[Author's Note~~~ Okay, so according to "plan", there are only two more chapters left (including this one!) to write before this fic is concluded! :sniffle: I was hoping to have the last chapter posted Christmas day but as it seems… ff.net is down and it's screwing me over AGAIN! Lol. Thanks for the minimal reviews. Okay, so what's bugging me is that yes, I am not being completely faithful to the books and the facts.. I'm SORRY! Please don't point out my mistakes if you want to flame me, please do it kindly. Not shove it in my face! Lol… Thanks, just wanted to let yall know that much. Okay now, on to the next chappie!]
'I've waited a long
time for this
It feels right now
Allow me to introduce myself
I want you to come a little closer
I'd like you to get to know me a little bit better
Meet the real me
Sorry you can't define me
Sorry I break the mold
Sorry that I speak my mind
Sorry don't do what I'm told
Sorry if I don't fake it
Sorry I come too real
I will never hide what I really feel
Huh, so here it is
No hype, no gloss, no pretense
Just me
Stripped'
-Stripped by Christina Aguilera
Ch. 9
Ginny turned over for the millionth time that night. After such a great evening with Harry at the Yule Ball and everything, Ginny wasn't having the easiest sleep of her life. She couldn't make herself fall into that realm of unnatural occurrences that was so far from reality called dreams. She stared up at the ceiling. Her mind wondered how wonderful it felt to be around Harry to how upset she had become when she saw Draco and Parvati all over each other.
Now that holiday break had started, the only girl left in her dorm room happened to be Mandy, another sixth year Gryffindor. Everyone else was home for the holidays.
Ginny shivered as a cold chill ran down her spine. She pulled the covers up around her neck closer, hoping to block out the midnight cold. She rolled onto her right side and gently shut her eyelids.
Ginny was falling deep into darkness, nothing to catch her fall. She struggled in mid air, desperately attempting to discover something to grab hold of. She couldn't see the ground, but she knew it had to be approaching quickly. Just as she thought she was going to hit, she felt two arms reach out to capture her limp body. Ginny looked up and when she spotted the two large pools of emerald green staring down at her, she sighed in relief and cradled herself into his chest.
"You sure do get friendly with strangers in the middle of the night…"
Ginny jumped.
"Didn't mean to wake you, Ginny," Ginny looked up in a confused way at the stranger she couldn't make out in the pitch black. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew his voice all too well.
"Harry! What are you doing?!" Ginny whispered.
"Coming to cuddle with my beautiful girlfriend," Harry said quietly and reached out for Ginny's warm body. Ginny scooted to the other end of the bed, out of his grasp.
"How did you get in here?"
"What… you act like you don't want me in here?" Harry said, yawning. He hadn't moved from where he had laid down next to Ginny's sleeping figure.
"There are other people in this room!" Harry wondered if Ginny was purposely trying to sound like Hermione.
Harry scoffed, "It's just Mandy."
"She is a person, you know! She can tell the whole school!" Ginny was angered by her boyfriend's nonchalant attitude.
"Ginny, do you realize how Hermione-ish you are acting?"
Ginny glared at Harry even though she knew he couldn't see her.
"Gin, it's not every night we can cuddle into each others' arms and fall asleep…" Harry reached out and touched her arm sweetly. Ginny began to melt. She peered out from behind her curtains and noticed Mandy, across the room, sleeping comfortably.
Ginny gave in and entangled her small body into Harry's arms.
"Comfortable, Gin?" Harry questioned. His face burrowed into Ginny's long hair. He inhaled the scent of her. Harry decided he could definitely stay this way forever.
Ginny nodded slowly as her eyes fluttered shut. Harry smiled before falling asleep himself.
"Oh, honey, stop!" Ginny's giggling filled the air. Harry smiled as he stopped tickling his petite wife.
"Sorry, couldn't help myself…" Harry's voice trailed off as he reached for another ornament to place on the Christmas tree.
"You know, I used to hate decorating the tree muggle-style, but right now, I'm really enjoying it," Ginny said, smiling up at her husband as he reached up to place a clear ornament with a picture of Ron and Hermione waving high at the top of the tree.
"Harry…" Ginny began.
Ginny groaned as she sensed the sunlight drenching her dormitory. She attempted to roll over and block her eyes from the annoying nuisance called the sun when she felt soft lips upon hers. Ginny's lips responded before her brain did.
After the sweet kiss had ended, Ginny's eyes fluttered open. She found Harry's eyes boring into hers.
"What a nice way to wake up," Ginny smiled slowly.
"Good morning, sunshine," Harry said, wiping a stray hair out of Ginny's face.
"Good m-," Ginny was soon cut off by Harry's forceful lips upon hers again. She quickly reacted, letting him take over her body. Her mind was swarming in all kinds of sensations, sensations Ginny couldn't describe if she wanted to.
Ginny pulled back after a few moments of bliss, remembering there was another occupant in the room.
"Where's Mandy?!" Ginny exclaimed and bolted upright.
"She left already, didn't even notice I was here all night," Harry said calmly and advanced upon Ginny again.
"What time is it?" Ginny said, slipping away from Harry's suggestive movements.
Harry groaned. "Around eleven, I believe… What does it matter?"
"Oh, shit. Harry, As much as I'd love to stay… and do this. I've got to go," Ginny said apologetically and gently got up from the bed and raced toward her wardrobe. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a grey turtle neck.
Ginny began for the bathroom and as she came upon a pouting Harry she paused.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I just really need to… Well nevermind, but I must go. I promise we can continue this later," Ginny kissed him on the forehead quickly before racing off towards the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
~*~
Ginny searched the Great Hall. The few students that had remained at Hogwarts' for the holidays were scattered randomly in clumps. When Ginny spotted that familiar head of silvery-blonde hair, she practically ran over to him. She grabbed Draco by the elbow, pulling him up from the table.
"We've gotta talk," Ginny commanded, pulling him out of the hall with great force, not noticing every student in the great hall watching them intently.
As they exited the hall and entered the main entrance way, Draco came out of his shocked stupor and tried to pull away from Ginny's strangling grasp on his right elbow.
"Let go of me. For all I know, you could give me Pothead cooties," Draco said evilly, laughing at his own 'joke'.
"Haha, very funny, Draco." Ginny heaved open the large front doors of Hogwarts, shoving Draco outside into the cold winter air. She followed closely, pulling the door behind her closed.
"Why did you bring me out here?" Draco asked, shivering from the icy cold.
"I just need to know," Ginny started, looking down at her feet which were surrounding by fluffy, white snow.
"What?" Draco paused. "What do you just need to know," Draco mocked her. Ginny glared at him.
"Shut it, Draco. Seriously, I've kicked you and your girlfriend's bloody arses one too many times this week," Ginny said sharply. Draco looked at her menacingly.
Draco began saying something, before Ginny interrupted him quickly.
"Why the hell did you do that to me?" Ginny tried to calm down. She didn't want her quick temper to get riled up too fast.
"Do what?" Draco asked, looking at Ginny with a blank expression.
"Don't be stupid, Draco!" Ginny stopped a moment, "Cheat on me with… my best friend!" Ginny exclaimed. She felt water accumulating in her eyes.
"Did you not even suspect it until after the break up?" Draco looked at Ginny evilly.
"Well, I might have had a clue here and there, but I didn't want to believe it. I mean, would you really want to come into the common room one day hearing rumors about how your best friend and boyfriend of three years were caught 'more-than-snogging' in the East Towers?" Ginny spat at him. Her face was turning red from the winter wind whipping her face.
Draco grunted.
"I gave you three years of my life, Draco! Three… Years…" Ginny's voice trailed off as she held back a muffled sob.
"Oh, please, Ginny. Is that what you call giving three years of your life to someone? Makes me feel sorry for Potter…" Draco said coldly.
Ginny stood there, shocked.
"I can't believe you just said that." Ginny replied, still shocked.
There was a long silence that followed. Draco began heading up to the castle quickly, when Ginny's voice broke the long, drawn-out pause.
"You may feel sorry for Potter, but I feel even sorrier for Parvati…" Ginny said, glaring at Draco's back now. "She's the one who has to carry your unfortunate child."
Draco turned slowly.
"What?" Draco muttered.
"Yeah, you know. The baby…" Ginny's voice trailed off, confused.
"What baby?" Draco said a little louder. His voice was distorted.
"You act as if you don't know," Ginny said stiffly.
"What baby!" Draco screamed, coming toward Ginny again.
"Gosh, Draco, you're a really good actor. I mean it takes one kind of person to act like they love somebody they don't, but a completely different one to pretend they don't even know about their unborn child." Ginny said, looking at him curiously.
"Ginny, I'm going to ask you one more time," Draco calmed down a little before continuing, "What baby?"
"Do you seriously not have a clue?" Ginny asked, still not believing him.
"NO!" Draco exclaimed and grabbed Ginny by both shoulders.
"Parvati's about a month pregnant," Ginny stated, her eyes huge, looking into Draco's unreadable ones.
Draco released his grip on Ginny's shoulders and turned around briskly to walk up to the castle. Ginny wasn't going to stop him. She was glad she had gotten to tell Draco the news. This might mean good things for Ginny, very good things.
~*~
The Christmas holiday flew by like there was no tomorrow and on the day that every student was to arrive back at Hogwarts', Ginny sat with Harry by the warm, blazing fire.
"Harry, this has been an unbelievable holiday…" Ginny started before they heard the portrait hole open, allowing two girls' to enter, two hysterical girls.
"He doesn't want me to keep it!" Parvati's voice filled the room.
"When did he say this?" Lavender asked quietly, following her friend. Ginny and Harry ducked into the couch, hoping they could hear as much of the conversation as possible.
"He just told me he couldn't believe I hadn't told him and that he never wanted to speak to me again!" Parvati screamed.
Ginny smiled to herself. Harry noticed this and his eyebrows knitted together.
"He's just being a nervous new father, Parv. You'll be fine. He'll be fine. The baby will be fine!" Lavender said quickly.
"No, that's it Lavender. I've made the decision." Parvati said as she and Lavender ascended the staircase.
"What?"
"I'm not keeping the baby."
[Yay! The song 'Stripped' was supposed to be about how Ginny was going to apologize to Draco that she wasn't the slut he seemed to want, etc, etc. But I changed my mind. I'm still keeping this song for this chapter tho cuz I still think it fits a little. Isn't much of a cliffhanger…… and if FF.net would com back up then I could post it! Yay! So anyway, I'm off to write Chapter 10, the very last chapter-o. PLEASE REVIEW! –Hannah Holt]