AN: I'm ba-ack. Thanks for the reviews I got for part one. And on with the show!
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For the beginning of her sixth year, Ginny had removed herself from any semblance of reality at Hogwarts. It was a defensive maneuver. If she ignored the people around her, she wouldn't get hurt when something happened to them. If she ignored the war, she could live in somewhat blissful ignorance and worry more about how she wished she had someone to stir up trouble with. Instead of handling the things going on around her, she petulantly pushed them off and pretended nothing had happened.
But now there was a problem with her plan. Draco Malfoy was sleeping in a cave, and for some reason, she couldn't seem to forget about it. When her mind wandered, it flitted over images of the usually impeccable boy, his face smeared with dirt and his robes torn. As she sat down in the Great Hall, her rumbling stomach reminded her that his was probably rumbling louder. As she walked through the cool passages under the premise of doing her evening prefect rounds, the chill in the air recalled that he was probably colder.
Ginny Weasley's feigned indifference to the outside world seemed to be crashing, and she was furious. Every time she remembered his pathetic cave existence, she pushed the telltale ache out of her heart, and instead Weasley temper came out full force. How dare he intrude on her apathy? In double potions one afternoon, she had half convinced herself that he had done it on purpose as some sort of conspiracy against her, when she managed to blow up her caldron in her fury.
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"Miss Weasley! What on earth are you doing?"
Ginny gritted her teeth and looked up from her sodden robes to Professor Slughorn, who was looking mightily disappointed. She generally showed great promise and talent in potions, but ever since Malfoy had traipsed into her brain she seemed to be making all sorts of mistakes.
"Sorry, sir," she began before a tingling sensation began in her fingertips. Alarmed, she looked down at her arms, which had begun to turn greenish and swell. "Uh, sir?"
Slughorn looked up and immediately his expression changed. "Dear lord, child! Don't just leave it on you! Get up to the hospital wing immediately."
Leaving all of her things behind, Ginny made a mad dash to the hospital wing, unsure of how long before the tingling would start in her feet, and if it would impair her running ability.
When Ginny arrived with green, swollen arms and legs, Madam Pomfrey tutted and scolded her about proper potions care as she made a quick task of removing the spoiled potion from her skin. She easily changed her skin tone back to normal, but sat Ginny down on a cot and demanded she drink a foul smelling potion if she wanted the swelling to go down anytime in the next week. As Ginny didn't particularly like have appendages that looked like balloon animals, she consented and choked down the awful liquid.
The hospital wing generally proves a perfect place to do some good, solid thinking. Madam Pomfrey was very strict about bed rest for any ailment from near-death to a stubbed toe, so one could often sit in solitude and reflect.
It is all his fault, Ginny decided. Why couldn't the prat just sleep in a house like everyone else? I wanted that cave! Of course, this line of thought was childish and petulant, but if she remained irritated with him, she could ignore the voice deep down that told her that she should be sorry for him.
Sorry for Draco Malfoy? The amazing, bouncing ferret incarnate? No thanks; I think I'll stick to hating him and his Death Eater ways. Ginny wondered idly if you could still be considered a Death Eater if all of the other Death Eaters wanted to kill you. She frowned. Perhaps not.
That doesn't make him any less of a spoiled, closed-minded, bigoted, arrogant git. I'd like nothing more than to call the Ministry right now and send him to Azkaban so that I can move on with my life. And yet, that didn't seem right. She had seen that look on his face when he first noticed her presence- it wasn't the look of a crazed murderer, as she had liked to believe. No, it was more akin to terror, helplessness, and pleading. How could you turn someone over to the dementors in such a state? Not that the dementors were doing much of a job protecting Azkaban anyway.
Ginny sighed. Here it comes again, she thought. Now for the completely foreign feeling of actually pitying that brat. Some part of her knew that turning Malfoy in to the Ministry was a bad idea, and that no matter how much protection they gave him, turning him in to the Order would ruin his pride. Plus Harry would probably kill him anyway. And yet she couldn't justify just leaving him out there to rot in a cave.
A week later on another particularly boring Saturday afternoon, she made up her mind to go out and talk to him again. She would bring him some food and some blankets as a sort of peace offering, and find out why on earth she pitied the creature. Just before nightfall, she stealthily left the castle bearing her offering and made straight for the cave without any of the ridiculousness of her last journey to Hogsmeade.
Around the bend, just before she reached the cave, Ginny suddenly stopped and looked at her parcel. What am I doing here? she thought. I could be curled up by the fire in the common room reading a good book, and instead I am fighting the night chill to bring blankets and food to my nemesis. There must be something wrong with me. I've got to be under Imperio or something. Ginny shuddered to think what would happen to her if she was being controlled and she showed up, but she recognized this train of thought as another of her defensive mechanisms. Don't be an idiot, Ginny, she thought. Remember when the imposter Moody put you under the Imperius curse? Nothing like this. You are doing this out of your own… compassion, yuck… for Malfoy.
After a deep breath, Ginny carefully made her way toward the cave. She peered in from the entrance to find it empty. No person and no sign of a person.
"Malfoy?" she called, but there was no response. She debated whether or not she should stick around to see if he came back. Finally she decided to leave her parcel at the back of the cave and leave, not wanting to be caught in some conspiracy against herself.
As Ginny picked her way through the trees, though, she decided to pause and watch the mouth of the cave for a few minutes. She sunk to the ground in the long shadow of a tree. She didn't have to wait more than fifteen minutes before she saw the blonde figure sneak into the cave. Ginny stood. She had already stayed longer than she intended, and the sun had little more time in the sky that evening. She knew that tonight she did not want to sleep in a cave. As she turned, though, a movement caught her attention at the mouth of the cave.
Draco Malfoy stood at the cave entrance with a blanket draped over his shoulder and chewed merrily on the chicken she had left. Ginny decided that it was the first time she had ever seen him smile like that, and it was a nice sight. She shook her head and stole back into town.
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It was a wonder that Honeyduke's remained open after all of the mysterious occurrences in the previous weeks. Doors were opening seemingly of their own accord. Things were moving around in the basement. And just last week a customer complained that the box of chocolate frogs they purchased was completely empty. The phenomena were happening with more frequency, but as none of it seemed malevolent, they went on about their business.
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Ginny had made it a point to visit at least every weekend. She went to the cave and deposited some snacks and things for Malfoy. Once she even gave him a package full of chocolate frogs, just for fun. She stopped trying to blame things on the boy, and even had the decency to be ashamed of all of her sneaking around. She wondered what her mother would do to her if she ever found out that her only daughter was sneaking out of the protections of Hogwarts to bring little treats to Draco Malfoy, family enemy number one.
Not that she ever saw Malfoy, of course; he always managed to go into hiding before she got there. One Thursday night she finished her homework early and decided to take him a copy of the potions book he had been working on. He always seemed to be really good at potions and figured it must be terribly boring sleeping in a cave, so it seemed a thoughtful gift.
The thoughtful gift, however, seemed to catch her little friend off guard. As Ginny stepped into the cave that Thursday evening, she could hear leaves rusting and branches snapping as someone quickly ran away. She chuckled and went home, as per usual.
Tonight, though, Ginny planned to stick around a bit longer. She wanted to talk to Malfoy, because Merlin knows she didn't find much companionship at school, and he was probably starved for attention.
As she made her way toward the cave with her extravagant dinner for the evening, Ginny thought, Poor bloke is probably going crazy up here. Talking to mice and such, I bet. Then she grinned down at her dinner. There is no way he will be able to resist coming to talk today.
As she entered the empty cave, she noticed the little pile of his things in the corner had actually grown a bit. Sometime in the last week Malfoy even seemed to have fashioned a couple of chairs. Fancies a bit of company, it seems, she thought. Why else would he have made two?
She kneeled on the ground and spread a blanket, then began to carefully place the steaming products of elvish cooking. The smell was torture, as it had been for the entire trip there, but she made her way to a chair, away from the food, and made herself comfortable.
It was almost an hour before Ginny heard Malfoy approaching. Lucky I put a heating charm on the food or it would be completely cold by now, she thought as she looked expectantly at the entrance.
Malfoy stood at the mouth of the cave bathed in moonlight with his arms crossed and said without any hint of a question, "You didn't leave."
Ginny smiled, "No, otherwise I would not be here."
"Why? What makes you…" but he trailed off as he seemed to notice the feast for the first time. At that moment Ginny's stomach rumbled particularly loudly.
"Will you get in here already? I am starved, and it would have been rude to start without you."
Draco dropped his arms and looked from her to the food and then around outside the cave. Seemingly satisfied that he was not being set up, he entered and sat cross-legged in front of the food.
"Pardon my tardiness," he said as he grabbed a plate and piled it high.
Ginny smiled and quickly joined him on the blanketed ground. "Pumpkin juice?" she asked motioning toward his empty glass.
"Yes, thank you."
Ginny tried to stifle a smile as she poured the juice for him. Just as she set the pitcher down, however, her smile dropped as she heard him say, "So you finally learned that blood traitors are as lowly as house elves, have you?"
Ginny's eyes narrowed and her head shot up to look at him. How dare he! After all I have done for him! He sits there and insults me, and… laughs at me?
"You were mad," Malfoy said through a smile as he carefully dabbed his napkin at the corners of his mouth.
"Well, of course I was mad. Am mad," she spluttered. "What is going on? Did you just try to make a joke?"
"I'm pretty sure I just did, but it may not have been received as I thought it would. No maybe it was. I don't know. I'll try harder next time."
Ginny stared blankly at the blonde as he made a show of carefully slicing his beef into small pieces and elegantly put one into his mouth. He raised his eyes to her and cocked an eyebrow. Then her stomach rumbled again, and he laughed.
"You should eat soon before your stomach starts digesting itself."
Ginny shook her head. "What?"
"Can't you do that yourself? I would offer to unbind you so that I don't have to feed you myself, but your hands are not bound. I'm afraid unbinding you would be of no service at all."
Again Malfoy elegantly raised a small forkful of food and chewed. His pristine dinner manners were in high contrast to the abominable state of his attire. Another particularly loud rumble from Ginny's stomach seemed to break her from her reverie. She looked at him and shook her head again as if to clear the fog from her brain, and then she laughed and picked up a fork.
"I'm not really used to that."
"Joking? Aren't you brothers the masters of jokes?"
"They'll be happy to hear that. I'll be sure and tell them you said so."
Malfoy's eyes widened in shock, and he almost blurted out a plea for her not to tell, then he realized that she was smiling at him in the way that is always meant to portray innocence but gives away mischievousness. "They'd think you were barking. Maybe you are."
"Indeed, maybe I am," she replied. His table, or in this case cave floor, etiquette was fascinating. I suppose it is a product of all of those dinner parties of the elite. She commented, "I'm surprised that after so long eating whatever rubbish I bring you, that you aren't just stuffing your face with all of this food. You are so… proper."
"You brought a feast, and I thought I should behave accordingly, rocky floor or not. I suppose after supper you will entertain me with a song at the pianoforte? No, no I suppose not," he looked around, "it doesn't seem you've brought one along, and my humble abode does not sport one yet. I'll be sure to have one for your next visit."
Ginny cracked a huge grin, "You do realize that I am Ginny Weasley, and we are in a cave right? You haven't gone mental with all of this alone time sleeping in the woods?"
"Would you rather I was rude to the person who has helped me out for over a month now? The only one who isn't trying to get at me for some reason or another? Unless of course you heard about my reputation with the ladies, in which case I regret to inform you that I am on a path of redemption."
Ginny shot pumpkin juice out of her nose and onto Malfoy's already soiled jumper before she dissolved into an awful cacophony of laughter and choking coughs.
"Now look what you've done. You've spoiled my best jumper!" he said through a face she supposed should look menacing, but the traces of a smile around his mouth ruined the effect.
"Malfoy," she said once she had calmed herself, "you are one of a kind."
His grin quickly dissolved. "Call me Draco. It's my name."
Ginny face softened. "Draco it is. And what lovely company you have been this evening, Draco. I thank you for not murdering me for my imprudence at planning and inviting myself to a dinner party in your lovely home."
Draco chuckled and said, "Not in the slightest, madam, you are welcome to intrude as often as you like."
"Am I?" Ginny asked, though the playfulness in her voice has diminished.
Draco paused then replied, "I don't think you are going to turn me in. Perhaps I would be a more gracious client if I didn't disappear so often when you arrived."
"Perhaps I would like that."
"Then it is done."
The two looked at each other for a few moments before Ginny dropped her gaze to the floor. "Do you get very lonely out here?"
"I always was a bit of a loner. I don't suppose this is much different. Minus the cave and such, of course."
"I would be completely mental by now. Not that I am dependent upon other people for my happiness, of course; I just don't like spending that much time alone. Blame it on being the youngest of a large family."
"Sometimes I envy you."
Ginny was shocked. "You envy me? You, Draco Malfoy, envy a Weasley. Now that is hard to believe."
Draco's expression hardened a bit. "I would think you of all people could look past my name right now. I am obviously not living as a Malfoy. People change."
"I'm sorry. I'm so used to you throwing that at me that I seemed to forget how long it has been since you actually did."
Draco nodded. "I'm sorry I did it."
"I've changed too, you know."
"Have you?" he asked curiously.
"Yes. I realized that I have been a tag-along for most of my life, and that kind of sucks. I realized that I am completely useless in the war, and that also sucks. I also realized that I have behaved like a complete dolt most of the year in my attempts to feign ignorance about what is going on around me, so that… sucks," she finished lamely.
"And what spurred this little path to self-discovery?"
"You, actually. I found you in this cave and stunned you- poor manners, good sir, I apologize for stunning you in your own home." Ginny grinned and Draco nodded smiling. "And then I spent about a week blaming you for all of the world problems short of famine in Africa- I mean I didn't think you were that evil- before I realized that I was just trying to keep myself from feeling anything. Especially about you."
"Especially about me?"
"I didn't know whether I should be angry at you or sad for you or happy that I could send you to Azkaban, which I never really considered," she added seeing the expression on his face.
"Thanks for that… I think."
"Anyway, I tried to be numb, but you just can't do that, you know. You just have to be happy or sad or angry, and just let it be."
"I thought Gryffindors wore their hearts on their sleeves?"
"Ahh, but I am cleverer than the average Gryffindor. In fact, you may be surprised to know that the sorting hat considered putting me in Slytherin."
"It did what!" Draco burst out.
"Whoa. Yeah, but I knew that would be social suicide, so I told him to put me in with the cool kids." As an afterthought she added, "Plus my brothers would have killed me."
The young witch and wizard bantered on and on all night until the first rays of sun started creeping over the horizon.
"I think it is about that time," Ginny noted with a sigh as she stood and stretched.
"Right."
Draco walked Ginny to the front of the cave. She nodded toward him in goodbye and stepped away but he grabbed her arm.
"Ginny, wait. Thanks for the food. And thanks for the company."
"You are very welcome. Maybe next weekend we'll have another little feast? I'll invite myself over?"
Draco smiled. "I would like that."
"Until then," she said.
"Until then."
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AN: So there you go. Part two. There will be at least one more. I am not a huge fan of having things in even numbers- blame it on my art history training- so it will either be 3 or 5 chapters depending on how the next one goes. This would definitely have been one wildly long oneshot. Please review!