My Hero, My Friend, My Love
Chapter One: War's End
It was over. Voldemort had been defeated. Harry had killed him. Unfortunately, battles were still waging between what was left of the Death Eaters and everyone else. The light side was winning, of course, but lives were in danger. Ginny Weasley had been battling with one particular Death Eater for quite some time. Despite being a very powerful witch in her own right, she was barely holding her own against the evil man. He was hexing and cursing her, finally causing her to fall down and seemed to pass out. He sauntered over to her. Having decided that she'd suffered enough and he was ready to finish her off, he started to say the words a wizard never wants to hear...
"Avada..."
Before he could finish the killing curse, Remus Lupin jumped in front of Ginny and sent a spell back at the Death Eater. "Expelliarmus!" he shouted.
As the Death Eater was thrown backwards, he turned to Ginny. "Ginny, can you hear me? Are you okay?" She didn't respond. As Remus bent down to pick her up, he was hexed from behind. The red beam of light hit him in the shoulder, almost causing him to fall. He caught himself, but dropped his wand in the process.
"Turn around, so I can see the face of the person I'm about to kill, " snarled the now recovered Death Eater.
Remus gulped loudly, for he knew he was finished. He turned slowly, trying to mentally prepare himself for his own death. The Death Eater raised his wand, but before he could do anything, a voice shouted from behind Remus.
"Avada Kedavra!" A stream of green light shot from just to the left of Remus' shoulder. The Death Eater's eyes widened in horror before rolling back in his head as he fell to the ground, dead.
Remus turned behind him, just in time to catch Ginny in his arms as she passed out.
"Ginny, hurry up! We're going to be late for the feast, "Ron shouted at his sister, as they both ran into the Great Hall. After the had war ended four weeks ago, things had just about returned to some semblance of normalcy and the students were sent off to Hogwarts for a new school year. The Order of the Phoenix was still in existence, simply because there were still some rogue Death Eaters retaliating. Luckily, however, all but two had been captured. And the Aurors were closing in on them.
Ron and Ginny clambered into their seats across from Harry and Hermione. Harry had spent the weeks since the war in seclusion at Number 12 Grimmauld Place with Sirius, who had managed to escape the Veil in the spring of Harry's sixth year. The siblings immediately began chatting with their friends and cohorts, but stopped as Dumbledore stood to speak.
As Ginny listened to the Headmaster, she wasn't surprised that he paid tribute to those lost in the war. Her own brothers, Charlie and Percy, had been killed by Lucius Malfoy. But Malfoy was almost immediately killed by his own son, Draco, who'd turned spy for the Order not long before the war began. She still found that hard to believe, but was even more foreign to her was that she and Draco had become quite good friends. She knew deep down that he harbored romantic feelings for her, but she wasn't sure she was ready to return his affections. As she thought this, he caught her eye from across the hall. She smiled at him, as he winked in her direction.
As the Headmaster continued speaking, her mind drifted back to the final battle...and her hero. Remus Lupin had saved her from being killed. And she had returned the favor after he'd dropped his wand. She didn't clearly remember killing the Death Eater. She just remembered waking up in the hospital with her mother and twin brothers hovering over her. She'd wanted to see Remus, to thank him, for saving her, but she never got the opportunity.
Dumbledore concluded his speech, and the students quickly began filling their plates with the delicious smelling food that had appeared on the tables. Ginny turned to Harry and asked, "How was Sirius when you left?" Sirius had been gravely injured in the war, but he had been recovering nicely.
"Oh, fine. You know how he is, never one to admit pain," Harry replied, rolling his eyes. "I know he was disappointed when I left. He hates being alone in that house. Even with the Order still around, it's not the same."
Hermione looked at him confusedly, "I thought Professor Lupin was there with him."
"No, ever since he got that great job with the Ministry, he moved into his own flat in London," Harry explained.
"What job?" asked Ginny.
"Well, after your father was named Minister of Magic, he's been trying to undo the damage caused by that horrible Umbridge woman's vendetta against werewolves. So the Ministry created a new department, Magical Beast Relations. Remus is the head of it," Harry said proudly. He knew that Remus had always wanted to have a job that meant something. Granted, he had loved teaching, but this position gave him the opportunity to change things for the better for a great deal of people.
"That's wonderful!" exclaimed Hermione.
"Yeah, that's bloody brilliant," Ron agreed. He had always liked Professor Lupin, even more so after discovering that he'd saved Ginny's life.
As the feast concluded and everyone made their way to their respective houses, Draco Malfoy stopped Ginny in the hall.
"Ginny, I never got a chance to tell you how glad I am that you're okay. I don't know what I would have done if...well you know, "Draco said breathlessly.
"Thanks, Draco. I also never got the chance to thank you for all your help to the Order during the war. There's no way we would have been prepared without yours and Snape's help."
"Ginny, I was wondering, I mean...well, I know we've been friends for a while now...but I was wondering if...well, maybe you'd want to go...on a walk by the lake tomorrow evening after dinner." Draco said all this while being extremely interested in his shoes. He was afraid to look at her, for fear she'd see him blushing and laugh.
"Draco Malfoy, I do believe you're asking me on a date!" Now it was Ginny's turn to blush. "Of course, I'd love to. Not sure how my brother will feel about it, though."
Draco's smile faded from his face. "Ah, yes. I'd forgotten about your precious brother. Perhaps we don't tell him anything...yet."
Ginny giggled as she replied, "Yes, I think that's definitely the best course of action."
"So, I'll see you tomorrow then?" Draco asked.
When Ginny nodded, Draco smiled down at her and softly kissed her cheek before turning to go to the dungeons.
The next morning, Ginny awoke with the same anxious twitter in her stomach that she always had on the first day of school. She flew out of bed to take a shower. After dressing and doing a drying charm on her hair, she pulled part of her red mane up in clip and let the rest fall and frame her face. She met Hermione, Ron and Harry in the common room and the four of them went down to breakfast. Professor McGonagall was already handing out everyone's class schedules. When Ginny saw hers, she was elated to find out that she was placed in the same Charms class as the Seventh Years. Charms was her favorite class, and she also knew that the Gryffindors had the class with the Slytherins, in particular, one Slytherin. She'd dreamed about Draco last night, about his long, pale blond hair, his gray-blue eyes, and his amazing smile that seemed to melt anything in its wake. Perhaps she was falling for him, she thought.
Realizing that her daydreaming was about to make her late for class, she gulped down some orange juice and toast before darting from the Great Hall towards the dungeons and her last favorite class, Potions.
Before the war, she hated Potions because of the Potions Master, Professor Snape. But now that she knew him, at least better than before, she just plain hated the class because she found it difficult. She hoped that Professor Snape would have lightened up now that everyone knew where his allegiance was, but she seriously doubted it. And she said as much to her friend, Colin Creevy, who was about her only friend in her own year.
Running, panting into the cold, dark Potions classroom, she saw that Professor Snape was already sitting at his desk at the front of the classroom. This was unusal because he typically liked to make a dramatic entrance, especially on the first day of classes. She must have looked puzzled because when he looked up and caught her eye, he smiled, actually smiled at her, and spoke.
"Good morning Miss Weasley. It's nice to see you."
"Likewise Professor," was her reply.
Meanwhile Colin just gaped at her side, in morbid disbelief that the most notorious professor at Hogwarts had not only smiled, but spoken to a student, a Gryffindor, in a pleasant tone.
It was short-lived as class began, and Snape went back to his usual cool, aloof demeanor. Ginny, knowing this was her worst class, paid close attention and took detailed notes. She didn't want to get behind by being confused on day one. The bell rang, dismissing class, and everyone gathered their belongings together. Ginny was almost to the door when someone stopped her.
"Miss Weasley, could you stay for a moment. I'd like a word."
She turned to look at her teacher and replied, "Of course, Professor."
After the classroom had emptied, he motioned for her to take a seat. She sat in the first row, and he sat down next to her. She looked up at him, expecting him to be glaring at her, but instead she looked into warm eyes, black as the darkest night. He had a slight smile on his face when he spoke.
"Miss Weasly, I must say that I'm delighted to see you up and around again. The last time I saw you, your mother was fretting over you and Lupin was about to have a herd of hippogriffs because you hadn't regained consciousness. " He paused before continuing.
"He told us what happened, how you saved his life. I must say I never doubted for a minute that you could handle yourself, and as usual, I was right."
She beamed at him.
"Thank you, Professor. That means a lot to me, coming from you. But if it weren't for Professor Lupin, I'd be dead. He deserves as much praise as me."
"Yes, I know," he replied dryly. "Damn werewolf." He said this with a smile, however. "Miss Weasley, it's no secret that Potions isn't your strong suit. If you need any help, or anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask. I'd be more than happy to assist you."
"Professor, I don't know what to say. Thank you, very much. I promise to do better this year. I promise." She smiled at him.
"Well, you'd better run along to your next class. If you teacher gives you any grief, you let me know. Enjoy the rest of your day, Miss Weasley."
"Thanks again, sir. See you later." With that, Ginny left the room with a big smile on her face. Yes, this year was going to be better.
The rest of the day flew by, and soon Ginny was sitting at dinner between Ron and Colin. She ate quickly because she wanted to run up to the common room to change clothes before meeting Draco.
"Gin, what's your bloody hurry?" Ron asked as she stuffed a piece of bread into her mouth.
"Nothing, Ron. I just want to get started on my homework." She tried not to blush when she said this.
"I don't know, Ginny. You seem pretty nervous. Do you have a date or something?" This time it was Hermione that spoke up.
Ginny choked and almost sprayed her drink across the table. "What? No, of course not!" This time, she did blush, profusely.
"Oh! You do! Who with? Come on, tell us," urged Colin.
"No one, it's nothing. Stay out of it, all of you!" Ginny said firmly before getting up and leaving the Hall.
She rushed upstairs and touched up her hair and makeup. Arguing with her friends didn't leave her any time to change clothes, so her school robes would just have to do. She checked her reflection one more time before dashing back down to the Entrance Hall.
He was already there, waiting for her. When he saw her, his face spread into a big smile and he walked over to greet her.
"Good evening, Miss Weasley. You look lovely, as always," Draco said as he bowed grandly.
Ginny giggled and curtsied in return. "My, my, Lord Malfoy, aren't we quite the gentleman this evening."
"I'm always a gentleman," he huffed.
He offered her his arm, and she gladly took it as they walked out the large doors onto the grass that led to the lake. It was a cool night, and the sun had just set. As they got closer to the lake, Draco stopped and gently pulled her back to him and they sat on the ground under a large tree. They'd been in silence for a while, so Ginny spoke.
"It's beautiful out here, isn't it?"
"Not as beautiful as you," Draco said softly as he brushed some hair away from her face. She melted into his hand as it brushed across her cheek.
"I'd have expected a better line from you, Draco Malfoy," she smiled evily.
Draco dropped his trademark smirk and just looked at her for a minute before she giggled. He couldn't help himself as he began to laugh with her.
"Yeah, I guess you would. But I have to be honest. You make me very nervous. And I'm never nervous around girls," he added haughtily.
"Why are you so nervous?" she asked honestly. She'd never been known to intimidate the male species before.
"Well, it's no secret that I've never had a proper girlfriend before. Love 'em and leave 'em, that's always been my motto. But you're different, Ginny" He looked away as he continued. "You make me want to be a better person. You're the one who believed in me when I turned away from my father. You befriended me when no one else did. You showed me kindness and compassion. I merely want to return the favor. I really care about you, Gin. I'd like to take our friendship to something else...something more. That is, if you're agreeable to that." Draco finally looked back at her when he finished his monologue. He searched her face for hope, and he found some.
Her eyes had filled with tears as he spoke. She'd hoped he would grow a heart when he left his father to work for Dumbledore. She'd hoped that her friendship would make him want to change. And now he was telling her that her hopes had been well placed all along.
"Yes, Draco. I think I'd like to try that," she answered him.
Draco didn't need anything beyond that. He smiled as he leaned in and gently kissed her lips with his own. She felt a tingle of excitement at his touch, and soon she found herself kissing him back with as much passion as he was giving her.
They stayed there by the lake until almost curfew. They walked, hand in hand, back to her common room. When they reached the portrait, he pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
"Good night, dear lady. I hope your dreams are sweet and peaceful."
"Good night, dear sir. See you in the morning." One more soft kiss, and he was gone down the hall towards his own common room.
