Authors Notes:
This was my first serious attempt at fanfiction of any kind, therefore it is a little shaky. Mucho love to my wonderful beta, Chrissy. Much angsty inspiration from Linkin Park of all bands.
Enjoy!
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"Um, hi Draco." said Ginny, stepping out from behind the frame. "I, uh, I just wanted to see if you were ok, you know, after the game."
"I'm fine." Draco grunted, trying to hide his surprise.
"Right..." she was looking at his hands now, and had taken a step towards him. "So what was it?"
"Well half of it was you ramming me into the wall." he said, then thought for a minute and added, "Weasley." He saw her stiffen up at the sound of her own family name.
"And the other half?" she looked amused, like she knew something.
"Um..." he was caught and he knew it, he didn't want to admit Pansy's blunder, but he had no other choice. "Count Catastrophe's Instant Cuts. Pansy, er, dropped some." He felt an inner groan as Ginny stifled a laugh.
"Oh push off Weasley! Aren't you worried that your big brother will find you here? With me?"
"Oh Ron wouldn't care, I would just tell him I had walked past and you had put a hex on me, and you'd be gone like that" and she clicked her fingers.
"Always relying on others huh?" Draco laughed.
"No." she said suddenly, blushing a bit.
He didn't know why, but Ginny sat down opposite him. She looked out the window and pushed a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. Then, as if she had made up her mind about something, she turned to him with an indignant look on her face.
"Why are you so gloomy all the time? Why do you treat people so badly? Why are you...so...so...mean? Don't you even think about others?" she was now nearly shouting, "I mean, other people have feelings too and you shouldn't be such a bully! Because you're...you are...well, you know..." Her face was full of fury but she looked like she had lost something in her head. She looked so frustrated and then she just blurted out, "You're such a great wizard!"
And with that she stood up in a huff and strode off to the carriageway. She stopped at the door. Draco closed his mouth, which had been hanging open since her angry compliment.
"You could at least try." she said, with one final look, and then she was gone. Draco felt once again exasperated, and he knew he had a shocked look on his face for at least the next ten minutes. Eventually they came to Kings Cross and the train was emptied. Draco walked off the train, his bags being handled by his family's new house elf, Mador, who walked with a slight hump in his back under the weight of all the bags. Draco looked out over all the students, bustling off with their families. He saw the Weasleys, all hugs and smiles as their mother and father came and helped them with their bags. Ginny walked a little behind them all, talking to a boy from her own year, Liam Latchbolt.
Liam had shoulder length wavy black hair, his eyes were a violent grey and he was quite good looking, not that Draco would notice. He had entered school late (some strange mistake by Professor McGonagall) and was actually older than Ginny by a year. Liam was smiling and laughing with Ginny, the two had been dating for several months. Draco knew him because he was Seeker for Hufflepuff and the two of them had come to blows more than once.
"Finding it a bit tough are you blondie?"
Draco turned to the sound, his broom following his mind, turning his body around. Liam Latchbolt was sitting on his broom, looking right proud of himself. Hufflepuff were up by sixty points, things were getting dire for Slytherin.
"Buzz off, Latchbolt." Draco spat back as he turned back to looking over the field, but Liam flew closer to him.
"Look Malfoy," he said, now hovering next to Draco, "I don't give a flying flobberworm about the score. It's all about the snitch. You should keep that in your mind. In the end it doesn't matter how many games your team has won, but how many snitches you have caught. We are seekers in the end. For us, it's just a two man game."
"There are girl seekers you know Latchbolt; I thought you, being the gentleman, would have remembered that." Draco wouldn't look at him, his mind was bent on the snitch...where was it anyway?
"Well yes, there are. Two of them. But Cho is a push over."
"And Weasley?" Draco looked away from the pitch to smile snidely at Liam. Unfortunately, Liam didn't flinch or blush, he just smiled back.
"Ginny is another thing all together." His father didn't meet him at the station, but this didn't surprise Draco in the slightest. He knew that his father was away and that even if he wasn't, he would never go out of his way to pick Draco up, unless of course it was to his benefit. Draco allowed himself to wallow in this delicious piece of pain, like it was a hot bath. Yes, he hated the man, but he was a great man, a powerful man, he was everything that Draco aspired to be. It was frustrating to be torn between loathing and admiration.
Mador led Draco outside of the muggle train station towards a large, overgrown tree. Draco wasn't surprised to see it, although he still got a kick out of watching all the muggles walking through it. They couldn't see it of course, it was invisible to them, and it was also invisible to a great many wizards. In fact, it only appeared a few times a year, and only for the Malfoys; namely Draco. Mador waddled up to it now and placed Draco's bags on one of the lower branches. He then scrambled up himself and sat on the branch, gripping the dark tree's trunk. Mador looked apprehensively at Draco, who sighed and climbed up onto one of the twisted branches. He sat there, with his long legs hanging down towards the ground, thinking for a minute. It was only when Mador poked his head out from behind the trunk that Draco rolled his eyes, pulled out his wand and tapped the trunk five times.
The tree suddenly moved, or disappeared, Draco never really understood the feeling; it felt like both things at the same time. In no time at all they were stationary, now on a hill that overlooked a dark valley. In the middle of that valley, on a large knoll, was the Malfoy house, tall and menacing, a perfect replica of his Father's personality, and his Father before that. It was elegant yes, but only in a gothic sort of way. It felt like a graveyard or an ancient citadel from centuries ago; but in the end, it was home.
Draco watched as Mador flung his bags from the branch and jumped down after them, throwing each on his back and staggering down the hill. Then Draco himself slipped off his branch and landed on the ground. He turned back to the tree behind him and watched as its' gnarled roots moved, latching themselves into the ground like anchors. With one final rumble the tree locked itself in, and moved no more. Draco turned his back and headed off down the hill, along the grey rocky road, back home.
This was my first serious attempt at fanfiction of any kind, therefore it is a little shaky. Mucho love to my wonderful beta, Chrissy. Much angsty inspiration from Linkin Park of all bands.
Enjoy!
----------------
"Um, hi Draco." said Ginny, stepping out from behind the frame. "I, uh, I just wanted to see if you were ok, you know, after the game."
"I'm fine." Draco grunted, trying to hide his surprise.
"Right..." she was looking at his hands now, and had taken a step towards him. "So what was it?"
"Well half of it was you ramming me into the wall." he said, then thought for a minute and added, "Weasley." He saw her stiffen up at the sound of her own family name.
"And the other half?" she looked amused, like she knew something.
"Um..." he was caught and he knew it, he didn't want to admit Pansy's blunder, but he had no other choice. "Count Catastrophe's Instant Cuts. Pansy, er, dropped some." He felt an inner groan as Ginny stifled a laugh.
"Oh push off Weasley! Aren't you worried that your big brother will find you here? With me?"
"Oh Ron wouldn't care, I would just tell him I had walked past and you had put a hex on me, and you'd be gone like that" and she clicked her fingers.
"Always relying on others huh?" Draco laughed.
"No." she said suddenly, blushing a bit.
He didn't know why, but Ginny sat down opposite him. She looked out the window and pushed a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. Then, as if she had made up her mind about something, she turned to him with an indignant look on her face.
"Why are you so gloomy all the time? Why do you treat people so badly? Why are you...so...so...mean? Don't you even think about others?" she was now nearly shouting, "I mean, other people have feelings too and you shouldn't be such a bully! Because you're...you are...well, you know..." Her face was full of fury but she looked like she had lost something in her head. She looked so frustrated and then she just blurted out, "You're such a great wizard!"
And with that she stood up in a huff and strode off to the carriageway. She stopped at the door. Draco closed his mouth, which had been hanging open since her angry compliment.
"You could at least try." she said, with one final look, and then she was gone. Draco felt once again exasperated, and he knew he had a shocked look on his face for at least the next ten minutes. Eventually they came to Kings Cross and the train was emptied. Draco walked off the train, his bags being handled by his family's new house elf, Mador, who walked with a slight hump in his back under the weight of all the bags. Draco looked out over all the students, bustling off with their families. He saw the Weasleys, all hugs and smiles as their mother and father came and helped them with their bags. Ginny walked a little behind them all, talking to a boy from her own year, Liam Latchbolt.
Liam had shoulder length wavy black hair, his eyes were a violent grey and he was quite good looking, not that Draco would notice. He had entered school late (some strange mistake by Professor McGonagall) and was actually older than Ginny by a year. Liam was smiling and laughing with Ginny, the two had been dating for several months. Draco knew him because he was Seeker for Hufflepuff and the two of them had come to blows more than once.
"Finding it a bit tough are you blondie?"
Draco turned to the sound, his broom following his mind, turning his body around. Liam Latchbolt was sitting on his broom, looking right proud of himself. Hufflepuff were up by sixty points, things were getting dire for Slytherin.
"Buzz off, Latchbolt." Draco spat back as he turned back to looking over the field, but Liam flew closer to him.
"Look Malfoy," he said, now hovering next to Draco, "I don't give a flying flobberworm about the score. It's all about the snitch. You should keep that in your mind. In the end it doesn't matter how many games your team has won, but how many snitches you have caught. We are seekers in the end. For us, it's just a two man game."
"There are girl seekers you know Latchbolt; I thought you, being the gentleman, would have remembered that." Draco wouldn't look at him, his mind was bent on the snitch...where was it anyway?
"Well yes, there are. Two of them. But Cho is a push over."
"And Weasley?" Draco looked away from the pitch to smile snidely at Liam. Unfortunately, Liam didn't flinch or blush, he just smiled back.
"Ginny is another thing all together." His father didn't meet him at the station, but this didn't surprise Draco in the slightest. He knew that his father was away and that even if he wasn't, he would never go out of his way to pick Draco up, unless of course it was to his benefit. Draco allowed himself to wallow in this delicious piece of pain, like it was a hot bath. Yes, he hated the man, but he was a great man, a powerful man, he was everything that Draco aspired to be. It was frustrating to be torn between loathing and admiration.
Mador led Draco outside of the muggle train station towards a large, overgrown tree. Draco wasn't surprised to see it, although he still got a kick out of watching all the muggles walking through it. They couldn't see it of course, it was invisible to them, and it was also invisible to a great many wizards. In fact, it only appeared a few times a year, and only for the Malfoys; namely Draco. Mador waddled up to it now and placed Draco's bags on one of the lower branches. He then scrambled up himself and sat on the branch, gripping the dark tree's trunk. Mador looked apprehensively at Draco, who sighed and climbed up onto one of the twisted branches. He sat there, with his long legs hanging down towards the ground, thinking for a minute. It was only when Mador poked his head out from behind the trunk that Draco rolled his eyes, pulled out his wand and tapped the trunk five times.
The tree suddenly moved, or disappeared, Draco never really understood the feeling; it felt like both things at the same time. In no time at all they were stationary, now on a hill that overlooked a dark valley. In the middle of that valley, on a large knoll, was the Malfoy house, tall and menacing, a perfect replica of his Father's personality, and his Father before that. It was elegant yes, but only in a gothic sort of way. It felt like a graveyard or an ancient citadel from centuries ago; but in the end, it was home.
Draco watched as Mador flung his bags from the branch and jumped down after them, throwing each on his back and staggering down the hill. Then Draco himself slipped off his branch and landed on the ground. He turned back to the tree behind him and watched as its' gnarled roots moved, latching themselves into the ground like anchors. With one final rumble the tree locked itself in, and moved no more. Draco turned his back and headed off down the hill, along the grey rocky road, back home.