Chapter 9
"Ginny! Letter for you!" Ginny smiled and bounded down the stairs. An owl could only be from one of two people; Zi or Draco. Ginny grabbed the letter out of her mother's hand.
"Who's it from Gin?"
"Like I'm going to tell you!" Ginny laughed mockingly as Ron made a face at her. Just then, Fred and George came running through the kitchen screaming and out the back door. Following them a few seconds later was a very angry looking Charlie. Ginny laughed.
"Bloody brothers ... they were looking through my stuff!"
"You never get angry with me when I look through your stuff." Ginny smiled innocently.
"You look through my stuff?!?!" Ginny smiled again and bolted upstairs to her room, slamming and locking the door behind her. She laughed as she sat down on her bed and opened the letter.
Ginny,
I'd like to give you your Christmas present. I couldn't have it sent to Hogwarts, obviously, so I couldn't give it to you at school. We're going to Diagon Alley the day after tomorrow. Could you meet me at the Three Broomsticks at 3 o'clock? Can't wait to see you/hear from you. Owl soon, miss you. All my love.
Ginny smiled to herself as she thought about Draco. She grabbed a quill, ink, and a piece of parchment from her dresser drawer and sat down on her window seat to write back to Draco.
Draco,
I'd love to meet with you but ... there is the issue of my family. Although, Charlie's home! Charlie knows about us and I think he might be willing to take me up there. I'll owl you after I talk to him and let you know the plan. Can't wait to see you ... miss you too. All my love.
Ginny sealed the letter and started downstairs. "Charlie? Can I borrow your owl for this letter?" Charlie looked up from his book.
"Only if you tell me who it's to ... and who the letter you got was from?" Ginny sighed and glared at her brother. Then, she motioned for him to follow her and walked back up the stairs to her room.
She sat down on her window seat and Charlie walked in a few minutes later. He sat down on her bed and cocked on eyebrow at her. "Well firstly, the letter I got was from Draco and the letter I want to send is to Draco. Secondly, I need a favor." Ginny gave her brother a puppy-dog face. Charlie took the letter from her as his owl flew into the room. He attached it to its leg and, opening the window, let if fly. Ginny gave her brother a puppy-dog face again, knowing that he was trying his best to ignore her.
"Don't do that!" Ginny giggled; she knew her brother would agree to almost anything if she just gave him that face. "What is it then?"
"Well ... I have to give Draco his Christmas present and ... we thought we could meet in Diagon Alley ... but then there's Mum and she won't let me go unless she knows who I'll be meeting there ... or if someone were to escort me." Ginny smiled hopefully at her brother. Charlie just sighed and looked out the window, mockingly. "Oh you're in trouble!" Ginny jumped up and ran at Charlie, pushing him off the bed and onto the floor. She smiled evilly for a moment and then dropped to her knees beside him and started tickling him mercilessly. Only one person in the entire world knew where Charles Weasley was ticklish: Ginny.
Charlie yelped and wriggled, trying to get away from Ginny, but he was laughing to hard to put up much of a fight. "Okay!" he finally choked out. "I give up!"
"Good." Ginny smiled and returned to her seat on the windowsill. "So does that mean you'll take me to Diagon Alley the day after tomorrow?"
"Hmm ... okay, yeah I'll take you." Charlie smiled at his sister and propped himself up on his elbows, still lying on the floor. "What are you getting him anyways?" Ginny blushed and looked out the window. "Ginny?" She mumbled something incoherently and continued to stare out of the window. "Sorry, didn't catch that."
"An Invisibility Cloak."
"Ginny! Bloody hell! Where did you get an Invisibility Cloak?!" Charlie's mind started going through the possibilities, each one less likely than the next.
"I saved my money, how else? I had been planning to buy Dean this really awesome miniature Quidditch pitch, so I started saving last Christmas. But then we broke up and ... I just didn't stop saving." Ginny smiled to herself, what was she going to do with it anyways?
"But why an Invisibility Cloak?" As well as he knew his sister, Ginny never failed to baffle Charlie at times.
"Because ... we can't see each other before curfew, because people might see us. So we have to sneak out after curfew, and he's been worried about detentions. If he gets a detention, his father will start asking him questions like why he was out. But, if he has an Invisibility Cloak, no one will know." Ginny smiled shyly at her brother.
"Sneaking out past curfew?! Ginny!"
"I know, Charlie ... please don't be mad!"
"Ginny! If Mum knew, she'd have a fit! Bloody hell, that's an understatement, she'd shit Frisbees!" Ginny attempted semi-successfully to contain her giggle.
"I won't get caught though! I use Harry's Invisibility Cloak and now Draco will have one so neither of us will get caught and everything's okay, right?" Charlie sighed heavily and raised a skeptical eyebrow at his sister.
"I can't really scold you since you got perfect marks in every class, but if your grades start to slump ... at all – you need to stop seeing Draco after curfew."
"Charlie! Firstly you know my marks won't start to slip. Secondly I can't just stop seeing him! I think I'd go insane!"
"Insane people can't go insane, you'd go sane. What drives a sane man crazy will drive a crazy man sane. So no, you wouldn't go insane." Charlie laughed at Ginny's mock glare.
"Are you calling me insane, Charles Weasley?"
"Yes, I do believe I am." Ginny picked up a pillow and chucked it at her brother.
"Hey, did you go out for the Quidditch team this year? I swear there's nothing you're not good at. Quidditch, every subject in school, the list goes on and on." Ginny blushed.
"No, to answer your question. I don't really want to."
"As much as I respect your decision and all that, you're bloody brilliant on a broom, little one." Ginny rolled her eyes.
"So is everyone else in this bloody family, except Percy of course. I just don't want to follow in everyone else's footsteps ... be expected to live up to everything all my brothers did. I want to make my own footsteps!" Charlie smiled proudly at his sister; she had become everything he had ever hoped and much more.
"I remember when you were born, little one. I was ten years old and about to start Hogwarts. Percy, Fred, George, and Ron came home screaming their heads off but you were different. You just sat in your little basket and observed everyone. And I asked Mum why you didn't cry like the others, and she said that's because you've got what you want so you don't have to cry about it." Charlie smiled again; she had grown up so much since then. Ginny blushed. "I didn't understand what she meant then, but now I do. You've got that fire, Ginny. It's what makes you want to stand out and be different ... yes I'll take you to Diagon Alley, because only you would give him a chance. And I'm proud that you two did manage to get over previous impressions."
"Thanks, Charlie." Ginny smiled and got up to give her brother a tight hug.
The Malfoy Mansion
Draco stormed into his room and slammed the door behind him. "Bloody father!" He switched on his stereo system with a flick of his wand and threw himself on his bed. It was the CD he had borrowed from Ginny for Christmas; it was a Muggle/Wizard Crossover band called The Rasmus. Ginny absolutely adored them, particularly Aki, the drummer.
I wish you were here tonight with me to see the northern lightsI wish you were here tonight with me
I wish I could have you by my side tonight when the sky is burning
I wish I could have you by my side
Draco smiled in spite of himself; what he wouldn't give to have Ginny right here next to him. He hadn't realized how much she really meant to him until they had to be apart. He prayed that Charlie would not only be okay with their relationship, but also agree to take Ginny to Diagon Alley. Draco smiled, he couldn't wait to see her and give her her Christmas present.
Cause I've been down and I've been crawlingWon't back down no more.
Draco's thoughts drifted to his father; he decided he wasn't going to take any more of Lucius' shit. It wasn't going to be easy, but then again neither was getting out of becoming a Death Eater, it was all relative.
Can't you stop the lies falling from the skiesDown on me, I'm still standing
Can't you roll the dice, I might be surprised
Conscience clear, I'm still standing here
He thought suddenly about his mother; what had possessed her to marry Lucius? Not that it mattered now; all that mattered now was that she got out of this house, alive.
Burns like a thousand stars though you're light years awayBurns like a thousand stars or more
You're up there; you're always with me
Smiling down on me
As if on cue with the song, Draco heard a tapping on his window. He opened it and a medium sized Horned Owl flew in, circled the room, dropped a piece of parchment onto Draco's bend, and flew back out. Draco closed the window again and walked to his bed.
It's something sacred something so beautifulSomething quiet to ease my mind
When the pressure's taking me over and over
He chuckled, "I hope its something to ease my mind." Maybe, if he had something to look forward to, like seeing Ginny, this vacation wouldn't seem so endless.
Cause I've been down and I've been crawling
Pushed around and always falling
You're up there you're always with me
Smiling down on me
As the song finished, Draco broke the seal on the parchment and unfolded it. He immediately recognized Ginny's flawless handwriting.
Draco,
Charlie says he'd be happy to take me. Don't worry, he's okay us. But, he does want to meet you. We'll meet you at the Three Broomsticks then at 3 o'clock, day after tomorrow. Hope this finds you happy. I miss you a lot ... love you. All my love
Draco folded the parchment again and tucked it into his pocket. He noticed that he was smiling; strange how Ginny had that affect on him. He'd known Blaise for 10 years and he could barely get Draco to smile genuinely once a year. Now Ginny, who had only been with Draco a whopping 2 and ½ months, got him to smile by sending him a simple letter. He shook his head and started downstairs for dinner.
A/N: Here it is! Finally, it took me an insane amount of time to RP and write this chapter. The song is "Still Standing" by The Rasmus (also a real band, hehe). Aki is the drummer and the hottest thing on this planet! There will be more references to The Rasmus and its members so it might behoove you to go to http:rasmuszone.tk and read up on them. Awesome band! Anyways, how did you like this one? It was a lot of characterizing for Charlie, part of the reason for the insane amount of time. I hope I did him justice! Let me know what you think!! ATTENTION! I'VE GOT A NEW STORY POSTED! PLEASE READ I WANNA KNOW WHAT YOU ALL THINK, IT'S KATIE/OLIVER AND IT'S CALLED "I'M STILL HERE" AFTER THE SONG! Please read it and review! (It was called "Until the Day I Die, but I changed the title) Now, on to reviewers:
DarkRose: Mucho thanko! I don't update too fast ... I only update as fast as the voices let me RP, so blame it one them!
Skybluepink: Yay! I'm glad you liked that ... I decided to leave it to everyone's nasty imaginations, hehe. This chappie didn't really have any amusing quotes in it ... sowwy! Hope you liked it though!
InuKaino: Much thanks. You'll have to wait and find out about the Narcissa/Ginny thing, sorry! Yes, my teachers literally control my life!
Lithui: haha! I'm glad you like Charlie ... how was he in this chapter? Ron will continue to be a prat for pretty much the rest of the story ... except for a few moments, lol.
MasterHarper Menolly: Glad you liked it! How did you like this one?
Disclaimer: There are many things I own ... and many things I would like to own (including Oliver Wood, hehe) ... but sadly, Harry Potter does not exist in the former group. The song doesn't either; its by The Rasmus!