Saturday came before Ginny even realized it. She hadn't been able to see Draco any all week, and couldn't wait to be able to spend time with him. He sent her letters, though, and true to her word, Ginny checked on Kit often, beginning, like everyone else, to wonder if she would ever get better.
True to what Ginny thought, Hermione had been pestering her since Sunday to tell her what she was really going to do during the Hogsmeade trip, and became rather testy when Ginny did not offer any information as to what she was going to be doing.
Ron and Harry, were, if possible, even worse than Hermione. They simply would not leave her alone, one of them was always with her, as if they were afraid she would do something stupid. All and all, by Saturday morning, Ginny was extremely happy to see them stalk out of the school after asking her, yet again, what in the world she was going to be doing. Hermione simply ignored her, and Ginny understood why, but Hermione telling her that she liked Ron was a lot different than Ginny telling Hermione that she liked Draco Malfoy. Ginny and Hermione might have been good friends, but even Hermione would admit that Ron and Harry were her best friends, and Ginny couldn't risk this getting back to them. Therefore, all three of them simply stormed out of the building, and Ginny couldn't have been happier.
After seeing that they were indeed gone, Ginny made her way to the Room of Requirement, where she was supposed to meet Draco. She was surprised to find only Adam, sitting, as always, in a chair by Kit's bed. His head was laid on the bed, one of his hand grasping Kit's. He appeared to be asleep. Feeling that she had intruded on a very private moment, Ginny began to back out of the room as quietly as she could, when a piece of parchment caught her eye, Meet me by the lake, was written in the handwriting that Ginny knew as well as her own. Ginny snuck out of the room careful not to wake Adam, went down the stairs, and headed to the lake.
She saw him instantly, sitting a few feet away from the surface staring out at the sky. Ginny shivered, the wind was really picking up. Walking over to him, she reached out and touched his shoulder, "Hey," she said, smiling at him.
He smiled up at her and covered her hand with his, "Hey, what took you so long," he asked.
Ginny sighed, sitting down beside him, "The usual. I swear Draco, if they don't lay off soon, I'm going to kill them. They're driving me nuts," she said.
Malfoy took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers, "I'm sorry Gin, but I rather they not know we're friends," he said, hating that he was doing this to her.
"I'd rather they not know, either. Draco," she started, then paused, now knowing if this would be the best time to ask this question.
He turned to her, "Yeah?"
She looked up at him shyly, "Can I ask you something? It's really been bothering me," she said.
"Of course you can, Gin," he said, stroking her hand with his thumb.
"Well, I just can't figure it out. I mean, why are you so mean to Harry and Ron? I hear all this stuff from them about how evil you are, but then I get to know you only to find out that now only are you not evil, but you're the opposite, kind and sweet. How could they have such messed up views of you?" she asked.
Draco sighed and looked down at his feet, "That all goes back to my first day at Hogwarts, when I heard that the great Harry Potter was on the train. Of course I knew all about Harry Potter, and even at 11, I had such anger coursing through my veins," he said, drawing a gasp of surprise out of her. Looking at her, he quickly realized how bad what he had just said sounded, and rushed to explain, "No,no, not at Harry," he said, "but at Voldemort. I had seen what following Voldemort had done to my father. It made my childhood a living hell, so while I couldn't admit it, I was awed by Harry, who as just a baby had gotten rid of the one thing that would have made my childhood even more horrifying than it already was. Secretly I wanted to become friends with Harry, and I thought I could, now that I was away from my father's prying eyes. Besides, I figured that if he found out, he would simply figure that I was doing it to further his purposes, so I decided to try it. I met Harry in the entrance hall just before my sorting. By then he had already met your brother, and they, as I understand it, had already become fast friends. Well, things went downhill from the start," he said.
Ginny was beyond shocked. Malfoy actually admired Harry? That was definitely something that no one would ever believe, but for some reason Ginny did believe it, "What happened, Draco," she asked.
Draco sighed, "Well, I went up and introduced myself to him. Ron laughed at my name, so I got defensive and insulted his. You have to understand, Gin, that not everything my father had ingrained in me could be overlooked, so I knew about your family. You also have to understand that I was only 11, and was much too young and proud to have him insult my name and not retaliate," he said. "Well, Harry didn't take to me insulting his new friend, and told me rather coldly that he was perfectly capable of choosing his own friends," he turned to look at her, "What could I have done. I mean, we were all young, but that incident just turned into another incident, until this rivalry just got out of control, and we could no longer stop it. They kept wanting to hurt me, so they insulted me, my family, and my friends, and I did the same. That's the only reason I ever called Hermione a Mudblood. It's just this big rivalry that has gotten completely out of hand. I think about fixing it every now and then, but I can't," he said, turning away from her.
Ginny was fuming. Neither of them, neither Ron nor Harry had ever mentioned that Draco was ever friendly to them. So, it wasn't Draco's fault, this feud, or at least not entirely. Draco had simply done what any 11 year old would have done, Ginny included. "Why can't you stop it?"
"Because of my father. He knows everything that I do and doesn't think that his only son should be associating with those that he calls 'a lower class'. Harry and your family are in that class to him, and, if I'm to do what I want to in life, then, for now, he has to be kept in the dark. He wouldn't hesitate to hurt whoever got in his way, even me," Draco finished.
"And what do you want to do in life," Ginny asked, softly, still in shock over what she just heard.
"You might not believe it Gin, but I want to be an Auror. However, for the present time, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape both believe that I would do better to be, as Professor Snape is, a kind of spy. However, they didn't foresee you, and nor did I," he said.
"Did I hindrance that," Ginny asked, afraid of what the answer would be.
Draco smiled at her, "I don't think my father will believe me to be a Death Eater if I'm dating a Weasley," he said.
Ginny's breath caught in her throat, he wanted to date her! Ginny was shocked at the feelings running through her and found herself hoping against hope that he was for real, "You want to date me?" she asked timidly.
He looked at her earnestly, and took both of her hands in his, "Yes, Ginny, I do," he said, kissing her cheek.
She turned her face toward him, "I'd like that too, Draco, but, I mean, if you're supposed to be spying for Dumbledore, maybe we shouldn't, at least not now," she said, sadness filling her, but knowing that this was the right thing to do, trying to pull her hands from his.
Draco wouldn't let her, "Trust me Gin, they may not have foreseen you, us, this, but they do not think that you are a hindrance, just as I don't. They know that you are good for me, don't worry," he said, pulling her close to him.
With those words, Ginny let herself get lost in his embrace, knowing that she would never be this happy again.
True to what Ginny thought, Hermione had been pestering her since Sunday to tell her what she was really going to do during the Hogsmeade trip, and became rather testy when Ginny did not offer any information as to what she was going to be doing.
Ron and Harry, were, if possible, even worse than Hermione. They simply would not leave her alone, one of them was always with her, as if they were afraid she would do something stupid. All and all, by Saturday morning, Ginny was extremely happy to see them stalk out of the school after asking her, yet again, what in the world she was going to be doing. Hermione simply ignored her, and Ginny understood why, but Hermione telling her that she liked Ron was a lot different than Ginny telling Hermione that she liked Draco Malfoy. Ginny and Hermione might have been good friends, but even Hermione would admit that Ron and Harry were her best friends, and Ginny couldn't risk this getting back to them. Therefore, all three of them simply stormed out of the building, and Ginny couldn't have been happier.
After seeing that they were indeed gone, Ginny made her way to the Room of Requirement, where she was supposed to meet Draco. She was surprised to find only Adam, sitting, as always, in a chair by Kit's bed. His head was laid on the bed, one of his hand grasping Kit's. He appeared to be asleep. Feeling that she had intruded on a very private moment, Ginny began to back out of the room as quietly as she could, when a piece of parchment caught her eye, Meet me by the lake, was written in the handwriting that Ginny knew as well as her own. Ginny snuck out of the room careful not to wake Adam, went down the stairs, and headed to the lake.
She saw him instantly, sitting a few feet away from the surface staring out at the sky. Ginny shivered, the wind was really picking up. Walking over to him, she reached out and touched his shoulder, "Hey," she said, smiling at him.
He smiled up at her and covered her hand with his, "Hey, what took you so long," he asked.
Ginny sighed, sitting down beside him, "The usual. I swear Draco, if they don't lay off soon, I'm going to kill them. They're driving me nuts," she said.
Malfoy took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers, "I'm sorry Gin, but I rather they not know we're friends," he said, hating that he was doing this to her.
"I'd rather they not know, either. Draco," she started, then paused, now knowing if this would be the best time to ask this question.
He turned to her, "Yeah?"
She looked up at him shyly, "Can I ask you something? It's really been bothering me," she said.
"Of course you can, Gin," he said, stroking her hand with his thumb.
"Well, I just can't figure it out. I mean, why are you so mean to Harry and Ron? I hear all this stuff from them about how evil you are, but then I get to know you only to find out that now only are you not evil, but you're the opposite, kind and sweet. How could they have such messed up views of you?" she asked.
Draco sighed and looked down at his feet, "That all goes back to my first day at Hogwarts, when I heard that the great Harry Potter was on the train. Of course I knew all about Harry Potter, and even at 11, I had such anger coursing through my veins," he said, drawing a gasp of surprise out of her. Looking at her, he quickly realized how bad what he had just said sounded, and rushed to explain, "No,no, not at Harry," he said, "but at Voldemort. I had seen what following Voldemort had done to my father. It made my childhood a living hell, so while I couldn't admit it, I was awed by Harry, who as just a baby had gotten rid of the one thing that would have made my childhood even more horrifying than it already was. Secretly I wanted to become friends with Harry, and I thought I could, now that I was away from my father's prying eyes. Besides, I figured that if he found out, he would simply figure that I was doing it to further his purposes, so I decided to try it. I met Harry in the entrance hall just before my sorting. By then he had already met your brother, and they, as I understand it, had already become fast friends. Well, things went downhill from the start," he said.
Ginny was beyond shocked. Malfoy actually admired Harry? That was definitely something that no one would ever believe, but for some reason Ginny did believe it, "What happened, Draco," she asked.
Draco sighed, "Well, I went up and introduced myself to him. Ron laughed at my name, so I got defensive and insulted his. You have to understand, Gin, that not everything my father had ingrained in me could be overlooked, so I knew about your family. You also have to understand that I was only 11, and was much too young and proud to have him insult my name and not retaliate," he said. "Well, Harry didn't take to me insulting his new friend, and told me rather coldly that he was perfectly capable of choosing his own friends," he turned to look at her, "What could I have done. I mean, we were all young, but that incident just turned into another incident, until this rivalry just got out of control, and we could no longer stop it. They kept wanting to hurt me, so they insulted me, my family, and my friends, and I did the same. That's the only reason I ever called Hermione a Mudblood. It's just this big rivalry that has gotten completely out of hand. I think about fixing it every now and then, but I can't," he said, turning away from her.
Ginny was fuming. Neither of them, neither Ron nor Harry had ever mentioned that Draco was ever friendly to them. So, it wasn't Draco's fault, this feud, or at least not entirely. Draco had simply done what any 11 year old would have done, Ginny included. "Why can't you stop it?"
"Because of my father. He knows everything that I do and doesn't think that his only son should be associating with those that he calls 'a lower class'. Harry and your family are in that class to him, and, if I'm to do what I want to in life, then, for now, he has to be kept in the dark. He wouldn't hesitate to hurt whoever got in his way, even me," Draco finished.
"And what do you want to do in life," Ginny asked, softly, still in shock over what she just heard.
"You might not believe it Gin, but I want to be an Auror. However, for the present time, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape both believe that I would do better to be, as Professor Snape is, a kind of spy. However, they didn't foresee you, and nor did I," he said.
"Did I hindrance that," Ginny asked, afraid of what the answer would be.
Draco smiled at her, "I don't think my father will believe me to be a Death Eater if I'm dating a Weasley," he said.
Ginny's breath caught in her throat, he wanted to date her! Ginny was shocked at the feelings running through her and found herself hoping against hope that he was for real, "You want to date me?" she asked timidly.
He looked at her earnestly, and took both of her hands in his, "Yes, Ginny, I do," he said, kissing her cheek.
She turned her face toward him, "I'd like that too, Draco, but, I mean, if you're supposed to be spying for Dumbledore, maybe we shouldn't, at least not now," she said, sadness filling her, but knowing that this was the right thing to do, trying to pull her hands from his.
Draco wouldn't let her, "Trust me Gin, they may not have foreseen you, us, this, but they do not think that you are a hindrance, just as I don't. They know that you are good for me, don't worry," he said, pulling her close to him.
With those words, Ginny let herself get lost in his embrace, knowing that she would never be this happy again.
