Summer Visits and Muggles at Hogwarts
Ch. 8: No longer Enemies
As they walked off into the crowd Draco tried to free his arm from her death grip, all the while trying to figure out what Granger had said to the Weasley. "Weasley would you please either slow down or loosen your grip? Great Merlin, women, this isn't a race!" Draco shouted at her as he run to keep up with her hasty pace.
Ginny finally began to slow down as they came into sight of Knockturn Alley. When she caught her breath again, she cautiously asked the question that had been plaguing her since they had taken off. "Why?"
Slightly surprised at the question, Draco responded, "Why what?"
"Why did you offer to go with me? Was it out of pity because they didn't want me with them? If it is I don't want your pity, or your company for that matter, so you can just leave me here," Ginny stated her inquiry simply, and waited for a legitimate answer to come from the tall blonde boy standing beside her.
"Weasley, I didn't offer out of pity; you should know I've never pitied anyone before in my life. I offered because I know what it's like to be shunned, and besides, we're friends now right?" Draco told her his reasoning, looking directly at her, as she seemed to contemplate what he said.
"You know what it's like to be shunned? " Ginny retorted with slight amusement clearly evident in the disbelieving tone of her voice.
"Never mind," he huffed in anger, "I don't know why I bother," and turned to storm off.
Ginny watched silently for a few seconds until she realized he was walking away and what it would mean. She would be completely alone then. Quickly she raised her voice and shouted, "Malfoy! Wait! I didn't mean it that way!" Upon hearing her declaration, Draco stopped where he was and turned around to face her figure running towards him. Ginny slowed her sprint down to a stop ad rested her hands on her knees, doubling over lightly. "I truly am sorry. I just dint think…"
"I know what you thought," Draco bitingly finished for her. Tossing a thought around in his head, Draco decided to act on it. Smiling slightly, he held out his arm for her to take and asked her in a pleasant manner, "Where would you like to go first?"
Happily, but slightly perplexed at his sudden change in attitude, Ginny took his arm and all the more thankful he wasn't mad at her. "Let's go to the apothecary first. I need replenish my supplies."
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"Why didn't you guys support me!? How could you just let her go off like that by herself with Malfoy!? MALFOY for Merlin's sake!" Ron shouted at them after Ginny and Draco were out of hearing distance. Remembering what Hermione had done, her turned all of his anger onto her. "And you! Hermione you just let him walk off with her! WHAT were you thinking?!"
Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off by Harry. "Knock it off Ron! Hermione didn't do anything so leave her alone! Nei-" Harry ranted in her defense, but was interrupted by said person being defended.
"Harry, I don't need you defending me! I am quite capable of it on my own," She berated him and then continued screaming at Ron, "¡Además, ella lo arrastró lejos de aquí, y si tú tienes para advertir, Ginny no es una niña pequeña más, tan parada que la trata como la! ¡Ella, como misma, es suficiente vieja hacer sus propias decisiones acerca de quien ella quiere ser alrededor! ¡Y al momento yo no estoy sorprendido que ella escogió Draco en vez de nosotros! ¡Mire cómo nosotros la tratamos!" Hermione shouted out her frustrations on her friends. Harry and Ron stood staring at her, mouths agape. Apparently they were clueless and others had overheard her and all eyes were turned on her. Sheepishly she muttered, "Um…oops. Sorry about that. I just sort of snapped. Too much stress I suppose."
Harry gained his composure first and responded, "Um…right," then looking around he voiced his concern. "Ah…has anyone seen Snuffles?"
Looking around the others noticed this too and started to become frantic until Moody spoke up. "I saw him go off with the young lady and the Malfoy boy. Well, my magic eye did at least, no need to worry."
"Well in that case can we please do what we came here for?" Vernon shouted again, clearly frustrated at being forced to be there. "I hate being here amongst you strange people."
McGonagall decided not to comment and told Tonks, "Tonks, follow them. You know how," As McGonagall turned away from Tonks they heard her mutter the point me spell and walk off. "Now, Mr. Dursley lets take you, your wife, and son to get what he and yourselves need. Mr. Potter, are you, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley, joining us or going separately with Remus?"
Communicating silently with each other, Ron told her, "We'll join you. It just might end up being the highlight of our day."
"Alright then. Lets head for Madam Malkins. You three," she said pointedly, referring to the Dursley's, "obviously can't wear muggle clothing around all of the time. Besides, you three may need dress robes," McGonagall finished, referring to her students for the last part. Silently they walked down the crowded street and weaved their way in between the people in the street. A few minutes later they arrived at the shop and Professor McGonagall called out for the shopkeeper. Not long after, Madam Malkin appeared from the back of the shop.
"Minerva! So nice to see you! And you as well Alastor, Remus. May I inquire as to why such a large crowd this fine morning?"
"Really, Madam Malkin, what do people come here for? Robes I believed. These people," McGonagall informed her while gesturing toward the Dursley's, "will be requiring a fitting for their robes and will also be requiring, along with the fitting, seven stets of plain black robes, three sets of robes in their own colour of choosing and either one or two sets of dress robes. Also, young Mr. Dursley will be requiring five sets of Hogwarts student robes."
"Of course, Minerva," Madam Malkin responded, with a wide smile on her face. Curiously, Madam Malkin stepped closer to the Dursley's and peered oddly at them over the rim of her tin spectacles. She scrutinized them closely, not failing to take in the idiosyncrasy off of their appearance. After a moment she lifted her eyes and queried, "I see. Muggles, are you not?"
Severely offended at the 'name calling' statement, Vernon rebutted, "If what you mean my 'muggle' is being normal then yes, we are."
Madam Malkin only nodded in his direction before turning back to McGonagall, "Muggles, Minerva? I understand their relation to Mr. Potter, but WHY do they require robes? I mean, they really can't have any use for them after all."
"I'm sorry Madam Malkin, but I can't tell you that. It is secret information that I cannot, at the moment, divulge to any one. Besides, it gives you business so what matter?" Minerva answered and crossed her arms over her chest while shifting her weight onto her left side.
"Right. You three," Madam Malkin inquired, turning to Harry, Hermione, and Ron, "Do you need anything?"
"We're just getting dress robes Madam Malkin. We'll be fine," Hermione answered.
"Alright, you know where to look. Mrs. Dursley, you first."
While Petunia was being fitted the three of them split up, save Harry and Ron, and began searching for new dress robes. Around a half an hour later they met up with each other again in the back of the shop where Dudley was just being fitted.
"Mr. Dursley! I told you once, KEEP YOUR ARMS UP! Great Merlin child loose some weight! You barley fit into my largest adult size robe! And I thought I had to do a lot of altering on other robes!" Madam Malkin ranted as she continued to flutter around him in her attempts to fix his long robes.
When they looked up at him neither of them could contain their laughter at the sight laid out before them. Dudley was standing on one of Madam Malkin's many stools, the sleeves on them draping down six inches past the end of his hands and a good two and a half feet of fabric was pooling around his feet. After Dudley heard the first bits of their laughter he turned his head onto them and demanded, "Shut up! I don't see what's so funny!"
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Meanwhile at the other end of Diagon Alley Ginny and Draco were scanning around the apothecary and gathering any items they needed. Ginny had at first been mildly surprised at how kind he was being to her. However, after becoming used to the attitude, she sunk into the moment, enjoying herself. Together they collected their ingredients.
"Crushed scarab beetles," Ginny was reciting form her list as Draco wandered around gathering the ingredients for her. Seeing him nod his head, she continued, "Faux weed,"
"Check," Draco declared, pulling some off one of the lover shelves.
"Dragon scales."
"Yep!" he said as he jumped slightly to swipe a jar off the upper shelves.
"Wormwood."
"Fairy tears…That's odd. Never heard of using them before in any potion."
"They are generally used in slightly advanced potions that center around one's emotional stature."
"Oh, " Ginny said as she trailed off, but snapped back form her daze when Draco placed his arm on her shoulder. "Right. Uh…scorpion venom."
When Draco didn't say anything back to her she glanced up form her list to see him frozen, in a figurative sense, to the floor and staring off into space, in his own world. Genuinely concerned for him she reached out and waved her hand in front of his face. When he failed to respond she went to stand in front of him and gently grasped his shoulders and gave him slight shake as she questionably inquired to get his attention, "Draco?"
At the sound of his name being called he turned to the owner of the vice to see that it was Ginny and responded, "What?"
"Are you alright Draco? As soon as I mentioned the scorpion venom you just spaced out. As if you were reliving a memory or something," Ginny told him, her voice wavering slightly as she tried not to show just how worried she was about him.
"I'm fine Virginia, really I am. It- it just brought back some rather painful memories from my summer," he informed her, making no move to further explain what he was referring to.
Being as curious as she was she, Ginny decided to pursue the matter further and pryingly asked, "Care to talk about it?"
"No," he automatically responded as he always did when somebody asked him personal questions. Almost as soon as he aid it though, he realized how cruel and harsh it sounded, even to himself. On impulse he added, "At least not now that is. Ask me again later and maybe I'll tell you."
"Alright."
"So, are we finished here?" Draco asked as he finally retrieved the scorpion venom from near the back of the shop.
"Yeah, lets go purchase this stuff before we can't carry anymore," After paying for their purchases and placing their shrunken packages, Ginny again looped her arm through Draco's and quickly pulled him into the bustling street of Diagon Alley. Once outside she declared, "Flourish and Blotts, watch out, because here we come!" and proceeded to quicken her pace as she pulled Draco around shopping.
Exasperated, Draco looked up at the sky and loudly muttered, "Women!" to which he was promptly slugged in the stomach for by his female companion.
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A/N: I had planned on writing much more, but then I would have had an extremely LONG chapter and I wanted to get a chapter out before Christmas, so I left it at this. I know it was mostly uneventful, but there were a few important aspects in this chapter that will come into play later.
I am also afraid to say that I am currently running into a brick wall with this fic again. I do not, for the life of me, know how to get this moving where I want it to go.
Also, I'm considering placing this, and some of my other stories, on hold and finish one up. Hopefully during the Christmas break. Please, if you have one specific story of mine you are reading besides this one, tell me which you would like me to finish first.
Oh, and I suppose you'll want the translation for Hermione's little rant, yes? Ok! Here it is: Besides, she dragged him away from here, and if you haven't noticed Ginny is not a little girl anymore, so stop treating her like one! She, like me, is old enough to make her own decisions about whom she wants to be around! And at the moment I am not surprised that she chose Draco instead of us! Look at how we treated her!
*dama_de_tinieblas*