CHAPTER TEN: SECOND CHANCES

When Damian woke the next day, he hoped that it would be a better day then the last, but it wasn't. As was expected, everyone's behaviour towards him was the same. Damian doubted it would ever change any time soon.

'Just ignore them,' Draco said as he finished his breakfast.

'Easier said than done,' Damian growled. 'Don't they have anything else to talk about?'

'For once I agree with you,' Pansy said nastily.

'Thanks, Pansy,' Damian said coldly.

'We could start a few rumours if you'd like,' Daphne offered.

'I am seriously tempted to accept,' Damian laughed slightly.

Despite Damian never actually agreeing to the rumour spreading, the Slytherin girls went ahead and started one. Daphne and Tracey started it to help Damian while Pansy only helped so she didn't have to listen to discussions on Damian. They ended up getting the school buzzing with the idea that Ginny Weasley was pregnant. They also went out of their way to embarrass and humiliate Ginny.

All morning that's all Damian heard about. Draco confined in him that it was Daphne's idea to use Ginny to get revenge for breaking his heart. When Damian thanked Daphne, she pretended not to know what he was talking about while her eyes said otherwise.

After their Transfiguration lesson, Damian excused himself to go to the bathroom, saying he would see his friends at lunch.

When he entered the Great Hall, however, he was not prepared for what he saw. The Gryffindor table looked as though a bomb had hit it. It was on fire with the table littered with broken crockery and food. Gryffindor students were also covered in food and had retreated to join the Ravencalws and Hufflepuffs at their tables.

As shocking as that was, it wasn't what got Damian's attention. Standing in the isle between the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables was Ron, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Parvati Patil, and Lavender Brown all glaring at Neville, Draco, Blaise, Tracey and Daphne. Behind the four Slytherins and Neville was a crying Hermione, who was being comforted by Luna. In between the two groups was a furious Sanaro and infuriated McGonagall.

'I have never seen such disgusting behaviour,' McGonagall was saying angrily as Damian went over to Hermione. 'Fifty points shall be taken from each of you.'

'And you will all serve detention with either Mr Filch or myself for a week,' Sanaro added as he extinguished the fire. 'I suggest you all run along. If we find you duelling again, you will be suspended or expelled.'

Silence followed this statement, in which Ron and his friends stormed out of the Hall, followed shortly by Damian and his friends, who went and sat down by the lake.

'Someone care to tell me what that was all about?' Damian asked the group at large.

'Hermione, Luna and I informed Ron that we weren't going to spy on you and how he was wrong about you changing,' Neville answered. 'We got into a fight, which resulted in Ron upsetting Hermione again.'

'I can't believe I ever liked him,' Hermione sobbed. Damian drew her close to comfort her, just like he did the year before.

'Then what happened?' Damian inquired.

'We then stepped in,' Blaise answered. 'Draco told us how they were still your friends so we decided to help them, seeing as you weren't around. They didn't appreciate us meddling and before we knew it, we were throwing curses at each other.'

'There's something you should also know, Damian,' Hermione said quietly. 'Dumbledore has the DA members planning something, which involves your demise.'

'Unfortunately, we don't know what it is,' Neville said bitterly. 'They broke off when they saw us. They must have known already that we wouldn't react well to their plans, especially when we reacted negatively to the idea of spying on you.'

'Thanks for the heads up,' said Damian. 'I'll make sure to watch my back. They'll regret betraying me.'

From that point forward, Hermione, Neville and Luna spent their free time with Damian and his friends. At first Damian's friends were all civil with each other, for Damian's sake, but as time wore on, they all began to grow closer, realising that they had more in common than they had initially thought. This was a friendship some Slytherins disapproved of while some teachers were concerned.

-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-

Over the next few weeks Damian found his lessons had become a lot more bearable. For some reason, having a Dark Lord's son in ones' class was no longer a big deal. Maybe it was because they didn't see Damian as a threat, or maybe there was something else at work.

Hermione and Neville were right to warn Damian about the DA for he was attacked on several occasions. Fortunately, he was never hurt and was able to defend himself. Unfortunately for the DA members who attacked him, Sanaro, by pure chance, always seemed to walk in on it. Damian had never seen Sanaro so angry. His mood did not improve when he discovered Dumbledore wouldn't suspend or expel them. They were immune, which suggested they were attacking on Dumbledore's orders.

Then they just stopped. Damian didn't know if they stopped as a ploy to lure him into a false sense of security or if Dumbledore had something else in mind. It wasn't long until Sanaro found out.

'I know why you're no longer being attacked,' Sanaro informed Damian as the two of them relaxed in his chambers. Dumbledore was away from the school again. 'The old coot apparently has found a way to entice you back to him.'

Damian snorted.

'Good luck with that,' he said. 'There's nothing he can do that will "entice" me back to his side.'

'Nevertheless, you need to be careful,' Sanaro warned.

'I will, relax. Have you told Voldemort?'

'Naturally I have. Just like you, he scoffed at the idea, but he agrees with me; you need to be careful. Dumbledore's manipulation knows no boundaries and he's had years to practice. It may be a good idea to inform your trusted friends of what we know. They can help keep you safe.'

Damian did as Sanaro suggested and informed his friends of what they had learnt. Most of them laughed at the idea of Damian joining Dumbledore again, while Hermione became serious.

'One of us is usually with you at all times, so I think it's safe to say he won't try anything when we're around,' she said. 'It's harder to fool two people than it is one. I think we should make sure you're never alone, just to be safe.'

'Dumbledore could always use the Imperious Curse on Damian,' Tracey commented.

'Highly unlikely,' Damian disagreed. 'I'm able to resist the curse. Even Voldemort can't control me that way.'

'But there are more than one way to control someone,' Daphne argued. 'They might drug your food.'

'Too risky,' said Draco. 'They don't know what Damian will eat or where he'll sit for his meals. They would most likely drug someone else's food. They wouldn't likely do it in front of him either.'

'Protecting you would be so much easier if we knew what he was up to,' Blaise grumbled to Damian.

'Whatever he's planning, he's taking a lot of care,' Damian said bitterly. 'Sanaro has spent nearly every waking hour trying to figure out Dumbledore's plan and he's Voldemort's best spy.'

'Maybe Dumbledore knows who he is,' said Neville.

'Believe me, if Dumbledore knew who Sanaro was in the Order, we'd all know about it.'

Silence fell amongst the group, which was broken when the bell sounded for the next class.

'I'll see you later,' Hermione said as she and Tracey got to their feet, followed by Luna. Hermione and Tracey had their Ancient Runes class, while Luna had Potions. Damian, Draco, Blaise, Neville and Daphne all had a spare.

'Have fun,' replied Daphne, while Damian gave them a wave, before taking his water out of his bag.

The friends all remained seated, lounging and talking, figuring their homework could wait. They enjoyed relaxing next to the quiet lake. At least they did until a familiar voice rang out to them.

'Why aren't you five in class?' McGonagall demanded, stopping before them carrying two boxes.

'We've got a spare, Professor,' Damian answered politely.

'In that case, two of you can help me with these boxes. Longbottom, Zabini; you can come with me.'

Grumbling, Blaise and Neville said bye to Daphne, Damian and Draco as they unwillingly followed McGonagall back to the castle, both of them carrying a box each.

'Why didn't she just use magic to carry the boxes?' Draco wanted to know.

'Who knows? I'm just glad she didn't ask me,' said Damian, before taking a sip of water from his drink bottle.

'Weasley alert,' Daphne said suddenly, glaring in the direction of the castle.

'Which one?' Damian groaned, not bothering to turn around.

'Your ex.'

This caught Damian's interest, so he turned around and looked. Ginny hadn't acknowledged him since their break up.

'What do you want, Weasley?' Draco asked, getting straight to the point.

'I want to talk to Damian,' Ginny answered calmly.

'Come to play with his heart some more?' Daphne growled. 'If you are, you can turn around and get lost!'

'Can I talk to you in private?' Ginny asked Damian, ignoring Daphne.

'Whatever you have to say to me you can say in front of my friends,' Damian answered.

'I just want to apologise for how I treated you when I found out you were You-Know-Who's son,' said Ginny, sounding sincere, as she knelt down next to him.

'Better late than never,' Daphne remarked coldly, and Damian couldn't help but agree with her.

He must have shown it on his face for Ginny said, 'I know. It took me a while to get my thinking straight, especially with Ron as a brother. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realise this, but I truly do love you, Damian. Without you... I have nothing.'

'Corny much?' Daphne remarked as Draco snorted. Damian laughed at her comment. 'If you truly loved Damian you wouldn't have broken his heart in the first place. You're nothing more than a player.'

'That's not true!' Ginny looked genuinely hurt by Daphne's harsh words.

'What about your family?' Damian questioned. He was buying this as much as Daphne was, which was to say, he wasn't buying it at all.

'They can go and boil their heads if they can't see passed what they expect to see. I don't need their permission to love you.' Ginny took Damian's hand. 'Surly all those months we spent together means something to you.'

'It did, but not anymore,' Damian answered, pulling his hand out of her grip. 'Do you have any idea how painful it was for me to hear you call me a monster? Do you know how it feels to have the one person you loved stab you in the back when they were needed most?'

'Damian –'

'Save your breath, Ginny. It's over.'

'But –'

'Ginny, I can't trust you,' Damian commented as Draco walked off to deal with two duelling third years, 'and you can't have a relationship without any trust. How do I know you won't hurt me again? How can I ever trust you after that betrayal?'

'For being in love and supporting you, my family will likely disown me,' Ginny answered. 'Isn't that proof enough about how I feel?'

'And I'm supposed to believe –'

'DRACO!' Daphne cried, leaping to her feet and running towards her friend, who she had been watching. Damian immediately followed when he saw what had occurred. Draco was on his knees, his hands over his eyes, in agony.

Daphne immediately went to attend to Draco while Damian's attention was fixed on the third years, his hand on his wand encase they tried to attack him. He needn't have worried. The third years took one look at Damian before running off, scared. Damian went to Draco.

'Are you alright?' he asked.

'No.' Draco's voice was full of pain. 'They've used the Conjunctivitis Curse on me. Do the counter-curse now!'

'There is no counter-curse, remember?' said Daphne. 'Only the Oculus Potion can end the effects. We'll have to take you to the hospital wing.'

Damian then helped Draco to his feet and led his friend over to their belongings. Seeing as the Conjunctivitis Curse caused great pain to the victim's eyes, Draco was having trouble seeing.

'What are you still doing here?' Daphne growled when she saw Ginny was still there, sitting amongst their belongings.

'I was waiting for Damian to come back,' she answered.

'You wasted your time,' Damian informed her, gathering his belongings, while Daphne grabbed her own and Draco's. 'This conversation is over. Coming, Daphne?'

'I'll catch up with you,' Daphne answered, before watching as the two boys walked off. Once they were gone, she turned to Ginny with a warning. 'Stay away from Damian. If you do anything to hurt him again, you'll have me to deal with.'

'Wow, Greengrass, I never pegged you as the jealous type,' Ginny retorted coldly.

'Jealous of you? Ha! Don't make me laugh!'

'What's wrong? You worried Damian will pick me over you?' Ginny asked mockingly.

'Damian and I are just friends,' Daphne said stiffly, 'and he's not stupid enough to date someone like you again. He can do so much better.'

The girls then glared at each other, before Daphne turned and went after Damian and Draco. By the time she caught up with them, they were already in the hospital wing being seen to by Madam Pomfrey. Draco was sitting on a bed with Madam Pomfrey before him, helping him drink the Oculus Potion. Damian stood nearby, drinking his water, looking thoughtful.

'Whatcha thinking about?' Daphne asked quietly.

'Just about what Ginny said,' Damian answered.

'Can you believe all the garbage she said?' Daphne scoffed.

'Actually, I do.'

Daphne stared at him.

'You can't be serious!' she gasped.

'I've never been more serious. She was being sincere, I could see it.'

'But everything you just said –'

'I was angry and wasn't thinking properly.'

'Why would you want to be with someone like her?'

'You don't know Ginny like I do,' Damian answered patiently. 'She's smart, beautiful, talented, kind –'

'Kind enough to call you the son of a monster and betray you!' Daphne said angrily. She felt like reaching out and slap some sense back into him.

'She had every right to. I would have acted the same way if I were in her shoes.'

'I seriously doubt that,' Daphne grumbled. 'So what does this mean? Are you going to take her back?'

'I am.'

'Fine!' Daphne spat. 'But don't come crying to me when she breaks your heart again!'

Damian then watched as Daphne stormed out of the hospital wing, wondering what her problem was. However, Daphne wasn't the only one to disapprove of Damian's decision. All of his friends reacted negatively, but not as bad as Daphne. They all thought that Damian had lost his mind and tried to talk him out of it. All they achieved was making Damian angry, which resulted in a heated argument. Fortunately, they were able to get away from each other at dinner time as Damian was having dinner with Sanaro. These occasions only occurred when Dumbledore was away from the school.

Dinner went by alright with the two brothers laughing and talking like brothers normally do, but when they retired to Sanaro's sitting room, things started to go downhill as the topic turned to girls.

'Have there been any girls to capture your heart?' asked Sanaro.

'Well, there is this one girl I've been thinking about,' Damian admitted.

'And who might she be?' Sanaro asked as one of his knights dragged Damian's remaining rook off the board.

'Ginny Weasley.'

Sanaro started laughing.

'Yeah right! Seriously, who is she?'

'I wasn't joking.' Damian was getting defensive again, believing Sanaro would act the same way as his friends. His theory was correct.

Sanaro's laughter stopped abruptly and was replaced by a look of horror.

'You can't be serious!' he gasped. 'She dumped you! She hates you!'

'No, she doesn't!' Damian argued. 'She apologised for her behaviour earlier today and told me she still loved me. If you don't believe me then ask Draco or Daphne. They were with me at the time.'

'I believe you. What did you tell her?'

'I told her no, but I didn't mean it. I'm going to talk to her tomorrow to apologise and to ask her out.'

'I can't believe I'm hearing this!' Sanaro exclaimed, eyes wide. 'Damian, did you ever consider the possibility that she's only doing this to help Dumbledore entice you back? She's Dumbledore's weapon!'

'I don't believe that for a minute!' Damian said angrily. 'I love her and you can't stop me from feeling this way. I thought you'd understand, but you're just like everyone else.'

'Damian!' Sanaro called out after his brother as Damian stormed away.

Damian never hesitated or looked back.

-THE EXPOSED TRUTH-

The next morning Damian was still steamed with his friends, which was a mutual feeling with Daphne, so he didn't join them for breakfast. Instead, he stood in the doorway of the Great Hall looking for Ginny. He soon found her sitting with her brother and several other Gryffindor sixth and seventh years.

Knowing that it wouldn't be wise to walk over to them, Damian pulled out a piece of parchment from his bag and quickly wrote a note on it before casting a spell on the parchment so it folded itself into a white swan. He then made it fly over to Ginny before turning and leaving.

A few minutes later, Damian was standing by the lake under the shade of a huge tree, waiting for Ginny to show up. He didn't have to wait long.

'Hi, Damian,' she greeted cautiously, when she arrived. 'I got your message. What do you want to talk about?'

'I want to apologise for my behaviour yesterday,' said Damian. 'I was out of line.'

'I deserved it,' Ginny said dismissingly. 'Have you had a chance to think about what I said?'

'I have and my feelings for you are as strong today as they were when I first fell in love with you. If you're willing, I would like to pick up where we left off.'

Ginny answered by leaning forward and kissing him on the lips. They probably would have remained glued together if it hadn't been for the bell telling them to go to their first lesson.

'I hate it when the bell does that,' Ginny sighed, pulling away slowly. 'Meet you here at lunch time?'

'I wouldn't miss it,' Damian answered, before stealing another kiss.

Azaelia Silmarwen Facebook page: link on profile
Written: 24 April 2014
Updated: N/A
Beta: BETA WANTED

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