All's Fair In Love & War
I don't own "Running" by No Doubt (download it; it rocks!)
Chapter Three: Do you think we'll make it
"Tell me, again, why the hell am I here?"
His tone was firmly agressive, but Hermione merely rolled her eyes at him.
"Shut up, Malfoy. Just stay here while I get Harry," she commented, her eyebrow rising.
"Potter? Hell no!" He proceeded to stand up, but she pushed him back into the couch.
"Be quiet! God, Ginny's sleeping, okay? Please, do this okay? This is good news...for you, anyway. It's going to take a lot for Harry to agree because it's very bad news for him," Hermione said, sighing sadly. Draco grinned slightly and obeyed, waiting for her to come back.
When she did, she was tugging Harry by the arm and she pushed him on the same couch, which he relented from and kept a long distance from Malfoy.
"I don't understand what you're doing, 'Mione. And why is he here anyway?" he asked, shooting Draco a suspicious glare.
"Shut up for once, Harry. Listen. I looked it up...the only way to get Ginny's memory back is to get two people she truly loves is to perform the Reverse Congora Curse. It's pretty simple, really, although to guys like you, it will seem rather complicated. The first step is to get Ginny asleep and perform the charm on her; which is already succeeded. The second step is for you guys to read this aloud at the same time."
She handed them both two pieces of parchment, with neatly written cursive on it. Draco read it, his eyes fastening the pace and scrunched up his lips in disgust.
"I am not reading this crap," he objected, snarling.
"Fine, Malfoy. I don't even know why I bother. Just let Ginny get away from you, then."
"Wait a minute! Who says he gets her back?" Harry was up now, standing, giving his best friend a menacing look.
"My God, I don't know if you really love her or not, because if you did, you'd want her to be happy, Harry! And she's happy with Malfoy, get it?" Hermione was shrieking now, to Draco's lurid satisfaction.
"No, I don't get it! Why do you ruin things for me, huh? Fine, you can do whatever the hell you want when my life is actually steady and non-dramatic again, but leave me out of this! I am not participating for a plea of insanity here!" He glared at both of them again before going toward the door and slamming the door. Hard.
Hermione grinded her teeth. She plomped herself next to Malfoy and covered her face with her hands. Malfoy looked at her, squirming.
"God, I try to help so hard...I know Harry probably hates me right now, but I just hate Ginny act so light headed and, God, Malfoy, somebody needs to take control around here," she said, her voice muffled.
He awkwardly put an arm around her. "Err- there, there."
Hermione squirmed out of his grip and looked at him strangely. Then she burst out laughing hysterically.
"What?" Draco asked blankly. Seeing her in an uproar like this gave him the urgent sensation to laugh too. It had been a long time since he had laughed just because something was funny or because he was joyful, so he joined in reluctantly.
"God...well, I better go wake Ginny up, it's obvious Harry's not going to do anything about it..." her voice faded off, her laughter rejecting itself.
"I'll wake her up," he offered.
Hermione gave him a questioning look but shrugged.
"Okay. I'll go help Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen or tend to something else, whatever."
She got up and went downstairs. He went to the familiar bedroom of Ginny and opened the door, and heard her soft breaths.
"Ginny?"
There was no answer. He stepped in and turned on the light and saw her. She was in a soft, shabby nightgown that was colored pink. Her hair was messy and curled all over her eyes, and she was awake, her eyes opened and examining her fingers as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.
"I thought you were going to leave me alone," she prompted quietly.
"Hard to keep promises with a person like you," he merely responded, carelessly sitting on the edge of her bed.
There was a long silence filling the room. Draco listened to her breathe for several moments before he heard her speak.
"Draco, is it true?"
"Huh?"
"What you told me - about me cheating on Harry," she said.
"Yes." His voice was stern, truthful. She sighed softly.
"My God, I am such a horrible person," she muttered to herself, but was loud enough for Draco to hear. He moved near to her and sat down next to her on the bed.
"Not really...Potter made a LOT of mistakes too; and anyway, I had you first," he said teasingly. She smiled at him, and took a shuddering breath. Suddenly, without warning, she shrieked, clutching her head in pain.
"Ginny?" He shook her shoulders, but her eyes were wide open, looking past him.
"Ginny!"
There was so answer. She fell limp into his lap, her eyes finally closing, and her breathing uneven. He leaned close to her ear, touching the softness of her ear.
"Ginny, can you hear me? Please, Ginny, answer," he pleaded desperately.
~*~ -+- "Mother, please can I go and see him?" she pleaded ambitiously. "Ginny, he's not something you're going to gawk it."
She pouted, her lips set to a frown. He had been just a year older than her, with messy tangles of black hair, and green eyes that shone. He was handsome, thin...
-+-
"I don't think Potter liked your valentine that much!"
How dare he? she thought in fury, trying to shake off her embarassment. He was jealous, she knew. Raving mad that he didn't get a chance to humiliate Harry again. But why had he chosen to put it out on her? - + -
"Harry, you're hurt!" He shook it off and helped her up, her knees trembling beneath her, as if she might fall any second. His hand clutched her arm, daring not to let go. She felt the warmth surround her.
"Ginny, it's all over. See? He's gone. It's just a memory now," he said, pointing to the forebidding book on the chamber floor. Blood was seeping through it, black blood. Ink. Her face fell, and she managed a stuttering smile.
-
+
-
"Hey, you okay? Bryce is a jerk, sorry about him..."
Ginny lifted her eyes and they flickered over him. He had dark hair and blue eyes, which seemed to change color at the movement of the sunlight. She squirmed a bit, uncomfortable with the fact that she was crying. He sat next to her and smiled.
"I won't let him hurt you again, I promise."
She managed a quivering uplift of her lips.
"I am Ginny," she finally announced.
"I am Charles."
-
+
- "I know you want something in return. Now tell me, what is it?" she finally said.
He laughed coldly, and with a sneering smile he took his finger and ran it through the her leg.
She shivered.
Finally he whispered in her ear, his lips catching on the flesh of her ear, and said,
"I think you know what I want."
- + -
"Are those- scars?" he asked meekly.
She blinked again, water running from her eyes at last.
She pulled up her shirt, the cloth sending sparks against her skin, and lifted it up so he could see.
Sideway marks were gleaming across the skin of her stomach. They looked dreadful, crossing her veins in every whichway.
"I can't get rid of them; in the daytime I hide them with makeup," she explained as if she was continuing a story.
"Sometimes at night I can feel some pain, and it always lasts all night, how did you make the pain go away?" Ginny asked. She realized she was blabbering on and on, but she couldn't feel the pain anymore.
Malfoy merely shrugged, and pushed her lightly on the bed. Her head fell back in the soft pillows, her eyes nearly closing.
"G'night," he hissed, and started walking toward the exit of the room.
Ginny didn't ask how he had gotten in here.
"He tried to rape me, you know." she found herself muttering. Draco didn't ask her who she was talking about.
She watched as Draco stopped, his foot in midair. Finally putting it down, he turned the knob and creaked the door open.
She heard the door slam swiftly, and closed her eyelids. For some odd reason, the pain had gone away. And now, that Draco had gone, it was slowly returning.
- + -
~*~
"Err- do I know you? You seem so familiar..." his voice faded off.
"Yes. You met me several years ago, at Christmas. I was a friend of Ginny's..."
"Oh, right, right, the Potter guy. So what do you want?"
"Ginny's in trouble - she can't ...I can't explain it here. Would you mind if we talked it over eating or something?" Harry wringed his fingers, extremely nervous.
"Of course," Charles replied, a worried expression coming over his face.
~*~
"Read aloud what it says, practice for a bit, okay, Charles? I am going to summon a sleeping charm on Ginny and apparate to where Draco is..."
"You can put a sleeping charm on here right here, right now?" asked Harry, impressed.
"Of course," she said swiftly. She waved her wand, muttering an inaudible spell under her breath.
~*~
I don't own "Running" by No Doubt (download it; it rocks!)
Chapter Three: Do you think we'll make it
"Tell me, again, why the hell am I here?"
His tone was firmly agressive, but Hermione merely rolled her eyes at him.
"Shut up, Malfoy. Just stay here while I get Harry," she commented, her eyebrow rising.
"Potter? Hell no!" He proceeded to stand up, but she pushed him back into the couch.
"Be quiet! God, Ginny's sleeping, okay? Please, do this okay? This is good news...for you, anyway. It's going to take a lot for Harry to agree because it's very bad news for him," Hermione said, sighing sadly. Draco grinned slightly and obeyed, waiting for her to come back.
When she did, she was tugging Harry by the arm and she pushed him on the same couch, which he relented from and kept a long distance from Malfoy.
"I don't understand what you're doing, 'Mione. And why is he here anyway?" he asked, shooting Draco a suspicious glare.
"Shut up for once, Harry. Listen. I looked it up...the only way to get Ginny's memory back is to get two people she truly loves is to perform the Reverse Congora Curse. It's pretty simple, really, although to guys like you, it will seem rather complicated. The first step is to get Ginny asleep and perform the charm on her; which is already succeeded. The second step is for you guys to read this aloud at the same time."
She handed them both two pieces of parchment, with neatly written cursive on it. Draco read it, his eyes fastening the pace and scrunched up his lips in disgust.
"I am not reading this crap," he objected, snarling.
"Fine, Malfoy. I don't even know why I bother. Just let Ginny get away from you, then."
"Wait a minute! Who says he gets her back?" Harry was up now, standing, giving his best friend a menacing look.
"My God, I don't know if you really love her or not, because if you did, you'd want her to be happy, Harry! And she's happy with Malfoy, get it?" Hermione was shrieking now, to Draco's lurid satisfaction.
"No, I don't get it! Why do you ruin things for me, huh? Fine, you can do whatever the hell you want when my life is actually steady and non-dramatic again, but leave me out of this! I am not participating for a plea of insanity here!" He glared at both of them again before going toward the door and slamming the door. Hard.
Hermione grinded her teeth. She plomped herself next to Malfoy and covered her face with her hands. Malfoy looked at her, squirming.
"God, I try to help so hard...I know Harry probably hates me right now, but I just hate Ginny act so light headed and, God, Malfoy, somebody needs to take control around here," she said, her voice muffled.
He awkwardly put an arm around her. "Err- there, there."
Hermione squirmed out of his grip and looked at him strangely. Then she burst out laughing hysterically.
"What?" Draco asked blankly. Seeing her in an uproar like this gave him the urgent sensation to laugh too. It had been a long time since he had laughed just because something was funny or because he was joyful, so he joined in reluctantly.
"God...well, I better go wake Ginny up, it's obvious Harry's not going to do anything about it..." her voice faded off, her laughter rejecting itself.
"I'll wake her up," he offered.
Hermione gave him a questioning look but shrugged.
"Okay. I'll go help Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen or tend to something else, whatever."
She got up and went downstairs. He went to the familiar bedroom of Ginny and opened the door, and heard her soft breaths.
"Ginny?"
There was no answer. He stepped in and turned on the light and saw her. She was in a soft, shabby nightgown that was colored pink. Her hair was messy and curled all over her eyes, and she was awake, her eyes opened and examining her fingers as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.
"I thought you were going to leave me alone," she prompted quietly.
"Hard to keep promises with a person like you," he merely responded, carelessly sitting on the edge of her bed.
There was a long silence filling the room. Draco listened to her breathe for several moments before he heard her speak.
"Draco, is it true?"
"Huh?"
"What you told me - about me cheating on Harry," she said.
"Yes." His voice was stern, truthful. She sighed softly.
"My God, I am such a horrible person," she muttered to herself, but was loud enough for Draco to hear. He moved near to her and sat down next to her on the bed.
"Not really...Potter made a LOT of mistakes too; and anyway, I had you first," he said teasingly. She smiled at him, and took a shuddering breath. Suddenly, without warning, she shrieked, clutching her head in pain.
"Ginny?" He shook her shoulders, but her eyes were wide open, looking past him.
"Ginny!"
There was so answer. She fell limp into his lap, her eyes finally closing, and her breathing uneven. He leaned close to her ear, touching the softness of her ear.
"Ginny, can you hear me? Please, Ginny, answer," he pleaded desperately.
~*~ -+- "Mother, please can I go and see him?" she pleaded ambitiously. "Ginny, he's not something you're going to gawk it."
She pouted, her lips set to a frown. He had been just a year older than her, with messy tangles of black hair, and green eyes that shone. He was handsome, thin...
-+-
"I don't think Potter liked your valentine that much!"
How dare he? she thought in fury, trying to shake off her embarassment. He was jealous, she knew. Raving mad that he didn't get a chance to humiliate Harry again. But why had he chosen to put it out on her? - + -
"Harry, you're hurt!" He shook it off and helped her up, her knees trembling beneath her, as if she might fall any second. His hand clutched her arm, daring not to let go. She felt the warmth surround her.
"Ginny, it's all over. See? He's gone. It's just a memory now," he said, pointing to the forebidding book on the chamber floor. Blood was seeping through it, black blood. Ink. Her face fell, and she managed a stuttering smile.
-
+
-
"Hey, you okay? Bryce is a jerk, sorry about him..."
Ginny lifted her eyes and they flickered over him. He had dark hair and blue eyes, which seemed to change color at the movement of the sunlight. She squirmed a bit, uncomfortable with the fact that she was crying. He sat next to her and smiled.
"I won't let him hurt you again, I promise."
She managed a quivering uplift of her lips.
"I am Ginny," she finally announced.
"I am Charles."
-
+
- "I know you want something in return. Now tell me, what is it?" she finally said.
He laughed coldly, and with a sneering smile he took his finger and ran it through the her leg.
She shivered.
Finally he whispered in her ear, his lips catching on the flesh of her ear, and said,
"I think you know what I want."
- + -
"Are those- scars?" he asked meekly.
She blinked again, water running from her eyes at last.
She pulled up her shirt, the cloth sending sparks against her skin, and lifted it up so he could see.
Sideway marks were gleaming across the skin of her stomach. They looked dreadful, crossing her veins in every whichway.
"I can't get rid of them; in the daytime I hide them with makeup," she explained as if she was continuing a story.
"Sometimes at night I can feel some pain, and it always lasts all night, how did you make the pain go away?" Ginny asked. She realized she was blabbering on and on, but she couldn't feel the pain anymore.
Malfoy merely shrugged, and pushed her lightly on the bed. Her head fell back in the soft pillows, her eyes nearly closing.
"G'night," he hissed, and started walking toward the exit of the room.
Ginny didn't ask how he had gotten in here.
"He tried to rape me, you know." she found herself muttering. Draco didn't ask her who she was talking about.
She watched as Draco stopped, his foot in midair. Finally putting it down, he turned the knob and creaked the door open.
She heard the door slam swiftly, and closed her eyelids. For some odd reason, the pain had gone away. And now, that Draco had gone, it was slowly returning.
- + -
~*~
"Err- do I know you? You seem so familiar..." his voice faded off.
"Yes. You met me several years ago, at Christmas. I was a friend of Ginny's..."
"Oh, right, right, the Potter guy. So what do you want?"
"Ginny's in trouble - she can't ...I can't explain it here. Would you mind if we talked it over eating or something?" Harry wringed his fingers, extremely nervous.
"Of course," Charles replied, a worried expression coming over his face.
~*~
"Read aloud what it says, practice for a bit, okay, Charles? I am going to summon a sleeping charm on Ginny and apparate to where Draco is..."
"You can put a sleeping charm on here right here, right now?" asked Harry, impressed.
"Of course," she said swiftly. She waved her wand, muttering an inaudible spell under her breath.
~*~