Chapter Two-Veela's and Vengeance
Draco had been amusing himself before Charms class by repeatedly shooting sparks at the back of Ron's head. An opportunity to torment a Weasley was something he could never pass up.
"It's just too hilarious to watch that freckled face of yours, you overgrown git, turn the colour of your flaming hair." Draco said, taunting Ron furiously.
Ron finally turned around and zapped Draco with sparks of his own, but unfortunately for him, he didn't realise that Professor Flitwick had just arrived.
"Five points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley." The tiny Charms teacher squeaked. "Now leave Mr. Malfoy alone."
Ron shook with suppressed rage, while Draco winked at Hermione, who had turned around and shot him an evil glare.
Ah, the life of a vicious bastard. Draco thought. And all the better if you're a drop dead sexy vicious bastard.
Draco rested his head in his hands, ready for his usual nap, knowing that he could get the notes later by giving Lavender Brown a quick snog session. His life was too perfect…well known (insanely rich) family, great looks, good grades, which he obtained by having his father bribe the teachers, expensive clothes, and all the fawning women a man could ever ask for. Yes, he was humble. Yes, he was self-righteous. And he loved it.
Draco was jolted out of his inward rant about how good being him actually was by a girl rushing over and firmly kissing him on both cheeks.
Ron looked positively homicidal. He was petting the rabbit that he and Neville Longbottom were supposed to be changing into a head of cabbage so hard that its eyes were bulging.
Draco smirked and realised just who it was that had kissed him.
"Hello, Fleur. It's absolutely delightful to see you again." He said.
The sight that greeted his eyes was magnificent and regal. It was a French girl, and her waist length silvery blonde hair that resembled Draco's own was plaited in one long braid. Her deep blue eyes looked as if their colour was stolen from a perfect summer sky, cloudless and beautiful. Fleur wasn't just beautiful, she was, heavenly.
Draco remembered meeting her after the Triwizard Tournament in his fourth year. His father had introduced her as Fleur Delacour, a family "friend." Draco knew better than to call anyone his family knew a friend. They were more like some distant relative's acquaintance that they had met only once.
Veela's were creatures that had silver hair, grace, poise, and a sex appeal that was literally fatal. If you got them angry, of course. Men fell head over heels in love with them, only to find out that they didn't care the slightest bit.
But Fleur and Draco had a bit more in common. They were both part Veela. Apparently, Draco's grandmother and Fleur's were friends. Real friends, not acquaintances. Draco and Fleur knew very well how stunningly attractive they were, but they were both immune to each other's Veela charms.
"Bonjour, Draco! I 'ave missed you so much!" Fleur said and kissed his cheeks again. This is going to be fun! Draco thought to himself as Ron murdered his rabbit.
Professor Flitwick had to yell over the noise that all the boys (except Draco) were making. They were fighting each other to get near Fleur, who had gracefully slipped into a seat by Draco. Harry was making such a fuss over the fact that Hermione was jealous that he knocked all her books all over the floor, and, when she stooped to pick them up, he made a headlong mad dash at Fleur. She squealed, and looked as if she was enjoying the whole thing. Draco was.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" shouted Hermione. Harry rose steadily into the air, but just enough so he couldn't scramble for Fleur. He was trying in vain to escape Hermione's spell, moving his legs as if running, but he wasn't going anywhere.
Draco was now in fits of laughter at the look on Harry's face. He had gone completely feral, spitting and biting and clawing. Definitely undignified. Draco would never do such a thing.
"Now class." Professor Flitwick said when the male members of the class (Again, not Draco) had been quieted down. Hermione had to magically glue them to their seats. "Fleur will be my intern. She has graciously volunteered to do so, in hopes to improve her English, which is already wonderful." Flitwick added, blushing.
"Yes," Fleur said, standing up. All the heads turned. "I do 'ope to eemprove my Eenglish. And now zat I 'ave Draco to 'elp me, I'm sure I will 'ave it down just like zat." She snapped her fingers and gave Draco a smile when she sat down.
It's good to be a Malfoy. Draco thought to himself as he laid down to take his ritual Charms nap. Better than being a Weasley. They're just a family with too little money and too many ugly children...and he drifted off to sleep.
***
Ginny couldn't concentrate on her homework at all that night. So many things were swirling around in her head. If Draco really didn't care, then why did she want him to? But she didn't just want him to care in general. She wanted him to care about her. As much as she wanted to deny it, she knew it was true, and she hated herself for it. This was Draco Malfoy. The one who hated her and her family. The one who insulted her more times than she could remember. The one who unknowingly stole her heart.
"All right." She said out loud to herself. "Maybe I do like him. I mean, he is cute. But it's more than that. Even though he's a selfish, vain, arrogant, sarcastic, and insulting bastard who loathes my family entirely, I still can't help but like him. What is wrong with me?" she asked as she let her head thud onto her Transfiguration textbook.
"Maybe you have a thing for bad boys? I know I do." Said Lavender, who had just walked in carrying an armful of books. Ginny looked up surprised.
"Oh, hey. I didn't hear you come in." she said. Lavender put her books down on her desk, sat down on her own bed, and motioned for Ginny to sit by her.
"I presume your talking about Draco?" she asked.
Ginny sighed and sat down next to Lavender. She let her brush her long red hair and weave it into little complicated braids just for fun.
"Yeah, and you're the only one besides me who calls him by his first name."
"Well, I don't see the point in calling him by his last name. He doesn't call me Brown. But I don't want to talk about his last name. I want to talk about what you said."
Ginny gulped.
"You see…the thing is…" She didn't finish her sentence, just trailed off into deep thought again.
"You love him, don't you?" Lavender whispered. "I mean, I've seen how you look at him. There were so many signs that you loved him. I don't blame you either. I love him too, but not in the kind of way most innocent people would think." She said with a devilish smirk. "Anyway, the point is that it's not your fault. No one will blame you for falling for someone, even if it is Draco Malfoy. You can't control your destiny. It's fate."
"But the fact that it's Draco is what makes it so wrong!" Ginny shouted, standing up. Her hands were balled into fists and she was shaking. "I can't love him! It's not right. Do you have any idea what my parents will say? Do you understand that Ron hates Malfoy more than he hates anything in the entire world? Imagine the conversation: 'Oh Ron, by the way, I've just fallen in love with our family's sworn enemy. The wedding date's in October. I really hope you'll be there. Lucius is looking so forward to see his only son marry a Weasley.' Lavender, I can't. I just can't…" Ginny again trailed off, sobbing into her pillow.
"Shh, Gin. You're not going to marry Draco. Everything's going to be okay." Lavender said, rocking Ginny back and forth.
"You don't know that I won't marry Draco! Even I don't know." Ginny looked into Lavender's light brown eyes.
"If it felt good they wouldn't call it a crush, hun."
"But it's not a crush. It's something deeper. I've felt it for a long time, but I never admitted it to myself. All those nights I've spent with him talking by the fire and one night something woke up inside of me. I'd never felt like that before, and I was scared. When I'm around him, it's like I'm a totally different person. He makes me better. It's not exactly love, it's more like…sharing your soul."
"That is love, Ginny." Lavender said quietly.
Ginny glared at her, her eyes flashing with the lightning of one who's desperate for any other reason and way than the one in front of them.
"And how would you know? You've never been in love, so don't preach to me! I don't want to hear any more lies about love! It only hurts people. Good people have died in vain all because of love. Look at Harry's parents! They loved him, and they died!"
Lavender got up and headed towards the doorway, but before she left, she looked at Ginny.
Ginny's jaw was set and she had a look of grim determination. She looked as if she was on the way to murder her best friend. Tears were silently flowing down her face.
Lavender could tell that Ginny had held this in for some time. They were tears of love, frustration, sadness, and a deep, burning, ever-present anger. She looked like fire; A fire that was fed with hatred, and yet was cold to everything but itself.
She had never seen anything like that before, and it scared her. But what Ginny said next scared her even more.
"Everything won't be better until Malfoy is gone from my life entirely. I can control my destiny. And I will."
***
The next day at dinner, the entire hall was talking about the Christmas holidays. Seamus Finnigan was animatedly telling Harry about how he was going to see the unveiling of a new broomstick.
"It's a Firebolt Optimus!" he said. "Lighter than any other, it has an anti-curse spell more powerful than the one on the regular Firebolt, and it has a built in homing device so you can always find it. It reaches speeds twice that of the Nimbus 2000, and that's only the beginning." He said, waving his fork around in excitement.
"Oy, Finnigan! Watch the sharp pointy objects, would you?" Ron said as Seamus' fork nearly jabbed his eye out.
Hermione was talking with her friend Anna Huntings about what seemed to be Christmas presents. They were whispering, and every now and then one of them would giggle with excitement.
That's what seemed to happen around Christmas time. Everyone was excited, and even Hermione didn't study as much as she usually did. All of the teachers still gave out as much homework, but less severe punishments.
Ginny, on the other hand, was very solemn and thoughtful. She wasn't eating, just pushing her food around on her plate. She would occasionally sigh deeply and her mood would get sadder.
"Hey Gin," Harry asked. "Do you want to go for a walk? Just you and me?"
Hermione glanced at her boyfriend, but he winked at her, signalling that he just wanted to talk.
"Sure." Ginny replied, not knowing exactly what she had just agreed to do, but she knew it was a question.
Harry finished his breakfast, while Ginny pushed hers around a bit more, and then Harry stood up and held out his hand, much to Hermione's disapproval. Ginny took it reluctantly. Against her better judgement, she found herself wondering what it would feel like for Draco to hold her hand. Harry's felt warm and comforting.
Draco's would probably feel like holding glass, strong, yet hurtful at the same time. Am I making any sense? Probably. Anyways, Draco does have nice hands…no! I can't think that.
Ginny finally tore her mind off the topic of Draco and his hands and focused on Harry.
"Well, Ginny," Harry said as they walked around the lake, their feet making crunching sounds in the freshly fallen snow. "I noticed today that you seem to have a lot on your mind. And, I don't know how to say this, but…" Harry stopped. He put his finger to his lips, silently telling Ginny to keep quiet.
Ginny followed his gaze, and what she saw made her gasp. Her eyes shot green sparks and her body tensed up.
It was Draco, in the clearing, with Fleur. And they were…well; Ginny didn't know exactly what they were doing, except that sparks were evidently flying between them. Literally, The only way that she knew it was Draco was because she recognised the hair, although that was barely visible through the red sparks and falling snow.
"They're…snogging!" Harry exclaimed as a wind blew and moved some sparks. It was clear that they were kissing. What else could it be? Ginny thought.
Fleur's sitting on Draco's lap and he's apparently enjoying himself. I don't know why he wants Fleur. She's not the prettiest girl in the world. Okay, so maybe her hair's a lot better than mine and she's taller, and she's French, but I still have redeeming qualities. Wait! What am I saying? I shouldn't be thinking this way about Draco. I hate him. I will not rush in and break them up. I will not. I will not. Oh bloody hell, I'm going!
Ginny realised the cold clamp of jealously around her heart, and her eyes narrowed.
Before Harry could stop her, or she could stop herself, she bolted into the clearing.
"Yes, well, sorry to interrupt this little snog-fest we have going on here," she said once she reached Fleur and Draco.
They looked up. Fleur's eyes widened a bit, but Draco didn't react. "But shouldn't you be getting ready for class?" Ginny continued.
"Ginny, iz it?" Fleur asked. Ginny answered with a smirk and a glare, which Fleur recognised immediately. "Ah, I recognize zat look. It iz zat of a jealous lover. I 'ave seen it many times. Draco, why didn't you tell me you 'ad a girlfriend?" she asked with a pout.
"Look Weasley, go away. I was kind of getting my dose of fun for the day in." Draco said annoyed. "And she is not my girlfriend. They say money can't buy love, and that's evidently not true. Ginny here has never had a boyfriend."
Ginny shook with anger, and it took every ounce of self-control she had not to kill Draco right then and there. She couldn't believe he was acting this way towards her. He was nice during those lessons, or at least bearable. Oh, right. Ginny remembered. He was just using me. I should've known. He's a Malfoy. She shuddered at the name, but no one could tell, because everyone was shivering with the cold.
"Well, Malfoy." Ginny said with a grimace as Harry's hand clamped down on her arm hard. "I hope you two freeze out here. Have a nice time." She said sarcastically.
"What waz zat about?" Fleur asked as she rested her head on Draco's shoulder. Draco pressed her body to him, keeping himself warm.
"She wants me, that's all." He said into Fleur's long hair, as if mad crushes were an everyday occurrence, which for him, they were.
"Don't you care?" Fleur asked, trailing butterfly kisses up Draco's neck.
"Not really. It's not like she's the first one." He replied. Fleur again rested her head on Draco's shoulder, sighing this time and closing her eyes.
"You know, she iz pretty in 'er own way. You should really give 'er a chance, Draco. Oh, and did you know zat you're my couzin?" she asked.
Draco entwined his fingers in Fleur's.
"She is not pretty. I don't love anyone. Remember that. And it's not like I've slept with you, so the cousin thing doesn't really matter." He said.
Fleur performed a simple warming charm on them both, and stood up.
"Yet, Draco." She said with a coy smile. "It does not matter yet."
***
"What the hell was that all about?" Harry asked as he and Ginny reached the door leading into Hogwarts. Ginny flushed scarlet but her eyes were sharp with rage.
"It's none of your bloody business so drop it, Potter!" she exclaimed harshly as she turned on Harry. Harry looked hurt, but not too much. It wasn't like Ginny yelling at him was like Hermione. If Hermione had yelled at him, Harry would've felt like his heart broke into a million pieces. But ginny's anger just made him sad.
Harry reached out and put a hand on Ginny's arm, but she pulled away fiercely. "Are you daft? I said sod off!" she said and stormed into the castle.
She ran through the great hall, oblivious of the whispers and looks that followed her. Her heart was pounding so hard that she could see it through her robes, and she was overwhelmed with rage.
Why don't they just leave me alone? They've ignored me all these years and now that Malfoy's involved, they insist on prying into my boring uneventful life! What do they expect? Do they want me to tell them about my mad passionate affair with Malfoy complete with many long snogs and a romance that'll make them blush? Well, sorry, but they'll just be disappointed, because that never happened. As much as I wished it had…
Ginny screamed with rage once she reached a hallway that was deserted.
"Fine! I admit it! I like Draco Malfoy! There, are you happy? Whoever's running the world today is a fucking sadist! You want me to cry? Okay, I'm crying!" Ginny said as the tears started to fall. She was now shaking and screaming at the ceiling, as if it were in charge of her torture. "I can't take this anymore! Everything in my life's falling apart! Hand me down robes, brother's who ignore me, no friends! I just don't know what to do!"
She collapsed onto the cold stone floor of the hallway, sobbing and whimpering. She lay there for some time, and when she finally got up, she had reached a decision.
She stood up; jaw set and eyes flashing. Her red hair was wild and looked like fire. And at the moment, she had the persona of it too.
She quickly raced to her dormitory and grabbed some parchment. Before she started to write though, she paused and considered who exactly to address it to. Not Harry, or Ron, or Hermione, they wouldn't care anyway. She thought, sucking on her quill. Not Lavender, no, she'd feel too bad. Ah, I know…Malfoy. I wish I could see the look on his face when he reads this. Alas, I can't have my cake and eat it too. At least this'll torment him for a while.
So Ginny wrote:
To Draco Malfoy,
You deserve all the pain that you will get from my actions. You have no idea what you put me through. I really did love you, but of course you didn't care. Love doesn't matter to you, and now I realise that it is a waste of emotions. Thank you for correcting my ridiculous outlook on life. But I owe you nothing.
Virginia Anne Weasley.
She signed her name with a flourish and went to the owlry. She decided to use a school owl, a tawny one. She attached the letter to its leg and gave it a Knut.
By now, Ginny thought. Draco should be in his dormitory. I'd rather die than love a Malfoy. It's not like anyone would miss me anyway. Everyone ignores me, so they shouldn't even notice I'm gone. I know; I'll come back and haunt Malfoy. Maybe then he'll realise this hell he's putting me through. Day and night I've tortured myself and I'm not going to do this anymore. It's time for me, the youngest Weasley, to do something noticeable for once.
Ginny then decided to voice her thought aloud for no apparent reason. 'Ginny, you're too young to go to Hogwarts.' 'No, Ginny, you're too little.' 'You should try and act more like your brothers Ginny.' 'Stop being so girly, Ginny.' 'For the last time, no you cannot have new robes this year.' She said, mocking her mother's voice.
She told the owl to find Draco and dispatched it.
"Well this time," she spoke quietly. "I'm not too little or too young to do this. I'm the bravest one of them all. They were weak, but I'm taking control of the situation and getting out right now."
A strange sense of calm floated over her, and she smiled a grim smile. One of a person on the way to die…
So Ginny sighed, made her way to Harry's dorm room, and once she got there, donned the invisibility cloak. She only needed it till she got outside. Once there, she didn't care if anyone saw her on the roof. It would be too late.
***
Draco was on his way to his common room after dessert feeling quite calm when a large tawny owl came and dropped a letter at his feet.
Oh bloody hell, Draco thought, his feeling of calm suddenly ripped away and replaced by a sense of annoyance. Now who on this earth would insist on sending me an owl now?
He picked it up and examined it. It had a red ribbon tied around it. That could only mean one thing: a Gryffindor.
Draco sighed and ripped off the ribbon. He rolled open the parchment and read it. A flicker of some unnamed emotion passed through his eyes at this point. He didn't understand what he was doing. He didn't even know he was doing it.
The next thing he knew he was standing at the top of the North Tower, out of breath, and watching Ginny Weasley prepare to jump.
