Shoot The Moon – Ginny

He didn't know what to do. He hated himself for hurting her like that. How could he let his father get to him? How could he listen to Lucius over Ginny? He couldn't even look at her.

A week later he found himself being shoved up against a wall by none other than Ron Weasley. "Listen, you git. My sister was nice to you. You yourself said that no one is, but she was. I don't know why, but she cares about you. I listened to you and I let her be, against my better judgement. Now you listen to me, I don't care who you are, you can't go and break my sister's heart and get away with it." He released Draco with a shove; "You fix this mess you've made…" he just walked off.

Draco stared after him. Well, they do say that turnabout is fair play. He sighed. He went and found Ginny. She was sitting in the hall at the same spot they had been sitting when they decided to become friends. He slid down beside her. "I'm sorry, Red. I don't know why I let him get to me."

"I do. He's your father," she was talking to the floor.

"I guess." They sat in silence for a while

She sighed heavily.

He couldn't stop himself. "I care about you, Gin," she looked up when he called her Gin, "I really do, more than I probably should." He looked at her with the most pained expression she'd ever seen. "If things were different…if things were different I don't think I'd be satisfied with 'friends.'"

She swallowed hard. She wasn't exactly satisfied with friends either, and she had fancied that he felt the same, but since nothing had ever been said she couldn't bring herself to believe it. He finally said something, and now it sounded…well, she didn't like the way it sounded.

"What I'm trying to say," he started examining something on the floor, "is I don't think this can work."

"Why?"

He looked up when he heard the pain in her voice. "Because of where we are, what's going on out there," he motioned with his arm to indicate the world. "It isn't safe. My father wanted me to pull away from you on my own. He wanted to poison me against you. It almost worked, but I think your tears would be an antidote to anything." He looked back at the floor. "I don't know how he'll react if he finds out that he failed, but I know it won't be good. I told you I would deal with him…" regret filled his voice now. "Well, I'm sorry, but I can't. He's too strong for me. I can't put you in danger by letting him know how much I care about you. I'm sorry. If only…this war…without it…" he couldn't finish his sentence. He was sure that if there weren't a war going on he would be able to walk away from his father, but as it was he knew his father would hunt him down. He couldn't put Ginny in that kind of danger.

Ginny was crying again. "It's your decision. You know I'll always care no matter what."

He nodded. He stood. He walked away.

The next day was the first real snow of the year. Ginny hadn't felt that lonely since the day after the Chamber, but now she did. She had to get up and leave when she saw Draco enter the Great Hall with Pansy in tow. She didn't see the look on his face as he watched her pass.

Time passed and the year continued. She slipped into her old way of life more easily than she thought was possible, but it didn't really ease the pain any. As she watched him graduate, she wondered if he thought of the time he told her that he knew the reason why they had to each be lonely.