A/N: Okay… this is the chapter where lots of stuff finally gets explained… hopefully it isn't too long and drawn out (I tried really hard to have it just sort of flow, but I'm not sure as to how successful I was with that… oh well… we will see). Regardless, I found it to be necessary for the story. Anyway, I do hope that all of you like this chapter and continue to read my story to its completion. Things will start to heat up after this chapter and some other interesting things occur as well! Again I want to thank everyone who has reviewed my story so far and I send hugs to all of you who are loyal followers of this story! So now I ask all who read this to remember that this is my first ever fanfic so please please be kind! Read, review and most importantly… ENJOY!!
All things Harry Potter belong to the wonderful JK Rowling… :-)
Chapter 7: Truths Revealed
"Oh gods…" Ginny whispered.
Draco sat there in silence, but he was smiling. Smiling?
"You…? But, I thought… I…?" tears filled Ginny's eyes.
"I told you that I'd reveal everything. This is just the beginning."
Ginny placed her hand over her beating heart, "I don't know what to say… I owe you my life…" her voice was almost a whisper.
Draco shook his head, "You don't owe me anything. I'm sorry that I didn't get there soon enough." His voice was slightly shaken. "If I had reacted sooner…"
Ginny moved closer to Draco and leaned her head against his shoulder. Draco closed his silvery eyes taking in the feeling of her head leaning against him… the fact that she actually wanted to lean against him.
The red-haired girl could tell that something was indeed troubling the Slytherin, however she did not want to reveal too much about the incident… especially since she was not entirely sure as to how much he had actually witnessed. She decided to let him explain what he knew first and then maybe… just maybe… she would tell him her side. "You did save me… it could've been so much worse."
"Worse? I saw your face… you were bleeding! If I'd gotten there sooner then he wouldn't have hit you. At least I prevented him from… from…" his voice trailed.
Ginny's stomach lurched. Draco did not know the whole story as to what had happened. Now she felt horrible knowing the full truth of that incident when he only knew a part. He was now a part of the whole thing and he did not even realize the extent to which things had happened during her attack. A part of her wanted to tell him and another part wanted to keep it from him… he was already hurting, believing that she was only beaten and that he was unable to stop it… but she was hurting too. And she really needed to tell someone about what had happened, the silence was beginning to wear her down… and for some reason she felt that she could trust Draco with all that she was. This frightened her to her very core, but at the same time she felt comforted in the fact that she actually found someone that she felt as though she could trust. She frowned suddenly.
Draco looked over at Ginny, "There's more… isn't there…" his voice sounded emotionless and cold.
Ginny kept silent. She did not know what to say.
"Ginny, what exactly did happen that night. I only saw Crabbe on top of you… ready to…" again his voice trailed. He cleared his throat, "Anyway, I took care of him and then Goyle. Unfortunately, you already looked terribly beaten up. I tried to get down there to you as soon as I knew that Zabini had gone. I knew of his plan and tried to stop him."
Ginny gasped, "His plan?"
Draco nodded, "Yes. It all started on the train back to Hogwarts. Zabini overheard me insult you and he was rather impressed with the way you handled it. After that moment, he decided to make you his project, so-to-speak."
Ginny looked down at the ground feeling so ashamed of herself.
"Well, I made it my mission to protect you from him. I may not be the nicest of people… but I'm not like my father… even if I do bear the mark."
Ginny's head suddenly snapped up and she looked deeply into Draco's eyes, "Couldn't you have prevented that?"
"You don't know what it's like! My father is The Dark Lord's highest in command… it's my destiny to become a Death-Eater… I was initiated that day I saw you in Diagon Alley!"
"In Diagon Alley? I never saw you there…"
"Well, I saw you… and my father noticed the way I looked at you. He told me to not get attached to you… ah, it's all so clear now… what Zabini had said. I know why my father didn't want me getting attached!" Draco buried his face in his hands, "It wasn't so much because you're a Weasley… it's because you opened The Chamber… and it's because of him that you bloody opened it in the first place!!"
Ginny wrapped her arms tightly around Draco… she felt at ease in his embrace. Suddenly, he pulled away slightly and looked her in the eyes, "I fell in love with your beauty that day in Diagon Alley."
Ginny felt herself blush.
"And I fell in love with you, Ginny, that day on the train back to school."
Ginny smiled at his words. Then, despite her past experience with men, she found herself leaning forward, ready to kiss him when Draco stopped her.
"You have more to say… I know that you do."
Ginny's stomach lurched and she nodded reluctantly, "And I know that you have more to tell me too."
Draco nodded, "You first."
Ginny sighed and hugged her knees tightly to her chest, "Much more happened with Crabbe and Goyle than you know. I can pretty much guess that this whole thing was a set up by Blaise… he didn't want to meet me, he wanted to hurt me."
Draco nodded.
"Well, I know what you saw… but unfortunately, there is more. You won't like what I have to say… I don't like what I have to say." Her eyes filled with tears and she began to sob violently.
Draco put his arm around her and desperately tried to comfort her.
"When you got there, you managed to catch the second act…" Her words were slightly garbled due to her crying, but Draco understood every word nonetheless.
His silvery eyes went wild with anger and he stood up, "You mean… Goyle…"
Ginny nodded between sobs.
He began to pace back and forth while muttering to himself, "I'll kill 'im… I'll kill 'im… don't care if I use an Unforgivable…" He looked down at the sobbing girl and suddenly felt an ache swelling deep inside his heart. "He was your first, wasn't he?"
Ginny nodded and sobbed even louder. She felt so dirty.
Draco closed his eyes and for the first time that he could remember, tears filled his eyes. He held them back, but a single tear streamed down his cheek. He walked over to the girl, "Shh… it's all right now. No one will ever hurt you again. I'll make sure of it… even if I have to die to save you."
Ginny smiled weakly, "Never thought I'd hear you say that."
Draco smiled and caressed her tear-stained cheeks, "Yeh well, I never thought I'd ever get the chance to say that."
Ginny leaned into him and he held her tightly.
"There is more to my story. You know about Zabini and that I know about the whole Chamber incident… which I didn't even find out about until today, by the way…" he heard Ginny gasp. "You know that I'm officially a Death-Eater… well there's one more thing you need to know. You are important to The Dark Lord… Zabini's the one who told me everything. About how you opened The Chamber and how The Dark Lord possessed you… well, it turns out that a part of him still resides deep within your soul… and apparently, he can't come back to full power until you are dead. Only then, can he take back the part of him that is inside you and become strong once again… coming back to full power once and for all."
"You mean to say, that you are risking everything to protect me from… Vol… Voldemort?" she squeaked as she said the dreaded name.
"Yes."
"You'd do that?"
"Yes."
Ginny sat there in total awe. She began to reminisce about her first year at Hogwarts and how she came across Tom's diary… how naïve she was back then. She thought that she had found a friend in Tom, little did she know that she was facing The Dark Lord himself! She remembered how he possessed her, forced her to open The Chamber, releasing the basilisk within. It was a dark time. She was never truly the same after that. Yes, she tried to act as if she were the same old Ginny, but she knew deep down that she was not. It was not until her 4th year that she came to the realization that she had indeed changed. That was such a horrible year. So many horrible tragedies had happened.
"Ginny, you must believe me when I tell you that I never wanted any part in this whole war nor did I ever wish to join the Death-Eaters."
Ginny looked into his eyes, "I know…"
"I hate my father…"
Ginny leaned against his chest.
"I hate Zabini… and Crabbe… and Goyle…"
"You did your best, Draco. I know that you did. You did everything in your power to protect me… and all things considered, you've done well."
Draco smirked, "Yeh, I suppose even St. Potter couldn't have done better."
Ginny laughed, "I suppose you're right."
At that moment, Draco leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. He heard Ginny sigh contentedly. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he replied.
"Am I speaking to the same Draco Malfoy who, on the train, needed to disinfect himself of me?"
Draco played with her hair, "Mmm…" he mused. "Needed to keep up the show… didn't know what was going on."
"I'm sure."
Draco smirked at the girl and kissed her again. She moaned a little at the feeling of his lips against hers. He could not help himself as he reached his arms around her, smothering her body with his. Suddenly, he pulled away.
"I don't want to do anything that you don't want to do…" he said seriously.
Ginny smiled, "I know… its funny, how much you've changed."
"What do you mean?"
"Well… you do have a reputation. I know you've been with many girls… Pansy Parkinson for one."
Draco shuddered and then blushed in spite of himself. Dammit! All these years I've been such an ass!!
"All I know is that whoever you were… you aren't that person anymore. You're different… well different enough." The girl smiled, "I know that I won't be your first when we do…" her voice trailed and she blushed. At that moment, suddenly she frowned, "But you won't be my first either…"
"Shh… we'll be each others' firsts," Draco stated matter-of-factly.
"How do you figure that? You've been with practically all the girls at Hogwarts… and me… well, I'm tainted… I…" her voice was trembling and she desperately was trying to hold back more tears that wanted to fall.
Draco kissed her suddenly, "You will be my true first… the first one I ever cared about. And you don't truly know what it's like to have a first… so I indeed will be your first… when you're ready, that is. Always remember that, Ginny."
Ginny blushed at his romantic words, they touched her so deeply. "Draco, will you make love to me? Right now…?"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Oh yeah… things are about to get interesting! I told you… when the 'good stuff' arrived in my story, it would arrive with full force!! I just hope that you will all like how I wrote it. And I know that it might seem sudden that Ginny made such a request (it's only been what a little over a month since the incident AND she was a virgin beforehand?)… but I think that Ginny has had a sort of weird attraction to Draco from the beginning (the same goes with him towards her)… always having this strange sense of trust, etc. I tried to portray that as best I could so that when this happened it wouldn't be totally off-the-wall. Again, it's only a story and not real life and so I hope that you all just take my story for what it is and enjoy what I have written. :-)
Jezel Blackwind ~ Hopefully this chapter explained everything… well pretty much everything!! Continue to read and review! :-)
Anya27 ~ I'm so glad that you are liking my story!!! Keep on reading and of course reviewing!
Magic Comet ~ Firstly, thank you so much for adding me to your "favorite authors" list!! Also, thanks ever so much for the compliments!! This is indeed my first fanfic and I'm trying my best to do a good job of it!! I hope that this story continues to stay one of your favorites! Continue to read and review!
Bladefanatic ~ Well, as you can see… the sexual tension has built up a bit here… it only takes off in the chapters to come! I hope that you will like how it all goes! Please keep on reading and reviewing!
sweetstar3 ~ YOU ARE MY 50th REVIEWER!! :-) My fellow 'romantic'… I hope that this chapter explains away some stuff that might have kept you wondering before… it'll get a bit more interesting in the future chapters! Continue to read and review!!
dragonsprincess ~ Hey there sweetie! Thank you so much for adding me to your "favorite authors" list… especially since you had to delete someone else! I am so flattered!! :-) Yeah… Ginny should be a bit more wary… but I did not want to get too much into that since it would stray from my story a bit, that's why I jumped ahead in time by a month after the whole thing happened… though perhaps I might write a little one-shot fic after I finish this one describing what she was going through during that first month after the incident (that could explain her reactions to seeing Crabbe and Goyle, etc.). Let me know what you think of that idea… :-) Anyway, I am in no way meaning to belittle the whole thing because I myself was in a similar situation that almost resulted in that sort of thing (let's just say that one of my guy friends from high school turned out not to be a friend at all) and it was horrible! I didn't tell anyone for a LONG time and nothing even came of it (thank the gods)! And I was a bit weird being around only guys for quite a little bit too. Anyhow, I hope that you liked this chapter and that you'll like my future chapters as well! Continue to read and review!!
dracomio ~ If you liked the cutoff for the last chapter… how about this one?? :-) I'm not meaning to be evil… it was just a good place to end the chapter! Keep on reading and reviewing!!
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Greeny ~ Rachel, my dear! I can always count on you to give me compliments… I thank you for that! Your words of encouragement definitely make me feel more confident about my story!! Anyway, I hope that this story continues to please… Things get a bit steamy (I hope that it comes out ok) in the next chapter and I there are some more interesting things that will happen in chapters to come!! Be sure to keep on reading and reviewing! Ohh… and your poems are simply wonderful!! :-)
Megan ~ I'm glad you like… hopefully you liked this chapter too!! Continue to read and review!!
bonachbabe829 ~ Thanks ever so much for adding me to your "favorite authors" list… I am so honoured!! So… now you know for 100% who Ginny's rescuer was… lol! Hopefully this chapter explained a lot of things… now get ready for the next chapter! Things will be heating up!! Continue to read and review!!
FyreFaerieGinny ~ Yeah… last chapter was a bit short… but that's how it goes sometimes! :-) Anyway, I'm glad that you are liking my story… please continue to read and review!
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Arabella Minerva ~ Ohh don't worry… Lucius will be making an appearance in the future! As to his role… you'll have to keep on reading!! Please, don't forget to review as well!!
Ang3l666 ~ Yeah… Blaise is a jerk! Though he did spill about Voldemort's plans for her which allowed Draco to get her away, etc!! But this is NOT the last we've seen of Blaise Zabini!! He'll be back!! Continue to read and review!!
A-LiA12 ~ Hey there girl… well, I hope that you liked this chapter! And I hope you like the following ones as well!! Please continue to read and or course review!! :-)
A special thanks is extended to Magic Comet, GothicTheatreVampire, dragonsprincess, bonacbabe829, HPFreekGirl and Arabella Minerva for adding me to their "favorite authors" list (*many hugs to you all*)!
Again I'd like to re-iterate… I hope that everyone will continue to enjoy what I write… Also remember that more and longer reviews means that I'll be more likely to post another chapter quickly!!! :-)