A/N : I'd just like to clear up a point on 'It's Like That.' There was supposed to be a double space in between the scene in the Hogwarts hall and when Ginny first says "Hogsmeade", which is, I think, the main reason you - ie the readers - found it so skippy. (Skippy as in skipping from one place to another dizzily) Another point - I forgot to mention it would be having a sequel - which is a duh to me, but to people not acquainted with the recesses of the slime I call my brain, well, I apologize. This is the sequel. This sequel will probably be having a sequel - unless the troll in my cupboard refuses to act as my muse. (Christopher Pike). No explanations as of yet as to why the Dementors appeared - they will be forthcoming in the next part. Thanks for the reviews. Review again?
Disclaimer : Characters, setting are property of the muse of JK Rowling.
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Her head hurt. Ginny didn't feel like opening her eyes, but she opened them anyway. She couldn't see anything fora moment, just the dazzling blurriness that came with coming out of a dark room into bright sunshine. She blinked a few times. She was presumably in Madam Pomfrey's wing. Ginny knew because of the block of chocolate on the table beside her.
The first thing she saw was a bright red head. It hurt her eyes. But that was just the normal hurting of the eyes she got whenever she saw any of her brothers and not anything terminal. She blinked again, and saw two more red heads, a brown one and - oh, God was great - a black one.
Ginny tried to remember what had happened. Unfortunately she was successful. A startling terror filled her - she had to know. "Draco - " she said hoarsely, hoarse both from fear and lack of water.
All five heads whipped towards her immediately.
George grinned. He opened his mouth a few times but didn't say anything.
Fred grinned as well. He kept his mouth shut, and that was stranger than George opening his mouth.
Ron cried, "Draco? You wake up and the first thing you say is Draco? Ginny, this is -"
"Hush, Ron." Hermione snapped. "Isn't that the first thing you say to your sister when she finally wakes up - "
Harry just smiled.
Ginny basked in the glow of that smile. He'd come to see her. He'd actually come to see her. Maybe he did care. Maybe he liked her after all. Maybe he thought of her as more than just -
"Well, I guess we'll leave you guys to coo over your little sister." Harry said.
And then again maybe Harry was an arsehole.
Harry and Hermione exited, pulling the curtains closed behind them as they left. Hermione stopped to smile and say, "Hope you get better soon, Ginny.", but Harry only nodded in agreement. All right. So he didn't think her important enough to even waste words on. He didn't think her important enough to add his own "Hope you get better soon." Instead of a nod. A measly nod for the sick Weasley.
Ginny stopped that train of thought. She smiled weakly at her three brothers. "How is Draco?"
"Draco is fine." Ron said through tight lips. He scowled. "A lot finer than you were when Dumbledore found you. What were you thinking of, Ginny, protecting Draco? Draco is -"
Fred intervened. "Draco is fine, Ginny." He pulled open the curtain on her right, revealing an unconscious beansprout of a boy. "He's sleeping."
"What happened?"
"Many things happened." Ron fumed. "My sister almost died protecting -" he gave a shudder and pointed, his finger shaking with virulent hatred. " - that."
George said, "Shut up you stupid git."
Fred ignored them as they started to scuffle. Ginny hoped they'd both wrestle till nothing was left except a pile of red hair. "Dumbledore came along just as the Dementor was sucking your -" he fell quiet, and resumed, "Well anyway. He came along and the Dementors scatted. He brought you to Madam Pomfrey. Luckily, not much damage was done - "
"Enough damage was done to ensure that your sister shouldn't be disturbed." Madam Pomfrey said, bustling into the curtain enclosed space. 'Scat." She waved royally at the curtain.
Meekly the Weasleys scatted. Madam Pomfrey pushed Ginny back onto the bed with one hand and with the other she shoved a block of chocolate down her throat. Ginny choked.
"Don't try that on me, Ginny Weasley." Madam Pomfrey said, not looking at her. "I've been a healer longer than the Weasley's have had red hair -"
Ginny clawed at her throat.
" - and if it's one thing I've learned -"
Ginny pressed frantically at her neck.
" - it's never to trust a sick Weasley -"
The block of chocolate popped out of her windpipe and onto the bedsheet.
Madam Pomfrey looked up from her mixing of a potion and stuck it back in Ginny's mouth. " - especially one that wants to get out of taking medicine -"
Ginny swallowed just in time. Madam Pomfrey poured a glassful of potion down her throat. Ginny gurgled frantically.
"There." Madam Pomfrey smiled, satisfied. "All done. It wasn't that bad, now, was it? Now, just you go to sleep and you'll be right as rain in the morning."
With a bustle, a flounce, and a twitch of the curtains, Madam Pomfrey disappeared.
Ginny, panting, lay back on her bed. It was a wonder anyone got out of here alive. She hadn't even had time to ask Madam Pomfrey if she could talk to Dumbledore.
She thought of what Madam Pomfrey had said - it was all part of the social stigma of being a Weasley. Weasleys were characteristically red haired, dirt poor and magical - a stigma believed and jeered at by people like -
"You awake?"
- Draco Malfoy.
Ginny turned and sat up. Draco, dressed in the white hospital robes, could have
faded into the background, he was so white. He had his usual sneer on his face. Well, at least he was consistent. Ginny could think of another person who was consistent. Consistent in breaking her heart. Consistent in liking Cho bloody Chang. Consistent in being Harry bloody Potter.
Best to stop those thoughts. Ginny nodded at Draco. She felt strangely uncomfortable. "Are you all right?"
"Fine." Draco said brusquely. He opened his mouth and hesitated. He lowered his eyes. "Can I come in?"
Ginny nodded again. Her face flamed red. "Erm - yes, sure."
Draco was sitting on her bed, not looking at her. He seemed to be just as uncomfortable as she was. Ginny fervently hoped he was. Maybe he would leave sooner. What did he want anyway? To thank her for saving his life? Ginny's face flamed again. That would be the thing most decent people would do. But Draco Malfoy wasn't decent. He was, quite frankly, an arsehole. Ginny didn't blame him for being an arsehole. He couldn't help it. She could think of another person who was an arsehole. A person who didn't know he was being an arsehole. A person who was consistent in being an arsehole. A person who was Harry bloody Potter.
Ginny stopped. Draco spoke. "I wanted to ask you why you did that." He said in a low voice.
Ginny knew what he was saying. He would never thank her - an arsehole wouldn't - but he was acknowledging it. She could see that it was humiliating for him, to be saying this to - of all people - a Weasley. A redheaded, poverty stricken, enemy-line Weasley. So she spoke truthfully.
"The Dementors were making me think of Tom Riddle." She said simply. "I imagined it was me they were giving the Kiss, and Tom Riddle the Dementor, and I was thinking of how Harry -" she stopped, "Harry saved me. And - I don't guess I was thinking much at all."
Draco's sneer was on his face. "Of course." He said mockingly. "You imagined you were Harry the Hero."
Ginny scowled and flamed red again. She said nothing.
Draco laughed.
"You know." Ginny said, breathing hard. "Most people would just thank me."
Draco laughed again, but his face was uncertain. The arrogance was still there, but uncertainty was making him waver.
"Most people would have just left you." Ginny continued, her thoughts diverted to Harry. Most people would have left her in the Chamber of Secrets. "Most people would have just run. Or if they didn't, most people would have thanked me, you know." Was she repeating herself? "Most people would have thanked me and given me flowers. Or maybe a card. Or a kiss on the cheek. Or a hug." But no. Not an arsehole.
Draco kissed her.
Ginny was startled.
Her first thought was Oh.
Her second thought was, If kissing all arseholes is like this - why don't more people do it?
She didn't have time for a third thought.
Draco was flung away from her by a red faced Ron. Draco slammed onto the floor. He blinked.
Ginny blinked too. She wondered dimly what had happened. She also wondered about the expression that had been on Draco's face before he blinked, wiping it away. An expression that was full of surprise, softness, desire. An expression that was devoid of a trace of smirkiness. An expression to build a dream on.
"How dare you?"