Sorry this took so long, but its longer than the last chapter. The chapter titles are coming from my friend M, whos writing it for me and this chapter is dedicated to her. Without further ado, here's the second chapter.
Warning: This chapter contains situations which are not suitable for younger readers
Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the story line.
It was true. Everyone did think Ginny was happy. That what had happened in her first year didn't bother her. That she didn't mind waiting for Harry as he went off fighting Voldemort without her. Her friends, family, even perfect Potter himself, and Ginny worked hard to keep it that way. Be it glamour charms and pretending to be asleep when her dorm mates came to bed. Not that they cared, they kept clear of her anyway. So when Ginny came down to the great hall with on her scowl on her face they questioned it.
"Hey Gin, woke up on the wrong side?" Neville asked lightly
"Malfoy and Zabini walked in on me when I was taking a shower," She explained.
"Oooh!" twin squeals from Lavender and Parvati. "They can walk in on me anytime," continued Lavender. Truth be told, Ginny couldn't stand them, they were too giggly and immature.
"When you were down at the Quidditch pitch?" the lilting accent of Luna Lovegood reached her ears as Luna sat down next to Neville and pecked him on the cheek, he coloured. Luna had been sitting with the Gryffindors since her and Neville had started dating over the summer. She said she didn't miss the Ravenclaws that much and that she always felt outcast from them. Ginny knew what she meant and welcomed her perceptive friend with a smile.
"C'mon, we better get to Charms. Did you do the homework?" Luna asked.
"Yeah, last night," Ginny replied easily.
"And by last night you actually mean in the early hours of this morning?" sometimes Luna was too perceptive
"Yesterday morning, and at least I did it!" Luna smiled and reached for the toast.
Lunch came around and Ginny and Luna were sitting outside underneath the Oak tree by the Lake going over the transfiguration homework that had to be in to McGonagall after lunch. Luna was throwing bits of Ginny's sandwich to whatever animal she believed feasted on cheese and cucumber. Ginny was staring out over the lake, happy in the silence she and Luna shared, the incessant chatter from Parvati and Lavender got on her nerves. Luna's dreamy voice broke through the haze in her mind.
"Look, isn't that Blaise Zambini coming over here?"
"Zabini, and yeah. What does he want?"
"Probably something to do with patrols, he's Slytherin prefect this year isn't he?"
Luna's suspicions were most likely correct and were confirmed when Blaise approached them and stated in his easy manner:
'Hey, we're partners for prefect rounds. So I'll see you outside the Great Hall tonight after dinner? Around 8?" his eyes never leaving hers.
"Sure." she replied, determined not to be fazed by him despite what had happened earlier.
'Bene, I'll see you later Ginevra.' Her name rolling off his tongue in his thick accent. He gave a wink and turned, hands in pockets. His entire movement gave off an air of relaxed nonchalance. (good)
7 hours later Ginny was standing outside the Great Hall. She could still hear the chatter from inside. Admittedly she had gotten here early but it was now 10 past and she felt like she'd been waiting for ages. She turned her back to the Great Hall and started to shiver lightly. She should have remembered that her normal school robe wasn't thick enough to keep out the chill that passed through Hogwarts in the colder months. From behind her Ginny heard a shuffling and a voice with an Italian accent said:
"Evening Ginevra, been waiting long?" a crooked smile played upon his face.
"You're 10 minutes late." she replied stiffly.
"Me scuso davvero. But I had places to be, people to do…" she raised a disbelieving eyebrow at him though it was no secret about Blaise and his flirtatious nature. He must have slept with half of the eligible students at Hogwarts and maybe a teacher or two as well. (I do apologise)
"What?" he asked in response to the look she was giving him. "Jealous?"
"Not on your life. Come on, we better get started on rounds. The sooner this is over the better," and she walked off towards the stairs, a tilt of her head indicated she expected Zabini to follow her.
They were walking on the 7th floor. They'd been walking in amicable silence and so far they'd had no trouble except for a few 4th years half an hour ago. They passed an open window and the cold night air wrapped itself around Ginny's bones. She shivered.
"Cold?" Blaise asked.
"The window's open and I'm not wearing enough clothes for September," Ginny explained stifling a yawn.
Blaise looked at her. The grey wool skirt that should have stopped at the knees but reached mid calf because of her height, the thick black tights that encased her legs, the long-sleeved white school shirt covered by a grey sweatshirt edged in scarlet that must have belonged to one of her brothers due to its size and the regulation school robe with Gryffindor emblem on top. It looked more like an outfit for the middle of winter than early autumn. She yawned again.
"Tired?" he continued, "maybe you should go to bed earlier, or wake up later."
"It's not my fault I can't sleep." She replied indignantly, "and besides you were up at that time too."
"Yeah, not by choice though. You're not the only one with a restless mind that can't stop thinking."
"Huh?" he was confusing her.
"Insomnia, it's more common than you might think. And there's more to you than everyone else sees." He leaned in. His head dipping closer to hers.
She swallowed and moved backwards away from him. "There's nothing more to me. What you see is what you get."
"Well I see more than everyone else does then." Her back was flush against the wall now and her breathing quickened, her hand instinctively going for her wand that was nestled in the inner pocket of her robe. She was saved from answering when a loud crash was heard from the floor below and a Maniacal laugh followed.
"Peeves," she sighed and slipped under his arm which had been resting on the wall next to her head. "We should probably see who he's terrorizing." And she headed off in the direction of the noise.
Later that night , on his way back from patrols with Ginny, Blaise stopped by Draco's room before heading to the Slytherin dormitory. Dray was hunched over his custom made oak desk that his father had given him for making head boy, he was working on the potions essay that Snape had given them just this afternoon.
"Ciao Caro." (hello love)
"Evening Blaise, how was patrol with the she-weasel?"
"Not bad, you should give her a chance."
"Hmm, still don't understand why you wanted to be paired with her."
"You know, you and her are more alike that you think. You don't sleep, always cold, prepared to hex me when I notice too much…" he had seen her reach for her wand when he was questioning her.
"Yeah, well sometimes you deserve it, and are you done comparing me to the weaselette?"
Blaise leaned over, his lips lightly brushing Draco's. "It's just those cuts. What do you think causes her to make them?"
Draco let out a frustrated sigh. "Leave it Blaise! It's nothing to do with you!"
"Sorry, amore." He took Draco's hand and dragged him towards the bed. "Why don't you take my mind off the pretty red head then?" (love)
A low growl was emitted from his lovers throat and he felt himself being pushed onto the bed behind him. Draco's tongue bruising at the nape of his neck and fingers stroking lightly at the inside of his thigh, though his mind still on red hair entwined with blonde.
Later that night, or maybe it was early next morning, Ginny sat on her bed, the hangings drawn, with a hard look on her face. She drew a ragged breath and dragged the small blade that rested between her fingertips over the thin flesh of her inner thigh. Blood beaded on the surface and she exhaled. Her hands shook with tears mixing in with the red liquid she flopped back and rested her head on the pillow, where she lay, perfectly awake until the red sun invaded the sky.
So? How was it? It's not going to be lovely bright and shiny, but it's also not going to be terribly dark, more like a darkened room at night that has the curtains open and a night light. Thank-you for reading and please review! I'd love to know what you think as I'm a bit unsure about this. Thank-you to all the wonderful reviewers who took the time to comment on the last one, I really appreciate it.
love always, Rose
