Ginny walked out of the ballroom exhausted. The whole time she had been there she felt Draco looking at her, his eyes boring into her soul. Keeping up the spell she had cast earlier for more then an hour was tiring. Through out the night when she was in Colin's arms on the dance floor she had let her gaze wander to where Draco stood. He looked horrible, his eyes were glazed over, and he looked unnaturally upset. The Draco she had begun to know had a good rein on his emotions.
He would catch her looking at her, and his eyes would hold hers, mesmerizing her. She thought that hurting him would make her feel better, but it had made her feel worse.
Colin had gotten fed up with her; she was not paying attention to him, when he followed her gaze he stood up angrily.
"I tried to believe that the rumors were not true Ginny, but now I think I see what was going on. He convinced you that he loved you until he had you in his bed, when he was done getting what he wanted he left you, and now you want him back. Your pathetic!" Ginny just sat there, biting her lip until it bled. She sat by Hermione until the music ended and everyone had begun to leave. She stood and hurried out of the hall, trying to avoid any student that might be lingering to catch up with her. She followed a scarcely used hallway to the Gryffindor common room, but before she walked out of the shadowed hallway she heard the voices of her friends.
"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked. "Can't she see that Colin was good for her, cant she see that he really liked her?"
"I think she needs a little time to get over Malfoy." Hermione suggested.
"What? It's not like there was anything between them!" Harry exclaimed Ginny walked back down the hallway to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She often went there to let her tears fall, despite the passageway that led to where Tom Riddle had taken her, she felt safe with Myrtle, crying along with her till she felt as if she could never cry again. She let her tears stream done her cheeks, and when she finally did stand up she was hit by a huge wave of cold air. A window had been opened, though it had not been opened when she had first came in.
"Myrtle, did you open the window?" She asked, though she knew that the answer would be no
"DO I LOOK LIKE I CAN OPEN A WINDOW?" Myrtle screamed as her hand passed through the handle.
"Sorry." She muttered. She hurried out of the room. When she got up to her bed she could not fall asleep. Her mind kept going back to her friend's words, and to Draco's face. When she finally did fall asleep she had very unpleasant dreams. After weeks of not being bothered with her stalker Ginny had begun to hope that he had gone. That he had just been plating a game, and he got bored. But the night of the Yule ball Ginny dreamed of him.
He was a voice inside her, driving her insane. His words were to loud, they shook her world, making her fall down because of the hatred and anger were turned to mind numbing pain.
"Why do you not come to me when I call? I have given you everything you have ever asked for. I know what is best for you! HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY ME!"
When Ginny awoke she was covered in sweat. She spent her time in the shower shaking and sobbing. Why her? Why was everyone set on making her life hell?
She was not at breakfast. Draco sat with his eyes glued to the doors, hoping that she would appear. She did not show up for her classes either. In a few days he would leave for Christmas break. And he desperately wanted to talk to her before he left.
Finally the day before he had to leave she showed up beside him when he was walked to his room after dinner. Her cheeks were flushed an unnatural pink, her eyes were glazed and yellowy. When she opened her mouth to speak she began to cough violently. Her whole body shook, her teeth chattered and tears streamed down her face.
Draco took her in his arms, crushed her body against his. She seemed frail and weak. His hands rubbed his back until the last of the coughs died down.
She smiled apologetically at him and handed him a wrapped box.
"Don't open it till Christmas." She told him smiling. "Despite everything I still want you to have it." Draco nodded. And she began to walk away.
"Wait!" He called after her. She turned to him and he continued. "I really think you should get something for you cold." She nodded and said.
"I am on my way to the hospital wing." Draco caught up with her in a few strides.
"I want to go with you." He explained with a shrug. He wore his customary scowl while he walked with her.
"Dear me!" exclaimed Madam Pomfrey when she had watched Ginny go through a cough attack. "You need to drink this everyday, and you need to have lots of beds rest and…" She seemed to go on and on. Draco had already made up his mind. He would not be going home for Christmas. After Ginny had drunken a sleeping potion and was safe in the hospital wing, Draco sent an owl to his Mother explaining that something sudden had come up, and that he was sorry to miss Christmas with her.
Ginny slept for a long time, she woke when she heard the train leave the station. She felt empty, and tired. Draco had left. She would no longer have to avoid anyone for at least a week. The thought did not make her feel better, if anything it made her feel emptier. She snuggled deeper under the blankets and turned on her other side. She heard footsteps and tilted her head so she could see who it was.
Draco stood there staring at her back. Wait, what was he doing there? The train had just left, had it not? She turned to him.
"What are you doing here?" She asked. He smiled.
"I am here because of you." He answered grinning at her surprise. "Your sick." Ginny glared at him and turned in her side so her back faced him again. Draco left and Ginny sighed and snuggled under deeper under the blankets and feel asleep.
Someone coughing woke her for a second time. She sat up and saw Draco hunched over coughing hard.
"Does Madam Pomfrey know that you are sick?" she asked, starling him into another coughing fit. Just then the nurse came in. She pushed a spoon of something past Draco's lips and he stopped coughing.
"Every kid who stayed for Christmas break are coughing and spreading the bug!" She exclaimed and hurried to the next bed where someone else lay on his or her side breathing in gasps from a coughing fit.
Ginny grabbed her clothes from the chair next to her bed and dresses under the blanket. Draco watched her through the process, laughing at her the whole time. When she popped her head out from under the covers and glared at him, he started to laugh harder and harder till he was on the floor gasping for his breath.
Ginny stood up from the bed, smoothed her unruly hair and walked towards the door. Madam Pomfrey caught her before she reached an inch of the door.
"What are you doing Miss. Weasley?" The nurse's voice boomed through the small room, causing Ginny to wince, she had developed a sharp headache when she had stood and the large woman's loud voice did not help.
"Get back into that bed right now! Do you want to faint in front of Mr. Malfoy?" Ginny flushed and walked back to the bed.
"Why isn't Draco in a hospital bed?" Ginny asked stormily.
"Because Mr. Malfoy does not have a severe case like you do!" She said sternly. She walked over and pushed something vile past Ginny's lips.
"You'll be able to go in a day or so." With those words she departed. The potion lulled Ginny towards unwanted sleep. Draco saw that she was fighting the potion and leaned close to her.
"Go to sleep." He muttered, she shook her head and tried to sit up. His hands on her shoulders stopped her and he pushed her down on the bed. He ran his fingers through her flame colored hair and sang to her.
Wait, Draco can sing? His voice was deep but amazingly smooth and soothing. Soon Ginny had drifted off to dream about Draco's fascinating voice which seemed to be coming from the stained lips of Sirens in the middle of the ocean, mesmerizing unsuspecting sailors to coming towards them, towards the dangers of the rock wild shore.