This was a speedy chapter because the other night, I had a revelation (the HP God loves me!) about which direction I should travel with this storyline. You see, ever since I read HBP, I've been having second thoughts on whether or not I should continue this. After that, however, I have a new direction, so I hope that it will be rather enjoyable.
As always, thanks to my lovely beta, Key, for making my somewhat horrible grammar legible; without her, everything I've written would probably make sense to me and me alone. And of course, if you like this chapter (which I hope you will - I quite enjoyed writing it), please leave a review! I'd love to know what you all think of it.
So, on with chapter 3!
♥, Amy (s p l a s h d o w n)
Chapter 3 - Past, Present, & Future
The sun had fully risen before Ginny stumbled out of bed and made her way down the hall to the kitchen. When she entered her usual sanctuary, however, she was greeted by three very-awake and eager annoyances.
"Morning, sunshine," Ron called out to her, standing up to ruffle her already out-of-place hair. "'Bout time you got out of bed, you lazy bum. Thought you'd died or something. Pity, that would've been, really," he continued, not even bothering to stifle his laughter at Ginny's indignance.
Ginny groaned. "What in Merlin's name are you still doing here? Don't you have your own bloody flat to terrorize?" she asked through a muffled yawn, leaning over to hit Ron's arm and, with her wand, pouring herself a glass of juice at the same time. It's not that she didn't love living close to both Ron and Harry; she was grateful to be able to spend vast quantities of time with her brother (unlike most of the wizarding world, who'd lost siblings and other family members since even before the long-awaited end of the war). But that morning, however, she would've much rather liked to have the flat to herself and her anguish. She stared intensely at her brother through still-sleepy eyes and watched as he challenged her back.
Harry laughed as he watched the two of them. He never really stopped feeling relieved that the four of them had made it out of the war intact; sometimes he thought about it so much that he began to feel guilty, as if something should've been done differently, and he should be feeling some of the pain he'd seemingly helped cause throughout the wizarding world. Other times, like this precise moment, he understood just why and how they all had been brought together and survived through it all; in this moment, Harry was happy, and he simply couldn't resist the opportunity to join in on that morning's festivities.
"I'd much rather prefer him terrorizing all three of us at the same time over here than me alone back at our flat. Besides," he added, striding over to where Ginny and her brother were still battling it out and placing an arm around Ginny's waist, clearly confirming the onward movement of forgetting the previous night's actions and accusations. "He is toilet-trained, and I believe that's all that really matters, anyway."
Both Ginny and Hermione, finally looking up from reading that morning's issue of The Daily Prophet, laughed outloud as Ron broke Ginny's eye contact and glared helplessly at Harry as if he'd just been doused with a bucket full of water. He mouthed wordlessly as the three others continued to laugh at Harry's playful betrayal.
"Well, Harry, except for that one time when Ronald was nearly 11, and he --" Ginny began, trying to keep a straight face as Ron turned his eyes back upon her and stared open-mouthed, the tips of his ears beginning to brighten slightly pink.
"Oi, Ginny! Continue that, er, complete and utter nonsense you're telling, and I might have to have a little chat with Harry about what I found when I came back to the Burrow after my first year at Hogwarts," Ron threatened, amusement glowing from his eyes as he challenged her to continue.
"Truce," Ginny replied quickly before either Harry or Hermione could interrupt with their own inputs.
"No, hold on, I think I want to hear this," Harry said, turning to Ron and moving in front of Ginny, blocking her view of Ron. "So, what did you find?"
Ginny and her brother shared a quick, meaningful glance over Harry's shoulder before Ron only nodded and said, "Sorry, mate, you may be my best friend, flat mate, and defeater of You-Know-Who --"
"Voldemort," Harry interjected, not missing a beat.
"Er, right, whatever then. But as I was saying, a family's bond is stronger. And also," he paused, bringing a hand up to his face in mock concentration, "I am in no mood to deal with another round of the famous Bat Bogey Hex. The last time left me scarred for life, I'm sure." Ron took a seat next to Hermione at the table and looked over towards the Prophet.
Harry sighed and shrugged. He'd get it out of Ron sooner or later, anyway. Preferably sooner, of course.
"Oh, by the way, Ron," Ginny said suddenly. "I won that staring contest again. You really are a lost cause, you know," she added as she stuck out her tongue.
"What! Harry bloody interferred! I want a re-match!" Ron shouted, jumping back to his feet and pointing at his sister.
It was no use. Ginny was already dancing around the kitchen, yelling, "Ha ha, I win, you lose, I'm the best, you smell like dirty socks --"
"So, Harry," Ron said above the noises Ginny was making. "When I got home after our first year, I went upstairs to Ginny's --"
"Okay," Ginny interjected in hysterics. "Okay! You don't smell like dirty socks! Are you happy?"
"Quite, thanks," Ron replied and turned his attention to Hermione's hair and his fingers wrapped in her curls. Hermione smiled at his affection. She loved when he played with her hair. After all, it did take years for him to actually get the courage (and smarts, really) to ask her to be his girlfriend.
"Damn," Harry interjected. Ginny swatted him playfully on the arm and made to leave the room when Hermione's voice made her come to a crashing halt.
"Holy cricket," Hermione mumbled, eyes widening. "You'll never guess who's back in London!"
Ron, Ginny, and Harry all turned to stare at Hermione, willing her to go on. Clearly patience was not a virtue on this particular morning, though it never really was to Ginny anyway.
"It says here in the Prophet that the Bigonville Bombers traded 'the best Seeker Luxembourg had ever seen' to the former Falmouth Falcons, now in London, for a second-string nobody and a load of Galleons," Hermione said, breathlessly looking between Ron and Harry.
"Malfoy," both boys said together, dryly, as Ron continued on. "Clearly they've never seen you play, Harry, honestly. How many times did you beat Malfoy to a pulp back at Hogwarts?"
Ginny felt herself let out a long stream of air and realized she must've been holding her breath in anticipation. So that's why he's here, she thought as she continued on her way to her bedroom and a nice, warm shower. For Quidditch.
Ginny couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed and was furious at herself for feeling that way. She didn't love Draco, not anymore, but she found the prospect of seeing him out and about in Magical London was a bit too much for her heart to bear. She silently cursed the former Falmouth Falcons for obtaining new ownership and moving to London, even though, just days before when the news spread that London was finally getting a real professional Quidditch team, she was ecstatic.
She remembered how happy most of Magical London had been that day. After waking up and reading about the news in The Daily Prophet, she Disapparated to Ron and Harry's flat straightaway to discuss their thoughts and listen to Ron compare the Falcons to the Cannons (which, Ginny reckoned, wasn't a bad comparison in the least since both teams were tied for last place in the league).
Ginny knew that Draco was a great Seeker - one of the best in the league, in fact - and that he always had been. Even at Hogwarts, he shined. If Harry hadn't been one of his opponents, Ginny was sure that Draco would've caught the Snitch in almost every match. However, Ginny never thought that he would be traded to practically the worst team in the league. She silently wondered what he thought about the trade and if he even had a say in what had transpired.
Knowing Draco Malfoy, though, he probably did.
He always had a say in everything. Every decision, every row, and in every idea; he made his input known, even if it was only a slightly raised eyebrow or a devilish gleam in his eyes. Ginny, of course, knew this first-hand. She was well-versed in the Ways of Draco, as well as the Malfoy family as a whole. Draco never missed an opportunity to tell her exactly what Malfoys did and did not do, as well as remind her that he, unlike she, was a Malfoy, always placing an invisible barrier of so-called 'superiority' between them. One that Draco took down for no one, not even himself.
Ginny remembered one of her first encounters with Draco that did not end in a fight or a battle or someone being sent to Madam Pomfrey and the hospital wing. It was during the beginning of October in her fifth year when Ginny first noticed a pair of Slytherin eyes on her at every meal in the Great Hall. She was eating breakfast on a cool Saturday morning when she looked up to find Blaise Zabini staring straight at her. She didn't know his intentions but reckoned since he was a Slytherin that they were probably dangerous, so she narrowed her eyes and stared threateningly back at him, clearly daring him to make a wrong move. To her utter surprise, however, Blaise only smirked and continued to stare at her. She finally looked away when she heard someone call her name but couldn't help looking back over at the Slytherin table to see Blaise's dark eyes still locked on her.
When the same thing happened during lunch and dinner that day, Ginny's mind began to reel. Blaise definitely wasn't unattractive. He was the complete epitome of the 'tall, dark, and handsome' stereotype that seemed to plague every girl's mind. But it wasn't that which Ginny found completely irresistible about him; it was the mysteriousness that surrounded him and the constant gaze he held on her.
After the first few days of the same exchange, Ginny grew impatient. She wondered if this was his only plan or if he was actually going to talk to her. After all, she was a girl, and despite his House at Hogwarts, he was a boy. Ginny knew that she was pretty, but she didn't dwell on it. While she enjoyed the attention her looks received, she also knew that there were many other girls at Hogwarts even prettier and more deserving of attention than she. There was, of course, Cho Chang, whom, although Ginny didn't like her one bit, was admittedly among one of the prettiest girls at Hogwarts. Then there was also Parvati and Padma Patil, and Lavender Brown, as well as a few girls whose names she wasn't sure of. She also thought her friend Luna Lovegood was rather attractive as well, but more as a natural beauty than a conventional one, which made it all the better. Her long, wavy hair flowed down her back like magic (ironically enough), and her clear eyes reminded Ginny of a warn summer day. And then there was the girl Ginny hated to admit was beautiful, the girl she despised more than any other in the school: Pansy Parkinson. Although she and Pansy had had their fair share of fights in the past, Ginny couldn't deny that Parkinson was the prettiest Slytherin and also one of the prettiest girls in her year. Even if she did have a bit of a pug face, she reminded Ginny of a princess, one that lived in a glorious castle made of ice (Pansy Parkinson, Ice Princess - how fitting).
Which is why Ginny felt so startled as she moved her gaze from Blaise's and let it wander gauchely down the Slytherin table one evening during dinner. Her breath caught in her throat as a second pair of Slytherin eyes stared in her direction, this time belonging to none other than the Slytherin Prince himself, Draco Malfoy. Her immediate reaction would usually have been to scowl and throw any insult she could muster in his general direction, but Ginny realized that her voice was too caught in her throat and that her eyes were too glued on his to make any type of movement at all. Only when she felt someone nudge her shoulder did she break contact and grudgingly move her eyes back to her own table and to the person who sought her attention. It was Ron. He seemed to be arguing with Harry about something Ginny couldn't quite place so she simply nodded in what she hoped was agreement and moved her mind to more pressing matters. She chanced a quick glance towards the Slytherin table, but Malfoy seemed quite contentedly engrossed by his dinner.
Ginny felt her heartbeat slacken in disappointment. No one, not even Michael Corner, had ever looked at her that way. Even if it was Draco Malfoy, she couldn't help but wonder what it meant. But by the way he was, once again, acting as if she didn't exist, it meant apparently nothing, so Ginny vowed to forget the gleam in his eyes as she turned once more to where Blaise sat. She was expecting to feel his eyes grazing her body, which had become so usual that it felt perfectly normal and refreshing, like jumping into a cold river on a sticky, hot day.
Blaise, however, was nowhere in sight.
- - - - - - -
Stepping out of the shower, Ginny grabbed a towel, ran it over her dripping hair, and finally wrapped it around her body. She smiled to herself as she hummed along to the Weird Sisters' latest song, "Magic (Broom) Stick" on the Wizarding Wireless Network. She felt very refreshed, like all the anguish on her shoulders from earlier that morning and the previous few days had been lifted. Showering always seemed to uplift her spirits. She was grateful that her flat had three lavoratories and even more thankful that she could actually afford it for the time being. Her internship under the Healers at St. Mungo's didn't begin for another week. She wasn't certain how much she'd be paid, but that didn't concern her too much. Money had never been a big priority in her life, especially since growing up she didn't have much of it. She had always been taught to make-do with what she had, and that had always been enough for her.
As Ginny moved from the loo into her adjoining bedroom, she felt her heart beat a bit faster upon the realization of the memory that had been consuming her brain for the previous half an hour. Ginny certainly wasn't one to dwell on the past - Tom Riddle had definitely taught her that - but she couldn't help feeling that if she hadn't gone looking for Blaise Zabini that cool fall evening back at Hogwarts, her life would have been a bit more simple and a lot less dramatic. She wouldn't have had her recent fight with Harry, for instance. She wouldn't have had those flashback nightmares, either. And maybe - just maybe - that tiny bit of her heart wouldn't belong someone who didn't deserve it.
- - - - - - -
Before Ginny could get a grasp on what she was doing (or thinking, for that matter), she was standing up, waving off her brother's contemptuous looks, and heading toward the doors of the Great Hall and hopefully, Blaise. As she strided across the room, she had the strangest feeling of being closely watched, but scratched it up to the many people left eating at their respected House tables.
Once outside the Great Hall, Ginny stopped dead in her tracks. She had no idea where he was; it would take hours to search the castle and all of the grounds, and he might've gone back to the Slytherin Common Room located in the dungeons, anyway. She had absolutely no way of knowing where Blaise was at that precise moment, and as she let the feeling overwhelm her, she found that she felt utterly disappointed.
Ginny sighed and wondered what she should do next. She had an awfully large amount of homework to finish, and the essay for Snape on 'Why Wolfsbane Is So Incredibly Important In The Effots Of Potions-Making' was going to take her ages to complete. No matter how great of a student she might've been, she loathed homework (and, more specifically, Snape). Ginny never undestood how Hermione could love schoolwork; it was a mystery to her, and one that would stay that way until after she finished her mountainous load of work.
She scratched her nose and thought about which essay she should start first. Just as she decided to go back up to Gryffindor Tower for her books and head over to the library until her curfew, the Great Hall doors opened, and an unusually alone Draco Malfoy stepped through.
Ginny's breath caught in her throat for the second time that evening as Draco eyed her suspisciously and continued on his way. As he neared Ginny he stopped and, after looking in all directions, asked, "Looking for someone, Weasley? Zabini, perhaps?" Something flashed in his eyes, but it was so quick that Ginny couldn't recall what it was (and if it was even there at all).
Ginny's eyes narrowed subconsciously as she searched for the hidden meaning behind his malevolent words.
Draco smirked at her innocence and näitivity. "Foolish, little girl," he drawled, malice dripping from his every word. "Just like the rest of your filthy family, so blindly unobservant to anything that would do you even the least amount of good."
Ginny's face slightly reddened at his words, waivering between embarrassment and loathing of the deepest kind. Draco took a step closer to her and dropped his voice. "Zabini, little Weasel, isn't the only one who's been watching you. I see the way he looks at you and how you fall all over yourself at the slightest hint of worthy attention. Zabini is, and will always be, your superior, Weasley, and I, his. There is one thing, however, that we are both," he paused for the slightest second as his eyes bore into hers, "lacking, but I will leave you to figure that one out on your own, given it's not too impossible a task for your brain to decipher." He paused once more and watched her struggle under his cold, hard glare. "Just remember, Weasley, that I'm watching you."
Before Ginny could react at all, Draco turned and walked in the direction of the dungeons, and she continued to stare at the spot in which he had been standing for what seemed like hours. She still couldn't quite place how she was feeling. On one hand, he had insulted her numerous times, but on the other hand, he had left her with a sense that there was more to come, which wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling. Yet, she despised Draco and had never before heard anything come from his mouth that didn't make her want to shove her wand in his face and make him eat his words or feel pain, whichever came first and stung the worst. This time, however, was different. This time, she was intrigued. This time, she wanted to know more.
After she'd collected most of her thoughts and headed up the many flights of stairs to Gryffindor Tower, she realized that she would have to concentrate extra-hard on her studies that evening or else she wouldn't get anything accomplished. She inwardly cursed Draco for disturbing her train of thought and infiltrating her mind.
She grinned in spite of herself and raced up the last of the stairs that lead her to the corridor in which the Fat Lady's Portrait hung. She knew one thing was for certain, though. If Draco Malfoy wanted to watch her, then Ginny Weasley would make sure he was getting a show.
One that would alter the course of her life forever.
- - - - - - -
A/N: Wow, right? What to expect in the next chapter: Ginny's new assignment for her internship, a visit back to the Burrow, and a first real encounter with someone from Ginny's past.