Author's Note: Yes, Chapter 9! I love screwing around with characters. Toying with their lives like puppets on strings! HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA! Ahem. Right. I am rather evil, as you will find in this chapter. Though, not as devilish as I should hope. Damn. Maybe I'll just kill somone to make myself feel better. No, I don't think I could. Damn again. In this chapter, more Slytherin action, along with the entrance of Hermione...at a not so great time for our two lovers. Bends away from computer, gagging. Right, but the end of this chapter gets rather serious. Pumps fist in air. YES! HA! Now, please read and I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: Not mine, except for a couple of things, which you'll know what they are, and if you try to use them...I'll be 1) flattered, and 2) homicidal, and it is very likely that a black mamba will spontaneously pop up in your socks drawer.
Puffy Red Eyes
Chapter 9: The Fury of Slytherins
Ginny awoke the next morning feeling weary, yet exultant. She hopped out of bed and tugged on a pair of baggy blue pants and an old Cupboard Boys tee. Pulling on a light robe, she left the girl's dormitory.
The common room was relatively empty, so Ginny dashed back upstairs for her schoolbag and headed down to the Great Hall. Descending a rickety old staircase, Ginny consulted her schedule. Her first class of the day was Charms.
Reading over her schedule, Ginny didn't notice Crabbe and Goyle sneaking up behind her, Pansy smirking in the background.
Ginny was about halfway down the stairs when she was grabbed roughly from behind and hoisted up a foot from the ground. She nearly screamed as the unseen arms forced her halfway over the railing, so that she was staring down at the cold, harsh marble of the next floor, twenty feet down.
She grabbed hold of the banister and locked her legs, which banged painfully into the railing of the staircase. She felt a warm breath tickle her ear. "What're you gonna do now, weasel? Can't scratch me now, can you?" She heard Crabbe's thick voice in her ear.
Ginny was on the verge of panicking. She was starting to get dizzy and felt her arms weakening. The thought of crashing down twenty feet into marble stairs wasn't pleasant.
Ginny did the only thing she could think of; she fainted.
Or, at least, she pretended to. She fell backwards, and down, landing in a crouching position. Crabbe's hands were still on her shoulders, which meant he was leaning over her, which was perfect.
Swiftly, Ginny stood up, driving her head into Crabbe's chin forcefully. Crabbe's jaw jerked up, and his head snapped back. He held his hand to his chin, letting Ginny go. Stunned, she picked up her fallen bag and raced down the steps, the top of her head aching from where it had hit Crabbe's jaw.
Ginny scurried down the hallway and around a corner and ran straight into someone else, who grabbed her arms to keep her from falling backwards. Dropping her bag again, she grappled with the person, trying to free her arms. "Let go!" She yelled frantically.
"Shhhh. Hey, Weasley, it's me." She heard a familiar voice say soothingly.
Ginny looked up at Draco and stopped squirming. She sighed in relief. "Thank the gods it's you." She said, burying her face in his robes. Draco scowled understandingly. "Pansy?"
"Crabbe." Ginny responded, shaking from her encounter with him.
Draco wrapped his arms around her protectively and sighed. "I told you she was serious."
Ginny looked up at him, taking a steadying breath. Her eyes held fear, yes, but determination as well. "I'm fine. They just caught me off guard, that's all." She said imperturbably.
Draco held her tighter. "From now on, walk with your friends, agreed?" He said, glancing down at her anxiously. "Agreed." Ginny acquiesced.
Draco embraced her once more before letting her go. She stooped to pick up her bag again. Straightening up, Ginny walked down the abandoned hallway with Draco.
"What were you thinking about last night?" She asked delicately.
Draco turned to her, a mystified look on his face. "What?"
"Last night, when Dumbledore was talking about the last battle, you looked really upset. What were you thinking about?" She asked.
Draco stared at her.
"You were watching me?" He asked, jokingly.
Ginny reddened. "I happened to glance your way, and your distressed look made me wonder what you were thinking about."
Draco shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. "My brother. My father." He said.
Ginny moved as if to comfort him, but thought better of it. "Oh." She said quietly.
Draco stared down at her. She looked pensive, her eyebrows furrowed together.
He smiled and put his hand in hers. Her fingers loosened and intertwined with his. "But don't worry about me, I've had plenty of time to think it over. What I'm more concerned with is you."
Ginny bit her lip to stop from grinning. He was worried about her. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Hey, I took care of myself this morning, I can take care of myself anytime. But I will keep more friends around, that's for sure." She shuddered, thinking of the harshness in Crabbe's voice.
They were approaching the Great Hall.
Draco turned to Ginny just before they had to separate. "Do you want to do something after Potions on Friday?" He asked, hesitantly.
Ginny's eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. Draco smiled and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. "Great, I'll see you after class then." He strolled off into the Great Hall.
Ginny sighed dreamily and leaned back against the wall. She closed her eyes. When she opened them, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Hermione was standing right in front of her, and from the look on her face, she'd seen everything.
Hermione's mouth was hanging wide open. "Ginny? Please, please, tell me I'm hallucinating." She whispered harshly. "Please tell me I didn't just see Malfoy snog you without getting a knee to the groin."
Ginny face went white. "Uh…hi Hermione." She said weakly.
Hermione was, in contrast to Ginny, going redder. "Don't you 'hi Hermione' me! Explain yourself!" She hissed.
Ginny took a deep breath. "What is there to explain?" She asked shakily.
Hermione's eyes bugged. "What do you mean 'what is there to explain'? Malfoy was kissing you and you didn't do a damn thing to stop him!" She said, her voice growing louder and louder.
Ginny bit her lip worriedly. She hadn't expected Hermione to take it so badly. "We're going together." She explained lamely.
Hermione looked horrified. "Why?" Was all she could choke out.
Something snapped in Ginny. "Why?! Why?! Because for the first time in my entire life, I feel like someone truly cares for me. He's nothing like his father, and he's been so nice to me. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe he's just toying with me, but do you know what? I don't care. I feel more at place with him than I ever did with Harry. Harry never gave a damn about me as anything other than a little sister. The other boys in my life were just hormonal. For the first time, I feel like I'm at peace with someone. I can connect to him. Sure, he's not the nicest person I know, but so far, he seems to care for me a little. If he doesn't, and it's not real, screw it! At least I'll have felt love. I care about him, Hermione. I really do. I can't help it, you know, I'm just crazy about him. I think; I hope he is too. You and Harry have something special, Hermione. What's so wrong with me wanting something like that?" She panted.
Hermione's jaw had dropped most indecently. "Well, Gin. If it's what you want…if you know what you're doing, I'm not going to stop you. Just please be careful, Gin. I don't want you to get hurt." She said, closing her mouth, and looking at Ginny with a mixture of apprehension and respect.
Ginny sighed. "Like how I got hurt with Harry?"
Hermione was about to make a comment on that when she saw a smile break on Ginny's face. "Don't worry, Hermione, I've gotten over it. You two are too great of a couple to keep apart, anyways." She said, waving aside Hermione's explanations and apologies.
Hermione grinned at the younger girl, who seemed to have grown up when she wasn't watching. The dazzling, confident (ultimately love-sick) red-head next to her bore little resemblance to the self-deprecating mouse she'd known. Ginny had grown up.
They walked into the Great Hall, talking and chatting cheerfully, not noticing the dark shadow in the recess of a large column.
Draco was stunned. He'd gotten into the Great Hall, only to realize he'd left his bag where he'd dropped it when Weasley had crashed into him. He'd turned around, and gone back to retrieve it.
The trouble was, someone else was there. He slipped behind a column and caught Weasley's entire conversation with Granger. Had the Muggle-born witch not been there, Draco would have run up and hugged Weasley for standing up for him to one of her friends.
As the two girls passed his hiding spot, Draco shrunk back into the shadows. Once they'd gone, he walked over to where his bag was lying, forgotten.
Picking up his dropped bag, Draco wandered back into the Great Hall deep in thought, his mind focusing on one particular red-head.
Ginny made it through most of the week without any more major mishaps. She found excuses to walk with her friends to class, or to the common room. She spent a lot of time in the library, safe under the watchful eye of Madame Pince, the librarian.
Friday, after Potions, she and Draco strolled along the lake, simply talking. Ginny was amazed to find that she really enjoyed his company. They'd talked for nearly two hours, during which, Ginny felt herself opening to Draco like she'd never done with anyone before. She told him about her silly crush on Harry, about her life at home.
He actually seemed interested in her life, even going as far as to ask about her brothers' joke shop. He made her laugh and forget that she wasn't really beautiful or smart or funny. With him, she felt strong and incredibly good.
They'd parted with a sweet kiss and a promise to meet again on the next Friday after Potions.
For the rest of the weekend, and the beginning of the following week, Ginny's mind was on two things: school and Draco.
On Thursday morning, Ginny awoke feeling a touch out of sorts. She groggily climbed from her bed and stretched, her shirt riding up her stomach. She stood and went over to her trunk. She was rummaging around for a shirt when her hand bumped into something metallic and hard.
She pulled out the offending object. It was the Lover's Looker Fred and George had given her before she'd left home.
She stared at the frame, tracing the swirls and roses that ornamented it fondly. She set it down and continued dressing. She went out to the common room. There was no one there; Ginny realized she must have woken up late.
Hauling her bag over her shoulder, Ginny cautiously stepped out of the portrait hole. She glanced around. The hallways were clear, save for a couple of Gryffindor second years.
Ginny shuffled down the hallway, glancing around furtively to make sure no Slytherins were around. She decided to go down some of the lesser-used staircases and hallways to avoid any of the Slytherins. She sighed in relief as she approached the last staircase. She could already hear the chatter from the Great Hall.
Ginny stepped down the first step, when, suddenly, she felt a shove on her shoulder blades. Her previous forward momentum, added to the forceful push sent her falling down the stairs. Her bag ripped off her shoulder as she hit the stairs, her weight landing on her wrist, which snapped painfully.
She tumbled head over heels until she hit her head on the edge of one step and the world went black.
Jenna was sitting down at the Gryffindor breakfast table. Breakfast would be over in twenty minutes. Where was Ginny? Her young red-head friend had promised to meet her before they went their separate ways for class, so where was she?
After another five minutes passed, Jenna began to get worried. Ginny had been acting strangely all week. She followed Jenna everywhere and kept looking over her shoulders as if expecting someone to attack her. Jenna glanced over at the Slytherin table. Malfoy was staring up and down the Gryffindor table, his gaze mixed with confusion and fear.
Jenna caught his eye with a little discreet wave of her hand. She nodded her head towards the entrance of the Great Hall, then picked up her books and exited the hall, only to stop and wait outside in the shadows.
Draco turned to Blaise Zabini, who was chattering annoyingly to him. "I've got to run to the bathroom before Herbology. See you there." He said half-heartedly, standing up. As he passed the Gryffindor table, he glanced at it again, the feeling of dread strengthening in the bottom of his stomach. Crabbe and Pansy had shown up late for breakfast, looking oddly smug about something.
And Weasley still hadn't shown up for breakfast. As soon as he found her, he was going to kill her for scaring him like this.
The second he stepped out of the Great Hall, Jenna grabbed him and dragged him into a dark corner, holding her wand to his throat, her gold eyes flashing like lightning bolts.
"Where is she, Malfoy?" She growled, looking less and less like the pretty, sweet black girl with lots of money, and more and more like a protective mother, ready and willing to kick his arse.
Draco shook his head. "I don't know. I thought you would." His heart started pounding in his throat again. "You don't know where she is?" He asked tentatively.
Jenna scowled at him, but released him all the same. "Of course I don't know where she is. If something's happened to her and I find out you were responsible, I'll kill you." She warned, holding her wand above her head.
Draco scowled back at her. "What makes you think you're the only one here who cares for her? Put the wand away and help me look for her. Where does she usually go in the mornings?" He asked, as Jenna pocketed her wand, surprised.
"To the Great Hall." Jenna said hopelessly.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Well, she's obviously not there! Where else could she be?"
"She might be in the common room, or the library." She said.
"Right. I'll go check in the library, you go check in the Gryffindor common room. Meet me back here when you're done, whether or not you've found her."
Jenna nodded, though she didn't like taking orders from Malfoy.
She went off in the direction of the Gryffindor common room, and Draco headed towards the library.
Draco ran the whole way to the library. He entered the library and dashed to the librarian, Madame Pince, who looked at him extremely disapprovingly.
"This is not a race track, so if you wouldn't mind walking…" She trailed, eyeing him beadily. Draco caught his breath. "Is Virginia Weasley in here?" He asked, slightly out of breath.
Madame Pince raise an eyebrow. "Who?" She asked.
Draco went red. "Virginia Weasley! You can't tell me you don't know who the Weasleys are! She's got flaming red hair, slender, very pretty. You can't have missed her! Is she in here or not?" He hissed.
Madame Pince glowered at him. "Do you expect me to remember every single person in this school, young man?" She asked icily.
Draco took in a deep breath. "Please, Miss. It's very important that I find her. She may be in trouble." The sincerity in his voice softened Madame Pince.
"No, she isn't in here, I'm afraid." She said quietly.
As she watched Draco leave the room, she sighed. She wasn't so stupid that she didn't know about the Malfoys and the Weasleys, and from the tone in Malfoy's voice, she hoped that the age-old war between them would finally be settled.
Jenna ran up to the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Pinkperpots!" She practically shouted.
The Fat Lady looked at her reproachfully. "Not so loud, do you want to give the password to the whole school?"
Jenna shrugged. "Look, I need to find my friend, it's a matter of life and death, so could you please open the door quickly?" She pleaded tears coming to her eyes.
The Fat Lady did indeed swing open quickly, and Jenna flew inside. "Ginny?" She called, but the common room was empty. She raced up the stairs, two at a time. She flung open the door for the sixth years female dormitory. It too, was empty.
Jenna ran back down the stairs, a great feeling of foreboding coming over her. She glanced at her watch. Breakfast would be over in five minutes. They had to find her quickly.
She jumped out of the portrait hole, then on second thought, turned to the Fat Lady. "Excuse me, miss, but did you see a young red-headed girl come out of here?" She asked, and gave a more detailed description of Ginny.
The Fat Lady nodded. "About twenty or thirty minutes ago. Looked real scared and kept peeking around corners. She went that way." She said, pointing down a deserted corridor.
Jenna ran off, yelling her thanks to the Fat Lady. Instead of going straight down the hallway, Jenna took a detour and went to where she'd promised to meet Malfoy. As the library was closer to the Great Hall, he was already waiting for her. Alone.
He frowned when she turned up without Ginny. "You didn't find her?" He asked.
Jenna shook her head. "No, but I think I know which way she went. Follow me." She raced back up the stairs, giving her watch one furtive glance. They had two minutes.
They reached the top of the stairs and sprinted down the corridor the Fat Lady had shown Jenna. They raced down some stairs, through another hallway, and found themselves facing a set a stairs that weren't used much, but that still lead to the Great Hall.
"Look!" Jenna shouted, pointing at the stairs. About halfway down, Ginny's bag lay, torn, with books and quills pouring out. They both hopped down the steps. Jenna knelt by the bag, while Draco peered down the stairs. It looked like…yes…there was something lying in the shadow at the bottom of the stairs.
Then Draco realized what it was. It was a body. Virginia Weasley's body. "Shit." Draco whispered, and bolted down the remaining steps.
Ginny lay motionless in shadow, face-up, her eyes closed. One arm was under her body in such a position that could only mean it was broken. A deep cut ran across her forehead, and dried blood had matted her hair to the top of her head.
Jenna looked up and saw Malfoy approaching Ginny's body. Her eyes widened, her mouth hung open, and she screamed. She stumbled blindly down the stairs.
"Ginny!" She cried, collapsing next to her friend. "Oh my gods, she's dead!" She flung herself over Ginny's body, sobbing.
Draco pulled her up and shook her. She kept screaming and crying hysterically. He slapped her on the cheek. Jenna hiccupped and stopped crying.
"She's not dead, she's just unconscious. I need you to stop crying and go get McGonagall and Dumbledore. I'm not sure if I should move her. Go." He shouted, urging her on.
Jenna nodded and stopped sniffling. With one last glance at Ginny, she sped towards the Great Hall.
Draco leaned over Ginny. Her head wound was no longer bleeding, but it looked serious. Her breathing was shallow, and her heart rate feeble. Draco pulled out his wand and pressed it to her brow, right above the cut.
Murmuring an incantation, sparks rushed down Draco's wand to Ginny's forehead. That would at least dull the pain. He put his wand back away. He reached out and pulled her bloody hair away from her face. She had tiny abrasions along her cheeks and jaw line.
"I'm sorry." He whispered, kissing her split lips lightly. "I didn't want to hurt you."
He sat there, caressing her face and whispering soothingly to her.
Jenna, meanwhile, was racing as fast as she could to the Great Hall. She flew through the entrance and sped up to the front table, where all the teachers looked down at her questioningly as she stood , gasping for breath.
"Ginny" pant "Weasley- hurt, down the third corridor" pant "past the main staircase" pant "head cut" pant "needs Madame Pomfrey." She gasped.
Professor McGonagall sprung up from her chair, immediately followed by Snape, Hagrid, and Dumbledore. Jenna followed after them wearily, ignoring the looks the other students in the Great Hall were giving them.
Snape arrived at the scene first. He saw Draco Malfoy bending over Ginny's body. He whipped out his wand. "Step away, Malfoy! I'll see you expelled for this; attacking another student! Disgraceful!" He shouted, but Draco refused to leave Ginny.
Jenna stepped up, her breath back a little. "No, Professor! Malfoy was looking for Ginny with me. He's the one who found her. He sent me to get you, so he could stay with her and make sure she was alright." She explained.
Snape looked from the young dark girl, to the lifeless body of Ginny Weasley, to the scowling form of Draco Malfoy, hovering over her protectively.
Protectively? Malfoy? Protecting Weasley? Snape shook his head, but put his wand away. McGonagall and Hagrid were looking equally astonished. The animosity between the Weasleys and the Malfoys was well known. They had all participated in breaking up a Malfoy-Weasley brawl at least once, with assorted different Weasleys.
Dumbledore just sat back, looking worried, but slightly pleased, his eyes twinkling knowingly. Jenna glanced at him suspiciously. Could he know? She shook her head, much in the same way Snape had done. There were times like this when Dumbledore seemed to know everything.
Snape bent over Ginny's still form, checking her pulse. "She's still alive, but her pulse is failing. We need to get her to Madame Pomfrey." He turned to Draco. "Thank you for your help, we can handle things from here." He said, dismissing the pale boy.
But Draco stood resolute. "I want to stay with her." He said obstinately.
Snape stared at his pupil. "You're already late for class, Mr. Malfoy. I suggest you do as you're told and go to class." He said warningly.
Draco shook his head. "You wouldn't have found her if it weren't for me. I want to stay with her and make sure she's okay."
McGonagall stepped forward. "I believe you are in my class right now, Mr. Malfoy?" He nodded. "Well, Professor Snape, I have no objections to him staying with her in the hospital wing, if you don't mind."
Snape arched an eyebrow, then nodded.
Jenna did a double-take. If she hadn't known better, she would have sworn Snape was smiling. She caught the fleeting glimpse of a smile on McGonagall's face as well.
They were staring at Draco, who was wiping Ginny's hair from her face again.
Dumbledore stepped in. "Well, I believe Professor Snape and Master Malfoy have things under control. I believe the rest of us can go back to our respective classes. They all moved off in the direction of the Great Hall.
Jenna glanced back at her friend, wanting to object, but deciding against it. Someone should tell Ron.
Snape pulled out his wand again. "Mobilicorpus." He muttered, and Ginny rose, like a marionette on strings, floating eerily, though still in a lying position.
Draco watched one of Ginny's hands slid from underneath her, hanging below her. Without thinking, he took her hand in his and, giving it one quick squeeze that he knew she wouldn't feel, put it back on her chest.
Snape watched this with growing amusement.
Draco walked silently and solemnly along the corridor next to Ginny's floating body.
Snape broke the silence. "What happened here, Malfoy? Did she fall down the steps? Or did she have a little help?" He asked softly.
Draco whirled around. Snape was staring at him calmly and collectedly. "How-" Draco began. "How did you guess?" He asked.
Snape nodded. "You stayed with her to make sure no one came back to hurt her again?" He asked, ignoring Draco's question.
Draco nodded.
"Why?" Snape asked.
Draco turned again to look at his Potions teacher.
Snape was still watching him coolly.
Draco turned to Ginny, her eyes closed, looking almost peaceful, like she was just asleep.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He said softly, so softly Snape almost didn't hear him.
"Oh? What makes you so sure?" Snape asked.
Draco glanced at Ginny's unconscious form, anger and hatred welling up inside his for everything he stood for, everything he was, everything his friends and family was. "Because until now, I didn't even believe it." He whispered.
He looked up at Snape, determinedly. He had no friends, practically no family. This was his favorite teacher, and his Head of House. He was as close to a friend or father figure as Draco was likely to come by.
"You want the truth? I don't think you can handle the truth. But it doesn't matter. I just hate seeing her hurt because of me. I-I can't stop thinking about her. I care for her." He said, simply, shocked at how easily it came out, even if it did sound melodramatic and theatrical, and oh so preposterous.
Snape was so shocked he nearly flew Ginny into the wall. He stared down from one prized pupil to the next. Impossible. He'd seen this boy grow from a scrawny eleven year old to a young man. He'd seen the little Weasley girl grow from a tiny, scrawny eleven year old to a pretty young woman.
He hated her brothers, and her, Snape had assumed. He was always serene and collected, he hardly ever showed any emotion, except on the Quidditch field. And here he was stating, in quite clear-cut words, that he was infatuated. And in even more precise words, that he cared for her. And Snape believed him.
The way he was staring at her. Snape had never seen anyone, let alone a Malfoy, stare at anyone, let alone a Weasley, like that.
He closed his mouth, which he realized had been hanging open.
"Well, I must say, that was doubtless the biggest surprise of the century." Snape proclaimed, staring down at Draco, who just continued to walk along silently.
Why had he just told Snape he was obsessed with Ginny? Was he really? Was he even old and mature enough to realize what love and its components meant? Draco shook his head as he stared down at her again.
She was growing paler and paler, her freckles pooping out along her cheeks and nose.
Draco scowled at her. What had she been doing by herself? Hadn't he told her not to go out unless someone was with her? Couldn't she have just waited for someone? No, she had to act all independent and tough and go out like she could handle herself. Fool. Aside from the fact that he was furious with her, he couldn't help worry over her as he watched all the color drain from her face.