Chapter 11: Christmas Surprise

"GINNY!"

Dani jumped onto Ginny's bed enthusiastically.

"Come on, Gin! It's Christmas, and you're just lying there like a dead log!"

Ginny smiled into her pillow as she listened to Dani urge her to get up. It was nice to have a good friend.

"Ginevra Weasley! Seriously, girl, if you don't wake up this instant, then I'll be forced to open all your presents for you!" Dani said as she jumped on Ginny's bed.

Ginny was up in a flash. Dani squeaked in shock, losing her balance and crashing down next to Ginny. The two girls laughed hysterically, which, in turn, woke up the rest of Ginny's roommates who had slept through Dani's screams. The other girls groaned, but Dani just made a face.

"Oh come on, you lazies. It's Christmas for goodness sakes!" Dani then leaped off the bed and grabbed a small parcel from the foot of Ginny's bed. Ginny watched with glee, and snatched it from Dani before the girl could even open her mouth. Dani just smiled.

"That one's from me," she said quieter. "It's just a little something, nothing extremely special…" Her voice trailed off.

Ginny just gave her a look and tore the package open. Inside was a simple, silver ring. It had a plain criss-cross pattern all around, and Ginny immediately slipped it onto her finger.

"Dani!" She squealed loudly. "This is so amazing!"

Ginny noticed the slight blush creeping up Dani's cheeks and smiled. It wasn't often that she saw her best friend blush. Daniella Barton was a strong girl who was unfazed by almost everything.

"It's no biggie," she said quickly, "but considering you're my best and truest friend, I thought I should get you something."

Ginny hugged Dani tight, knowing that Dani sacrificed a lot to get her the gift. It must've cost her a month's worth of wages. Ginny held on for a long time until her friend started to shake her off humorously.

"Alright, alright, enough with the love," Dani exclaimed, but Ginny saw the warmth in her smile.

"I really love it…oh!" Ginny said quickly, jumping up from her bed to retrieve something from her bedside cabinet. Dani peeked at Ginny curiously, but it was no matter, Ginny returned quickly with a package of her own in her hands.

"Here," Ginny said enthusiastically, handing over the small present. Dani's face lit up; it wasn't often that she received many gifts, considering the fact that her family was dirt poor—another characteristic the girls had in common.

"Oh, Gin," she said exasperated, "you didn't have to get me anything." But Ginny just smiled fiercely. She watched as Dani tore the brown paper away and was pleased to see her light up with glee.

Dani laughed hysterically with Ginny joining her, and they continued this nonsense for a good five minutes.

Finally, wiping tears away from her eyes, Dani was able to speak.

"Wow, Ginny. This is the greatest gift I've ever gotten!"

Dani held up a small, lacey looking piece of fabric. They both stared at it. The thing was basically strings and a small strip of see-through cloth sewn together.

A week ago, Ginny and Dani were flipping through a woman's muggle magazine supplied by Mr. Weasley, who thought it would be amazing if Ginny could learn more about the muggle world. The two friends were laughing and giggling at all the ridiculous clothes they found in the small, colorful book and were astounded when they came across a certain page.

The page was littered with pictures of underwear just like the one Dani held in her hand. The girls were curious at first, but when they discovered that this so called "thong" was actually meant to be some sort of under-garment, they cracked up with laughter.

Ginny smiled at the memory; it was one of the happiest days of her life—simply sitting in her dormitory on a cold, winter day and knowing she had a best friend like Dani was something Ginny could've only dreamed of.

"So you like it?" Ginny asked hesitantly. Dani just laughed.

"Of course I do, silly! It's hysterical." Dani raised her eyebrows mischievously, and Ginny knew a crazy plan was forming in the girl's head.

"What now?" Ginny groaned. Dani grinned back at her, loving how her friend knew her so well.

"Well," she started, "seeing how this is a gift—given by my bestest friend in the world—I think it would be a shame not to use it!"

With that exclamation, she shot up and raced to the door.

"Oh, Dani, you can't be serious, can you?" Ginny questioned.

At the door, Dani just shrugged slyly until she turned and disappeared. Ginny smiled to herself, and immediately looked to her other gifts.

There were the normal gifts: a homemade sweater along with a special box of chocolate chip cookies from her parents, a book entitled Homework Overload? The Solution Is Easy from Hermione, jokes and tricks from Fred and George, candy and sweets from Ron, and a small hair clip from Harry.

Ginny smiled at the last one: only Harry would give her a hair accessory. There were other small presents from Charlie, Bill, and Percy, but nothing big, but she didn't mind. She knew that everyone was a bit tight on money this year.

Ginny plopped back down on her bed, a big smile on her face. All the gifts were great; it was a wonderful Christmas!

At that moment, Dani stormed back into the room. She had a strange look on her face, and Ginny couldn't help but laugh.

"So?" Ginny asked curiously. Dani walked over to her bed and sat down gingerly.

"It kind of feels like butt floss," she stated, which immediately sent the girls into more hysterics.

The laughter eventually died down, and Dani leaned over the edge of the bed, picking up one last gift.

"Oooh," she said loudly. "Now who is this from?"

Ginny just gave her a look and snatched away the last parcel. She completed missed it earlier, not expecting anything from anyone else.

"I don't know," Ginny answered back.

"Well, then open it, silly!"

Ginny opened the card first. The card was a coal black color, and the writing was engraved in silver:

G-

You deserve the world, but I hope this will do.

D-

P.S. I can't stop thinking about you.

When Ginny was done, she sat there frozen. Dani snatched the card from her and read it quickly.

"Oh my goodness, Gin! It looks like you've got yourself a secret admirer!" Dani squealed in delight, "But who is this D guy?"

Ginny's first thoughts went straight to Draco, and she felt a stab pierce her heart. She still couldn't forget about him, but sadly, it was easier for her to manage lately. Her friends were always with her, making her laugh and smile, and she could feel memories of Draco slipping away, but never leaving completely, only hiding for a bit while Ginny tried to live normally.

"Oh, I know!" Dani squealed, and Ginny's heart quickened. She had told Dani everything that happened between her and Draco; she just couldn't keep the secret from one of her best friends. It would've felt wrong to keep such a big part of her a secret.

"It's Derek!"

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't discuss Draco anymore, and Ginny was glad for the help to try and forget him…even though she knew that was impossible. Still, she could at least keep that part of her a secret. Dani didn't have to know that whenever Draco did pass through her mind, that it felt like someone was cutting her heart out. Dani didn't have to know the worst part about the whole situation: Ginny was still completely in love with Draco.

"Hello?" Dani called out to Ginny, waving a hand in front of her friend's face. Ginny snapped out of it, and turned her attention back to Dani. "Sheesh, daydream much?" But Dani was just kidding, a wide smile plastered to her face.

"You really think it's from Derek?" Ginny asked slowly. Half of her wished it was from Derek. After all, the two of them had been flirting non-stop the last two weeks. Ginny admitted that it was nice—but it was nothing compared to what she felt when she was with Draco.

The other half of her yearned to believe it was from Draco. Her mind jumped to conclusion after conclusion. If he sent her this gift, it must mean that he still cares, and if he still cares, then it must be a sign that he wants to rekindle or restart something.

"Yes," Dani said firmly, "I really do think it's from Derek." She knew Ginny well enough to know what Ginny was hoping for.

Ginny gave a slight smile.

"Well, whether you know who it's from or not, you might as well open it," Dani said as she rolled her eyes. Ginny's smile widened as she stared at Dani. It was weird how Dani knew her so well.

Ginny turned her attention back to the parcel and opened it. She unwrapped it carefully this time, and when she pulled the paper away, she gasped. In her lap was a stunning pearl necklace. For a second, Ginny forgot to breathe. She was just staring at the gift in her lap, turning it over in her hands with her mind void of thought.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Dani breathed. "It's beautiful!"

Ginny could only nod. She immediately undid the clasp and wrapped it around her neck; it was the perfect length, falling a couple inches past her collar bone.

Dani was thinking quickly, the shock of the gift having worn off. She cared about Ginny, even loved her like a sister, but this gift could only mean trouble.

She knew that Derek didn't have the money for a gift like that, which meant it must have been from Draco. This was bad.

Ginny thought none of her new friends had noticed her before only two months ago, but this was a sad lie that Dani allowed her friend to believe. In truth, Rose knew of Ginny before Dani took the girl under her wing. Rose explained to Dani how sad and lonely Ginny had been, going through the motions of life without a single care. She told how everything changed when Ginny meant Draco. Things were good, but suddenly, everything came crashing down around Ginny.

Rose said how she observed Ginny at her lowest point ever, which was the two weeks after the break-up or dumping or whatever.

Dani believed Rose without hesitation. She often found Rose simply sitting around, watching people around her who went throughout their days completely over-looking their watcher.

Anyway, the point is, Dani never wanted to have Ginny go through an ordeal like that again.

"You know what," Dani said suddenly, 'I'm going to go see if Derek really did get it for you."

Ginny sat there, staring down at the necklace that draped around her pale neck.

"Ginny!" Dani said a bit loudly, and Ginny just looked at her. "Why don't you get dressed, and I'll see if I can catch Derek before he leaves for the holidays. Okay?"

Ginny nodded robotically. Once Dani left, Ginny leapt up from her spot on the bed and went over to her trunk. She opened it once, seeing all her clothes packed for the trip and then closed it. Before opening it again, she muttered an incantation. The next time she opened it, she saw three things neatly placed at the bottom of the trunk.

The black high heeled shoes were still gorgeous, and the little black dress was even more stunning. Ginny ignored those two and picked up the last object: a beautiful necklace with an amber pendant.

She gazed back and forth between the two necklaces, secretly hoping that the new one was from the same person.

Dani ran down the length of the corridor, keeping her gaze on a mop of dark brown hair in front of her.

"Derek!" she called out loudly. He stopped suddenly and turned around to see Dani chasing him down the hall.

"Hey, Dani," he said cheerfully. "Happy Christmas!"

She waved him off, and bent over to try and catch her breath.

"Yeah, yeah, Happy Christmas to you too. Anyways, please tell me you gave Ginny a Christmas gift!"

His face fell a little.

"Well, I was going to," he began, but Dani just groaned and slumped over on the floor. "Look, I'm sorry, Dani! I thought getting her a gift would be really forward, and I'm not evem sure if she likes me or not…" he trailed off. "I just decided that it was better that I make sure that she likes me before I did something like that."

Dani just groaned again.

"Oh, no, it's fine," she sighed. "It's not your fault, and I'm sorry that I seemed angry with you."

She sat there for a few moments, ideas flooding through her head.

"Look, Dani," he stammered, "I really have to get going. My mum and dad are coming personally to pick me up, and I'm already late."

"BINGO!" Dani shouted. She hopped up from the ground with a smile on her face.

"What?" Derek stammered, now confused more than ever.

"Alright," she started, looking directly into Derek's eyes, "here's the plan. You bought Ginny the necklace that she opened this morning and only signed it with the initial D—"

"But wait!" he interrupted. "I didn't get Ginny anything. I just told you that."

"I know, I know," Dani said exasperated, wishing Derek would just follow along. "But she got this beautiful pearl necklace this morning as a gift, and the person only signed with an initial, except this person is a total creep." Dani continued quickly, hoping Derek was keeping up.

"The person is totally wrong for her, and I know Ginny doesn't even like this person." Dani was stretching the truth, and she knew it. But it didn't matter because she needed to in order to protect her best friend.

"So, it would be way more convenient if you just say you got it for her. This way, Ginny doesn't need to bother with pesky jerks, and you can come in and sweep her off her feet!" Dani finished dramatically, looking expectantly at Derek.

"I don't know," he replied slowly. "I don't think its right for me to take credit for a gift like that."

"Oh, just say it's not real or something," Dani said quickly. Derek gave her a look, and Dani knew he didn't want to do it.

"It's just not right, Dani," he continued.

"Please," Dani whispered, "trust me when I say that if you own up to sending her this necklace, you will save her from a world of pain."

Derek looked at her quizzically, but he could sense the truth in her voice. Going against his better judgment, he agreed. He wished Dani a Happy Holidays a little less enthusiastically than earlier and went to search for his parents.

Dani was so happy that Derek went along with her plan that she ran all the way up to Gryffindor Tower to tell Ginny. Dani found her best friend sitting silently on her bed, the necklace completely out of sight.

"Good news, Gin!" Dani said excitedly. Ginny only turned to listen to Dani out of politeness. "Derek really did send the necklace! I barely caught up with him in the corridor, but I got there in the nick of time. He admitted he sent it to you, and he wanted to know if you liked it."

Ginny didn't reply, so Dani simply continued.

"Well, of course I told him that you loved it, and he said he was really sorry that he couldn't see you in person this morning, that he had to leave early to meet his folks or something. But he wanted me to wish you a Happy Holidays!"

Dani finished brightly, but she could tell that Ginny longed for a different answer. It nearly tore Dani apart to see Ginny like that, but she knew that in the long run, it would be better for her this way.

Ginny smiled.

"Thanks, Dani," she said halfheartedly. "Well, have fun on break and remember to write, okay?"

Dani agreed and the girls said there goodbyes. Ginny hid her pain and threw away her hopes that Draco had been the one to send her such an amazing gift. It's better this way she told herself. She wasn't exactly sure if this was true, but it was worth a shot.

He watched her for weeks; he saw her chatting with friends—real friends; he noticed her happiness increase, and he noticed, angrily, how she flirted with one of her new friends.

All of this killed Draco to witness, but he couldn't help himself. He found himself following after her or watching her from across the room unconsciously. Ginny was totally oblivious, of course. She had this new, amazing life now. A life without me he thought sadly.

One day, an urge overcame Draco to do something about their situation. He still loved her; he knew it now, and he also came to terms with the fact that he could never love anyone else the same way.

It wasn't proper, he argued with himself, to be moping around all the time, so he decided to do something.

The night before Christmas, he wrapped up the necklace he bought her and wrote up a short note. At first, his hand kept shaking, and he didn't know what to write. But after a good twenty minutes of sitting, he finally wrote what his heart tried to tell him all along.

With a steady hand, he wrote:

G-

You deserve the world, but I hope this will do.

D-

P.S. I can't stop thinking about you.

And before he could change his mind, he sent his owl out to deliver the package. He only hoped he wasn't too late.

A/N: So it's been a while. Sorry! Really, I am! Please read and review.

Enjoy!