A/N: Oops, sorry! I discovered a really stupid mistake in the chapter after I'd posted it, but it's nothing major, so if you've already read the chapter, don't bother to do it again (unless you want to).
ooOoo
9. No need for a remedy
I am confused. I had strange dreams all night through, and feel rather groggy and uncomfortable. Maybe it's Draco's cloak, I forgot to give it back to him and because I was so cold in the night I used it as and under-blanket. I have mentioned before that his smell gets to my head and I can hardly stand it, but since it was faint already (I'd been wearing it ever since he wrapped it around me in the afternoon) I thought I should be fine. Oh, I wish my family was a bit richer so we could afford cloaks like this. Or at least one blanket from the same fabric, to share. I think I'm the only person amongst us Weasleys who doesn't like winter, anyway, and feels cold all the time. So yeah; I wish I had a blanket like my Tail's cloak.
When I descended the stairs to the common room in the morning, I found him spread out on the floor, just like in good ol'times! For some reason, I felt better at the sight, and my grogginess disappeared. Maybe I'm cruel at heart and like to see him sleep on the cold floor. I think I am. So since I was happy again I didn't tread on him, but woke him up rather so we could go for breakfast. I even waited for him while he took a shower and changed in the 7th year boy's dormitory.
Outside, the weather is gloomy. It's going to start snowing soon, I can just feel it. But I need not be afraid of the bad weather: when I returned his wonderful coat to him, he said he'd be happy to give it to me any time I wanted it or felt chilly.
I had a nice, long chat with Harry while eating our breakfasts; he told me all about his date with Fred. They really seem to like each other a lot, and I couldn't help but grin broadly at Harry's blush when he asked me not to tell any of my other family what I had caught them at (yet he didn't seem to mind that Draco overheard our conversation). And then he slobbered over how wonderfully funny and respectful, careful and loving Fred is, and again I couldn't help but smile. Draco next to me chuckled into his porridge (how can he even eat that stuff, it's disgusting!) and had to leave at some point, because he couldn't stifle his amusement any longer and I sent him warning glares not to hurt Harry by ridiculing his love for my brother. After he had gone, Harry suddenly went all serious on me and asked:
'Ginny, are you still mad at me?'
I simply said: 'No.' because I'm not anymore. I might still love him (a little bit) but I can neither be jealous of my brother nor of both their happiness. I have to live with the fact that Harry, my one-true-love, will never be mine.
'I have- well, Hermione has found out what Voldemort did to me before I destroyed him. And why.' is what he said next.
I know that him, Ron and Hermione had been trying to figure that out ever since we realised that Harry didn't physically 'respond' to me (or girls in general) anymore, while he was still madly in love with me. I guess Hermione did most of the research; anyways, turns out that Voldemort, the stupid plonker, had put two and two together, but in his calculations, it equaled five. He realised that the one thing that made Harry's power greater than his, the one thing he could never understand, was love. Being the idiot (in terms of love) he was he only thought of physical attraction, for he simply could not understand the heart's matters. So he cast a spell on Harry that destroyed his (physical) attraction to women therefore leaving him gay. Since Voldemort was quite an old conservative, he must have been one of those denying the existence of homosexuality, which left this option open to Harry.
That's interesting, especially from my new, indifferent point of view. Harry also told me that to this day, a remedy has not been found, but Hermione is working on it. I asked him what that meant; because I would totally kick his cute tushie if he ever broke Fred's heart! I know that my brother is madly in love with Harry, just as much as I was in love with him for the better part of my life (well, almost) and I would never let Fred go through what I had to go through.
Harry bit his lower lip rather sheepishly and said, 'It wouldn't mean anything really, for I do love Fred very much.'
I was relieved to hear that! So I told him, why bother to find a remedy for something he does not want to be remedied?
I still have to find out what Mr. Malfoy does in the Room of Requirement!
Also, I apologized to Hermione. For hexing her when she told him the password to the Gryffindor common room. After all, she's been working hard on finding the reason and a cure for Harry's sudden change of preferences (even though now it is not needed anymore – as I mentioned before, I don't wish to see my own brother unhappy, and I guess Harry has moved on and is really in love with him, so it wouldn't change anything, no matter what); so I guess I really owed her that, didn't I?
She said it was alright, she kind of likes the new hairstyle; some of the (sillier) girls in school have even shaved off their hair on purpose because they thought Hermione looked fashionable.
Yesterday in Hogsmeade I saw a nice pair of Quidditch gloves in sparkling green. If Randy hadn't literally dragged me to Madam Pudifoot's and if the wind afterwards hadn't been so icy, I'd have stopped to find out their price. I still need a Christmas present for Draco and I thought he would like them. They're Slytherin colour, after all; also they'd look good on his graceful hands. I'll just ask Fred and George to inquire how much they cost, maybe I can afford them. Mum and dad have raised my monthly allowance a little ever since dad had gotten a better-paid position at the Ministry, but still we're not really well off.
ooOoo
I have finished all my homework; Draco is still busy so I decided to get us some hot chocolate from the kitchen. On my way there my genius struck me once more: I found a way to uncover his secret in the secret room. Yes!
But it will take at least until tomorrow to make my plan work.
ooOoo
Before I went to sleep, Malfoy held me back and demanded what was his. Meaning, he wanted his kiss, I had already forgotten. God, I was embarrassed when he led me out of the portrait hole (with the entire Gryffindor house staring after us, too) and into one of the secret passageways. I don't even know why we had to go there; it was just going to be a tiny kiss, wasn't it?
And it was, but he pulled me in tight nevertheless, wrapping his long arms around my body, and before he touched my lips with his, he looked into my eyes for what seemed to be an eternity. At some point in history he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine very softly. I'm telling you, I kept my mouth shut tight, just in case!
If I ever find out that you are telling these things to other people, Doctor, I swear right here and now I will cut your balls off and glue them to your forehead! (No 'irony', got that!)
ooOoo
It's Monday, I will put my ingenious plan into action.
In the morning my mood was better than it had been in a while, what with getting rid of all the annoying nerds that were tailing me insufferably, and a good night's sleep in Draco's coat, not to mention finding him spread out on the floor again. I've ordered Ruber to make sure he is covered with a blanket and has a pillow to rest his head on, as soon as he falls asleep. Now, don't you give me that look again when you read this, Doctor! I've heard it a million times, and it's still as unlikely as pigs starting to fly: I do not love Draco Malfoy, I'm simply glad that he's at my side again, is all. And hello? Would you let him lie on the ground with winter coming up, no blanket and all? Come on, nobody is that heartl- oh forget the last sentence!
So what, I've changed my mind a little bit! Will you sod off now?
ooOoo
Draco feels a little sick, I can so tell it! He tries not to show it, but I know him better than that. He hasn't played my shadow for nothing those past years. Will send him to Madam Pomfrey to get some Pepper Up Potion at lunch break.
ooOoo
Yep, he's on his way to the Infirmary, and I promised him to bring him lunch so he won't have to survive the afternoon with an empty stomach.
ooOoo
I managed to just miss him in the Hospital Wing, as intended, and then took my time to 'find' him with The Marauders' Map's help. He had gone to Gryffindor tower to drop off some of his books, as he usually does, then waited there for me. So when I finally arrived there, I whined to Draco that I had been worried about him and that I had been looking for him everywhere (all with batting eyelashes, of course) and that it was so hard for me to find him when I couldn't even ask Ruber if he had seen him, because he had forbidden him to tell me. He totally fell for it! Ah, life is bliss…
He called the little house elf immediately and reversed his instructions, so now I don't need a stupid map that won't show me whether he's in the Room of Requirement or just gone off to Hogsmeade (7th years may go every weekend just as they please) but I can simply let Ruber find out and he will tell me once more. Oh yes, I'm just that good.
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In Transfiguration in the afternoon, we had to try and change pigs into owls. I got the hang of it quickly alright; Colin on the other hand did the funniest thing ever (since dad caught Draco last Christmas in the storeroom next to the kitchen, anyway, shuffling humongous chunks of my cheese pie into his mouth so he wouldn't have to share it with the rest of the family): he tried to transfigure his pig but it didn't really work and it ended up merely sprouting a pair of owl's wings and circling around Professor Butler's head for the better part of the lesson, which irritated him a lot. He tried to shoo it away, but it wouldn't leave him alone; it must have fallen in luuurve with him the moment it saw our teacher!
Professor Butler is the new professor for Transfiguration by the way, after McGonagall has officially become headmistress and is too busy with other stuff to still be teaching.
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At night I tried to sneak off without kissing Draco but he called me back just as I had reached the staircase to the girl's dorms.
'Didn't you forget something, love?' he said cheekily. So I walked over to where he was sitting with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville, bend down and placed a kiss square and fair on his parted lips. As I'm writing this, I can still smell his chocolaty breath and see the funny expression in his eyes when I told him to sleep in a bed tonight, else he'll get really sick. When he protested, I even promised I'd wait for him to come into the common room in the morning, just the loving 'girlfriend' I am. It's all part of the show, isn't it!
ooOoo
A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I received TEN for one single chapter, something that has never happened in my history as a fanfiction author and publisher, before!
Thank you guys so much, to all my readers, reviewers and those who put me or my story on their alerts and/ or favourites lists!
