Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter 9:
Premonition
Professor Sibyll Trelawney was troubled. Yes, that's right, troubled. It wasn't every day the nearly infallible serenity of Hogwarts' resident Divination teacher failed. She could only hope it wouldn't interfere with her spiritual dealings.
Only a matter of possibly dire consequence could bring Sibyll Trelawney to such a state – and the matter was this: there had been something… off… about the stars the previous night. It was very subtle, but the stars often worked in secretive ways. Yes, long hours would be required to figure out this mystery. Perhaps she could look in to it once the students were off on winter break, she would only have to wait a week…
It was the last Saturday lesson until after the Winter Break. Draco couldn't have been more relieved. Thank Merlin, he thought as he waited across from Ginny for the session to begin, so that it could end. I couldn't take much more of this. He decided not to think about the fact that the lessons would continue when he returned to Hogwarts.
The entire Hall was buzzing with excitement at the impending freedom from the monotony of their classes (well, about as much monotony as one could find at a school of witchcraft and Wizardry). And Draco could hardly blame them – he was in a rather good mood himself – though blame them he would, just for the fun of it.
He scanned the occupants of the Hall once more before glancing discreetly at his partner, a.k.a. his 'Deepest Desire' or some-such nonsense. Damn mirror… he didn't believe one whit of that rubbish! Yes, she was lovely to look at, and sure, her company was more than tolerable, but deepest desire? There had to be something he wanted more than a… a relationship – he scoffed at the word – with her.
Still… he had been uncomfortably aware of the youngest Weasley since that night, more so than ever before. And he didn't like it. Not a bit.
"Please stop that noise, Weasel. You're giving me a headache," said Draco, with only minimal sneering. Whether she had realized it or not, Ginny had been humming a light, lilting sound, too low to be heard by anyone but him and perhaps her closest neighbors. A small, secretive smile dominated her features. The combination drove him to distraction, calling his eyes to her since he had first entered the room.
More aware…he snorted inwardly.
"What?" She looked towards him, surprised. "What noise?"
"You were humming," he informed her gravely. She blushed in embarrassment.
"Oh! I was? Sorry, I didn't notice…" The embarrassment faded with the color in her cheeks and she was smiling absently again.
"What are you smiling about?"
"Oh, am I smiling?" He raised a brow as if to say she knew she was, and the smile widened until it was radiant. "I must be in a good mood, then – the holidays are coming up, you know what that means."
"Enlighten me."
"Two weeks," she sighed in bliss. "Two weeks free of school… and free of you!" This last was tossed off as an afterthought accompanied by a short giggle. He doubted she was serious, but before he could ask any questions Professor Trelawney swept semi-dramatically into the room.
"My dears," she began as she made her way to the front of the Great Hall. "This is our last session together for many a night, especially since the first scheduled lesson upon your return will be called off on account of faculty difficulties. You will, of course, be practicing over the holidays, so today we shall simply review all of what we have learned so far. Let's begin with the Pavane, shall we?"
The assembled students shifted into their starting positions with only a nominal amount of muttered complaints. After so many weeks most had become accustomed to the lessons, or if not that at least a bit more numb to the weekly hour or so of utter boredom. In Draco's case it was most definitely the latter.
A slow, measured tune took to the air, signaling the start of the dance and the end of Professor Trelawney's instructions.
"So you're not going to miss my company, I take it?" Draco took the opportunity to ask.
"I'm sure the lack of proper sarcasm will get to me eventually," said Ginny in a tone that wavered, quivering like a bow string, between serious and teasing.
"Yes, the loss of your fumbled attempts at witticism will be dually noted on my part as well."
"Flattering," she said dismissively. An irritable feeling of unknown origin swept through him. One did not dismiss Draco Malfoy.
Apparently it was a day for phenomenous happenings. Not only was Draco Malfoy dismissed – and by a Weasley of all people – but he also wisely decided to keep his mouth shut. Though inside he bristled quietly, irked more than he should have been at that tone of voice.
The final week before the winter holidays passed relatively quickly, despite Ginny's almost religious anticipation of her two weeks of freedom. All of her brothers would be home in time for Christmas – it had been ages since she had seen Bill and Charlie, and she had even begun to miss the twins, who had moved out straight away after opening 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.' She couldn't remember the last time the whole family got together (well, actually, she could, but it had been a few years back). After Bill left the house it had seemed all but impossible to bring the entire Weasley family together more than four times a year and as her brothers grew older that number dwindled.
Oh, she could hardly wait! The gigantic real pine tree, complete with authentic fairy lights, the piles of brightly wrapped presents, the epic snowball fights and Quidditch matches, the home-made pies – though they had those every year – that was the stuff Christmas Holidays were made of. Just the daydreams were enough to make her want to burst with happiness.
Not even Malfoy could bring her down, though he didn't do much of that anymore. Not for lack of trying, mind you.
Actually she had been avoiding the mere thought of him for some time. Thoughts of Draco inevitably lead to thoughts of the 'mirror incident' as she was now referring to it. And she really hadn't wanted to think about that. Of course, she would have to eventually, and since she didn't want it weighing on her mind during the holiday wonders that awaited her, she had opted to find an empty compartment at the back of the Hogwarts Express – in the very last car, actually – in order to sort out theses thoughts.
After what she judged to be half the ride Ginny had come to some not-so-startling conclusions.
First: she rather liked Draco – no, she really liked him. She still had a hard time believing he was her 'deepest desire,' and she hadn't the funniest idea of how it could have happened, but ignoring the fact wasn't going to make it go away. That had never worked in the past, at any rate.
Second: he probably didn't feel the same way. Well, he hadn't given her any indication that he did, anyway. Draco had had his fair share of girlfriends; if he wanted something from her, he would have gone about getting it by now.
And third: this was achingly reminiscent of her old crush on Harry. They were both quite similar, really: one-sided, hopeless, and utterly ridiculous. The only difference she could see was that she knew Draco better than she had ever known Harry.
Ginny blinked. She knew Draco better…? Now that was something she never thought would happen. A dry chuckle escaped her lips as she turned her eyes to the window and watched the scenery rush by in a blur of green and brown.
She supposed, like with Harry, she would get over it eventually….
The sound of her car door sliding on its metal tracks jarred her from her thoughts and she glanced up, surprised, as the door came closed with a loud clap. There, leaning against the door, out of breath and looking more the worse for wear, was the very object of her speculations. Draco's eyes found her after a moment and he gave a relieved sigh, the entire performance earning him a puzzled look in return.
"Well?" Ginny asked after a few silent minutes, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?"
"What? Do I need a reason to visit my favorite Weasel?"
"Oh, so I'm your favori –" A whining voice from somewhere outside the car interrupted her.
"Draco! Draco?"
Said boy cringed visibly.
The sight was too much for Ginny. She erupted into giggles, trying desperately to stifle them. Just as the task was deemed impossible, she felt a firm hand clamp over her mouth. The skin was warm and dry, and she felt herself flush. When she looked up, Draco was staring at her, warning clear in his eyes. At least she had managed to stop laughing.
They listened silently for a moment, ears straining, until the heavy fall of footsteps faded back from where they had come and the sound of a door opening and closing again echoed down the empty hall. Draco let his hand fall from her mouth, letting out a breath, and sagging into the seat across from her, next to her carry-on bag.
"Thank Merlin," he muttered, as if to himself. Ginny arched a brow.
"Part of your fan club?"
He favored her with a disparaging look. "Parkinson," he answered shortly.
"Oh, you poor thing," she said, in mock sympathy. Then she brightened. "Did you actually run from her? Or was all that panting just for show?"
"I couldn't take it anymore! I had to escape somehow," he told her defensively. "You would have done the same, believe me."
"I don't believe it! Draco Malfoy being chased down by a girl his own age and a fellow Slytherin to boot… Wish I could've seen it…"
"You might, someday. It's not such a rare occurrence, you know," he grinned.
"Oh, you wish."
"I'll have you know I've been chased by more than enough girls in my time." It certainly wasn't a false statement, not that Ginny was about to say anything to him. Though, judging by the size of his ego he was already aware. "I'll bet even you secretly drool over me."
That one struck a little too close to home.
"Give me a break! The only time I'd ever drool over you is in your dreams!" It certainly was a false statement, not that she would ever say anything to him.
"Really?" Before she could stop him, Draco plucked a black, leather-bound journal from her bag. "Then there's nothing about me in here?"
"Hey – you can't look at that!"
He only glanced stonily at her from over the top of the open book as her words went unheeded.
"It's just a drawing," she huffed. "It doesn't mean anything."
Instead of responding he continued to stare intently at the drawing, shifting his eyes to her and back periodically. His expression turned thoughtful.
"What?" she asked warily.
"It's just…" he trailed off and shook his head gravely.
"What is it…?" Ginny hated to admit it, but the somber note in his voice and the gravity in his gaze were beginning to make her apprehensive.
"I think…" he sighed and the apprehension grew. "Well, I probably shouldn't be the one to tell you this, but I'm pretty sure you… you made my nose too long here – I'm no artist, but –"
"You idiot! Give me that!"
Fuming, she made a grab for the book, reaching across the compartment. Draco just laughed at the attempt as he stood and raised the object above his head, almost completely out of her reach.
She had never realized just how much taller than her he was. Sure, her brothers were nearly all walking giants (even Ron had a bit of height on Draco), but Ginny herself had never been quite able to keep up the tradition. She stood a meek 5" 5' to Draco's 5" 11.' If she wanted the book back she would have jump for it.
And, in a fit of indignant fury, she did.
She really had to learn not to trust the decisions made in such fits.
Her outstretched hand collided with the thick dragon-hide, and the rest of her clumsily bounced off the solid wall of Draco's chest. She stumbled backwards, tripping over her own feet and pulling him down with her by their combined grips on her journal. Over the wild beating of her heart, she could hear him mutter a curse. The arm he slipped around her waist to steady her didn't calm the fluttering one bit.
It took a moment for Ginny to register the fact that she hadn't landed hard on the floor of her cabin. She cracked an eye open. It took a few moments longer for her to register the closeness of Draco's face to hers. He was leaning over her, holding her to him with an arm, as a result of their near-crash.
Beneath the layers of her winter clothing, she began to sweat, her muscles tensing as threads of fire laced her skin. They formed a well in the pit of her stomach; the flames devoured her conscious thought, licking at the pressure where Draco leaned into her. His gaze unreadable, he bent over and kissed her.
The journal fell, forgotten, to the floor.
And Ginny didn't notice; she wasn't aware of anything outside of Draco and the feeling of unfettered flight.
To save her life, Ginny couldn't have said how long it lasted, but eventually one of them broke the contact. She couldn't help backing away just a few steps, taking deep, wavering breaths. Silence reigned for a time, the tension palpable in the air, heavy with the moment's memory.
"W-what'd you do that for…?" she asked, in a near whisper. The room seemed to come back to life, out of the uncomfortable stillness.
"Well – I… I don't know…" he said, and that… hurt. "What kind of question is that?"
Slowly Ginny's brows drew downwards into a frown, a pained anger welling up inside her. He didn't know. He didn't know.
"Fine, then," she said coldly. "Don't let it happen again."
She brushed past him, though not fast enough to miss the slight widening of his eyes, and made to slide open the door, wondering where he got the nerve to use her that way. It didn't budge. She tried again, with similar results (or lack there of).
"What did you do to this door?" she snapped.
"What do you mean? I didn't touch it!"
Ginny stepped aside, and Draco moved in to try his hand. Nothing happened.
"Are you sure you didn't do anything to it?"
"Why would I purposely lock myself in a room with a Weasley?"
"I don't know, you tell me!"
"Oh, please – you can't seriously believe –"
"I can believe whatever I want!"
"Yeah, well so can I! How do I know you're not the one who locked us in?"
"Me! That's ridiculous; I'm not the one who…"
And so their second train ride together ended much the same as their first, with Ginny storming out of the cabin as soon as it was opened only pausing to snatch her handbag from the seat. Behind her in the empty car, Draco bent down to pick up the forgotten journal and sighed. But she was gone long before she could see it.
A/N: I don't like this chapter. *shrugs* but then, I don't like most of the stuff I turn out, so… anyway – yes, Draco saw Ginny in the mirror. I thought I made it sort of clear in the last line of the last chapter… but I guess not… hehe… sorry. I would have had this out earlier, but ff.net was being mean… Now, on to the reviews, for which I am extremely grateful (I'm not going to answer some of the one-liners because all I can say is thanks):
Lady of Night: Oy – I know just how you feel! I get so addicted to some stories, that I don't want to read anything else after that… but of course, I do anyway… I doubt you're _that_ attached to my story, but it makes me happy to hear that you like it so much ^^
FyreFaerieGinny: L-longer chapters!? Wow – I thought I was doing a pretty good job with the length… I used to write chapters that were only half this size (shocking, yes?)! This _is_ long for me (how sad…-.-)! Besides, you don't really want longer chapters! Remember: longer chapter = longer time between updates. Oh – and, yeah, you guessed right about what Draco saw!
Yami's Girl Forever: Oh, just for a day or two? Hehe… how comforting -.-… Anyway, about Voldemort: how is it that a boy who is only 11-14 years old can defeat one of the strongest wizards of all time? I mean, I love the HP books, but that's just sad! And it really doesn't do much for Voldie's evil image… *mutters* stupid Voldemort… Erm… anyway, blame the lateness of this chapter on ff.net! Whooo! Stop the violence, increase the peace! (eh… did I just say that?)
Bulma Greenleaf: Ha! You're Evil-Pink-Fuffy-Teddybears-of-Doom bear no threat to me! Thanks to my evil twin brother, I've become immune to the form of torture known as 'poking'! …Eh… but that's ok, because I'll keep going anyway! …hey, that rhymed… I'm a poet and I didn't ev – You know what, rather than repeat an already highly over-used pun, I'm just going to stop talking now. Bye!
Slytherin Psyche: Hehe… I was all warm and tingly inside when I read your review ^^! As if I had just read a nice piece of D/G fluff! But whenever someone leaves me such a wonderful review, I always feel like I'm going to let them down by writing poorly in the next chapter – I really hope this chapter wasn't disappointing to you! But feel free to tell me if it was – I think the next chapter will be better!
N/A: Yes, he did see what she saw – but I really thought I at least hinted at it in the last chapter!! Oh well… Yeah, him going to help is good… just not for Ginny!
Mandy: Yeah, 'English Summer' my ass… well, actually I've never been to England, so I guess I can't say… I'm just going to make the weather like it is here – odds are, no one will notice. And don't worry about the scholarship – it's in the bag! (he's on the phone as I speak – er… type… whatever…)