Sorry for the wait, been extremely busy. I took SAT's last Saturday and they nearly killed me and now they want me to take another test (Something like PSAT or something don't remember what they called them) on the 21st. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
*Special thanks to by beta readers for this chapter because if it weren't for their nitpicking this chapter would probably be so full of errors and lines that didn't make sense you wouldn't be able to read it!*
Disclaimer: See chapter 1, and the lyrics from this point on are "Never Again" and they belong to Nickelback, not me.
Life's Troubles
Chapter 4: Nighttime Meetings
Draco made his way silently through the halls of Hogwarts, making a quick stop at the kitchens for a small snack. After the house-elves willingly complied, Draco made his way out to continue his patrol. One good thing about being Head Boy was that you're allowed out after hours, Draco mused. As he made his way up towards the Gryffindor common room he noted to himself that it was well past curfew and the students should be asleep. But as he approached the Fat Lady's portrait he heard screams of an argument coming from behind the portrait hole.
*I hear you scream from down the hall*
Draco sped up and came to a stop behind a statue just in time to see a sobbing figure stumble backwards out of the portrait hole. The figure quickly scrambled to its feet and took off down the corridor leaving a very confused Draco behind. "Weasley?" he whispered to himself. 'Perfect. A chance to berate a Weasley and take points from Gryffindor.' With that thought Draco silently followed her through the hallways and into the entrance hall. Without hesitation he continued to follow her as she quickly made her way out of the castle. 'Where in the name of Merlin is she going!? It's nearly midnight!' Draco pondered as he followed her out into the cool, biting night air.
'The lake?' Draco mused as he saw her stop in front of the lake and stare into it. He watched as she fell to her knees and broke down into hysterical sobbing. Draco had never needed to comfort a teenage girl in his life, and had no idea what to do. Just as he was about to approach the wailing girl she suddenly stopped crying and stood up. Draco watched as she determinedly sent a hard stare across the lake and walked to its edge. He watched silently as she removed her shoes and tread slowly into the water until she was waist deep. 'What the fuck is she doing?!' he frantically screamed to himself.
Without warning Ginny took another step forward and plunged under the surface of the water. Shocked, Draco just stared on with his mouth hanging open. After a minute and she still didn't come up he began to worry. "Where is she!?" he mused worriedly to himself. When she didn't come up after two minutes he said to himself, "Oh bloody hell!" and bolted from his placed behind a tree and dashed toward the lake and jumped in. The freezing water stabbed his skin and nerves like hot knives tearing sharply through his tender flesh.
Once his body adjusted to the ice-cold water Draco began to franticly search for her body. After coming up twice for air he was about to give up and get help, but when he went down again he spotted her body floating limply a few feet away from him. Draco swam over to her and grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her to the surface. Quickly he swam them to shore and pulled her limp body onto the wet bank. Immediately he checked for a pulse and found a weak one, but noticed she wasn't breathing, and immediately began C.P.R.
Through this all Draco was frantically telling her that she needed to start breathing and this wouldn't be a repeat of his earlier childhood. Seconds later Ginny gasped for air and started coughing up water. Draco helped her sit up and rubbed her back comfortingly as she continued to gasp for breath.
*Amazing she can even talk at all*
"What did you think you were doing Weasley!" Draco hissed at her.
"Malfoy! What the hell are you doing here!? Get your filthy disgusting hands off me! Who knows where they've been."
"Dammit Weasley I'm only trying to help!" he shouted in frustration.
"I don't want any help from you or anybody else!"
"Is this the respect and thanks you're going to show me?! For Merlin's sake I just saved your poor arse from drowning!"
"Couldn't you tell that's what I wanted?!" Ginny shot back and almost instantly covered her mouth with her hands. Fear rose into her eyes at the realization that she had just divulged a morbid secret to one of her worst enemies.
*She cries to me… "go back to bed"*
Shocked at the confession, Draco stuttered out, "You-you wanted too? Why?!"
"It's nothing. Just forget I even said it. Go back to bed Draco. Don't worry about me," Ginny whispered afraid she'd lose her composure if she said anything more to him.
"Ginny, please tell me what's wrong," Draco pleaded with her, not noticing his slipup.
Ginny, however did notice it. "You-you called me Ginny," she replied shocked.
Nervously shifting from one foot to the other, Draco replied, "Well that is you name…isn't it?"
"Yes, I suppose it is… but I don't really like it. I'd prefer it if you called me Virginia. It is my actual name," Ginny very quietly replied, no more than a whisper, staring at her hands.
Draco witnessed every emotion that crossed her face until they stopped on one closely resembling sadness, confusion, and hurt. Quickly, Draco fell out of his standing position and slid down next to her. "Ok. Virginia it is then… but quench my curiosity, why don't you like being called 'Ginny'?"
Letting a small grin come onto her face she attempted to wittingly reply, "Curiosity killed the cat you know."
Laughing slightly and extracting a lager smile from his companion he told her, "Well I'm no a cat so I'm not going to be dying from it to soon."
A tense silence fell around them, neither knowing what to say. After a few minutes Ginny spoke up, "Harry."
Draco's head shot up form staring at the ground when she made her brief statement. Immensely confused, he inquired, "What?"
Softly, she answered, "Harry. He's why I don't like being called Ginny."
"But…" Draco stuttered, "Potter's your boyfriend isn't he?"
"Yes, to others, but in his actions and words…you don't know what it's like with him…" Ginny inaudibly said. She really didn't want Draco to hear the last part, but unfortunately he did and questioned her on the statement.
"Virginia, what's going on with you and Potter? Is there something you're not telling me?"
"Draco… I don't want to talk about it."
Suspicious of her avoiding the subject he pushed on and asked the breading question, "Virginia, is he hurting you? Physically or mentally?" He stared at her as her expression became one of hurt and anguish and the unshed tears of the day filled her eyes. Suddenly he felt anger flood through him at her unspoken conformation. 'I'll murder that abusive bastard!' he thought to himself. "He is isn't he Virginia? I'm asking, no pleading for you to tell me. I need to know Virginia. Please."
Without warning the tears in her spilled over and she was immediately pulled into the warm, comforting embrace of her blonde companion. Through her uncontrollable sobs she managed to say, "Yes. But you wouldn't understand. You've never known the pain like he inflicts upon me. I can't take the abuse anymore!" Ginny pulled back slightly and reached down to lift her shirt up.
"Wh-what are you doing Virginia?" Draco stammered as she lifted her shirt.
Revealing her ribs that were already bruising and swelling Ginny told him, "Do you see what I go through with him? I just want it all to end."
*I'm terrified that she'll wind up dead in his hands*
Draco's jaw dropped when he saw what she showed him. Promptly he stood and voiced his thoughts from earlier. "That fucking bastard. I'll murder him and slowy torture and then chop him up into little pieces and then feed them to Hagrid's newest creature!" He was only stopped from his pursuit of the boy-who-lived by Ginny grabbing his arm and pleading for him not to do anything.
"Please Draco, don't do anything. You'll just make it worse if he finds out I told anybody," she went to put her hand on his shoulder but halfway there she sharply pulled her arm back and grabbed a hold of her bruised ribs, and sunk to the ground, a mask of sever pain on her face. Forgetting his anger, Draco immediately ordered her to lie down so he could look at her wounds.
"Virginia you really should go see Madame Pomphrey," he muttered moving his hands over her wounds, lightening his menstruations when she screamed out in pain from her broken ribs. "Sorry," he muttered when he did.
"No. She'd ask to many questions that I'm not ready to answer."
Looking at her he said, "Then let me do it please." Ginny only nodded her head and lifted her shirt to below the swell of her breasts, so he could reach her ribs and abdominal section without a problem. When he finished he pulled her shirt back down, blushing slightly when his hand skimmed over her breast. After a few minutes of silence he asked, "Why do you stay with him, Gin?" She shrank back slightly at the other form of her name and didn't answer immediately. Realizing his slipup this time he immediately apologized, "Sorry Virginia. I'm just worried about you. I worry that he may do irreversible damage someday. Something you'll never get over and I don't want that for you. I don't want to see him kill you."
"Thank you for worrying Draco, but I'm fine really. I'm a big girl I can take care of myself. I guess I stay with him because I don't believe I really have a choice in the matter. I don't know why…but…I feel as if I still love him even after what he has done to me you know. And because… um well, I suppose I'm scared of what he'll do if I break up with him."
Nodding Draco replied, "Don't be scared of him Virginia. It will only fuel him further with any rage," Seeing her nod he smiled and said, "It's nearly 1:30. Even myself as Head Boy would be in trouble for being out of bed at this hour. Come, I'll walk you back to Gryffindor tower," Still smiling at her, he rose to his feet and extended an arm, which she grabbed and he lifter her to her feet.
Together they silently walked back to the entrance of the Gryffindor tower. Outside of the Fat Lady's portrait they stopped and faced each other. "Thank you Draco, for everything." Ginny thanked him and pulled him into a hug.
She pulled away, and he looked at her before taking hold of her hands. "You're welcome Virginia. But listen to me. If you ever need somebody to talk to I'm here for you. The Head Boy's room is on the fourth floor behind the picture of Hazgreld the Great. The password is 'Slytherins honor'. You're welcome anytime ok?" When he saw her nod her head he added, "And remember, you always have a choice. Never forget that," Seeing her nod he squeezed her hands and waited until she had disappeared into the common room. He stood there for a while and when he heard no commotion coming from inside he turned and walked back to his quarters. Ginny was on his mind as he walked, swearing to always protect her.
*She's just a woman…Never again*
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*dama_de_tinieblas*