A/N. Sorry I took sooooooooo long.. but my B-Reader almost re-wrote this chap... I was just... awful in this translation and she toke
two weeks editing and rewriting.. I need to thank her a LOT!!! Ana, I just LOVE YOU!!! You all must thanks her too, because without
her hard job, this would be sooooooo unreadable... ö) Let's all say THANK YOU, ANA!!! ö)
Ginny woke up tired and sore the day after Draco left for the Manor. She still was using the book as a pillow. Walking down the corridor, she glanced into the sixth year dormitory, and saw that Hermione was still sleeping soundly.
She must have arrived very late... she often arrives late, specially if they get agitated like yesterday... Ginny made her way to the bathroom, and while she was showering, she remembered Draco, Pansy, and the way her heart leapt every time she thought that at least they were friends. Suddenly, she wanted to talk to him, to hear his voice, his acid humor... that was when she heard the familiar noise in her head. Snap.
Ginny?
Draco... hi...
Why didn't you want to talk to me yesterday? I tried all day...
Oh... hmm... I was kind of busy... but are you ok?
Not really... My father caught me talking to a house-elf yesterday. It was horrible.
I'm sorry you have to go through all that... Was the elf the one in that picture you showed me?
Which one?
The one with you both in brooms...
Oh, yes.. That was Tobby...
And... How about the ceremonies?
They were solemn, as usual. She was truly beautiful... I think the snow preserved her very well.
I'm sorry...
No, that's ok... I just wanted to tell you that I'll arrive back in Hogwarts tonight, maybe even before that.
Oh... hmm...
What's up, Gin? You seem.. weird...
Everything is fine, Draco.. I.. I'll wait for you.
If you say so... bye.
Bye.
Snap
Draco scratched his head, intrigued. I wonder what happened. What if she found out that I.. I like her? No, that's impossible! But she was so.. cold. He finished his bunch of grapes, said goodbye to Tobby, entered the coach and traveled back to Hogwarts.
I'll find out what happened when I get there. And then.. maybe... I'll tell her. He smiled to himself and waved to the coachman. The carriage hurried out of the gates. Soon, Draco was asleep, his face touching the glass, looking like the picture of innocence. .
Ginny finished her shower and got ready for Care of the Magical Creatures. As she walked out to the courtyard, she could see the creature that would be the topic of class: a beautiful, shiny unicorn.
"Hi Ginny, how are you?" Hagrid asked, calmly, while piling more and more grass near the place where the students were standing, trying to attract the unicorn.
"I'm fine, Hagrid... but you look a little tired" she answered, staring at the dark circles around his black eyes, under his beard.
"Yeah... we had this agitated night..." he smiled.
I figured that... Hagrid, Herm, Harry, Ron, the cloak, suspicious books...
The class was very calm, mostly because unicorns are shy and quiet creatures. As the class ended, Ginny walked to Charms class, taught by Professor Flitwick. She was walking across an empty corridor when someone behind an armor whispered.
"Ginny, come here..."
She walked cautiously to the armor and saw Harry, hiding next to the wall.
"Harry?" she asked, a little confused at his secrecy.
"Look Ginny, if you met Herm' and Ron, please tell them to go to the Whomping Willow, that I'll be waiting for them there, ok?"
"Oh.. that's ok..." she answered, without feeling. Not worth bothering to ask to go with them, if I already know the answer. She smiled at him and turned on her heels, resuming her way to class, while Harry, very quietly, went to the opposite way.
When she was almost at Charms Room, she felt a warm hand pulling her arm. She was being dragged into a dark and empty classroom.
I can't believe it... why do these things always happen to me?
"What the hell is happe... who is... how dare...?" she tried to ask, confused, while whoever it was dragged her further and further into the room.
"I missed you so much I could die, Gin, I just couldn't wait until tonight to see you" she heard Draco's familiar voice whisper, still holding her arm
"Draco? But... why here?" she asked. Her eyes were adjusting to the darkness, she could make out his body near her own.
Suddenly her arm was pulled, and, next thing she knew, her body was snuggled against Draco's, who was holding her gently. She felt warm all over, her face was burning, her shoulder pulsing where his head was touching it
"Oh, Gin... it was awful,..." he said, in a very low voice, and started to cry softly. "He made me mistreat Tobby in front of all those people, he told me that I... that I ashamed the Malfoy family...
Trying to comfort him, she run her hands through his hair, amazed at how soft and baby-like it felt.
"Oh, Draco, you know that you are a better person than all those people. You know that you're very special..."
"But why me? Why I couldn't be born in the right family, and be allowed to be what I really am? Why does everyone expect me to be cruel, when that's not who I really am?" he was sobbing harder, his body trembling next to hers.
So it happened. Draco lifted his head from Ginny's shoulder, just as the wind blew the curtain open. The moon lit their faces. She looked scared and quiet. He was pale, his face covered with tears. Draco lowered his head and closed his eyes. Ginny hadn't the time or the will to think about anything, until she felt his lips touching her own. He felt all the sadness fly away with the rush of love that he felt coming from Ginny.
Ginny felt that she would faint at any moment, so she held on to Draco's back with one hand, the other pulling his head closer to her own. His hands run over her back, caressing Ginny, holding her as near as possible, with a despair that he never felt before.
It was a good thing that the wind also closed the door, far at that very moment, Harry hurried by the corridor, furious, almost running to the Gryffindor tower, followed closely by Hermione and Ron, who hurried after him. But that wind, which protected the privacy of Draco and Ginny's first kiss, also the couple pull apart, suddenly scared.
"Oh, Gin... I'm sorry... I... I'm sorry... I didn't want to... force you... to do anything you don't want to..." he said quickly, praying silently for her to say he had nothing to feel sorry for. That wasn't what she said
"You're sorry?" she cried. "You are sorry? It isn't to me that you need to say that, Malfoy!" and she run from the room. Draco stood on the very spot where they kissed, feeling extremely confused.
What did I do... he was blaming himself, but it looked like she wanted it too.. and if not to her, to whom I would need to apologize? He stared out the window, remembering her warm body, the taste of chocolate on her lips... It suddenly came to him: Sure, Malfoy.... I need to apologize to Potter... she was saving her lips for him... she fancies him... how she could ever like me if she is in love with the hero? He thought sadly. At least I have something to remember... He smiled faintly, and went to the Slytherin tower.
How - dare - he? Ginny was thinking, while she was walking to the Fat Lady's portrait. That moustache-girlfriend of his told me so... the idiot! He practically attacked me! She yelled at the fat lady:
"Hocus Pocus!!!"
"Calm down, girl! You're not the first mad one that I saw today..." muttered the guardian of the Gryffindor entrance, swinging aside so Ginny could pass.
Ginny was crossing the room with angry steps when she came across an unexpected scene: Hermione was standing at Harry's side, and Harry wore the angriest expression Ginny had ever seen, while Ron was talking very passionately to Harry. As it was still class time, the common room was empty, therefore their voices were echoing in the stone walls.
"We never meant to hurt you..." Ron was saying.
".And we didn't want to lose you..." added Hermione, who was trying to touch Harry, who was avoiding her trembling hands.
"Then why did you lie all this time?" Harry yelled.
"We would tell you sometime..."
"We were waiting for the right moment."
"We're sorry that you found it in this way.."
Avoiding Hermione touch once more, Harry stood up.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I want to be alone." And he started up the stairs to the dorm, followed by Ron.
That was when Hermione saw Ginny, still frozen at the entrance.
"Hi Ginny... how long you've been there?" Hermione asked, nervously.
"Long enough" she said, walking slowly to Hermione.
Ginny helped Hermione up, and together they walked through the room to the 6th year's dorm, where, lying in her bed, Hermione told Ginny what had happened.
"Ron and I ... we went to the shrieking shack in Hogsmeade. You know there is a passage by the willow... we went there to decide how to talk to Harry about this whole thing... but when we arrived there, we figured that we were all alone... you know... it's very hard to behave yourself when you are alone with the person you love in a place with a bed! We lost control. You can imagine what Harry saw when he arrived suddenly. He stood there frozen, staring at nowhere. I thought that I would die of embarrassment. He turned his back and run away. Ron and I dressed and went after him, and we have been here for almost half an hour, trying to explain ourselves.... but it didn't help."
As she stopped talking, Hermione started to cry. Through her sobs she was saying Harry's name. Ginny, not knowing what else to do, hugged Hermione very tight, until she stopped crying and went to take a bath. As she was leaving the room, Ginny crashed into Ron, who tried to enter the dorm. His shirt was inside out.
"Ginny, did you see Hermione? I wanted..." he started to mumble, without knowing what Ginny knew about it.
"Hermione told me everything. She went take a shower." She said, very seriously.
He hurried to the bathroom, and Ginny walked to the boys' dorms side of the tower.
Draco had just entered the common room when, like an avalanche, all the other sixth year students came in from Transfiguration class. Crabbe and Goyle waved to him. They are so stupid that they didn't realize traveled yesterday... Draco thought. Just then Pansy approached him, smiling her cruel smile.
"So, Little Dracy... did you sleep with the Weasley? I didn't see you in the exploding snap championship on the common room, yesterday. And I didn't see you in your bed either, when I was taking a look around" she said, speaking through her teeth.
"That's none of your business, Pansy." he answered calmly, while walking to the boys' dorm, followed closely by the girl.
"It's not nice talk this way to you friends, Dracy... I bet that you are much more patient and cute with the poor redheaded girl..."
"Shut up, Pansy. I'm sick of you. What do you want with me?" he asked, annoyed, standing at the dorm's door.
"You know what I want, Draco. One or two kisses... some hugs. Just do that thing you do." and she winked, making Draco slightly sick.
"You'll never leave me alone just because I kissed you once?" he asked, getting angrier by the minute.
"Yesssssss. You wanted me once, and now you want to run away, is that it?"
"I never wanted you. You forced me and you know that."
"I forced you? Oh, poor Dracy... I violated him!" He shivered at the touch of her hands, with purple nails. "Wow, you look just like Weasley looked when I told her..."
"You what?" He yelled, getting the attention of Millicent and Nancy, two of Pansy's friends that were near them.
"Oh, did that get your attention, Draco? Yeah, it's just what you heard. I told her about our snog sessions, and I really dont' think that she was very pleased.
He looked angrily at Pansy before he turned his backs to her, enter the dorm and shut the door over her cold laugh.
So that's why she didn't want... he thought, hopefully. Therefore she... she... she LIKES ME! He laughed very calmly, took a shower and went to the Great Hall to have dinner. When she gets there, I'll explain everything to her. He smiled to himself. Draco was the first one to sit on the Slytherin table. The second to occupy the room. He just wasn't the first one because Neville that was there since the lunch, sleeping. I just need to wait... Everything will be just fine.
While Draco was waiting anxiously in the Great Hall, Ginny knocked on Harry's door. She needed to know how he was, it must had been awful, and no one knew more about broken hearts she did...
"Leave me alone!" he yelled.
"It's Ginny, Harry... I'm coming in." she said, opening the door.
The room was almost dark. The candles were already burning, illuminating Harry, who was sitting on the ground, near the wall in the back of the room. Ginny walked to him, sat down beside him and passed an arm around his shoulders. Feeling the gentle touch, he looked at her. His eyes were full of tears and his skin was wet and cold.
"Why me, Ginny?" he mumbled.
"Why what, Harry? Why did they hide it from you, or why did she pick him and not you?" Ginny asked in a very low voice, brushing the tears from his face .
"Both." He muttered. "I never ever thought... she and Ron... my best friend..." one more tear run down his face as he looked at her.
"Harry, you have to understand... the people... we.. we couldn't control it. you know... If you could, you wouldn't like her, right?"
"Yeah, it's true... but why did they hide it from me? If I knew of this before, I would stop thinking that I still had a chance."
"They didn't want to see you suffer this way. You know them, they are your friends and never would let you be hurt if they could avoid it."
"I know all that, Ginny, but still... it's so awful!"
"I know, Harry. Believe me, I know." She remembered Draco, Pansy, and the wonderful kiss that shouldn't have happened. "I know how it is to want someone who already had someone..." she whispered. "Now, let's go... wash your face, and let's go down to dinner."
Harry stoop up, holding Ginny's hand to help her up too, giving her a brotherly hug, nothing like Draco's. He even kissed her forehead and smiled a little.
"It's better that I take a real shower. Will you wait to have dinner with me?"
Of course I'll wait for you, Harry... I'll be in the common room, ok?"
"Ok. And... thank you very very much, Ginny" he said smiling, and entered the boys' bathroom.
Ginny went into the common room. It was starting to get full because classes were over for day. She looked for Ron and Hermione, and found them sitting on the couch, very quiet. Ginny walked over and spoke slowly.
"Listen to me, both of you. I talked to Harry, and he's feeling a little better, but I think that would be better if he didn't see you for a while. Not together at least... Go have dinner now, while he is taking a shower and we'll eat together later." She stopped talking, felling a little upset with them herself. "I know how this things are, and the last thing that he wants right now is to see you."
"Ok, Ginny." Hermione said, standing up. "Let's go, Ron." she muttered, holding his hand and dragging him out of the room.
Ginny was lost in thought, when Harry touched her hand.
"Harry... you're ready yet?"
"Ah... I decided not to take a shower after all. Let's go?" he asked her, smiling.
This won't work out... She thought while she accepted the arm that Harry offered to her. They went to the Great Hall with their arms linked.
Draco had been sitting on that same place for almost one hour, but his heart still was beating madly with expectation to see Ginny, touch her... explain all the Pansy thing to her. She can't be mad with me for things I did before I knew her... she'll understand. More people started to come into the room. They went to the Hufflepuff table, to the Ravenclaw table, to the Slytherin table... but he couldn't find Ginny among the Gryffindors.
One time he almost stood up after seeing a fiery head entering the room, but it was just Ron Weasley with Hermione Granger. This couple, huh... he smiled to himself. They sat together, and Draco watched them for a while. He saw when she put her head on his shoulder, and when Ron pulled her face near to his own and they... In public!!! ... they kissed.
He saw a flash of red at the door. It was Ginny! But she was... Holding arms with Potter!!! Draco's heart almost stopped beating. He as still staring at them, horrified, when Harry saw Hermione and Ron kissing. But Draco didn't see that. He just saw Harry pull Ginny close e press his lips to hers.
Ginny's eyes were wide with confusion, looking all around the room desperately. Everyone was watching the scene. And she almost fainted when she saw Draco standing by the Slytherin table.
Crack. It was Draco's teenage heart shattering. How much stupider can I get? Why would she ever like the dirty, cruel and Slytherin Malfoy if she can have the hero, the brave and good Harry Potter that she always wanted?
When Ginny finally freed herself from Harry's strong arms, all the room was still staring at them. Her throat tightened when she saw Draco avoiding her eyes and leaving the Hall, looking miserable
"What the hell was that, Harry?!?!" She yelled, while she dragged the boy to an empty seat on the Gryffindor table. The room already had recovered its habitual noisy ambient.
"Oh... hmm.. Ginny, I'm sorry... I.. " he started to say, looking at his feet.
"What did you want? Make Hermione jealous? Even if you'd just kissed professor McGonnagal she wouldn't be jealous now!!! She doesn't like you, and you know it. But you think that it's fair? To toy with me? I just wanted to help you , Harry, and really, I expected more from you!" And turning her back to the table, she left the room. Harry just sat there, the remorse he was feeling clear in his eyes.
Next chapter: Finally, Snape appears... and sure, he disturbs our favorite couple, on a very... personal moment!...
Review? Thanks again Ana!, I write quite well in Portuguese... if you can understand it, go to the Portuguese Version, that's finished already
