Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not any Harry Potter characters, trademarks, or
related logos. I merely own the plot.
Summary: The Order wishes to break down Voldemort's defenses, but the only way to do that is to defeat Draco Malfoy. How can you defeat a dragon? Is anyone up to the challenge? Is Harry Potter's true love, Ginny Weasley up to it?
Loving a Challenge
Chapter 3
The days and weeks crept by slowly to Ginny, who was still being held by Draco. She started to go mad with concern about completing her task, but none of her plans seemed to work on the cold hearted man. He never gave her any indication her attempts to change him had been successful, but for those who knew him best they noticed small changes in him. Little things like holding doors open for his mother or asking the house elves with 'please' and 'thank you.'
The fact still remained Draco was a Death Eater. And on one fateful day he proved it. One day almost three months after Ginny had been kidnapped he did something almost too horrific for words. He entered his room and Ginny's prison with a sadistic smile on his face.
"Good afternoon, Ginny," he said smirking. She merely looked at him from her seat where she was reading a book, she returned her gaze to the book. "I have some news for you, you are an aunt to a girl." Her eyes immediately widened with surprise and wonderment. Draco had been kind, he sounded happy for her.
"Hermione had her baby! That is so wonderful-" she began.
"Too bad it had tainted blood," Draco said. The color drained from her face and the sparkle left her eyes. Draco's ego filled with pride as he watched her reaction.
"The baby, you can not have...not the baby. Hermione and Ron wanted," Ginny said beginning several sentences. She was desperately searching Draco's silvery eyes to find some hint of untruth. She found none. Her heart contracted and she knew he was telling the truth.
"Yes, I killed it. It had dirty muggle blood," Draco said meeting her gaze. "Your brother, though a horrible wizard, learned a valuable lesson about the responsibility of being pureblooded."
"What lesson, never love anyone in case a Death Eater lurks among you?" she questioned in a fiery tone.
"No, never marry a filthy mudblood," Draco replied coldly.
"Do you know the word mercy?" she asked tears filling her brandy eyes. A new feeling was forming in Draco's mind, pity. He wanted to take her up in his arms and comfort her, maybe even apologize. At the risk of showing his thoughts he quickly changed his argument.
"How can you even hope you can change me?" he shot back. The girl was affecting him in a way he never thought possible, perhaps he could change for her. For her smile.
"Because everyone has a soul, and I will continue to hope for better, even if can never do the same. Everyone has a choice," she stated willing them both to believe it. Part of her statement not even Ginny could believe.
"Not all choices are that easy. Easy may be your choices, your life, and your decisions, but they are not mine," Draco said wishing his choices were easy. "My father-"
"Let me guess, Daddy made you do it?" she asked anger rising through her thinking of Ron and Hermione. Little did Ginny know Lucius Malfoy was quite a touchy subject for the young Death Eater. Without warning Draco grabbed her and shoved her into the wall. He put his face close against hers.
"MY FATHER GAVE ME TO THE DARK LORD TO PROVE HIS LOYALTY! MY FATHER WAS WILLING TO SACRIFICE ME, FOR HIMSELF. IT WAS KILL OR BE KILLED!" he roared losing his usually cool temper. Ginny had never seen Draco so enraged and was willing to bet he rarely had ever been so angry. "I am a Death Eater, I kill people, do you still care about me?"
"I care even more, Draco. If you push me away, I will stand beside you. I understand why you are you. Dumbledore knew he-"
"If Dumbledore knew why did he not help me? If Dumbledore was so powerful why did he not stop Lucius? Dumbledore is nothing," he finished coldly. Suddenly Ginny realized why Draco felt no need to help the World, the World never helped Draco. Even Dumbledore had never saved Draco from the monster that was his own father. He was bitter and envious of everything he had been denied. "This is what I am."
"You have to want more than this. Acts of kindness are often returned ten- fold," she replied.
"I have everything I need to survive," he answered. Somewhere in his heart Draco knew it was not true, but then again Draco hardly ever listened to his heart, he even doubted it's emotional existence at times. "Save you lines for your precious Potter."
"Jealous Malfoy? Does Harry have something you want? Is a childhood rivalry worth the killing and the hate?" Ginny said coaxing him into her carefully laid trap.
"Not jealous of Potter, but jealous of the way he rose. He was always assured of one thing I never knew, but no one can ever imagine it," he said softly knowing somehow he could trust Ginny. "I was never told I was loved. Not once growing up, not while I was tucked into bed, and not even when I became Head Boy, not once."
"Did you ever tell anyone you loved them?" she said quietly wondering. Draco's eyes pierced Ginny's, but he could not hold his gaze.
"No, emotions, love, and pity are for the weak. And the weak are not Malfoys," he said as if these words had been learned by rote and engrained into his head. "I will not let you deceive me into thinking I am wrong."
"People are not deceived by others, people deceive themselves," she said. He slowly roled up his left shirt sleeve showing her his horrible tattoo.
"This will not deceive you," he said shortly.
*****************
Harry Potter stood beside Ron as he grieved over the lost of his first child, his beautiful daughter. Ron continued to repeat the same lines over and over again.
"It was my fault, I put her into danger.Malfoy did it, I just know it.My baby daughter," he cried. Harry knew there was naught to do, but comfort the despairing man. Hermione sat in a chair a few feet away she neither cried nor spoke, but inside her soul was shattered.
"Ron I need to sleep," Hermione said walking away without any emotion whatsoever. She quietly exited the room.
"She has not said anything to me in days, because I did not protect her. I wanted to save her. I would have died to save her, but-"
"Nothing can change the past," Harry finished.
A/N: Sorry it took a long time to update, I had so much homework and scored a perfect 12.0 this semester! I love you all, so please review, KTBallerina.
Summary: The Order wishes to break down Voldemort's defenses, but the only way to do that is to defeat Draco Malfoy. How can you defeat a dragon? Is anyone up to the challenge? Is Harry Potter's true love, Ginny Weasley up to it?
Loving a Challenge
Chapter 3
The days and weeks crept by slowly to Ginny, who was still being held by Draco. She started to go mad with concern about completing her task, but none of her plans seemed to work on the cold hearted man. He never gave her any indication her attempts to change him had been successful, but for those who knew him best they noticed small changes in him. Little things like holding doors open for his mother or asking the house elves with 'please' and 'thank you.'
The fact still remained Draco was a Death Eater. And on one fateful day he proved it. One day almost three months after Ginny had been kidnapped he did something almost too horrific for words. He entered his room and Ginny's prison with a sadistic smile on his face.
"Good afternoon, Ginny," he said smirking. She merely looked at him from her seat where she was reading a book, she returned her gaze to the book. "I have some news for you, you are an aunt to a girl." Her eyes immediately widened with surprise and wonderment. Draco had been kind, he sounded happy for her.
"Hermione had her baby! That is so wonderful-" she began.
"Too bad it had tainted blood," Draco said. The color drained from her face and the sparkle left her eyes. Draco's ego filled with pride as he watched her reaction.
"The baby, you can not have...not the baby. Hermione and Ron wanted," Ginny said beginning several sentences. She was desperately searching Draco's silvery eyes to find some hint of untruth. She found none. Her heart contracted and she knew he was telling the truth.
"Yes, I killed it. It had dirty muggle blood," Draco said meeting her gaze. "Your brother, though a horrible wizard, learned a valuable lesson about the responsibility of being pureblooded."
"What lesson, never love anyone in case a Death Eater lurks among you?" she questioned in a fiery tone.
"No, never marry a filthy mudblood," Draco replied coldly.
"Do you know the word mercy?" she asked tears filling her brandy eyes. A new feeling was forming in Draco's mind, pity. He wanted to take her up in his arms and comfort her, maybe even apologize. At the risk of showing his thoughts he quickly changed his argument.
"How can you even hope you can change me?" he shot back. The girl was affecting him in a way he never thought possible, perhaps he could change for her. For her smile.
"Because everyone has a soul, and I will continue to hope for better, even if can never do the same. Everyone has a choice," she stated willing them both to believe it. Part of her statement not even Ginny could believe.
"Not all choices are that easy. Easy may be your choices, your life, and your decisions, but they are not mine," Draco said wishing his choices were easy. "My father-"
"Let me guess, Daddy made you do it?" she asked anger rising through her thinking of Ron and Hermione. Little did Ginny know Lucius Malfoy was quite a touchy subject for the young Death Eater. Without warning Draco grabbed her and shoved her into the wall. He put his face close against hers.
"MY FATHER GAVE ME TO THE DARK LORD TO PROVE HIS LOYALTY! MY FATHER WAS WILLING TO SACRIFICE ME, FOR HIMSELF. IT WAS KILL OR BE KILLED!" he roared losing his usually cool temper. Ginny had never seen Draco so enraged and was willing to bet he rarely had ever been so angry. "I am a Death Eater, I kill people, do you still care about me?"
"I care even more, Draco. If you push me away, I will stand beside you. I understand why you are you. Dumbledore knew he-"
"If Dumbledore knew why did he not help me? If Dumbledore was so powerful why did he not stop Lucius? Dumbledore is nothing," he finished coldly. Suddenly Ginny realized why Draco felt no need to help the World, the World never helped Draco. Even Dumbledore had never saved Draco from the monster that was his own father. He was bitter and envious of everything he had been denied. "This is what I am."
"You have to want more than this. Acts of kindness are often returned ten- fold," she replied.
"I have everything I need to survive," he answered. Somewhere in his heart Draco knew it was not true, but then again Draco hardly ever listened to his heart, he even doubted it's emotional existence at times. "Save you lines for your precious Potter."
"Jealous Malfoy? Does Harry have something you want? Is a childhood rivalry worth the killing and the hate?" Ginny said coaxing him into her carefully laid trap.
"Not jealous of Potter, but jealous of the way he rose. He was always assured of one thing I never knew, but no one can ever imagine it," he said softly knowing somehow he could trust Ginny. "I was never told I was loved. Not once growing up, not while I was tucked into bed, and not even when I became Head Boy, not once."
"Did you ever tell anyone you loved them?" she said quietly wondering. Draco's eyes pierced Ginny's, but he could not hold his gaze.
"No, emotions, love, and pity are for the weak. And the weak are not Malfoys," he said as if these words had been learned by rote and engrained into his head. "I will not let you deceive me into thinking I am wrong."
"People are not deceived by others, people deceive themselves," she said. He slowly roled up his left shirt sleeve showing her his horrible tattoo.
"This will not deceive you," he said shortly.
*****************
Harry Potter stood beside Ron as he grieved over the lost of his first child, his beautiful daughter. Ron continued to repeat the same lines over and over again.
"It was my fault, I put her into danger.Malfoy did it, I just know it.My baby daughter," he cried. Harry knew there was naught to do, but comfort the despairing man. Hermione sat in a chair a few feet away she neither cried nor spoke, but inside her soul was shattered.
"Ron I need to sleep," Hermione said walking away without any emotion whatsoever. She quietly exited the room.
"She has not said anything to me in days, because I did not protect her. I wanted to save her. I would have died to save her, but-"
"Nothing can change the past," Harry finished.
A/N: Sorry it took a long time to update, I had so much homework and scored a perfect 12.0 this semester! I love you all, so please review, KTBallerina.