Disclaimer: I don't own anything, not even lovely Draco.
Summary: Ginny Weasley is her name. The last in her family, the last to be noticed, and the last to be recognized, but the first to win Draco Malfoy's heart.
A\N: I hope you guys enjoy this short story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. It won't be too long; maybe the most is four chapters, if not less. I must warn you though, I'm just going to get straight to the point. Everything that happens in this story will all happen in about a week, if not less. Read it and don't forget to review.
The Girl Who Won Draco's Heart
Chapter One
It was a rainy day, a gray rainy day in the middle of November and every student at Hogwarts was cooped inside. Students swarmed in their common rooms, some studied in the library, and a few were even caught hanging around in the darkness of the corridors.
The day was a Saturday, a day when every student should be outside, enjoying their day off. But the rain kept them from leaving. Dumbledore even had some professors guarding the way out so as not to let students get out. Madam Pomfrey had been complaining nonstop about the students who come into the Hospital Wing with colds from the storm.
Quietly, a young sixth year with silky wavy red hair walked down the corridor, headed for the infirmary. Her brother was in there due to the fever he had after Quidditch practice yesterday in the fierce wind.
They spent almost two hours in the cold, practicing but to no avail. They had a new chaser, a boy in his second year. He was the best out of the five who tried out, but he wasn't very good at catching, though his aim was true. She was watching them at first, but the cold had become so unbearable that she and Hermione left for the comfort and warmth of their common room.
Her black shoes made no sound against the stones, but her robe did. It was her brother's old robes and they trailed along the floor, making an irritating rustling noise. She tried to pick it up, but she couldn't without losing her grip on the books in her arms.
"Is janitorial another way to earn money?" a cold voice drawled from within the darkness, followed by two nasty chortle.
She reluctantly turned, annoyed by the interruptions. Draco Malfoy stepped from within the shadows, trailed by Crabbe and Goyle, a smirk playing against his flawless face. A torch off the wall threw colors on his head, showing off his beautiful blonde hair. His gray eye glistened with two distinct figures of her and the expression that his face gave off was eerie.
Ginny didn't say anything; she didn't want to provoke them into doing anything. Her eyes were trained on the floor right by her foot and she cradled her books against her chest as though for dear life.
"Cats got your tongue, Weasel?" he asked her, stepping as close to her as he could so as to scare her, but not so close that they were almost touching.
Still, she stared at her foot like she's suddenly found something interesting there and concentrated on it with everything she had. No fear penetrated her the way it used to, but she wasn't very relaxed either.
Whatever was on Malfoy's face didn't need her to look to see because she heard it in his voice. Amusement. "On your way to see that red-face brother of yours?" he taunted her, but to no benefit. "Tell me, is there any chance that he has suddenly died over night?"
She looked up at him and one of her brows slightly rose. Crabbe and Goyle's chuckle drifted down the hall, but nothing provoked Ginny's anger. Was she suddenly becoming the calm collected Ginny she had always wanted to be? She hoped so.
Without saying a word, she walked right past them in the direction that she had been going. Earlier, her mum sent her an owl, asking that she go tell Ron how much her mum missed him and wished him a get well soon. That was why she was headed this way, but thanks to Malfoy's interruption, she was delayed. She had also been hoping of a chance to go into her dorm and watch the rain outside, now, she might not get that chance.
Someone grabbed her by her neck and pulled her against his chest. She could feel the beating of his heart and his breath, but she didn't quite know who it was. A hand yanked at her hair, pulling so hard that her head was being pulled backwards along with it. His head was mere inches from her ears and he whispered, "don't ever walk away when he's talking to you," Blaise Zabini whispered dangerously.
Where had he come from? She didn't see him there nor had she heard him. Panic drove through her and she tried to pull away, but that only strained his hold on her hair. His arm around her neck tightened somewhat too, blocking air from getting into her lungs.
Then the pain was over. She turned around to investigate what had happened, surprised to find that Draco had Blaise in a death grip with his arms held tightly against his back. She heard him whisper, "don't ever touch her."
Adrenaline rushed through her body and she fled. She didn't care about the book in her arms anymore, she only cared about her life and she left them behind. Maybe there was time to pick them up later. Or perhaps someone would find it eventually and bring it to her.
She locked herself in a stall in the third floor girl's bathroom. Ginny buried her head in her arms and gently wept, forgetting that Moaning Myrtle haunted the bathroom. Why was she crying? Blaise didn't even do anything to her, at least not anything too bad.
But he had, she found herself thinking. He did because there was something about him that frightened her. She caught him staring at her earlier in the Great Hall and that all on its own sent a chill down her spine. She felt the same way she did five years ago when Tom Riddle had taken control of her. It was something dreadful, something so awful that she didn't want to feel it again.
"Oh, you're in here again," Moaning Myrtle said, her translucent head sticking in through the door of the stall. "You're always in here."
Ginny raised her head momentarily to glare at the ghost before burying it back in her arms. Why couldn't Moaning Myrtle just go away and leave her in peace? "Don't you have anything better to do than come in here and bother me?" she shot at the face peering in.
Myrtle frowned at her, "tetchy," she said. "I wouldn't even be talking to you if I hadn't been asked to." She informed Ginny matter-of-factly. "Well, I wasn't asked to talk to you, but I was requested to give you something."
She kept her head bury, but felt the change in the ambiance. Nearby, a window was opened and Ginny could hear the soft and soothing sound of steady rain. She wished she could be out there, instead of here.
Moaning Myrtle dropped a stack of something by Ginny's foot and left the stall to roam above in the ceiling. Ginny hesitantly lifted her head up to see and a gasp escaped her throat. There by her foot were her books.
Ginny picked them up and unlocked the stall. She walked towards Myrtle and held the books up for her to see. "Where did you get these?"
Myrtle shrugged, standing upright and walking on air as though she was walking on ground. "I don't know, a boy just gave it to me. I was floating in the hallway, on my way back from talking to Nearly Headless Nick and he was standing out there. Said for me to give it to you."
A frown formed on her face and she looked at the book again as if to make sure they were hers. But how could it be possible? She dropped them when she ran away like she a maniac. "What did he look like, the boy who told you to give me the books."
Her head cocked to the side as if to think. It took a moment before Moaning Myrtle's face brightened into a smile. "He was very handsome I must say."
Ginny waited for more, she had expected more, but Myrtle said no more. She floated above aimlessly, her hands locked behind her back. Her face was somewhat dreamy and Ginny wondered what was floating through the ghost's mind. When she realized that Ginny was still waiting, she asked a bit puzzled, "what?"
"Aren't you going to give me a description?" she asked.
Moaning Myrtle shrugged. "Don't think I remember much about how he looked."
"Well didn't you see what house he was from or the color of his hair?" Ginny asked. Maybe Harry brought it because he hadn't come up from the Great Hall yet, but that was just a lie in her head to deny her the truth of who she really thought brought it.
A pause filled the lavatory for a while, the only sound being the rain outside. Ginny walked over to the window and looked outside longingly, watching the raindrops breaking the smoothness of the lake and causing ripple.
Finally, after what seemed like ages, Myrtle said, "ah yes, I remember. He had hair the color of yellow. Or no, I suspect it's yellow, but it didn't look very yellow."
"Almost like it was silver right?" Ginny put in helpfully.
Moaning Myrtle nodded and disappeared into her cubicle. When Ginny left, she heard the ghost humming to herself.
* * *
Ron was sitting in his bed, eating a chocolate frog when Ginny went into the Hospital Wing. Other than a closed curtain in the far corner, Ron was the only patient. "Hey," she told him, hoping any hint of her distress earlier was gone. "Where's Harry and Hermione?"
He shrugged, popping the last of his chocolate frog into his mouth. "They were here earlier, but Hermione had to finish homework and Harry had to leave because he had detention with Snape."
"Oh, it's still going on?" she asked him.
Ron nodded as his answer. Five days ago, Harry's anger exploded in Potions and he ended up with a month of detention. She wasn't in there, but the story has been all over the world and back.
"Mum wrote to wish you a get well," she told him, seating herself on his bed. "She also said to tell you that she missed you."
He nodded again, this time opening a pack of Bertie Bott's every flavor beans. After stuffing a handful of it into his mouth, he said, "Is she planning on sending me a box of cookies as well?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "You're always thinking about food aren't you? Ron, if you'd take the time to notice, you'd realize how much there is in the world around you."
"Like what?" he asked, oblivious to the look that he was being given. Could he be any hard headed than he already was?
Someone else groaned from within the Hospital Wing and Ginny jumped, looking in the way of the closed curtains. Ron didn't seemed one bit bothered by it and Ginny asked, "Who's that?"
Ron shrugged, "some bloke that they brought in early this morning. I heard they found him in the corridors."
She didn't hear anything else because she was already making her way towards the closed curtains. She felt her brother's gaze on her, but the pull that forced her forward was too strong, she had to see who was behind it and what happened.
The paintings seemed as curious as she was too because although they tried to pretend they were doing something else, their eyes followed her all the way to the white curtains. Ginny heard some of them whispering, but she didn't catch any of it.
Her petite hands slowly drifted to open the drapes. Although she knew it was safe, her hands shook with fright.
Anticipation settled in and a pounding began to start in her head. The veil was almost lift, she could almost see who laid in the bed, but Ron spoke and she jumped half-way into the air.
"Don't," he said. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Madam Pomfrey said he's a bloody pulp. It'll give you nightmares, Gin. Remember how much blood use to scare you?"
An image of blood ran through her mind and she cringed back, dropping the curtains. "It still does," she told him, walking away.
Although she didn't know why, she had always been afraid of blood. Just the sight of one tiny pinprick was enough to give her nightmares. Her mum sent her to counseling for two years, but it didn't do any good. They never figured out what was wrong with her.
"Ron, did she say anything about what happened to him?" she asked her brother, taking a seat by his side again.
He shrugged, the habit becoming annoying. "No, but when they thought I was asleep, I heard them say that it looks like someone beat the life out of him. I didn't catch a glimpse of him, but I can tell you that from the looks of the blood on the sheets they carried out hours ago, he looks like he's wounded badly."
Ginny nodded and leaned in to hug her brother. "I'll return tomorrow, okay? Maybe by then mum would have sent you your get well cookies," she said.
Ron grinned, but it was somewhat forced. He glanced nervously in the direction of the closed drapes, thinking that Ginny hadn't seen that countenance, but she did and it scared her. It was one of pure terror.
* * *
In the Gryffindor common room, Ginny wasn't surprised when she came across Hermione working on her homework for muggle study. She was writing a twelve inch essay on electricity and how it worked. It was only for extra credit.
The fire still burned warmly when Ginny joined her older friend on the couch. The sun was still up and there was light. Rain still pelted the window and Ginny still wanted to be out there, but she couldn't.
"Hi," Hermione said, scooting over to make room for Ginny. "Did you just come in from seeing Ron?"
Ginny nodded as her answer, her eyes on the window. "Did you see that closed curtain in the corner?"
Hermione had to think about it before nodding her head. "Yeah, I did. Why?"
"Do you know what happened?" she asked. Of course Hermione wouldn't know what happened, but it was worth asking. She wanted to know, she had to know. Whatever happened to whoever was laying behind the drapes wasn't her business, but she felt the need to understand. She felt the need to know what happened because something was telling her to do so. Like something was asking maybe even begging her to find out what happened.
As expected, the older girl shook her head, writing something down on her parchment. "No, but Ron did say that someone was trying to beat him up, maybe even kill him. He said professors expect someone was trying to commit murder, but didn't get the chance to because someone walked in on them."
One of Ginny's eyebrows delicately rose. Now that was something interesting. Ron hadn't mentioned that to her. "Is there anything else? I mean do they know who tried to?"
Hermione shrugged, "no. They don't know anything; only that Malfoy was the one who brought the boy into the Hospital Wing. He claimed that he found the boy before the perpetrator was able to do too much harms, but he didn't see the person's face. I'd believe Peeves before I believe his story."
Ginny's mind unconsciously wondered back to Draco. Ever since she left the girl's bathroom, she wouldn't let herself think of him, but now, her mind had to think of him or it'll go mad. What he did, what he had done to help her had been unexpected.
Why had he done it? Why had he brought her the books? Was it possible that he cared? She didn't know. Maybe he did, or maybe he was just playing a game with her. Not just any game, but a game with her heart.
"Did they say who the person was?" she asked, pulling herself out of her thoughts.
Hermione chewed her lips the way she did when she was nervous. She kept her eyes on the fireplace until the door to the common room opened. Two first years walked by them without looking at them and went up to their dorms before Hermione finally said, although hesitantly. "Colin Creevey."
Ginny couldn't breathe, it was like she forgot how to. Her heart pounded madly and she had to clutch a finger to it to steady it enough to stand up. Her legs were like jell-o. They weren't able to support her and she almost fell down until someone caught her.
She looked up to find intense green eyes staring at her worriedly, searching her eyes for something if not anything. "You okay?" he asked her.
A blush rose into her cheeks and she tried hard to level her skin color out. A nod was all she could give him as her answer because her mouth was a desert.
"Thanks," she muttered, still in Harry's strong but gentle grip.
"He'll be okay," Hermione put in just to be helpful. "I shouldn't have told you, but I felt you had to know."
Harry looked at Hermione incredulously and spoke as if Ginny hadn't been standing right there. "You told her? Hermione, we had an agreement that we wouldn't say anything, not until we're sure."
"She had the right to know," Hermione said, defending herself. "He's her boyfriend for Merlin's sake."
"Ex," Ginny said quietly, maybe just to make her presence known.
Hermione nodded and Harry looked away, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Ron isn't going to like this one bit."
Ginny looked from one to the other, trying to decide whether she should say it or not. Ron didn't control her life, her parents didn't control her life, and neither did Hermione or Harry. She controlled it, she was responsible for herself and she didn't need anyone to protect her. She was a big girl, she could take these news.
"She's got enough on her mind after what happened in her first year, she doesn't need another thing to worry about," Harry was saying, barely holding his anger in.
Hermione was standing up now, forgetting about her homework. "But she's grown up, Harry. She's got to do one thing or another sooner or later."
Ginny heard Hermione say something else, but she didn't wait to listen to it. She didn't need this, not today. They called to her, but she ignored them, heading up into her dorm to grab her cloak and a broom. She was flying out of her window whether she was allowed to or not.
* * *
Rain pelted on her head and wind tossed her hair, but she didn't care. She rode straight through the rain, heading in no particular direction, just wanting to get away. Anywhere would be good, it'll be better than there.
Finally, she came upon the other side of the lake, far from Hogwarts and she stopped. Her broom smoothly hovered above the ground and she got off, shouldering it immediately. Why hadn't she come here before? It was so peaceful, so quiet without the Dream team.
Rain still fell on her, perhaps even harder this time, but she didn't mind. She loved the rain. She loved the way it hit the lake's surface, breaking the perfect and smoothness of it. She loved the way its ripple grew bigger and bigger as it went farther.
It only goes to show that nothing is perfect, especially not life. It could only be so good for so long. There's an end to everything, everything.
Ginny didn't bother to search for shelter under trees. Water dripped off the end of her hair, slid into her eyes, and some even slid from within, wetting her cheeks worse than it already was. It wasn't until some went into her mouth and she tasted the saltiness that she realized she was crying.
"So the lion rebels," a cold, cruel voice said, sounding only too familiar. "Never thought I'd ever see the day when it would happen."
Surprise forced Ginny to jump, and it only amused him more. "Ah, not only a rebellious lion but a jumpy one too," he said, his mouth curling up in the corners. "Who would have thought?"
Ginny swallowed her surprise and faced the water, hoping he would mistake the redness of her eyes for result of the wind and her tears for the rain. Hogwarts looked so peaceful, so calm without her in it. Maybe she was never meant to be in there in the first place. Maybe she wasn't meant to do anything but watch from a distance.
"Is the rain an excuse for your tears and the rain for the redness of your eyes?" he asked suddenly, his voice filled with concern and yet nothing at all. "Is that why you fancy rainfall so much?"
The question caught Ginny by surprise. Was it true? Was the only reason she liked the rain is because it gave her an excuse for crying? It did run down her face, making it seem like the tears down her face were just rain.
Ginny shrugged, holding herself. Now that Malfoy mentioned it, maybe she didn't fancy the rain that much.
"Merlin's Beard, don't tell me you're still crying over what happened in the hallway," he said, thinking her tears were caused by that. "Blaise is like that, he's a prat who doesn't think about what his actions would do. Don't mind him."
She turned to look at him and something in her heart changed about him. For that moment, he didn't look like the Draco Malfoy who had tortured her ever since her first year. He didn't look like the Draco Malfoy who taunted her about Tom Riddle and the incident back when she first came. Right now, right there and then, he wasn't that, he was just Draco. Draco who had a heart.
"I don't get it," she told him truthfully, her voice quivering with weakness. "Why did you hold him back? Why did you bring me my books?"
Draco scoffed, trying to hide that part of him that she caught a glimpse of. "Just because I'm a Malfoy doesn't mean I don't respect women," he said, leaning against a tree trunk, his arms and ankles crossed. "Blaise had no right to grab you from behind like that. No women should ever be treated like that."
Water dripped down the side of his face, making him look extremely sexy. His hair was drenched, along with his clothes and she saw right through them. If it weren't for his robes, she would have seen right through and a blush rose on her cheeks.
A smirk grew on Draco's face and he looked her over too. "We're alone out here, Weasley," he whispered, stepping towards her. "We're two young teenagers with raging hormones, in wet clothes and all alone. Can we really trust ourselves?"
He raised a hand and traced it down the side of her face, his lips mere inches from her. He ran it down her neck, back up to her ears and he whispered, "can you trust yourself?"
Ginny pushed him back, but he didn't budge, didn't even lose his balance. Though she on the other hand almost fell into the water. With a swift movement of his hands, he had her by the arms and the only thing keeping her from falling in was him. He caught her.
"How does it feel, Weasley, to put your everything into someone else? To put your trust into me? I am the only thing keeping you from falling in there. Aren't you afraid that I'll purposefully let go?" he asked, his lips curling up and not one line of wrinkle showed on his flawless face.
"Let go," she demanded of him dangerously, glaring at him.
His eyebrows rose and his teeth showed. The rain has lessened, but not enough. It kept dripping into her eyes and she had to blink them out. Draco's arm loosed around her arm and he asked her, "are you sure you want me to let you go? How do you know I won't just let you go because I want to? Because I'm, well, me."
Ginny didn't know why, she didn't understand what was happening to her. Maybe it's what happens when one is hurt, the pain caused by the people they love, this is the only way the pain will go away. To trust the enemy. Because right now, with her in his arms and he being the only thing preventing her from falling, she trusted him. She trusted that he wouldn't let her go, even if she asked. Because he's, well, him.
"You won't let me go," she told him, her confidence somewhat bigger than it had been earlier. "Even if you want to, you won't be able to."
"Yeah?" he challenged her, loosening his hands around her arm little by little. "How can you be so sure?"
She grinned at him, the first true grin ever since forever. "Oh, I'm sure alright. Just because you're a Malfoy doesn't mean you don't respect women."
The grin had surprised Draco and his cool, calm face fell but it only took him seconds to recover it. He let her arm go, but she trusted him so much that the grin never left her face, even though the knowledge that maybe she might really plunge into water was with her.
What happened next happened so quickly, Ginny wasn't very sure of. All she remembered was the water only centimeters from her when he caught her by her arm again and pulled her up, a smirk on his face. "You're right, just because I'm a Malfoy doesn't mean I don't respect women."
For the first time, Ginny felt truly comfortable with Draco's presence around her. She picked up her broom again and looked up into the sky, letting rain fall onto her face. She felt him staring at her, but she kept her eyes closed, a smile on her face. "Have you ever been in love?" she asked him.
There was silence except for the rain. For a second, Ginny thought Draco had left and she opened her eyes, but he was still there, staring out across the street. He looked so lonely, she didn't know what to say.
"I have to get going," he said, positioning himself on his broom. "You better too, Weasel. Don't want you getting sick like your brother."
Ginny stared after him after he flew away and she couldn't quite understand him. It was like he had two personalities. He had accepted her there, but now, he won't even acknowledge her as someone he's helped. And that question about love. Why couldn't he answer it, why wouldn't he? Then something came to her that she never thought about before.
Draco Malfoy has never been in love.
And an idea began to form in her head, one she didn't believe she could accomplish but would at least try. She would play a game of her own and the price would be his heart.
A\N: So, did you guys like it? Second chapter is bound to come out soon. Don't forget to review just down there. Thanks.
Summary: Ginny Weasley is her name. The last in her family, the last to be noticed, and the last to be recognized, but the first to win Draco Malfoy's heart.
A\N: I hope you guys enjoy this short story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. It won't be too long; maybe the most is four chapters, if not less. I must warn you though, I'm just going to get straight to the point. Everything that happens in this story will all happen in about a week, if not less. Read it and don't forget to review.
The Girl Who Won Draco's Heart
Chapter One
It was a rainy day, a gray rainy day in the middle of November and every student at Hogwarts was cooped inside. Students swarmed in their common rooms, some studied in the library, and a few were even caught hanging around in the darkness of the corridors.
The day was a Saturday, a day when every student should be outside, enjoying their day off. But the rain kept them from leaving. Dumbledore even had some professors guarding the way out so as not to let students get out. Madam Pomfrey had been complaining nonstop about the students who come into the Hospital Wing with colds from the storm.
Quietly, a young sixth year with silky wavy red hair walked down the corridor, headed for the infirmary. Her brother was in there due to the fever he had after Quidditch practice yesterday in the fierce wind.
They spent almost two hours in the cold, practicing but to no avail. They had a new chaser, a boy in his second year. He was the best out of the five who tried out, but he wasn't very good at catching, though his aim was true. She was watching them at first, but the cold had become so unbearable that she and Hermione left for the comfort and warmth of their common room.
Her black shoes made no sound against the stones, but her robe did. It was her brother's old robes and they trailed along the floor, making an irritating rustling noise. She tried to pick it up, but she couldn't without losing her grip on the books in her arms.
"Is janitorial another way to earn money?" a cold voice drawled from within the darkness, followed by two nasty chortle.
She reluctantly turned, annoyed by the interruptions. Draco Malfoy stepped from within the shadows, trailed by Crabbe and Goyle, a smirk playing against his flawless face. A torch off the wall threw colors on his head, showing off his beautiful blonde hair. His gray eye glistened with two distinct figures of her and the expression that his face gave off was eerie.
Ginny didn't say anything; she didn't want to provoke them into doing anything. Her eyes were trained on the floor right by her foot and she cradled her books against her chest as though for dear life.
"Cats got your tongue, Weasel?" he asked her, stepping as close to her as he could so as to scare her, but not so close that they were almost touching.
Still, she stared at her foot like she's suddenly found something interesting there and concentrated on it with everything she had. No fear penetrated her the way it used to, but she wasn't very relaxed either.
Whatever was on Malfoy's face didn't need her to look to see because she heard it in his voice. Amusement. "On your way to see that red-face brother of yours?" he taunted her, but to no benefit. "Tell me, is there any chance that he has suddenly died over night?"
She looked up at him and one of her brows slightly rose. Crabbe and Goyle's chuckle drifted down the hall, but nothing provoked Ginny's anger. Was she suddenly becoming the calm collected Ginny she had always wanted to be? She hoped so.
Without saying a word, she walked right past them in the direction that she had been going. Earlier, her mum sent her an owl, asking that she go tell Ron how much her mum missed him and wished him a get well soon. That was why she was headed this way, but thanks to Malfoy's interruption, she was delayed. She had also been hoping of a chance to go into her dorm and watch the rain outside, now, she might not get that chance.
Someone grabbed her by her neck and pulled her against his chest. She could feel the beating of his heart and his breath, but she didn't quite know who it was. A hand yanked at her hair, pulling so hard that her head was being pulled backwards along with it. His head was mere inches from her ears and he whispered, "don't ever walk away when he's talking to you," Blaise Zabini whispered dangerously.
Where had he come from? She didn't see him there nor had she heard him. Panic drove through her and she tried to pull away, but that only strained his hold on her hair. His arm around her neck tightened somewhat too, blocking air from getting into her lungs.
Then the pain was over. She turned around to investigate what had happened, surprised to find that Draco had Blaise in a death grip with his arms held tightly against his back. She heard him whisper, "don't ever touch her."
Adrenaline rushed through her body and she fled. She didn't care about the book in her arms anymore, she only cared about her life and she left them behind. Maybe there was time to pick them up later. Or perhaps someone would find it eventually and bring it to her.
She locked herself in a stall in the third floor girl's bathroom. Ginny buried her head in her arms and gently wept, forgetting that Moaning Myrtle haunted the bathroom. Why was she crying? Blaise didn't even do anything to her, at least not anything too bad.
But he had, she found herself thinking. He did because there was something about him that frightened her. She caught him staring at her earlier in the Great Hall and that all on its own sent a chill down her spine. She felt the same way she did five years ago when Tom Riddle had taken control of her. It was something dreadful, something so awful that she didn't want to feel it again.
"Oh, you're in here again," Moaning Myrtle said, her translucent head sticking in through the door of the stall. "You're always in here."
Ginny raised her head momentarily to glare at the ghost before burying it back in her arms. Why couldn't Moaning Myrtle just go away and leave her in peace? "Don't you have anything better to do than come in here and bother me?" she shot at the face peering in.
Myrtle frowned at her, "tetchy," she said. "I wouldn't even be talking to you if I hadn't been asked to." She informed Ginny matter-of-factly. "Well, I wasn't asked to talk to you, but I was requested to give you something."
She kept her head bury, but felt the change in the ambiance. Nearby, a window was opened and Ginny could hear the soft and soothing sound of steady rain. She wished she could be out there, instead of here.
Moaning Myrtle dropped a stack of something by Ginny's foot and left the stall to roam above in the ceiling. Ginny hesitantly lifted her head up to see and a gasp escaped her throat. There by her foot were her books.
Ginny picked them up and unlocked the stall. She walked towards Myrtle and held the books up for her to see. "Where did you get these?"
Myrtle shrugged, standing upright and walking on air as though she was walking on ground. "I don't know, a boy just gave it to me. I was floating in the hallway, on my way back from talking to Nearly Headless Nick and he was standing out there. Said for me to give it to you."
A frown formed on her face and she looked at the book again as if to make sure they were hers. But how could it be possible? She dropped them when she ran away like she a maniac. "What did he look like, the boy who told you to give me the books."
Her head cocked to the side as if to think. It took a moment before Moaning Myrtle's face brightened into a smile. "He was very handsome I must say."
Ginny waited for more, she had expected more, but Myrtle said no more. She floated above aimlessly, her hands locked behind her back. Her face was somewhat dreamy and Ginny wondered what was floating through the ghost's mind. When she realized that Ginny was still waiting, she asked a bit puzzled, "what?"
"Aren't you going to give me a description?" she asked.
Moaning Myrtle shrugged. "Don't think I remember much about how he looked."
"Well didn't you see what house he was from or the color of his hair?" Ginny asked. Maybe Harry brought it because he hadn't come up from the Great Hall yet, but that was just a lie in her head to deny her the truth of who she really thought brought it.
A pause filled the lavatory for a while, the only sound being the rain outside. Ginny walked over to the window and looked outside longingly, watching the raindrops breaking the smoothness of the lake and causing ripple.
Finally, after what seemed like ages, Myrtle said, "ah yes, I remember. He had hair the color of yellow. Or no, I suspect it's yellow, but it didn't look very yellow."
"Almost like it was silver right?" Ginny put in helpfully.
Moaning Myrtle nodded and disappeared into her cubicle. When Ginny left, she heard the ghost humming to herself.
* * *
Ron was sitting in his bed, eating a chocolate frog when Ginny went into the Hospital Wing. Other than a closed curtain in the far corner, Ron was the only patient. "Hey," she told him, hoping any hint of her distress earlier was gone. "Where's Harry and Hermione?"
He shrugged, popping the last of his chocolate frog into his mouth. "They were here earlier, but Hermione had to finish homework and Harry had to leave because he had detention with Snape."
"Oh, it's still going on?" she asked him.
Ron nodded as his answer. Five days ago, Harry's anger exploded in Potions and he ended up with a month of detention. She wasn't in there, but the story has been all over the world and back.
"Mum wrote to wish you a get well," she told him, seating herself on his bed. "She also said to tell you that she missed you."
He nodded again, this time opening a pack of Bertie Bott's every flavor beans. After stuffing a handful of it into his mouth, he said, "Is she planning on sending me a box of cookies as well?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "You're always thinking about food aren't you? Ron, if you'd take the time to notice, you'd realize how much there is in the world around you."
"Like what?" he asked, oblivious to the look that he was being given. Could he be any hard headed than he already was?
Someone else groaned from within the Hospital Wing and Ginny jumped, looking in the way of the closed curtains. Ron didn't seemed one bit bothered by it and Ginny asked, "Who's that?"
Ron shrugged, "some bloke that they brought in early this morning. I heard they found him in the corridors."
She didn't hear anything else because she was already making her way towards the closed curtains. She felt her brother's gaze on her, but the pull that forced her forward was too strong, she had to see who was behind it and what happened.
The paintings seemed as curious as she was too because although they tried to pretend they were doing something else, their eyes followed her all the way to the white curtains. Ginny heard some of them whispering, but she didn't catch any of it.
Her petite hands slowly drifted to open the drapes. Although she knew it was safe, her hands shook with fright.
Anticipation settled in and a pounding began to start in her head. The veil was almost lift, she could almost see who laid in the bed, but Ron spoke and she jumped half-way into the air.
"Don't," he said. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Madam Pomfrey said he's a bloody pulp. It'll give you nightmares, Gin. Remember how much blood use to scare you?"
An image of blood ran through her mind and she cringed back, dropping the curtains. "It still does," she told him, walking away.
Although she didn't know why, she had always been afraid of blood. Just the sight of one tiny pinprick was enough to give her nightmares. Her mum sent her to counseling for two years, but it didn't do any good. They never figured out what was wrong with her.
"Ron, did she say anything about what happened to him?" she asked her brother, taking a seat by his side again.
He shrugged, the habit becoming annoying. "No, but when they thought I was asleep, I heard them say that it looks like someone beat the life out of him. I didn't catch a glimpse of him, but I can tell you that from the looks of the blood on the sheets they carried out hours ago, he looks like he's wounded badly."
Ginny nodded and leaned in to hug her brother. "I'll return tomorrow, okay? Maybe by then mum would have sent you your get well cookies," she said.
Ron grinned, but it was somewhat forced. He glanced nervously in the direction of the closed drapes, thinking that Ginny hadn't seen that countenance, but she did and it scared her. It was one of pure terror.
* * *
In the Gryffindor common room, Ginny wasn't surprised when she came across Hermione working on her homework for muggle study. She was writing a twelve inch essay on electricity and how it worked. It was only for extra credit.
The fire still burned warmly when Ginny joined her older friend on the couch. The sun was still up and there was light. Rain still pelted the window and Ginny still wanted to be out there, but she couldn't.
"Hi," Hermione said, scooting over to make room for Ginny. "Did you just come in from seeing Ron?"
Ginny nodded as her answer, her eyes on the window. "Did you see that closed curtain in the corner?"
Hermione had to think about it before nodding her head. "Yeah, I did. Why?"
"Do you know what happened?" she asked. Of course Hermione wouldn't know what happened, but it was worth asking. She wanted to know, she had to know. Whatever happened to whoever was laying behind the drapes wasn't her business, but she felt the need to understand. She felt the need to know what happened because something was telling her to do so. Like something was asking maybe even begging her to find out what happened.
As expected, the older girl shook her head, writing something down on her parchment. "No, but Ron did say that someone was trying to beat him up, maybe even kill him. He said professors expect someone was trying to commit murder, but didn't get the chance to because someone walked in on them."
One of Ginny's eyebrows delicately rose. Now that was something interesting. Ron hadn't mentioned that to her. "Is there anything else? I mean do they know who tried to?"
Hermione shrugged, "no. They don't know anything; only that Malfoy was the one who brought the boy into the Hospital Wing. He claimed that he found the boy before the perpetrator was able to do too much harms, but he didn't see the person's face. I'd believe Peeves before I believe his story."
Ginny's mind unconsciously wondered back to Draco. Ever since she left the girl's bathroom, she wouldn't let herself think of him, but now, her mind had to think of him or it'll go mad. What he did, what he had done to help her had been unexpected.
Why had he done it? Why had he brought her the books? Was it possible that he cared? She didn't know. Maybe he did, or maybe he was just playing a game with her. Not just any game, but a game with her heart.
"Did they say who the person was?" she asked, pulling herself out of her thoughts.
Hermione chewed her lips the way she did when she was nervous. She kept her eyes on the fireplace until the door to the common room opened. Two first years walked by them without looking at them and went up to their dorms before Hermione finally said, although hesitantly. "Colin Creevey."
Ginny couldn't breathe, it was like she forgot how to. Her heart pounded madly and she had to clutch a finger to it to steady it enough to stand up. Her legs were like jell-o. They weren't able to support her and she almost fell down until someone caught her.
She looked up to find intense green eyes staring at her worriedly, searching her eyes for something if not anything. "You okay?" he asked her.
A blush rose into her cheeks and she tried hard to level her skin color out. A nod was all she could give him as her answer because her mouth was a desert.
"Thanks," she muttered, still in Harry's strong but gentle grip.
"He'll be okay," Hermione put in just to be helpful. "I shouldn't have told you, but I felt you had to know."
Harry looked at Hermione incredulously and spoke as if Ginny hadn't been standing right there. "You told her? Hermione, we had an agreement that we wouldn't say anything, not until we're sure."
"She had the right to know," Hermione said, defending herself. "He's her boyfriend for Merlin's sake."
"Ex," Ginny said quietly, maybe just to make her presence known.
Hermione nodded and Harry looked away, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Ron isn't going to like this one bit."
Ginny looked from one to the other, trying to decide whether she should say it or not. Ron didn't control her life, her parents didn't control her life, and neither did Hermione or Harry. She controlled it, she was responsible for herself and she didn't need anyone to protect her. She was a big girl, she could take these news.
"She's got enough on her mind after what happened in her first year, she doesn't need another thing to worry about," Harry was saying, barely holding his anger in.
Hermione was standing up now, forgetting about her homework. "But she's grown up, Harry. She's got to do one thing or another sooner or later."
Ginny heard Hermione say something else, but she didn't wait to listen to it. She didn't need this, not today. They called to her, but she ignored them, heading up into her dorm to grab her cloak and a broom. She was flying out of her window whether she was allowed to or not.
* * *
Rain pelted on her head and wind tossed her hair, but she didn't care. She rode straight through the rain, heading in no particular direction, just wanting to get away. Anywhere would be good, it'll be better than there.
Finally, she came upon the other side of the lake, far from Hogwarts and she stopped. Her broom smoothly hovered above the ground and she got off, shouldering it immediately. Why hadn't she come here before? It was so peaceful, so quiet without the Dream team.
Rain still fell on her, perhaps even harder this time, but she didn't mind. She loved the rain. She loved the way it hit the lake's surface, breaking the perfect and smoothness of it. She loved the way its ripple grew bigger and bigger as it went farther.
It only goes to show that nothing is perfect, especially not life. It could only be so good for so long. There's an end to everything, everything.
Ginny didn't bother to search for shelter under trees. Water dripped off the end of her hair, slid into her eyes, and some even slid from within, wetting her cheeks worse than it already was. It wasn't until some went into her mouth and she tasted the saltiness that she realized she was crying.
"So the lion rebels," a cold, cruel voice said, sounding only too familiar. "Never thought I'd ever see the day when it would happen."
Surprise forced Ginny to jump, and it only amused him more. "Ah, not only a rebellious lion but a jumpy one too," he said, his mouth curling up in the corners. "Who would have thought?"
Ginny swallowed her surprise and faced the water, hoping he would mistake the redness of her eyes for result of the wind and her tears for the rain. Hogwarts looked so peaceful, so calm without her in it. Maybe she was never meant to be in there in the first place. Maybe she wasn't meant to do anything but watch from a distance.
"Is the rain an excuse for your tears and the rain for the redness of your eyes?" he asked suddenly, his voice filled with concern and yet nothing at all. "Is that why you fancy rainfall so much?"
The question caught Ginny by surprise. Was it true? Was the only reason she liked the rain is because it gave her an excuse for crying? It did run down her face, making it seem like the tears down her face were just rain.
Ginny shrugged, holding herself. Now that Malfoy mentioned it, maybe she didn't fancy the rain that much.
"Merlin's Beard, don't tell me you're still crying over what happened in the hallway," he said, thinking her tears were caused by that. "Blaise is like that, he's a prat who doesn't think about what his actions would do. Don't mind him."
She turned to look at him and something in her heart changed about him. For that moment, he didn't look like the Draco Malfoy who had tortured her ever since her first year. He didn't look like the Draco Malfoy who taunted her about Tom Riddle and the incident back when she first came. Right now, right there and then, he wasn't that, he was just Draco. Draco who had a heart.
"I don't get it," she told him truthfully, her voice quivering with weakness. "Why did you hold him back? Why did you bring me my books?"
Draco scoffed, trying to hide that part of him that she caught a glimpse of. "Just because I'm a Malfoy doesn't mean I don't respect women," he said, leaning against a tree trunk, his arms and ankles crossed. "Blaise had no right to grab you from behind like that. No women should ever be treated like that."
Water dripped down the side of his face, making him look extremely sexy. His hair was drenched, along with his clothes and she saw right through them. If it weren't for his robes, she would have seen right through and a blush rose on her cheeks.
A smirk grew on Draco's face and he looked her over too. "We're alone out here, Weasley," he whispered, stepping towards her. "We're two young teenagers with raging hormones, in wet clothes and all alone. Can we really trust ourselves?"
He raised a hand and traced it down the side of her face, his lips mere inches from her. He ran it down her neck, back up to her ears and he whispered, "can you trust yourself?"
Ginny pushed him back, but he didn't budge, didn't even lose his balance. Though she on the other hand almost fell into the water. With a swift movement of his hands, he had her by the arms and the only thing keeping her from falling in was him. He caught her.
"How does it feel, Weasley, to put your everything into someone else? To put your trust into me? I am the only thing keeping you from falling in there. Aren't you afraid that I'll purposefully let go?" he asked, his lips curling up and not one line of wrinkle showed on his flawless face.
"Let go," she demanded of him dangerously, glaring at him.
His eyebrows rose and his teeth showed. The rain has lessened, but not enough. It kept dripping into her eyes and she had to blink them out. Draco's arm loosed around her arm and he asked her, "are you sure you want me to let you go? How do you know I won't just let you go because I want to? Because I'm, well, me."
Ginny didn't know why, she didn't understand what was happening to her. Maybe it's what happens when one is hurt, the pain caused by the people they love, this is the only way the pain will go away. To trust the enemy. Because right now, with her in his arms and he being the only thing preventing her from falling, she trusted him. She trusted that he wouldn't let her go, even if she asked. Because he's, well, him.
"You won't let me go," she told him, her confidence somewhat bigger than it had been earlier. "Even if you want to, you won't be able to."
"Yeah?" he challenged her, loosening his hands around her arm little by little. "How can you be so sure?"
She grinned at him, the first true grin ever since forever. "Oh, I'm sure alright. Just because you're a Malfoy doesn't mean you don't respect women."
The grin had surprised Draco and his cool, calm face fell but it only took him seconds to recover it. He let her arm go, but she trusted him so much that the grin never left her face, even though the knowledge that maybe she might really plunge into water was with her.
What happened next happened so quickly, Ginny wasn't very sure of. All she remembered was the water only centimeters from her when he caught her by her arm again and pulled her up, a smirk on his face. "You're right, just because I'm a Malfoy doesn't mean I don't respect women."
For the first time, Ginny felt truly comfortable with Draco's presence around her. She picked up her broom again and looked up into the sky, letting rain fall onto her face. She felt him staring at her, but she kept her eyes closed, a smile on her face. "Have you ever been in love?" she asked him.
There was silence except for the rain. For a second, Ginny thought Draco had left and she opened her eyes, but he was still there, staring out across the street. He looked so lonely, she didn't know what to say.
"I have to get going," he said, positioning himself on his broom. "You better too, Weasel. Don't want you getting sick like your brother."
Ginny stared after him after he flew away and she couldn't quite understand him. It was like he had two personalities. He had accepted her there, but now, he won't even acknowledge her as someone he's helped. And that question about love. Why couldn't he answer it, why wouldn't he? Then something came to her that she never thought about before.
Draco Malfoy has never been in love.
And an idea began to form in her head, one she didn't believe she could accomplish but would at least try. She would play a game of her own and the price would be his heart.
A\N: So, did you guys like it? Second chapter is bound to come out soon. Don't forget to review just down there. Thanks.