Innocent Eyes

Do you remember when you were 7?
And the only thing that you wanted to do
Was show your mum that you could play the piano
Ten years have passed
And the one thing that lasts
Is that same old song that we played along and made my mumma cry

I miss those days and I miss those ways
When I got lost in fantasies
In a cartoon land of mysteries
In a place you won't grow old in a place you won't feel cold and I'll sing

Da da da da da da da da da da da da
Seems I'm lost in my reflection
Da da da da da da da da da da da da
Find a star for my direction
Da da da da da da da da da da da da
For the little girl inside who won't just hide
Don't let me see mistakes and lies
Let me keep my faith and innocent eyes
My innocent eyes

Do you remember when you were 15?
And the kids at school called you a fool cos you took the chance to dream
In the time that's past and the one thing that lasts
Is that same old song that we played along and made my daddy cry

I miss those days and I miss those ways
When I got lost in fantasies
In a cartoon land of mysteries
In a place you won't grow old in a place you wont feel cold and I'll sing

Da da da da da da da da da da da da
Seems I'm lost in my reflection
Da da da da da da da da da da da da
Find a star for my direction
Da da da da da da da da da da da da
For the little girl inside who wont just hide
Don't let me see mistakes and lies
Let me keep my faith and innocent eyes
My innocent eyes

Under my feeling under my skin
Under the thoughts from within
Learning the subtext
Of the mind
See creation how where defined

My innocent eyes

I miss those days and I miss those ways
When I got lost in fantasies
In a cartoon land of mysteries
In a place you won't grow old in a place you won't feel cold and I'll sing

Da da da da da da da da da da da da
Seems I'm lost in my reflection
Da da da da da da da da da da da da
Find a star for my direction
Da da da da da da da da da da da da
For the little girl inside who wont just hide
Don't let me see mistakes and lies
Let me keep my faith and innocent eyes
My innocent eyes

- Delta Goodrem (She has a fabolous voice I tell you)

*******

They met again the next night. Their encounters in class were civil - nothing more - giving no hint to the rest of the student population about their budding friendship.

It was a clear night this time when she went out, once again unable to sleep and too afraid to sleep for fear of the dreams that plagued her; the ones where she twirled around and around - now with no one to catch her.

She sat down beside him without him even asking.

They were silent for a while before he finally spoke.

"You love that boy?" Draco asked.

Ginny was startled by his question, for it brought to light the very doubts she had been having. Also, it was a very personal question - but then again, their mere encounter broke all the rules and social norms that stood, not to mention the ungodly hour they met at. This gave them both the privilege of asking questions not usually asked.

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

"Does he know?"

"Er- I don't know…don't think so."

"Well, he loves you," Draco stated matter-of–factly.

Ginny did not say anything, feeling even guiltier; plucking at the grass around her feet.

"What happened?" she asked, her question taking him by surprise, as the answer was so vast.

"What do you mean?"

"Why have you changed?"

"Things changed."

"What kind of things?" Ginny prodded deeper.

"My life and my family."

"I'm glad," she blurted out.

"For?"

"Your change."

"Why?"

"So that we have a nicer Potions Professor than Snape," Ginny stated, impulsively.

Draco's face broke into a genuine smile - one that lit up his eyes.

Silver - that was how they looked in the moonlight as they shone with delight and mirth. She wished she could tell him so.

He laughed and so did Ginny.

There they were, just two people sharing a laugh at one in the morning out by the lake. All the boundaries of professor and student, Gryffindor and Slytherin, Weasley and Malfoy were dissolving and crumbling in that moment of shared laughter. 

Laughter engenders love after all.

*          *          *

"Happy Valentine's Day, Ginny," Jake said, swooping down for a lingering kiss.

Ginny turned away at the last moment so that Jake ended up only kissing her cheek. Colin noticed this from across the table and Luna elbowed him in the rib to stop staring in disbelief.

But Jake was undeterred. He sat down beside them and dug into his breakfast. Ginny nodded to whatever Jake said, obviously not paying attention.

She got up and motioned with her eyes toward the Grand Entrance to her two friends, who got up and followed her.

As they met out side, the first words out of Ginny's mouth were,

"I have to break up with Jake."

 She looked like a wreck. She barely ate and was growing thinner; her hip bones already protruded at her skirt and her cheekbones were even more evident with her cheeks hollow and face gaunt. The bags under her eyes were evident from all those sleepless nights. Ginny looked exhausted and Luna felt worried about her. Ginny could not afford to suffer a breakdown during her N.E.W.T.S, but at the way she was going that was likely.

Luna nodded, agreeing – there was no use leading Jake on.

"What?" Colin protested, shooting Luna a pointed look.

Colin believed that Jake was the only anchor Ginny had - the one reason that prevented her from running head first into Malfoy's arms.

But Luna knew otherwise.

Ginny had many reasons not to follow her heart and she would never do that unless she could no longer put up a fight. She had her well-planned out future to think about, the school newspaper, which was her onus, and her N.E.W.T.S.

"I have to - I'm just using him and I don't like doing that," she said having realized that last night after her talk with Malfoy. She was not about to tell her friends this though.

"I agree. Do it as soon a possible so that you can focus on your N.E.W.T.S," Luna urged.

At this, Ginny swallowed hard.

The task was bound to be heart breaking. There was no way she would prolong it, however.

She could be ambitious - but when she was aware that she was consciously hurting someone, it was more than she could bear.

*          *          *

"Jake, we need to talk,"

The dreaded words uttered by her later that night made Jake stop polishing his Firebolt and turn to her, sitting cross legged beside him in the Room of Requirement.

"About what," he said, hesitation and wariness filling his face as Ginny was wringing her hands in trepidation.

"I know," he said, all of a sudden, causing Ginny to look up at him - surprised. 

"You want to break up with me, right?" he asked, and before she could even nod or agree, he moved towards her; cupping her face in his hands.

"Ginny, you can't do that. You need me," he smiled knowingly, like a father to his naïve young daughter.

Ginny frowned, her eyebrows rising questioningly. This she had not predicted.

"I need you?" she echoed with disbelief in her voice.

Jake nodded, smiling. "You need me beside you. You need me to be part of your future," he insisted.

Ginny shook her head. She would have laughed at the incredulity of his statements, if the situation had not been so dire.

"This was just a relationship, Jake. What has that go to do with my future? I never even thought that far ahead about us," Ginny explained.

Jake stopped for a moment, studying her intently. It seemed as if the wheels in his head were turning. He stood up; exasperation laced his voice as he spoke.

"Fine! You don't need me but I want you! I need you, Gin!" he said, seeming to be pleading now.

Ginny looked down towards the ground, feeling horrible. Until he continued speaking, that is.

"I mean who else in this entire school is worthy of my attentions?" he asked, throwing his hands in the air. 

Ginny blinked at him wondering if he had just said what she heard him say. It seemed that Jake's true colors were finally being revealed.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, her voice dangerously quiet.

 Jake, having no clue that he was digging his grave, proceeded to explain.

"Look at all the other girls around. No one's as smart, as pretty and as nice as you. I cannot have anything but the best, you know," he elucidated.

Ginny stared up at him, far from flattered, realizing how huge his ego was. She could not believe that she had not noticed this before.

He had not loved her - but loved the way people perceived him when he was around her.

What was so outrageous about this was the false impression that he had been giving everyone all this while about him being really in love with her.

At least she had not done that - she had not pursued him the way he had chased after her.

"Yes, I know," she stood up.

Her voice was cold – it was the one she used when she fought the Deatheaters last year.

Jake smiled thinking that she was agreeing with him.

Ginny walked towards him – to just a step away and jabbed her finger at his chest.

"But I seriously don't give a damn."

With that, she spun around and walked off, feeling extremely light hearted for the first time in a long while.

*     *    *     *     *    *

Luna and Colin were in shock about the latest news about Jake.

"But then again, he did seem too perfect and that's always dangerous." Luna had commented, to which Ginny had rolled her eyes.

The news about their breakup was all over the school with several variations. The closest to the truth and the one Ginny liked best was about her slapping him and walking off.

Jake seemed to be skulking around the place, his fan club of Hufflepuff members in tow. Ginny could not care less. It felt good being single again. She slept better for one and ate a lot more than before. The heart attack thing however refused to go ever. It had gotten worst.

Yesterday she thought her heart was beating faster that was humanely or magically possible when Malfoy had leaned across her to point out to Colin that he had put the wrong ingredient inside his potion. As his uniquely, musky masculine scent filled the air, Ginny felt herself suffering from what she presumed was a cardiac arrest.

That rounded up the end of the holiday season, or misery season as Colin called it, beginning with Christmas and ending with Valentine's Day (thankfully uneventful one). There was nothing else to distract them from the huge hurdle of NEWTS ahead.  Even Ginny was too tired and busy to wander around at night and thus, she did not have a chance or opportunity to speak to Malfoy outside class.

The months of March and April were horrendous. Ginny did not believe she had ever studied that much before or ever would again. That is, if they did not fail this time and have to sit for it again as Colin believed was his fate.

After the long awaited study period, the exams finally arrived.

Ginny would never for get that last day.  Their last exam was a practical on DADA, a breeze for her because of her experience with the War last year.  The examiner was impressed with her patronus – a beautiful silver unicorn. As she walked out of the hall beaming, she found herself caught in a group hug with Luna and Colin.

They headed out into the bright sunshine, having a whole month of school without the burden of lessons and studying before the holidays. Of course they would have to suffer through the supposedly fun and enriching after-exam activities filled with talks from people from the Ministry trying to recruit them etc etc. (One advantage of sitting for NEWTS was that it was a whole month earlier than the school examinations)

They lay sprawled under the oak tree.

"You, know we should carve our names here." Colin tapped the thick trunk lazily. Ginny glanced up at the ancient tree.

No, I don't think we should. After all this is not only ours but had been Ron, Hermione and Harry's when there were here and the Marauders' during their time."

Luna nodded but perhaps that was because she was dozing off. She was a wee hours person, waking up at three in the morning to study.

Ginny noticed a bunch of Slytherins wandering around looking for people to bully. That brought her thoughts to Malfoy. She refused to think about him despite the warm rush she had gotten earlier when he had shot her that reassuring smile before she had begun her potions paper.

She really did try.  She rubbed at the center of her chest with two fingers, and then grabbed her left wrist between the thumb and forefinger of her right hand to check her pulse rate. Something was definitely wrong with her. Her heart did actual flip-flops; it beat too fast and then too slow and if that did not mean she had some sort of condition she did not know what did.

A groan from Luna interrupted her thoughts. She was looking at Ginny and shaking her head. That was how pathetic Ginny looked.

"You really don't know. That heart attack thing you've been having? It's love." Luna crowed.

"That's what it feels like."

Colin had to conceal his wary grin. Ginny looked close to murderous.

"You're nuts," Ginny said.

"Don't think you know everything, Lu, because let me tell you, you don't."

Luna just grinned smugly. She knew one thing though: her friend was deeply attracted to Draco Malfoy. Even Colin had come to terms with it. Ginny though, Luna knew, would rather spend a night in the Forbidden Forest than follow her heart which would lead her straight to Malfoy.

"Speak of the devil." Colin muttered, nodding towards two figures walking towards Hagrid's hut. (Ginny and her friends visited him frequently but they had not managed to do so during the last few months because of NEWTS) Ginny frowned against the sunlight, realizing that it was Malfoy and the DADA professor Paulo, a young man from Brazil.

"How about a visit to Hagrid's," Luna suggested, standing up, all of a sudden wide-awake. Her lips were twitching with what Ginny knew was her scheming smile.

'No." She flat out refused. Too late. Colin was already standing up and it was two against one.

"Oh, don't worry, Gin. Lu will be too busy checking out the dark haired, dark eyed Adonis of a DADA professor we have." Colin reassured her as they made their way across the grounds, risking a swat on the head from an indignant Luna.

"He does not look like an Adonis. He looks like one of those Mirkwood elves." She murmured dreamily. At which Colin rolled his eyes and Ginny laughed.

"He's married, you know." Colin reminded. Luna ignored him.

They reached the door of the gamekeeper's hut at the exact moment when the two Professors stepped out.

"Good afternoon, Professors." Luna greeted dreamily, smiling up at Paul who smiled back politely. Malfoy just nodded, his lips in a grim line as he stood beside the other professor. His eyes wandered to Ginny standing behind Luna, beside Colin.

She was shifting from one foot to the other, looking at her shoes more than anything else. A strange longing seized him. A longing to do what with whom he did not want to think about.

"How were the exams?" Paulo was asking them, Portuguese accent lacing his words.

"Great."

"Okay."

"The Patronus part was easy." Ginny finally spoke up, looking at Professor Paulo.

He nodded, smiling.

"I can't take any credit for that now, Miss. Weasley. You learnt that from Harry Potter am I right?" He asked, having met Harry himself during one of his visits to Hogwarts. Ginny nodded, noticing the way Malfoy had flinched at the mention of Harry.

"Professor, I wanted to ask you. The theory paper when they asked about…." Ginny zoned out, watching Luna ask Paulo some question that she obviously already knew the answer to. She caught Colin's eye and they exchanged bemused grins.

"And how was potions?" Ginny turned, startled. Malfoy was talking to her since his colleague seemed to be busy with Luna's questions.

"Eh-okay." She stammered, wondering why his gray eyes looked so dark and intense.

"Okay." Colin replied, attempting to dissolve the tension and not make it seem as if Malfoy was only asking Ginny, which was exactly what he had been doing. Malfoy nodded, uninterested but attempting to be polite.

Luna fortunately was done and they parted ways, the students entering the hut with the Professors walking back to the castle.

As Ginny walked into Hagrid's hut, right behind Luna and Colin, she turned around to glance at the professors' receding figures, almost impulsively and subconsciously. As she did so, however, the blonde haired professor turned back at the same moment and their eyes met.

Brown innocent ones and cynical silver ones; both filled with the exact same emotion – unvarnished longing- but unknown to the each other.

Hagrid's voice filtered into her thoughts and the brief moment was lost. So brief it was that Ginny, as she closed the door behind her, was deigned to believe that the shared glance had only been part of her imagination, a simple daydream.

*       *            *            *                *

A/n:

Don't panic..Jake's not possessed or his body's not taken over by aliens..there is an excuse for his behavior and the reason will come up soon..but I had to get him out of the way for more Draco/Ginny action but that does not mean that it will be easy for Draco and Ginny to be together..Lots of obstacles..and Jake will make a comeback..trust me..

And forgive me for all the beta errors as my beta reader has gone AWOL. If you're reading this, shauna, thanks for all the betaing you've done..it's fine..im taking care of it..if you want to continue let me know

I chose Delta goodram's song because it's my favourite and because of its significance towards the end. I always believed that the eyes are the windows to our soul..anyone dare contradict me? What, you think it's the ears?

I made this chapter longer..hope you like it..and Paulo was inspired by my classmate Paul..The elves I talked about are in reference to LOTR Mirkwood hotshot elves e.g Legolas..so don't sue me for that..

The NEWTS are bit like the A levels where we have three months to kill before results and we're out of school..I am making up the whole system a bit so don't kill me for not following it accurately..i am not very good with details or structured systems..don't flame me for that..

Pardon me if I rushed through the year..i thought it more practical for her to get her NEWTS out of the way before all the drama of her impending possible interaction with Draco which would be wildly distracting for any girl..don't flame me for that.

A sneakie peekie:-

In the darkness of night, he told her everything that he could remember of all those traumatic times. She listened without saying much, murmuring here and there, once or twice asking a question.

They sat there for a while, he wondering what she thought of him, she pondering all that he had said. She stood up suddenly, a strange unfamiliar emotion taking hold of her.

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PRESS THE BUTTON..FOR EEVRY REVIEW I WILL WRITE ONE MORE SENTENCE OF THE NEXT CHAPTER AND THE FASTER IT WILL BE POSTED