Chapter Two: A Touch
"Where you go?" She asked as his blonde hair bounced as he neared the other side of the forest. He turned around and shrugged.
"I go there," he said pointing a small chubby finger that held a faint scar under his knuckle over to the woods in front of him.
"My mum say no go there!" She cried out stomping her foot as her eyes grew wide.
He titled his head at her. "Why? She scared?"
Her face showed anger as she crossed her arms across her chest and glared at him. "My mummy braver then yours!"
He still eyed her while ignoring her sudden anger. "You scared?" He asked but before she could answer he laughed and cut her off, "Oh! You baby! Ha! Ha!"
Her fist tightened into small balls as tears came. Right then and there, she hated him! "I no baby!"
He grinned before laughing and walked closer to the forest edge. "Cry baby!" He shouted as he turned his back against the forest. She blinked and a tear fell another scream of anger bubbled in her throat before her eyes widened and she stumbled back.
His grin widened as he watched her fall back. "See! You ba-"
He stopped as a hand clasped onto his shoulder in a tight grip. "Draco, my boy," a voice said as he came into the light. Ginny stiffened just at the sound of it. She didn't like him. She didn't like him at all.
"See no go over there!" She cried out as someone picked her up. She squealed but realized it was only her father. "Daddy! Daddy! Bad man get my friend! Save him! Save him!" She cried out her eyes welling up in more tears as she watched her friend turn and silently walk into the dark shadows of the forest. "Daddy!"
Her father ignored her as she screamed out to the boy. She didn't even know his name. Dra…co, she thought and she stared at the spot. "Draco!" She shouted out before the hut and the clearing disappeared. She sobbed into her father's neck as her friend and her secret place disappeared.
"Ginny," her father cooed in a gentle tone as he rubbed her back, "be a good girl, Ginny."
She sniffed and her tears stopped slightly as she touched his face. "What happen?" She asked and he sighed.
"I'm sorry dear," he said without explaining as he pulled out his wand and set her on the ground. She stared at the wand pointing at her head and whimpered before looking over through the trees. A tear fell down her eyes onto her cheek as she breathed in the after scent of the summer rain. "I'm so sorry," her father said in a grieving voice. "Obliviate."
"No!" She shouted sitting upright in her sleep. Her eyes cast around her and she grinned sheepishly at her classmates as Professor Binns stopped in his long lulling speech about goblins and goggled at her as well. "Sorry," she mumbled heat coursing up her neck as she shifted under everyone's gaze. "Please, do continue Professor."
Professor Binns nodded before beginning again and she breathed out a sigh. She closed her eyes as someone nudged her causing her to open them and look over. David Brown (no relation to Lavender Brown) raised an eyebrow at her before passing a note. She opened it and groaned.
Weasley,
Taylor Zabini wrote causing Ginny to look behind her. Taylor sat there smirking at her as his hands were behind his head, brown hair falling in front of his icy blue eyes. She glared at him before continuing to read—
Didn't know you're having dreams about my cousin. What? Fancy with him, now?-Zabini
She turned around in her seat as she crumbled the piece of paper and threw the paper at him so it hit his head. He scowled at her, "you'll regret that," he growled his eyes narrowing at her menacingly.
"Only thing I regret is ever meeting you," she snapped her voice low before turning in her seat.
David nudged her again and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled and decided to try and listen to Binns for the grade. She sighed after a while not liking to have this class first thing in the morning.
There weren't any classes for the fifth and six years during midday. Taking a walk she stretched out her legs as the sun beat down on her. A small smile turned up with her lips as she stopped and stared at the lake as the sun still hit her. She removed her cloak to reveal her white blouse under it. She breathed in the warm air and watched as small ripples caressed the water.
It was so peaceful. It's lovely, she thought as she pushed back her red hair, to be here with out any worries.
"I swear it, Draco," Taylor growled as Draco walked away from him. "She called your name in her sleep!"
"Zabini, I get enough of this from your brother. Leave me alone," he snapped before heading out onto the grounds.
Behind him Taylor rolled his eyes and mumbled something incoherent before heading off somewhere. Rubbing his temples for a moment he tried to calm the headache that had grown and seemed to angrily pound against the walls of his head. Breathing in a deep breath he stopped for a moment as a smirk graced his lips at the smell.
No doubt, it had been raining only yesterday.
He straightened himself out and took off his cloak before putting it on his arm. A walk would be nice, especially after Binns class, he thought as he started off onto the grounds.
"Shit," she heard someone say after a while, ruining her peace. She looked behind her and rolled her eyes.
Malfoy was getting up as he dusted himself. Muttering things under his breath as his cloak had somehow appeared nearby her. Grabbing it she walked over and smirked handing it out to him. "Talking to yourself, Malfoy?"
He looked up and grabbed the cloak from her hands. His fingers gently fluttering over hers for a second before it was ripped out of her hand. "Go away, Weasley," he snapped.
She raised an eyebrow ignoring his comment. "What? No, 'thank you'? Surprise, and you're heard to be a gentlemen."
Despite the retched mood he was in he smirked. "You consider yourself high enough to even be near a gentlemen, Weasley?"
She glared at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I said I heard you are a gentlemen, Malfoy, never did I say you are."
He laughed a low chuckle rising from within his chest that seemed to hum out through his body. She dropped her guard upon hearing it. Her arms at her side as she titled her head sideways looking at him. "Aren't you a funny one?" He asked with a smirk. She raised her eyebrow as the wind picked up a strand of her hair and tossed it in front of her face.
Without another thought he reached over and tucked it behind her ear. She closed her eyes and gasped at the familiar sensation.
"That tickles," she said giggling. The rain had stopped only moments ago and they stood on the now muddy ground. The sun peeked behind the clouds as they talked. He had pushed back her red hair with two small chubby fingers.
He grinned liking the way he made her laugh. "You laugh funny."
She rolled her eyes. "You laugh funny too!" She said frowning.
He kept on grinning as he said, "I like it though." She smiled and giggled again. He laughed too, they're laughter once again traveling through the forest.
He let go as if he burned her and stepped back. Both their eyes widened as they stared at one another, "you," he whispered.
She stepped backward. "I- I have to go," she said turning. No, she thought, he can't be the boy.
"Weasley!" He called out. "Damn it, Weasley!" He called as she started to run. He ran after her leaving two cloaks behind him.
Once he reached her he grabbed her wrist and turned her around. Her eyes were wide and her breaths were ragged. "Let go," she said fiercely, "let me go."
He shook his head and looked at her red hair and brown eyes. "Did you know?" He asked. He waited but she didn't answer as her eyes shined with tears that he didn't understand why they were there. "Did you?" He asked again getting impatient. "Did you know?"
She shook her head as she closed her eyes and tears slipped silently. He let go of her wrist and stepped back. "It doesn't mean anything," she said. "It doesn't."
He eyed her before looking out at the lake. A strong silence came and he could hear the bell ring for the next class but he didn't hear her move. The wind picked up a bit as the small ripples that were there earlier were now larger. The clouds moved fiercely across the sky and the sun hid behind them. It was going to rain.
"We've," he began turning back to her as a few drops began. "We've been looking for one another since we were kids."
She shook her head while she pursed her lips. "We were best friends," she said as her memory started to unfold. "You were scared-"
"-And you wouldn't shut up."
"How- how come we didn't remember until now?" She asked as the rain poured a bit harder. Drops hitting her as she looked up and let it slip down her face as it mingled with her tears.
"I don't know," he snapped. He closed his eyes and felt the drops on his face crawl down his cheek, his lips. He opened them again and looked at her. Her head was up to the sky. Her blouse nearly soaked showing things he shouldn't see if he was a proper 'gentlemen.' She looked back to him and he stepped forward. "Damn it, Weasley," he growled.
She glared at him as he took a fistful of her hair that seemed softer wet the dry. "What did I do now?"
He shook his head before turning, his body complaining at him as he tried to calm himself. As he walked away she eyed him. Her arms crossed over her chest again. She didn't want to go back to class but she knew she had too. The rain hit her in a cruel way as fall settled in. Running back she had to retrieve her bag and cloak.
She was sitting in the common room. She hadn't gone to dinner after classes ended. She sat with a cup of tea in as she stared at the fire. She was so confused. How could Malfoy be the one she fell in love with all those years ago? Does love really have a limit when it's age? Taking a long sip of her now cold tea she closed her eyes and could hear laughter, chatter, yelling, some anger, life…
"Ginny?" She looked up and smiled at Hermione. "You alright? I didn't see you at dinner."
She nodded. "Just have a lot on my mind right now," she said quietly as her gaze returned to the fire. She took the last sip from her teacup and placed it on a nearby coffee table as Hermione sat down. "We're worried about you," she began as she played with the hem of her school skirt. "Me, Ron, and Harry too."
Ginny looked over and offered her smile in which Hermione returned. "You all don't have to worry about me. I'm fine, just tired."
Hermione looked at her skeptically before nodding and getting up. She shifted on her feet before finally saying. "Just remembered something," she said.
Ginny looked up and Hermione smiled. "Troubles only get worse if you just sit on your butt and do nothing about it," she said. "My mum says that."
Ginny smiled. "You know what?" She asked. "Sit, let's talk."
Hermione sat. "About what?"
"Anything, everything!" Ginny said laughing slightly. Anything to get Malfoy off my mind, she thought as Hermione grinned and nodded.
Author's Note: Sorry, didn't explain it before, about how the whole collection of Nicholas Sparks insprired me.
