Chapter 1
By Crystal
*Screw the disclaimers ^^;;*
~*~ Ginny ~*~
I see him rush out of class and closed my eyes, forcing a tear back in my eyes, not letting it roll down my cheek. I was not sad because someone noticed. I was happy, but the reason why I was crying was not because I was overly happy. I started thinking how sad it was that my brother never even found out, nor did Harry or Hermione, who were supposedly my friends. Their enemy found out. The Weasley's long time enemy. Malfoys. Draco Malfoy. He had noticed and had even made me meet him so we can probably talk about it. Life was stupid. How come my family never noticed anything? How come Malfoy did?
I opened my eyes and found Professor Snape looking at me and my eyes widened at the now empty class. Everyone had left, even the 'Dream Team'. My friends left me... I didn't know whether I should still call them friends anymore, bet they didn't even notice me there. I guess my only friend was actually Erica, but she passed away. No more friends anymore. Somehow, that didn't make me too sad. The less people stuck around me, the less people would get infected and the less people would die. I was not afraid of death. I had nothing to lose. My family didn't care, after all, I was just the smallest Weasley and the only daughter. They never cared. I always got the worst stuff and I always got the least attention. Bill was cool, Charlie was a great seeker, Percy the Perfect, Fred and George were funny and smart, Ron was a great chess player and me? I was just plain old Ginny.
I rose from my seat and walked towards the door, then when I reached outside, I unclenched my fist and took the letter out. The letter Malfoy wrote.
Meet me by the river at eleven tonight.
That was it. Short and straight to the point. That's how I always thought Draco Malfoy was. The only flaw in my thought was that he was mean, but I guess he couldn't be too bad. He noticed me, at least. Or maybe it was just because I was beside him and coughing and he probably thinks I'll me infecting him with my germs. He'll probably tell me to stay away from him from now on and not even go near him so I'll get my germs on him. I wouldn't mind, I guess. Just one more reason to add on my list 'why I should die'. I was always taught that I was loved by my whole family, but since my first year in Hogwarts, I learnt quickly that that was a lie. Nobody knew I had been writing in Tom Riddle's journal until I was kidnapped and almost killed. Nobody cared.
I closed my eyes for a minute, but opened them again the next. This time, a single tear rolled down. I was tired, really tired. I had lunch, then Charms with Professor Flitwick next and I guess skipping would be a good idea. No one would notice me missing anyways. I was always in the shadows, no one know who Virginia Weasley was. They knew who my six brothers were, especially Ron. Friend of 'The Boy Who Lived'. I went and tickled the pear like Fred and George had taught me and got an elf to give me some food. I had decided that I was going to skip lunch and dinner too and go somewhere quiet, where I could think until eleven. Carrying my food, I went to a secret room where only I knew. Or I hoped only I knew. It was never a trouble for me to avoid the teachers or anyone. I was quiet, I hid the in the shadows... I was repeating myself over and over again, I knew. I said opened the door to the secret room and inside, there was a lovely white piano. It was nicely polished and it had nice sounds. Setting my plate of food on the piano softly, I began to play my heart out.
For a few years, I had been going to Muggle town and learning piano from a great piano teacher. She didn't cost a lot. Her name was Mrs. Holmes. She was nice and kind. Of course, no one in my family knew I had been doing that. Who would have thought, little innocent Ginny sneaking out of the house to some Muggle town to learn piano. I was currently in the 6th grade. I just did every piece that sounded nice. I didn't take any tests, there was no need to. I just played to have fun, played to speak my mind, played to stop the ache in my heart. Usually, I played slow songs... Ones that sounded sad were even better.
Right now, I was playing Bagatelle, By Ludwig van Beethoven. He was one of my favourite composers. I loved playing Für Elise, even though I didn't memorize the whole song. How much time I would be playing, I did not know. The only thing I knew was that my watch would tell me when it was near eleven o'clock. I had set an alarm on my watch. No matter how much classes I was skipping or how many lunches or dinners, I would not skip this talk with Draco Malfoy, even if he was going to tell me to sod off. I didn't think it would be polite to ignore the only person that has ever paid attention to me.
I continued to listen to the pieces I had memorized long time ago and lost myself to the music. I felt so free when I was playing, like I was floating in the sky, free of everything, everyone... Including my family. Everything stopped when I was playing, everything stopped, for me. Including time. Unconsciously, the corner of my lips curves up, making a soft smile dancing on my lips. A smile that was impossible unless I was playing piano. It was my life until I die... The only thing I would have in my life...
Little did she know... She was incredibly wrong...
~*~ Draco ~*~
She was missing at lunch and at dinner. I didn't care of course... Why the hell should I care about the smallest Weasley? Then again, if I didn't care, I wouldn't have wrote her a note to meet me at the late by eleven, now would I? Draco Malfoy, you are the most pathetic person ever, arguing with your mind. Ugh.
Right now, I'm walking around the school, waiting for the clock to strike eleven. Suddenly, I heard piano. The sound of fingers brushing against the piano... My favourite piano. The sounds were nicely played as though the owner of the fingers had been practising for years and years. Although it wasn't as good as mine, of course.
I turned the door knob slowly and looked inside, the scene catching me off guard and making me almost trip. Playing on the piano was no other than Virginia Weasley. I walked up closer, this song was suppose to be for a duet. Virginia had been playing the high part. I saw that she had her eyes closed. I closed the door quietly, then sneaked up beside her, then waited for the right moment to join her.
I started playing and it took her a while to figure out someone was playing the duet's part. She looked into my eyes, shock evident in her chocolate brown eyes.
"Malfoy...?"
"Hey Weasley." I said, not missing a beat on the piano. Suddenly, I saw you smile. A smile that would brighten any dark room, a smile that would brighten anyone's heart. Including mine. You had no idea how much I had wanted to gather you in my arms that very moment and kiss you senseless. But I knew how much you detested me, so I controlled myself. A Malfoy falling for a Weasley, that was just pathetic, as my father would put it.
As the song ended, I felt a pang of dissapointment, but that dissappeared quickly when she started playing again. I had immediately identified it as Für Elise. I listened to her play it, but if I remember right, she got stuck on the second page. Halfway through the second page. I asked her politely to move, and she did. I sat beside her and played the whole song through and afterwards, she clapped. She asked me if I could teach her to memorize it, and for some reason, I promised.
So for I don't know how long, we sat there and played the piano until some beeping noise started and both of us was surprised by it. She said sheepishly that it was her watch telling her to meet me. Well, we already met, but we decided that it was enough piano for one day, so we walked out to the lake quietly. I lent her my cloak seeing that she didn't have one. I wasn't so cold, so it was okay.
When we arrived outside, there on the ground was a coat of snow. Not too thick, but good enough. We crunched through the snow and reached the lake. It wasn't frozen yet, but it soon will be when Christmas approaches even more. "Why?" I asked her. She looked at me for a second, confused. "Why don't you tell Weasley, Granger? Hell, even Potter?" I asked.
She laughed, and it surprised me how the laugh sounded like my own. Humourless, sad, hollow, as if she was trying to cover her hurt. "You saw, they don't even know I'm sick. They don't give a shit about me. They forget about me, I'm just the god damn shadow of the group. Nobody gives a shit. My family, I've been sneaking out of the house for years during summer to learn piano, they never know. During the first year, I was writing in Tom Riddle's Diary, they didn't know until I was in danger. I think that if it wasn't known to the whole Wizardry World that I was in danger of Tom, they wouldn't have even bothered to save me. Guess who I'm talking to right now? Who's my friend, or someone closest to my friend? My family's long sworn enemy, the Malfoys. And you're my closest friend because I just started to talk to you for less than twenty-four hours. Sad, isn't it."
She sighed, "They never knew me. They never will. They don't even bother. You're the only person that actually found out I was sick. If they had paid a bit more attention to me, they would've found out. I've been leaving hints everywhere, hoping that they would find out, but they never do." Suddenly, I didn't feel so lonely in the world anymore. And it was just because the smallest Weasley said my exact feelings. My mother never gived a damn about me, she left me to the house elves. My father was too busy with Voldermort to even care about me, except beating me up whenever Potter beat me at something... I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard her start to cough.
I ran my hand up and down her back, trying to soothe the coughing, it didn't work. And finally, blood was coughed out from her mouth and when she closed her mouth again, a trickle of blood slowly dripped out. She was looking down at the blood stained snow now, thinking of I don't know what. I tilted her head up to wipe her mouth, but was startled to see two trails of tears. Not knowing why, I suddenly embraced her and she returned it, slowly.
After a few minutes, I pulled away and asked, "Are you all right?" A nod from her, "You better go back to your room. Take the cloak with you, I'll come back in later." Another nod and without another word, she walked away, then, "Weasley." She turned around and I walked towards her, tilted her head back up again and wiped away the trail of blood. "Sleep, everything will be better tomorrow morning." Without warning, it was her that hugged me this time.
"Thanks, Draco... Thanks. I really needed comfort."
"No problem... Virginia." Then she turned around and ran back up to the school, but turned around one last time and waved to him before she dissapeared inside. Comfort, from an enemy... From me, Draco Malfoy. Never had I thought that I would be able to give someone comfort... Certainly not to a Weasley.
Then I turned around and walked back to the lake where she had coughed out blood. I felt pity for her, and pity for myself. We were the same kind of people. She wore a mask of happiness to hide the sadness and anger for the world. I wore a mask of a jerk and annoyance to hide the same thing. Hopefully, she'll be fine in the end... Hopefully. And then, I did something I hadn't done in a long time, because I found out it was all a lie. I prayed for a miracle. Yet, I knew, miracles never happened, and never will. At least not to me. I was the evil Malfoy... And nothing good will ever happen to me.
Chocolate Muse – Yeah, sad. I think it's one of my only stories that starts of as sad.
Annie - *grins* Draco is OOC, eh? Anyways, thanks!
(no name) – Yeah, Ginny does have TB.
BleedingQueen – Took me a while to think of the title, but, seems like it was worth it ^^
Pseudonym Slyphmuse – I guess that's kinda me too. I don't talk unless talked to and I think that's the reason why I like her. Except I'm just not as smart, lol.
SquirrelAnnie – Yes, TB is curable these days, but since they are witches and wizards and since she isn't planning to see Madam Promfrey anytime soon... Let's just say the TB cure is only known to muggles ^^
GoldenRed Phoenixia – That's true, Draco/Ginny fics are always OOC, for Draco anyways. Thanks.
some dude – Poor Ginny is right ^^. Thanks
Author's Notes: Draco's OOC again, heck, through the entire story. Read and review!