Disclaimer: I know this is shocking news, but I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, places, ideas, etc. associated with him and his world. All those great things belong to JK Rowling.
A/N: I had not planned on writing a second chapter, but I realized that I ended the story rather abruptly. Here is my attempt to tie up all the loose ends. Don't forget to review at the end.
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If one wishes to find a quiet place at Hogwarts on a Friday afternoon, then one need not look further than the library. Except for a few study-holics, the room is practically deserted after classes end and the weekend begins, yet we find Ginny sitting at a table with a discarded potions book lying in front of her, enjoying this kind of peace. Please do not think that Ginny usually spends her Friday afternoons in this manner, but she currently needed a place to relax and think. Her mind was torn between worrying about Charlie, being angry with Ron for not telling her the "grown-up" news himself, and pondering Draco's odd behavior. Of course, fretting about Charlie was not helping the situation at all, so she tried to be optimistic and avoid the issue. Thinking about Ron was not much better, since his reason for not telling her about Charlie was "you would just cry and mope around like a baby." Well, she would most certainly not do that! Draco, however, was a completely different subject.
During the previous day's eventful morning, Draco had continued to keep her hand in his while they walked towards the castle entrance, until Ron, Harry, and Hermione had come out of the front doors, heading towards the green houses for Herbology. He had suddenly left her before her brother and his friends saw them together, which gave her another reason to be upset with Ron, even though she could not figure out why she should be mad about losing Draco's company. After having a screaming match with Ron while Hermione and Harry both tried to calm them down, Ginny had finally returned to the castle and gone to her Transfiguration class. Naturally, her mind had wandered to the same topics it was now focused on as she sat in the library. Why would Draco Malfoy want to go against everything his family believed, and when did he start showing sympathy towards any of the Weasleys? She was completely and utterly vexed.
"Excuse me," a voice squeaked near her elbow. Ginny turned her head to discover an anxious looking first year Hufflepuff boy looking at her. "Are you Ginny Weasley?" She replied in the affirmative. "Umm, I'm supposed to give you this." He handed her a letter before hurrying out of the library. Ginny stared at the letter in her hands, quickly forgetting the boy who delivered it. It was merely a piece of parchment folded in half with no address written on it. She frowned at the thought of having to deal with another letter, but her curious fingers unfolded the paper in spite of her fears.
Weasley,
Are you feeling any better today? I don't think you could look any more horrible than you did yesterday, but you never know how pathetic a weasel can be. I am sitting in the stacks right now while I work on a letter to my mother. Why you spend your weekends in the library is beyond me. Maybe you should spend less time around Granger. Keep up the studying if you want to become just as fascinating as she is.
Draco Malfoy
Was Draco actually inviting her to join him in his own strange, round-about way? Ginny glanced around and spotted him in the Arithmancy section with a quill in his hand, leaning over a piece of parchment. Should she stay, or should she go? Without thinking too much, she quickly rose and walked gracefully, well, with as much grace as she could, towards Draco. "Hello Weasley," he said without looking up. "Finally get sick of studying, or did your eyes play out?"
Ginny ignored her initial urge to leave and sat down next to him. "Hi Draco," she responded in a chipper voice. "Such a smashing day, wouldn't you agree?" Draco merely raised an eyebrow at her unexpected response but remained focused on his letter. "And what is this Weasley business about?" she continued in her normal tone. "I thought we had made it past the last name stage, but I suppose some things never change."
He kept writing as if she had said nothing at all. After a few moments of silence, he put his quill down. "What do you think of this?" he asked, shoving the piece of parchment towards her. Her eyes instantly focused on the words written evenly across the paper she held in her hands.
Dear Mother,
My last letter was definitely not meant to be taken in jest. I have no intention of becoming a Death Eater, and I will not allow myself to be forced into doing something I do not wish to do. After all, you and Father have always let me have my way, so my nature is not accustomed to opposition. I had hoped that you might understand my position, Mother, but I suppose I was wrong. I have made my decision. No matter how many times you say I am tarnishing the Malfoy name or claim you will impose a life I do not want upon me, I will always remain firm in my choice. There will no longer be any need for you to speak with me on this subject.
Your Son,
Draco
"I think it gets your point across in a very direct way," Ginny said once she had digested the meaning of his letter. Draco was certainly committed to being on the good side and going against his parents, and she had no genuine idea why. She suddenly turned her eyes towards him and discovered he was studying her intently, but he turned his face from her a moment later. "Have you told anyone else about your intentions?"
He cleared his throat and replied in a low tone, "I've spoken with Dumbledore and Snape on the matter. They were quite surprised when I told them, especially Snape." He took the letter back from Ginny, allowing his hand to brush hers. "I suppose I just signed my own death warrant," he said while looking at the piece of parchment and letting a strange smirk crept across his face. Suddenly, he allowed his intense gray eyes to freely stare at Ginny. "Am I doing the right thing?" She opened her mouth to reply, but he silenced her with a wave of his hand. "Don't answer that question, Ginny. How are you feeling today, anyway?"
Obviously, he wanted to change the subject, and she followed his lead. After all, he was using her first name again, so she was willing to hold a civilized conversation with him. "I'm feeling okay. Part of me is still worried about Charlie, and the other part is furious with Ron." She told him everything she had been thinking and feeling since she had last seen him, except anything concerning him of course. Surprisingly, he listened to her worries and troubles and was very polite. However, without warning, she asked, "Why?"
His sympathetic expression changed to one of several mixed emotions. "Because," he began, "I've seen far too many things for my conscious to let me do anything else. I am not the same boy I was when I first came to Hogwarts. I was arrogant and conceited, and I never thought of anyone but myself. But my father," he said the word as if it were poison, "showed me things I would rather forget. Now I want to be everything that he's not." Abruptly, he paused and let a smile grace his face. "You know your eyes are beautiful. I almost lose myself in their brown depths."
Ginny gave him a playful slap on the arm. "Trying to distract me by using flattery, huh? Well, I'm afraid that won't work on me, Draco. And that was horribly corny. 'I almost lose myself in their brown depths,'" she said dramatically while she grabbed her heart. "Honestly, I don't come across as a girl foolish enough to swallow that kind of sweetness, do I?" She giggled despite her best attempts to remain serious.
"Then maybe this will work," he said before leaning over and giving her a brief kiss. All she could do in response was blush and look at him in surprise. "Now I'll know what to do next time." He took her hand in his and stood up, causing her to rise with him. "Let's go to the Owlery, so I can get this blasted letter mailed." Ginny smiled to herself and felt happy for the first time since breakfast the previous morning.
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A/N: And that's all she wrote. Is "study-holics" an actually word? I was trying to keep with the theme of letters, so did it work okay? I guess it got sort of sappy towards the end, but I'm a sap at heart. Tell me what you think by reviewing. By the way, if anyone is worried about Charlie's fate, it all turns out fine in the end. I'll let ya'll work out the exact details.