That was a mistake, because she began her rant. "They are- without a doubt- the rudest, most closed-minded, arrogant, stuck up, selfish, nosiest prats that I have ever had the misfortune of meeting!"
Draco laughed and shifted a bit to give her more room, because at present she was sitting on his leg and it was starting to hurt. Ginny nestled down into the covers and sighed loudly and irritatedly.
"What happened?" he asked. He cared more about the fact that she was so close to him when all he was wearing was a pair of boxers than what the oh-so-suave Dream Team had to say, but he pretended for her sake, especially since she hadn't seemed to have noticed his lack of clothing in the darkness of the room.
"Well naturally it was interrogation city the moment I got back. They were waiting for me! What am I five-years-old? Do I need my brother to hold my hand when I cross the street? Honestly. So the minute I get in, it is like this third degree- what's going on between you two?" She paused, Like I could even answer that question. What is going on between us? Are we friends? Does the kiss mean that we are more than friends? Anyway. "Where have you been? What is his mother's cousin's dog's ex-wife's name? I think I saw her on America's Most Wanted!"
"On what?"
"Just a Muggle thing my Dad watches. Anyway. You get the idea. They think that you are lying to me. That you are using me as some sort of- I don't know- sex toy." She blushed over the end of the sentence and was very grateful that he could not see her.
Draco choked in surprise. "Well that is a bit off the mark, isn't it?"
"Indeed." She harrumphed and Draco laughed.
"So you came to me to get out all of your anger? I must be pretty special," he teased.
"You are my best friend. Where else would I go?" It was now Draco's turn to blush, and he too was grateful for the lack of light.
"Right."
A few awkward moments passed, before Ginny cleared her throat and said, "Unless it would be better if I just went?" and made to move off the bed.
"No, you are fine. Come here," and he pulled her to his chest where he hugged her, having completely forgotten his lack of proper attire. "I can't send you out into the castle like this. You'll find Filch and hex him until he can't stand straight, then they'll expel you, and I'll be left here all alone."
She tried to touch as little of him as possible. Oh Merlin, oh Merlin. He is not wearing a shirt! What on earth have I done! I burst into his room in the middle of the night, woke him up, and then jumped into his bed where he is half naked! Oh Merlin, I hope is only half-naked. He must think me some kind of hussy. This is humiliating.
"Speaking of hexing people," she said finally, "I think Harry may spend the next week- or three- in the hospital wing trying to recover from everything I set at him. He said that they cared about me more than you do," she added in explanation.
Draco shot straight up, "Like hell they do!" he shouted. Then realizing with what enthusiasm he had just proclaimed his care for Ginny, he calmed and relaxed into the bed, pulling her toward him again. She lost her balance and braced her hand against his chest to keet from falling on top of him. Draco was suddenly very aware of his lack of clothing and let go of her quickly.
"Oh, um. Sorry." Ginny could practically hear the blood rushing into his face. He is the most adorable guy I have ever met! She made a bold move and snuggled up to him. I guess we are about to find out if he likes me as more than a friend, she thought.
Draco's breath caught in his throat as he felt her move closer and nuzzle up against his chest. His eyes widened, and he had absolutely no idea what to do. He normally prided himself on his ability with the ladies, but right now it was completely and utterly failing him. He sensed how tight his whole body had become and tried to relax into his bed. He tried to find a comfortable place to put the arm that was under her neck, but the only place was around her waist. His heart was racing, and he was sure that she was going to laugh at him at any moment.
It was quite the opposite, though, not five minutes had passed and her breathing slowed and deepened as she fell asleep. He thought how completely awkward, and yet amazing, it was to have her sleeping in his arms in his bed, and finally drifted off to sleep as well.
He woke up earlier than usual the next morning and was a bit disoriented. Before he opened his eyes he tried to figure out what was pinning down his arm and he found a handful of hair. He opened his eyes; shining red hair had assaulted him. Then he saw her small face buried beneath all the hair and brushed it out of the way so that he could see her better. At his touch, she made a noise and rubbed her face into his bare chest. He tried to restrain a chuckle, but it tickled, and the shaking of his chest woke her.
"Oh Merlin. I am so sorry, Draco. What have I done? You must think me a fool. I'm sorry," she repeated trying to disentangle her legs from his and the blankets.
"You are fine, Ginny. I didn't mind. You needed refuge and you came to me. I'm flattered really. If I had been wearing clothes it would have been a little less awkward," he smirked at her.
Oh Merlin, he is naked. Ginny blanched and averted her eyes while trying to remove herself from the bed.
Draco must have realized what he had said, because he quickly added, "I am wearing boxers. I'm not completely-." It was now Draco's turn to avert his eyes as his face turned so gloriously red that Ginny thought she had never seen a tomato so bright. Something about the two of them waking up together and talking about being- without clothes- was very awkward indeed.
"Right. Well, I should go. Get some clothes. To change I mean." She backed awkwardly out of the room stammering over her words and running into the doorframe.
As soon as he was out of her sight, she ran for it. She ran all the way to Gryffindor tower and jumped over the figure of her brother that was sleeping on the floor at the foot of her stairs. No doubt he had been waiting up for her. She laughed out loud at the thought of how angry he would be when he woke up.
She went straight for a shower to refresh herself. Maybe I can wash away all of this humiliation.
When she got out of the bathroom, she found Hermione sitting at the foot of her bed waiting for her. "Not now, Hermione."
"Ginny, I just want to know what is going on. Did you go back to him last night?"
"Yes, Hermione, I went back to the sex god who is using me to address his fantasies. I slept with him all night and he was completely stark naked." Almost, she thought to herself. By now she was a little more amused by the situation, and the look on Hermione's face added to her growing urge to laugh. So she did. She laughed so hard that she fell to the ground and stayed there for a few minutes before trying to regain her composure.
"Ginny?" she finally heard a timid, concerned voice break through her laughter, which stopped immediately.
"Hermione, do you think I am a nutter?"
"No."
"Do you think I am an idiot?"
"No."
"Am I capable of taking care of myself?"
"Well, I mean-"
Ginny cleared her throat and asked louder, "I repeat, am I capable of taking care of myself?"
"Yes."
"Then you should trust me. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what you think about him or me. Especially after you all just left me like you did. You have no right to critique my choices," and with that, she grabbed her book bag and made her way to the Great Hall, again stepping over Ron's prone figure.
To say that the next few days between Draco and Ginny were awkward would be an understatement. As would it be to say that Ron was a tad angry about her being out all night. She and Draco avoided any topic of conversation that would lead to a discussion about that night, as well as any discussion of the kiss. Neither knew how the other felt, and neither felt the need to endanger their friendship by bringing it up.
Such avoidance often ended up with strange looks from outsiders such as when Luna asked Ginny if it was true that she had attacked Harry and forced him to grow antlers and wear a magenta sweater, among other maladies including a long, green beard. Ginny had avoided discussion because that night ended in Draco's bed by muttering something about prancing hippogriffs in the field that she had to tame and teach to tango.
When Harry finally reemerged from the hospital wing almost two weeks later, there was an unspoken agreement between the groups. Neither would acknowledge the others' existence unless absolutely necessary. This ended up in situations such as Ron needing the powdered root of asphodel that Draco and Ginny were using, so he politely asked Professor Slughorn to pass him the powdered root of asphodel on the empty table at the front. Slughorn was so confused that he looked stupidly around for an empty table until Draco handed it to him to give to Ron.
Indeed this unspoken avoidance of the others was so great that when Hermione appeared at the picnic that Draco and Ginny had arranged for the first day of spring under their tree, that they were caught quite off-guard and without any witty banter.
She got straight to the point. "I expect you have an idea of what we were doing all last semester." Draco looked at her as if she was mental, which he quite suspected she was after coming to inquire about that of all things after a prolonged avoidance. Ginny nodded curtly but curiously. "Right. Well, we finished that part of what we had to do. All that is left is You-Know- oh alright, Voldemort. Harry found out that he is planning something big. We don't know what it will be or when it is going to happen, but the time is drawing closer. I want you to be prepared. Think about your part in the final battle. I hope that you will stay away from it, but I think I know you better than that. Just think about it, and prepare yourself. It could be next month or next week. Hopefully we will have enough time to prepare."
Ginny could see that Hermione was visibly shaking and trying very hard to hold her calm. She figured that in the face of such an event, a childish argument should not prevent her reply. "Thank you, Hermione." Hermione nodded and turned back to the castle wringing her hands.
"Well I could have told you that with this bloody thing getting darker everyday," Draco said sarcastically motioning to his arm.
"She was trying to be nice, Draco. I think that was her way of apologizing."
"Or warning you that I might go running back to the Dark Lord any day now. Then smite you on the battlefield."
Ginny looked at him in horror, "First of all don't call him that, and second of all, don't say that. You know as well as I that it is a load of tosh, so don't even joke about it."
Taking in her serious expression, he said, "Sorry, but somehow I think that their concern lies only in you. I am the bad guy, remember?"
"Draco, stop it," she said firmly, "What is this really about? Certainly not about what they think of you. I know you don't care about that."
He looked down and mumbled something at the ground.
"Speak up, Draco."
"You're not going out there. You are not going to fight."
"I'm not, am I?" she asked, fury in her eyes. "And why, pray tell is that? Am I too weak? Am I so incapable of caring for myself?"
He tried to cut her off but she continued on her rant until his half shouted, "Ginevra!" She looked at him blankly. "I do not think that, and you know it. I care about you, and I think it is a ruddy waste of a beautiful girl to run out and fight with bloody Saint Potter against- Voldemort." He faltered at the end, but otherwise did beautifully. He thinks I am beautiful? Ginny asked herself.
"Well what are you planning on doing? You can't very well run about in the middle of a battle while I stay behind with the poor women and children."
He made to contest, but she gave him a look that did not harbor any room for negotiation. "If keeping myself away from the battle is what it will take to keep you away, then I'll stay with you."
Ginny's eyes widened. She had hardly had to fight him for it. Usually there is a battle of wills and strength and teeth before someone agrees with something like that with her. She looked at him wide-eyed, and he couldn't help but notice that when she was surprised she looked so jaw-dropping amazing that he wished he could do it every moment of the day for the rest of his life.
"However, I will not just sit aside knitting sweaters for the battle heroes. I have to do something useful."
"We could stay with the injured. They could send the injured to us. And we could heal them."
Draco stopped and stared at her. "Ginny, that is amazing. You are amazing! I'll do that. You'll be out of harm's way, and we'll finally get to use all of that training on a useful cause." He was grinning ear to ear, and Ginny couldn't help but follow suit. His smile was infectious. And just think, she thought, this time last year I had no idea that he could smile. And he would think that healing the likes of Potter and the good guys was an awful idea.
"On the down side of this whole situation though, this whole battle could happen any time. How will we know when it is going to happen?" Ginny asked
"Well, before anything happens, he'll have to call in the troops," he said sarcastically nodding toward his arm.
At that moment, Draco's face screwed up in pain, and he grabbed his arm.
"Draco? Draco what is wrong? Is he- Oh Merlin, is he calling you?" Draco didn't answer. He had buried his face into his shoulder trying to block out the pain and trying not to let Ginny see how weak he felt.
She rushed to his side and wrapped her arms around him. "Hold my hands. Squeeze my hand, it'll help." He looked up at her, his eyes bloodshot, and she cried out. "Just take my hands, Draco!" He did, and she drew herself up at close as she could to him and tried to make soothing noises for him as he slowly crushed her hands in his.