Chapter 23
"Ginny, wake up, honey." Ginny groaned as she opened her eyes and looked into Zi's dark brown ones. She clutched her head as a headache came rushing towards her, full force.
"Where is he?! Is he okay?!"
"Well I should certainly hope not." Ginny looked up and saw Ron leaning against the wall in front of her, along with Fred, George, and Harry. She shot them all a look that was a mix between extreme hurt and anger.
"Weasleys, and Potter, in my office, NOW!" McGonagall was glaring at them, with her hand pointed towards the door. The four boys obediently walked out of the room and down the hall into her office, without looking at Ginny.
"Come on, I've got to see him." Ginny looked around the room to find that Draco was no longer there. They must have taken him to the Hospital Wing.
"No, Ginny ..." Hermione trailed off and avoided Ginny's eyes. She pushed herself onto her feet, stumbling as she got up. Zi caught her arm and, with the help from Zi and a nearby desk, Ginny was able to stand straight.
"Hermione, I'm going to see him."
"Ginny you can't ... please! It's ... its Ron. He said ... that you're not allowed to see him."
"Well Ron can shove not allowed up his ass because I don't really care what he says anymore." Ginny tried to fight back the tears; in a grand total of half and hour, her life had gone from very nearly perfect to a shamble. "I don't care ... I don't ..." Ginny trailed off as she burst into tears.
Two Days Later, Gryffindor Common Room
Ron, Fred, George, and Harry had, indeed, succeeded in preventing Ginny from seeing Draco. Despite the fact that they all had a massive string of detentions, and McGonagall on their backs they had managed to make sure Ginny didn't have any opportunities to see him. Last time they checked, he was still in the Hospital Wing. Ginny had kept herself holed up in her dormitory for the majority of the past two days; she came down for one meal a day and said nothing to anyone. If it hadn't been for the boys' anger and over protective tendencies, they would have been truly afraid of Ginny's temper. But then again, Ginny looked more sad and distant than she did angry. Yet, they all knew a confrontation was coming, and no one was exactly looking forward to it.
"Ginny, I think you should eat something. You've barely eaten anything these past few days." Ginny's jaw twitched; she was on her way back to her dormitory after swiping a book from Fred and George's dormitory. To avoid her flying off the deep end, they allowed her to take back the books she read for pleasure. Taking a deep breath, she ignored Ron and started up the stairs, but much to her dismay, Harry caught her hand before she got very far.
"Come on, Gin. It's lunch. You're going to wither away."
"Don't touch me, Harry," she said coldly, wrenching her hand out of Harry's hold.
"Harry's right, little one. You've got to eat something." Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep breath; it looked like it was taking all the self-control she possessed not to pummel Fred right then and there.
"I don't bloody care what you say. I'm not hungry so I'm not going to eat." Her tone was eerily calm; Zi, who was sitting on the Common Room couch, shuddered involuntarily. Ginny Weasley mad was not something you wanted to cross, but Ginny Weasley talking in that tone of voice was something you ran from.
"Please, Gin. Just eat something, even if it's only a sandwich. You've got us all worried seeing as you hardly have been eating anything." George's statement proved to be all too much for Ginny.
"OH SO YOU CARE ABOUT MY EATING HABITS DO YOU? YOU CARE ABOUT MY HEALTH BUT COULDN'T GIVE A SODDING DAMN ABOUT MY HAPPINESS! IS THAT IT GEORGE?!"
"Ginny, we did what we did for you own good." Ginny's eyes flared dangerously; she gave Ron a look that would send Voldemort running for cover.
"YOU DID IT FOR MY OWN GOOD?! WHAT IN THE SODDING BLOODY FUCKING HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! YOU DIDN'T DO IT FOR MY OWN SODDING GOOD! YOU DID IT BECAUSE YOU'RE A STUPID PRAT WHO CAN'T SEE PEOPLE FOR WHO THEY REALLY ARE! YOU ... ALL OF YOU ... YOU'RE JUST SELFISH ASSHOLES WHO WOULD RATHER HONOR YOUR PETTY LITTLE GRUDGES THEN SEE YOUR SISTER HAPPY!" Ron, Fred, George, and Harry all stepped back slightly. Ginny's voice was so loud they were sure everyone in the Great Hall had heard it.
"He was just using you!"
"Lying to you, Ginny!" George stated, agreeing with his twin.
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! HE LOVED – NO HE LOVES ME! AND I LOVE HIM!"
"Ginny –"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP FREDERICK ARTHUR WEASLEY! DON'T YOU COME ANYWHERE NEAR ME! I ... I HATE YOU! ALL OF YOU!" Ginny burst into tears and ran up to her dormitory, slamming the door behind her.
"What did you do to upset my sister like that?!" Everyone whirled around to see Charlie standing just inside the portrait hole. Ron whimpered slightly in response. "What's going on?" Receiving nothing but scared looks from his brothers, Charlie turned to Zi. "Hullo, love, would you care to explain to me what in the sodding hell is going on here?"
"Hi, Charlie. Well umm ... you see, Ron, Fred, George, and Harry kind of walked in on –"
"Shit. Are you telling me they know about Draco?" Hermione's relieved sigh at seeing that no one else was in the Common Room, went unnoticed.
"Yeah ... they beat him up really ba—"
"WAIT! ARE YOU HONESTLY SAYING THAT YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS?!"
"Yes, Ron, don't get your knickers in a knot. Has she gone to see him?" The question was directed at Zi, but that didn't stop George from answering it.
"Are you off your bloody rocker?! You can't tell me you're okay with all this! No she hasn't been to sodding see him!"
"Yes, actually, I'm quite happy with all of it, or at least I was. I'll deal with you four," Charlie pointed at Ron, Fred, George, and Harry, "later. Hullo, Hermione." He attempted a smile as she mumbled a sad 'hello' back. With one final glare at his brothers, Charlie headed for the girls' dormitory.
Gryffindor Girls' Dormitory
Ginny thrust her head into a pillow and screamed; as her scream started to fade into sobs she felt her pillow sticking to her tear moist cheeks. She heard a soft knock on the door, but ignored it.
"Ginny ... come on, let me in."
"GO AWAY! I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO ANY OF YOU!" she bellowed at the closed door.
"You know I could get in if I wanted to, Sunshine. So why don't you let me in of your own accord?" Ginny jumped out of her bed as if it had bit her and ran to the door. She threw it open to find Charlie leaning against the doorframe, giving her a concerned look.
"Charlie!" Seeing the tears streaming down her face, he stepped into the room immediately and enveloped her in a tight hug. Ginny broke away suddenly, pulled him completely into the room, closed, and locked the door. She leaned against the door, clenching her eyes closed. For the past two days, she had been hoping that this was all just a bad dream that she would eventually wake up from. But after the confrontation with Harry and her brothers, she knew it was anything but.
"Little one, come here." Charlie held out his arms; Ginny sniffed slightly as she strode over to him, welcoming the huge hug that never failed to comfort her, if even just a little bit. "Come on, poppet, don't cry."
"How can you say that, Charlie?!" Ginny choked out between sobs. "My brothers hate the love of my life and just beat him to a bloody pulp, and you tell me not to cry?"
"Not all of your brothers. This will work out, I promise you." Ginny shook her head, still sobbing. Charlie led her over to her bed and they both sat down. "Now tell me what happened." Ginny sighed and started to explain everything, occasionally breaking into tears.
Gryffindor Common Room
"Charlie?" came a timid voice from the shadows. Charlie looked up to see Ron, Fred, and George standing in the corner, looking rather scared. Charlie sighed as he flopped down on the couch, burying his head in his hands.
"Why'd you have to go and fuck things up? Eh? Couldn't you see that she was happy?!"
"She couldn't have been really happy with a Malfoy –"
"Ron, keep better control of your god damned pie hole!" Charlie spat venomously. "Do you honestly think I would have let her go to Diagon Alley with him, or stay with him for that matter if I thought something was awry?" He raked his hands through his flaming red locks exasperatedly. Seeing his demeanor soften considerably, Ron, Fred, and George sat down across from him on the other couch.
"But Charlie ... he's a Malfoy!" George cried, frustrated by his brother's calmness.
"No, George. He's not just a Malfoy. He's a man that loves Ginny very, very much. He's a man that Ginny loves very, very much. If you could only see them together! I don't think I've ever seen two people more suited for each other, except maybe Mum and Dad." Charlie had yet to admit to anyone that he had done a little spying that day in Diagon Alley. He trusted Ginny, yes, but he didn't entirely trust Draco. But considering the fact that what he saw made him believe even more firmly in their relationship, he doubted Ginny would be upset with him.
"Bloody hell, dragon-man (considering that Charlie had been obsessed with dragons all his life, the family nicknamed bestowed upon him was quite fitting). He's probably in You-know-who's inner-circle for all we know."
"Damnet, Fred. Why do you have to be so bloody thick?!" Fred seemed slightly taken aback by his brother's statement, but didn't get a chance to say anything as Charlie continued, "I checked up on him ... well more like spied on him, but we won't get into the details. His father is involved with You-know-who. But he's about going crazy trying to figure out how to get Draco to become a Death Eater." Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Charlie held up his hand, "Keep your big mouth shut for two seconds, please Ronald. Draco's apparently refused to become a Death Eater ... against the wishes of Lucius and You-know-who."
"Are you kidding?!"
"No, Ron, I'm not kidding," Charlie answered dryly. "Are you honestly going to make her chose between her family and the love of her life?" Charlie knew that was exactly what they had planned; well actually, they knew she would choose her family, so it wasn't so much them giving her a choice, as it was they forcing her to leave Draco.
"What do you want us to say, Charlie?" His jaw twitched at Fred's question.
"I've got to ... do something. Get your arses up to bed ... now!" Fred, George, and Ron jumped up immediately and started for the boys' dormitory as Charlie got up and headed for the portrait hole.
Hospital Wing
"Draco, I'd like to speak with you." Draco opened his eyes groggily, trying to get a look at the person from whom the unfamiliar voice had come. But, due to the fact that it was well past midnight and pitch black in the Hospital Wing, he could only make out a faint outline.
"Eh?" The man chuckled; Draco knew that laugh from someplace. It sounded so familiar, yet strangely different at the same time. It reminded him of ... Ginny's laugh? "Who're you?"
"I'm surprised you don't remember me, but then again I've only met you once before." A proverbial light bulb went off in Draco's head.
"Charlie?"
"The one and only." Charlie sat down on the chair next to Draco's bed, sighing heavily. "I heard what happened. How're you feeling?"
"Umm ... well considering I just had the shit kicked out of my by four extremely athletic, extremely angry assholes ... I'd say I'm feeling pretty damned good." Draco, despite the façade of lightheartedness he was putting on, was a huge shamble of emotions inside. However, he felt strangely comforted by Charlie's presence; he did approve of his and Ginny's relationship, after all.
"I'm sorry about them ... they're hotheaded, you know? Guess it runs in the family. Ginny's missing you, asked me to give you this." Charlie pulled a small piece of folded parchment from his robe pocket and handed it to Draco. He took it and unfolded it hurriedly, it read:
Draco, love,
Please trust Charlie. He's going to fix things. I'm so sorry for what my brothers did. I'd be at your side right now, if I thought I could. But I suppose my brother will have to suffice for now. I love you so much and I miss you. Get some rest and get well.
Love always,
Ginny
Draco smiled and sniffed slightly as he folded up the letter and placed it on his bedside table. At least he knew Ginny still loved him. "Why are you doing this? I would think you'd be happy if your sister wasn't involved with anyone ... which is, I'm sure, what they intend to make sure of."
"First of all, my brothers are prats who don't know what they're talking about. Secondly, I trust you. I've done some 'checking up' on you lately, Draco. You've impressed me a great deal more than you know. Lastly and most importantly, you not only make her happy, but you love her. And she loves you. That's my principal concern at the moment." Despite the fact that Charlie's face was etched with worry, his eyes were twinkling. He was, in all honesty, extremely happy that Ginny had found Draco.
"Wait ... checking up on me?"
"Yes, indeed. Don't go looking for Ginny; it'll only create problems. Wait for me to set things straight with my brothers before you do anything irrational." Charlie rose and started for the door, after smiling warmly and patting Draco's hand.
"But how did you check up on me?! I don't understand!"
"Surely you remember your father's friend, Mr. Volumnius? Dear old friend of mine, rather pleasant chap if you get to know him." With that, Charlie slipped out of the Hospital Wing, leaving Draco to his thoughts.
Dedication: This chapter was for 1) My cow Irving (not a real cow people, he's stuffed), and 2) my bestest friend, who will be in New York this week and who I'm already missing terribly! My love goes out to goat!
A/N: Oh! Okay, now in all honesty how many of you expected that one?! Mwahahaha! I'm so evil ... and so very clever! (LOL, and modest as well, yeah?) I'm really sorry this chapter took so long! I feel so horrible! But I have an excuse: my beta has been really uber busy with school! It's not her fault, nor is it mine. It's the Baker's fault! Or perhaps Jack's fault?! (If anyone knows what musical that's from they get so many kudo points!) Please review! I only need 26 more to be at 200! The 200th reviewer gets a special surprise! Review! Now on to my loverly reviewers:
HarryPotterFan670: I know ... poor Draco indeed! LOL, yeah they have girlfriends ... although I didn't feel like mentioning them much as this is a Draco/Ginny fic. I'm flattered! How was this chapter?
Paintedsecrets: So, yet again, this chapter was kind of transitional. But I figured that was okay since I did the old reveal concerning Mr. Volumnious! Hehe! Did'ya guess? Did'ya? joins in the happy dancing! I have a song: "It's just another brick in the wall! Hey teacher! Leave those kids alone!" Grr, I'm mad because Korn covered that song (one of my all-time favorites) and totally fucked it up! Anywho! This will definitely be continued ... considering I'm working on the second to last chapter probably as you are reading this! Please check out the new fic I just posted, it's a short Ron/Hermione thing. As you saw, Draco is not dead or anything drastic like that ... yet! Mwahahaha! Interesting, we're studying LOTR in my Theology class right now. We kidnapped freshmen!!! (email me if you'd like to hear the whole story, because it's much too long to write here!). I'm so flattered, as always ... but I want a mint! How was this?
Fieryred20: Merci, merci beaucoup! How was this one?
Luna Gypsy: "Wah" indeed. But he's better now! Yay! Sorry this was late as well, but how was it?
Lil Bre: Haha! does happy dance and knocks people over in honor of Lil Bre! (hmm, hope that wasn't offensive, because I didn't mean for it to be!). I know! Stupid brothers! But Charlie's back! Yay! How was this?
CoolMilena: Yeah, I was a touch indecisive. Because I wasn't sure if I wanted to describe it (along with the snog) from Ginny and/or Draco's point of view, or do it the way I ended up doing it. So I'm glad you liked it! Thanks so much, how was this one?
LunarianPrincess: Yes, indeed, it was sad. But this was a touch less sad, yeah? Thanks a bunch, hope you liked this!
MasterHarper Menolly: LOL, I'm sorry it was so traumatizing ... or would be so traumatizing. Well you know what I mean. Haven't heard that song, but I'm sure its abfabby. Gratci! How'd you like this one?
AnnaBeave: Thanks so much! People are assholes, but I've already told you that, hehe. Sorry this took so long. How was it?
Moonlight Princess: Yes, Charlie doesn't deserve to be pummeled ... but the rest of them do! Its strange how I can be mad at my own characters ... hmm, learn something new everyday I guess, hehe. But Charlie's back! Thanks so much, sorry for the wait. How was this?
LaGau: Yay! I'm so glad you're liking it! I'm so flattered and terribly sorry for the wait. Check the A/N at the bottom for some foreshadowy goodness about the sequel. How was this chapter?
Krystal1989: Mwahahaha! I have sucked you in! My master plan has worked! laughs evilly and accompanies laugh with psycho happy dance! I know ... I'm really mad at them for that, hehe. I'm so flattered; sorry for the wait! How did you like this chapter?
Inukaino: Well that would be the plan ... I wanna get my degree in Creative Writing, LOL. I'm glad you liked the description, but most of the credit for that goes to my abfabby beta, Nadja! My voices wave hello to your voices! How was this?
Lily Dwarf: Sorry for the wait, but how was it anyways?
FreakyAngel: (for Chapter 19) Yes, my best friend did the happy dance for like a half an hour when she found out they were fighting, LOL. How was this chapter?
PLEASE READ: Okay, since I know that the next few updates are going to be slow and this one was relatively slow as well, I've devised some foreshadowy bits for all you loverly readers! This is my humble peace offereing, there are several points about the end of "Days" and the beginning of "In My Life" (the sequel):
Someone will die in the end of "Days" and it will be a fairly main character!
There is a lot Arthur knows about the Malfoy family and their history (including curses) that he isn't telling us.
There will be a lot more than just the Weasley nine at the Burrow this summer.
Lucius and Voldemort know a lot more than they are letting on.
Lastly and most mysteriously, death may not be the end for some.
I know some of those were rather cryptic, but I don't wanna tell everyone the whole story! does the happy dance for Debby, who is the only person to have guessed who is going to die! Please review!