Understanding Gained
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything else of any value.
A/N: From now on, I will put Draco's 'messages' in bold italics, and Ginny's in plain italics.
Ginny went to bed on Saturday night feeling totally confused about the new message in her Gratitude Box. In the middle of the night she woke up and, not knowing what else to do, wrote back to the message.
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Draco led Lenore Merrill into his empty dormitory. He had insured their privacy that night. Crabbe and Goyle would sleep anywhere for a couple of pies, but the other guys insisted on money. But Draco didn't mind- his father gave him enough money, and it was Draco's choice how he wanted to spend it.
Draco had a kind of pseudonym for every girl he had ever been with. Pansy had been called Wind. She was forceful and strong, but not very intimate- like the wind. But wind comes and goes very quickly.
Delilah, who was blonde and beautiful, he'd called Cloud. Her virginity made her timid, and her responses were thin and wispy. Despite this, she had an enormous effect on him that could produce thunder storms.
Blaise had been named Water. Lithe and fluid, she had filled every space between them. Although Water had been his most enjoyable experience, he had had to end things between them. Draco sometimes still regretted it, but it had been necessary. Blaise had fallen in love with him, and love was an unwanted element in Draco's relationships.
After Lenore had fallen asleep, Draco lay awake, contemplating what he would call her. Wet Leaf would be highly appropriate, Draco thought. Although Lenore had seemed dark and lovely, in bed she had been dull and inactive. She had barely done anything, Draco thought, almost angrily. But Wet Leaf, however fitting, would not be a name added to Draco's list. He did have a reputation to keep up. To the other Slytherins, Draco was Dragon, as his name actually suggested. And Dragons did not associate with Wet Leaves. Lenore will just have to be Maple, Draco decided.
As Draco lay there, he again saw the flash come from his drawer. This time, he jumped out of his bed and jerked open the drawer. But he wasn't fast enough for the instantaneous blink of light. Suddenly getting an idea, he pulled out his little box and looked inside. Sure enough, a new message lay on top of the messy stack. It simply said, This box is mine.
Draco took his paper and quill and began writing. When he was done, his rather large slip of paper said, I think something strange is going on. I'm sure that my box is mine, and if you also have a similar box, I believe they are somehow connected. Whatever you put in your box in transported to mine, and vice versa. Also, see if you notice a flash of light before something new appears in your box.
Draco could barely believe what he was writing. He seemed to be the owner of some mysterious magical object. Draco grinned as he lay back down beside Lenore.
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Sunday morning, Ginny woke up feeling very unsettled. She was aware of a vague feeling of sadness, and also a very strong curiosity. All at once, the events of the previous night came back to her, and she went quickly to her drawer. Ginny pulled out her box, and took a deep breath before opening the lid. Draco's message was the biggest paper in the box, so Ginny was very quick in picking it out, sure of finding the answers to all her questions.
After reading Draco's theory, Ginny responded by writing, This is all very hard to believe, but then, there are always surprises in the magical world. Your theory must be right, but I'm going to do a test. Along with this message, I'm 'sending,' At this point, Ginny looked around her room, desperate for an object to send. She considered one of her rings, but decided that she might not ever get it back. After a few minutes of searching, Ginny had an idea. From her bedside drawer, she pulled a long, skinny box. Then she returned to her message. I'm 'sending' three red beads. Write back and tell me if you received them.
Ginny reread her message for clarity, then firmly put the lid on the box.
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Draco had just returned from walking Lenore out of his room. Draco had made himself a general rule over the years. Girls that he did not want to see again, he would walk out. His manner would let them know that he was no longer interested. For girls he liked, he would just give them a kiss goodbye and let them find their own way down the stairs.
Now Draco went to his drawer and rummaged through until he found a green journal with silver trim. His mother had given it to him for his 13th birthday. Shortly after, he had began his list of who he had been with. After writing Maple at the bottom of his list, Draco looked proudly at how long the list was becoming. Silently blessing his good looks and subtle Slytherin charm, Draco closed the journal and returned it to the drawer.
Just as he was closing it, Draco saw that it was indeed his birthday box that had caused the light flashes. Draco watched the box glow momentarily, before picking it up. As he removed the top, his eye was caught by spots of red amongst the shreds of paper. After reading Ginny's message, he fished through the paper and pulled out the three red ceramic beads. Draco wrote back, Your test worked. I have also confirmed that the boxes, well, at least mine does, flash when something is coming in. Those beads were beautiful. So my correspondent is a girl, eh? Well, I'm glad we reached an understanding.
Draco quickly reread his message, and realized that he had never really used the word 'beautiful' before. Then he thought of something very interesting. He could be anyone he wanted to be through these messages. As he closed the box, Draco thought, I could definitely have some fun with this.
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Ginny and Alistair were. They were something. They were something very interesting that makes readers want to review. Okay, sorry, I'm having writer's block. On with the story.
Ginny and Alistair were sitting outside, enjoying the first day of October. They had about an hour of free time before Quidditch practice, and they chose to spend it by the lake, sitting on top of a large, flat rock, that was halfway covered with leaves.
Ginny had brought some of her homework to do, but the sunshine and soft leaves were making her feel very drowsy. So she laid flat on her back, using her open Charms book to
shade her eyes.
Alistair sat beside her, looking thoughtful. After a few moments, he spoke. "Ginny, have you had any problems with Draco Malfoy?"
Ginny moved her book slightly so she could see Alistair. "Yes, I have. Most Gryffindors have, actually, and most are still having problems with Malfoy. What'd he do to you?"
"He's been ridiculing me for being poor."
Ginny sat up and stared at Alistair. "I didn't realize you were bad off. Ha. Something else we have in common."
Alistair gave her a slight smile, then said, "I just hate being poor. And I hate people that think that just because they have more money, they should be allowed to make fun of 'lesser' people."
"I totally agree."
"Do you think he's in with Voldemort?" Alistair asked.
"Well, I know his father is, so I wouldn't doubt that Draco is too."
"Just makes me hate him more."
"I know." Ginny was thoughtful for a moment. "You know what my mum says?"
"What's that?"
"She says that hatred is like drinking a poisonous potion and waiting for your enemy to die."
"Hmm. That is true. But I don't think it's stopping me from hating anyone who doesn't hate Voldemort."
"Me neither," Ginny laughed.
"Well, we should probably head over to the field now," Alistair said.
"Alright." Ginny began gathering up her books and her broom. "Alistair, did Harry ever see if you could have that school broom?" Ginny asked, now understanding why her talented friend didn't already have a broom of his own.
"Yes he did. I don't know how he managed it, but Professor McGonagall gave me the certificate of ownership and all," Alistair grinned. "My first broom."
Ginny held up her own and said, "My first broom, not its first owner."
Alistair gave her a sympathetic smile. "We really are in the same situation."
Ginny nodded.
By this time they had arrived at the Quidditch pitch where Harry and Ron were already flying around. When the two guys saw Ginny and Alistair arrive, they waved and landed.
"Hi guys," Ginny said. "Are we the first ones here?"
"Yes," Ron replied, "The rest of the team better be here soon though."
Alistair pointed to the front of the castle and said, "Here they come now."
When everyone was present, they started practice. The team was getting very good. Ginny was truly impressed by how quickly they had all improved, but Ron was more critical. At the end of their fifth practice he had said, "We might be almost up to the level of last year's team. We'll just have to keep working to get better."
The Chasers had the hardest part, and so they practiced extra hard. Alistair had taught his swoop-and-catch tactic to all of the other Chasers, and while he was still the best at it, most of the others had gotten pretty good.
When Ron's whistle announced the end of practice, the whole team gathered on the ground to hear their Captain's comments.
"Nice work everyone," Ron began. "As you all should know, our first game is on October 15th - exactly two weeks from today. We'll be playing Hufflepuff, so it should be a nice trial for us. We've just got to practice hard until then! Thanks, everyone. You're free to go."
Ginny and Alistair walked back up to the castle with Katie, Renée, and John, their fellow Chasers. When they got back to the common room, they all found chairs and settled in to talk for a while. Harry and Ron joined them, and they all talked about Quidditch, which was always a popular topic. Ron had just brought up his favorite team, the Chudley Cannons, when Hermione returned from the library.
"Are you talking about the Cannons again?" Hermione teased, as Ron pulled her down to sit next to him.
"Yes, I am. But I won't if you don't want me to," Ron said, kissing Hermione sweetly.
"No, it's fine, Ron. Don't let me tell you what to do."
"Why not? I always have before."
Hermione scowled, but everyone else laughed.
As Ginny watched Ron and Hermione, she thought about how happy she was that they had finally admitted their feelings to each other. But after a while, she began to feel a little nauseated by how cute they were together, and how much she wanted that for herself. Ginny told everyone that she was going to bed, and made a quick escape to her dormitory.
Ginny laid down on her bed for a few minutes, then decided to get up and check her Gratitude/Mail Box for messages. She picked up Draco's message and read Your test worked. I have also confirmed that the boxes, well, at least mine does, flash when something is coming in. Those beads were beautiful. So my correspondent is a girl, eh? Well, I'm glad we reached an understanding.
Ginny laughed to herself as she wrote back, Yes, we certainly did reach an understanding. And you also understood something about me. So, I take it my correspondent is a guy? Write back.
Ginny laid back on her bed with the box resting on her stomach, in hopes that her pen pal would write back soon. After a few minutes, Ginny saw for the first time the flash of light that meant she was receiving a message.
You assume correctly. So, tell me more about my mysterious message writer. Are you at Hogwarts too? I'll at least tell you that much about me.
Yes, I am at Hogwarts. I don't really know what else I can tell you about me, as I am very paranoid of unknown people. But I would like to keep talking...
So would I. Is there a name I can call you? It doesn't have to be your real name if you're still paranoid.
Fine, you can call me Fire. What can I call you?
Fire. Sounds interesting. I'll have to think for a while before I can answer your request.
All right, well, is there anything else you can tell me about yourself, O Mysterious Man? Can I call you that?
Sure, but how about OMM for short? Well, I'll start by telling you about this box of mine. I got it as a gift for my 15th birthday. It's dark blue with little etchings in the top, and it sends messages to an enigmatic girl named Fire.
That is so weird- I received mine for my 15th birthday as well. And your description matches my box too. We must have gotten them from the same person. Who gave you your box, OMM?
That's the thing, I don't know who gave it to me. It just appeared.
Okay, now I'm really getting creeped out. The same thing happened with me! Tell me, OMM, do you believe in fate?
You've got to be kidding me... This is all so strange. I've always heard that fate works in mysterious ways, but this is just too unlikely.
I agree. Well, OMM, I'm going to bed, but I'll talk to you in the morning?
Okay. I'll have a name for you by then too. OMM is just not very flattering.
All right, I can hardly wait. Goodnight, OMM.
Goodnight, Fire.
