Friday, 16 January, 2004
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Disclaimer: I own stuff …
A/N: ^-^ Yay! I updated! If you'll notice, the date at the top of the last chapter was some time in April last year … Anyhoozles … Nyah (if that is even your *real* name): MYOB = Mind Your Own Business!
Summery: Funny how sometimes two wrongs make a right. Ginny knew that something was wrong with her family but she was too young to understand. Now, several years later, the missing link from her life visits her, but does she recognise who it is? And whom will she turn to for comfort?
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Blades of Grass and Ladybirds
~ A Flicker of Hope
Draco stared at Ginny from across the Great Hall. It was breakfast. Pansy still wasn't around. 'Who cares?'
Ginny looked up from her barely-eaten food and made eye contact with Draco. Grinning bashfully she cast her eyes down to her plate again. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Ginny groaned inwardly at the sight of food on her plate. It made her feel sick … again. The girl nearly leapt from her seat and made a quick exit. She knew she should eat … but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
There was still an hour before classes commenced, so Ginny decided to wander the halls aimlessly, sticking to the most familiar paintings and tapestries. All she could hear was her quiet breathing and light footsteps. Suddenly, she lost her vision completely … she got extremely dizzy and fell to her knees. She tried to get to her feet but it just made her feel even fainter. All Ginny could hear was her quite breathing turn into loud panting, and then go so light that she didn't think she was breathing at all. And finally, she lost consciousness completely.
~*~
Draco watched Ginny as she left the great hall and felt a pang of disappointment in the pit of his stomach. This feeling was new to him, so he didn't associate it with Ginny's departure. He just assumed it was his loss of appetite at seeing Vincent drink an entire glass of pumpkin juice through a straw stuck in his nose. He watched the spectacle for a few minutes before turning his attention towards Dumbledore, who had stood and cleared his throat to grab the attention of the students eating around him.
"Students … yesterday afternoon an event of the most peculiar kind happened … an ex-student appeared on the school grounds. While it baffles me how this happened, I have decided that she will pick up classes where she left off and in the house that she was in when she attended Hogwarts last. May I introduce Tiffany Meliflua … She will be joining Slytherin house in the third year …" Dumbledore said these words with a serious tone and a slight hint of disappointment that was barely noticeable behind the firm words. Tiff stepped out from behind the headmaster and scanned the room. All the students were watching her, examining with curiosity in their eyes and vacant expressions on their faces. Tiff got suddenly very self-conscious and felt the desire to get away from the violating stares. She made her way quickly to the Slytherin table and sat. The quiet murmuring of breakfast talk started again and Tiff, realising that she hadn't eaten in 25 years, started on some bacon and scrambled eggs.
Once she finished her breakfast, Tiff scanned the table for potential friends. About three places down from her a boy was drinking a glass of pumpkin juice from a straw stuck in his nose … but that wasn't who she was looking at … directly across from the boy was another boy … a boy who looked exactly like her cousin and best friend … Lucias Malfoy …
Momentarily, Tiff was in his mind … and in the split second she was there she got a name, 'Ginny Weasley' … 'Time to cause some trouble …'
~*~
Since Ginny was wandering the more commonly used halls, it took only till classes started for her unconscious form to be discovered by a group of first year Hufflepuffs. She was taken directly to the infirmary where she recovered within the hour.
"Now Ginny …" Madame Pomfrey started, treading lightly in case she hit a nerve, "While you were unconscious we conducted some tests to see if we could find some answers to your passing out in the halls, Kay? … And we found that you're extremely malnourished … Ginny? I'd like to know if you've been eating properly … Kay?"
"Well … no … not really … but I haven't been doing it on purpose! I just … haven't been hungry lately …" Ginny answered honestly
"And …" the nurse, accepting this answer, started again, "We were informed by one of the students that she walked in on you in the bathroom … and you were cutting yourself … Kay?"
"WHAT?!?" Ginny's jaw dropped to her chest. She hadn't been cutting herself! "I haven't been cutting myself! Whoever said that … she's a liar!"
"Now Ginny … did I say it was a girl? So it must be true because you knew that fact … but if you don't tell the truth now I'm going to have to take this to someone of more authority and eventually even tell you're parents … Kay?"
A million and one things were running through her head … Hadn't Madame Pomfrey told her that she was walked in on in the bathroom … so she had just assumed it was a female … but who would do something like that? Ginny knew that she was a social cripple … but she didn't think that anyone actually disliked her enough to deceive people like this in a personal stab at her being. With all this going through her head she decided that there was no way of convincing the nurse of her innocence in this situation … so she may as well admit to the crime before her parents were involved.
"OK … I cut myself … can I please go now?"
"Oh no, no, no! You must stay for counselling!"
Ginny groaned inwardly again … this was going to be painful! Whoever did this was going to be hunted down and firmly beaten!
The nurse sat on her bed and prepared for a long conversation. The infirmary was completely empty besides the two on the bed and the permanently invisible people that nobody can see or hear having their weekly meeting under the bed next to Ginny's. The girl sighed in frustration and watched a ladybird crawl up the wall next to Madame Pomfrey.
"Now Ginny …" the nurse started again, "What's making you feel like you have to hurt yourself? A few of the staff members have noticed that you don't really have any friends … Kay?"
Ginny was tempted to bring up her best friend, Sophia … but then decided against it, talking to peanuts wasn't going to help her case … instead she said, "Draco Malfoy … I consider him my friend."
~*~
After Ginny was finally allowed to leave the infirmary she was embarrassed beyond anything else … Madame Pomfrey had found it quite hard to believe that Ginny and Draco considered each other friends, so she had pulled Draco out of class for him to confirm it. Luckily he had covered for her … but now it was lunch and he was insisting on walking her down there.
"So … What was that all about?" Draco asked
"I have no idea … someone had told Madame Pomfrey that I cut myself, and she said that she'd tell my parents if I didn't admit to it … so I admitted to it …" Ginny answered
"You don't … do you?" Draco asked, unsure, he glanced quickly at her arms. Ginny, seeing the glance, showed him her arms, the smooth, milky skin was unmarked, except a burn scar across her wrist … most likely from an oven. Draco breathed out in relief at seeing her smooth skin.
"Thankyou for covering for me … its made things a lot less worse … I'm going to lunch now" Ginny said, wanting to get away as fast as possible.
"Hey, Ginny, wait up … we get along right?" Draco pointed out, placing his hand on her shoulder, "Maybe we could spend a bit more time together?"
Ginny glared at his hand on her shoulder before shrugging it off, "I don't think so, Malfoy, I don't think it wise to mingle." She spat his last name like it was a curse word, she was not in the mood to be polite, and there was the habit of being rude to him for the last 5 years that she had yet to break.
Draco was speechless and wounded at her insulting use of his last name. He watched her back retreat longingly. 'You'll be mine'
She was just more of a challenge now. And Draco liked that.
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T.B.C
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A/N: I think I know where this is finally going … it's a sad ending … if anyone wants to see everything work out for the better, just tell me and I wont make it sad … but even though the ending is a long way off, I still have to build up events … so, after this chapter, if nobody says they want a happy ending its gonna be *really* tragic! And I realise the Draco is very OOC … but this is *my* Draco and he'll feel however he wants!
And Madame Pomfrey has magically turned into my school counsellor who says 'Now Hailey …' at the beginning of every sentence and 'Kay?' at the end!
~The Golden Goose
~MWAH!
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Song to describe how I'm feeling today:
It's a broke day
But everything is ok!
I'm up all night
But everything is alright!
Been a rough week
And I don't get enough sleep!
Been a long year
Pretending I belong here …
~ 'It's OK' – Eminem (Infinite)