Disclaimer: None of this is mine, except the dumb plot. ^-^
10. Too Late
New Years Eve
It was full morning by the time Draco appeared with Ginny on his arm, back at the burrow.
Molly and Arthur were the only ones awake, and were talking in the kitchen over coffee when he dragged in.
Molly let out an ear – piercing shriek at the sight of her daughter, and Draco collapsed into a chair at the table, weakly scrabbling for one of the cloth napkins folded neatly upon it. He watched Ginny's parents weep and hug the girl, and tied the piece of cloth around his bleeding forearm. He was pressing another to his cheekbone when a clatter of footsteps thundered down the staircase, and moments later, Granger, Weasley and Potter fell into the room, looking around bleary eyed, their wands in hand.
They all shouted when they saw Ginny, and Potter's shoulders slumped in relief. He straightened his crooked glasses. "Thank God! When I heard that shriek, I thought we were being attacked by Voldemort!"
Everyone gasped. Harry blushed. "Er, sorry – I meant 'he who cannot be named'."
"You weren't far off," Draco murmured absently, and everyone finally turned to look at him.
"What the bloody hell happened to you?" Exclaimed Ron incredulously, and normally it would have earned him a smack from his mother, but Molly Weasley had finally noticed the blood, and was gaping.
"Oh, good lord!"
Draco laid his head on the table, feeling too weak to hold it up any longer, and looked fuzzily at Ginny's white face before he passed out.
~***~
Draco woke up to hot, throbbing pain in his cheek, and arm.
He opened his eyes, shifting uncomfortably, and saw he was back in his bed at the burrow.
"He's awake," he heard a soft voice murmur, and he moved his eyes slowly to see who it belonged to. He was too scared to move his head – it felt like it had been swollen to twice its size.
He narrowed his eyes when he saw Madam Pomfrey standing above him. Had the wounds been so bad they'd had to bother calling the poor woman from the bloody school?
"Draco?"
His eyes moved to see Ginny standing on the opposite side of the bed. He watched her and she dropped her eyes, taking his hand nervously.
Draco tried to sit up, but Pomfrey, that old dragon, pushed him right back down.
"You're going to stay right here in this bed and rest for a few more hours, young man. I'm not going to have my work damaged just because you're too stubborn to stay down."
Draco opened his mouth to tell her off, but she abruptly turned and left the room, and he was left with Ginny.
"How do you feel?"
He rolled his eyes. "How do I look?"
"Not as bad as you think…Madam Pomfrey did her best – she healed everything, mostly, but you'll be stuck with scars. Pansy poisoned the blade…and even though Madam Pomfrey cleared that out of your blood stream with no problem, it's somehow keeping her from healing the scars. They'll be tender for a while."
Draco sighed roughly. "Poison on the blade. That dirty, evil, underhanded bitch - she always has been one for excess. It's no wonder my bloody head feels like it's about to fall off."
Ginny stroked his palm, sending tingles up his arm. She kept her head down as she spoke. "I guess you want to know what happened to me."
"You don't have to tell me anything, Gin, unless you want to. I know what they're capable of." He moved his hand to carefully wrap it around her forearm. "It doesn't matter, what happened. You're still you. You haven't changed."
"I have. That's just it, Draco. I really have." She looked at him, and the change she was speaking of was there in her eyes. He'd seen it before…
"I grew up, fast. These past few weeks have shown me what hell is like –don't ask me to tell you what happened, I can't even remember a lot of it…but it changed me. What I do remember, I don't want to."
"Ginny…"
"I don't even know if I can trust myself anymore…everything is so different…I mean, I don't think I received the mark for any other reason than to torture me – or my father, for working against Voldemort…"
"I love you, Ginny."
Draco could have bitten off his tongue for saying it – but it had seemed like the right time to make his feelings known…
She stepped away from him, and shook her head sadly. "How can you say that? I tried to kill you!"
"It wasn't you, Gin," he protested, his chest aching intensely.
"It doesn't matter, Draco. It's too late for that. Things change. And I - I don't love you…" she bit her lip, and tears sparkled in her eyes before she whirled and left the room.
Draco stared after her in shock, before the hurt settled in, filling the sudden hollow in his chest. She's just a Weasley, he tried to tell himself numbly, staring at the ceiling. It wasn't a big deal – so what if she didn't love him? It didn't matter…he didn't need her. He didn't need anybody.
Tears pushed themselves stubbornly out of his eyes and trickled down his temples into his hair and he reminded himself fiercely that Malfoy's didn't cry. Not ever.
Draco closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep – when he woke up, he'd go home, and get the hell away from this family that made him feel far too much…and forget all about Ginny Weasley.
~***~
Ginny sat in her room alone, staring out the window at the snow that had begun to fall,
Everything still felt so surreal. She couldn't believe she was really at home.
She looked down at her sweater sleeve, which covered the hated mark on her forearm, and shivered, wondering if she'd ever really feel safe again.
Ginny tried not to think about the things that had happened, but the memories were there, always there, waiting at the back of her mind to jump out at her when she went to sleep…she shook herself and went to the door. It was near midnight, and her Mum had wanted them all to be together for the New Year.
She ran into Draco coming out of Percy's room in the hall.
Swallowing, she looked at the disheveled state of his silvery hair, which had grown longer since she'd seen him last, and noted the familiar coldness in his hooded eyes which looked tired and bruised, before she dropped hers to stare at the bags in his hands.
"You're leaving," she heard herself say flatly.
He smirked, though it seemed he actually had to make an effort to do so. "Perceptive of you." He walked past her, leaving her alone in the hallway, and she felt her lip tremble as she bit back tears.
She walked along behind him, staring at the back of his head, the broadness of his shoulders in his black and green robes. She'd told the biggest lie she'd ever told anyone to him that day, and she really doubted her ability to stand it for much longer. But she had to – she couldn't trust herself around Draco. She gave a watery chuckle and he paused momentarily before starting down the narrow stairs.
Had she ever been able to trust herself around him? Probably not…
She'd have to stay away from him, with Pansy still lurking about. She didn't want to end up really killing him…she loved him too much to risk being too close to him.
It was really a pity. Her family, except for Ron of course, seemed to have really taken to him. Percy and the twins had shown up earlier in the day to welcome her home, and after Draco had finally woken up, he'd been introduced to them. They had been stand offish at first, but after a few games of chess, and a few mugs of butter beer, they'd been talking like old friends…yes, everyone had definitely taken a liking to him…her Mum especially…
Ginny drew up short when she entered the kitchen, to see her mother hugging Draco Malfoy as if she'd never let him go. It would have been funny if the woman hadn't been crying.
Ginny had hardly ever seen her Mum cry like that.
She watched Draco return the hug awkwardly, and then he pulled away with an uncomfortable noise. Ron actually stepped forward to shake his hand, and Draco looked at his outstretched hand for a moment before shaking it briefly. Harry did the same, and then her father and brothers. Finally, Ginny watched disbelievingly as Hermione grabbed the tall boy up in a sudden hug, and whispered something in his ear that made his cheeks flush.
"Oh! Look! Less than a minute!" Her mother pointed at the clock excitedly and took her fathers hand. "Stay Draco, won't you? Just for a moment."
Draco nodded tautly and his eyes flickered over to meet Ginny's.
"Ten, nine, eight – "
Ginny stared back him, her heart feeling as if it were lying in the pit of her stomach.
"- Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one – Happy New Year's!!!"
Draco looked away as the rest of them cheered, and Ron, Fred, George and Harry set off the no heat fireworks that sent red and green sparks dancing merrily all over the kitchen.
She watched him decline a glass of sparkling white grape juice, and saw her mother kiss him on the cheek. He patted her Mum's hand awkwardly, thanking her for her hospitality, and disappeared into the living room.
Unable to stop herself, Ginny followed, only to see the tail of his robe disappear our the front door as he closed it behind him, leaving her in a rush of bitterly cold air, and rapidly melting drifting flakes of snow…
TBC
(A/N: Wow, two chapters in one day - what's the world coming to? ^_^ Anybody know where this is headed? ::grins:: Anyway, next chapter up A.S.A.P. Hope you liked it! ~Lee)
10. Too Late
New Years Eve
It was full morning by the time Draco appeared with Ginny on his arm, back at the burrow.
Molly and Arthur were the only ones awake, and were talking in the kitchen over coffee when he dragged in.
Molly let out an ear – piercing shriek at the sight of her daughter, and Draco collapsed into a chair at the table, weakly scrabbling for one of the cloth napkins folded neatly upon it. He watched Ginny's parents weep and hug the girl, and tied the piece of cloth around his bleeding forearm. He was pressing another to his cheekbone when a clatter of footsteps thundered down the staircase, and moments later, Granger, Weasley and Potter fell into the room, looking around bleary eyed, their wands in hand.
They all shouted when they saw Ginny, and Potter's shoulders slumped in relief. He straightened his crooked glasses. "Thank God! When I heard that shriek, I thought we were being attacked by Voldemort!"
Everyone gasped. Harry blushed. "Er, sorry – I meant 'he who cannot be named'."
"You weren't far off," Draco murmured absently, and everyone finally turned to look at him.
"What the bloody hell happened to you?" Exclaimed Ron incredulously, and normally it would have earned him a smack from his mother, but Molly Weasley had finally noticed the blood, and was gaping.
"Oh, good lord!"
Draco laid his head on the table, feeling too weak to hold it up any longer, and looked fuzzily at Ginny's white face before he passed out.
~***~
Draco woke up to hot, throbbing pain in his cheek, and arm.
He opened his eyes, shifting uncomfortably, and saw he was back in his bed at the burrow.
"He's awake," he heard a soft voice murmur, and he moved his eyes slowly to see who it belonged to. He was too scared to move his head – it felt like it had been swollen to twice its size.
He narrowed his eyes when he saw Madam Pomfrey standing above him. Had the wounds been so bad they'd had to bother calling the poor woman from the bloody school?
"Draco?"
His eyes moved to see Ginny standing on the opposite side of the bed. He watched her and she dropped her eyes, taking his hand nervously.
Draco tried to sit up, but Pomfrey, that old dragon, pushed him right back down.
"You're going to stay right here in this bed and rest for a few more hours, young man. I'm not going to have my work damaged just because you're too stubborn to stay down."
Draco opened his mouth to tell her off, but she abruptly turned and left the room, and he was left with Ginny.
"How do you feel?"
He rolled his eyes. "How do I look?"
"Not as bad as you think…Madam Pomfrey did her best – she healed everything, mostly, but you'll be stuck with scars. Pansy poisoned the blade…and even though Madam Pomfrey cleared that out of your blood stream with no problem, it's somehow keeping her from healing the scars. They'll be tender for a while."
Draco sighed roughly. "Poison on the blade. That dirty, evil, underhanded bitch - she always has been one for excess. It's no wonder my bloody head feels like it's about to fall off."
Ginny stroked his palm, sending tingles up his arm. She kept her head down as she spoke. "I guess you want to know what happened to me."
"You don't have to tell me anything, Gin, unless you want to. I know what they're capable of." He moved his hand to carefully wrap it around her forearm. "It doesn't matter, what happened. You're still you. You haven't changed."
"I have. That's just it, Draco. I really have." She looked at him, and the change she was speaking of was there in her eyes. He'd seen it before…
"I grew up, fast. These past few weeks have shown me what hell is like –don't ask me to tell you what happened, I can't even remember a lot of it…but it changed me. What I do remember, I don't want to."
"Ginny…"
"I don't even know if I can trust myself anymore…everything is so different…I mean, I don't think I received the mark for any other reason than to torture me – or my father, for working against Voldemort…"
"I love you, Ginny."
Draco could have bitten off his tongue for saying it – but it had seemed like the right time to make his feelings known…
She stepped away from him, and shook her head sadly. "How can you say that? I tried to kill you!"
"It wasn't you, Gin," he protested, his chest aching intensely.
"It doesn't matter, Draco. It's too late for that. Things change. And I - I don't love you…" she bit her lip, and tears sparkled in her eyes before she whirled and left the room.
Draco stared after her in shock, before the hurt settled in, filling the sudden hollow in his chest. She's just a Weasley, he tried to tell himself numbly, staring at the ceiling. It wasn't a big deal – so what if she didn't love him? It didn't matter…he didn't need her. He didn't need anybody.
Tears pushed themselves stubbornly out of his eyes and trickled down his temples into his hair and he reminded himself fiercely that Malfoy's didn't cry. Not ever.
Draco closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep – when he woke up, he'd go home, and get the hell away from this family that made him feel far too much…and forget all about Ginny Weasley.
~***~
Ginny sat in her room alone, staring out the window at the snow that had begun to fall,
Everything still felt so surreal. She couldn't believe she was really at home.
She looked down at her sweater sleeve, which covered the hated mark on her forearm, and shivered, wondering if she'd ever really feel safe again.
Ginny tried not to think about the things that had happened, but the memories were there, always there, waiting at the back of her mind to jump out at her when she went to sleep…she shook herself and went to the door. It was near midnight, and her Mum had wanted them all to be together for the New Year.
She ran into Draco coming out of Percy's room in the hall.
Swallowing, she looked at the disheveled state of his silvery hair, which had grown longer since she'd seen him last, and noted the familiar coldness in his hooded eyes which looked tired and bruised, before she dropped hers to stare at the bags in his hands.
"You're leaving," she heard herself say flatly.
He smirked, though it seemed he actually had to make an effort to do so. "Perceptive of you." He walked past her, leaving her alone in the hallway, and she felt her lip tremble as she bit back tears.
She walked along behind him, staring at the back of his head, the broadness of his shoulders in his black and green robes. She'd told the biggest lie she'd ever told anyone to him that day, and she really doubted her ability to stand it for much longer. But she had to – she couldn't trust herself around Draco. She gave a watery chuckle and he paused momentarily before starting down the narrow stairs.
Had she ever been able to trust herself around him? Probably not…
She'd have to stay away from him, with Pansy still lurking about. She didn't want to end up really killing him…she loved him too much to risk being too close to him.
It was really a pity. Her family, except for Ron of course, seemed to have really taken to him. Percy and the twins had shown up earlier in the day to welcome her home, and after Draco had finally woken up, he'd been introduced to them. They had been stand offish at first, but after a few games of chess, and a few mugs of butter beer, they'd been talking like old friends…yes, everyone had definitely taken a liking to him…her Mum especially…
Ginny drew up short when she entered the kitchen, to see her mother hugging Draco Malfoy as if she'd never let him go. It would have been funny if the woman hadn't been crying.
Ginny had hardly ever seen her Mum cry like that.
She watched Draco return the hug awkwardly, and then he pulled away with an uncomfortable noise. Ron actually stepped forward to shake his hand, and Draco looked at his outstretched hand for a moment before shaking it briefly. Harry did the same, and then her father and brothers. Finally, Ginny watched disbelievingly as Hermione grabbed the tall boy up in a sudden hug, and whispered something in his ear that made his cheeks flush.
"Oh! Look! Less than a minute!" Her mother pointed at the clock excitedly and took her fathers hand. "Stay Draco, won't you? Just for a moment."
Draco nodded tautly and his eyes flickered over to meet Ginny's.
"Ten, nine, eight – "
Ginny stared back him, her heart feeling as if it were lying in the pit of her stomach.
"- Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one – Happy New Year's!!!"
Draco looked away as the rest of them cheered, and Ron, Fred, George and Harry set off the no heat fireworks that sent red and green sparks dancing merrily all over the kitchen.
She watched him decline a glass of sparkling white grape juice, and saw her mother kiss him on the cheek. He patted her Mum's hand awkwardly, thanking her for her hospitality, and disappeared into the living room.
Unable to stop herself, Ginny followed, only to see the tail of his robe disappear our the front door as he closed it behind him, leaving her in a rush of bitterly cold air, and rapidly melting drifting flakes of snow…
TBC
(A/N: Wow, two chapters in one day - what's the world coming to? ^_^ Anybody know where this is headed? ::grins:: Anyway, next chapter up A.S.A.P. Hope you liked it! ~Lee)