Author: RavenEcho
Summary: Ginny hurts. And no one knows. It's not easy being a number. Her number is zero, because that's how many people understand her…probably a Draco/Ginny waiting to happen. Some Ginny/Remus.
Disclaimer: If I owned this stuff, would I really be on this computer typing away right now? No… I would be eating some rich-people-food in my gigantic English manor…
Touch Me
Chapter 7: An Unlikely Story and a Bet
Ginny carefully collected herself, wiping the mud off her robes and rolling her sleeve down so no one would see her bruised and bleeding arm. It was still raining, but the sky was blue again and the downpour had eased to a light drizzle. Ginny sighed, wishing her mood could change as quickly as the weather seemed to.
The redhead girl hurried over towards the bushed where she had stashed her books. She didn't want to be late, and she had to get all the way up to the third floor for Charms. Ginny pulled her books off the ground, flinching slightly when they rubbed against her hurt arm. A moment later, a group of students came out of the castle, talking and laughing. A group of Gryffindors was leading: in fact, it was Harry, Hermione, Ron, and a few others in their year. Ginny quickly became just as bubbly as they were.
"Hey guys!" she grinned, waving to her housemates.
"Hey, Ginny," they all replied cheerfully, not noticing her slight gasp when Seamus accidentally shoved against her arm.
Behind the Gryffindors was a group of silent Slytherins, including Draco Malfoy. The blond boy was staring scathingly at the group of Gryffindors, and he scowled when Seamus knocked carelessly into Ginny without apologizing. He also noticed Ginny's little gasp of pain, and by the curious looks on the faces of the Slytherins around him, they did too, though none of her so-called friends seemed to. And that was why Draco got purposefully in Ginny's way when she said good-bye to the Gryffindors.
"Nice acting, Weasley," he hissed to the girl, motioning for the other Slytherins to go ahead. The Gryffindors, who would have stuck up for Ginny, were long gone.
"Fuck off, Malfoy," Ginny snarled, trying to sidestep him so she could go inside. She ignored the pang of regret in her mind when he called her Weasley instead of Ginny.
Draco didn't respond, just grabbed Ginny's left hand and gently rolled up her sleeve. His mouth tightened when he saw what she had done. He pulled out his want, holding tightly to Ginny so she couldn't move, and muttered a Healing Charm on Ginny's arm. The bruise faded away and the pain vanished, then the blood disappeared from the cuts and they became more white scars on Ginny's pale skin.
"Everybody's not as stupid as your Gryffindork friends, Weaselette," Draco sneered. "I'm not the only Slyth that noticed something today."
The final bell rang, telling Ginny that she was late. "Now look what you've done, ferret," she growled.
"I could say the same thing," he retorted. "I'm late too, you know."
"If you would just mind your own damn business instead of fucking around with mine, none of this would have happened!" Ginny protested, voice escalating with every word.
Draco, however, got quieter. "I used to have an older sister," he said. "Her name was Angela. Not many people know of her, because she went to Durmstrang. Hell, I hardly knew her, and she was my sister. She was six years older than I was, so I never really got to know her. She was already off to school when I was five, and she only came home for a week or two during the summers. She preferred to stay at school to study. My parents preferred it that way too; they didn't get along with Angela. When she was home, they pushed her away. When I was ten, my father told me that Angela wasn't coming back that summer. She had slit her wrists. My parents thought that it was dishonorable for a Malfoy to have committed suicide, so they shushed the whole thing up. There was only a very small funeral, with only immediate family and a priest who was obliviated at the end of the service. I was forbidden to speak of the matter, and it has never been mentioned since. My parents never mourned. I don't think they felt any need to."
Draco paused and passed a shaky hand over his face. "Do you understand now? I'm too late for Angela, but not for you."
Ginny stepped back from the Slytherin. "I'm not your sister, Draco," she murmured.
"But you are someone's," he replied, his former anger seemingly forgotten.
"You can't be there every time, Draco," she said, stepping around the Slytherin and starting into the building.
He followed her. "Wanna bet?" he said, some of the old sardonic humor entering his eyes.
Ginny understood that the subject of Angela was closed, and thus tried to return as closely as possible to normal behavior. "Stakes?"
Draco considered. "I don't catch you harming yourself for a month, and I'll do something you want. And if I do catch you, you do something I want. It can't be anything long term in either instance."
Ginny thought for a moment, chewing her lip. Then she finally nodded. "Okay," she agreed. "You've got yourself a bet."
"October 7th, then," he said, extending his hand.
Ginny shook it. "October 7th."
"Excellent," Draco said, whipping out his wand and casting a spell at Ginny so quickly that she couldn't dodge it. "Revelo cortarme!" he tucked his wand back in his pocket, smirking at Ginny. "You never said Revealing Charms were against the rules."
Ginny stuck her tongue out at Draco. "Cheater."
Draco sneered as he turned away. "The Sorting Hat did put me in Slytherin," he called back as he walked away. "Good bye Ginny."
She did not respond, and when Draco glanced back, she was slinking around the corner, headed for the third floor.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is the chapter; I'm afraid the delay has been rather long… I hope this offering will suffice as an apology. I don't know when the next chappie will be up. I'm afraid I have not really been in the writing mood…
REVIEW RESPONSES: EternalEcho, Ginny-and-Draco-fan, I'mboredandHYPER! (pink? Did I miss something?), Sara, next, Sarah (you're not looking too deeply into it…)
You were all wonderful, and definitely inspired me to not quit now… how could I abandon a story when I have such lovely reviewers? Thanks, all of you!