Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews. Here's more. By the way, Midnight Quidditch is an idea from "horseface", and I would very strongly recommend you to read his/her story. It is a masterpiece. Brillant. It's called "For I am a Wicked Child". I have other stories in my "favourite stories" too! They are all great!
Chapter 21 The Simmering Cauldron of Jealousy
Ginny visited Draco almost everyday. It was easy for her to do so, as she had to come to the Hospital Wing for her nursing chores with Poppy.
She read the Daily Prophet to him, and they played Wizards' chess. Ginny brought him butterbeer and shared her Honeyduke sweets with him. Draco in turn, shared the truffles his mother had owled him, much to Ginny's delight, as she had never tasted more delectable sweets.
Draco enjoyed Ginny's companionship very much. Although Blaise and his gang of Slytherins visited him every now and then, it was standard Slytherin fare compared to Ginny's visitations. All they did was to form a crowd around his bed, as if it was "Slytherin Common Room The Second". Blaise would boast to him and the Slytherin gang of her latest admirer, a student from Durmstrang, who happened to come from a very prominent Bulgarian wizarding family, while Crabbe and Goyle talked endlessly about food, (and Crabbe of Mandy Brocklehurst, the Ravenclaw whom he got paired up at the Gala Ball and were now an offical couple).
Ginny was different. Draco found that she cared enough to make an effort to talk about topics he liked, and do the activities that he was interested in. She found out that he likes Astronomy and brought the latest Astronomy books and charts from the library to him. He had a crave for meringues one afternoon and she sneaked down to the school kitchen, coming back with a kitchen cloth bundle full of piping hot chocolate and lemon meringues.
And they talked. Draco told Ginny about Malfoy Manor and its grandeur, while Ginny spoke warmly of her home at the Burrow and her brothers, especially her favourite brother Bill. Draco told Ginny about his adventures with the Slytherins, how they sneaked out after dark once or twice to play Midnight Quidditch. And Ginny would listen attentively and shared his excitement.
Somehow, that only deepened his guilt about how he had treated her. He wanted badly to apologize to her, to tell her how he really enjoyed her company. And how beautiful & amazing she was.
But the words would always failed him. Perhaps it was the Malfoy pride. And quite often, he sensed that she was keeping a emotional distance from him, even though she comes in everyday, chatting cheerily with him.
Draco hoped he would not have to be discharged from the Hospital Wing so soon.
During her vistations, Ginny deliberately steered clear of a few topics that would made them feel awkward, like why he was at Knockturn Alley that fateful day, or the night of the Gala Ball. Instinctively, she felt that if Draco wanted to share with her, then he would. But Draco never did, and Ginny left it at that.
To Ginny, not knowning too much about Draco Malfoy was a way of protecting herself from falling for him again. She never really did forgive or forget how he had hurt her. How he had ignored her, and not offered any explaination when all she longed was for him to just speak to her, to tell her why.
Although she was visting him everyday, it was only out of obligation, because he saved me, Ginny told herself. I would not go down the love path again. First Tom Riddle, then Draco Malfoy. "Malfoys are not capable of true love, that's just the way they are" Hermione's words echoed in Ginny head. No, I will never go down that path again, Ginny vowed to herself, although her eyes were suddenly filled with tears again.
Ginny was scouring the Gryffindor common room, looking for a game which she thought Draco might find interesting. Harry came up behind her and decided to scare her. "Boo!" he said.
Ginny jumped. "Oh Harry, you scared me!" and she started pounding him with a cushion.
"Looking for something?" he enquired.
"Uh huh, have you seen the Jumping Pumpkin game box?"
"No, why?"
"Never mind, I guess we couldn't play it today. I have to think of something else." Ginny muttered, more to herself than to Harry.
"Visiting Malfoy again?" Harry asked softly, his voice queer.
Ginny looked at Harry. "Yes" she said rather awkwardly.
"You two have been spending a lot of time together." Harry stated.
"Well……"
"I, I just…well, I don't want to see you hurt again, Gin"
"I know, Harry. I'll be careful. After what happened. I'll be very careful. Anyway, he'll be discharged soon……it just that……"
"He saved you, didn't he?"
Ginny was startled. Perhaps it wasn't that difficult to guess.
"You, you don't have to feel obliged to him, Ginny" Harry looked down, and shifted his feet.
"Harry, I don't, and I'm not" Ginny replied firmly.
Draco Malfoy came back to classes two weeks later. He looked pale and had lost quite a bit of weight. But he had recovered, and Madam Pomfrey had proclaimed him well enough to return to classes although he still had to come back to her for daily checkups.
His first day went well until late evening, when he realised he had not seen Ginny all day. It suddenly occurred to him that he missed her already.
He was on his way to the Great Hall for dinner with the Slytherin gang, when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
He turned and saw Ginny with the Dream Team, laughing at what seems to be a joke that Ron is cracking. Ginny was walking beside Harry, and Harry was patting her head affectionately.
A sudden wave of jealousy hit Draco Malfoy like never before. He turned his head and continued walking into the Great Hall, towards the Slytherin table.
Food appeared as soon as the students sat down. Draco started on his meal, but he was stealing glances at the Gryffindor table every now and then. By the end of the second course, he had lost his appetite. Ginny and the Dream Team were chatting animatedly with one another, especially with the damned Boy-Who-Lived. She acted, as if……as if he never existed. Why had she not come to look for him all day? She knew he came back today. He forced down a few more bits, before getting up and leaving the Great Hall.
"Where you going, Malfoy?" asked Goyle, his mouth full of lamb roast.
Draco ignored him and continued walking out of the Great Hall, into the dark corridors, back to the Prefect dormitory, and flung himself on his bed.
Dobby the House Elf was there, apparently dusting the room furniture when he saw Draco. He gave a yelp, for even after so many years after leaving the Malfoy household, he could still sense his former Young Master's mood any day. And knew if he did not clear out soon, he would suffer a most merciless kick. He gave another small yelp, and quickly scurried away.
Draco hardly noticed the House Elf. Inwardly, he was consumed with jealousy. Damn Potter…
Author's Note: What do you think? Let me know?
