Chapter Ten: Compassion

The next four days passed with enormous difficulty. Draco seemed to be avoiding her, or he had already left to take care of his mother. Either way, Ginny felt more lonely than ever. The first day a house elf came into the room bearing a small breakfast, simply an apple and a glass of water. She supposed this was Augustin's spiteful way of paying her back, but ate it hungrily nonetheless. The house elf waited by her bedside silently, as if it were told not to talk to her at all. As Ginny finished off her water, the elf reached up quickly and snatched it out of her hand along with the tray, then shuffled to the wall and exited through the door.

Ginny lamented the loneliness she was feeling in her mind. She had been isolated before, even going days without seeing Draco, but now she felt rejected and betrayed. She had let her emotions get the best of her this time, and had inevitably felt something for him. As much as she tried to justify any hatred toward him, she couldn't even make herself think something harsh about him. She remembered wistfully the feeling of his hug, as short as it had been.

Not able to think ill of him, she moved into other thoughts that she had pushed away. Harry was probably alone now. Ron and Hermione were due back only a couple of days after she was taken, but maybe they had come back at the news. Maybe there hadn't been any news. She wondered if Fred and George were looking for her. Her parents would be home in a few days. Ginny had already been in captivity for two weeks, which meant that they would be back within the next week. Had they already returned? Surely the twins would have alerted them of her capture, or Fleur even.

She wondered about Tonks and Lupin. They had been injured. What had become of them? She didn't think they were dead, the way they looked suggested they were only knocked out. What did that man do to Fleur after Ginny was knocked out? She didn't want to think about that. Hastily, she moved onto other things.

Harry was ever the hero. Was he searching for her? Without warning, she felt her heart rise uneasily, a lightness she had felt every time she thought of Harry in a bright way coursing through her. What had he been doing with Hermione and Ron anyway? Hermione had asked Ginny to look through her books for anyone with the initials R.A.B, but she had never had the time. Sadly, she wondered what they were looking for. The search that had kept Harry busy and unable to talk to her was now remembered bitterly in her head.

She shook the thoughts away and laid her head down against her pillow. The morning was not comforting to her. She wanted to see the sun again. She wanted to look at trees and at flowers and at the bright sky. Ginny sat up once more as the door opened. She rolled her eyes and waited for the small house elf to enter.

Not expecting Draco, she was pleasantly surprised to find him standing in the room now. His blond hair was dirty and his clothes were dingy and wrinkled. His gray eyes held no glimmer, reminding her of her own eyes the night she had first came here. The deadened and defeated look in them made her heart fall. He walked to her slowly, as if it were hard to move. He looked worse than she had ever seen him.

Ginny tossed her blankets aside and got out of the bed, meeting him in the middle of the room. He looked at her face softly, as if he were happy to see her. She returned his sweet look and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ginny," he breathed, "I'm sorry that I haven't come to see you."

She shook her head, "Don't be, it's alright. Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," he said unconvincingly. "I just got back from my house."

"Is your mother alright?" She knew that he was upset, even if he wouldn't tell her.

He nodded quickly, "Yes, she's much better. I finally got someone to watch her. Or rather, someone came by and volunteered."

"Who?"

"Snape." Draco looked at her, hope in his eyes.

Ginny looked away from him. The mention of Severus Snape made her insides turn to ice. Harry had told her all about him. He had told her about how Snape had killed Dumbledore, breaking the already shaken spirit of Hogwarts. And about how he ran like a coward for the hills, Draco by his side. Ginny had forgotten all about Draco's involvement in the situation. Honestly, she had felt the same hatred she was sure that Harry had when she heard at first. Now, she regarded him sympathetically.

"At least she'll be taken care of," Ginny found herself saying, still not looking at Draco. She removed her hand from his shoulder.

He stood awkwardly next to her, still not aware of how vulnerable he was being. Ginny looked back at him, not able to keep from avoiding him any longer. His eyes were on her, wide and innocent like a child. She had never seen that look from him before. It reminded her forcibly of how Harry had looked at her when he broke it off. Ginny pushed the picture away, concentrating instead on Draco.

"You look terrible, Draco," she said, looking him over. "Have you had anything to eat?"

He shook his head, "Not in two days."

Ginny sighed, "You really should eat something. Why don't you go and get something now?"

"No, I wanted to see you."

She tried to keep her heart from lifting at his words. "You did?"

He nodded, "I feel terrible. I didn't mean to abandon you. You've lost so much already . . ."

Ginny was now suspicious. "Why are you being so nice to me? You're playing with my head, aren't you? Admit it!"

"No, no," he said fearfully, "I'm not. I wouldn't do that to you."

She was starting to cry, "You're a terrible liar."

"No! I'm not lying!" he yelled, his face flushing, "Stop being so damn paranoid!"

Ginny flinched at the harsh sound of his voice. The asshole was making itself known again. These quick changes in his personality were throwing her off immensely. She stopped crying.

"I'm sorry . . ."

He looked at her sad face now gently, "Don't apologize. You don't need to."

Draco's face now looked weaker than it had before. Ginny pulled him close to her, embracing him delicately. She couldn't handle him rejecting her again, and she was thankful when he wrapped his arms around her back. He stroked her hair softly, his face against hers. The coldness of his body mixed with the warmth and heat of hers made both of them shiver. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling once more.

They stayed that way for as long as possible. The stone door slid open and the small house elf came in, instantly dropping her tray of food to the floor at the sight she beheld. Ginny ignored it, but smiled to herself as Draco shooed the elf out, telling it to bring more food quickly. The door slid shut once more and Draco pulled her even closer to him.

The house elf left with the silver tray, keeping her eyes off of the sleeping couple in the bed. Draco's arms were wrapped around Ginny, his head snuggled against hers on the pillow. Ginny opened her eyes slowly as the stone door shut, looking at the wall. She ran her thumb over the back of his hand slowly, caressing him in his sleep.

She didn't care anymore about who she was. All that was important was the closeness, the human contact . . . the comfort and solace she had been deprived of for so long. She could handle Draco's coldness, which she knew would come when they parted. She could even handle his short temper and she would be perfectly capable of getting him to admit his feelings. They had crossed a barrier now, and she knew that they would never be the same.

Harry's face swam in her mind, cold and distant now. Who was he to her? She loved him more than she thought she could ever love anyone, but if he found out about how she was feeling toward Draco he would surely hate her. As far as she knew, he might have already gotten over her. His stupid hero's brain would never allow himself to think of her fondly when there was work to be done. She had known that ever since he told her that they were no longer together. Ginny wasn't sure if she still felt the emptiness now that she was laying next to Draco, the whole of him trying its best to complete her.

Draco snored loudly in her ear, causing her to smile widely. She bit back a giggle and turned her head to look at his pale and pointed face. His mouth was open slightly, soft wheezes of a deep sleep issued from his nose. Ginny turned back over and allowed herself to fall asleep in his arms. She wasn't sure of what would happen tomorrow when they woke up, but she didn't want to think about that now. Not when she was finally getting the companionship she had been wishing for.