I do not own Harry Potter. This is just the way I wished things had gone.
It was the start of a new year at Hogwarts.
The number of returning students had doubled from the previous year, even considering everyone that had been lost at the battle of Hogwarts. Parents were no longer keeping their children home for their safety. Hogwarts was a safe place again. Despite the devastation and feeling of loss for those who could not return the student body were happy to be back. No more Carrows, no more torture, no more sneaking out of their dormitories for a safe place to hide.
Several of the students had to repeat their year. Only the lower years had been pushed forward. The previous year of teaching had been a joke with a few exceptions.
Harry, Ron and Hermione had all chosen to go back to school. This was an obvious choice for Hermione, Ron had decided to return grudgingly mostly due to the fact that he and Hermione were finally together and he wasn't about to spend any considerable time away from her now. Harry had chosen to return because he felt he needed to hide away for a while and wait for things to settle down. He was offered early admission into the Auror training program, but after such a stressful previous year being relatively pampered at Hogwarts sounded like paradise.
Ginny managed to challenge all of the exams and pass, so she would be going into her seventh year. She would not however be returning to seventh year as the girlfriend of Harry Potter.
After the final battle Ginny had been mourning the loss of her brother and friends and Harry had been thrown into meeting after meeting with the Ministry. By the time they finally got to see each other again it was two weeks later.
Harry had showed up at the Burrow, Molly immediately went about fussing over him. Harry had the intention of going to the Burrow specifically to see Ginny, but she wasn't there. George had needed help at the shop and Ginny had stepped up. She needed the distraction, and she needed the money. By the time Ginny popped home from working it was late and she was exhausted. She had used floo and was a little startled to see him sitting on the sofa.
Harry smiled when he saw her, she froze. He rose from his seated position and brushed some soot off of her shoulder. Then he leaned in and tried to kiss her, she turned her head to stop him from kissing her on the lips.
"It's been a long time Harry." She managed. Ginny wasn't prepared to stumble across him in her own living room, however she had thought long and hard about what it was she wanted. "But I don't think we belong together. It feels more like something we are supposed to do as opposed to something we want to do. We've both done a lot of growing since we broke up, and I've grown out of my feelings for you."
"I guess you're right. I did miss you a lot, and I definitely thought about the time that we had spent together while I was on the run, but this does feel more obligatory than… lustful." He admitted. He looked a little dejected, but also… relieved?
"Friends then?" She suggested
"Any chance it can be friends with some benefits? He joked. I have been basically on my own for a year.
"I don't think you will have any trouble finding some harpy to keep you warm at night." She rolled her eyes.
Now they were all headed back to Hogwarts together.
Jumping down onto the platform the Trio went on their way without her. 'I suppose I am just a hanger on' she thought as she watched them walk away. The rest of the school seemed quite eager to hurry on up to the school Her shoulder accidentally bumped someone also jumping down from the train. "Oh sorry" she said as she turned and lost her balance a bit.
Steady hands grabbed onto her hips while she found her footing. She looked up found herself inches from Draco Malfoy.
"My fault" he said. Ginny was surprised. He normally would have sneered at her and made a remark about her family. She had all but forgotten about him over the last few months. They stood there staring at each other while he held her, she was a little mesmerized by his eyes and his soft features. Thinking back to the previous years she tried to recount a time that he was out and out cruel to her. Besides a small incident in which she jinxed him on the train at the beginning of her fifth year he never had. And even that incident had happened because of something one of his goons had done and he'd stepped in with a remark that had sounded rather more forced than natural.
A thank you was all she could manage to say back. He was quite attractiv, 'and after all that had happened he must be quite humbled' she thought.
'She has the most incredible brown eyes' he always thought that. Seeing her for the first time at Flourish and Blots her amazing eyes had made it hard for him to remember that he was supposed to be trying to take Potter down a peg.
This was the closest he had ever been to her. He was actually touching her.
Several boys in Slytherin had a thing for her, and he could never have admitted just how much of a thing he had for her. She was in Gryffindor and a Weasley. If his family had somehow found out how many dreams he had had about her. How he had always noticed her when she walked down the corridors, or in the Great Hall. Especially how he had felt gutted when she dated Michael Corner and Dean Thomas. And when he had found out about her and Harry Potter it was like someone had stabbed him.
He supposed they were back together. And he supposed that he had been holding on to her for a bit too long.
"Not a problem" He removed his hands and walked around her to the carriages, pausing at the sight of the Thestrals.
"I suppose everyone can see them now, can't they?" She said to him seeing his pause.
They both stood side by side and looked at the beasts. They were the last people on the platform and there was only one carriage left. They went over to it and he held out his hand to assist her in.
The raised her eyes at him in surprise, but took his hand and went in. His hands were soft she noticed. She was rather embarrassed at how rough hers must seem to him and rubbed her them together when she sat down.
He noticed and thought it must be due to dislike of the physical contact and pursed his lips in disappointment. "Your friends didn't wait for you?" He asked
"No, Neville isn't returning on time, and Luna is in her own world." Ginny smiled a little at the thought of how Neville and Luna had now formed an odd wonderful couple.
"And Potter?"
Ginny hesitated. It sounded like a simple question, and like he was trying not to spit the name. "No, I've gotten used to he and the others kind of forgetting about me…" she admitted and clenched her jaw a bit.
Draco looked surprised and a little happy to hear that. Trying not to sound too excited he had to ask, "You and he aren't back together then?"
Ginny searched his face in the evening light, interested in why he was so curious. "No" she said slowly. "He and I together was feeling like an obligation so I told him that while he'd always be part of the family he should find someone else romantically."
"I'm sorry about your brother." Draco said to try and change the subject.
Her bottom lip trembled a bit at the thought of Fred, she hoped he wouldn't notice in the darkness, but he did. "Thank you," she said. "And thank you for what you did."
"What is it that I did?" He held his breath, thinking that she had seen something at the battle that he hadn't meant for her to see.
"You walked away from Him." Draco felt like his heart had just grown slightly and he fought the urge to move from his seat across from her to sit side by side with her. Instead, she moved from her seat to sit beside him. "I hope you don't mind, I love seeing the first glimpse of Hogwarts just here." She pointed out the window to the now visible castle leaning slightly forward towards him for the better view.
"I don't mind at all." The way he had said it. With care in his voice. She turned towards him, her face so close to his, he couldn't help it, he too leaned forward and kissed her.
She was shocked. This was Draco Malfoy. Only five minutes had passed since he had steadied her on the platform, he had been perfectly nice to her. A gentleman even. And now he was kissing her.
And it was a nice kiss. He had his one hand cupping her head, and the other beside her resting on the bench seat. She didn't stop it. She didn't necessarily respond to it either. It was just a few moments of his lips on hers and he seemed to remember himself and pulled back.
He stared at her for a moment, not being able to grip what it was he had just done. It was an impulse, and now she still had her beautiful eyes closed, suspended in time almost.
"I didn't mean to do that." He said.
"What exactly did you mean to do?" She opened her eyes to ask him.
"I.. I couldn't help it. You are just. I mean, you said you and Potter weren't together anymore and I just felt happy about that and." He said this all with a steady voice, but couldn't form a proper response.
Ginny sat back in her seat and stared at him. "You, you like me?"
The carriage came to a halt. He wanted to bolt, but he also wanted to know what she felt about what just happened. If he didn't answer her, he felt sure that he would have missed out on an opening to the prospect of actually doing it again.
"I wasn't supposed to. Actually I knew I wasn't allowed to. Before. But things are different now and, yes, I've always liked you." They sat still for another moment in silence.
"The feast" She said finally.
He sighed slightly and opened the door of the carriage. He helped her down and felt sure that she had held onto his hand longer than necessary and felt hopeful.
Together they walked slowly to the entrance to the Great Hall, they paused and looked at each other before turning away and walking towards their house tables.