Chapter Twelve: Beginning
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"To what do I owe the pleasure for you paying us a visit, Potter?" Draco smirked. "Would you like a cup of tea? Oh sorry, we don't seem to have any, so why don't you just run along."
"I'll run along, as you so eloquently put it, when I know why you are out here with Ginny," Harry said, crossing his arms while moving closer to Draco to try to intimidate him.
"I'll answer that when you tell me why in Merlin's name are you are out here with Pansy." Draco laughed as he heard Pansy squeak from behind Harry. "Yes, Pansy, I can see you. No, hiding behind Potter was not a good idea. If you haven't noticed, it's a full moon. It sort of ruins your hiding attempt."
"Dammit, Draco." Pansy walked out from behind Harry. "Hi, Weasley." Pansy turned towards the youngest Weasley who was currently frozen in her current position on the ground, wondering exactly how she was going to get out of this mess.
"Erm, Hello, Parkinson," Ginny said in the nicest voice she could muster up for Pansy.
"So, Weasley, now that we've passed the greeting stage, mind telling me why you're out here with Draco?" Pansy asked.
"Same reason you're out here with Harry," Ginny simply stated hoping it'd be enough to please both Pansy (not that she really cared about her) and Draco.
"You have got to be kidding me. Right, Draco? Please tell me this little Weasley's been sniffing a bit too many potions tonight and she's just delusional. " Pansy saw the look on Draco's face that clearly stated the Weasley was in her right mind. "Let me rephrase that. If you don't give me that answer you won't be walking correctly for a couple of days."
"Oh, that's rich. You're the one coming out here to snog Potter! You got some nerve saying anything to me."
"It's totally different!" Pansy exclaimed.
"How?" asked Draco.
"It just is!"
"That's your response? 'It just is'. I expected something al little deeper than that from you, Pansy."
"Well, sorry. I'm sort of focusing on how the hell Draco Malfoy could be dating a Weasley."
"Dear lord, Pansy, aren't you over that yet? We've already established we're both dating Gryffindors. Now why don't you two love birds," Draco pointed to Harry and Pansy, "move along somewhere far away from Ginny and I."
"Fine, I guess, if you're happy, Ginny, I can't really say anything since I'm with Pansy, but I do hope you know what you're doing." With that Harry walked off with Pansy.
Ginny wondered if she really did know what she was doing. She had no plan on what would happen next, or what could happen next. All she knew was that she was happy, and that was enough for now.
-
Ginny later realized that happiness could not save her from her brother's wrath when he found out whom exactly Ginny was sleepless nights with. She could tell this by the way Ron went on about how Snape favored that 'disgusting little ferret' in Potions. Or how if there was a chance to bad mouth Draco he would.
Ginny knew she couldn't really blame Ron. Draco Malfoy hadn't exactly been the nicest person to Ron, or her entire family, over the school years. In fact, he had been downright horrible. Sometimes she wondered just why exactly she was dating him. There was no logical reason except that they just worked together. They kept each other sane.
All Ginny could hope for was that Ron would somehow understand that.
"That little Death Eater wannabe! I swear, sooner or later he's going to get it." Ron fumed as he walked into the Gryffindor common room.
Ginny lifted her head, which had been resting on the side of the sofa. "What happened?" Ginny had hoped Draco hadn't done something stupid that'd make it even harder for her to tell.
"Malfoy happened. I was just walking down the hall and him and Parkinson, I swear I don't know how Harry can stand her, started laughing as a I walked by them. All I was going was walking!"
"Oh." Ginny had a good idea why Draco and Pansy had been laughing. They had been thinking about how Ron would react when he found out, not only his best friend, but his little sister was dating a Slytherin. "How mean. Since when did Dra- Malfoy turn from a Death Eater do just a wannabe?"
"Since I realized there's no way in hell he could last as one of them," Ron replied.
Ginny couldn't help but admit that Ron was partially right.
It was getting closer and closer to the night of the Goodbye Ball which meant many frantic students running around cursing and screaming about how they had nothing to wear or they still couldn't find a date. Ginny, luckily, wasn't one of these students. She already had her dress and her date. Both of which she hoped people would like, or at least tolerate.
During these past few weeks that weren't spent running around in search for a dress or a date Ginny had been spending more and more time with Pansy. She had figured if Draco and Harry could tolerate her, why couldn't Ginny try?
At first Pansy was a bit—well, more than a bit cold to Ginny. She wasn't exactly used to being around Weasleys; more precisely, being around Weasleys and having to be nice or at least civil them. Pansy was worried about what she was turning into. First she dates The Boy Who Lived and now she's associating with Weasleys? Well, Draco was doing it too so it couldn't be that bad, right? Pansy was drawing the line at calling Ginny a friend, though. She was just a person whom she talked to a lot and went dress shopping with. That was all.
-
"The world as we know it is ending," Ron commented as he looked at Pansy and Ginny enter a clothing store in Hogsmeade together.
Ron and Hermione were sitting at a nearby restaurant during one of the Hogsmeade visits. They were talking about how different it was going to be next year after they left Hogwarts before Ron noticed Ginny and Pansy.
"Ron, we should be happy people from other houses are starting to get together and become friends."
"Yeah, people, not my sister," Ron said. "You can't blame me for not wanting Parkinson near my sister."
"Pansy," Hermione said slowly, trying to get used to calling her that, "is also Harry's girlfriend, you're going to have to learn to tolerate her whether you like it or not."
"I'll try, but I'm not promising anything," Ron mumbled.
"Okay, but you have to realize the Hogwarts houses will mean nothing when we leave Hogwarts, they'll just be small characteristics of the each person. It won't define us."
"Yes, it will. Hermione, houses mean a lot more than you know."
"Fine, what house was Madam Rosmerta in?" Hermione noticed Ron's blank stare and smiled. "Professor Vector? You don't know that either. How about Hagrid?"
"Whatever. Just because I don't know their houses doesn't mean they mean nothing. The Death Eaters still come from Slytherin."
"Not all of them, there some from Ravenclaw and even a Hufflepuff or two."
"You know this for a fact?" questioned Ron.
"Ron, you know how much time I spend in the library. Don't doubt me." Hermione smiled.
"The world as we know it is still ending."
"And that, Ron, is a good thing."
In the clothing store Ginny was also thinking the same thing. The world, or more precisely, Ginny's world had changed so much since the beginning of the year. For at least, what she thought was the better. Not only had she made friends and was dating a Slytherin, but she understood things more. Ginny didn't just condemn Slytherins as Death Eaters or even just Death Eaters themselves. She knew things ran deeper than just what people saw.
After shopping, Ginny and Pansy stopped to get some ice cream. Inside they met up with Harry and Draco. They could both tell neither of the wizards were all that happy with having to sit anywhere near each other. Both of them were still having a hard time grasping the other was dating one of their friends. Pansy and Ginny laughed at how hypocritical they were.
"The ball is tomorrow, have you found out what you're wearing yet?" Ginny asked Draco.
"I'm Draco Malfoy, of course I know what I'm wearing."
Harry snorted.
"Well, have you?" Pansy asked Harry.
Harry mimicked Draco. "Of course I have, I'm Harry Potter!"
"In other words, be very afraid, Pansy," Draco said.
Harry snorted. "Have you two picked out an outfit?"
"Harry! I told you two weeks ago I found something. Learn to listen," Pansy scolded.
"Then why were you buying clothes?" asked Draco.
"You two are idiots," Pansy stated. "We wanted some summer clothes. Plus I was wondering if my dress would look better in red…"
"So you and Ginny are friends now?" asked Harry, looking at how closely the two girls acted like they enjoyed each other's company.
"Um, well," Ginny started.
"I don't know if I'd consider us friends," Pansy said, not looking like she meant it.
Ginny laughed. "It's confusing."
"Are you and Draco friends?" Ginny asked Harry.
"Ginny, are you trying to traumatize me for life? The day Potter and I become friends is the day you'll see The Dark Lord run around in a tutu," Draco explained. "I don't know about you two, but that's the last thing I'd ever want to see. Well, besides Potter running around in one. That might scar me for life."
-
It was finally the night of the ball. Ginny tried not to fuss about getting ready too much, but she did want to look good, especially since this would be one of the last nights she'd ever see Draco as a student again. After that he would be out of Hogwarts for good and she'd be a seventh year hurrying to get out of there and make her way into the world while also cherishing her last year in the magical castle where most of her memories were made.
While getting ready, Ginny mused over all her luck she had this year. She thanked herself for not being able to sleep that one night. Without that she and Draco would never have really met each other for real, instead of just Weasley and Malfoy.
In the sixth year boys' dormitory Ron and Harry were also getting ready for the ball.
"Ginny never told us who she was going with, did she?" Ron asked.
"Um, no, mate." Harry tried not to laugh while saying this. Ron was his best friend and is was sort of horrible of him to know Ron was going to be in for a shock of his lifetime, but he couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
"I guess I'll find out soon enough."
Harry silently thanked himself for telling Ron before that he was dating Pansy. The last thing he needed was two heart attacks in one night.
Over in the Slytherin dormitories Pansy and Draco were sitting, well, Draco was sitting; Pansy didn't want to wrinkle her dress. They had both finished getting ready only moments before.
"This is it," Pansy said.
"Yeah." Draco got up and followed her out of the common room. Pansy was going to meet Harry with Ron and Hermione, while Draco was going with Ginny to make an entrance later.
Draco hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake. Being seen with Ginny would mean the end of him as a Death Eater, but that's not what he wanted to be anyways. He was now of age and Lucius couldn't stop him. Draco knew when he walks into in the Great Hall with Ginny it'll be the end of everything he knew and he'll finally have control over his future.
-
The ball had started and almost everyone who was going had arrived, minus the fashionably late people and Ginny and Draco. Though, Draco probably wouldn't mind being in the fashionably late category. Ginny and Draco were standing together right in front of the doors to the Great Hall. They were holding hands, both as scared as the other. They quickly kissed and were ready to walk through the doors and make history.
Ginny took a big breath and started walking forward, leading Draco through the doors. For some reason, she felt as if this was it. This was the turning point in her life. Ginny really had no idea where it (or even what it was) would go from here. The only thing Ginny did know was this wasn't the ending, this just the beginning.
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The little girl stared at the television screen, waiting for the movie to start. Her mother told her countless times that it was over, but she couldn't understand. It was only the beginning.
The End
I really can't believe it's over.Wow, I actually finished something. Anywho, it's been so long I doubt anyone remembers but I changed A LOT of stuff in the previous chapters so if anything is confusing in this one it's because I changed things like the date of the ball (to the end of the year) and the timing of stuff. I'm really sorry for that but I like it better this way. Also huge thanks to everyone who reviewed this!
