*A/N: Sorry for the long absence of updates.
I decided to wait until after reading OotP to read and update any more fan fiction. Now that I've finally read OotP I feel like I have an empty hole inside from lack of Harry Potter. I can't wait until the next book, but that is such a long way off! Until then, fan fiction shall have to fill the hole!
Well thanks so much for the reviews. I hope you like the chapter! It's EXTRA extra extra long!
~**-***-**-***-**-***-**~
Chapter Ten: Truth
Excited chatter filled the Great Hall during dinnertime. It was the Friday night before the first Hogsmeade weekend. At Gryffindor table, Ginny listened as everyone discussed their plans for the next day's outing.
Harry Ron and Hermione had decided to first visit Honeydukes. Dean and Seamus would head off for some butter beers with some dates. Colin would check out one of the shops for some more film (he only had 10 rolls left). Ginny had no idea what she would be doing. All she knew was that, somehow, she would find a way to spend the day with Draco. After a second serving of dessert, Ginny set off for bed.
**-***-**
Ginny woke up bright and early the next morning. She was looking forward incredibly to finally being able to spend an entire day with Draco, rather than just meeting briefly between classes. Since the very beginning of the year, the two of them never spent more than an hour in each other's presence. She showered, changed, and went down the stairs, past the common room, out the portrait hole, and to breakfast. She was still running quite early, so she was the first person in the hall. As she sat alone eating her breakfast at Gryffindor table, Draco entered. She smiled at him and called him over to her. He sat next to her.
"Wow, it's really strange to sit at this end of the Great Hall," he said with a laugh. He smiled and kissed her softly. "So, you ready to spend a whole day with me? Or are you sick of me already?"
Ginny shook her head cutely. "What are we doing today?"
"Well, we can't exactly just stroll around Hogsmeade hand in hand. I think we should just stick to the castle. You know, walk around the grounds, maybe a picnic?" he answered with the sweetest smile she'd seen yet.
Ginny nodded happily, she could hardly contain her excitement. "I'll meet you after breakfast then? Muggle section of the library as usual?"
"Definitely," he said. He stole a quick kiss, and then quickly turned around and left briskly. People were starting to enter the hall, so he couldn't stay.
Ginny continued eating her breakfast as the Great hall began to fill with students. Ron and Hermione walked over hand in hand and sat across from Ginny. Harry arrived along shortly after.
Ginny shifted her attention over to Slytherin table. Between Crabbe and Goyle, sat Draco, looking positively gorgeous. He looked up and met her gaze. He smiled grandly, but their gaze was broken as Pansy sat across from Draco, blocking him from Ginny's view. Moments later she left to sit with some other Slytherin girls. Draco looked up at Ginny, with an apologetic look on his face. Ginny watched him as he took a piece of parchment out of his pocket and scribbled something on it. He left the hall for a few minutes and then returned. Ginny looked at him questioningly, and he pointed up into the air. The morning owl post was just coming in. Tons of owls came swooping into the hall and one landed before Ginny with a note. She opened it and her face fell.
In quick and untidy handwriting, it read:
"Ginny, I am so sorry, but I can't spend the day with you today. Pansy just told me about a party back in the Slytherin common room today. They want me to go with Crabbe and Goyle to pick up an order they made for supplies and then head straight back for the party. I hope you understand. We'll try for tomorrow though, ok? -Draco"
Ginny glanced up at Draco, who still looked apologetic. Pansy came again, this time rushing Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle out of the Great Hall. At the door, Draco paused for a moment to look back at her. Ginny nodded in acceptance and then waved her hand telling him to go on. He signaled with his hands for her to smile and she did. Once he left the hall she dropped the smile and donned a scowl.
"What's wrong Ginny?" asked Ron.
"Nothing, my plans for today just fell through. I don't know what I'm doing all day."
"Awww, that's a shame," said Harry, "What were you planning to do?"
"Just hang out and spend the day with someone."
"Oh? Who?" asked Ron with sudden interest. Ginny looked to Hermione for help. Hermione's face was blank.
"Well? Who is he Gin?" he asked impatiently. Suddenly Ginny became aware of how deep and serious his voice could be.
"Ron,… I can't tell you," she said, trying to eliminate any traces of fear from her voice.
"What do you mean, Ginny? I'm your big brother, and I think I ought to know who my little sister is seeing! I can't just let you run off with any guy for an entire day with out even knowing who he is!"
"Ron, calm down. He's alright, really!" Ginny said.
"Then tell me who he is" he said, looking at her impatiently. Hermione looked worried.
"I can't," Ginny said very quietly, looking down at her unfinished breakfast.
"Well if we've had enough breakfast, we can get going," said Hermione very quickly to break the tension. She stood from the table, grabbed Ron by the arm and beckoned for Harry to come. She rushed them away from the table. Ginny silently thanked Hermione as they turned and headed out of the hall.
A moment later Colin came and took a seat next to Ginny.
"Why are you sitting here by yourself Ginny? You aren't even eating anything," he said.
"I don't know. I'm just wondering what to do today," she answered.
"Well, if you like you can come to Hogsmeade with me. I need to get some film and stuff. Besides, you and I haven't been able to talk in quite a while. We never sit together in class anymore and for some reason I can never find you between classes!"
Ginny stifled a laugh. Of course she was always missing between classes… she smirked. She watched him wolf down the rest of his breakfast, and they left the Great Hall.
**-***-**
Draco's arm hurt from the tight grip that Pansy had on him. She seemed determined not to let him go. She led him, Crabbe, and Goyle up to the owlery.
"So why do we have to come to the owlery to get all the stuff?" Draco asked Pansy once they had reached the door.
"It's not just any old 'stuff' Draco. At least not the kind of stuff that can just easily be delivered to us in the middle of the Great Hall during breakfast."
Draco gave her a puzzled and questioning look. At that moment five large owls swooped in through one of the large windows. Two of the owls were carrying large packages and the remaining three together bore a large package between them. Pansy walked briskly forward to the two owls, picked up a package, and beckoned for Draco to pick up the other. Crabbe and Goyle together lifted the large package that had been carried by the three owls.
"What's in here?" asked Draco. His package was very heavy, and he could hear a clanking noise coming from inside.
"My package is filled with butterbeers, Crabbe and Goyle's have sweets and things, and yours… yours is the most important."
"What is it then?" asked Draco, with curiosity.
"Firewhiskey, silly. What else?" Pansy said, looking rather excited. Draco grimaced. Pansy was going to be drinking… a lot, and he knew what that meant for him.
They left the owlery and took the long route to their common to avoid being caught with all of these packages. When they arrived they were greeted with cheers and applause. Half a dozen people rushed up to greet them, taking their packages, opening them and placing them on a table toward the back of the room that was already filled with other treats. Draco took a look around the room.
Everyone from fifth year and up was in the common room at that moment. Draco had not been in the room for five minutes when a giggling swarm of girls found and surrounded him. He was lead over to a couch and was made to sit in the center with girls on either side. Pansy, he noticed with surprise, was not among them for she had disappeared upstairs moments before. Draco looked to his left and to his right and had never before seen so many overly made up girls in his life.
"Draco, tell us a joke" said one girl, whose hand was resting on his knee. The other girls nodded in agreement. For a while he humored them, finding that it was much too easy. Every thing he said sent them into fits of laughter and giggles. After half an hour he looked across the room to see Crabbe and Goyle guzzling down drinks with some of their other fifth year friends. Goyle looked at Draco surrounded by the crowd of attentive girls, and sent Draco a thumbs up. Draco nodded and Goyle turned away to empty another bottle. The girls gazed at him breathlessly, asking for another joke.
Normally he wouldn't have minded such attentions, in fact he usually craved attention like this. Yet now that he had it, he was unhappy. He decided it was time to leave these girls behind.
"I'm going to get myself a drink" he said rather coolly. The girls looked at him, blinking and winking at him through long eyelashes. As he made to get up from the couch some one pressed a bottle into his hands.
"Here you go Draco," said some seventh year he'd never met. He looked down at what she had given him, a bottle of firewhiskey.
"Um, no. I'll go get myself a butterbeer." He said coldly, passing the bottle back to her. He got up and left toward the back table. She looked rather upset with herself, and sat down on the over crowded couch. She opened the bottle and drained it in one gulp.
Draco finally reached the table and grabbed himself a butterbeer. He looked to the couch where they were chatting away merrily while waiting for him. When he thought that all eyes were finally off him, he found his way to the staircase and into his dormitory. He smiled, noticing it was nice and empty. He approached his bed and saw that the curtains were drawn shut. He reached to open it and it moved. Someone was sitting on his bed. He backed away and was almost at the door when the curtains burst open. Pansy leapt from his bed and shut the door. She leaned against it barring his escape. She had made herself up and let her hair down, he skirt was barely three inches long. Draco looked at her and did not finding her appearance very appealing at all, instead he found it appalling.
"I've finally got you in one place Draco. I've been waiting here for you for over half an hour." She said in a low voice. She breathed in heavily, trying to inflate her small chest in an enticing way.
"Pansy, look I came up here because I'm not feeling too well," he lied, faking a cough.
"You were fine this morning" she said. "In fact, when I saw first saw you at the Great Hall, you were smiling like a lunatic" She took a step forward and placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Pansy, I really have a headache," he said truthfully.
She shook her head and pulled him to her wrapping her arms around him. "You know that's a lie," she breathed into his ear.
He pulled himself from her and, eliminating all attempts at kindness, he said "No."
She turned to face the door as if she was leaving. Instead she locked it. She turned to face him again. She started to advance on him and he stepped backwards away from her. He tripped and landed on his back, on his bed.
"Tell me that you haven't wanted this for years, Draco" she said, smiling disgustingly at his. She pulled him up in to a sitting position and kissed him hard on the mouth.
He couldn't take this. He pushed her roughly away from him and she stumbled a few feet backward. The smile disappeared from her face.
"Draco, I don't understand," she whimpered. She got up and approached him again. "I thought this was what you wanted."
"No, you don't understand Pansy. This isn't what I want at all. Just, go, I have a headache and this really isn't helping."
Tears had started pouring down Pansy's face. She kissed him again and left the room quickly. Draco locked the door behind him with a spell. He threw himself onto his bed.
"How the hell am I going to get out of this place without anything like that happening again?" he said to himself in frustration. He lay there for a while in silence, deciding that he would try to steal out of the room in an hour our two. Pansy no doubt had gone to her dormitory to drown her sorrows with whiskey. He would just have to avoid being seen by the other girls waiting for him.
**-***-**
Colin turned out toe be quite a laugh. By the time they left Hogsmeade and got back to the castle, Ginny's stomach was hurting from all the laughter. They raced up to the common room, landed in two couches and popped open two butterbeers. Ginny was very thirsty and put back her head to drink up.
::Click:: and a flash. Ginny turned to look at Colin who lowered the camera from his eye.
"Sorry Ginny, I just had to take a picture. Your head tipped back like that and your hair all over the place from the run,… It was a really good shot." He smiled. Ginny realized that this was actually the first picture he'd taken all day. Colin took a long drink.
They decided to play a bit of wizard chess. As they played, they chatted about classes, professors, and homework. But after a bit their conversation progressed and they were talking about family, friends, and gossip. Ginny had forgotten how easy Colin was to talk to. The two of them had drifted apart and now she felt they were catching up. After six games of chess (three won by Ginny, and three won by Colin), Colin said, "I don't really feel like playing chess anymore."
They put away the pieces and started to talk, in a light, not serious tone.
"So Ginny," Colin said very casually, "Do you like anyone?"
Ginny nodded. "Yes, but I can't tell you who…"
He looked at curiously but didn't ask anything else. He smiled.
"How about you?" she asked him equally casually.
"I can't say either" he said.
"Why not?" she asked with a smile.
"Nothing, just, too many people around" he said, looking around at everyone in the common room.
"Oh come on Colin, no one is listening!"
He blushed and shook his head. "I can't tell you, Ginny. Not here."
"Not here? Fine then," Ginny said. She got up and pulled him into the empty hall and away from the portrait of the fat lady. "Now can you tell me?"
Colin shook his head vigorously.
"Colin! No one can hear us here, just tell me who you like! We're friends, right?"
"Yeah, but you won't tell me who you like either!"
"Ok Colin, I think I can confide in you. But you have to tell me first, ok?"
He nodded and blushed deeply. "It's you." The words tumbled out of his mouth quickly, and his lips tightened with immediate regret. He stared down at the floor.
"Oh" was all that Ginny could say. 'No wonder he didn't want to tell me. I am such an idiot,' she thought.
Finally he tore his eyes from the floor and looked at her.
"Ginny?" he said quietly. "It's not me, is it?"
She shook her head slightly and started to apologize but he interrupted her.
"It's ok, I kind of knew it anyway. I had a feeling," he said, with a definite look of disappointment in his soft eyes. He was rather good looking and such a sweet, funny, and caring boy. Ginny felt horrible at hurting his feelings. She swept forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. His eyelashes fluttered against the side of her face, and his breathing was coarse. She pulled away and looked at him.
"Colin I'm sorry" she whispered.
"No, no, I'm sorry" he said, and walked away toward the common room. Half way to the portrait he turned around. "You never told me who you liked" he said.
Ginny remained silent. He came back to face her, trying to hide how unhappy he was.
"So who is it?"
"Promise me Colin that you won't tell" she said. He merely nodded.
With a deep breath she said "Draco Malfoy."
Colin stood stunned. "What?" he asked, forgetting entirely that he had been upset moments before. Now he simply looked interested.
"You heard me" she said.
"Tell me everything."
So they sat on the floor in the hall, and she did.
**-***-**
Three hours had passed and Draco had finally managed to get out of his bed and past the common room. He tried three times before that, but every time he poked his head out of the door, someone saw him and made to head his way. But now he was free.
He left the castle and strode out to Hogsmeade. He planned to find Ginny there and take here away so that they could have their day together.
Only he never found Ginny at Hogsmeade. He wandered in and out of every store and shop searching for her, and couldn't find her. He sat in the Three Broomsticks at the very back, feeling quite upset. Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered and sat at a table nearby, without noticing that he was there. He was so desperate to find Ginny that he contemplated asking them about where she was. He sat for a while and listened to them talking.
"…Get over it, you've been fussing over it since breakfast!" Harry said.
"I can't Harry! I have a right to know!" Ron said very loudly.
"Ron, Ginny will tell you when she is ready. Obviously you aren't ready yet" said Hermione.
"I'm ready. I'd like to know who she's seeing right now!" Ron bellowed. Draco took this as his cue.
He stood from his table and walked over to them. Ron looked up and him with disgust.
"Do you know where Ginny is?" asked Draco.
Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron looked bewildered.
"Why do you want to know?" asked Ron with violence in his voice.
"Because I'm the one she's been seeing of course!" Draco said, equally threateningly.
"Liar!" yelled Ron, and he stood from the table, knocking a glass to the floor. The Three Broomsticks went quiet.
Hermione took Ron's hand and tried to pull him back into his seat. "Ron, It's true," she said quietly. Ron fell back into his chair.
"Explain." He said to Draco. Draco sat in the chair between him and Harry. This felt odd. He loathed everyone of these three, and yet here he was sitting with them.
He attempted to explain his and Ginny's predicament, leaving out, of course, every mention of kissing. Ron was boiling all the while, while Hermione attempted to calm him.
"I don't like this. I don't like this one bit," Ron said through clenched teeth.
"Get used to it Weasley. I love her."
Ron fainted.
**-***-**
Moments later Ron woke up and saw Hermione and Harry staring at him.
"You guys, I had the craziest dream,"
"No you didn't" said Draco from his right.
Ron fainted again.
**-***-**
Ron awoke again and accepted the truth. But he wasn't happy about it by any means.
"I'll accept what Ginny chooses, but I don't like it!" Ron hissed.
"I know" Draco replied.
"You know I disapprove, you don't deserve her, and that I hate you."
"I get it, ok? None of you like me, and I don't like you either. But what matters is what's between me and Ginny."
Ron sighed and simply said "Agreed. But if you ever hurt her feelings, I'll kill you."
Draco nodded. They shook hands, gripping each others' hands very tightly.
"So do you know where she is?"
The three of them shook their heads.
"Well I guess I'll be on my way then" he said, getting up from the table. He left the Three Broomsticks feeling that that whole meeting was absolutely pointless. He told them everything and yet still did not know where Ginny was. He headed back to Hogwarts, it was time for lunch anyway.
**-***-**
Ginny had finished telling Colin everything. Now they sat in the Great Hall eating lunch, still talking about Draco.
"Wow, that's wild. Gryffindor and Slytherin?" Colin said. He seemed to have gotten completely over his heartbreak. Now Colin simply sat in awe.
"Yeah, I know. No one knows yet, just Hermione. I like being able to talk to you about this, thanks Colin for understanding."
"No problem, it's just a little bizarre," he said with a laugh. "But seriously Gin, be careful with him ok?"
"You know, Hermione said the exact same thing" she answered. "But I honestly don't think there is anything to worry about."
**-***-**
At that moment Draco came into the hall, still slightly upset. He glanced to Gryffindor table and saw Ginny talking animatedly with the elder Creevy brother.
Draco looked on with a tinge of jealousy. He got up and decided that it was time to forget about keeping it a secret. He marched over to Gryffindor table to have a word with Ginny. He reached the table, and she looked up at him, delighted to see him. He smiled. Everyone at Slytherin table was brought to attention, glaring, confused as Draco spoke to Ginny.
"Ginny, can we talk?" he asked her.
"Sure, excuse me Colin," she said. Colin nodded.
"No, I mean right here." Draco said.
"Here? In the middle of the Great Hall?" she asked, puzzled.
"Yes, here, because I am sick of hiding this. I don't care anymore," he said.
Ginny smiled and pulled him down to sit next to her. He kissed her.
Suddenly, the Slytherin table erupted into absolute chaos.
~**-***-**-***-**-***-**~
*A/N: Finally, I gave birth to another chappy. Be happy you guys. That took a lot of effort there. It reeaaalllly did.
REVIEW!