I know I'm probably going to get flamed for not updating my other stories but I've now only just finished my exams and I had a hard time with them. But I promise you all this, all of my stories will get updated one by one and the first one that will be updated will be New Revelations, I'm hoping to have the next chapter out by Saturday at the latest. Anyway, this is just a little one shot story, so I hope you like it. Enjoy, and on with the story!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything! Apart from the plot (I think!)
Love - The Strongest Emotion of All
The sun shone down, brightly onto the path of Diagon Alley. The noise of people chattering and bustling around with shopping bags could be heard wherever you stood. It was the middle of July and I had just graduated from Hogwarts. Sure I was happy, but I was also sad on the inside. Hogwarts had become my second home over the years. But something my mum told me on my graduation day seemed to cause a smile to spread across my lips. The ceremony was over and tears were running freely down my cheeks. My mum had come over to comfort me and whispered something in my ear.
"Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened"
My tears stopped and from then on I only remembered the good times I had at Hogwarts. Following Harry around like a lost puppy, having a friend like Hermione who would listen to my problems, she didn't have to, but she did and the look on Snape's face when Gryffindor won the Quidditch house cup, it was priceless.
As I strolled down Diagon Alley, I remembered how I finally realised that what I felt for Harry was what any sister would feel for her brother, and that's what he is to me. When I found out that him and Hermione were going out, sure I was disappointed at first, but I've learned to cope with it and come to love him as a brother. When I started to love him as a brother, someone else popped into my mind. Its not someone you'd expect. Just the thought of him sent shivers down my spine, even if it was a warm day. Over my seventh year at Hogwarts, when he wasn't around anymore, since he had left the previous year, along with Harry, Ron and Hermione, I found myself thinking of him more and more. His silver, blond hair and those bright blue eyes.
But no matter how hard I tried to stop it coming, it came anyway. I fell head over heals in love with him, even if he had already left. But I figured there's no point in holding onto these feelings, as I would never see him again. His father had been sent to life imprisonment in Azkaban and he was left alone with his mother. I had no idea whether he went out and if he did, where did he go?
I sighed, as a cool summer breeze washed over my face. Causing my vibrant red hair to ripple down my back. My white, spaghetti strapped top fitting me perfectly and my three quarter jeans hugging my figure. My purple butterfly flip flops keeping my feet cool as I walked down the street.
The main reason I came to Diagon alley was to find a job, but since I left school I had no luck and I needed the money to be able to put myself through Wizard college since my parents couldn't afford it. It was no use, every shop I went into either didn't need new employees or the position had already been filled. I turned my head as I passed the cake shop and something in the window caught my eye. I stopped and turned to face it.
It was a brightly coloured poster with pictures of microphones and music notes all over it. I read it out loud to myself.
'Do you have a special talent that's going to waste? What if you could change that? Enter this competition and it could change your life. If you can sing, dance or do anything else impressive, then sign up for the first annual talent competition, being held at The Leaky Cauldron. All you have to do is go up to the counter and sign up. The winner will receive a trophy with their name engraved on it and five thousand galleons. The competition will be held on Saturday 23rd July and the last day for entering is Friday 22nd July. Good Luck!'
By the time I had finished reading it, my mouth was hanging open and I had to use my hand to close it. With five thousand galleons I could put myself through wizard college and still have enough left over for my own apartment and more. I knew I could sing, but the problem was, that I didn't know if I could get up in front of people on a stage and do it. But for the amount that was available for first prize, I pushed my fears aside, and decided to sign up.
Quickly, I made my way over to the Leaky Cauldron. I walked over to the bar and called the barkeepers attention. When he looked over at me, he smiled and strode over.
"Ah, Ginny, what can I do for you today?" asked Tom, the barkeeper, in a cheerful tone.
"Well, could you sign me up for the talent competition?" I asked, a smile clear on my face.
"Of course!"
He took out a book from under the counter and wrote down my name before looking up at me.
"What will you be doing in the contest Ginny?"
"Oh, I'm going to be singing"
He noted it down before placing the book back under the counter. I smiled and thanked him before walking out. The contest was tomorrow and I needed to find a song and a new outfit. I checked my watch and saw that I still had an hour left before I had to be home in time for dinner, as Harry, Hermione and Lavender, Ron's girlfriend, were supposed to be joining us tonight.
I entered my favourite shop in Diagon Alley, Madame Malkins, Robes For All Occasions. The shop sold lots of wizard robes but also some muggle dresses and suits. I strolled over to the dress section and began looking through the racks, hoping to find the perfect dress for the contest. After ten minutes of looking, I eventually found it. It was periwinkle blue in colour. It had thin spaghetti straps and three daises across the top of the dress. I loved it, the only thing I needed now was a pair of shoes. Suddenly, a pair of shoes, matching the dress perfectly caught my eye. I rushed over to them and picked them up. They were the last pair left and luckily, they were my size.
I hurried over to the changing rooms to try them on. A few moments later, I reappeared and looked at myself in the mirror. The dress fitted perfectly and outlined my figure and the shoes were the crème de la crème. I smiled in the mirror and pulled the curtains closed as I changed again. Once I was ready, I walked over to the till and paid for my things. Happy than I had been this morning, I strolled out of the shop, carrying my bag that held my dress and shoes, and started on my way home.
Unluckily for me, I ran into the person that had caused all of these feelings inside of me that I was trying to push aside, Draco Malfoy himself.
"Well, well, well, its been a while hasn't it, Virginia?" he said, putting emphasis on my name.
I looked up into his eyes and they were the same silvery, grey, but for a moment, I could have sworn I saw a look of longing in them. But as soon as I blinked, it was gone as he smirked at me. I smiled back before I replied.
"Yes it certainly has Draco, now if you don't mind, I have to get home for dinner, excuse me"
I went to step past him but he blocked my path. Annoyed I looked up at him, he seemed to be enjoying this.
"Would you mind moving out of the way?" I asked, as politely as I could.
"On one condition, Virginia" he replied.
"Fine, what?"
"Tell me what you are going to be singing in the talent contest tomorrow night"
I stood back and looked at him shocked. How did he know that I was going to be singing? Let alone that I'd signed up for the contest in the first place.
"How did you know that I was going to be in the contest?" I asked, confused.
He looked at me and smirked before replying.
"I have my ways"
I looked up at him trying to figure out how he knew, but it was no use so I walked past him and continued on my way. I didn't get very far, however, as the sound of his voice caused me to stop and listen.
"See you tomorrow, Virginia, I'll be sitting in the audience, watching you"
I turned my head around to look at him. He just smirked before he strode off. I tuned back around and carried on my way home. I got there just in time as no sooner had I stepped through the door, was I surrounded by hugs. One from Harry, one from Hermione and one from Lavender. I hugged them back and tried to put on my best smile, for dinner at least.
I walked into the kitchen and sat down next to Hermione. I placed my bag under my chair as mum came out with the food. Since I hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, I was really hungry. I finished my dinner and excused myself, I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. I grabbed my bag from under my chair and ran up to my room. The moment I collapsed onto my bed, there was a knock on my door. Since I had my head in my pillow, I groaned into it before sitting up and replying to it.
"Come in!"
The door opened and in walked Hermione. She closed the door over but didn't shut it properly and sat next to me on my bed. I smiled at her before it faded and I looked away from her, she seemed to guess that something was up as she spoke to me, concern clear in her voice.
"You ok Ginny?" she asked.
I looked at her before I replied.
"To be honest with you, not really" I said, quietly.
"Well, what is it? You know you can tell me anything"
I sighed and turned myself around on the bed so she would be able to hear me clearly before I started to explain my problems.
"Have you ever had that feeling, where you don't know what it is, but there's a person that whenever you think of them, you shiver or get goose bumps or something?"
"Yeah, with Harry, when I first got that feeling, I didn't realize what it was but it didn't take me long to figure out what it was"
"Well, what was it?" I asked, timidly.
I knew what was coming, and I didn't like it one bit.
"It was love Ginny, I realized that I loved Harry"
"Oh"
Was all I could manage to say. She knew that something else was bothering me, being the smart witch that she was, so she asked me.
"So, who is it that gives you this feeling Ginny?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips.
I didn't want to answer, if I did, I knew that Hermione wouldn't like it one bit.
I sighed once more before answering.
"Its Draco Malfoy"
She didn't need to answer, her face said it all. I knew I was about to get the biggest lecture of my life, but, surprisingly, it didn't come, instead, she squealed with delight, which earned her a puzzled look from me.
"Ginny, this is fantastic!" she said, excited.
"It is?" I asked, still confused.
"Yes, don't you see, if you and Draco get together, then you could end the biggest feud in the wizarding world!"
A small smile escaped onto my lips before I spoke again.
"So you don't think that this is bad?" I asked.
"No, of course not, if you really are meant to be, then nothing can get in the way of love"
"Thanks, Hermione, I feel a lot better now"
"No problem! By the way, what's in the bag?"
I had forgotten all about the contest, so I decided to tell Hermione.
"Oh, I entered a talent contest this afternoon. I'm going to be singing, in it tomorrow night, the only problem is that I haven't decided what I'm going to be singing. Which is the one thing that bothers me as Draco said he was going to be watching in the audience."
"Well, I can help you there, why not sing a song that describes how you feel about him without him actually knowing. He'll just think that its another song, and I highly doubt that he'll recognize that your singing about him, he's a man for goodness sakes!"
"Yeah, that's a good idea, thanks Hermione!"
"Hey, what are friends for?" she said, laughing.
I gave her a hug before she stood up to leave. As she was about to walk out the door I called out to her.
"Hermione?"
She turned around to look at me.
"Yeah?"
"Do me a favour, tell everyone that I'm singing the contest tomorrow, but don't mention what I said about Draco, ok?"
"You can count on me Ginny" she said, smiling.
I smiled back before asking her something else, just before she left.
"Hermione, would you mind doing something else for me?"
"Not at all, what s it?"
"Well, tomorrow night at the contest, keep an eye out for Draco for me, I know he'll be there"
"Sure, I'll see you later Ginny, Harry and I are supposed to go for a walk, I'll talk to you some more tonight, and maybe I can help you with your hair tomorrow?"
"Certainly, I'll see you later Hermione"
She smiled as she left and closed the door properly behind her. I smiled to myself. I was going to win that contest tomorrow and if I could, I would win Draco's heart as well. I took my new dress out of my bag and hung it on the front of my wardrobe. I also took out my shoes and placed them underneath my dress. I couldn't wait to wear them. I still hadn't decided what song I was going to sing, so I got up of my bed and walked over to my desk. I switched on my lamp and started to look through my CD's.
Three hours later and after a lot of looking, I had finally found the perfect song. It was a ballad, but it helped me to express my feelings towards Draco, even if he didn't know it. I put the CD back in its case and walked over to my dressing table. I placed it alongside my wand and yawned as I looked over at my clock. It was half two in the morning. I had to get some sleep if I wanted to get in some practice tomorrow before the competition. Lazily, I slipped out of my clothes and into my pajamas. It was a small, spaghetti strapped top with shorts. They were pink in colour and had small flowers all over them. I pulled back the covers and climbed into bed. Instantly, I fell asleep.
The next thing I remember, was being awoken by Harry. It seemed that him, Hermione and Lavender had stayed the night.
"Ginny, wake up, lunch is ready" he said from the doorway.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked around the room. I smiled when I realized that the competition was tonight. I looked over at Harry and laughed when he gave me a puzzled look.
"You can come in you know Harry, I wont bite" I said softly.
He laughed and sat on the edge of my bed. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I yawned and looked at Harry when he spoke.
"So, Hermione tells me that your in a talent competition tonight?" he asked, smiling.
"Yeah, I'm going to be singing, in fact, I only found the perfect song to sing last night"
"And what song would that be exactly?" he enquired.
"Well your just going to have to wait until tonight, you are coming aren't you?"
"Of course, everyone is, your whole family, me, Hermione and Lavender"
I smiled at him as I got out of bed. Harry sat there looking at me before I laughed and spoke to him.
"Harry, would you mind, I do need to get changed after all"
"Oh yeah, right, sorry, I'll tell your mum your on your way down"
"Thanks"
He smiled at me and left the room. I shook my head in amusement and opened my wardrobe, I decided on wearing my denim hipsters and a spaghetti strapped army top. Once I was dressed, I pulled on my boots and put my hair up into a high ponytail. I looked in the mirror, satisfied that I looked ok, and made my way downstairs. When I entered the kitchen, I found that it was empty apart from Hermione, Lavender and my mum. I looked over at the clock as I sat down. It was half three in the afternoon and everyone's name, apart from my mums, and my own, pointed to Quidditch, I figured that Harry must have gone with them. I rolled my eyes and smiled to myself as I sat down. Boys will be boys. If its not food, its Quidditch.
I began to eat and the topic of me and the talent contest came up. The four of us all began to talk about it, and I explained to my mum what time I had to be there. When we had all finished eating, we decided to go out and watch my brothers and Harry playing Quidditch, when there was a knock at the door. I told my mum that I would get it and that I would be out soon. She smiled at me and nodded as she, Hermione and Lavender headed out into the back.
I, however, turned around and walked in the direction of the front door. I opened it, but found that there was no-one there. I shook my head in annoyance and was just about to shut the door, when a small green package, with silver ribbon tied neatly around it, caught my eye. I looked around before I bent down and picked it up. I shut the front door and walked back into the kitchen. I looked down at the package and read the name tag.
'Virginia'
Was written neatly on the tag in a similar colour to the ribbon around the small package. I knew I wouldn't be able to open it down here without being interrupted, so I told my mum I was going upstairs to practice for the contest tonight. She told me it was alright, and as soon as she did, I bounded up the stairs. I ran along the corridor and into my room. I shut it behind me and walked over to my desk. I sat down and placed the package in front of me.
I examined it for quite some time, trying to figure out who it could have come from. But it was no use, so I decided to just open it. Slowly, I took off the ribbon and began to peel of the paper. Inside was an even smaller black box. Carefully, I took it out of the paper and opened it. What I saw inside, took my breath away. It was a small silver heart on a thin silver chain with a diamond in the middle of it. On the back the words,
'Good Luck, Virginia'
were inscribed. I couldn't believe it, who would send me a gift as beautiful as this. I placed it down carefully and looked back in the black box hoping to find some sort of note as to who this had come from, but it was no use, there was nothing else there. So placed the necklace back inside the box and looked over at my clock. It was already half five in the evening and I had to be at the Leaky Cauldron for half seven, even if I wasn't going to be performing until nine, seeing as so many people had already signed up before I did.
Quickly, I placed the box with the necklace in it, inside my desk drawer and grabbed my towel of the end of my bed and ran into the bathroom. I locked the door behind me so as no-one would walk in on me, and turned on the tap. I poured in some bubble bath and watched as the water rose higher and higher. Its surface covered in bubbles. I put my towel down on the floor near the bath and shed myself of my clothes. I stepped into the water and sank below the bubbles. I emerged a few moments later and began to wash my hair. When I had done that, I scrubbed myself all over and rinsed off. I then pulled the plug and climbed out of the bath. I wrapped the towel around me and walked back into my bedroom. I placed a spell on my hair to dry itself and began to get dressed. Once I had my shoes and dress on I called down for Lavender and Hermione. Minutes later, they appeared and I asked Hermione to do my hair and Lavender to do my make up. They both agreed as smiles spread over their faces, as they ushered me over to sit down in front of the mirror.
They tell me to close my eyes and not to look until they say so. Reluctantly, I agreed, and waited for them to finish. At least half an hour must have passed before they did finish, but I have to say, I was amazed at the results. Hermione had placed my hair into tight ringlets that were to charmed to hold for at least seven hours, while Lavender had put, mascara and pale blue eye shadow on me, with a bit of blusher and bubblegum flavoured lip gloss. I smiled and thanked them. They told me it wasn't a problem and together they left the room. When I was sure that they were downstairs, I walked over to my desk and took my necklace out of the small black box that was in the draw. Carefully, I placed it around my neck and fastened it, making sure that the heart was dangling down at the front. When I was satisfied, I headed downstairs and together, me and my family, Harry, Hermione and Lavender headed over to the Leaky Cauldron.
It was only a short walk over to the Leaky Cauldron, but with every step I took, my stomach dropped another level. I was beginning to get really nervous, especially since I hadn't had a chance to practice my song at all, not even once. We arrived at the Leaky Cauldron to fast for my liking, I took a deep breath and stepped inside. It was decorated wonderfully. Musical notes were floating around the ceiling and small trombones and violins were playing gently in the background. I smiled to myself and walked over to the stage to sign in. The guard with the sheet of names, crossed mine off as I went to sit down with my friends and family.
Once I was seated, I looked around at the other tables, my only intention was to see if Draco was already here. I was about to give up hope, thinking that this was just some joke of his, but then I spotted them. Two grey eyes piercing the darkness that surrounded them. He was sitting in a secluded area of the Leaky Cauldron. He had a drink in one hand and had his other arm rested on the side of the chair. I tried to catch his gaze, but my efforts were in vain, as his vision was stuck on the stage. I sighed, happy that he had came, and turned my attention back to the stage, just in time for the contest to begin.
Some of the contestants were dancers, but most were singers. They were really good at it as well, I just hoped that I would have a chance of winning. Half way through a sixteen year old girl singing, the guard that had taken my name of the list approached me and told me to follow him over to the side of the stage as I was up next. I nodded nervously and followed him over to the stage. He handed me a microphone as I waited for the girl to finish her song. As she did, I tried once more, to catch Draco's gaze. Luckily, this time I succeeded. I smiled at him and he smiled back. Not a smirk, but a genuine smile. I felt my cheeks turn red as I stepped up onto the stage. I walked to the middle and waited for the music to begin.
I believe we all have one true love
Somewhere in this world, I do
When it seemed all my dreams were falling through
That's when I found you
I believe for every heart that whispers in the dark
There's a ray of light somewhere shining through
It was sink or swim when the tide came in
I found myself
When I found you
I found the closest thing to heaven
That's in you
I found the deepest love I knew
Oooo oh, I believe, yes its true
I found myself when I found you, Ooh yeah
I believe for every door that's closing
For every heartbreak there's hope for something new
From the ashes right, I glimpse a paradise
It still flickered in your eyes
When I found you
I found the closest thing to heaven
That's in you
I found the deepest love I knew
Oooo oh, I believe, yes its true
I found myself when I found you
A life unfolds
No one knows
I found love once
Just a tingling of the skin
I felt so alone, all alone
More than you could ever know
You share deeper love
Sweet love
When I found you
I found the closest thing to heaven
I found the deepest love I know
I found the closest thing to heaven
I found myself
When I found you
I found the closest thing to heaven
That's in you
I found the deepest love I knew
Oooo yeah, Oh I believe, yes its true
I found myself when I found you, you
I sang my heart out and poured all of my emotion into that song. As I was singing, I kept shooting glances over at Draco, hoping that he would realise that this song was for him, to tell him that I loved him, with all of my heart. When I sang the last line, I was greeted with a round of applause, and a few whistles from my family. I smiled at them and handed the microphone back to the guard as I stepped off the stage. Seeing how I was the last act, there was a half an hour break for people to choose their favourites. Immediately, my whole family and Harry, Hermione and Lavender ran over to the voting table to vote for me, I was really happy. I just hoped that Draco had figured out what I was trying to tell him. Speaking of Draco, he was no-where in sight, I looked around everywhere in the Leaky Cauldron for him, but I couldn't find him anywhere. Hermione seemed to notice what I was doing and strolled over to me. I spun around as she spoke.
"There's someone outside waiting for you, you know" she said, smiling from ear to ear.
"Draco?" I asked, hopeful.
"Who else would it be?" she said, giggling.
I smiled back at her, but dread soon washed over at my face.
"But Hermione, what will my family say when they find out that I love him?" I asked.
"Don't worry, I've already told them, and they've realised that it was Lucius who made Draco act the way he did in the past"
My eyes went wide with shock as a smile, just as big as Hermione's, crept onto my face.
"Thank you so much Hermione!" I cried, hugging her.
She hugged me back before whispering in my ear.
"You don't want to keep him waiting, do you?"
I smiled and let her go as I, made my way outside. I looked around for him, before I spotted him standing over by the gardens of the Leaky Cauldron, staring up at the night sky. I approached him from behind, but stopped just before I reached him, unsure of what to say. He seemed to know I was there as he spoke, his back still towards me.
"You have a beautiful voice you know" he said, turning around to face me.
I blushed and felt my cheeks glow red, the same colour as my hair.
"Thank you"
He smiled at me, and pushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear. His skin burnt like fire against mine. I had to tell him how I felt about him, even if he didn't feel the same way, but I was pretty sure that he did.
"Listen, Draco, there's something I need to tell you, I don't know how to explain it, but I love you"
There, I said it, it was out in the open. I couldn't look at him after I said that, so I turned away, afraid of what he would say. A few moments had passed before I felt a finger lift my chin up, and lock my gaze with his once more.
"I love you too, Virginia"
After that, no more was said for a while as he closed the gap between us and kissed me. Nothing else mattered anymore, not my life, my looks, my career, the only thing that mattered to me at that precise moment was Draco and the fact that his lips were on mine.
Somewhere, in the near distance, shouts and clapping could be heard as mine name was called out. Apparently, I had won the competition, but seeing how I was too busy with the man in front of me, my mum had to collect the award for me. Which I was quite satisfied with. Now, I had enough money to put myself through Wizard college and I had the most wonderful guy in the world standing right in front of me.
What more could a girl ask for?
A/N: That's it! Love it? Hate it? Let me know what you think! The song is called When I found You and is taken from Britney Spears album - britney. Please, please review and no flames! Thanks!
Bye for now
numberoneseeker
xXx