~*~Green and Gold~*~
By Kellyanne
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I am up to no good…oh, I mean…I own nothing *sheepish grin*
Chapter 12
It felt strange, standing in Dumbledore's office and not actually being in trouble. The second she stepped into the office, she regretted agreeing to come. She had no way of proving that anyone was after her. And what was she going to say when Dumbledore entered the room?? Excuse me sir; I think someone is going to kill me because a talking painting told me??
"Gin, are you alright?" She looked up, meeting Draco's silvery eyes. A simple nod was the only way she could respond. He squeezed her hand.
"Mr. Malfoy…Miss Weasley. It's a bit late, don't you agree?" Ginny's heart practically stopped when Dumbledore appeared in the room, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses.
"Professor Dumbledore, Ginny…is…she…fears for her life," Draco stuttered. Now it was her turn to squeeze his hand.
"And why does she feel that her life is in danger?"
Taking a deep breath, she quickly explained. When she had finished, Dumbledore looked sadly over the rim of his glasses.
"This is extremely alarming. I wish there was something I could do, but, by what you have told me, you have no hardcore evidence that Lucious Malfoy is plotting against you."
"But Professor!!" Draco protested.
"Mr. Malfoy, though there is no solid proof, I still believe what Miss Weasley has told me. The Ministry has been watching your father for years and even an old, Muggle-loving Headmaster like myself can see that he has never liked the Weaselys." Draco winced but didn't respond to what Dumbledore had said.
"So what can we…I do?" She asked, finding herself gripping Draco's hand so tightly that her knuckles were white.
"There is nothing we can do, Miss Weasley, though I regret to say that. The Ministry won't act unless something occurs. I'm sorry."
"But Professor, her life is in danger! We can't just sit on our arses and wait for her to get hurt!!" Draco protested, slamming his fist down on the table with a resonate bang.
"There isn't anything I can do, Mr. Malfoy. All I can say is that it is safest for Miss Weasley here at Hogwarts." Dumbledore calmly repeated. Draco looked like he could kill the headmaster.
"But what about Christmas holiday?? Do I have to stay here then?"
Dumbledore chuckled, "No, I suppose not. But I do believe it would be best if Mr. Malfoy joined you at the Burrow. He knows his father and might be able to help you."
"Alright…but…oh, bloody hell. My brothers will kill him!"
"How are you feeling Gin?" Harry asked as she walked into the Gryffindor Common Room and sat on one of the couches. Harry, Hermione and Ron were all sitting across from her. It didn't really surprise her that they were awake, even though it was so late that the horizon had started to turn pink with the coming sunrise.
"I'm feeling good," She said cautiously. The three sixth years looked too cheerful to be sincere.
"It's pretty late," Ron started slowly. Ginny nodded, knowing where her brother was leading this conversation. All the small talk would lead to them putting her boyfriend down. What else could she expect from them? They didn't understand what she felt. Well…Hermione did, but if she had to, she'd side with Ron.
Sighing, she rose from the couch, knowing full well that the three would get up with her.
"What made you stay out so late, Ginny?" Ron asked in what she assumed he thought was a subtle tone.
"I don't know if you realized it or not, Ron, but I was in the Hospital Wing. Fever, blood gushing from my forehead…rings any bells??" Hermione coughed, but Ginny knew it was to cover up her laughter. She almost smiled. Maybe Hermione wouldn't side with Ron and Harry after all.
"Ginny, I know you saw him," Harry said quietly, turning Ginny's eyes…and anger…towards him.
"Of course I saw him, you git!!! He was in the bloody Hospital Wing when I woke up!!"
"And what happened once you woke up??" Ron asked, eyes narrow, ears red.
She closed her eyes, fighting back tears, "Why can't you ever be happy for me?"
It came out as a whisper and she was surprised that anyone had actually heard it. But they all did and they were all looking at her as though she had just revealed that she was Voldemort's right-hand man…er…woman.
"Happy for you? Happy for you??? Why should I be happy that the only person who I hate more then You-Know-Who is knocking up my sister???"
Ginny gasped, tears splashing down her cheeks, "Ron…I've never EVER said anything about you and Hermione. And Harry…I've never said a word about Cho…but when I find something special…you two try to shoot it down. Why can't you just let me live my life and be happy for a change?? Is there some rule that says that the youngest Weasley will stay miserable until she's an old hag and dies alone??" Her eyes were so wet that she couldn't see and her cheeks were burning red with a mix of anger and depression.
"He's only using you to get into your knickers," She heard Harry mutter. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her eyes and walked right up to him. For a moment, she looked into his green eyes, wondering what had happened to make her stop liking him, but then she realized it was because he had become an arse. It was that simple. He was a bloody emotionless git.
"I'm sorry if you think that, but I know he isn't using me. He's the only one in this whole bloody school that pays attention to me. He sees me as more then Ron's little sister…and that's special to me. That means the world to me!!"
"He's Slytherin scum, Ginny!" Ron exclaimed, ignoring her tears and the pain on her face.
"Who cares what house he's in??? If I had been placed in Slytherin, I'd still be your sister, wouldn't I?? Houses don't make the person, Ron!!"
Now it was Hermione's turn to speak up. She had been silent since the three had started fighting, but now she walked to stand beside Ginny, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"Ginny's right. It doesn't matter what house you're in." Ginny smiled up at Hermione, thanking God that she had a friend like her.
"YES IT DOES!!" Ron and Harry both yelled in unison.
"Blimey, no it doesn't. If Voldemort…" Ron stopped Hermione, telling her not to say his name. Both she and Ginny rolled their eyes, "…if You-Know-Who had been in a different house, it wouldn't have made a difference. He still would have been evil. He still would have killed all those innocent people." Both boys were silent, which wasn't surprising. Hermione had a point.
Ginny shuddered, remembering the icy black eyes from the painting.
"Gin, are you ok?" Hermione whispered. She opened her eyes and met three concerned gazes.
"No, I'm not," She whispered, her eyes dropping to the ground.
Ron sighed, "Gin, I don't want you to see him anymore."
Her face flushed red from her neck to the roots of her hair and she had to stop herself from giving her brother one hell of a shiner, "If I want to see him, I will. You can't stop me!"
"Ginny…" Ron started. He stopped, though, when she glared furiously at him.
"Ron, just shut up. I'm going to see Draco and you'll just have to deal with it. And you'd better stop being an arse to him because he's staying with us over Christmas holiday."
That one shocked even Hermione.
"What??" Hermione asked breathlessly, sounding like she had just been running.
Sighing, Ginny told them about all that had been happening to her, starting with the day in Diagon Alley and ending with her talk with Dumbledore. When she finished her story, she met three pairs of eyes full of shock for the second time in one night.
"He really cares about you," Ron whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. Ginny smiled, knowing that her brother finally understood why she loved Draco.
"Yeah, he really cares about me, though it took you long enough to realize it."
The three sixth years smiled at Ginny with understanding shining in their eyes. Ginny sighed in relief before telling them she was going to bed, in the hopes of taking advantage of the three hours of sleep she could get.
But those three hours of sleep never came. Her dreams were plagued with sickening images that turned every moment she had her eyes closed into a nightmare.
When she woke up before breakfast all she could remember was a haunting pair of cold, black eyes and a sneering face that sent chills down her spine.
A/N- Sorry it took so long to update. I've been busy with my school and stuff. Also, I've been enthralled with this new fic that Kayah and I are writing. It's called Sororius Vires. If you're smart, you'll read it, lol. Pretty please???
Love from the Author