Sorry for how long it's taken, my readers; I'm just making this up as I go along, because that's how I roll ;-) and pesky things like school and various other life responsibilities keep cropping up in my day to day, thoroughly preventing me from sitting down and writing out another chapter. Thank you Trueheart93 for adding my story to your Story Alerts andisolemlnysweariamuptonogood for adding my story to your Favorite Stories! Now, if only I could get some reviews! :-( *hint*hint* seriously though, 9 chapters (obviously not counting this one) and I've only got 1 review: Thank you, mercedescello! Credit goes to The Rasums' song Night After Night for inspiring the last chapter, and the beginning of this one :-)Some of the lyrics are changed, though.
Chapter 10: Goodnight (Ginny)
Ginny felt raw all through November; she had had the same nightmare now almost every night and had learned from Draco that he had too.
Around the same time, on those terrifying nights, Jasper would claw his way up Ginny's gold-trimmed, scarlet duvet or Draco's silver-trimmed emerald one, looking like a tan and white Norwegian Forest with gold eyes or an Egyptian Mau with orange eyes or any number of combinations among the many disguises his pendant granted, and would only turn back to his British Shorthair self as soon as the message inside said pendant was relieved from him.
…I'm there with you, but time after time I lose again, night after night I wake up shaking because my world is breaking- I wake up crying because I think you're dying… Draco had written in a shaky hand one night several weeks after their stay in the hospital wing. (He also told her he would hex her if she told anyone- Malfoy's didn't get scared or cry.)
Ginny gave a shaky laugh when she had written back that she had begun sleeping with her curtains wide open to let the moonlight in and had had to put a silencing charm around her bed because she woke up screaming, thoroughly scaring her dorm-mates on those occasions.
By December, their housemates began to notice the dark circles under their eyes, their irritability from lack of sleep, and the professors had noticed a decline in their work. Their Quidditch performances were far from their usual grandeur. Hufflepuff would have beat the Slytherins if the chasers hadn't been extra ruthless along with the beaters ending with a score of 160-150 even though the Hufflepuff seeker had caught the snitch before Draco had even seen it and Gryffindor only won when Harry caught the snitch when they were down by 130 because Ginny had failed to score every time she had the quaffle. Where Ginny had a slew of friends encourage her to go to the hospital wing, Draco was urged only by Ginny's letters- the Slytherins he was closest to just thought the pressures of being a Death Eater were becoming too great for him and his sleep-deprived temper only confirmed it in their eyes.
But they were both too stubborn for their own goods.
There was still talk about the girl from the Halloween dance, but as none fitting that description could be found, the curiosity was beginning to wear on some as the theories circled and circled, but reached no definition. Draco had been hounded by one and all of the Slytherins, but told everyone he didn't recognize the raven-haired beauty (which was the truth, he hadn't recognize her, but the girl behind the mask was a whole other story). Ginny's and his relationship was still under the radar; no one noticed anything out of the ordinary, except maybe (what seemed like) quite a few more kittens running round Hogwarts as of late.
Finally, they couldn't take it anymore and the weekend before the Christmas holiday, after Jasper had appeared, yet again, at the foot of Draco's bed (as a blue-eyed, red Abyssinian this time) they finally agreed to go back to Madam Pomfrey and receive a Sleeping Draught.
The next day was the Friday before Christmas holiday and it took three days' time just to get to dinner, at least that's how it felt to Ginny. She didn't even bother to dip out any food onto her plate and instead chose to sit with chin in hand, elbow on table, and stare absentmindedly towards the Slytherin table. Draco picked at his roast beef, but gave it up as a bad job and glanced up at Ginny and nodded infinitesimally as he rose to leave.
Ginny stood, too.
"Where are you going?" asked Ron, his mouth temporarily devoid of mashed potatoes.
"I'm finally going to see Madam Pomfrey," said Ginny leaning in and speaking low so that only he, Harry, and Hermione could hear. "I can't stand it anymore. I'm going to get a Sleeping Draught. I'll see you all in the common room tomorrow morning before we leave to go to The Burrow. 'Night," she said, and turned to leave.
"'Night," they chorused after her. They followed her with their eyes as she left through the doors, concerned still, but relieved she had finally relented.
Draco stood out in the hall waiting for her. "Suppose we should get some sort of overnight bag together before heading up?" he asked.
"Good idea, but let's be quick about it before anyone else finishes," answered Ginny.
Fifteen minutes later they met up. Ginny carried a purple bag with bright yellow stars slung across her chest and shoulder while Draco carried a black leather duffle. Smiling tiredly, they walked together, feeling safe in the fact that everyone else was in the Great Hall. Ginny's hand brushed his and he moved to intertwine their fingers. She smiled up at him and leaned her head on his arm. Because Ginny was studying for her O.W.L.s this year, they'd had little time together in the past couple of months, just the odd times between classes where they passed in the corridors.
When they arrived at the hospital wing Draco stopped short. Ginny turned questioningly, "What-" but got no further before he leaned down to brush his lips across hers.
"We'll have to say our good nights out here," he whispered.
"We'd better make it good then," smiled Ginny as she slowly looked up at him.
He grinned and leaned down, their lips a breath away, when suddenly the door to the hospital wing flew open. Ginny and Draco jumped apart as Madam Pomfrey gasped.
"Good gracious! What are you two doing here?" she nearly shouted, her hand over her heart. "Oh! You gave me such a fright! Well clearly I'm running late for dinner…" she trailed off as her eyes bounced from one red-faced student to the next.
"Sleeping Draught," they said at the same time.
"If you please, Madam Pomfrey," mumbled Ginny, "nightmares for the past couple of months have prevented any kind of decent sleep."
"Oh, yes, you look dead on your feet, the both of you. Come on then! The sooner I get you situated, the sooner I can go eat," she chuckled.
Ginny and Draco dragged their feet behind her to the end of the ward and sat down on two consecutive beds.
"Here," said Madam Pomfrey waving her wand vaguely behind her so that two sets of curtains landed around the beds. "Go ahead and change into your night things. You've got to be ready for sleep right when you take it, as it works so quickly."
Ginny mumbled a 'thank you' as she stood to change.
A few minutes later, after dressing in a pair of green plaid-flannel pajama pants and a black tee shirt and brushing her teeth at the basin beside her bed, Ginny pulled back the curtains while brushing out her hair to reveal Draco sitting on his bed in soft black cotton pajama pants and a matching tee shirt.
She bit her lip to keep the shy smile at bay and looked away to the sometimes too-observant Matron.
"Are you two ready, then?" she asked, holding out a goblet to each of them.
They glanced at each other before taking the goblets in hand.
"Madam Pomfrey," started Draco silkily, "you don't have to wait for us if you'd like to head down to dinner; we understand you're hungry, and you don't have to worry about us, we'll take the lot in one drink, t-t-trust me!" he said, unable to stifle a huge yawn and, therefore, making his point.
Madam Pomfrey eyed him, pursed her lips, and raised one thin eyebrow. Taking a slow and deliberate breath, she said, "Alright. This goes against my better judgement, but I am famished!"
"Thank you, Madam. Enjoy your dinner," he said as they all heard her stomach give an impatient growl.
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. Good night to you both."
They waited until she had shut the door behind her before they relaxed enough to sit on their beds. Ginny set her goblet down on her bedside table then pulled her feet up onto her bed and continued to brush out her hair over her shoulder.
His feet still on the stone floor as he leaned back on his elbows, Draco watched her slow movements. "Aren't your feet going to be cold?"
"Mm? Oh, no. I can't stand sleeping with socks on," said Ginny as she tossed her hair back over her shoulder and began absently tapping her palm with the back of her brush. "What about you?" she said pointing to his bare feet with it.
He gave half of a shrug, "Malfoy feet don't get cold."
Ginny chuckled as she reached around to put the brush in her overnight bag hanging at the foot of her bed.
"I'm going to miss seeing you, you know," she said gloomily.
He smiled sadly, "Me, too."
Yawning, she said, "Sha-a-all we drink to our health, then?"
In answer, he sat up smirking and held his hand out to her. She smiled as she stood and took the few steps over to him and lay her hand in his. He tugged her down to sit by him and reached up to gently stroke her cheek. Her hand found its way to the soft cotton on his chest as she leaned in. Their lips touched in a soft, sweet dance as his hand slipped around to the back of her neck and his fingers trailed through her soft tresses. She moved her hand from the bed up his arm and past his shoulder. Allowing it to linger on his neck a moment, her thumb feeling his quickening pulse, she then trailed her fingers up to tangle in his hair.
When she moved her hand that was still on his chest to the back of his neck, he reluctantly pulled away, leaning his forehead on hers.
"Draco," she whispered, breathing hard, eyes still closed.
"Sweet dreams, Ginny," he whispered in a shaky breath.
*note* Again, sorry for how long it took and for such a short chapter, just wanted to get something out there so you, my readers, whom I love, would not hate me too terribly much. *sorry*