As Thou Being Mine
Author's jibberish: Xiaoyu Ling, wipe your drool. Draco shirtless and only in pants isn't all th--, well…fine, just don't drool on our keyboard. It may short-circuit. Anyway, sorry everyone; our computer had a major virus in it. Now, all is well. Here we go…
Chapter Three: Learned
I didn't know reading Shakespeare could be so difficult. When I first read Macbeth, Percy was around to help me a lot. Comprehending is a difficult task. Well, it's not like Ron could help me. Hermione is too frantic about her practice NEWTs coming before Christmas; I don't want to bother her. I don't want to bother Harry either.
Today, though, I did have an idea on who to ask. It's crazy, I know, but you have to understand. See, it all came to me during breakfast in the Great Hall…
"We need to
get full marks!"
"Mione,"
Harry sighed, "if we constantly study like this, I may not be able to remember
all this."
"Besides, it's only a practice," Ron said, grabbing a muffin. He offered it to Ginny, who was beside him.
"You both will be very sorry…" Hermione huffed. "You should study. It is good for you."
"You make it sound like medicine, Head Girl," Ron teased. "Besides, Harry and I have other stuff to worry about."
"Such as?"
"Quidditch, of course!" Ron exclaimed, "which, I may say, is way more important that the NEWTs! Their new 'Captain Malfoy' has been making them do double practice," Ron growled. "I couldn't live with myself if we lose to that prat."
Ginny's eyes turned to the mentioned prat. She was ½ listening to Ron when her eyes found that blonde sitting in the Slytherin table. To her utter amazement, his eyes were on her as well. She thought she was imagining it. Was he staring at her?
Draco stood and walked away, out of the Great Hall. Had she known she was haunting him in his sleep? Has she figured out that he's been trying to get away from her but at the same time observe her? Did she have any idea that his internal struggle was allowing him only four hours of sleep?
Of course not. She was curious with the fact that he was staring at her. She put her muffin down and turned to Ron. He and Hermione were arguing about priorities, with Harry being mediator. She was sure they wouldn't notice, so she left, in search of her 'watcher'.
It didn't take a long time before she found him. She was passing through the hall that led to the main doors when she passed the window with the lake view. She saw a dark black spot amongst the snow and frozen lake scene. She came outside into the cold, wrapping her scarf tighter around her neck.
Draco stood about the ½ way point, right between the castle and the lake. His hands were buried in his pockets, but he didn't hunch down from the cold. He stood tall, poise, and stared off into the horizon. She watched as he let out a sigh. Was he tired? Annoyed? Stressed? What was he thinking about?
"Well then I'll perish either way…"
What happened to him? He used to boast until he got blue in the face. Why did he become so reclusive and quiet? He remained with his companions, Crabbe and Goyle, but the whole school could see Draco's change…of course, every now and then, he had a snide little remark to say, which made everyone think the world was normal. But when Ginny looked at him in the library, when he recited Romeo's line, malice was absent from his eyes. Could it all have been due to his father? Well, Ginny could only think of one thing to do. She bundled a fistful of snow…
…and threw it at him. The snow projectile hit him at the back of his shoulder. He grunted and turned, "What the--!" When he saw it was Ginny standing behind him, he almost froze. His vision immediately darted to the land. "What are you doing here, Little Weasley?"
"I saw you here." Would he admit to staring at her if she asked? Probably not. She realized he was turned away from her. She took the liberty to fling more snow at him.
He brushed the snow off his sleeve, looking rather annoyed. "Do I look like a damn bull's-eye to you?"
She just shrugged. She felt sorry for him; so many things for him to worry about. Ginny hoped he'd loosen up. Ginny threw more.
"You're annoying me," he growled.
"And you're not looking at me when you talk," Ginny stepped close to him. "Are snowball fights too juvenile for you, Draco?" she asked, extending his name.
Right before she threw her next one, she was bombarded with 2 snowballs. She staggered back slightly as they hit her on her shoulder. "Is that all you got, Draco? You throw worse than Percy!"
His annoyance must have magnified. "Be careful what you say, Weasley."
Another snowball. "It's Ginny, Draco!"
"My refined mouth can't say such a clumsy name!" he excused, throwing 2 large snowballs at her.
"Is that all, Draco?" Ginny pushed. "My grandmother is better at this!"
"That's it!" Draco exclaimed, firing a frenzy of snow at her.
She squealed, trying to maintain the same speed as Draco. Ginny did catch up rather quickly; it must have been all that practice against Fred, George, and Ron. Before long, Draco and Ginny were pink in the face. They were taking in heavy breaths. Draco's bangs were falling across his face and ½ of Ginny's strands managed to find its way out of her black scrunchie. "Give up yet?" she breathed.
She was answered with another attack. Ginny responded equally with more ammunition. In a fury of flying snow, Draco got close enough in possession of her arms. Ginny squealed in laughter and curled up, falling down, bringing Draco with her. She was on her back, trying to push handfuls of snow at Draco as he squatted over her, pouring snow on her head.
Eventually, she grew tired and took a breather; he did as well. He held himself above her, supporting his weight on his hands and knees. "Now do you give up?" he breathed.
She shook her head, shaking her hair free of snow and her scrunchie. She propped herself up on her elbows, elevating her upper torso. "Call it a draw for now, Draco."
He nodded. "Alright, Weas--," he cut himself off. "Vir--."
"Ginny!" Ron's voice rang through the air. They both turned and saw Ron running towards them clumsily at mad speed, followed by a worried Harry and Hermione.
"Oh great," Draco grumbled. He stood just as Ron got to them.
Ron grabbed Ginny by the arm and pulled her up. "Gin, are you alright? Did he hurt you? Did he even touch you?"
"Ron--," Ginny started.
"And you!" Ron growled to Draco. "What the hell were you doing to my sister, Malfoy?!"
"I think it's pretty obvious, Weasley," he smirked.
"I'll rip your lungs out!" Ron tried jumping at Draco, but was heavily restrained by his best friends.
"Ron, cool it!" Ginny ordered. "We were just having a snowball fight. That's all!"
"Yes, Weasley, that's all," Draco snickered. "Honestly, what were you thinking?" he took one more glance at Ginny before he walked off.
"Ginny," Harry asked hesitantly, "were you seeking out Malfoy?"
"Not particularly," Ginny shrugged. Should she tell them about how she caught him staring at her and followed him for that reason? Should she say that she's noticed a slight change in Draco Malfoy and was extremely curious? "He was giving me a hard time in detention last week. It was payback."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"
"Of course. What else would there be?" Ginny hooked her strands behind her ear, finally realizing her hair was free of its hair-tie. "Can you help me look for me scrunchie?" she asked them.
Ginny must have read this scene 3 times. She was still reading the play Romeo and Juliet. She was at one of the most important scenes: Act 2, Scene 2: the Balcony scene. She wanted to understand every bit. However, she was at a loss.
When she was reading Macbeth, Percy would explain everything to her, making her reading even more enjoyable. Now, it was all just a jumble of poetry.
Who could she turn to in her own house at this time of need? When Hermione was on study-mode, she was quite scary…poor Harry, having to deal with that. Ron was absolutely out of the question.
Who did she know that could understand Shakespeare for the art it was?
Her thoughts immediately recalled a 17 year old blond Slytherin, who just happened to be Head Boy. Ginny almost mentally punched herself. Well, he did admit having a passion for great literature, Shakespeare being one of them. But he wouldn't possibly agree to help her.
As much as she fought the concept, she found herself watching Draco during dinner, looking for the right time to ask. She kept constant watch over him, like a hawk. It wasn't long before he noticed. He uncomfortably turned around, hoping she was looking at a spot on the wall behind him. When he realized that she was still staring directly at him, he got up and left. Ginny grabbed her book and walked after him.
She assumed he ran back to his head Boy chambers. As she turned on the first right corner, she felt something tug on her arm. She was about to scream in freight but that something also clamped his hand over her mouth. The panic in Ginny's eyes faded as they locked with Draco's. "The last thing I need is a stalker," he said. He pulled his hand away.
"I'm not here to stalk you," Ginny said.
"Then why must your eyes be fixated on me? I know I'm unbearably handsome--."
"Get over yourself," Ginny rolled her eyes. "I just need to talk to you."
"About what?"
"This," she showed him the book in her hand.
His jaw tightened. "You want to have a book club, starting on Romeo and Juliet? Twelve year olds do that."
"Not exactly," she said. "I want you to help me translate, rather, interpret some of the scenes."
"Why? It's in English."
"Poetic English. It's an Elizabethian style play…there are a lot of his wordplay I don't understand."
"And you want me to waste my time helping you?" Draco released her wrist. "You have horrible timing. I have Quidditch, Head Boy duties, and NEWTs to study for."
"I could help you," Ginny offered. "I could help you study."
Draco snorted. "You got to do a lot better than that," he turned and walked away.
Suddenly, Ginny was struck with a brilliant idea. "I'll tell a younger Slytherin about what you told me in Snape's closet."
That made him stop in his tracks. "What?"
"Rumors spread like water here in Hogwarts," Ginny explained. "I'll tell one 1st year Slytherin and it'll spread through your house by morning. Some may even tell their parents and--."
It worked too well. Draco stomped towards her, eyes furious. "You wouldn't dare," he threatened.
Of course she wouldn't but he didn't know that. "Wouldn't I?" she retaliated.
Draco stepped back and gazed at her as if analyzing the whole situation. "And if I agree? Will you finally stay out of my life?"
'Finally'? What was he talking about? "Um…yes."
He took a deep breath and then turned around. Draco took about 5 steps before he looked over his shoulder. "Well? I haven't got all night."
Ginny assumed that meant a yes. She followed him. "Where do you want to read?" she asked.
"My room."
She stopped. "Your room?"
"Yes, what are you, deaf?" Draco headed down the hall past the 2nd corridor. "You think I want anyone spotting our rendezvous? If we were at the library, someone would be bound to see us together."
"Yes," Ginny sneered, her shoulders tensing. "Heaven forbid we're seen together in public."
"Precisely." Draco approached an ebony door with an oak sign in dark lettering:
HEAD BOY: DRACO MALFOY
She recalled Percy's name on the door the year he took the Head Boy position. Ginny even remembered he made sure everyday that no stains or dust were on his name sign. He muttered his password and the door creaked open. Inside, the drapes of the windows and bedposts were Slytherin green. His bed was decorated with black sheets and silver and white pillows. Even the area rugs on the floor were green with silver vine designs. The fire was roaring, with two high-back, black, suede chairs in front of it. Candelabras stood like trees, branching out into 6 candles on each stand. The door near the fireplace, she guessed, was the entry to the bathroom. She was in Draco's chambers.
'What is your problem? I know I raised you better!' Ron would probably say…which made no sense since he was only a year older than her.
"Go on, sit," he said, gesturing to the suede chairs. She quietly sat and placed the book on her lap. Beside her was a small table with a purple skull centerpiece. Curiously, her hand moved towards the skull.
"I wouldn't," he warned, crouching in front of his trunk.
"Why? It's just a skull, right?" Ginny asked.
He shrugged. "Alright, it's your hand." He opened up his copy of the book and flopped down on the chair across her. "Let's get this over with."
"Draco, the least you could do is be pleasant about this," Ginny lightly scolded. "After all, we will be talking for a while."
"Do tell me what's pleasant of your blackmailing scheme," Draco glared, "I never knew a Weasley had it in them. You amaze me, Red."
"Ginny."
"So?"
Ginny sighed. "Alright…" she fanned through the pages. "I understand the first act clearly enough."
"Why do you need my help?"
"I want to fully understand the second scene of Act 2," she said.
"Ah, yes, the balcony scene," Draco scoffed. He couldn't escape his fate, could he? His world, dream-like or not, would always return to that damn scene.
"What is he trying to say in Romeo's first line? 'It is the East and Juliet is the sun. Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon…' That whole part?"
These lessons would be dreadfully dull. "Did you notice the constant mentions of the moon? The moon is Rosaline, because she is so cold to Romeo. The sun is Juliet because she brings warmth and light to his pathetic love life."
Ginny nodded. "Ok…" Romeo is pathetic? Hardly. "Um…could we read out the scene?"
Draco looked at her with an unmistakable dread. "What?"
"Can we read the lines and discuss it afterwards…You know, after every page," Ginny suggested. "Percy used to teach me that way and it helped a lot."
"Well, I'm not your brother Peter or whatever," Draco snapped. "Thank god."
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Oh Ms. Parkinson, did you hear about Malfoy? He dreads anything that has to do with his father's master."
Draco took a deep breath. Sneaky little… "'She speaks. Oh, speak again bright angel'," he began.
They ran through the lines, stopping at every 30 lines for deeper explanation.
"'Goodnight, goodnight'," Ginny read. "'As sweet repose and rest come to thy heart as that within my breast'."
Draco winced. He knew what was coming. "'Oh wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?'"
"'What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?'" she read, not knowing her words sent chills down his spine.
He couldn't help looking at her, trying to shun any thought relating to his dream. Her fire-red hair, her freckled nose so close against his, those damn brown eyes and those cursed lips! She doesn't look anything like Dream Ginny! She was so much more enchanting in her white nightgown…and on his bed, compared to now. Faded, oversize Gryffindor robes, scuffed dusty black shoes, and terribly limp hair…which was usually pulled back. That matter was taken care of. Draco looked back to his line.
"'The exchange of thy love's faithful vow of mine'," he managed to say without gritting his teeth. He looked up at her.
"So," Ginny queried, "he admitted true love for her?"
"More than that," Draco corrected. "He asked her to marry him."
"Oh…it said earlier she was of age to marry," Ginny smiled. "That's, what, 18?"
"14."
Her eyes widened. "Oh."
They finished the scene, and Draco closed his leather-bound cover. Ginny closed her faded paperback. "So, the next day, they'll finalize everything."
"Yes." He saw the frown appearing on her face. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know. It just seems all too sudden," Ginny explained. "This is all love at first sight."
"Why? Do you believe there is no such thing?"
"What about you?"
Draco sneered. "Why should I answer?"
"Then why should I?" Ginny responded curtly.
"Fine, don't answer."
"Fine!"
"Fine."
With their arms crossed, they sat back and stared into the fire. She sighed heavily. "I don't believe in love at first sight."
"Sorry?" he side-glanced at her.
"I don't believe in love at first sight," she said, more of her voice behind it.
"Are you talking of personal experience--."
"No!" she snapped.
He raised an eyebrow in interest. His eyes returned to the fire. "Sometimes, things happen and you get caught up in the moment…and you don't think about the aftermath…until it's too late."
Ginny looked up at him. She almost gasped. The look in his eyes was in a deep daze, as if his thoughts were far, far away. "Are you talking of personal experience?"
Draco just stood and casually tossed the book in his open trunk. "Are we done?"
Ginny stood. "For tonight. I'll owl you if I run to any more trouble with Mr. Shakespeare."
"Suit yourself," Draco escaped into the bathroom.
Ginny moved the opposite way, showing herself to the door.
Draco received an owl the next morning.
~*to be continued*~
Many thanks again to William Shakespeare and Cliff's Notes