Part Four - Perfect Day Ruined
Draco stared at the piece of parchment in front of him. On it was a short list of things he had planned to do that day with Ginny. Yet again, he realised what a stupid idea it was.
"What am I thinking?" He whispered to himself, as he hit his head softly with his hand. How would he ever pull this off? A good day with Ginny without Potter, the weasel and Know-it-All Granger. Five minutes would be asking too much.
Getting up from his bed, he pulled on a pair of tight jeans and a matching t-shirt. He knew he was good-looking. His blonde hair hung around his face soft and smooth. He decided not to gel it today.
Sighing, he walked down into the common room and out of the secret entrance to the Slytherin common room. Everybody else had left five minutes ago for breakfast. He made his way out of the dungeons and up to the Great Hall. Sitting down in between Crabbe and Goyle, he began to slowly eat.
He was surprised when he saw his eagle owl, Ransom, come swooping into the Hall, a letter in his beak. A confused look came over his face as Ransom landed on his plate and dropped the letter, before flying off to the Owlery.
Seeing the Ministry of Magic's emblem on the letter, he immediately ripped it open and quickly read it. He knew it would happen one day, but couldn't they have at least waited until after he graduated?
His face immediately went blank. A look he had been able to accomplish since a child. He got up; the letter clutched in his hand, and exited the Hall where he stood just outside its huge doors. He was joined a few minutes later by Dumbledore and, surprisingly, Ginny. He lowered his head to stare at the floor.
"So they have finally done it, have they?" Dumbledore stated more than asked. Draco nodded and handed the now crumpled note to Dumbledore. The Headmaster read it and sighed. "They should have waited until after the school year was finished."
"What? Has something bad happened?" Ginny asked quietly. She turned to Draco's head and asked again. He didn't answer. She reached to touch his face, but he slapped her hand away.
"Mr Malfoy, she has a right to know." Dumbledore told him. Draco raised his head to look at them both. He soon ducked it down again. "Fine." Dumbledore replied to his silence. "Would you like me to tell her then?"
Draco raised his head, his eyes denying everything was fine for one split second, before he made his face blank again. He nodded once, then turned around and walked away.
Ginny stared at his retreating form, a look of worry on her face. Once he had vanished she turned to look at Dumbledore. "What happened? Why won't he talk to me?"
Dumbledore handed her the note. She read through it quickly, a look of shock came over her face. She looked at the place she had last seen Draco and let out a gasp of surprise. "I didn't know they were going to do that to him. I know Draco's father was You-Know-Who's right hand man, but he didn't deserve this."
Dumbledore smiled down at her. "I'm glad you realise that Ginny. A lot of people believed he did deserve it. I'm of the opinion no one does."
The Dementors Kiss. Even worse than death itself. Ginny shook her head. "Poor Draco. At least his mum wasn't taken as well. She wasn't a Death Eater as far as I know. She was just married to one."
Dumbledore patted her shoulder gently. "I know you like him a whole lot more than either of you were ever expecting. He needs to feel loved; he needs comfort no matter how hard he denies it to himself. He is not used o emotion. He was made in his Father's image after all."
"Why doesn't his mum send him more owls? She used to all the time."
"Ah, he hasn't told you. I thought not."
"He hasn't told me what?" Ginny looked up at Dumbledore's twinkling eyes to see sadness in them.
"His mother came down with a nasty fever nothing could cure. Both Draco and I suspect it was Lucius Malfoy who did it. She died before Voldemort was defeated."
Ginny's eyes widened terribly at hearing this. It explained so much. The lack of owls he had been getting, why he wouldn't talk about his parents, the sad look on Draco's face before he had walked away. Gasping, she suddenly knew where he was. She took off at a sprint towards the Astronomy tower.
By the time she reached the tallest tower at Hogwarts, she was just in time to see Malfoy fall from the edge. Screaming out his name, she ran to the place he had just been standing, only to see a swan gliding its way to the lake. Ginny realised there were tears streaking her cheeks.
Climbing onto the bricks, she started her change before she jumped off after him. Changing fully into the dragon, she pulled up before hitting the ground and darted after the white shape in her vision. It took her no time to catch up to him.
The Draco swan slowed down, before gliding into the water, bending his neck in that graceful fashion all swans seem to have. He closed his grey eyes.
'Draco?' she sent to him, only to se him turn his back on her. 'I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me about your mum?'
Draco's head lowered more than it already was and he swam his way back to the edge of the lake. There he hobbled onto the land and changed back into his human form. He couldn't speak in his animal form like she could.
He shrugged as he watched her as she too changed back into her human form. "I was scared. I didn't want to admit it to myself if there was the slightest chance my Father could be coming home. I'm not used to...any of this." He quietly admitted.
Ginny nodded. "You were brought up to act without emotion. It became a part of you." She gently laid her hand on his chest, over his heart. "Feel your heart beating? You can feel things now. I promise not to tell anybody and wreck your reputation." She let a small smile form, which he tried to return.
Before he could stop it, his attempt at a smile fell and his eyes filled with tears. A hand came up to gently brush the first tear that fell, before Ginny wrapped her arms around him as he quietly began to cry. She felt her own tears fall again.
Ginny was so used to being the one being comforted that at first she felt awkward. It felt strange, yet good, to be the one comforting someone.
Long after both their tears had stopped, they held each other.
A/N - Very sappy I know, but I like it. My first attempt at Angst of any sort. So what do you all think? I think it is incredibly sweet. Thank you to all my reviewers. Don't know when the next part will be up. Should be soon I'm apologising now instead of later if it late.
By the way, I realise that I made a little mistake along the way. Cho Chang should have graduated the year before. Don't worry, the reason as to why she is still here will be revealed later!
Draco stared at the piece of parchment in front of him. On it was a short list of things he had planned to do that day with Ginny. Yet again, he realised what a stupid idea it was.
"What am I thinking?" He whispered to himself, as he hit his head softly with his hand. How would he ever pull this off? A good day with Ginny without Potter, the weasel and Know-it-All Granger. Five minutes would be asking too much.
Getting up from his bed, he pulled on a pair of tight jeans and a matching t-shirt. He knew he was good-looking. His blonde hair hung around his face soft and smooth. He decided not to gel it today.
Sighing, he walked down into the common room and out of the secret entrance to the Slytherin common room. Everybody else had left five minutes ago for breakfast. He made his way out of the dungeons and up to the Great Hall. Sitting down in between Crabbe and Goyle, he began to slowly eat.
He was surprised when he saw his eagle owl, Ransom, come swooping into the Hall, a letter in his beak. A confused look came over his face as Ransom landed on his plate and dropped the letter, before flying off to the Owlery.
Seeing the Ministry of Magic's emblem on the letter, he immediately ripped it open and quickly read it. He knew it would happen one day, but couldn't they have at least waited until after he graduated?
His face immediately went blank. A look he had been able to accomplish since a child. He got up; the letter clutched in his hand, and exited the Hall where he stood just outside its huge doors. He was joined a few minutes later by Dumbledore and, surprisingly, Ginny. He lowered his head to stare at the floor.
"So they have finally done it, have they?" Dumbledore stated more than asked. Draco nodded and handed the now crumpled note to Dumbledore. The Headmaster read it and sighed. "They should have waited until after the school year was finished."
"What? Has something bad happened?" Ginny asked quietly. She turned to Draco's head and asked again. He didn't answer. She reached to touch his face, but he slapped her hand away.
"Mr Malfoy, she has a right to know." Dumbledore told him. Draco raised his head to look at them both. He soon ducked it down again. "Fine." Dumbledore replied to his silence. "Would you like me to tell her then?"
Draco raised his head, his eyes denying everything was fine for one split second, before he made his face blank again. He nodded once, then turned around and walked away.
Ginny stared at his retreating form, a look of worry on her face. Once he had vanished she turned to look at Dumbledore. "What happened? Why won't he talk to me?"
Dumbledore handed her the note. She read through it quickly, a look of shock came over her face. She looked at the place she had last seen Draco and let out a gasp of surprise. "I didn't know they were going to do that to him. I know Draco's father was You-Know-Who's right hand man, but he didn't deserve this."
Dumbledore smiled down at her. "I'm glad you realise that Ginny. A lot of people believed he did deserve it. I'm of the opinion no one does."
The Dementors Kiss. Even worse than death itself. Ginny shook her head. "Poor Draco. At least his mum wasn't taken as well. She wasn't a Death Eater as far as I know. She was just married to one."
Dumbledore patted her shoulder gently. "I know you like him a whole lot more than either of you were ever expecting. He needs to feel loved; he needs comfort no matter how hard he denies it to himself. He is not used o emotion. He was made in his Father's image after all."
"Why doesn't his mum send him more owls? She used to all the time."
"Ah, he hasn't told you. I thought not."
"He hasn't told me what?" Ginny looked up at Dumbledore's twinkling eyes to see sadness in them.
"His mother came down with a nasty fever nothing could cure. Both Draco and I suspect it was Lucius Malfoy who did it. She died before Voldemort was defeated."
Ginny's eyes widened terribly at hearing this. It explained so much. The lack of owls he had been getting, why he wouldn't talk about his parents, the sad look on Draco's face before he had walked away. Gasping, she suddenly knew where he was. She took off at a sprint towards the Astronomy tower.
By the time she reached the tallest tower at Hogwarts, she was just in time to see Malfoy fall from the edge. Screaming out his name, she ran to the place he had just been standing, only to see a swan gliding its way to the lake. Ginny realised there were tears streaking her cheeks.
Climbing onto the bricks, she started her change before she jumped off after him. Changing fully into the dragon, she pulled up before hitting the ground and darted after the white shape in her vision. It took her no time to catch up to him.
The Draco swan slowed down, before gliding into the water, bending his neck in that graceful fashion all swans seem to have. He closed his grey eyes.
'Draco?' she sent to him, only to se him turn his back on her. 'I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me about your mum?'
Draco's head lowered more than it already was and he swam his way back to the edge of the lake. There he hobbled onto the land and changed back into his human form. He couldn't speak in his animal form like she could.
He shrugged as he watched her as she too changed back into her human form. "I was scared. I didn't want to admit it to myself if there was the slightest chance my Father could be coming home. I'm not used to...any of this." He quietly admitted.
Ginny nodded. "You were brought up to act without emotion. It became a part of you." She gently laid her hand on his chest, over his heart. "Feel your heart beating? You can feel things now. I promise not to tell anybody and wreck your reputation." She let a small smile form, which he tried to return.
Before he could stop it, his attempt at a smile fell and his eyes filled with tears. A hand came up to gently brush the first tear that fell, before Ginny wrapped her arms around him as he quietly began to cry. She felt her own tears fall again.
Ginny was so used to being the one being comforted that at first she felt awkward. It felt strange, yet good, to be the one comforting someone.
Long after both their tears had stopped, they held each other.
A/N - Very sappy I know, but I like it. My first attempt at Angst of any sort. So what do you all think? I think it is incredibly sweet. Thank you to all my reviewers. Don't know when the next part will be up. Should be soon I'm apologising now instead of later if it late.
By the way, I realise that I made a little mistake along the way. Cho Chang should have graduated the year before. Don't worry, the reason as to why she is still here will be revealed later!