Yes, yes, you know the disclaimer drill. Authors note at the end.
"Ginny, are you sure nothing's wrong? It isn't often Dumbledore himself gets involved in things now."
Ginny was fed up with Ron's protectiveness. He'd interrogated her through lunch as to what her visit had been about, but for some reason, she didn't feel comfortable telling him, or anyone for that matter. She realized that the minute Ron, Harry, and Hermione found out about a problem, they'd try to fix it, whether it concerned them or not. Maybe it was jealousy, she thought bitterly to herself. Maybe, for once, she didn't want to have to ride on the coattails of her older brother and company. Ginny knew on some level that keeping something hidden just to spite them was childish, but she didn't care. This was about her and Draco.
"Ron, leave her alone." Ginny sent Hermione a grateful look, but she was perhaps too quick with her thanks. "If Ginny wants to get an attitude about something this small, maybe we should just back off for a bit."
"Attitude? Attitude! You haven't seen my attitude yet, Hermione!" If Ginny had been a little irritated before, now she was well and truly pissed off.
"Now you've done it," Harry muttered to Hermione from the corner of his mouth.
Ginny leapt to her feet and began to stalk around the common room. It had already been hastily vacated when people had seen two Weasleys in an argument. There was too much potential for full-scale fighting with Weasleys, and it seemed like this was the course that was going to run again.
"Not a single one of you three knows how to mind your own business! If I do not want to talk about something, I damn well won't! And it's not having an attitude, oh bossy one!" At this, Hermione looked wounded, but Ginny wasn't about to stop now. "It's understanding that if this didn't concern a person all three of you despise, no one would care what happened in that office!"
"Well, that's not true," Harry said slowly. "I don't despise Draco."
Ginny threw her hands in the air with an enraged yell, and then stalked toward the portrait hole.
"If anyone follows me, there will be hell to pay," she issued ominously, before slamming the portrait shut behind her.
Nothing was said for a moment before Ron suggested in a small voice, "PMS?"
"Oh, honestly," Hermione said angrily, mimicking Ginny's earlier gesture and leaving to her room.
Ron and Harry exchanged a shrug. "It must be a witch thing," Harry said wisely.
"Could be you're right… Anyway, fancy a game of Wizard's Chess?"
Ginny stormed outside, the path before her clearing as other students saw the furious look on her face. She continued on her warpath to the lake, where she stood throwing stones irately into the water and muttering about the controlling, ignorant, bossy ape she had for a brother.
"You know, talking to yourself is considered by many to be the first sign of insanity."
Ginny jumped and flung up her hand in defense reflexively, not realizing she still had a rock she'd meant to throw. It clipped the shoulder of the person standing before her.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Ginny was mortified. Caught talking to herself, and now she hit random people with stones? She'd end up in either Azkaban for assault on a fellow wizard or in a psychiatric ward.
"Hmm…"
"Draco?" Ginny immediately stopped feeling remorse. "Were you spying on me?"
Any other wizard would have snorted, but Draco just raised an eyebrow. "Hardly."
Ginny looked at him suspiciously, before gasping at his red and silver scarf. "You're wearing a Griffindor color!"
"And only a Griffindor would be so unbelievably arrogant as to believe they actually own a color."
Seeing that he wasn't about to expand on his reason for intruding on her argument with herself, she sat down suddenly, earning another odd look from Draco. Curling her legs up in front of her, she stared resolutely into the water.
Draco observed this in mild surprise, then amusement when he realized she was actually pouting. Her posture in itself made her seem less like the teenager she was and more like a young girl. Shaking his head to clear it, he turned to go. The last thing he needed was to be with a crazy witch who clearly preferred to be alone. That's why he was so surprised when she turned directly to him and began asking questions.
"Am I really that immature, that I need someone to watch over my every movement? I mean-," Ginny didn't even seem to be aware of who exactly it was she speaking to. "I'm not a small child, and I know Ron is my older brother and everything, but there is a point where he needs to accept that I don't require babysitting!"
Draco was considerably more uncomfortable than he'd ever been before in the presence of a Weasley. Anyone, for that matter. People didn't talk to him, let alone spill their problems to him, and he had no idea how to react to this.
"Err.."
"Oh, you just don't understand what it's like!" Ginny was still in her own little world, and Draco suspected she'd be having this entire dialogue with herself if he hadn't been there already.
"I've always had to be the baby in the family… I'm the one who gets into trouble and needs someone else to come help me out, but I wish for once people wouldn't expect so little of me." Ginny's eyes were starting to water now, and Draco sank helplessly to the ground beside her.
"And then Harry and Hermione come running in with their posses, and everyone forgets that it's usually them who started all the problems to begin with!" Ginny wasn't making much sense anymore, but tears were beginning to fall from her eyes, and Draco did the only thing he'd seen others do to offer comfort; he pulled her into his arms.
She didn't even protest, just turned her face into his chest and shook, her body wracked with sobs. Draco was surprised anyone would accept him as comfort, and not knowing what else to do, he began to rock slowly, murmuring words of encouragement into her ear.
Ginny lost track of how long she sat there. Even after the tears stopped coming, she didn't want to move. She'd never felt so safe in her life, and it confused her that it was Draco making her feel like this. He was being so gentle and…
Wait! She immediately stiffened. This was Draco Malfoy she was lamenting her troubles to! Sitting bolt upright, she met his eyes and was shocked to see hurt there. It was gone before she processed it, and he stood, looking down at her blankly. She winced, preparing herself for the incoming insult, but all Draco did was turn slowly and begin to walk away.
Ginny looked at her surroundings, from the dead leaves floating in the water to the vibrantly colored living ones on nearby trees. It was strange how even though all the leaves had come from the same place, some ended up as ugly masses while others were the embodiment of life.
"I won't tell your brother about this."
Ginny spun around to face Draco, unsure herself of whether it was to thank him or not, but he was already gone.
Draco walked slowly along the path to the other end of the castle's grounds. What was wrong with him? Why would he treat anyone with such kindness? Or perhaps the better question was, why would anyone trust him with their problems?
Draco had never thought of the youngest Weasley as anything but a sidekick to the trio. Apparantly, he wasn't alone. It had struck a chord to hear how people had already decided who she was before ever getting to know her, and he identified with her on a basic level. Similarity aside, he couldn't believe how little people cared about her, leaving her to cry by herself.
But she hadn't stayed by herself, now had she? No, he'd come along like a noble Griffindor and lent her a literal shoulder to cry on. Weakness like that would have disgusted him any other time. Somehow, though, it didn't seem like she considered it a weakness.
As long as it stays between the two of us, no one will know what I did, Draco thought. So I definitely won't tell her rotten brother and company.
Turning his steps in the direction of the building, he couldn't help but chance a small glance over his shoulder at the lake. The last thought he had before entering the building was wondering if she was still there, crying all alone.
A bit angst-y towards the end, wasn't it? Still, it's a bit difficult to write any scene where Draco has to be nice but stay "in" character, and DG is DG! Oh, well, on to thank yous!
Kerichi- My thoughts exactly. The guy just won't stay dead and gone!
Pia- Thank you very much for the long review, and it saddens me to have to dissapoint you with a short chapter again. But as long as you understand how it is: D Hopefully I can make up for the short chapters with quick updates! Thank you for the great suggestion, and I'll definitely have an element of that in the future!
DragonSpitfire22- I'm glad you like it! And I've already finished half of chapter six, so there should be a quick update!
I feel like I have to apologize again for the short chapters, but I can promise you, I won't write a chapter under 1000 words. (If I ever do, they will be 1000 damn well chosen words, too: D)
Iheart all my faithful reviewers!