To Smile Like You Mean It
…
…
slytherinambition
…
…
Summary: Ginny Weasley never expected a new Professor to turn her life upside down. And what happens when that Professor is supposedly her worst enemy?
…
Disclaimer: All these wonderful characters are the creation of J.K. Rowling, and sadly not mine at all. I may introduce a new character every now and then… but you will know considering you would never have heard of them before.
…
Author's Note: I posted this story once before on a different account, but never really finished it. So I've decided to repost it, and revised it.
…
………………………………………………………………..
And it's you I see, but you don't see me. So I look in your direction,
And it's you I hear, so loud and clear.
I sing it loud and clear.
And I'll always be waiting for you,.
But you pay me no attention,
And you know how much I need you,
But you never even seen me.
-Coldplay
………………………………………………………………..
Chapter 1
The Bitter Beginning
Her red curls were pulled back into a loose hair elastic, stubborn strands carelessly escaping and framing her face. Freckles were scattered across the bridge of her nose. Her skin was that of porcelain, clear and pale, even pale enough to be called 'ghostly' at times. She pushed two trunks in front of herself, as a little white kitten trailed behind her, curiosity sniffing it's surroundings. It wouldn't have been truly hard to tell the person was the one and only Ginny Weasley.
In only 10 minutes the train would depart, either with or without her on it. She couldn't help but curse silently as she bumped into random strangers, sending her more and more of course each time. It didn't take her long to track down the familiar barrier, which separated her from the wizarding world.
Ginny took of running slightly, not before scooping the small kitten off from the dirty ground. She gingerly ran through the barrier, revealing Platform 9 and ¾. A bright smile replaced the frustrated one she wore; yet it wasn't until long before the horn sounded. She didn't really feel like getting stuck to fend for herself, and she knew of no magical cars that would take her to Hogwarts if she happened to miss the train.
Ginny stepped onto the train, and quickly placed her luggage where it was designated. She made her way towards the last compartment, and wasn't the least surprised to see two familiar faces staring up at her.
"Ginny!" Tasha Mackenzie shrieked, as she jumped up from where she sat. A bright smile dangled on her lips, as she pushed her bushy blond hair out of her face. She towered over Ginny, though at the time it wasn't that hard to do. Ginny was the dreadful height of only 5"4', so much for inheriting her elder brother's height.
"Tasha!" Ginny said brightly back, as she was swiped into a big hug from her best friend.
Ginny had met Tasha near the end of her fifth year, surprisingly having been in the same year as each other since they came to Hogwarts. They were completely different, yet amazingly, seemed to get along quite fine. Ginny was the one normally trying to lighten her friend up, whereas Tasha tried hard to keep Ginny on her feet, and not drifting away into her own world.
"I haven't seen you for ever, I do hope you have been behaving," Tasha said, eerily reminding Ginny of Hermione Granger.
"Ah, but don't I always," Ginny lied with a knowing smile, before her attention was directed towards the other familiar face in the room. Colin Creevy was staring attentively at the pictures he held out in front of him, and only made a point of directing his attention elsewhere when Ginny snatched them from his grasp.
"Hey Gin," Colin said sweetly, before he too got up and wrapped his arms around his best friend. He had grown since his first few years at Hogwarts, though he still looked very much like Colin himself. He was lanky, with hair still holding it's soft wave, though much longer at the moment.
"Hey, these are very good Colin, where did you manage to snap them?" Ginny asked, as she finally seated herself down next to Tasha, and across from Colin. He blushed slightly as she said so, for he always loved to hear his photos being praised.
"America, you should have seen it Gin, like I was telling Tasha…" Colin began and soon launched into a animated conversation. However, Ginny couldn't seem to hold her attention long enough, as her eyes drifted towards the rushing scenery outside. Tasha and Colin continued to talk, hardly taking into the account that Ginny herself was drifting away from them.
She let her mind drift away from her, to something she didn't want to remember. The past summer, when everything had ended. She had wanted to fight, she had begged for days on end, asking and pleading that they reconsider. She was considered a threat, though even with her demanding they wouldn't let her know. They talked about her, but never would they really let her know. She should have been the one to leave late that night, not him. He had left in hopes to save her, and all that it leaded to was his own death.
………………………………………………………………..
"Ginny," a rushed voice said, as she felt someone softly shake her. Yet, as though it was like any morning, she simply ignored it.
"Gin… wake up, it's urgent," the voice said again, this time shaking her even more so.
She tried to hit the hand away, though she was far too tired to put much effort into it. It wasn't until she forcefully hit her own head on something metal that her eyes shot open. Everything was black, and it didn't help that she had only just woken up either.
"Gin, we need to get out of here, pull on your robe," the voice responded when it realized Ginny was finally awake, and then she realized that it was the voice of Colin.
"What's all the rush about?" Ginny asked, sincerely confused. However, she did nod at his demand, and slowly pull on her robe she must have discarded hours ago. Standing up on her weak legs, she looked around, only being able to make out the shadows of her two friends.
"What's happening?"
"Crash… I think… we can't be too sure. We need to evacuate the train," Tasha responded for her, the girl even loosing her own cool. With one look of confusion from Ginny again, Tasha let out a frustrated sigh. "And by evacuate, I meant now Gin."
"How can this happen, when was the last time the Hogwarts express has just broken down?" Ginny asked, before reluctantly follow them out of their compartment. She didn't get a chance to get her question answered, for they were pushed into a nervous bunch of younger students, and some their own age. Yet, considering there happened to be no light whatsoever, she hardly could tell how many were actually out there.
"I need to go see what's happening, and try to calm everyone down," Tasha called, though she was already far enough away that there was no way for Ginny to catch up. It was then she remembered that her best friend had become Head Girl, just like Hermione Granger had been the year before. No doubt a hard position to fill after Hermione had been in there.
"Meet you later…" Ginny said faintly, but she knew her friend hadn't heard. Not that she really would be able to see.
She glanced behind her shoulder, trying to make out the shadow of Colin. Yet, without much effort put into it, there was no luck at all. "Colin?" She asked, though she wasn't surprised when there happened to be no answer at all.
She felt a soft hand wrap around her wrist, and before she could even utter a word from her lips, she was dragged into the compartment she had only just came from. She couldn't hide the startled look that crossed over her face, though surely it was hidden by the darkness of the room.
"What the bloody hell are you-" She started to say, though soon stopped when she felt a finger on her lips. Normally she would take it as a sigh to get away from a stranger, whom had a hold of her in a dark compartment. Sadly, whomever had hold of her was holding tightly so she couldn't get away.
"Don't speak," the hush voice came from his (yes, it most defiantly was a boy) lips, and she felt a prick of his breathing on her cheek. Her begin a little on the edge was an understatement, but she knew it was better to go along with his demands then fight them. "They're coming."
"Who is coming?" She couldn't help herself but ask.
"You will find out soon enough," he answered, but soon she did. The cold feeling filled her lungs, and her warmness was taken away from her. Dementors? She didn't know how they could possibly be here, and why? For a moment she heard the screaming, and wanted to clamp her hands over her ears. He still held onto her hands, so there was no chance of that.
It was his scream, the one from the final night. The one that constantly haunted her dreams. She could make out the shadows from the crack in the door, and hoped those outside where fine. Thankfully, everything was silent. That could either be a good thing, or bad…
Finally the shadow disappeared, only to have Ginny feel a rush of emotion once more. She fell to her knees, only to take the boy down with her. She felt drained, drained from everything that had been keeping her going. She couldn't even mutter a word of anything to the boy.
"Eat this," he said, before giving her a piece of chocolate. She slipped it into her mouth, and almost instantly she felt the warmth come back into her body. She watched silently as the boy pulled himself off the ground, and with a slight shake of the head went out the door.
She was almost sure she had heard the words "almost fainting just like Potter", though it was probably playing tricks on her. Almost instantly after the black robe of the boy had disappeared, the lights flickered on. She hadn't even seen who the boy had been, or why on earth there were Dementors on the train. She didn't get long to think up the answers when she heard the door swing open once more.
"Ginny!" Tasha yelled, as she knelt down to be level with her friend. "I was so worried…"
"Don't be, I'm fine," she lied. "What happened?" She said, changing the subject completely.
"Dementors, but we still have no idea as to why…" Tasha said, but had a look on her face that said she wished Ginny hadn't changed the topic.
"You don't think…" Ginny asked faintly, pulling her own self off the ground.
"Don't be silly Gin, he couldn't be back,"Tasha sent her best friend a comforting smile, before taking a seat next to Colin.
"Yeah, he's gone Gin, you don't need to worry your pretty little mind about that," Colin said in agreement, before they both changed the subject entirely. Even after their reassuring words, Ginny couldn't help but feel a little worried.
……………………………………………………………….
She was late, and if she missed breakfast it would ruined her whole schedule for the day. It was something that happened to all Weasley family members, and it most likely had something to do with the food her parent's fed them.
As she ran down the now deserted hallway, she tried to button up her blouse. Her skirt had already begun to make her itch, and her knee high socks seemed to fall down to her ankles. Her curls flew in every direction possible, and stubbornly covered her line of vision. Her face held signs of mascara, eye shadow and eyeliner, though it wasn't the least bit heavy.
As she flew around the corner, she collided directly into someone. Two strong arms wrapped around her petite waist, steadying her from falling straight on her arse. She slowly looked up to her savior, only to find the person she had been least expected to have seen at school. Draco Malfoy.
His silver blond hair fell over his eyes, not slicked back as so many years before then. His gray eyes bore into her own chocolate brown ones. He was tall, towering over her as so many others happened to, and not to mention muscular. It was at that moment she realized she was still in his arms, and she briskly stepped back.
"Why are you here?" She spat at him. An amused smile crossed over his lips.
"I see you still are as rude as ever Miss Weasley," he drawled, the famous smirk she knew all to well crossing over his lips.
"I see you have decided to call me something other then Weasel."
"I truly can't do that now, can I?"
"I don't know, you tell me Malfoy," she snapped once again, her temper rising. He of course seemed calm and collected, something that unnerved her to a great extent.
"Now Miss Weasley, I don't think you call many of your teachers by their last name now do you? I expect to hear a Professor at the beginning," he said, his smirk growing bigger.
Ginny's face fell, as she stared speechlessly at her so called Professor. She didn't know how to react, though she was most defiantly appalled at even the idea. How could Draco Malfoy of all people get a job here? She had been more then a little excited that she was to have a Malfoy free year, but here the boy was once again. So much for being able to have some peace in her last year at the school.
"It isn't very nice to stare at your Professors, even though I do know I'm charmingly handsome." He finished it with an cold chuckle, and that only made her realize the man hadn't changed one bit. "I do hope you snap to it, for I do not expect you to be late for my class."
With those words said, and leaving no time for Ginny to respond, he was gone. She could have sworn that was the voice she had heard from the night before, yet when would Draco Malfoy do such a thing as pull her into a dark compartment. Surely he did that with many girls before, many rumors having gone around that said he had done most of the girls at Hogwarts, though she of course was a Weasley.
"Ginny! Come on, we have potions first," came the voice of Tasha, and Ginny reluctantly nodded and followed her friend. So much for getting some breakfast.
…………………………………………………………………
Author's Note: The first chapter is up and done. Feel free to read and review, and reviews will be very sweet of you! I hope you liked it, and don't think I'm going to be letting you know who has died, or who happened to be the person to pull her inside the compartment.