03 December 2005
A note from Starry: I know it's been a month since I last updated, but College has me busy as well as my personal life. Finals are nearing so I don't know when I'll be able to update the last chapter. Please be patient and yeah.
This chapter was a bit difficult to write as I wanted the reader to feel the emotions Ginny and Draco were feeling. I don't think I did a good job, as school interfered and yeah. I hope you enjoy it and like it. This is the second part of Thursday from Chapter 8. Chapter 10 will be a new day and yeah.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Harry Potter world. Only an I heart Malfoy shirt.
Chapter Nine: Like a Dragon Loves His Fire
"Hello, Ginny, or should I say, Echo…"
Ginny felt all the blood drain from her face and body. Had she just heard Draco Malfoy calling Ginny of the day, Echo? No, no, this couldn't be happening! She ran through fields of ideas, in hope of finding something to do about this situation.
"Echo? Who's that?" Ginny mentally kicked herself for coming up with a poor solution. He knew about the curse, and there was no way she was going to make him believe something else.
Draco raised an eyebrow and looked at her as if she had gone mad. "Oh for Merlin's sake, Weasley! Don't go pulling the, "Who's that" crap because I'm not falling for it. I know that you're Echo and I also know about your curse." He took a step towards her and subconsciously reached his arm out towards her.
He felt something inside scream at him for making her sad. He didn't want to make her sad or hurt her in any way. He just wanted to tell her how to cure her retched curse.
Looking at his arm, Ginny took a step back and fought the tears that wanted to fall. He knew! He knew about her bloody curse, and yet here he was standing in front of her with no insult or anything negative towards her.
"You can't tell anyone about it, or else I'll be the laughing stock of everyone in the world!" A few tears slipped out of her eyes and fell on the floor. She knew she should have never gone out when her brother told her not to go out anymore. Perhaps, if she would have listened, this wouldn't be happening.
How could she think that he was capable of going around and telling people about this? Yes, he was a Slytherin and could be an annoying prat sometimes but he didn't feel the need to tell anyone about her. She had somehow made a part of him that had been asleep, wake up and reach the surface. He didn't know how, but she just did.
"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul about this," he whispered, before taking another step closer to her. "I want to help you get rid of it." He took another step and he thanked Merlin, when she didn't step back.
The familiar butterflies she had been feeling recently, fluttered up in her stomach when he whispered. She felt rooted to her spot and all she wanted to do was run from him and back up to her room. She should have pulled her mask down before placing a foot in this damned corridor.
"Aren't you repulsed to see the beautiful girl you've talked to turn out to be me, Ginevra Weasley?" The words seemed to have just tumbled out of her lips.
Draco stopped advancing and looked at her with a confused expression. He asked that same question to himself and wondered why the answer was, because I really like you…
"No, because," He paused and swallowed hard. Was he just going to tell her here in the middle of an abandoned corridor? "Because I'm not repulsed."
"Why?" she asked, taking a step towards him. She didn't understand why he was talking to her so calmly. Was it that he had fallen for her as she had with him?
"Don't ask me why, I don't know!" He ran his right hand through his hair, messing it up. He gritted his teeth and hoped she wouldn't ask why he was being civilized and why he wasn't running off yelling out her secret. He didn't want to tell her that he fancied her.
The soft light in her brown eyes sharpened and she felt anger stir. "What do you mean you don't know? You have to know, you're the only one who controls your thoughts, body and feelings!" She didn't mean to raise her voice, but she wanted to hear him say it. She wanted to hear him say he had fallen for her. Deep down, she wanted to prove to herself that he had changed and had somehow developed feelings for her.
A dark shadow crossed his face and his grey eyes hardened. "No, I can't control my bloody feelings! If I could then I wouldn't be feeling," He stopped. It was now or never. He sighed and straightened out his fancy dress robes. With a calm voice, he continued. "If I could control my feelings, I wouldn't have fallen for you."
Her brown eyes widened and a sense of satisfaction rushed throughout her body. He liked her, just like she liked him! What if he only likes Echo? He's probably just saying this to bed Echo. Look at yourself? You're grotesque! "No, you fell for Echo!" Why was she yelling at him? She hated herself for this, he hadn't done anything but confess his feelings. And here she was accusing him of fancying her beautiful side.
Draco didn't expect this because he looked surprised as well as confused. Why didn't she believe him? Through Echo, he came to like the real Ginny Weasley. He wasn't doing this for Echo, but for Ginny. It was hard for him to explain how through Echo, he had seen the real Ginny Weasley. The girl with the beautiful cinnamon brown eyes.
"No, I didn't! I fell for you, Ginevra Weasley. Yes, I do admit that Echo is so bloody hot but somehow I managed to see the real you. I don't know how, but every time I saw your eyes, you'd remind me of someone and I really liked staring into them. You enchanted me in a weird way." He took another step towards her and his heart lurched when he observed that they were one or two inches apart.
"I don't believe you. You're just lying to get me in bed as my Echo form!" She would have laughed at this if she wasn't agitated at the moment. Her heart was thumping and a voice in the back of her mind was telling her to shut up and let him talk. When she saw how close they were she took a step back. Her breathing was becoming rapid and she needed to avoid falling even more for him.
Frustrated, Draco extended his arm and grabbed her wrist after she backed away from him. He wasn't going to let this chance pass by. He really fancied her and he wanted her to be okay. He wanted to cure this damned curse and he wanted to be with her! He didn't care if her brother were to walk in right now and punch him in the face, for touching his sister. He wanted her for her true form, whatever it was.
"I'm not letting you go, Ginny." He lifted his left arm and placed his hand under her chin, lifting her head up to look at him. "You make me feel different. I don't know how you did it, but you made a part of me surface and I like it," he whispered, softly.
His cool breath tickled her and it made her eyes droopy. He smelled of peppermint and at that moment, she licked her lips and wished she could feel his lips. Her mind was too slow to catch up with what was happening so it was a while before she stepped out of his reach and shook her head.
'I was so close!' his mind cried and he felt annoyance rise up in him. Why was she being so bloody intolerable?
"I know, I like it too." She sighed and slumped her shoulders. "I have feelings for you too, but I don't know how it happened. I'm guessing it was probably when I would talk to you while being Echo. I saw a different part of you and I saw you in a new light." She felt stupid and hoped he wasn't going to start laughing. Relief washed over her after having said that to him. It felt good to let everything she had been feeling, out.
Nothing could describe how happy Draco Malfoy felt that moment. The girl he had been dying to kiss, to touch, to love, liked him back! Heart beating fast, he took a chance and stepped towards her once more. He wasn't going to let this chance pass by. He was going to kiss her, no matter what.
"Ginny, please don't step away from me. I need you with me, I don't know why but I just need you." He licked his lips and continued to approach her, inch by inch. "Somehow in these past few days, I've fallen in love with you, Ginny Weasley. Yes, you heard right, in love."
Draco Malfoy was in love with her? She turned away from him and stepped back. Her heart hammered against her chest as realization hit her, she too loved him. But how and when? This happened so quickly and so unknown to her that she didn't even realize she was until she heard him say it. Fear blinded her and with closed eyes, she said, "No you don't. You don't love me. YOU DON'T!"
'If he said it then it's evident he loves you! Why do you make it so hard for him?' Ginny shook her head and a few tears spilled down her face.
"Damn it, Ginny! I love you!" yelled Draco to the redhead whose back was now turned towards him. Anger and frustration filled him because they were having this pointless argument. He did love her, he could feel it. He had been feeling it ever since he looked into the deep brown pools of her eyes.
"No you don't, you love Echo, not me!" cried Ginny, as she turned around to face him. Her hands clutched the side of her dress. 'Why? Denial! He does love you; you can see it in his eyes! Merlin's why am I acting like this? Because you're scared. Scared of what? Of you're brother's reaction.'
"Echo is you, but I don't just love Echo, I love the whole Ginevra Weasley." Draco took a big step towards her but stopped when Ginny jumped back, again.
"Echo never spoke to you and—"
"Do you love me?" he asked, cutting her off.
Ginny stared at him with her tear filled eyes. Of course she did! She got to know a side that no one had ever seen, got to feel his skin, see his eyes and feel his heart.
Draco cut through her thoughts with the same question. "Tell me Ginny, do you love me?"
He hoped that her answer was a yes. Sure he knew she liked him, but that was only like. He wanted to know if she actually loved him and felt the same feelings as him. He didn't know what he would do if she were to reject him. Both Echo and Ginny had melted the ice around his heart and managed to get in. Being around Ginny was as if he was free. He could finally be a whole different person with this girl.
Closing her eyes, Ginny breathed in and hoped she wouldn't pass out right there. "Yes Draco, I do love you."
At that moment, for both teenagers, the world seemed to have stopped spinning and everything else didn't matter but them. Ginny remained with her eyes closed to Draco and the world and Draco felt as though he had been hit with a fresh new life of air. A few moments passed before they opened their eyes and stared at each other.
Their gaze was locked and Draco, taking this as a sign, slowly closed the distance between them.
Ginny's mind was telling her to move away, but her body stayed put. She wanted to hug him and feel his arms around her once more, not as Echo but as Ginny. Her chocolate eyes didn't leave his and when he was just an inch away, she said, "Draco, I don't think—"
"Shh, don't worry Gin. I love you. I love you like the sky loves the stars, like a bee loves a flower, like a dragon loves his fire…" he said, in a soft whisper. His mind was no longer screaming at him to end her curse, but it was quiet and no thoughts were running through his head.
She surveyed his lips before closing her eyes slowly. She didn't know why she had done it, but it felt right at the moment. Her breathing had gone from rapid and raspy to slow and almost quiet. She could hear her heart beats in her head and the throbbing of her chest hadn't stopped, but it had quieted down.
He felt satisfaction as he noticed her eyes closing. This was it! He was going to kiss her and break the spell. She would finally be free from this retched curse and he would be happy knowing he was the one that saved her. He wasn't only doing it for the spell, but also because he had wanted to kiss her, Ginny, ever since he first saw her right at her transformation. At first he hadn't admitted it, but now he regretted letter her run away from him.
Their lips met in a sweet kiss and Ginny felt warmth course through her body. She had never felt anything like it. This was her first kiss and she didn't know if this was the usual feeling, but she really liked it. His sweet peppermint scent was making her want more and his soft lips were making her get weak in the knees. 'You've done it! Your first kiss is with none other than Draco Malfoy!'
Draco could hear his heart pounding in his ears. 'I want her to become her true form. I swear that whichever one she becomes, I'll love her forever.'
The same warmth Ginny had felt run through her body; Draco felt it and knew Ginny was the one. He had kissed girls before and never did he feel the same feeling he had just felt with the redhead. He smiled into the kiss and slowly pulled away from her no-longer virgin lips. He opened his eyes and felt his throat close up as he saw that she still had her eyes closed, and her lips were still pursed into a kissing position. He grabbed her wrist and stared down at her watch, which read 7:59 PM.
Ginny finally opened her eyes when she was sure he wasn't going to press his lips against hers. The warm feeling was gone and it was replaced by a painful feeling in her lips. Confused, she lifted her free arm, and with her finger tips touched her lips.
"It's eight o' clock, Ginny."
Looking up, Ginny met his gray eyes and shook her head, confused. Why wasn't she transforming into Echo? She looked down her arms and noticed nothing. Her brown eyes immediately went to search his gray ones for anything that he knew.
Draco's heart plummeted when he noticed that Ginny was still in her day form. He didn't understand why she hadn't changed into her true form. Unless, this was her true form and Echo had been the curse side effect. A promise was a promise and he had sworn to love her no matter what form she took. He took a breath and began to talk.
"I know about your curse because I read it in a book. It said that the way to cure your curse was to kiss you. After kissing you, you would turn into your true form and you would never change ever again during the rest of your life."
Ginny processed everything he said and when it clicked, her eyes widened in horror. If the kiss was to break the spell and make her become her true form, then that mean Ginny of the Day was her true form! No, no this couldn't be happening, not this. Her true form was Echo; yes Echo was her true form, not Ginny of the Day! All her hopes of ever being the center of attention of the men were dead!
Draco stood there staring at Ginny's face, as it went from a pleased look to a horror expression. He immediately became worried and asked, "Are you okay? What's wrong?" He took a step towards her and grabbed her other arm.
"Don't touch me! It's your fault! I'll be hideous for the rest of my life!" she cried, pulling her arms from his grasp and taking a step back. "Why did you have to kiss me? I—I'll be ugly for the rest of my life! I'm ugly! I'M UGLY"
He flinched as her high piercing scream rang throughout the hallway. He could hear steps from the Great Hall, walking towards the doors leading to this hallway. He looked back to the redhead's direction and his heart almost broke when he saw the sight.
Ginny's eyes were puffy and her face was blotchy with streaks of fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Her beautiful gown was now torn, as she had tried pulling it off with her little outburst and her hair was messy. He wanted to hug her and ease her pain, and mentally he cursed himself for ever kissing her and bringing her misery. He didn't care if she looked like this for the rest of his life, he was still going to love her, but seeing her hurting was just killing him!
"I didn't know this was going to happen. I thought your true form was going to be Echo, not this one!" he said to her, wanting to kiss her again.
Her life was ruined and there was nothing she could do to change it. She looked down at her watch and saw how it was way past eight and here she was still in her Ginny of the Day form. Shaking her head at his comment, she turned around and began walking back to Gryffindor Tower.
"Don't ever come near me again." Her voice was so low, he almost didn't hear her. She continued walking away from him and ignored the hurt of her heart as she was leaving the love of her life behind.
Reaching the fat lady's portrait, she said the password and walked through the common room and up to her room. Inside her room, she walked to the mirror and stared at her reflection. She hoped it would be Echo staring back at her, but found it disgusting to see her day form. New tears formed and all her dreams disappeared. She screamed before turning around and throwing herself on the bed. She didn't want to live as Ginny of the Day. And Draco, would he still love her after seeing that she would be ugly? Would he still love her after her reaction to him?
"I've ruined everything! I hate myself!" she cried into the mattress.
Back in the hallway, Draco stood staring at the spot Ginny had been standing when they had kissed. He was angry at himself for kissing her and at her stupid ancestors. She probably hated him and hoped he would rot in hell for doing this to her. He clenched his hand into a fist and punched the concrete wall beside him. He didn't flinch or scream when his knuckles came into contact, or when his skin opened up after the impact of bone and cement.
He too turned around and began walking back towards the dungeons. His hand was bleeding and as he walked, a few drops of blood fell on the floor, marking a trail. He wasn't going to go to Madam Pomfrey and ask for help on his hand, because he wanted to be a reminder of his stupidity and of the night he lost the love of his life, forever.
Starry: Oooh! Wow, drama sucks eh? Poor Draco and Ginny, hopefully everything will turn out alright, correct? So how did you guys enjoy this chapter? Please tell me! Thanks! Only one more chapter left and this story will be complete! -hands out cookies to whomever I said I was going to give cookies to- See you in the next chapter!