Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related nor do I own the song Break Me Shake Me by Savage Garden.
A/N: This is a one-shot songfic with lyrics from the song Break Me Shake Me by Savage Garden. The story takes place in the last couple months of Ginny's sixth year and Draco's seventh year. I hope you like it!
Update: Song lyrics have been added again, the story is not the same without them. However, please note that I do not own the song Break Me Shake Me by Savage Garden. I can't say it enough.
Break Me Shake Me
Ginny Weasley had hated and despised him for years. He was cruel to her family every chance he got. He tormented everyone that meant something to her. He never left alone the other Gryffindors. She couldn't stand him. He was so harsh all the time, she never thought that maybe he wasn't what everyone thought he was. I mean, he was Draco Malfoy, son of a Death Eater, the enemy. For all she knew, he was the most annoying git of all time.
Then one day, unexpectedly, she got a glimpse of something different. Something about him that definitely wasn't the same boy who she thought she knew. But before that she didn't even know him besides the rude remarks that he said to others.
It was during dinner and Ginny wasn't that hungry so she decided to skip dinner. She went to the Hogwarts lake for some quiet time instead. She sat and watched the sky turn red and pink as the sun began to set. It felt so nice for her to get away and just enjoy the fresh air.
He had seen her sitting next to the lake. She looked so calm and so innocent. Maybe that's why he decided to go up and talk to her. He would never be sure of what made him do it.
"Well, if it isn't the littlest Weasley. Why aren't you at dinner sitting with Potter? Does he bore you?" Draco Malfoy asked as he walked to where Ginny was sitting. He stopped only a couple feet to the side of her.
Ginny groaned inwardly. Talking to Malfoy was the last thing she wanted to do at the moment. She looked up at him with her eyes narrowed. "Why do you care Malfoy?" Ginny asked in the not-so-nice tone of voice she used whenever she talked to him.
"Just curious. Can't a guy wonder?" The way Draco said that made Ginny pause. He said it in such an out of character voice.
"Er, yeah, I guess," Ginny replied hesitantly. Something wasn't right. "Why aren't you at dinner? Are you up to something?" she questioned him.
"Oh yes, being the evil Slytherin and Malfoy that I am, I must be up to something," Draco said with the usual Malfoy smirk on his face.
"I bet you are."
"You know Weasley, just because I'm a Malfoy, it doesn't mean I'm necessarily evil."
"You're pretty close to evil, I'd say. Look at your father, he's a Death Eater."
"Don't go there Weasley. You barely even know me. You shouldn't judge me based on what you know of my father. We're not the same person, if you haven't realized that," he snapped at her, his eyes flashing menacingly.
"Of course you're not the same person, I'm not stupid. You are, however, always completely rude to my family and pretty much everyone else, not to mention full of yourself."
"I'll admit to it that I am rather...unkind at times but-"
"See? You admitted it yourself," Ginny interrupted him.
"Weasley, would you give me a chance to speak? First off, do you think I live to only insult everyone around? I don't, in case you thought so. Secondly, to remind you once again, you don't even know me well enough to say who I am. I'm sorry if you can't see past this idea that I must be this evil prat."
Ginny didn't say anything after he spoke. She just looked at Draco awkwardly. Draco could tell that she had to be thinking something along the lines of 'is he serious?'
After a moment or so of silence Draco spoke again, "Anyway, I better get going now. I'll stop bothering you, Weasley. See you around." He smirked again and headed back toward the castle leaving Ginny pondering about what exactly just happened.
I never thought I'd change my opinion again
But you moved me in a way that I've never known
You moved me in a way that I've never known
After the unusual conversation Ginny wasn't sure what to think. Draco Malfoy had shown a... gasp...nice side, or at least what a nice side for Malfoy would be. Ginny never thought it would be possible. Surely, she thought, something was wrong. Draco Malfoy wasn't even somewhat nice. Ever. Until now.
And it wasn't just that one day that he was like that. For the next few weeks and even months Draco was actually rather civil to Ginny. He wasn't rude to her. Talk about a shock to Ginny at first but then Ginny started to like him acting like this. For one thing, it was better than him being rude to her.
The two would meet up occasionally in various places and just talk. Ginny would have an actual civilized conversation with Draco. He'd still have that sarcasm and his witty remarks but he wouldn't insult her. She felt as if she was getting to know the real Draco Malfoy. Not the cruel Draco Malfoy that everyone else knew. There was something about him acting civil that lured her to him. She was getting rather fond of talking with him. In fact there were times where she wondered if maybe she even fancied him. The thought scared her but the more and more she got to know Draco, the stronger her feelings for him got. Underneath his cold exterior there was someone that a person could actually learn to love.
But straight away you just moved into position again
You abused me in a way that I've never known
You abused me in a way that I've never known
Then as unexpectedly as when he first talked to her nicely, Draco all of the sudden went back to being the mean git Ginny hated. He went back to calling her the "littlest of the poor, filthy, Mudblood-loving Weasley family."
He acted as if nothing ever happened, and it bothered her a great deal. What happened to make him so mean again? He was the one who caused her to rethink her idea of him and now he goes back to being what he said he wasn't?
So break me shake me hate me take me over
When the madness stops then you will be alone
Just break me shake me hate me take me over
When the madness stops then you will be alone
Before his sudden change back to being cruel, even if they were in public, he wouldn't insult her. He would be civil to her always no matter where they were.
Now, whenever he would see her in the halls, he ignored her most of the time. She would try to make eye contact with him but he rarely looked at her anymore. The only time he did look at her was when he was insulting her and his insults were as malicious as ever.
Though, when it was just him and her, no one else around, he would sometimes talk to her as if he was never mean to her. During their conversation Ginny would bring it up about him ignoring her but Draco would dismiss it and give some odd excuse.
Then other times when it was just the two of them, he would be harsh to her.
So you're the kind that deals with the games in the mind
Well you confuse me in a way that I've never known
You confuse me in a way that I've never known
Draco confused Ginny. She didn't understand why he would be civil to her one moment then the next moment be completely rude again. There had to be something going on with him. Or maybe he was just the type to mess with people's minds.
So break me shake me hate me take me over
When the madness stops then you will be alone
Just break me shake me hate me take me over
When the madness stops then you will be alone
You just keep me contemplating, that your soul is slowly fading
At night Ginny would lay awake and think about him. Sometimes it took her forever to fall asleep. She couldn't get her mind off Draco. Even her dreams were consumed with the blond headed boy.
She would wonder about who he truly was. He said that he wasn't evil but could she believe him? Why was he acting so odd lately? Thousands of questions about him went through her head. Questions she may never know the answers to.
God don't you know I live with a ton of regret?
'Cause I used to move you in a way that you've never known
But then I accused you in a way that you've never known
But you hurt me in a way that I've never known...
One night after dinner, Ginny met Draco in an empty corridor, in hopes of answering some of her questions. She wanted to talk to him and get a few things straight. No one was around so it was the perfect time to talk.
She saw him standing and looking out a window waiting for her with a vacant expression on his face. She could tell that something was bothering him by the way he looked. Coming up next to him Ginny spoke quietly, "Draco, what's been up with you lately? One minute you're this nice guy the next minute you're back to being the typical Slytherin prat."
He turned his head toward her and looked at her with his distant gray eyes. Ginny drew back a little from him.
"That whole nice guy thing wasn't real. Even if it were real, nothing would ever have been able to happen between us," he said while looking directly into Ginny's brown eyes.
"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked confused. "I thought that there was something between us until you started acting all weird. I just-"
"I don't care Weasley. I just said this whole being nice thing was all a joke. Got it? I'm not that person nor will I ever be that person. It was all a lie. Why would I ever want to become friends with you, a filthy Weasley? I'm a Malfoy, Malfoy's don't associate with your kind." Draco said harshly though a flicker of sorrow flashed through his eyes that Ginny didn't notice. He didn't want to do this to her.
Break me shake me hate me take me over
When the madness stops then you will be alone
Just break me shake me hate me take me over
When the madness stops then you will be alone
Ginny couldn't think of anything to say to that. She felt as if every part of her body was frozen. None of this felt real. It all just felt like some wild dream to her. She couldn't believe that Draco had said that. Why would he do this to her? She stood there looking into the expressionless gray eyes of Draco Malfoy. She fought back her tears.
After finally finding her voice Ginny spoke to him. "I thought we were past the whole 'I'm a Weasley you're a Malfoy' issue."
"No matter what, it's always going to matter." It was the truth and she couldn't accept it. Draco saw that she couldn't accept it.
There was a long pause.
"Draco--"
"Don't call me that," he said nastily.
Listen, baby
You'll be, you'll be alone
"Okay, Malfoy," she purposely put emphasis on his last name, "don't you realize that if you continue to be this- this liar, this arrogant heartless person, then no one will ever want to be around you?"
"I'm very well aware of that and besides, I have my Slytherin friends," Draco said in a cool tone of voice.
"You call them friends?! Yeah right! Don't you need someone, anyone, who truly cares about you?"
"I don't need anyone, especially not you if that's what you're getting at."
"Fine, if you want to be alone the rest of your life, go ahead."
"Theoretically, I won't be alone. There are other people in this world you know and-"
"What did I ever do to you?" she interrupted him suddenly, her eyes begging him to stop whatever it was that he was doing.
For a moment he was silent staring into her watery eyes.
"Nothing," he replied indifferently.
"Then WHY are you acting like this?" Ginny shouted, losing all control over her temper.
"God Weasley, you just don't get it! I don't want to talk to you anymore!" he snapped at her.
"Whatever Malfoy, I can't believe that I ever thought that you weren't the conceited git that you truly are. I hate you!" Her words were filled with anger and hurt.
Break me shake me hate me take me make me
Fake me break me shake me hate me take me
Ginny lingered by Draco for a moment, her eyes still connected with his taking one last look at the blond boy in front of her, then slowly she turned her back against him and walked away. The tears that she had been holding back began to flow down her cheeks soaking her robes. Not once did she look back.
She never wanted to see his face again.
Break me
Draco stood silently watching her retreating form. He never took his eyes off her. He hated to see Ginny so hurt. He felt horrible. Yet he had to do this to her for reasons she would never know. He had to otherwise things wouldn't turn out well. She did mean something to him, but she would never know his feelings about her.
Then again, he could have gone about this whole situation in a different way instead of hurting her so much...
Why did he have to be so mean to her? "...the conceited git that you truly are..." Her words echoed in his mind.
He swore out loud. How he hated himself right then.
He had broken her.
And he had lost his chance to ever get her back and fix her. She would never come back to him after what he did.
"I'm sorry Ginny," he whispered.
A/N: So that's the end. A little sad, I know. I hope you liked it though, despite the sad ending.