.
She sat herself down for breakfast in her usual spot at the table and started doing what she always did; observing people. She believed that if you observed people long and hard enough you could get to know them much better and much more intimate than most of their own friends.
The person she observed most was one Draco Malfoy.
She had found out that for all his appearances, he wasn't really all that bad. For instance, he looked after the younger Slytherins, seeing to it that others weren't harassing them and that they were up to date with their lessons. He was also very protective of the few friends he had, looking out for them in true Slytherin style, which is to say secretly.
She had also found out loads of other little tidbits about him. For example, he really enjoyed his morning coffee, couldn't start the day without it to be honest. And occasionally he would even stoop so low as to talk to her. She liked those little conversations because he was quite witty and funny if you could get through the sarcasm and the childish insults.
Suddenly, an owl landed in front of Draco, carrying a black letter. He opened it and after having read only the first few lines, he crumpled it and practically fled the hall with the letter still tightly clenched in his fist and his cold veneer rapidly disappearing.
Ginny watched him go while she was frowning. What could've possibly upset Draco so much that he'd let the cracks in his façade show? She silently stood up and followed him out of the Great Hall to the dungeons.
That's where she found him. He was sitting on the ground with his back against the wall. He was crying, but at the same time still trying to hold on to his composure. She felt an urge to comfort him, and without putting too much thought into the why's and how's, she did.
She approached him carefully so as not to startle him, like one would approach a wild animal, and then gently, ever so gently she put her arms around him. She rocked him gently, like a mother would a small child, and whispered sweet nothings and reassurances in his ear.
When finally he had regained his composure they both stood up and simply regarded each other silently.
After a while he started to say something, but she stopped him by softly placing a finger on his lips. "This will be our little secret." She whispered. Then she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and ran away, leaving him looking after the little redhead with confusion, gratitude and a hint of something unnameable on his face.
After that day, something had changed for them. Slowly, but surely, Draco changed into the man he would've been without his father's influence, the man he should've been in the first place.
And when the time came for him to make his choice, it wasn't really that hard of a choice to make after all.
Ginny too changed. She seemed to blossom overnight. Though she still wasn't as sociable as the rest of her peers, she had become a fine, beautiful young woman, who despite her family's protests helped play her part in the war.
When finally it was all over the two met again, and this time neither let go.
The End.
A.N.: This is the revised version of a story I posted a few years ago. Then it started out as a one-shot bit was turned into a multi-chaptered fic. This time it is a one-shot and will stay a one-shot. There might be other one-shots from the same universe in the future but that's all. I hope you enjoyed it.
Greetz, Copper