My Hero, My Friend, My Love
Thanks to all the reviewers!
To all those reading- hang tight. The story begins to really progress during this and subsequent chapters.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the plot.
Chapter Five: Second Term
Ginny managed to avoid being alone with Draco on the train by inviting her brother and friends to sit with them. He didn't seem to mind as everyone caught up about the holidays.
As they entered the castle to settle in their respective common rooms, she caught his arm and pulled him to look at her.
"Draco, do you think we could talk after dinner? Perhaps in the Astronomy Tower?" she asked nervously.
"Yes, of course. I need to give you your Christmas present." Draco grinned, and Ginny inwardly sighed. This was not going to be a pleasant experience.
Ginny walked up to her dorm and began to unpack. She pulled the repaired family photo out of her trunk and put it back in its place on her dresser, next to her bed. She set her broom under her bed, and thought how she couldn't wait to use it during a match. She suddenly looked at the clock and yelped, as she was late for dinner.
She walked quickly into the Hall and took her seat next to Harry. She looked for Hermione, only to find her showing off her ring. Ginny rolled her eyes and smiled at Harry, who laughed along with her. Ron was too busy stuffing his face to notice anything.
Ginny picked at her food.
"Ginny, are you ill? You've barely touched your dinner," Harry commented.
She sighed and answered. "Just not hungry I guess."
"Well, don't look now, but your boyfriend is trying to get your attention." Harry motioned in the direction of the Slytherin table. Draco was eyeing her, and mouthed to ask if she was ready to go. She nodded at him and they both made to leave. But Harry called out to her.
"Hey, Gin, ask Malfoy if he wants to work on our Potions essay tomorrow."
"Sure, Harry, I'll ask him." She turned to meet Draco in the Entrance.
He smiled as she walked over to him, and he eagerly kissed her. He'd barely gotten to be alone with her since the train ride, and he was anxious to talk to her.
Ginny broke away from the kiss. She smiled weakly at him and they began to walk up to the Astronomy Tower.
When they arrived, Draco immediately tried to pull her into his arms. She hesitated but figured she'd let him have his moment, however brief it would be. She rested her head on his chest and thought about how she was going to do this. But Draco spoke first.
"Ginny, you know that I love you more than anything, right?" he asked quietly. She nodded and he continued. "Well, I have something to give you...and something to ask you." He pulled away and started to lower himself to the ground, but she stopped him abruptly.
"Draco, before you say anything else, I need to tell you something," Ginny said with a shaking voice. Not only was she nervous, but she was struggling to not cry.
Draco's puzzled face didn't help. She turned from him before speaking.
"Just please, promise me you'll let me have my say before you respond." She still didn't face him.
"Okay." Draco's voice was now laden with confusion.
"Draco, I know you love me. And truth be told, you're probably the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. I could never have imagined that I would be with someone so wonderful, so sweet, so romantic." She sighed and turned to face him, tears now falling down her face.
"But, Draco, I can't let you do this. As much as I've tried, I don't feel the same about you. I love you, but I'm not in love with you. And I don't think it's fair to continue our relationship." She stopped to let him react.
"But I don't understand. I love you...how could you not love me?" Draco was now trying to prevent his own tears from falling.
She threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his waist and sobbed into his chest.
"Oh, Draco, I want to love you the way you love me. I really want to, but it's just not there for me. I don't understand why myself really. I just can't." She sobbed even louder.
He put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. They held each other for a long time before he spoke.
"Well, you know you've ruined me for any other woman, you know that right?" he asked her.
She pulled back to look at his face, expecting him to be angry. Instead, he had a wry smile on his face. She smiled back at him. "I'm sorry, so very sorry."
Draco brushed her tears away. "Don't be. I'll be okay. I'm just glad you told me now. And don't be scared. We'll always be friends. That's the thing, beyond anything else, you're my closest friend. I just want you to be happy, even if it's not with me."
She giggled a little. At his puzzled face, she explained. "I can't believe Draco Malfoy is being so magnanimous."
He smirked and said, "Yes, I know. And you'd better not tell anyone either. If word got out, my reputation would be ruined."
He hugged her again. "Come on, it's getting late. We'd better be getting back."
They walked in silence back to her common room. Before entering, she turned back to him. He smiled weakly at her, and she kissed his cheek before disappearing behind the portrait. He watched it close and hurried to his own common room before anyone saw the tears in his eyes.
Ginny entered the common room and tried to hide her splotchy, red face from her friends. But Hermione took notice.
"What's wrong? What happened?" she asked as she gently grabbed her friend's arm. Ron and Harry were now on their feet.
"Nothing, guys. It's okay. I just broke up with Draco, is all." She waited for their reaction, which turned out to be shocked silence...until Ron spoke.
"Ginny! What the bloody hell is wrong with you? He was going to propose!" he bellowed.
She glared at him. "I know that you daft prat! But I don't love him like that. I had to be honest. Don't you want me to be happy?" She didn't wait for a reply before running up to her dorm and throwing herself on her bed in tears.
The three left in the common room just stared at each other. Hermione cleared her throat. "I'll just, um, give her a minute before I go check on her."
Harry fell into a chair. "I just can't believe it. I thought they were made for each other."
Ron sighed as he sat on the rug next to the chair. "I know, mate. When Malfoy said he was going to propose, I just knew she'd say yes. Why didn't she say yes?"
Hermione groaned. "Didn't you just hear her? She doesn't love him. I know she tried to, but you can't make yourself fall in love with someone." She paused. "Just lay off, guys. Give her a couple of days. She'll be okay, and so will Draco."
"I hope so, Hermione. I really do," answered Harry.
Ginny dried her eyes and searched through her trunk for her favorite sweatshirt. As she was pulling it out, she saw her stationary set from Remus. She immediately thought of his advice on the Draco situation. She pulled a piece of parchment and her quill and began to write.
Mr. Remus J. Lupin
Director, Department of Magical Beast Relations
Ministry of Magic
London
Dear Remus,
I hope it's okay that I'm writing to you at your office, but it occurred to me, I don't know where your home is.
I wanted to thank you again for this stationary, and also for your advice about Draco. I've just finished speaking with him. It went better than expected, but it still hurts, just the same. I hate that I've caused him pain, but in the end, neither of us would have been happy. There are things that he would have regretted about me, but let's not get into that.
I also realized that I didn't get to say good-bye before you left at Christmas. I must say, I enjoyed our talks. You have a way of making me feel better, even in sad times, and for that I'm grateful.
Remus, I feel awful that I've never properly thanked you for saving my life during the final battle. I will always be indebted to you for that. You are my hero, as silly as that may sound.
I hope this letter finds you well. Do take care, and I hope to see you this summer.
Sincerely,
Ginny Weasley
She rolled up the parchment and made a mental note to get to the Owlry before breakfast in the morning. With that thought in mind, she reached into her bag for her Potions book and began her reading for the next day.
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Remus Lupin was rather surprised that a personal letter was brought in with his other mail. Who would write him at work?
Needless to say, he was even more surprised to see that it was from Ginny. He began to read the letter, and his heart immediately warmed. He hated the thought that she was hurting because of Draco, but he also knew that she'd done the right thing in being honest with him. He was also pleased that he had given her such- apparently- sound advice. He was puzzled as to what Draco would have possibly regretted about Ginny had they remained together. He couldn't imagine anyone ever regretting anything about being with her. He quickly pushed the thought from his mind, and pulled out a piece of parchment to reply to her.
Miss Ginny Weasley
Gryffindor House
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Dear Ginny,
I must say I was surprised to receive your letter- pleasantly surprised. Of course it's okay to write me here at the Ministry. I guess I never realized you didn't know where I lived. However, we will remedy that this summer. Perhaps you and your brothers could come round for dinner?
I'm glad things are settled with young Mr. Malfoy. I'm sorry you are hurting, but you will heal in time. I'm sure when the news of the break-up gets out, suitors will be lining up for you. Make sure to choose someone who will be good to you, but most importantly, follow your heart.
I, too, enjoyed our conversations. You were the bright spot in my Christmas.
Please do not call me your hero, however. For you are mine. You saved my life as well, and I remain in constant awe of such bravery that comes from someone so young.
I hope by the time you receive this letter, things have gotten better with Draco. Study hard and try to irritate Professor Snape for me, just a little.
Best regards,
Remus J. Lupin
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Ginny looked up as the owl post came into the Great Hall. She had been waiting for two days to see if Remus would write her back. Today, her waiting paid off. Her owl dropped a letter into her lap. She immediately saw that it had the Ministry seal on the back. She ripped it open. His comment about following her heart hit home. That's what her mother always told her. She finished reading the letter quickly.
She had to giggle to herself at his last line, about irritating Professor Snape. Even though the remaining Mauraders and the Potions Master had put aside their differences during the war, they were far from close friends. She was about to share this bit of her letter with her friends, but she was interrupted by a shout of joy from Harry.
"I got it! I got it!" He stood on his seat and waved a letter around in the air.
Hermione could hardly contain herself. "Harry, what in the world is it?"
Harry breathlessly sat back down and smugly motioned for Draco to come over. The Slytherin immediately sent him a knowing smirk before crossing the Hall. Harry's fellow Gryffindors were quite impatient at waiting for their former enemy to come join them.
"What in the hell did you get, Potter?" Draco asked with a knowing smile.
"Oh, nothing really," Harry said nonchalantly. "Just a draft letter from the Irish National Quidditch Team."
Shouts and applause rang out from the table, and Harry beamed. He stood and bowed jokingly.
"Well done, Potter," said Draco and the darker haired boy turned to shake hands with his Slytherin counterpart.
"Thanks, mate," Harry grinned at his friends. "What about you, Malfoy? Heard from the Falcons yet?"
Draco shrugged and glanced quickly at Ron, who nodded slightly. "Well, yeah, actually. They offered me the Seeker's position, naturally, but I declined." His tone was surprising, like he hadn't really cared all that much.
Ginny was shocked. For as long as they'd been friends, Draco talked incessantly about playing Seeker for the Falcons. He'd never shown any interest in any other career. She was the one that broke the shocked silence.
"What do you mean, you declined?" she asked him.
He smiled ruefully at her. "Well, I'd rather do something else. In fact, your brother and I got our own letters just yesterday. We've both been accepted for Auror training." He grinned at Ron. "And the best part is...we get to be trained by Mad-Eye Moody!"
"Constant vigilance!" shouted Ron, and the group laughed.
Hermione beamed at Ron. "That's terrific, Ron. Really it is. You too, Draco."
"Thanks," said Ron, finally ceasing his laughter. He stopped talking suddenly. "Bloody hell! We're going to be late for D.A.D.A."
With yelps from the others, the group left for class.