The End Of The World

Author - Lee Velviet

Edited/Revised 11/5/06

Chapter Nine - Dreams Do Come True

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"What are you looking so sneaky about?"

Draco looked at Ginny as he pulled her up from her seat.

"Don't you remember what we were talking about earlier? About drawing attention from ourselves?"

Ginny bit her lip. "You're going to do something to get Harry and Ron in trouble aren't you?"

"Got it in one," said Draco laconically, grabbing her hand. "Come on!"

Reluctantly, she followed him from the Great Hall into the entrance hall, and then up the stairs.

"What are you going to do?"

Draco paused, and smirked nastily. "Actually, it's what 'you're' going to do,"

Ginny balked. "No way, I'm not falling for another of your tricks, Mal-ferret!"

"Must you keep calling me that? I mean, it's getting old – and for Merlin's sake woman, I've had my bloody tongue in your mouth – "

Ginny blushed despite her best efforts and he shook his head. "Really must do something about that…"

"I'm not hurting anyone,"

"I didn't say you were going to you thick headed twit – listen to me, it's very simple – "

Ginny listened, her doubts growing, and she backed away from him. "No…"

"What's wrong, Gin – are you afraid?"

She narrowed her eyes at his mocking tone.

Draco caught her wrist as she tried to turn away.

"This isn't about me – you were the one who wanted to be bad and all…" He looked at her smirkingly. "You 'are' scared, aren't you? You still love him, Potter…can't bring yourself to humiliate the speccy git, can you?"

"Leave me alone, Draco," she snapped, wrenching her wrist away. "I don't love him – I can't stand the sight of him!"

"I wonder…maybe the reason you can't stand the sight of him is because it hurts you too much to see him, and know he doesn't share your feelings – "

Ginny slapped him so hard she knew his ears had to be ringing. She backed away nervously, rubbing her bruised, stinging palm on her thigh.

He turned his head back to look at her his fingertips reaching up slowly to touch the red welt rising on his cheek.

She backed away further still.

Draco's eyes burned as they rose to look at her.

"You know," he began finally, "I was wrong about what I said a minute ago. You aren't scared – you can't be, after what you just did, again, after the warning I gave you before. You must have rocks the size of bloody bludgers…"

Ginny swallowed, and backed away another step.

"Where do you think you're going, Ginny?" He asked softly, a slight curl on his cruel lips.

She gritted her teeth, and stood her ground.

"Going to hit me back again, Malfoy?"

He crossed the distance between them, and grabbed the front of her robes in his fist, dragging her up against him.

"I wouldn't dare bruise you," Draco snarled in a soft whisper. "But that's torn it, Gin."

"W – what? What are you going to do?"

"You really think I'd hurt you?" His eyes hardened as he glared down at her. "You think I'd touch you in anger?"

Ginny swallowed. "Why not? You've done it once before!"

He actually flinched.

She bit her tongue as the anger went out of him, and he let go of her robes, thrusting her away.

"Don't talk to me about Harry, Draco – you have no idea what I've felt what I've gone through – "

"You're bloody blind, aren't you?" He whispered sharply, half turning from her.

"You think I don't know what you're going through? What it's like to love someone until your heart bleeds from it, and to know they don't return it, don't even think about it?"

Stunned, Ginny stared at his perfect profile, listening to the sudden pain in his voice in disbelief.

He turned to look at her again, his eyes burning fiercely in the torchlight.

"I could never hurt you, Gin…maybe before, but now…" he shook his head, and his silvery hair fell across his eyes as he spoke softly.

Ginny's heart fell to her feet. What was he saying?

"Draco –"

He walked past her, his shoulder pushing her aside. She spun to look after him, watching him stuff his hands into his pockets, ducking his head into his shoulders.

He looked – hurt.

Ginny shook her head. He was a terribly convincing liar. He actually had her feeling sorry for him.

It was laughable.

"I'll see you at breakfast,"

She barely caught the quiet, gruff words he threw back at her.

Ginny let herself into the tower, wondering at the small smile that had sprung up on her lips.

At breakfast Draco was pretending nothing had happened. It was business as usual – laughing at the Gryffindors, picking on Neville, sneering at teachers behind their backs…

He walked her to class that morning, snapping at her when she waved at Hermione, smirking at her when she had to pass Harry, and clamping an arm around her waist when the boy looked up to see them together.

Hurt and anger swept through his emerald gaze before he lowered his dark brows and walked on.

Ginny waited until Harry was out of sight to push Draco's arm away.

"That was cruel."

"Cruel for whom? I thought you hated him…as you so often remind me." He eyed her speculatively. "Or maybe you've said it so many times you're beginning to wonder…"

Ginny clamped her mouth shut and walked away from him, missing the stare he sent after her.

Another day done, or rather, very nearly done, Ginny corrected herself, as she neared the library. She still had to meet Draco after his practice – he'd promised to help her with the potions homework Snape had assigned.

She walked through the library tapestry to see Draco, still in his practice robes, sitting on top of a table in a far corner, talking to several of his 'friends'. He had his feet on a chair, and his elbows on his knees, his hands dangling between his legs.

Ginny's mouth nearly went dry at the sight he presented. She shook herself, and adjusted her backpack on her shoulder as she started to walk over to him.

Then the group of boys laughed, and she paused, still half hidden by a bookcase.

She watched Draco smirk, and whisper something that made his friends laugh nastily again.

A cold chill ran down her spine as she heard her name.

"Yeah, you should have seen how she jumped on me last night – I've still got the nail marks on my back to prove it," she heard Draco say smugly, and her jaw dropped.

"I can't believe she let you hit that," one of the boys said in awe, making the others laugh. "Seriously, she's cold."

"She was – until I got hold of her," Draco shook his hair out of his eyes and smiled unpleasantly.

Ginny gritted her teeth against the hurt rising in her chest, backing around the bookcase to hide from sight. Tears burned against her eyelids as she clamped them shut, and her knees gave out. She slid down to the floor, a quivering mass of fury and pain, every word that fell from Draco's lips stabbing like knife wounds in her back.

Why did she feel so betrayed? She knew full well what he was capable of.

'Because you fell for it, last night, she told herself dumbly. You fell for that act of his, and didn't even realize it.'

'God, you're stupid,' she thought, her heart feeling permanently bruised. 'You're the stupidest girl in the world, thinking he actually liked you."

'No, tell the truth – you thought he was talking about you – you thought he was saying he loved you…and you cared.'

Ginny sat there on the floor until she saw the Slytherin boys walk past and leave, the library going deathly quiet after their departure.

She didn't see Draco lower his head to his arms once he was alone, or hear the harsh curses he muttered under his breath.

Finally, she stood up, not bothering to wipe away her tears – she stepped around the bookcase, and walked up to him slowly, on shaky legs.

He looked up as she approached, the slight smile on his face falling when he saw her tears.

"Ginny – "

"You bastard." Ginny brushed her cheeks angrily. "You complete, utter bastard."

The sudden cool look on his handsome features seemed forced.

"I thought I hated Harry – but I don't think I've ever hated anyone in my entire life more than I hate you at this very moment."

A muscle twitched in Draco's jaw, and he pushed himself off the table.

"I'm taking it that you heard our little discussion," he murmured, crossing his arms and looking down on her.

Ginny barely managed a nod.

"Why so upset, Gin? I thought you knew how it was between us."

Her lower lip trembled, and she bit it, cursing the tears trickling down her face.

"I want you to listen to me carefully, Draco Malfoy – and I don't want you to interrupt." Ginny took a deep, calming breath, and narrowed her brown eyes on his. "I f I ever have to see you again, or talk to you again, outside of Potions, I quite believe I'll throw up."

"Ginny – "

"Answer me one question, Draco, though I'm a complete idiot for even asking it - did you ever feel anything for me? Or was what you were hinting at last night a complete act?"

She watched him, waiting for a long moment, but he didn't answer her.

"I guess I just can't turn my feelings off completely like you…if you ever had any to begin with. Well, I hope you had fun playing with me Draco – you won't get the chance to do it again."

Ginny turned away, but his voice stopped her.

"It has been fun, Gin…it's too bad you're too much of a coward to face what's between us…"

"I want you, Draco, I admit it – but I won't have you."

"I could very easily change your mind, Gin – but I really don't think I feel like bothering with you anymore."

Ginny forced herself to walk away.

-

Ginny stayed in the common room, on the window seat overlooking the lake until long after everyone went to bed.

She felt so badly she didn't know what to do with herself. So she sat and stared out that window, watching the sunset, and the moonrise, until it was near midnight, and she couldn't make herself move.

Her skin was chilled almost numb from the cool draft seeping around the windowpanes, and she wished it would do the same for her aching chest.

A large, warm hand settled hesitantly onto her shoulder – and Ginny's breath caught in her throat as she looked up and saw Harry looking down at her with a sad smile.

She looked away from him, feeling confused and ashamed.

He took her cold hand, entwining his fingers with hers, and sat down across from her on the seat.

Ginny hung her head, more tears appearing and dripping down her cheeks. Her thick red curls fell forward, hiding her face, and after a moment, she felt him push her hair back, and curl a finger under her chin.

She kept her eyes shut, unaware of the beautiful, tragic picture she made in the moonlight streaming through the window, unable to look at him directly.

"Don't you love me, Ginny?"

Her eyes flew open at his husky words.

Harry was watching her closely, the patient, open look on his face making her face crumple. She buried her face in her hands and turned away from him.

"But Harry – I…what I did…"

He pulled her back around, his hands tender but insistent.

"It never happened."

"W – what?" She peered up at him hesitantly, blinking.

He leaned down, bringing his face level with hers. She could the green brilliance of his eyes in the brightness of the moonlight, and the blue - black highlights in his thick messy hair.

He studied her intently, and brought her hand to his lips. "It never happened. None of it."

Ginny drew a ragged breath, and threw herself against his chest as she realized this was Harry's way of forgiving her.

Her heart nearly pounded its way out of her chest when he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you, Ginny…I had no idea how you felt – "

She shook her head against him. "How could you?"

"I just – I didn't realize, until that day you told me in the hall, how much I'd come to care for you…and it scared me. I was worried it was still just a crush, I was worried about Voldemort trying to use you against me if he ever found how I felt about you…I was worried about what Ron would say…when I came to stay with you last summer, the change in you made me feel horrible. You weren't sweet, shy little Ginny anymore. And then when I found out what you had done on the train – I went a little mad. I just kept thinking about how you had these kind, wonderful parents, and how I'd never even gotten to know mine…and that on top of the knowledge that I had driven you to it!"

"Then…I hurt you too. I'm so sorry, Harry…"

"I guess we're even then," said Harry with a small laugh, and she smiled wearily against his shoulder.

"I guess so,"

Ginny drew back from him, her face warming at the intenseness of his eyes as he watched her.

"So…where do we go from here?"

He shook his head faintly. "I don't know."

She bit her lip, and then reached up and tugged his glasses from his nose.

He stiffened a bit in surprise, but didn't try to stop her.

Ginny watched him squint at her slightly, his sharp green eyes softened and unfocused.

"Er…what are you doing, Ginny?" he asked, sounding nervous. He licked his lips, and she bit back a smile.

"Are you scared?"

"N – no." He took a shaky breath as she drew closer, and reached up to wrap her hand around the nape of his neck. He jumped at her touch, but didn't move away.

"Do you…do you love me, Harry?"

"After all this, you still have to ask?" He sounded amused. "Of course I love you, Ginny."

She pulled his head down until his lips were a hairsbreadth from hers, and closed her eyes. "Do you want to kiss me, Harry?"

"I thought you were never going to ask," he whispered, and proceeded to do just that, banishing everything from her mind except for the knowledge that it was Harry kissing her, at long last…and that maybe the world wasn't ending just yet, after all.

-

Draco stood in the shadows of the trees near the edge of the lake, looking up at the tower window, and the couple embracing in it.

He turned away, unable to watch anymore, and almost ran into someone.

"What are you doing out here this time of night, Granger?" he snapped fiercely, angry at having been found out.

Hermione Granger stood in front of him, a hooded cloak pulled tight against the cold night air. "You really do love her, don't you? Don't look so surprised. It was fairly obvious to anyone with half a brain and a working pair of eyes, you know."

Draco blinked at the bald words, and summoned up a grating laugh. "You must be joking, Granger. She's a Weasley – there's about as much chance of me falling for her as there is me falling for a stinking mudblood like you."

The girl ignored him, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I can't believe it. You're in love with Ginny – and you let her go. Why?"

Draco started to stalk away, and she spoke again, damn her.

"It scares you, doesn't it? What you feel for her?"

He stopped, and turned around, shaking his head at her, his silvery eyes and hair glinting in the moonlight.

"I don't love her, Granger. Don't try to cast me in a noble light. I'm not the victim here. The only reason Potter got her was because I didn't want her following me about anymore – it was getting downright annoying."

Draco turned away again.

"I don't believe you, Malfoy," called out Granger from behind him.

He ignored her and kept walking.

"Do you want to know why? Because you've lied so much to everyone else, you're beginning to believe your lies yourself!"

Draco set his jaw, smoothing his hair back from his eyes, and tucking it behind his ears. By the time he reached the entrance hall, he'd cast a familiar, icy shield around his heart, and had almost convinced himself it all had been nothing but a bad dream.

Almost…

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The End

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A/N - Check out the sequel, "Wish Today Was Yesterday"! One warning, though, it's not complete yet! - Lee

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