A/N: Draco and Ginny share a wish across a pair of dandelions. Draco/Ginny. Set in DH.
Submission for:
The Sorting Hat's Challenge: Which is most admirable? - Dandelion
Duelling Club Competition: Pairing - Draco Malfoy/Ginny Weasley
The Lottery Competition: galleon, Lucius Malfoy, boy, eyes, why?
Three Prompts Challenge: letters, blue, horse
Harry Potter Fandom Chemistry Challenge: Ge - Ginny, D - Draco
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
She takes the letter from the owl quickly before sending it back out of the window. Luckily, the bird wasn't loud enough to wake her dormmates that decided to come back for the year. Hogwarts has been a dark and depressing place and out of Ginny's dorm, only two girls remained besides herself.
There is no name on the letter, no telltale mark of origin, but that's how Ginny knows who it's from. They are just like the other letters she has from him stowed away in her trunk, though he tells her to always burn them after reading.
She knows her friends wouldn't like what she is doing. She knows that they would probably even hate for it. But she can't stop and she can't tell them they're just harmless letters that mean nothing. That would be an outright lie.
Her brother would give her a look of pure disgust and betrayal for fraternizing with the enemy, the son of Lucius Malfoy. Her friend would give a reproachful look, a pout on her lips and a question in her eyes: Why? Why him? Why not someone better, nicer, good? And Harry, her first crush, he would hold her friend's hand, give her a long look and then walk away without another word. He would neither encourage nor scold, he would just let go and move on.
They can't see the boy that had to become a man before his time. They can't see the boy that has so many galleons to his name but no happiness. They see what they want to see - the Death Eater.
She sees a side of him that they never can, a side he only shows to her. She sees the pain in his eyes as he looks at those around him. He is like a ghost floating among the other students and just as pale. She hears the wavering in his voice as he speaks to others and knows that he is trying hard to keep appearances. It is only around her that he is willing to let them fall. He is tired of everything and she sees straight through the lie anyway.
She takes the flower out of the envelope in her hand. She remembers the day she had been sitting in the middle of the tall grass and the dandelions when he decided to walk up to her. He started with his usual insults but she ignored them easily. She was more focused on seeing him, the real him. She could feel the defeat and regret radiating off him. She deviated and told him about the magic of the flowers around her, their ability to grant wishes. At first he scoffed, claiming the weed was only good for horses to graze on. But she saw in him a desperation for anything he could hold on to, anything he could put hope in. He still joined hands with her and blew the small tufts into the breeze.
She holds the weed carefully in her hand, trying not to disturb the seeds before their time and then moves towards the window of her dorm room. She looks out at the dark blue night sky, knowing he's moving into position as well up at the Owlery windows.
"Close your eyes and make a wish for me, knowing that I'm making one for you too."
She follows his instructions and closes her eyes before blowing the seeds out into the cool night air. She hopes that both their wishes come true.