[ I'd Rather Be In Love With You ]
chapter eleven: library rendezvous
The wind was blowing...
Leaves were flying all around...
A man in a black cloak...
She stepped closer to him...
"I missed you," she told him...
"I missed you, too," he answered back...
Then he leaned down and kissed her...
Ginny opened her eyes and looked around her. Sunlight filled the room since she left the curtains open the night before so she could look at the starlit sky. Everybody else in the room was still sleeping.
Ginny closed her eyes again. It was odd. She had had the same dreams before but they seldom occur.
Unlike now.
They seem to occur almost every week and they seem to be progressing. At first, before the term started, she would only dream about being in a windy place and then she would see a silhouette of a man in black robes. Since she was little, those were the scenes that play in her sleep. Now, however, she was dreaming about hugging this unknown, faceless man, kissing him and then saying that she loved him.
Ginny didn't get it. What does her dreams mean? She had been trying to figure it out even when she was small. She never figured out what it meant. Until now. She didn't understand why she kept having those dreams.
It was Sunday morning and Ginny saw the clock she had on the table beside her bed and it read 7:00 AM. It was still early. Ginny is usually the one who wakes up first. Unable to sleep any longer, Ginny got out of bed and got ready for breakfast.
As she was facing the mirror and combing her fiery hair, she realized that it was Sunday and that meant she had tutoring sessions with Draco that night. She smiled to herself as she the events of the night before unfolded in her mind.
After brushing her hair, she got up and quietly went out of the room, then out of the Common Room. She was smiling to herself as she continued her way to the Great Hall.
* * *
Draco got out of bed, still groggy. He never really got very much sleep since he almost always wakes up drenched in sweat. The nightmares he usually has keeps him awake all night.
Refusing to have another one, he went to the bathroom and took a bath. Since it was Sunday, he didn't have much to do except laze away in school alone. Either that or he can go to the library and make use of his time by reading whatever he can find.
After taking a bath, he went out of his room. After walking out of the Common Room, Draco turned for the direction of the library. He was about to make another turn when he felt his stomach churn.
He needed to eat.
He did eat last night, but he didn't have much appetite so he didn't eat very much. He didn't really have a choice so he turned around and walked the other way towards the Great Hall. Upon entering, Draco looked around and as usual, since it was a Sunday, the Great Hall was almost deserted except for a few students in each table who were so called the 'early birds'.
Draco went directly to the Slytherin Table, sat down and started eating. He was halfway through his meal when he caught sight of something red out of the corner of his eye.
Sure enough, he saw Ginny Weasley sitting at her usual place, eating her breakfast alone, though it wasn't a surprise to Draco. He often saw her there early in the morning even if it wasn't a school day. He noted how he never saw sit with anyone or how she never really conversed with anyone at their table.
Draco looked at her and thought about how much trouble and confusion she has evoked in him. It's like, everytime he saw her, she was in trouble and somehow, something in him compels him to help her.
Why me, Draco asked himself miserably. It was a question that still wasn't answered.
Why did it have to be him of all people, him who was trained no to show mercy towards anyone, him who was used to showing no emotion, him who didn't give a damn about anyone?
Draco figured that fate must be playing a cruel joke on him as he replayed the events in his mind, making him sit still on his seat and forget his food. He would have liked to continue staring at her, but then she looked straight at him as if she sensed someone looking at her and smiled.
Draco blinked and for a second there, they were looking at each other. Draco, then, settled his gaze down on his food and continued eating.
Draco's thoughts wandered again. He was thinking of why Ginny was suddenly being so friendly with him. Why she was suddenly eager to be his friend. It bothered Draco in some way for he never really had real friends before and he doesn't know exactly what she expects him to do.
Why do I even bother, Draco asked himself. Since when do I care about what she'll think?
Draco pushed the thoughts away from his mind and finished his breakfast. When almost half of what was in his plate was consumed, Draco stood up from the table and continued his way out to the library.
Ginny watched him take off from his table. She wanted to go after him... but she didn't know why. Ginny breathed out a sigh and finished eating her food. After eating, she realized that she forgot her book in the Gryffindor Tower, so she had no choice but to go back and retrieve it.
When she got to the portrait, she uttered the password and got in. When she got in, she immediately saw a furious-looking Ron and a somewhat-worried Harry. When Ron saw her, he immediately stood up, blocking her way to her dorm.
Here we go, she thought.
"What were you thinking, Gin?" Ron asked looking like he was stopping himself from screaming at her. "Are you mad? Hanging around Malfoy like that!"
"Ron, it's no big deal," Ginny defended herself. "We're working together."
"Oh, so you're working together now? On what?" Ron raged.
"Since when?" Harry cut in.
"You guys remember that tutoring thing?" Ginny asked trying to explain. "Professor Dumbledore asked the both of us if we could both handle it-"
"You never told me he was working with you!" Ron snapped.
"Yes, I know! And if I did tell you, you would've tailed me wherever I go."
"I cannot bloody believe this!"
"Why not? You cannot believe that your sister, who happens to be younger than you is actually capable of handling things on her own without your help? I'm not three years old, Ron! I can take care of myself!" Ginny ranted.
"You don't know who you're dealing with Gin," Harry said rationally.
"Of course I do, Harry! I'm dealing with kids! What harm can I get out of that?"
"He's not talking about them, we're talking about the fact you're spending an awful lot of time along with Malfoy! He's a Death Eater for Merlin's sake! Or maybe you didn't notice?" Ron spat.
"You don't know him enough to trust him, Gin" Harry said.
"Look, I can take care of myself when I'm around Draco and we're not literally alone together. We're surrounded by kids in case you forgot?" Ginny reasoned.
"Oh Draco? So you're calling him Draco now? Since when did that happen?" Ron raged at his sister his face that of a ripe tomato by then. Ginny could only roll her eyes.
"Gin, after Voldemort's fall and the Ministry found out about Malfoy and the other Death Eaters, it was speculated among the Ministry that Draco Malfoy was one of the Death Eaters whom Voldemort truly trusted and that means that he was given the most instructions to kill! He's young and it's very unlikely for such a young person to be on the Dark Side that's why no one knew about it," Harry narrated. "No one knew he was a Death Eater until after more than three months that he was already killing wizards and muggles alike."
"I don't care about that! It's the past. People can change! He's different now," Ginny objected.
"Different?" Ron asked incredulously. "How can he be any different? He's the same prat he always was, walking around the halls like he was God almighty."
"He does not!" Ginny almost screamed at him. Ron stared hard at her.
"What has gotten into you, Gin?" Harry asked his brow furrowing.
"Look I just know he's different, alright? I can't point out what it is but I know it."
"Why do you keep on defending him Gin, WHY?" Ron screamed at her.
"Will you stop screaming! Why can't you just leave me alone!" Ginny said, having had enough of the arguing. "All my life I walked one step behind you because you're so afraid I might actually break down if I make one mistake!"
"Fine! I'll leave you alone, but don't come begging me for help if I turn out right!" Ron said glaring at her.
"Come on, Ron-" Harry started.
"Fine!" Ginny shouted. And with that, she pivoted her heel and got out of the Common Room.
"Ginny, wait!" Harry called out but Ginny ignored him and completely forgetting that she didn't get what she actually came there for.
Ginny walked in a rather fast pace without concentrating on where she was going. She was so frustrated with Ron that at the moment, she wanted to crush his throat.
Absentmindedly, her feet took her to the library and when she got in a table, she slammed her right hand against it.
"Ouch!" Ginny said as she held her throbbing hand. She looked at it and saw that it was red.
"That was real smart, Weasley," a familiar voice said.
Ginny stared in front of her and saw that Draco Malfoy was sitting on the same table with a book in front of him. His face was a usual mask of nothingness.
Ginny glared at him, then she realized that he had nothing to do with her mood at that moment, so she gave a sigh and stopped glaring at him. She didn't say anything, afraid that the words would come out wrong since she's such in a foul mood.
Draco didn't say anything either but he shifted his gaze back to his book and continued reading.
Ginny looked at him and thought that, on the other hand, maybe he had everything to do with her mood that moment. He was, after all, the reason why she, Ron and Harry had an argument on the first place.
She continued to stare at him. She noted how easily he could shut everything out and concentrate on what he was doing. Ginny's mind took her to what Harry said about him. She couldn't believe that this same person who taught kids how to do simple spells is the same person who killed hundreds or thousands of other wizards and muggles. She couldn't understand how he could even consider serving such a creature as Voldemort.
Draco was well aware that Ginny was there. He strained himself not to look at her. He figured that she must've had a confrontation with her brother and Potter since he could see she was angry about it. He stole a look at Madam Pince, who was behind her looking furiously at the both of them. She probably thought they were there again to make some sort of trouble.
"Sit down, Weasley. Madam Pince is looking dreadful than ever," Draco said without looking at her.
Ginny looked behind her and saw that indeed Madam Pince was starring daggers at the both of them.
"Oh," Ginny managed to say as she quickly obeyed, "I'm sorry."
"Ever since that little incident we had weeks ago, she's been after my blood," Draco said in an emotionless tone without looking at her. "Can't get in here without her looking at me like I'm the devil himself."
"I'm sorry," Ginny said again looking down at her lap realizing that she forgot to retrieve her book.
That made Draco look at her. "About what?" he asked.
"About her," Ginny said guiltily pointing at Madam Pince looking at anything but Draco. "I know I had something to do with it. I mean if I hadn't shouted at you... then maybe she wouldn't have come and gave us both detention and she wouldn't be glaring at you like that."
"You're right," Draco agreed. Ginny looked up to his eyes and somehow, she couldn't say anything. She looked straight at his eyes and she saw a tiny hint of amusement in them even though his face held no expression. She wanted to look away from his gaze, but she couldn't.
When she got enough control to look away, she felt the throbbing pain on her right hand. She massaged it to somehow take some of the pain away.
"So what did your brother and Potter say, Weasley?" Draco asked.
"What?"
"I'm assuming that the reason for your little outburst a while ago was because of Potter and your brother," Draco replied blankly. "So did they tell you to stay away from Big Bad Malfoy?"
"How do you know about that?" Ginny asked puzzled at how he could possibly know about that. "Can you read minds, too?" she asked sarcastically.
"No," Draco replied rolling his eyes, "I told you I was merely assuming."
"Oh."
Silence.
"They said that, didn't they?" Draco said after a while referring to what he said about Potter and her brother telling her to stay away from him.
"Well... sort of... yes," Ginny said with a sigh.
"So what are you still doing here?" Draco asked. "I'm pretty sure they told you all kinds of hideous things to make you despise me."
"Why? Are they true?" Ginny asked, thinking about what Harry said.
"Most of them are," Draco said looking at her straight in the eye.
Ginny shifted her gaze from his eyes. "Oh."
Draco looked at her, a little puzzled by this girl. Draco was pretty sure her brother and Potter told her about what he did as a Death Eater. He straightforwardly admitted it to her face, yet she was still here... hanging around him like she completely forgot what being a Death Eater implies.
"You never answered my question," Draco said after a while.
"Look, I just know how to handle myself, alright? I don't need Ron and Harry to tail me everywhere and to tell me who to hang out with or not," Ginny replied. "I'm not a bloody kid anymore!"
"Calm down, will you?" Draco warned her. "Madam Pince is around here somewhere and I'm pretty sure we'll get into an even bigger trouble if you start shouting about there."
"I'm sorry," Ginny said biting her lower lip.
"You really can't control that temper of yours, can you, Weasley?" Draco asked her frankly.
"Can I ask you something?" Ginny asked without answering his question.
"What?"
"Could you possibly consider calling me by my name?" Ginny asked him.
"Why? I'm calling you by your name. You're a Weasley, aren't you? I don't see what's the problem there," Draco countered.
"I don't like the way you say it. You say it in this disgusting, drawling way and it's not so pleasant to the ears." Ginny told him. "And besides, I'm not the only Weasley in this place. Ron's a Weasley, too. For all I know, you could be thinking about him when you're talking to me."
"Why in God's name would I even think about your brother? I don't even like that prat," Draco asked incredulously.
"Don't ask me," Ginny replied. "I'm supposed to be asking you that."
Draco gave a defeated sigh. "Alright, fine. I'll call you by your first name, though I have no idea what the big deal is anyway."
"Thank you," Ginny said, somewhat pleased that she won the argument. "And, by the way, there are times when I can't control my temper, especially when I'm having a bad day. It sort of runs in the family and even more in Ron's case."
"I can see that."
Both are silent for a moment.
"So I take it that this is a bad day for you?" Draco asked after a while.
"Not really, it's just that Ron and Harry had to ruin it for me. They can be a pain sometimes," Ginny said.
"Are you joking? What do you mean, sometimes? They're a pain all the time in case you haven't noticed," Draco uttered.
"You're only saying that because you don't like them," Ginny replied.
"Merlin help me if I did," Draco commented.
Ginny noticed the book he was reading. Sensing that Draco wasn't going to say anything any longer, she decided to try another topic.
"So, what are you reading?" she asked.
Draco looked at her suspiciously.
"What does it matter to you what I read?" he asked bitingly.
"I'm just trying to have a civilized conversation," Ginny bit back.
"If you haven't noticed, Ginny," Draco emphasized her name, as she wanted him to use it, "we just had one."
"That was civilized enough for you?" Ginny asked, somewhat bewildered and somewhat pleased that he used her first name to address her for the first time. She liked the way he said her name.
"Considering that I'm a Malfoy and you're a Weasley, yes," Draco replied as if it was the most obvious thing. "It's more than civilized if you ask me considering that our families have hated each other ever since I can remember."
"Yeah, I know. I can still remember that day about five years ago when your father and dad got into a farce at Flourish and Blott's," Ginny recalled, almost laughing herself. "They knocked out more than half the shelves at that store. If I wasn't so scared with your father, I would've been laughing on my knees!"
"I know," Draco agreed. "I also know that father did it for a reason."
"Yeah, I know," Ginny replied, earning her a look from Draco. "He deliberately provoked dad so he could slip Tom Riddle's diary in one of my Lockhart books."
"You know about that?" Draco asked.
"Yes."
"I see," was all Draco could say and then shifted his gaze from her. He couldn't quite look at her straight in the eye, knowing that his father was responsible for putting her life in danger.
"Still, I wonder why our families have always been treating each other like dirt," Ginny voiced out.
"Beats me, Weasley."
"Ginny! My name is Ginny!" Ginny reminded him loudly.
"Alright! Ginny," he placed an even greater emphasis on her name this time. "I'm just getting the hang of it."
"So are you planning to stay here all day?" Ginny said after an awkward moment while looking at her watch.
"No, I'm planning to fly my broom later," Draco replied.
"I see. Well, I guess I better leave, I still have some things to finish," Ginny said, thinking about her book up at her dormitory.
She was about to turn around when she remembered something.
"By the way," she said placing both her hands on the table, bracing her weight there. "One of your students, I think his name was Andrew, asked me if I could teach him how to ride his broom. Since I'm not good at flying, I told him to ask you instead. I hope you agreed."
"He's a bloody Gryffindor! Do you really expect me to teach him to ride a broom. Why can't he get Potter to teach him?" Draco asked her.
"Because you're his teacher," Ginny told him. "And besides, Harry was never good at teaching."
And with that, she left Draco staring after her and thinking that she found him to be better than Potter in something. A reluctant smile crept on his lips as he continued reading his book.
* * *
Ginny spent the rest of the morning doing her homework and then reading her book up in her dormitory so Ron and Harry won't disturb her. She was lying on her bed, thoroughly enjoying her book when there was a knock on the door.
"Ginny, are you there?" Hermione's voice came through.
No doubt forced by Harry and Ron to talk to me about Draco, Ginny thought. She closed her book and sat up straight on her bed and said, "Yes, Hermione, I'm here."
A pair of brown eyes peeped in.
"Come in, Herms," Ginny said.
Hermione's whole body stepped out of the doorway and she came in and closed the door.
"Am I disturbing you?" Hermione asked.
"No, it's alright," Ginny assured her. "Is there something you want?"
"Well, I just wanted to talk to you about something," Hermione replied.
"Oh, I see. Well, come on in and make yourself comfortable," Ginny told her and she motioned for Hermione to sit on her bed and Hermione complied.
"Well, I suppose you know what I want to talk about," Hermione started, sounding unsure.
"I suppose so," Ginny replied, keeping a upright semblance.
"Why are you hanging around him, Gin?" Hermione asked her bluntly. " I mean, you must have your reasons, right?"
Ginny always liked Hermione because instead of bursting out like mad hag, she always believes in explanations, which is why the two of them never exchanged one squabble.
"I told you, Hermione, we work together," Ginny said. "And besides, you might not believe it, but Draco has actually helped me in more than one occasion."
"Helped you?" Hermione asked, confused. "We are talking about the same person, right?"
"Yes, Hermione, Draco Malfoy has been helping me," Ginny affirmed her. "Maybe you won't believe it but I actually consider him more as a friend than an enemy"
Hermione kept quiet as she listened to Ginny. Personally, she couldn't picture out Malfoy helping Ginny in anything!
"Are you quite certain, he hasn't hurt you?" Hermione asked. "Please, tell me the truth, Gin."
"But I am telling you the truth, Herms. I know he's a Death Eater before and I know the exact implication of that, but somehow, he's changed," Ginny told Hermione. "I mean, he can be really cold and mean, but he doesn't hurt me or anything like that. He's my friend."
Hermione was quiet for a moment, looking at Ginny as if to detect any form of deception in her demeanor. But she couldn't find a trace of it.
"Alright, Gin, I'm going to believe you for now," Hermione finally gave in. "But promise me you'll tell me if he hurts you. I'll die of guilt if he does something awful to you."
"Thanks, Hermione," Ginny said and she smiled. "Please don't tell Ron or Harry about this. They wouldn't understand it, knowing what has gone on between the three of them."
"I won't," Hermione promised putting her hand on Ginny's shoulder.
Both girls smiled at each other in understanding.
"So did Ron and Harry forced you into this?" Ginny asked, somehow knowing that the answer would be positive.
"How did you guess?" Hermione asked smiling wryly.
"You should've seen the look in both their faces when they talked to me," Ginny said with a chuckle.
"They just worry about you, Gin. You know that, right?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, I know," Ginny replied. "Sometimes, I think you're the only one who can understand those two."
"We've been through a lot, I guess that's why. But right now, I can't understand Ron. I mean, I give him hints about how I feel but he doesn't seem to catch on."
Ginny laughed. "Don't worry, Herms. He'll come around. I guess my brother can be so stupid at times."
Both girls sighed. Hermione looked at her watched and she stood up.
"I guess we'd better go. It's almost lunch time," Hermione announced.
"Alright," Ginny agreed, placed her book on her bedside table and stood up.
Both girls went to the Great Hall together. When they got in, almost everyone was there. Hermione spotted Harry and Ron on the Gryffindor Table and sat with them. Hermione motioned for Ginny to do the same but she shifted her gaze. She wasn't ready to face the both of them yet. Not right now. Her eyes wandered over to the Slytherin Table and saw Draco sitting, as usual, with Pansy and Blaise. He didn't talk to either of them. He just went on with his food.
Ginny looked for a spot on the Gryffindor Table and saw one of Draco's first year students, Andrew. She moved towards Andrew's direction and stood at the seat in front of him. Andrew was wolfing down his food. He was sitting alone so she decided to sit in front of him.
"Hi, Andrew," she greeted him.
"Hi," Andrew replied.
"Is this seat taken?" Ginny asked him.
"No, you can sit there if you want," Andrew said.
"Thank you," Ginny said and without another word, she started eating.
After a few minutes, her eyes wandered back to the Slytherin Table. She searched his spot for a sight of blond hair, but she didn't see any. She carefully searched the entire Slytherin Table, but it seemed like Draco finished ahead of everybody else and immediately went out.
As she was focusing her attention back to her food, Andrew stood up.
"Are you through?" Ginny asked.
"Yes," Andrew said wiping his lips after he gulped down his pumpkin juice.
"What's the hurry," Ginny asked curiously.
"Umm... I have to finish my homework," Andrew replied. And before Ginny could ask anything else, Andrew dashed out of the hall, leaving a somewhat confused but pleased look on Ginny's face. It seems that the students were taking school more seriously. And with that, Ginny finished her meal.
After finishing her meal, Ginny decided to go for a walk down the lake. She enjoyed the peaceful domain of the lake in the Hogwarts grounds. It gave her time to think and right now she needed to think about what to make of Ron and Harry.
She was walking towards her destination, passing along the Quidditch Pitch when she heard people talking. She stopped and listened to the voices.
"Am I doing it right?" asked a little boy's voice.
"Yes and don't stretch your legs, you won't be able to control your broom that way," said another much older voice said.
"Is that it?" asked the little boy.
"Yes, now try to go towards the hoops and come back down," said the older guy.
As Ginny realized whom the voices belong to, her eyes widened and a smile spread across her pretty face. She decided to take a peek at them. She peeped through the open door and there on the middle of the Quidditch Pitch was Draco Malfoy sitting on a floating broom and Andrew who was slowly advancing for the hoops. Andrew flew to the hoops and carefully turned to go back to Draco's spot.
"I did it!" Andrew exclaimed as he approached Draco.
"Yes you did, now do that one more time only, do it faster this time," Draco instructed.
Ginny was tempted to join them and cheer for Andrew but decided against it. She shouldn't be sneaking up on people like this. She should get out of there.
Ginny watched them a little while longer, noting how Draco looked totally relaxed sitting atop his broom, his robes billowing about at his sides.
Ginny tiptoed away from the both of them, leaving the two alone.
Ginny was smiling as she was making her way towards the lake. She was still smiling when she got to the lake.
_______________________
A/N: Guys, I'm so sorry it took me forever to update on this thing. School takes up most of my time. I'm really, really sorry. I always have a lot of homeworks and I usually sleep early due to exhaustion from school. I can't even promise anything for the next chapter... I have, like, several more projects and researches coming up, plus exams. Argh! My teachers are beating the crap out of us. Anyways, thanks so much for bearing with me. And to those who are reviewing me. I love you guys. You keep me going... Anyways, if you're wondering, as I forgot to tell you, the title of this story is actually from Michelle Branch's song called 'I'd Rather Be In Love' from her album 'The Spirit Room'. By the way, I hope I'm not taking too long for the fluff part. The story takes time. It's not about Draco and Ginny meeting and kissing all of the sudden. Nope, it takes more than that for this Draco to kiss this Ginny. I hope you bear with me. Thanks again!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story except the plot, so please don't sue me. Thanks!