Summary: You should know by now, right?
Disclaimer: As usual I own nothing!!
A/N: Sorry for the delay but I got caught up with things… I'm halfway through Chapter 4 now if it's any consolation…anyways I apologize again and to FutureGoddess, I'll be reading your chapter updates and stories in couple of days so sorry again for the delay…
Chapter 3: New Beginnings
Bang! Bang! Bang! 'Where the hell is he?' Ginny have been wondering aimlessly for the past several hours and right now, fatigue due to walking without any idea where she was going and crying while she was doing so was creeping up on her. 'He's not out is he? Damn, please be in, please be in, please be…'
A very disgruntled Draco Malfoy opened the door. He was dressed in his pj's, which consisted of a pair of very worn boxers.
"What in the bloody hell do you want? Banging on people's door in this ungodly hour?! I…" He trailed off when he saw Ginny's windswept red hair, tear-stained cheeks and generally awful appearance. "Gin, what's the matter? Were you crying?? Which bastard did this to you?" He asked unbelievably. "I swear; I'll kill him! Come in, it's cold outside." He wrapped his arms around her shivering form and ushered her into the warm house.
For all the years that Draco have known Ginny, he never, ever saw her cry. She was as tough as you can get and she always, always looks neat and proper no matter the situation. Ginny Weasley would be caught dead before she appeared dishevel anywhere outside her house. She prided herself in looking good even though others are falling apart and especially when there's a crisis. Therefore, it comes as a bit of a surprise when Draco finds Ginny on his doorstep at half past one in the morning looking like hell.
"Gin, are you alright? Are you cold? Do you want something to drink? Here, sit on the couch; I'll go get you a blanket. You make yourself comfortable." Draco said before racing upstairs and appearing a second later with a hot chocolate in his right hand and a large blanket in his left.
Ginny's tears have subsided long before she arrived at Draco's but hearing his concerned questions and having him fuss all over her brought the tears back, full force.
'Oh god. The waterworks. I'll kill whoever who did this to her. Guess it'll be a long night tonight, I think I'll have to call in sick tomorrow morning…'
He walked over to Ginny, sat down next to her and let her bury her face on his shoulder. He ran a hand up and down her back soothingly and whispered words of comfort to her.
"Who did this to you, Gin?"
"Ron, sob, Marcus, sob, move, sob. Harry, sob, stupid gits, sob, stubborn too. Hermione, sob, miss, sob, idiots, sob, leave, sob, walk, sob, here."
"Gin, you're blubbering. I did not understand a single word you're saying. Say it again, in English this time, please?"
Ginny wiped her tears away and blew her nose. ' Merlin! I'm like a sniveling idiot! Get a grip, Gin.'
"Sorry. I must have sounded like an incoherent crybaby."
"You? Crybaby? No!" Draco said in mock disbelief. He widened his gray eyes and put both his hands on his face in fake surprise, all the while his mouth was opened to form a perfect 'o'.
Ginny laughed and smack him on the arm. "Stop it! You look ridiculous."
"Ha! Knew I could get a smile out of you!" His facial expression changed from shock into smugness with a hint of a smirk. That look earned him another smack, this time on the shoulder.
"Hey, be careful where you hit! That shoulder is my most prized possession! I charge people by the hour to use that shoulder. Girls love to cry on it, you know!" He teased playfully.
Ginny snickered. She felt instantly better though she didn't know why. Being with Draco has that effect on her. Weird, she knows but there's this chemistry between them and he always knows what to say and/or do to make her feel better. It's a connection neither of them shared with anyone else. ' So this is how it feels to have Hermione and Harry's friendship. Knowing they can rely on each other come what may and always having someone understand just exactly how you feel without even having to convey it to them.'
"So, you ready to talk about it now?"
"Yeah, it all started when…" Ginny related the story to Draco who listened intently. When she was done, he swept her into a tight hug and said, " Why didn't you come here straight away? You know you're forever welcomed here. If you ever need help, never hesitate to come here, ok?"
Ginny nodded happily. She threw him a smile and held up her little finger on her right hand. "Promise?"
Draco chuckled. " You're a kid at heart aren't you? Oh alright, promise!" They crossed their little fingers and the promise was sealed.
They sat in companionable silence on the couch. Ginny leaning onto Draco with her arms wrapped around his torso while Draco put his arm around her shoulder.
"You know, Gin. Maybe Weasel's right."
"Oh no! Not you too!" Ginny cried. "Look, I know Marcus isn't the nicest guy and he may be a bit impolite towards you guys but that doesn't mean he's uncaring and unkind. He's really loving and compassionate when we're together. He's just shy. He doesn't warm up to others quickly. He has this trust issue. Give him time, please. He'll come around. You'll see." Ginny said earnestly.
"Yeah right. He'll come around alright! Right after I give him a good, tight smack on the face." Draco muttered. An unpleasant image formed in his mind, a picture of a certain sandy haired man with cold, unfeeling blue eyes and a permanent sneer on his rotund face. Marcus. 'Ugh. Even the name sucks. Geez, what does Ginny see in him?' A snap of Ginny's fingers in front of his face jolted him back to the present.
"What did you say?" she asked.
"Uh…that you could do much better than Marcus. You really can, Gin. You're smart and beautiful and he's a phony bastard who…" The look Ginny gave him shut him up instantly. He recognized that look and he knew better than to push Ginny any further. "But for the sake of our friendship and seeing that you're already exhausted, I'll give it a rest…for tonight. And you better bloody hope he comes around, Gin. Or I'll really clout him." He stopped then he added, "And I won't even mind working with Weasel to wallop the living daylights out of him! And that's saying a lot."
Ginny looked up at him and sighed, "Thanks, Draco. I really appreciate this. I'll see what I can do about Marcus, ok?"
He nodded. "Hey, speaking of Marcus… where is he?"
"He's in the Bahamas. On a business trip, of course! Purely business." She added quickly when she saw Draco narrowing his eyes. "Hey, you know what? I really miss Hermione. Don't you? It just isn't the same without her around. Besides, Harry's not like himself ever since she left." She said, deftly changing the subject.
"I know. I miss Mione too. Her fight with Potter must have been a serious one to make her leave for so long and without any news too." Ginny's swift change of subject didn't go unnoticed by Draco. But he decided to leave it…for now.
"Hmm, I wonder what it was. Their friendship was so strong, what could've broken it? Hey, wait a minute, did you just call her Mione?"
"Yup, why?"
"Why?" Ginny repeated incredulously.
"Oh come on, Gin. I have always had a soft spot for Mione since she was the only one besides the Order who believed I had turned to the Light side for good. The rest of you just thought I turned over to gather information for the Dark side. The first few months were hard, I had no friends and Mione came up to me one day to ask how I was doing. From then onwards, we were friends." He paused momentarily. "And we still are now, no matter where she is." He finished fiercely.
Ginny felt a little ashamed when she thought back to how she shunned Draco back then. And she thought he deserved it too! God, she was a bitch! "I'm sorry. I didn't know Hermione did that. I mean; she was always quiet whenever we started bashing about you but I thought it was just her nature to be nice and not bitch about people even if they were mean towards her or anyone else. Tell me about the day you guys became friends."
"Hey, no need to apologize. Besides, we're tight now right? Well, let's see. Ah, it was a Saturday morning and I was walking down the hall when…"
Flashback"Hey, Draco!! Wait up!!"
Draco stopped and turned around to the sound of Hermione's voice. 'What does she want now?' he thought wearily. Hermione has been trying for the last two weeks to get Draco Malfoy to talk to her and up until now, to no avail.
"Morning, Draco! Where are you off to?" she asked cheerily.
"Nowhere, Hermione. Why?" he wanted to get rid of her, fast.
She stared at him with wide, cinnamon eyes and for a fleeting moment, Draco wondered whether he said something wrong.
'Ok. What the hell is wrong with me? Since when do I care whether I've hurt her feelings or not?'
'Since she started being the only person besides the professors who cared about you even though you were mean to her all this while.'
'Since never! That's when!' His inner voice said, pointedly ignoring his other inner voice.
Hermione seemed to regain her composure because she flashed him a thousand megawatt smile and said, "You called me Hermione! That's the first time I heard you say that!"
Draco could feel himself inadvertently start to soften towards her. That beam on Hermione's face is dangerous. He's cool behaviour towards her is starting to diminish. "Listen, I'm sorry, ok? I didn't really mean all the things I said about you last time. You know, all the mudblood and insufferable know-it-all stuff. I…" He trailed off when Hermione held up her hand.
"I'm here to make friends, not to dig up old stuff. If you're ready to bury the hatchet then so am I." She extended her right hand.
Draco took one look at it, grinned and promptly shook her hand.
A grin spread across her face. " Hey, how come you never bestow that smile upon me before? I'm jealous, you know. That smile always seems reserved for Potter and Weasel." He teased.
She giggled. "So, do you want to have breakfast with me? I'll smile more often for you…if you want, of course." A mischievous grin stretched across her face.
Draco offered the crook of his arm to Hermione. She smiled in return and slipped her arm through his. They chattered happily while making their way to the Great Hall.
End FlashbackDraco finished his story and a melancholy smile was etched on his handsome face. He missed Hermione an awful lot. 'I wonder if she's alright. It's been years since I last heard from her.' Ginny smiled up at him sleepily. "That was nice. I didn't know she was so amiable." she yawned and closed her eyes.
"Come on, sleepyhead. Let's get you upstairs to bed." he half-carried, half-dragged Ginny up the stairs and into his room. He set Ginny down onto his bed and with a swift flick of his wand; pajamas replaced Ginny's clothes.
He pulled the comforter up to her chin, kissed her softly on the head and left the room quietly. Draco made his way into the guest room and plopped himself on the bed. Within seconds, he was fast asleep.
A/N: So, what do ya think? As usual, feel free to give any suggestions, comments and point out mistakes. For those keen on giving me criticism, I would prefer constructive ones, thank you very much. Please read and review, thanks a dozen!!!