Author's Note: Warning: Sad chapter that will lead to Draco/Ginny astray for now…


Nemo Autem Mei Amor
Chapter Seven


Her eyes had widened from surprised as she watched him turn his head away slightly as if he was annoyed or--

A giggled escaped her and he looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

--He looked as if he was shy or even…nervous. "A yes or no would be fine, you know," he said, turning his head to look at the person who walked into the Great Hall. The person brightened seeing Ginny and gave a small wave before making their way to Hufflepuff table.

"Sorry," Ginny said, turning her head back to him, "What was the question again?"

His eyes narrowed forward slightly before he let out a quick breath and repeated: "Would you join me for breakfast?" She clasped her hand over her mouth as she tried to hide a growing smile. He rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm, leading her to Slytherin table. "Obviously you enjoy my torment," he snapped over his shoulder, which made her laugh quietly.

"You have no idea," she said, as he made room for them at the end of the table. "Honestly, how would you feel if someone you…let's say 'known' as your enemy, was pushed toward you because-- quiet frankly --you'd die---"

"Much as this is interesting," he said, placing some bacon onto his plate and offering some to her, "It's just a repeat of our…arrangement, isn't it?"

"--Well, yes but you haven't let me finished," she argued, before shaking her head to his offer on eggs, "What was the last thing I said? Right, dying, well let's say this were to happen and during this time you always thought this…person was rather cold and lacking of feeling or heart---"

"Orange juice, it'll be good for your cold," he said, motioning a hand to the orange juice before placing a piece of beacon in his mouth quickly, "and I don't find myself lacking heart, as you say, merely just--"

"Focus!" Ginny snapped, shaking her head to the orange juice, "Malfoy…I think that…" she trailed off, her eyebrows inching forward as she bit her lip before sighing and glaring at him, "I forgot."

"Good," he said, flashing a smile, "now eat."

"You can't tell me what to do," she said huffily, her cheeks reddening slightly as she caught a dark look from Parkinson.

He gave a small shrug and took a sip from his cup before continuing to eat again. "Well, you're bound to eat aren't you? So, I'm not quite telling you to eat I'm--"

"Oh shut up," Ginny said, tucking her hair behind her ear and taking an apple. Biting into it, barely even chewing the first bite, she said: "happy?" before lifting her free hand to stop the juice from falling down her cheeks.

"Freckles," Malfoy said, in an agitated and awfully high voice that caused Ginny to laugh. Taking the napkin that he gave her she met his eye, smiling, and blushed under the wink he threw her before continuing to eat her apple. As she did so, she let her free hand drop to her lap and leaned slightly onto the table so that the arm holding the apple was leaning against it. Chewing into the apple again she smiled at the young boy before her, who looked away and looked back again. As she gave a small wave to the first or second year she felt a lump fall into the hand that was in her lap and looked down--

Another flush crawled up her face, and she looked up at Malfoy who continued conversing with a sour looking forth year who apparently was arguing with him about the government. She looked back down to the lap and felt his hand grip tighter to hers. Heart beating madly, she looked back up and smiled at the boy again, feeling happier when he gave a smirk back. As she introduced herself to the boy, she gripped back.

Writing down the homework she was given by Snape in her most useful gift from Hermione, she quickly closed the book and stuffed it into her bag. Placing the backpack onto her shoulder she walked quickly to the front, passing Snape who was sitting himself at his desk, and nearly out the door. She paused, hand gripping the door. Swallowing she turned back around and had expected to face her potions professor but instead she was in back in the Chamber.

Taking a deep breath, her bag dropped beside her in a loud cluck and she vaguely thought of ink bottles that had probably broken and her notes that were probably strained--

"Ms. Weasley, are you alright?"

That voice it's---

"Tom," she whispered, her breath catching at the transparent image before her. Closing her eyes she whimpered and felt her back press against the cold hard wall of the Chamber. "Please…don't hurt him," she begged. Harry, she thought, he said he was going to hurt Harry. "T- take me instead."

"Ms-" he said, reaching toward her shoulder.

"No!" She shouted, withering away from the hand, "no, please…n- no…"

The next thing she knew, she felt that déjà vu of someone hitting her in the head once again before passing out.

"Ron!" Harry shouted, running towards the doors of the infirmary. He watched as his friend lifted his head away from Hermione and look over at him. "Ron," Harry repeated trying to catch his breath as he stood before his friend, "What…"

"It's Ginny," Ron said, showing no shame at the tears that had already touched his face, "they won't say a thing about her."

"I don't…I don't understand," Harry said, swallowing hard as his eyes flickered to Hermione, who tried to speak, before resting on Ron who stood up at Harry's words.

"She's in the hospital again," he said, his voice straining, "and you don't understand? Well how about this, Harry? Malfoy, yes that bloody buffoon, is in there with my sister! And me, her brother? No, they can't let her brother in can they?"

"Ron--" Hermione began.

In a moment, Harry pulled his long time friend into an embrace and clapped his back. "She won't get better if you flip out in the hallways, will she?" he muttered to him, as his friend's head dropped heavily onto his shoulder and grunted in disagreement. "Then wait because your going to have to get use to Malfoy being first in line now…we all do…"

For a moment Harry's eyes met with Hermione and he finally understood what he tried to tell her that night. Bringing Ron back to sit next to Hermione, Harry sat across them and eyed the infirmary door with a heavy heart. No matter how hard he would try, he could never get Ginny to love him so long as this curse was alive. Closing his eyes, he buried his face into his hands and blocked all light from stinging his crying eyes.

"What do you think I should do, Professor?" Draco asked. He was standing near the front of the room, with one of his hands clenched by his side while the other hand still held onto the door handle as if wanting an escape. "I don't know how to cure a flash back."

"I know," Snape said, bowing his head slightly, "and I don't expect you to do such a thing. However, I do think that when she wakes it would be best if she saw you first."

A silence stretched closely after that before a small sound of a thud from Draco placing his forehead against the wall came. He released his grip from the door handle and glared at his professor, the one he came to trust within the school and yet hate. "Do you know she won't even say my name? Or the fact that we fight nearly everyday? Think of it professor, and I mean this in the utmost respect, how would you feel if you were placed in my position? At times I wonder, if she wasn't by my side at night and if it weren't for this blasted curse I'd become happier.

"I've been doing what mother says," he said, running a hand through his golden locks, "I've been acting like a complete gentlemen. Yet, she doesn't even care for me. Which I find quiet hilarious because that's exactly how I've been feeling about her. I don't care and acting as if I do…" he trailed off, and whirled around to look at Ginny's bed. He swore he heard a movement, but then shook his head and returned to look at his blank faced professor.

"I suggest you stop acting then, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said, with a sneer that caused Draco to sneer back, "she will be your wife after all."

Walking past him, Draco felt his cloak brush against his pant leg before leaving him in the dark with Ginny. Clenching his fist he let out a low breath and pulled his wand out to turn on the lights before quickly sitting himself by the bed; placing his hand to his lips in thought as he stared at her back. "Cats out of the bag isn't it, Freckles?" he muttered eyeing her form before sighing and lifting himself from the chair.

Best if she saw you first.

Jaw clenching he walked swiftly to the doorway and gripped tightly at the door. If it were best for her, he thought, then this would be easier, wouldn't it? Besides, she'd probably would be happier if Potter were around. Wrenching open the door he walked out of the infirmary and met the eye of her older brother who's glare met his. Ignoring him for the moment, he walked over to Potter who's head faced towards him and his eyes, slightly puffy and red.

"Been crying Potter?" he asked, stiffly.

"Drop dead, Malfoy," Potter said in a dull tone, while giving the same look that Weasley did.

"You'd like that wouldn't you? So you can be with her, right?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow as his glare hardened. Smirking, Draco leaned forward a bit and leveled with Potter. "You have my permission to try," he said, before walking back into the infirmary and back to Ginny who had awaken. Sitting straight up in bed and with her red waves draped against her right shoulder, she glared at him. Raising his eyebrow again he took a step into the room, but she stopped him.

"Don't come in here," she snapped, "if I bother you so much, then we should stay away from one another for now. I think…it would be best if we did," she finished, with her voice soft and quiet.

Meeting her eye briefly, he hid the shock that filled him and re-opened the door to find Potter standing there. "Pomfrey said that you let me--"

"I know," he snapped, before roughly pushing aside Potter and quickly leaving the infirmary. As he reached the beginning stairs to the floor he never felt so weak, so utterly stupid. Looking down at his hands he felt…ashamed of himself. Cursing loudly he moved as quickly as his feet could carry him, back to their quarters and opened the liquor he had been saving for a "special occasion," as his mother had said. Grabbing a glass he filled it before gulping it down quickly.

Sadly, he felt much better.

Her fist tightened upon the white sheets as she heard Harry close the door quietly behind him. Sniffing slightly she looked over at him and forced her smile a simple thought coming to her, they were alone now. She lifted her hand and patted a seat on the bed, next to her. He obliged; seating himself next to her she felt an odd shiver come from being near him and fought and urge to pull up the blankets. "Gin--"

"What did he say to you Harry?" she whispered, running her hand up and down her arm, "you have to tell me."

"Then you have to tell me what he said," Harry said, leaning onto the headboard next to her, "you have to tell me what he did that made you like this."

"This?" she asked, looking at him with confusion within her brown eyes, "What do you mean by 'this?'"

Harry eyed her for a moment, his gaze meeting with hers. Then quietly, he reached his hand over and placed it against her cheek before dropping it onto her shoulder. "Haven't you noticed? You started to cry ever since he left the room."

"Wha--" she began lifting her own fingers to her face and touching her cheeks and, he was right, they were wet. Then she felt a burning sensation come through her chest, a sob escape, and a desperate need to cry.

I don't care and acting as if I do…

Harry's arm wrapped tightly around her and she allowed herself to be warmed by him, to be temporally comforted by someone else. Someone, that probably never would've hurt her. Someone she might've been able to love again.

Cats out of the bag isn't it, Freckles?"

A low moan of pain came through as she gripped onto Harry tighter. He knew didn't he? She thought, sobbing harder against Harry who's words of comfort were lost to her, he knew she was awake.

I suggest you stop acting then, Mr. Malfoy

Her breathing grew harsh, and she pulled away from Harry slightly. Looking straight into his eyes, she begged and begged. Her fist hitting him once in a while in the chest. "Keep him away from me, Harry," she was whispering, "I don't want to see him. He makes me…remember," she rasped crying harder now. Harry only pulled her tightly against him, cradling her in his arms while running his hands through her hair and whispering one word of comfort that finally calmed Ginny into a pitiful sleep…

"OK."