Disclaimer: The characters and places in this fanfic (Except Mei Lien Chang) belong to J.K. Rowling and respective companies. I do not claim anything in this story except the plot and Mei Lien (Maybe some other new characters coming up in later chapters, which will be stated.) This fic also contains situations that warrant the PG-13 rating. Please enjoy! =)

Still It Rains

How long have you been lost down here?
Where did you come to lose your way?
When did you realize that you'd never be free…?

-Miranda Sex Garden

Chapter 2: Solace in the Storm

Ginny returned to her sixth year dorm from the infirmary after the bruise on her cheek had been healed and after she had taken a warm, cleansing shower. Sighing heavily, she leaned back against the door, pressing it firmly shut. Thankfully, the dorm was vacant. Ginny could use the time to herself for a change. She moved across the cozy, circular room to her four poster and drew back the wispy scarlet curtain. Without hesitation, she threw herself on the comfortable mattress and stared longingly through the curtains and out of the window on the opposite wall.

Now that everything was quiet and peaceful, her mind began to roam heedlessly to the events earlier in the day. She could have sworn she heard Pansy squeal something about keeping her hands off of 'her man.' She made the torrid realization as the couple of brief recent encounters with Malfoy surfaced in her thoughts. Pansy has always fancied herself as Malfoy's girl, although he usually seemed genuinely uninterested in her.

A light knock at the door roused Ginny from contemplation. She glanced over as the door swung open slowly, causing the entire room to breathe and the windows to inhale the gauzy gold and crimson curtains against their open frames.

"Ginny?" A small voice called. It was Mei Lien, probably concerned after catching up on the latest gossip that occurred in the courtyard after she had gone to her classes.

"Yeah? Come in, I'm just lamenting as usual." Ginny mused, peering through the canopy curtains. Mei walked to Ginny's side of the room and sat in the red velvet reading chair, facing Ginny. Ginny pushed the curtains wide and perched on the side of the bed, her legs crossed and her shoulders slouched.

"I heard that Pansy beat you up." Mei said, concern dripping from her demure voice. Ginny made a face, groaning. She knew the situation would become twisted and contrived as it traveled from one loose mouth to the next.

"Well, I guess she tried to. I don't even know why though, something about how I was touching her man."

"Who is her man?"

"You know how she always hangs off that prat, Malfoy? Well, I think she meant…"

"You were touching Malfoy!?"

"No, I…"

"Ginny, I thought you loved Harry?" Mei had scooted up to the edge of her seat.

"I don't love Harry. I never touched Malfoy, either—let me clarify that. Anyway…Mei, I thought I loved Harry, but I was so young. It's just infatuation that I can't seem to get over. I have accepted the fact that he'll just see me as his best friend's little sister and nothing more." Ginny paused for a long while, the emotion beginning to build up in her chest. She didn't even know what love was…right? Sometimes she wanted to believe that, other times she couldn't think of any other way to describe how she felt about Harry. Every time she looked at him…

"You never know, maybe one day he'll open his eyes. He isn't even dating my sister anymore. You know they decided to break up after she graduated…he probably doesn't think of her anymore." Mei consoled, moving to sit next to Ginny on the bed. She wished she hadn't brought Harry up at all, knowing that on the surface Ginny put on a mask of strength and spirit, but underneath she was deeper than the ocean.

Ginny sighed. "Really, that doesn't matter to me. I've moved on, gotten over it, however you'd want to say it." Somehow actually saying that out loud helped a little. Unsure exactly how she got off on that tangent, she hoped that Mei had not taken her rambling as a hint of suppressed feelings. She stood from the bed and grabbed her hooded cloak. "I'm going for a walk," she stated while sweeping the verdant material around her slender shoulders. "I'll be back in a little while, I need some fresh air."

"I'll come with you." Mei stood and smoothed out her dark Ravenclaw robes.

"I kind of want to have some time to myself. You know, to think. I hope you don't mind…" Ginny said, teetering on the verge of guilt.

"Oh, okay. I understand. I hope you feel better, Ginny. Don't let that Parkinson girl bother you though. I'm sure she's the type of girl who'd be jealous if someone so much as sat in the same room with Malfoy." Mei suggested, truly worried about her friend.

Ginny smiled meekly, opened the door and headed down the stairs to the common room. She glanced back to Mei, who was following behind, before she stepped over the threshold as the entrance painting swung open, "Yeah, she must have seen me walk passed him or something—how risqué. Well, thanks for understanding, I'll probably stop by and see you later."

"All right. If I'm not in the common room, look for me in the library." Mei smiled brightly, then took off down the hallway towards the Ravenclaw dormitory.

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The halls of Hogwarts were alive this evening with the bustle of students meandering on their way to whatever destination they had in mind. Ginny dodged a few mindless wanderers and gossiping witches on her way to the courtyard, and slipped through unnoticed to the grounds. Regardless of the fact that the sky threatened rain at any moment, she continued on her way to the lake.

Around the edges of the lake curled a worn trail that appeared to have been forged by the footsteps of students trodding on the grass over the course of many years. As she reached the trail, she gazed momentarily over the surface of the lake. The water was uncomfortably still and reflected the looming clouds as if to warn Ginny that the sky was about to fall. Shivering with the mid-autumn breeze, she gathered the cloak around her shoulders tighter and continued along the trail.

The worn trail carried Ginny away from the lake so that it paralleled the Hogwarts Express train tracks. Squinting, she could almost make out them just over the horizon. It was getting too dark to see them clearly, and so she aligned her vision straight ahead in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. She had traveled this path more times than she could remember, however the idea of walking along side the dark and unnatural forest always managed to give her chills.

Just ahead, she could make out the resting bench, which was shrouded by a small grove of saplings and newly planted flowerbeds. The second and third years had worked on this project in Herbology, and therefore the flowers and saplings were of a wizarding variety—not to be found anywhere in the muggle world. Ginny sat on the bench, facing away from the foreboding forest, and stared over the long stretch of land between her and the cliffs of Hogwarts. Thunder rolled lazily through the sky in the distance, which brought Ginny's attention back to the clouds. She could observe them bubbling and shifting, building up for the storm that would soon drench the land. Even though there was threat of tumultuous rain, she couldn't help but feel calm.

The serene moment alone was soon interrupted by an all too familiar silky drawl. "Ahh, look. I found a weasel. Not often that you see wildlife lazing around this close to the Forbidden Forest." Ginny could practically hear the sneer in the timbre of his voice.

"What's this? A talking ferret?" Ginny taunted as she glanced at Draco sidelong. Feeling slightly perturbed that she had found him even remotely attractive during their encounter in The Three Broomsticks, she was sure that it would never happen again.

The corner of Draco's mouth twitched as if he would smirk, but he was able to display a visage of indifference as he afforded her his gaze. "Aw. How cute…an attempt to hurt my feelings." Ginny glared at him, annoyed beyond comprehension at his deft tongue. Knowing there was not a chance in the world for her to compete with his clever comebacks, she just stood and began to walk away.

"Oh, I don't think so, Weasley. I'll not have you walk away from me a third time. We were just beginning to be…pals." Draco followed after her, the smirk finally gracing his angular countenance. Noticing that Ginny had picked up her pace to get away from him, he reached out and grabbed her shoulder, causing her to flail.

"Get your hands OFF me!" She wheeled around to face him while swiping his hand away harshly. "Do you think I am going to just put up with your childish bullying? Pals? I hardly think so. It's about to storm, if you haven't noticed, so I am going inside before I get soaked. What are you doing out here anyway? Trying to follow me? Going to set me up again so that terrible girlfriend of yours will attack me out of nowhere in the courtyard?"

Draco hardly appeared to be affected by her berating tone. She was undoubtedly attractive when she was angry, he thought. The way her face blushed with the heat of fury and how the fiery auburn tresses framed her heart-shaped face to enhance the light dapple of ginger freckles. He followed the contour of her neck, noticing how the fiery strands of hair brushed against her flesh and fell back behind her shoulders, pooling into the slightly gaping hood of her cloak. Realizing he had just spent the last few moments staring at her, he quickly stiffened and resorted to his typical uninterested demeanor.

"What?" Ginny interjected, destroying the silence. "Have I rendered you speechless?" Draco scoffed at that, lifting his chin in defiance.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. What were you saying?" He breathed a sigh of relief that he was able to take control of the conversation once again.

"You are such a prat, Malfoy." Glaring up at him, she brushed a stray strand of hair from her cinnamon flecked brown eyes. A few drops of rain began to fall, and she turned around to leave. She just wasn't going to put up with him anymore. This was turning out to be one of the worst days she has had in a while.

"Pull your hood up, Weasley. You wouldn't want to mess your hair up even further in the rain." Draco followed after her, his casual gait causing him to fall behind a few feet. Ginny paused on the trail and pulled up her hood—just in time for the downpour. Rain began to fall in thick sheets, pelting them like a shower of shrapnel. Draco swore loudly and pulled up his hood, tendrils of silvery blond hair now sticking to his temples. Ginny laughed at him, whirling around. Her hood fell back with her movement and she allowed the rain to soak her hair without a worry.

Draco was not amused. "Keep going and stop prancing around like an idiot."

"Oh, lighten up. It's not like you're going to melt or anything. You don't have to walk with me, you know. If you want to hurry up go right ahead." Ginny flashed him a playful grin as she stomped in a puddle, splashing murky rainwater everywhere. Draco rolled his eyes and sighed, quickening his pace. He knew he shouldn't have come out here to take a walk when the threat of rain was so obvious. Not wanting to outright admit she was right, he continued to walk swiftly away from her. Ginny remained where he left her, watching his retreating back. The rain began to soak through her cloak, and she groaned, realizing she had forgotten to put on her Hogwarts uniform robes. Slowly, she began to walk. Now that she was soaking wet, she really felt no need to hurry for shelter.

A strobe flash of lightning illuminated the early evening sky, followed by a roar of thunder. Ginny gasped at the sudden violence that the storm was beginning to unleash and broke into a sprint. She ran, frightened, straight for Draco, who appeared much less concerned than she. Another peal of thunder howled through the sky, and the wind whipped through Draco's robes. He was very thankful he had worn his Hogwarts robes, so he appeared to be dry. The locks of silvery hair that had slipped from their place before he pulled on his hood were beginning to dry against his forehead and temples. As Ginny caught up with him, she couldn't help but feel a little more protected from the elements with him walking next to her. Draco shifted his eyes to peer down at her and smirked slightly. Blinking away the rain, Ginny forced herself to look away from him. Just because she was relieved that she wasn't alone didn't mean she enjoyed his company.

The storm raged on as they neared the cliffs, not a word passing between them. The trail led them to the entrance of the courtyard, and Draco paused below a covered walkway.

"Well now. That was a rather nice swim." Draco mused; the mocking tone of his voice barely resonated above a roll of thunder. Ginny scowled at him and grabbed the hem of her robes, wringing out the rainwater. Draco leaned against the wall, just as dry as he was before the rain. He pulled the hood from his head and ran a hand through his hair, slicking it back.

Ginny wrung out her hair, avoiding his sardonic gaze. "Oh, do shut up," she muttered as she pealed off her wet cloak. Hardly noticing the way Draco was staring at her, she proceeded to squeeze the excess water from the hem of the cloak. Draco raised an eyebrow, unable to tear his eyes away from how the drenched cornflower blue wrap skirt clung to her legs, defining her hips, her thighs, and down to her calves. The skirt came to rest at her ankles and was laced with mud and muck. Her shoes were nowhere near their original color and he scarcely cared to guess as his eyes trailed back up her willowy figure. The white peasant blouse stuck to her skin, yet there was a flowery pattern sewn around the drawstring which almost obscured his view of her bra. He felt slightly guilty, staring at her as if she were some wanton sex goddess.

Ginny turned a little, reaching down to wring out the hem of her skirt. The mud was transferred to her fingers and she cursed softly, feeling nothing short of…gross. Lightning flashed brightly just before she felt something warm being wrapped around her shoulders. She glanced up in time to see Draco smoothing out a bunched hem at the small of her back. His cloak was so warm, and she pulled it around her body tighter.

"Thank you…" Staring up at him intently, she couldn't help but find that gesture rather…uncharacteristic of him. The silver and green Slytherin badge shimmered up at Ginny, and she began to realize just how uncharacteristic of her it was to linger here in his presence.

"Yes, well, next time you go traipsing through the rain, wear a black shirt. That is, unless you don't mind flashing your training bra for all to see."

Ginny went livid with a combination of embarrassment and rage and was about to strike him when a third voice interjected, causing an uncontrollable flutter of butterflies in her stomach.

"Malfoy, what are you doing out here with her?" It was Harry. He looked at Draco, then to Ginny, and back to Draco with eyebrows furrowed. Draco's expression fell into that of bitter resentment at the sight of Harry.

"Harry…" Ginny murmured, biting her lower lip. Had he come out to look for her? She couldn't help but to smile dotingly at the thought.

"Potter, sometimes I think you enjoy creating peril out of every situation you encounter."

"Shut up, Malfoy. I hardly think you're innocent." Harry glared at him, then moved over to Ginny, his face contorted in confusion as to why she was wearing Draco's cloak. Draco narrowed his eyes and watched them impassively for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the sky. The storm had died down to a great degree with only the random heat lightning pulsing through the clouds in the distance. Misty drizzle continued, and fog began to creep up over the grounds.

"Ginny, let's go inside. Here, you can have my cloak…it wouldn't look right if you walked into the common room wearing…that," Harry offered as he began to pull Draco's cloak off of her shoulders. Ginny allowed him to switch the robes while she looked over to Draco intently. He appeared distracted by the weather, and she couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked in the ethereal darkness. The only light was that from the torches that flanked either side of the entrance door to the castle. Their glow cast long shadows over the courtyard and enhanced the silvery strands of Draco's hair. She caught herself staring and quickly looked back to Harry, who was fastening the brooch of his cloak at her throat. Smiling, she delighted in gazing up into Harry's profound green eyes.

"How touching." Draco drawled, hardly finding the moment touching. Harry shoved the Slytherin cloak in Draco's direction and Draco snatched it from him indignantly. Ginny quietly observed the two of them, wary of the possibility of a fight.

"Go crawl back into that dungeon of yours, Malfoy," Harry said resentfully. He turned to Ginny and gave her a gentle push so that she'd walk with him, "Come on, Ginny. Ron was really worried about you."

"I was fine, really." Ginny felt rather guilty that Harry assumed Draco was up to no good. Although he had been rude, Draco surely didn't do anything to warrant such concern.

"What?" Harry was walking with her now, leaving Draco behind.

"We were just talking."

"I see. You should just be careful around him," Harry said with a whisper. "There are rumors going around about his affiliation with the Death Eaters."

"Yes, I know. I usually don't pay much attention to rumors unless I hear it straight from the mouth of the person who the rumors are about."

"That's good, usually, but this rumor is more of a warning than gossip." Harry added. Ginny glanced back for a moment to find that Draco was gone. She sighed deeply, a mixture of elation and unrest constricting her heart. The moment she had always dreamed of—Harry walking with her and showing concern, was disturbed by the undefined emotions her encounter with Draco had roused.

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Draco clinched his jaw bitterly as he returned to the Slytherin common room. He was greeted by the Slytherins that lounged by the fire, yet he made no response as he made his way to his dorm. Pealing off his robes, he parted the curtain of his four poster and lied down. He rolled up his sleeve and brushed his fingertips over the Dark Mark that glared at him from his forearm. It was inky black, freshly engraved, and stood out starkly from his pale skin.

"You'll always be there to remind me that I'm nothing more than a marionette." A grim smile tugged at his lips. The fiery image of Ginny livid with resentment at his scathing words during their stroll through the rain burned in his mind. He found himself admiring her freedom—but he refused to believe that he was drawn to her. Pulling the sleeve back over the mark, he added, "and that I'll never be free."

A/N: Oh, I'm not anywhere near finished yet. It's just beginning! Thank you to everyone who reviewed Chapter 1, the suggestions and compliments were very helpful. I can only hope you liked this chapter also! =)