Chapter Five: Explanation
August 30
Draco and Ginny were speechless.
"Well. Well, I...I guess I never expected this. He knows that we can't ever be together, right? I mean. It's just not possible. What I had for him was a silly crush. An infatuation, if you will. He knows this, right?" Ginny asked.
"We'll talk to him, Ginny. Maybe we can help to sort things out. Will that be okay?" Hermione piped in.
"Would you really? That would really mean a lot. Thank you so much." Replied Ginny. "Draco, we should probably get going. In two days it will be the first day of school, and tomorrow Draco and I are going to Diagon Alley. Besides, neither one of us has unpacked yet."
Draco stood up with Ginny and they left, nodding their goodbyes to Ron and Hermione.
"Malfoy! Ginny! Wait!" Hollered Hermione.
The couple turned around and looked at Hermione expectantly.
Out of breath from running to be away from Ron so he couldn't hear, Hermione said, "I accept your relationship. I know that it hurts Harry, and Ron, but I just wanted you to know that I accept it. And Malfoy, what you said back there to Ron. It really means a lot. In time, I'll do my best to call you by your first name." With that, she ran back to Ron.
Draco and Ginny started walking back to their rooms.
"Well, that was completely unexpected." Draco said after reaching their rooms. "I never would have thought that there would have been a day that Granger said something to me in a civil tone. I guess I'll have to start talking respectfully to her, huh?"
"Yes, you do. I really do appreciate you trying so hard. And, for you, I won't talk to Harry. I'll do my best to avoid him." Ginny said. "Don't look to hopeful, I don't want you starting anything with him." When Draco started to pout, Ginny put her arms around him whispered in his ear, "Please Draco, it would mean so much to me."
Knowing that he had lost this round, he nodded. "Why don't we unpack, then will have time to talk for a bit before going to bed."
Ginny walked into her room, still not believing how beautiful it was. She strolled over to her trunk and absentmindedly started to put her clothes in the closet and her drawers. While doing this, she thought about how far she had come since the beginning of July, she first made friends, now loves and going out with, Draco Malfoy. It all happened so fast, yet it seems so right.
Draco, on the other hand, was doing the exact same thing. Not only does he love a Weasley, but his father accepts it, well, he has to.
They met up in the common room, and sat on the couch.
"We're going to cause a lot of problems between our houses." Ginny quietly told Draco.
"Gryffindor will probably be the only house that will have a problem with it. Slytherin should be okay, because of the bracelet. Besides, all I have to do is give them one look and they'll shut their mouths. We have to sit there the second day of school, so they'll know by then."
"What about Pansy Parkinson? Aren't you two an item?" Ginny asked while getting more comfortable in Dracos arms.
"No," he said while wrapping both arms around her. "We were just told what to do, and we did it. It was nothing. She is one of my best friends; and I really hope that you like her. I hope she likes you, too."
"Oh." Ginny got up and stretched. "If it's okay with you, I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm pretty tired, and I'm sure we'll have a long week."
"Okay, goodnight." Draco stood up and gave Ginny a sweet kiss.
Ginny walked to her room and did the nightly ritual of brushing her teeth and getting changed. She then laid down on her bed and prayed to Merlin that it would be a good week.
August 31
Draco woke up and got ready for the day. Walking into the common room, he didn't see Ginny at all. 'She still must be asleep,' he thought to himself, 'and I know the perfect way to wake her up.'
Quietly opening her door and strolling into the room, he headed straight for the bathroom. He took a glass of water and parted Ginny's curtains. Bringing the water up over Ginny's head, he was just about ready to pour it over her head when all of sudden she spoke up.
"If you even think about dumping that water on me, Draco Malfoy, you will be very sorry. Very sorry indeed." Ginny mumbled.
"How in Merlin did you know I was in here?" Draco asked, completely bewildered.
"Did you happen to forget that I grew up with six brothers? Because of that, I now have the talent of waking up at the slightest sound. What are you doing in here, anyway?"
"Well, you know Dumbledore gave us special permission to go to Diagon Alley today. We need to get your robes and what not. I thought we could get an early start." Draco replied.
"Fine, go eat breakfast or wait in the common room for me. I'll shower and get changed and then we'll take off, alright?"
Draco exited the room and Ginny started going through her normal ritual. When she was finished, she walked out to find Draco standing by the fireplace, looking at the picture that had acted as their portkey to Hogwarts. She walked up behind him and put her arms around his waist, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Can you believe how far we've come? It all just seems unreal." Ginny said.
"Do you have any regrets?" Draco questioned.
"None whatsoever." Ginny reassured him. "Now, should we eat here, or go straight to Diagon Alley and eat the Leaky Cauldron?"
"Let's eat here. That way, we can have lunch at the Leaky Cauldron." Replied Draco.
An hour later, Ginny found her self in Madam Malkins.
"Draco, I just don't see the need to have so many robes. Why in the world do I need so many? And four cloaks?! Aren't we going a little overboard?" Ginny asked.
"Not in the least, Red, not in the least. Just trust me on this." Said Draco. "While you shop for the 'unmentionables', I'm going to go look at owls. You do need your own, you know. Feel free to buy however much and whatever you want. We have our own account here." With that, Draco exited the store.
"Oh! That man! I just don't know what to do with him!" Said Ginny, to no one in particular.
"You know, dear, I probably had the shock of my life when you two came walking in here holding hands. Never, in my entire life, did I think that I would live to see the day when a Weasley and a Malfoy were in love. I have to give you credit." Madam Malkin told Ginny.
"I'm sure." Ginny said absentmindedly. "We seem to be getting that reaction everywhere we go. Our schoolmates, the ones that we've seen, are close to throwing fits; especially the girls. I guess they all they thought they would have a chance with Draco, it being his last year and all."
"I'm sure the gentlemen feel the same way, Ms. Weasley. You are a beautiful young woman, you know." Madam Malkin replied.
Ginny chose to ignore that comment, seeing as she didn't believe it when anyone told her that nonsense.
"I'll take all of this." She said, pointing to the things on the counter she had selected. "Do you think you can just send all this over to the school? With so many packages, I just don't know how Draco and I will manage." She asked the latter very sweetly.
"No problem, dear. I'll just charge it to Mr. Malfoy's account. It will get there by nightfall, so you will have everything for the first day of school tomorrow."
"Thank you so much." Ginny yelled as she walked out of the door.
Ginny walked over to Eeylop's Owl Emporium to find Draco. He was just exiting with an owl.
"Oh, Draco. She's beautiful. What kind is she?" Ginny said.
Draco replied, "A Tawny owl, do you like her?"
"She's gorgeous. I know just what to name her."
"Oh, and what's that?" Said a smiling Draco.
"Ilana." Ginny replied.
Draco's faced turned from smiling to confused. "Ilana, what in thunder is that supposed to mean?"
Ginny laughed and said, "It's means 'Great Tree'. Dad has a Muggle baby- naming book and when I was younger I used to look it over. I've always loved that name." Ginny sighed.
"Okay, well, come on, we have one more stop before we go to eat." Draco said.
Ginny walked next to Draco, trying to think of where on Earth they had to go next. They finally stopped in front of a busy looking shop, the Magical Menagerie.
"What on Earth are we doing here?" Ginny asked in a bewildered tone.
"Well," replied Draco, "I also want you to have a cat, or another pet, if you'd rather. I have both an owl and a cat. They get along fine, plus, the extra company is nice."
"Draco, I've never seen your cat. I've seen you owl, but your cat?"
"Okay, so I don't have a cat yet, I was kind of hoping we could each get our own. That way, they wouldn't be lonely while we're in classes." Draco hopefully said.
"Come on," Ginny said chuckling. She could tell that he'd always wanted one, just never had an excuse to get one.
They walked into the shop and they were greeted with noises of all sorts. Draco and Ginny started walking around the store, looking at the different animals, and stopping at the kittens. Two kittens immediately stood out to Ginny. They were Himalayan Persians. One had a white body with black paws and a black belly. The other was chocolate colored with white paws and a white belly. Their dispositions seemed sweet, and they were obviously sisters. Ginny took one look at them both and melted.
"Draco... Can we please have these two? Pretty please?" Ginny asked, nicely.
"Excuse me, did you two need help?" An employee asked them.
"Yes, we would like these two kittens." Draco answered.
The employee took the two kittens out of cage and brought them up to the front desk. Before ringing up the price, he asked, "Did you want a carrying box or a basket?"
Draco looked at Ginny, expecting her to answer "A basket, please. You can just put both of them in one, but please give us two."
Draco and Ginny walked out of the shop and towards the Leaky Cauldron to have lunch.
A/N: This is my longest chapter yet. I hope you enjoyed it! Read and review! And thank you soooo much to all of my faithful readers out there! I really appreciate your reviews.