CHAPTER EIGHT
"Days go by and still I think of you.Days that I couldn't live my life without you." Ginny sang her favorite Weird Sisters song to herself as she walked outside Hogwarts into the snow. It was late afternoon, and she had trudged in the snow all the way out to the Herbology Greenhouse to find that Herbology was canceled due to the snow and she had the rest of the day off. So she had gotten back up to the Gryffindor common room to find that she had left her Potions book on one of the shelves in the Herbology Greenhouse, so she had had to double back and get it. She walked rather quickly around the lake and was thinking about getting her gloves next time she had to go outside in this weather (her hands were starting to freeze), when she tripped over a large tree root hidden by the snow that sent her onto her knees.
"Ouch. Damn it, I'm such a klutz," Ginny muttered to herself as she stood and dusted her knees off with her hands.
Wait. That wasn't right. Ginny looked around to see her book lying innocently on the frozen bank of the lake about ten feet away. Ginny rummaged in her pockets, and then realized her wand was no good; she had left it in her bag in the Commons Room.
"Figures," Ginny grumbled as she grabbed a large branch from one of the trees hanging over the lake and started climbing down. She carefully made her way to her Potions book and grabbing it, she tossed it up onto the ground above her. She started climbing back up when the branch, made brittle by the cold, gave way, knocking Ginny onto the ice. The ice, not nearly thick enough to hold even her small amount of weight, started to crack.
*Okay. Don't panic. Just try and get out to the middle; the ice is thicker there.*
Unfortunately, Ginny's reasoning was the worst thing she could've done; the ice broke, and Ginny fell into the water.
Ginny thrashed around furiously for a minute, trying to keep her head above water. It was to no avail; her body was slowing down in the freezing water and she was starting to sink. There was no one outside to help her to her knowledge.
*Oh my God. I'm going to die.*
Feeling herself sinking, before her head went under, Ginny did the only thing that she could think of.
She screamed.
When she went under, she tried to breathe by trying to get her face up, but she found nothing but ice above her head. A red haze filled her mind, and she slowly relaxed.
Suddenly, she felt the ice above her break, and a pair of arms grabbing her by her shoulders and pulling her out of the water. Ginny gasped for breath as the air, warmer than the water by comparison, rushed into her lungs and made her spit out the water previously in them.
When she was sitting on the riverbed again and could form a thought in her mind, she looked over at who had saved her.
"For CHRISSAKE Ginny, were you TRYING to kill yourself?!"
None other than Draco Malfoy.
*The fates are just having a glory day with me today aren't they?* Ginny told herself as she tried to get the rest of the feeling into her freezing body.
"God damn you Ginny, what the hell were you trying to do? Go ice skating or something?!" Draco yelled.
Ginny tried to explain about her Potions book, but the words didn't come out between her chattering teeth and blue lips.
Draco stopped his tirade when he looked at her. Something flickered in his steely blue eyes, and he sighed.
"Come on. You're going to get pneumonia or something if you stay out here. Let's go inside." Draco roughly grabbed Ginny by the arms and pulled her into a standing position. When he was sure that Ginny could stand, he pulled off his heavy cloak and put it around her shoulders as they walked indoors.
Draco led Ginny past the Gryffindor Commons. When Ginny pointed this out, Draco threw up his hands and said, "Fine then. I'll let you explain to your little Gryffindor friends why you're soaking wet on a day like this. That's not my problem."
Ginny then shut up and followed Draco down to the dungeons. In front of a rather gory battlefield tapestry, Draco stopped and said, "Wait here. I don't want to have to explain why a Gryffindor is in the Slytherin common room. I'll be right back."
Ginny complied by hanging back. Draco whispered a password, and disappeared behind the tapestry.
Ginny slid down to the stone floor, thinking random thoughts. This was crazy. She was freezing her butt off. She wanted some hot chocolate. She wondered how Draco had known that she was drowning. Especially that thought.
She was starting to wonder what to say in case anybody passed her when Draco came out again, holding a small bundle. She followed him upstairs and into a small classroom, where Draco shut the door. He set the bundle, which were clothes on further inspection, on a desk.
"Sorry that took so long, I had trouble finding anything that didn't have Slytherin written all over it," Draco said, handing Ginny a pair of grey sweatpants and a black long-sleeved t-shirt.
"Here. You and Pansy aren't anywhere near the same size.hell, Pansy and I aren't anywhere near the same size. but they're clean and dry," Draco said.
They both stood there awkwardly for a minute. Draco then realized what Ginny wanted him to do, and muttered a "Sorry," before turning with his back to Ginny. Ginny could've sworn that she saw a blush on Draco's face, but then dismissed the thought as she pulled off her cold, wet clothes and changed into Pansy's.
Draco was right. Pansy's clothes billowed on her, but Ginny didn't really mind; they were indeed dry, so she wouldn't complain. She cleared her throat loudly, signaling to Draco that it was okay for him to turn around. If he found the fact that Ginny might have well been wearing a circus tent for clothing humorous, he didn't show it. He then handed Ginny a large, black hooded sweatshirt. When Ginny wordlessly put it on and zipped it up, she found that it fit her a lot more closely than Pansy's clothing did; it was still big, but not so big that she disappeared in it.
"That's mine. You can keep that; it fits you better anyway."
Ginny scoffed. "It's not my fault that you're so skinny. Look, you turn sideways and you disappear."
"Hey, don't insult a gift horse," Draco said stiffly, but then relaxed as he realized that Ginny was teasing him.
"I'm not going to say anything. It's too easy," Ginny grinned. Draco laughed with Ginny. Ginny was startled to hear Draco laugh; it was as unnerving as seeing him smile for the first time. He had a great laugh, just like he had a great smile.
When Draco saw Ginny looking at him like she had never seen him before, he frowned. "What?"
Ginny shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "Nothing," she laughed nervously, "Just that you should laugh more. You have a great laugh."
Draco looked surprised, but then said, "I would, but it doesn't seem to go along with whole Slytherin persona of being sulky and evil."
Ginny smiled and ran a hand through her wet hair as she glanced over at her watch. "Well, we've missed dinner. I'd better go back to my common room so my friends don't freak out."
Draco frowned again as they walked out of the classroom. "Ah yes. The infamous Potter Gang. Potter and his Merry Men. Whatever you want to call it. Wouldn't want them to worry, oh no."
Ginny stopped. "Draco Malfoy, I think you're jealous!"
Draco stopped also and looked at her like that was the stupidest thing in the world. "Jealous?! Me? Of Potter?! Have you lost your bloody mind? Why would I be jealous of him?"
Ginny laughed. "Okay, whatever you say, Draco."
Draco glared at her. "I am NOT jealous of that goddamn do-gooder Gryffindor! Do you understand me?"
Ginny mirrored Draco's trademark smirk. "Yup."
"Good," Draco snapped as he strode down the hall again. Ginny rolled her eyes. *Boys.* Draco was on a self-preserving ego trip and she was going to ignore him until he stopped.
"As a matter of fact, I despise all Gryffindors," Draco growled.
Ginny stopped him just as they got to the Fat Lady.
She looked up at him. "Then why did you save my life, why did you give me a change of clothes, and why are you walking me back to my common room?" She asked quietly.
For the first time in his life, Draco was uncomfortable under someone's gaze other than his father's. And that scared the hell out of him.
Ginny scoffed and shook her head. "Good night, Draco." She whispered a password to the Fat Lady, who looked dubiously over at Draco before opening and letting Ginny inside.
After the portrait closed again, he said softly, "Because you're not like all of the others, Virginia Weasley." He turned on his heel and walked back down to the dungeons again.
"Days go by and still I think of you.Days that I couldn't live my life without you." Ginny sang her favorite Weird Sisters song to herself as she walked outside Hogwarts into the snow. It was late afternoon, and she had trudged in the snow all the way out to the Herbology Greenhouse to find that Herbology was canceled due to the snow and she had the rest of the day off. So she had gotten back up to the Gryffindor common room to find that she had left her Potions book on one of the shelves in the Herbology Greenhouse, so she had had to double back and get it. She walked rather quickly around the lake and was thinking about getting her gloves next time she had to go outside in this weather (her hands were starting to freeze), when she tripped over a large tree root hidden by the snow that sent her onto her knees.
"Ouch. Damn it, I'm such a klutz," Ginny muttered to herself as she stood and dusted her knees off with her hands.
Wait. That wasn't right. Ginny looked around to see her book lying innocently on the frozen bank of the lake about ten feet away. Ginny rummaged in her pockets, and then realized her wand was no good; she had left it in her bag in the Commons Room.
"Figures," Ginny grumbled as she grabbed a large branch from one of the trees hanging over the lake and started climbing down. She carefully made her way to her Potions book and grabbing it, she tossed it up onto the ground above her. She started climbing back up when the branch, made brittle by the cold, gave way, knocking Ginny onto the ice. The ice, not nearly thick enough to hold even her small amount of weight, started to crack.
*Okay. Don't panic. Just try and get out to the middle; the ice is thicker there.*
Unfortunately, Ginny's reasoning was the worst thing she could've done; the ice broke, and Ginny fell into the water.
Ginny thrashed around furiously for a minute, trying to keep her head above water. It was to no avail; her body was slowing down in the freezing water and she was starting to sink. There was no one outside to help her to her knowledge.
*Oh my God. I'm going to die.*
Feeling herself sinking, before her head went under, Ginny did the only thing that she could think of.
She screamed.
When she went under, she tried to breathe by trying to get her face up, but she found nothing but ice above her head. A red haze filled her mind, and she slowly relaxed.
Suddenly, she felt the ice above her break, and a pair of arms grabbing her by her shoulders and pulling her out of the water. Ginny gasped for breath as the air, warmer than the water by comparison, rushed into her lungs and made her spit out the water previously in them.
When she was sitting on the riverbed again and could form a thought in her mind, she looked over at who had saved her.
"For CHRISSAKE Ginny, were you TRYING to kill yourself?!"
None other than Draco Malfoy.
*The fates are just having a glory day with me today aren't they?* Ginny told herself as she tried to get the rest of the feeling into her freezing body.
"God damn you Ginny, what the hell were you trying to do? Go ice skating or something?!" Draco yelled.
Ginny tried to explain about her Potions book, but the words didn't come out between her chattering teeth and blue lips.
Draco stopped his tirade when he looked at her. Something flickered in his steely blue eyes, and he sighed.
"Come on. You're going to get pneumonia or something if you stay out here. Let's go inside." Draco roughly grabbed Ginny by the arms and pulled her into a standing position. When he was sure that Ginny could stand, he pulled off his heavy cloak and put it around her shoulders as they walked indoors.
Draco led Ginny past the Gryffindor Commons. When Ginny pointed this out, Draco threw up his hands and said, "Fine then. I'll let you explain to your little Gryffindor friends why you're soaking wet on a day like this. That's not my problem."
Ginny then shut up and followed Draco down to the dungeons. In front of a rather gory battlefield tapestry, Draco stopped and said, "Wait here. I don't want to have to explain why a Gryffindor is in the Slytherin common room. I'll be right back."
Ginny complied by hanging back. Draco whispered a password, and disappeared behind the tapestry.
Ginny slid down to the stone floor, thinking random thoughts. This was crazy. She was freezing her butt off. She wanted some hot chocolate. She wondered how Draco had known that she was drowning. Especially that thought.
She was starting to wonder what to say in case anybody passed her when Draco came out again, holding a small bundle. She followed him upstairs and into a small classroom, where Draco shut the door. He set the bundle, which were clothes on further inspection, on a desk.
"Sorry that took so long, I had trouble finding anything that didn't have Slytherin written all over it," Draco said, handing Ginny a pair of grey sweatpants and a black long-sleeved t-shirt.
"Here. You and Pansy aren't anywhere near the same size.hell, Pansy and I aren't anywhere near the same size. but they're clean and dry," Draco said.
They both stood there awkwardly for a minute. Draco then realized what Ginny wanted him to do, and muttered a "Sorry," before turning with his back to Ginny. Ginny could've sworn that she saw a blush on Draco's face, but then dismissed the thought as she pulled off her cold, wet clothes and changed into Pansy's.
Draco was right. Pansy's clothes billowed on her, but Ginny didn't really mind; they were indeed dry, so she wouldn't complain. She cleared her throat loudly, signaling to Draco that it was okay for him to turn around. If he found the fact that Ginny might have well been wearing a circus tent for clothing humorous, he didn't show it. He then handed Ginny a large, black hooded sweatshirt. When Ginny wordlessly put it on and zipped it up, she found that it fit her a lot more closely than Pansy's clothing did; it was still big, but not so big that she disappeared in it.
"That's mine. You can keep that; it fits you better anyway."
Ginny scoffed. "It's not my fault that you're so skinny. Look, you turn sideways and you disappear."
"Hey, don't insult a gift horse," Draco said stiffly, but then relaxed as he realized that Ginny was teasing him.
"I'm not going to say anything. It's too easy," Ginny grinned. Draco laughed with Ginny. Ginny was startled to hear Draco laugh; it was as unnerving as seeing him smile for the first time. He had a great laugh, just like he had a great smile.
When Draco saw Ginny looking at him like she had never seen him before, he frowned. "What?"
Ginny shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "Nothing," she laughed nervously, "Just that you should laugh more. You have a great laugh."
Draco looked surprised, but then said, "I would, but it doesn't seem to go along with whole Slytherin persona of being sulky and evil."
Ginny smiled and ran a hand through her wet hair as she glanced over at her watch. "Well, we've missed dinner. I'd better go back to my common room so my friends don't freak out."
Draco frowned again as they walked out of the classroom. "Ah yes. The infamous Potter Gang. Potter and his Merry Men. Whatever you want to call it. Wouldn't want them to worry, oh no."
Ginny stopped. "Draco Malfoy, I think you're jealous!"
Draco stopped also and looked at her like that was the stupidest thing in the world. "Jealous?! Me? Of Potter?! Have you lost your bloody mind? Why would I be jealous of him?"
Ginny laughed. "Okay, whatever you say, Draco."
Draco glared at her. "I am NOT jealous of that goddamn do-gooder Gryffindor! Do you understand me?"
Ginny mirrored Draco's trademark smirk. "Yup."
"Good," Draco snapped as he strode down the hall again. Ginny rolled her eyes. *Boys.* Draco was on a self-preserving ego trip and she was going to ignore him until he stopped.
"As a matter of fact, I despise all Gryffindors," Draco growled.
Ginny stopped him just as they got to the Fat Lady.
She looked up at him. "Then why did you save my life, why did you give me a change of clothes, and why are you walking me back to my common room?" She asked quietly.
For the first time in his life, Draco was uncomfortable under someone's gaze other than his father's. And that scared the hell out of him.
Ginny scoffed and shook her head. "Good night, Draco." She whispered a password to the Fat Lady, who looked dubiously over at Draco before opening and letting Ginny inside.
After the portrait closed again, he said softly, "Because you're not like all of the others, Virginia Weasley." He turned on his heel and walked back down to the dungeons again.