A/N: The tragedies we experienced this week were very devastating to people around the world. My heart and prayers go out to all that have loved ones there, and I pray they are safe.
This week has been very hectic for us all, not only did I lose contact to many involved writing this story, but I also didn't know if they are all right. Thankfully, they are, but they took the time out to finish the summaries of the story, and requested I finished writing it without them. So I'll do my best, with the help of the ones that can still…I hope you all will like it. Regan's the cute little lines you'll get out of Draco, and we did an Author's Final Note so we'll post up chapters quick for you. Thank you all for your reviews and support!
A/N 2: It has now been proven that Alana can NOT work out how to use Fanfiction.Net or figure out the difference between a rough draft and a final draft… Yes, that means you guys read the ROUGH DRAFT of chapter 4! So let it be known Alana is a dork ^_^ and she humbly apologizes and has been suspended of taking over while I'm gone. -sigh- what would those people do without me??
Arg, yes well Alana's and I humble apologies for the incident, so I might re-post Chapter 4 if you want me to, but you have to review it, hehehehe. Yes there's always a catch…anyway…
Chapter 5: Of Honor and Duty
Ginny looked down at herself. The room was pitch black, and somehow she found that she was standing, her nightgown brushing the cold wood floor gently. Did she sleep walk? Ginny rubbed her eyes and squinted around the room, it was total darkness all around her. She put a hand in front of her face, peering hard. She could only make out a faint pale outline of it, and as she pulled it away, it disappeared totally.
"Draco?" she called, but it only came out in a hoarse whisper. Suddenly a light illuminated the cracks of a closed door in front of her. Where was she? The sound of fire on the other side made her hesitate, she watched as the light flickered on the wood floor steadily. Her heart was racing as she moved toward it, and pushed it open slowly.
Two high-backed chairs sat facing the door, a decent space in-between them, and behind them both was a very large fireplace. The fire roared brighter when she walked in, and the shadows covered the faces of the two people who sat at the chairs. Ginny gasped when she could make out who they were.
Harry sat to her left, looking very pale and sweat dotted his forehead, to her right sat Draco, who looked at her coolly totally at ease with the blazing heat from the fire. Each looked at her waiting expectantly, the bright green ones bright and meaningful, the silver clouded and worried.
I have to choose. As the thought ran through her head, the fire died down slightly, confirming her guess. The room began to cool rapidly each step she took towards them, perfectly in between the two chairs. Neither's condition nor look changed when she halted in front of the, nervous. She didn't understand why she was doing this, she didn't even know what was going on, but something told her to take the hand of the one she chose.
She raised her right hand and it paused as it moved toward Draco. Her gaze sidled back to Harry, who watched, still looking pale, still looking sick. Her hand moved toward Harry, her heart racing. "He's sick, he needs my help," she could hear herself whisper aloud as if condolence to Draco, whose gray eyes still pierced into her back. As she took hold of Harry's clammy hand, the fire blazed again, hotter and higher than before. A high pitch wail began from inside it, making her ears ring and her vision to swirl.
A hand grabbed her wrist and jerked her around. She stared up at the gray eyes of Lucius Malfoy, who smiled triumphantly as he pointed to his son, who sat at the chair, his face hidden again by shadow from the fire. And he began to laugh, a high pitch laugh that didn't match him at all. "Stop it!" Ginny screamed, trying to jerk her hand from his grasp.
And then she found herself being pulled away, by Harry. Her look never left Lucius though, even as he began to fade and Harry's other hand took her now empty one. "Ginny," she heard Draco whisper.
Ginny jerked awake with a loud gasp. Her body was so tense that every muscle in her body screamed when she tried to sit up, so she let herself fall back to the pillow. It was a dream, she thought, feeling the fluttering of her heart slow slightly. Holy mother of Merlin. Ginny shuddered as she recalled the wailing and Lucius' laugh, the dream was too vivid, to real.
And the fire, the heat, that had warmed her whole body, and the feeling of Harry's cold hands. She felt it then, the feeling of someone's hand on hers. The tense feeling began again, it was a dream, she thought to herself furiously, and it wasn't real. But the hand in hers wouldn't go away, even after she closed her eyes tightly and counted to ten.
Slowly, she turned to the side to see what was in her hand, and came face to face with the last person she thought she ever would while laying in her bed.
Draco.
Ginny's mouth opened in surprise but no noise came out. He lay on his stomach, facing her way barely a breath apart, his eyes closed in sleep. Ginny pulled away her hand from his slowly, but didn't move away from him. Even in his sleep he looked like the cold Draco. That or he was dreaming something unpleasant. His mouth was in a grimace, his brow furrowed slightly, and she could feel how tense his body was from as close she was to him. Ginny's eyes drifted over his face, realizing that they'd forgotten to put the wall up the night before.
Very slowly, she rolled away from him and off the bed and performed the spell. Draco remained asleep so she dressed and went to the old table that was used for dining and working. The plate was filled and the food was still warm when she began to eat. She didn't notice Draco stir before he sat down at the chair across from her. Unable to help herself, she looked over at him and his state. He had a bed head, she almost giggled out loud but the look on his face told her he would not enjoy that, and he hadn't bothered to dress. He was still in his boxers he usually slept in.
Ginny looked away quickly when he raised his head toward her. The angry pang from last night was still with her, and she hadn't really had time to think over how to talk to him. Now, she thought to herself, taking a sip of her juice, is definitely not the time, judging by his looks.
The beginning of the breakfast was very quiet, until after the fifteen minutes passed Ginny found her chair scraping its way closer to Draco. She finally met Draco's gaze a confused look on her face. The table had been found that fit the right length for them to eat on opposite sides, with the spell on, so why was it pulling it towards him?
"What are you doing?" Ginny asked finally when it came to a halt when they sat elbow to elbow. Draco was looking down at her, no emotion showing in his pale eyes.
"Was I sleeping in your bed?" he asked suddenly.
Ginny gaped at him, "W-what?"
"I woke up in your bed, were you sleeping next to me?"
"Yes," Ginny said, she felt her face flush. "We forgot about the spell last night,"
Draco grimaced as if she had said something very unpleasant and he went back to his food, ignoring the fact that he and Ginny were stuck very close together, and Ginny looked very uncomfortable with him sitting in just his boxers.
Ginny shifted in her seat and looked away, her mind going over their fight the night before, thinking desperately of something to tell him to make him believe her. Harry. He'd kissed her. Ginny unconsciously blushed at the thought. She had practically told him that she wanted him to tell her he had feelings for her, but instead he kissed her. Harry Potter. The one she wanted to kiss since the year she started Hogwart's. Always the fourth in their group, there but not really included. Ginny had been content with that, watching, wishing, and Harry had seemed to not even notice.
Then she's suddenly stuck by the side of his enemy, Draco Malfoy, and she becomes the object of his affection. Ginny closed her eyes, she couldn't figure out what to do, or how she felt about Harry. He confused her even more the night before.
Or had that been Draco that confused her?
Ginny inwardly chuckled at her one-person conversation. Draco last night had said he had feelings for her, right? Or he was upset because Harry is showing feelings for her since she's with him now? It was all to confusing for Ginny, and so deep into thought she didn't see Draco stand and move toward his trunk until she was pulled off the chair and dragged across the floor with him.
"Draco you creep!" Ginny cried after realizing what had happened to her.
Draco didn't answer, he pulled on his shirt and tied his tie quickly. He stepped over her to get his robes, causing her to shut her eyes since she was lying on the ground. She didn't want to give Draco the smug satisfaction of her staring at any part of the body of his that she shouldn't have been looking at, especially at that time. Ginny managed to climb to her feet when he had adjusted his robes to fit him comfortably. She gave him a cross look when he looked at her, her mouth pursed.
His silver eyes swept over her for a moment before he moved to the door quickly, leaving Ginny no choice but to follow.
Ginny was thoroughly miserable before their lunch break. Since neither wanted to speak to one another, Ginny used the spell again to separate them for the beginning of class. Draco didn't use his after it wore off, so she was forced to sit beside him, elbow to elbow. Neither of them knew why they were so close together all the sudden, and neither wanted to ask the other about it. So they sat in silence, watching the teacher stonily, bodies tense whenever their robes would brush against the others.
In Charms with the Gryffindor's, Ginny's face fell when she remembered most of the chairs had been lodged into the floor. The charms they were learning tended to send objects not connected to the ground flying, if done wrong. Every chair had a good space in between them. Draco had given her a murderous look she told him this, and he stood with her. Much to the classes amusement (but certainly not Ron's or Harry's for that matter), Ginny forced Draco to sit down so she could sit on his lap. Flitwick had certainly been surprised at this, and both had to explain hurriedly. Draco was glad he didn't blush as obviously as Ginny.
Lunch was a relief to them both, and the spell hadn't given them much room still. It was over too quickly, but after hours dragged by, finally they were dismissed to their room for dinner. So with jolts and stepped on toes, they made it to their room and the food that waited for them. The chairs remained where they had left them that morning, the beds still unmade (the House Elves were unpermitted her by request of Draco's father), and Draco's and Ginny's trunks open. The noticed with surprise that Aoria had finally made her appearance after disappearing from the first day of the catenatus spell. She lay leisurely in a patch of sunlight from the window, her head lolled over and looked up at them, the white square seemed to glow in the light.
"Aoria!" Ginny cried with delight, and forgetting the elbow to elbow attachment, rushed over to the cat. Draco dragged behind her. "Where have you been? What's wrong with the spell? How come we're so close now?"
Aoria didn't answer immediately, she gazed wisely at Ginny's anxious face to Draco's scowling one. "Problems the two of you are having," she stated.
Ginny glanced up at Draco, who was watching the cat warily. "Yes, well lately. We were doing pretty well until Draco and I had a row.
"But that's not the point! You see, we can barely move away from each other and it's a very big nuisance. I had to sit on his lap!"
"A row?" Aoria questioned, tilting her head.
"A fight you git," Draco snapped.
Aoria glanced up at him lazily, "Hasty," she blinked. "in temper. That is not a usual trait, but you're 'row' must have importance to change such wisdom."
"Wisdom?" Ginny laughed. "Draco?"
Draco glared down at Ginny's copper hair, "More wisdom than you, Ginny Weasley. I'm not a brainless chit kissing people when I'm upset and then claiming it wasn't my fault."
"He knows his wisdom, he uses them when he must, when he believes it appropriate." Aoria interrupted. "You have lost your way, in your heart and you let thoughts lead you." she was looking at Ginny now, who looked indignant.
"Does this have to do about our...predicament?" Draco muttered.
"It does, you've worsened the spell. To fight as such you fought, with the true feelings you both ignored, strengthen it. Foolish. I knew after the spectacle the night before -"
She was cut off by Ginny's cry, "You saw?"
"You would need me," Aoria continued. "At least for the question. Now that I have answered it, I can leave."
"Wait, how can we stop this?" Draco asked as Aoria stood and stretched.
"It is the same way as it was in the beginning," Aoria chuckled.
"So we're stuck this close until we break the entire spell?" Ginny asked.
Aoria paused, halfway to the door. "No, but you must find out on your own how to rid of It." and to their surprise, she walked out the door. Rather, through the door leaving both of them open-mouthed.
"If she could do that then why in the bloody hell did she have us open doors for her?" Draco grumbled.
"Draco," Ginny said turning to him, she found this not very helpful since she was so close to him, and to look him in the eye she had to look up. Draco did the spell quickly and she backed up. "Draco," she repeated. "I know you'd love to have me at your elbow, but its not working for me."
His lip twitched, Ginny couldn't tell from amusement or haughtiness.
"So, this didn't happen until the fight the night before..." she trailed off.
"There's not much else to talk about," Draco said. "I can understand what happened."
Ginny shook her head, "I don't believe you, if you did, this problem wouldn't be happening."
Draco scowled, but didn't answer.
They stood in silence for a moment, each refusing to look at each other, both standing stiffly. A knock saved either of them from saying anything. The door opened quickly and Ginny's heart leapt to her throat when she saw whom it was. Draco's father stood in the doorway, staring at both of them imperiously.
Nothing changed on Draco's face when his father stepped in. "You should go," he said softly, looking to her. Ginny nodded mutely and did the spell her last time, then hurrying out the door shutting it behind her.
Lucius looked over his son, his face as blank of emotion as Draco's before over the room. He sneered in distaste with the color decor.
"It's the best they could give you?" he asked leaning against the table. Draco nodded, not moving from where he stood. "It's going well then?"
Another nod. Something flickered in Lucius' eyes.
"It's not done yet is it?" Lucius sneered.
"No," Draco said.
"Is it really that hard for you, boy?"
"I can't fake or lie to get out of this, father." Draco snapped irritably. "The girl is no easier to get along with than the Potter character,"
Lucius laughed, a cruel, mirthless laugh, "Then cannot be done with the spell by tonight?"
"Of course not," Draco said confused.
"For the best I'm sure, she will be disposed of."
"What?"
"Have you forgotten, Draco? I spoke with you the night before you left for school, and back when this first...situation started."
Then Draco remembered. A cold feeling washed over him when the memory came to him. Lord Voldemort had been urging Lucius to have Draco join the Death Eaters since he came back in power the year of the Triwizard Tournament. Narcissa had refused and convinced to let Draco continue to his sixth year before he would be admitted, it was too early in his life, and his education to be involved within the ring.
He was to be admitted before he left for school, but Lucius and the Dark Lord had pressing business that caused them to post pone. And then that cat and the spell came along.
'You have until the New Year,' Lucius had hissed into his ear that day in Dumbledore's office. 'You will bring this family great honor when you are joined. Don't screw this up boy.'
Lucius looked quite smug when he moved to Draco's side and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"You've never experienced the thrill of killing someone," he said, "Perhaps you will be given the honor to dispose of her. I will speak to Voldemort about this."
Draco didn't move. He didn't even hear his father's last words to him, but he snapped back to reality when the door closed. His father had left, leaving Draco to think of the things now presented to him.
He had to break the spell.
Ginny had been sitting at the end of the hall, her back pressed against the wall, eyes closed, listening to the whispers of the portraits and the murmur of male voices down the hall. Ginny had almost been paralyzed with fear when Lucius walked in, his eyes so similar to his son's had locked with hers almost instantly. And now in the flickering lights of the candles and the shadows cast over her, she delved in her mind trying to find what gave her such a feeling. She knew what it was, but what it was seemed to be just out of reach.
She started when she heard footsteps down the hall, and looked up to see a dark figure approach her. Ginny began to stand, seeing the glint of blonde hair, thinking it was Draco, but then his features became clearer. She straightened quickly, watching Lucius wearily. As he passed her, he shot her a smug look before disappearing around the corner.
Ginny leaned heavily against the wall, remembering the dream. Lucius' cruel smile, the wailing...the laughter. She didn't move, her eyes were shut again as she tried push the dream from her mind. She didn't understand it, and in truth she was frightened about it. A familiar tug reminded her that she couldn't hide in the hallway, in the dark, forever. She let the spell pull her back to the one person she didn't think she could face right then.
Draco took the time out to think of what he would say to her. 'Ginny we need to hurry up and get along or my father or Voldemort will have to kill you.' didn't seem appropriate to him. The time passed quickly, and he hadn't gotten any farther than from where he started when Ginny walked in. Her amber eyes went to his instantly, probing his face for any hint on what had gone on.
He couldn't even bring himself to say anything. They sat there, Ginny at the door, Draco still rooted the same place where she had left him.
"I suppose we're both calmed down," Draco managed finally. Ginny looked at him with a confused stare. "We're not elbow to elbow."
"Oh," Ginny said softly. She closed her eyes quickly when the sight of Draco and Harry in the dream came to mind.
Draco shifted on his feet, uncomfortable. They're going to kill her, he thought. Because she's in the way. He cursed under his breath and ran his hand through his hair, looking away. The table still had their dinner sitting, waiting to be eaten. Draco motioned toward it and Ginny who seemed to be thinking of the same thing took the chairs that sat side by his and drug it to the opposite end. The meal seemed frighteningly similar to the one from the earlier one that morning. Less hostility seemed be coming from both of them, but still both were tense and seemed deep within their thoughts.
"What was it," Draco started, looking up at Ginny. "that you seemed so intent on telling me, before we were interrupted."
"I wasn't going to tell you anything," Ginny said quickly, she didn't meet his gaze. She could just imagine his raised eyebrow and that...Malfoy look that would no doubt be on his face that moment.
"You weren't?"
"I was," Ginny continued, "Going to suggest that we start over, the thing from the night before. It didn't go over very well."
There was a frosty silence.
"Well?" Draco finally asked.
"Well what?" Ginny raised her head.
"Start, I believe you're first words of the argument were," he put on a false imitating voice, "'Draco! It's not what you think!'"
"It wasn't!" Ginny started defensively. Draco stared at her, calming her down. "It wasn't," she repeated more quietly.
"I believe that it was," Draco said.
"You asked me to leave," Ginny said.
"Kissing Potter was not in that request,"
"Who are you to tell me who I can or can't kiss?" Ginny asked hotly, "Or when for that matter."
"I don't advise on it," his eye's narrowed, "especially if he only pays attention to you when-" He stopped suddenly.
"When what?" Ginny asked.
"I'm not the one who should be defending myself at this point, just tell me what happened so you can get it off your chest and so we can move on," Draco snapped.
Ginny wanted to press the issue, but she couldn't right at the moment. For some reason she needed to have him understand what had happened in the hallway.
"Harry...Harry had come to give me my butterbeer I left in the common room," Draco snorted, but she ignored it, "I talked to him, and I was about to go in and well talk to you to figure out what was wrong when, he kissed me."
"What did you say to him?"
"That isn't any of your business," Ginny flushed.
"But Ginny," Draco said bitterly, "what a woman says to man can be very provoking and misleading."
"I told him how I felt right then,"
"More detail,"
Ginny's flush was no longer one of embarrassment but one of anger. "I told him I was confused on how I felt about with him. I confess Draco! You're constant...reminders of how Harry seems to pay attention to me just because I'm not with him all the time, got to me! And I told him that, I told him I had doubts..."
Draco was silent.
"And then you open the door, and I tried to explain, but you wouldn't listen-"
"I did too listen!" Draco cut her off, angry.
"You did not, you didn't even listen to the words I was trying to say. You just set your mind on that I did it and it was my fault."
"You're stuttering's were suppose to convince me otherwise?" Draco smirked.
"They weren't stutters," Ginny yelled, she was standing now, her goblet clenched in her hand tightly.
"You didn't seem to be able to make up your mind whether you enjoyed it or not,"
"That's not even the problem!"
Draco gave her an icy stare. "This starting over business didn't help you at all."
Ginny stood there, glaring daggers at Draco. Then suddenly, she threw the contents of her goblet into his smirking face before stalking off to the bathroom.
Draco was utterly surprised that she had even dared to do that to him. To throw her...pumpkin juice, in his face and the run off was an indignity. He didn't have to stand though, the spell was pulling him toward her since they were too far apart.
"What the hell are you trying to pull, Ginny?" Draco roared, outside the bathroom.
"Go away!" he heard her muffled voice cry from inside. Draco was too consumed with his self-indignity and anger at the moment to heed her. He reached for the door handle and tried to turn it. She'd locked it.
"Open the door," Draco called.
"Just leave me alone, Draco!"
Draco drew his wand and pointed it at the door, "Alohomora!" The door burst open with a cracking pop. Ginny shrieked and turned away from him when he did the spell. He reached out and grabbed Ginny by the arm, turning her around. Ginny was resisting as much as she could, despite the fact that he was at least a foot taller and much stronger than she was. His grip on her arm relaxed when he saw her tear streaked, red face.
"You are such an asshole," Ginny said softly.
And for the second time, Ginny found a boy kissing her, without realizing it. Her eyes widened, she didn't lean into the kiss this time, and something pushed her away from him. It was Draco, who had turned abruptly away and closed the damaged door behind him. Leaving a distraught, and shocked Ginny standing in the middle of the bathroom.
Ginny's hand went up to her mouth and she brushed her lips where Draco's had been just a moment before. He tasted like pumpkin juice, she thought. And somewhere inside her, smiled.
A/N: Lots of author notes? Yes indeed. Thank you everyone who reviewed, unfortunately my computers wacky and only gives me the last 15 names that reviewed. But if you're name isn't mentioned below, my deepest apologizes, thank you very much for reviewing.
Stuntwoman, Hermione Gulliver, Dauphen, Blondie Gurl, Meagan Malfoy, Lady Voldemort, Pyrobunnie,
Sorry this chapter took long! Thank you for reviewing (MOCHA!!! MORE OF THE SEQUEL!!!!) Peace ^_^
-Archer
