Chapter 8
"I'd better move to a different cabin, we'll be at the station soon." Draco stared out the window glumly. He and Ginny had spent the past 3 and ½ hours just talking and sitting ... well, and a few other things that need not be mentioned.
"Yeah, I don't think Mum would want me getting off the train with you." Ginny sighed and looked down at her hands, entangled with Draco's.
"Don't look so sad, we'll see each other in 3 weeks. And we can always owl." Draco attempted a reassuring smile.
"I know ... I'll miss you." Ginny and Draco stood up and he enveloped her in a tight hug.
"Not as much as I'll miss you." Ginny giggled making Draco smile.
"That was corny!"
"Well hey, if your feelings are corny what can you do?" Ginny giggled again. "I'll see you soon." Draco leaned down and kissed Ginny sweetly, before turning around and exiting the train compartment.
The Burrow
"Ginny! Get up dear!" Mrs. Weasley banged on Ginny's door. It was the first day Ron, Fred, George, and Mr. Weasley would be home after the Quidditch game, so everyone had to spend some 'quality time' together. Ginny grumbled as she brushed out her long hair and started downstairs.
"Good morning." Mrs. Weasley smiled and set a plate down at the table for Ginny; everyone else was already eating.
"Yeah." Ginny leaned against the wall and yawned, trying to get herself to wake up.
"I thought you stayed at Hogwarts!" Ron said, looking at his sister with a confused, surprised expression.
"No, Ron." Ginny rolled her eyes, "What are you smoking?"
"Apparently not enough," said a voice from behind Ginny. Ginny whirled around to see her brother leaning on the doorframe.
"Charlie!!" Ginny smiled as her brother caught her up in a tight hug.
"Hello, little one!" Ginny and Charlie had the best relationship out of all the siblings, excepting Fred and George (who were rumored to share a brain).
"I didn't think you were coming home!" As Ginny talked excitedly with her brother, the rest of the family continued eating.
"I asked Mum not to tell you, so that it'd be a surprise!" Charlie smiled warmly as his sister smacked his arm. Then, the rest of the family got up and said their hellos to Charlie. He started out of the kitchen to put his things away in his room. "So Ginny I heard something about a snogging partner?" he called over his shoulder, laughing.
"OH, you're gonna get it!" Ginny took a running start and leaped onto Charlie's back, rubbing her knuckles into his head.
"Ow!! Killer sister on the loose!"
A Few Hours Later
"Hey, why don't we go for a walk Gin?"
"Okay. Charlie and I are going for a walk, Mum!"
"Alright dears, be home before dark!" Mrs. Weasley called from the next room. Charlie and Ginny started for the door.
"So I saw your grades, little one. Are you really taking three advanced classes?" Charlie's eyes widened; he hadn't really been the best student, but he got by with better than average marks. However, the fact that his sister was in advanced classes, something that even Percy hadn't done, was quite amazing to him.
"Yeah, they're easy. Except for Potions ... Snape has it out for me."
"And you still managed top marks across the board? That's incredible!" Ginny blushed and they started towards the frozen lake. The entire countryside was covered with fresh, unspoiled snow.
"Nothing, really."
"Yeah, sure. So how's the situation with Ron, Fred, and George?" Charlie rolled his eyes; his brothers never failed to find a way to blow things out of proportion and take things way too far. Ginny had owled him about their over protectiveness.
"The same really ... they let me walk around the school without an escort right before we left, but then they found out I was going to the Halloween Ball ... with someone and walking around was again a two-person affair." Ginny smiled; all her brothers' precautions hadn't stopped her from seeing Draco in the least.
"Ron said that you ... had a boyfriend or something."
"Well we all know not to believe what he says!" Charlie and Ginny laughed.
"But really ... you seem really happy lately. Which doesn't really jive with the situation. Your last owl was practically radiating good vibes, so what's up?"
"Nothing really ... there's this guy and we went to the Costume Ball together. I like him is all." Ginny bit her lip.
"If you think I am going to let you off with that explanation, then you do not know the great Charles Weasley." Ginny laughed out loud.
"Fine ... but you can't tell Ron or Fred or George, just don't tell anyone. They wouldn't exactly be happy if they found out."
"Oh come on, he isn't some kind of axe murderer is he?" Ginny shook her head, smiling. "Then you've got nothing to worry about."
"Charlie ..."
"Okay, fine. I swear I will not tell a soul." Charlie put a hand over his heart in a half-mocking half-serious gesture.
"Well ... it's more than I just like him. We've been going out in a way. We can't really tell anyone about us ... because you know, Ron. But we've been seeing each other a lot ... behind everyone' backs." Charlie cocked an eyebrow at her. "No, no it's not like that. We talk ... its weird, I feel like I can tell him everything and anything."
"So you're telling me that it's a completely plutonic relationship?" Charlie asked in an unbelieving tone.
"Well ... no, not exactly ... okay! Fine! So we've snogged, but that's not the point of the relationship!" Ginny swatted at her brother as he laughed and moved out of reach.
"And what's his name?" Ginny bit her lip and looked at the ground. "Come on Ginny. You know that you can tell me anything ... I promise I'm not going to betray your trust."
"Okay ... it's Draco Malfoy." Charlie stopped in his tracks and blinked repeatedly, trying to grasp what Ginny had just told him. He opened and closed his mouth several times and shook his head. They started walking again, but Charlie still looked more confused and shocked than you can imagine. "Say something!" Ginny had never known her brother to be silent, unless of course she or Mrs. Weasley had lost their temper with him. Despite her size, or lack thereof, Ginerva Weasley was definitely a force to be reckoned with; a force you didn't ever want to see angry.
"Why?" Charlie finally choked out.
"I love him ..." Ginny stared at her gloved hands and shivered, feeling the cold start to creep through her many layers of clothes.
"But why a Malfoy?!" Charlie asked, saying the name with disgust. Ginny held back her anger as best she could.
"It's not like a chose him ... it just kind of happened." She looked up at Charlie, who seemed to be a little bit less shocked than a few minutes ago.
"If he ever hurts you –"
"He won't!" Ginny added, "He loves me."
"And has he told you this?"
"Yes!" Charlie let out a long, heavy sigh and looked down at his baby sister.
"Bloody hell, Gin." He raked his hands through his curly red hair.
"I told you it was bad ... know do you understand why I refused to tell Ron?" Charlie laughed and nodded. "Please, don't be mad! He's nothing like his father ... I promise." Charlie remained silent and Ginny glanced at him nervously. "Penny for your thoughts?" He smiled slightly at the muggle expression his sister insisted on using.
"I have a question for you ..."
"Okay ... shoot."
"Is he good to you? I mean, does he make you happy?" Charlie's eyes darkened. "He doesn't hurt you does he?"
"Oh god, Charlie no! You no I would never let anyone do that to me! Yes ... he makes me happy. We talk for hours on end ... I could tell him anything." Ginny smiled and laughed to herself. Then she felt her brother suddenly wrap his arm around her shoulders and squeeze her tightly. (A/N: This conversation is thanks to Ms. Martinson, if it weren't for her droning voice and pointless lessons in Geometry, then I never would have RP'ed it during school!)
"If being with Draco Malfoy is what makes you happy, then I'm not going to stand in your way. But I don't like it, you know. I don't have any reasons to trust him and a few reasons not to trust him."
"I know, but you haven't met him yet. Save your judgments until after you've at least met him and had a conversation with him." Ginny smiled, Charlie had always been there for her. She knew he wouldn't fly off the handle like Ron would if he found out about Draco. Charlie laughed suddenly.
"Remember two years ago when you had your first boyfriend?" Ginny giggled.
"I thought Ron was going to have a stroke! And then you came home and told him to get over himself!" Ginny giggled again; Christmas Eve two years ago had been one of her fonder memories. It ended up with Charlie telling everyone that Ginny's boyfriend Dean was a good guy (even though he hadn't met Dean) and everyone calmed down and let the issue go. "I owe you for that one."
"You sure do!"
The Malfoy Mansion
"What is this?!"
"Umm, my marks." Draco snorted, what else would it be?
"Why in the bloody hell are you second in your class?" Lucius glared down at his son.
"What? Am I not supposed to be that smart? Beating your marks too big of a blow to your ego, Lucius?" Draco sneered; he had stopped calling Lucius 'father' about two years ago when Lucius' plans to make Draco a Death Eater were first revealed.
"How dare you!"
A Few Hours Later
"Draco, honey, drink this." Draco forced his eyes open; he was lying in his room and his mother was standing over him holding a cup of green goo.
Draco attempted to say "I'm not drinking that bloody stuff" but it came out more like "I bot din hat oby uff."
"It will make you feel better, now please." Narcissa sat down on her son's bed and held the cup to his lips. Reluctantly, Draco downed it; a few seconds later he felt his strength returning and he sat up on his bed, propping himself against his headboard.
"What happened?"
"You talked back to your father and he ... used the Crastaceous curse, among others. You've been asleep for a good 5 hours, gave me a right bloody scare." Narcissa smiled warmly and kissed the top of her son's head.
"I'm not going to be a bloody Death Eater." Draco shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.
"I know you're not ... I thank God everyday that you didn't turn out like him." Narcissa sighed heavily.
"I wish we could leave ... get out of this house. I hate when I'm at school and you're here by yourself with that bastard." Narcissa smiled at Draco and rubbed his cheek with her thumb.
"You don't need to worry about me. Now come on, let's get you cleaned up. Lucius expects you to make an appearance at dinner." Narcissa stood up and she and Draco started for the Library, where Narcissa kept all of her healing spells and potions hidden.
"Mum, did you ever love him?" Narcissa stopped and considered the question.
"Yes, I suppose I did ... once. But that was before he corrupted himself and turned into the monster he's become." She sighed and brushed away a tear. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I think ... I think I'm in love." Narcissa's eyes widened and she smiled. They started walking towards the Library again.
"So tell me what happened at school this term." Draco laughed and started telling his mother about a girl named Ginny Weasley. Narcissa was happily surprised to see her son laugh genuinely, something he hadn't done in a long time. Regardless of who this person was, if she was getting Draco to laugh, she was already on Narcissa's good side.
A/N: Yes! Another chappie down! This chapter is specially dedicated to all my teachers, who decided to give me very little homework today! Woohpee! I'm hoping to have Chapter 9 up before I go to bed, but I do hafta practice my clarinet so that's tentative. How did you all like this one? For clarification, Lucius came very close to killing Draco, but Narcissa stepped in and saved him, like always. More of Draco's family in the next chappie. What did you think of Ginny's relationship w/ Charlie?! Let me know! Please review!
Inukaino: I'm flattered that you think my story is a "good malfoyginny pair up"! Merci beaucoup! What did you think of this chapter?!
Skybluepink: I'm still on a roll! Yes, chapter 7 was definitely fluffy as will coming chapters be. I love that line too! It just came to me in my one brilliant moment! Haha! Flattered that you think it's very JK style! Merci Beaucoup! What'd you think of this one?
Disclaimer: To own, (v): to have something in your possession, not to be used when pertaining to Pia O'Leary and involving Harry Potter.