Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. Need I say more?
Alright guys, let's see how this goes!
Without any ado…
Chapter 1
They say all is fair in love in war. This wasn't love, but it was war and war makes some people do things they never thought they would. Character is examined, morals second guess and sometimes inhibitions are thrown to the wind. Ginny Weasley never thought she would be one of those people. In the heat of the moment though, war raging around her, things changed.
She wasn't supposed to be there by all accounts. Her mum would have murdered her on the spot for having run off and left the room of requirements. But the Gryffindor in her couldn't stand by and watch as her family and friends faced off against the most evil wizard in the world and his sick and twisted followers. She needed to be out there fighting alongside them. She wanted to help. She thought she was ready.
But she could have never imagined what true battle was like. This wasn't Defense Against the Dark Arts class where she practiced with those of her own age and skill level. She excelled in that. This wasn't even the more intense Dumbledore's Army sessions where she truly learned to fight. She'd excelled in that too. But this was not class. This was not safe. Her opponents would not be throwing innocent spells, simple jinxes. They would be aiming to kill. Still, she thought she was ready.
They were strong and they were fast. Bigger and more powerful men were coming after her, wands ready and they were not hesitating. Nobody noticed as she entered the fray. Too focused everyone was on protecting the castle and those within it, trying to buy Harry time to do whatever it was he needed to do, to notice a young girl that should not be there.
Screams, bangs, and shouts of spells rent the air. Debris from walls blasted apart and chunks staircases gouged out littered the floor and their dust filled the air, impeding vision and making each breathe a little more difficult. But none of this stopped Ginny from jumping headfirst into the fray with all her might. Her killer bat boogie hex found the face of more than one Death Eater before any spells got near her.
When that first ominous green steak of light, the spell that would mean her death should it hit her, brushed past her face she froze. It was close enough she could feel when it rushed passed her, rustling her hair as it went. Death was within a breath of her. Had her weight even been shifted to her left foot instead of her right, she would be laying among the rubble, dead as so many other that littered the hall.
It was in that moment, as death passed so close to her, that she realized she was not ready. She wasn't ready face death, wasn't ready to take on people so much stronger than her, wasn't ready to take on Death Eaters. She should have stayed in the hall outside the Room of Requirements when Harry went in. She shouldn't have run off to play the hero in a battle that she wasn't ready for.
It took just a second for her to realize she had to get away from the battle, had to retreat. Throwing as many curses towards the enemy as she could, she took off down a hallway that the battle had not yet moved to. Dashing down the abandoned corridor, she headed to a familiar tapestry that hid a secret passage Fred and George had shown her years ago. Slipping behind the safety of the fabric, she didn't break stride as she dashed up the stairs to the seventh floor where the passage let out.
Quiet pressed on her ears as the sounds of the battle drew more and more distant. Outside war raged on too but even that seemed far away as she stepped out into an untouched corridor. From appearances of the silent hall, devoid of the battling witches and wizards from just a few floors below, it could have been a normal night in the castle. But it was too quiet.
Knowing that the battle could easily and quickly move up the stairs and reach this hall, which wasn't far from the main staircase, Ginny knew she still wasn't safe. So she continued to run, further down the hall, around a few corners, and coming to rest at a door in a corridor that very rarely saw a visitor, even on the most normal days in the castle. Opening the door, cringing as the hinges protested the movement loudly, she hurried inside and shut it firmly behind herself.
Letting out a sigh of relief, she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against the smooth wood of the old door. A small sound behind her caught her attention though and, spinning around, she was not greeted by an empty classroom like she'd expected to find here. No, instead, staring back at her was a piercing silvery gray pair of eyes. "Malfoy!" she hissed, fear flooding her and replacing the moment of relative ease she'd just had. Wand at the ready, she readied herself for the inevitable battle. She could take Malfoy though, of that she was confidant.
"Weasley," he replied, his voice cool but not threatening. He didn't even move from where he was seated, leaning against the far wall. Knees pulled to his chest, chin resting on them, face and clothes streaked with ash, he simply sat dejected. This threw Ginny off, seeing the high and mighty Draco Malfoy seemingly broken down.
"Malfoy?" This time her voice wasn't accusatory, it was questioning. She lowered her wand but didn't lessen her grip, still on the defense incase this was all some sort of sick and twisted ploy to lower her defenses.
"Go find your own hiding place, Weasel," he said, eyes flicking to the lowered wand before he let his head fall back to his knees, the position he'd been in before she'd barged in on him.
"Who says I'm hiding?" she demanded, irritated at the assumption. Hiding from a fight went against everything that was in her. Malfoy hiding from a battle was expected, he was a cowardly little snake, but she was a Weasley, brave as a lion.
"Sneaking into an abandoned classroom on the floor furthest from the battle raging just down the stairs, that big sigh of relief when you thought you were safe sure seem like indications of you hiding to me," he said sarcastically and though he didn't lift his head she could almost hear him rolling his eyes. "Or are you just taking a slight breather from the battle?"
His tone chafed her but she let it go with a roll of her own eyes. "Fine, I'm getting away from the battle," she admitted begrudgingly. At least she had a good reason. She was as good as dead against some of those Death Eaters. Besides, she'd been ordered to stay away from the battle. "I'm not even supposed to be here anyway."
He didn't respond, just sat there. All the fight seemed to have gone out of him. He didn't even have his wand in hand. Considering the current atmosphere, despite how separated their little hiding spot seemed, it was odd. He didn't even move, only the gentle rise and fall of his back with each breath.
Pity swelled in her chest as she looked at the young man in front of her. It was an unusual emotion to feel towards a Malfoy, but one that came all the same. It was in this moment that she came to the realization that she and he were not so much different. They were both children in this war, dealing with the crushing weight that had been put on their shoulders the best they could manage. Loyalty to each of their families guided their steps. The only difference was that they fell onto different sides of the war.
Relaxing her grip on her wand, she slowly walked across the room to where the blond sat with his head buried in his knees. Sliding down the wall beside him, she mimicked his position. "So why are you hiding?" she asked in a gentle voice, surprising even herself. First she ran away from a battle and now she was being kind to a Malfoy. What was the world coming too?
"Why do you care?" he asked sulkily, not bothering to even look at her.
She hesitated before answering him. "I'm not sure," she said honestly.
Silence stretched out between them. Seconds turned to minutes without a word. Ginny didn't take it personally, instead she just let herself relax as much as she could. She was still a bundle of nerves but the only thing she could do was wait for the battle to end. As minutes passed in the quiet safety of the abandoned classroom, despite her present company, she began to relax completely. Finally, she closed her eyes, leaning her head down on knees as she wrapped her arms around her legs.
"Crabb is dead," came the softly spoken statement from beside her.
Malfoy had been quiet for so long that Ginny hadn't expected him to talk to her at all, let alone tell her something that obviously was hurting him. Though she never liked Vincent Crabb, she knew he was friends with the blond beside her. She tried to put herself in his place, imagining how she would feel if one of her best friends had died. She couldn't imagine.
"What happened?" she asked just as softly, wondering if she was maybe pushing this too far.
"He was power hungry and stupid," was the only reply she got.
She wondered what he meant, what actually happened, but then at the same time she was glad she wasn't given the gory details. "I'm sorry," she said honestly.
They fell into silence once again. Malfoy seemed to be trapped in his head, reliving whatever it was he's just been through. Ginny Weasley hated to see people in pain, no matter who they were. And the boy sitting beside her was hurting, suffering. She couldn't just sit by and let him stay trapped in the pain. So reaching out, she gently touched his hand.
His head shot up, eyes seeking hers at the touch. For a second time seemed to freeze between the two, holding that moment. Her hand still lay on his, her touch soft as a butterfly. His steely grey eyes softened and a side of Malfoy she'd never seen came to the surface. His strong hand shifted and pulled her own into his grasp, lacing his fingers through hers.
Minutes ticked on as silence stretched on between them. It was a comfortable silence though, not strained. The small touch seemed to have helped Malfoy for he too seemed more relaxed. His face was no longer buried in his knees. Instead, he leaded his head back against the wall with closed eyes, seeming almost peaceful. Ginny couldn't help herself but to stare, to study him.
His light blond hair fell haphazardly across his forehead and seemed a little shaggy, like he was in need of a haircut. His pale skin was streaked with ash, as was his hair. He'd been through a fire, that much seemed obvious. His clothes too were soot covered but that's not what held her attention. Her eyes scanned his face, studying his strong jaw line and defined cheekbones. His forehead was smooth at the moment, but she knew worry lines often creased his brow. His lips were perfectly sculpted and full. When his eyes opened to look at her, she gazed into the depths of liquid sliver.
"You're staring," he informed her softly, his hand still holding hers.
Maybe it was situation they were in, maybe it was the common ground they shared, maybe it was the war raging around them but for whatever reason, she didn't look away or blush or even apologize. "I know," was all she said, soft as a whisper, a small smile forming on her lips.
His eyes held hers, an unfathomable stare. She didn't look away or break his gaze. Finally, after an eternity of silence, he blinked and a soft smile curved his lips. Not a smirk, but a true smile. It seemed almost out of place on his facial features. It was like the world had gone topsy-turvy. A war raged just a few floors below and here she was, in this moment, holding hands with a Malfoy.
Then, as if this moment wasn't outlandish enough, the blond boy leaned over and kissed her. It wasn't a gentle kiss either, it was demanding and full of pent up passion. Ginny didn't hesitate to kiss him back, letting the terrifying world around her melt away until it was just the two of them. A large, pale hand wound its way into her hair while the other one dragged her onto his lap, not breaking the kiss.
That kiss, as unexpected as it was, turned into much more in that empty classroom so close to a raging war. She didn't stop it, didn't want to. She needed him in that moment as much as he needed her. They both needed an escape from the reality around them, from the death and the pain. It was only afterwards, spent and sprawled upon their cloaks, that Ginny let herself think about what just happened. They say war changes people. She'd always thought it cliché. But laying next Draco Malfoy on that fateful night, she wondered if it was true.
She let herself enjoy that moment though, not thinking about the consequences or the suffering around her. She let herself lay in the strong, alabaster arms of a man she'd detested for the last six years. Was it possible to find love in a war? It was only later, after they left that safe little haven and walked back into the arms of reality, that they both realized exactly how much that experience changed them both.
There you have it! Now, I'll leave this up to you lovely readers of mine. I can either leave this a one-shot, like I'd originally written it as, or I can turn this into a story. I already have an idea in mind if I do that.
Tell me what you think!
Review and make me happy guys!
