Friends Close, Enemies Closer
.:Angelgrl185:.
((I don't own the Harry Potter Series of any of its components))
Chapter Ten: Alone in Death and Life
The mindless chatter of students had lowered to a dull roar in the Great Hall as many leaked out into the hallways to head to their morning classes. Ginny pushed back her plate of untouched food a sick feeling in her stomach. She could still feel the hard gazes of the Slytherin table drilling holes into her body. Hermoine threw her a sympathetic glance when she noticed the discomfort of her friend and immediately voted that the four leave the table and head to class. Ginny grabbed her bag and followed the trio out of the Great Hall, falling into the same boring routine as the previous years.
Ron and Hermoine began talking incessantly to each other causing Ginny to shake her head. They were having another stupid spat. If they would only get it into their thick heads that they liked each other, no one would have to suffer through their tireless rants. She continued to walk absentmindedly down the hallway not noticing that she was trailing behind until a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side. Gasping in surprise, Ginny turned to find Harry standing nervously next to her, his hand still on her arm. Noticing the contact, Harry quickly dropped his arm and stuff both of his hands into his robes.
"Is there something you want Harry?" Ginny asked in a brisk tone. Harry winced at the coldness in her voice.
"Come on Ginny, don't be like this. I apologized and you forgave me," Harry pleaded with her.
"Yes that happened, but it still doesn't change the fact that you said what you did," Ginny reminded him.
"I didn't know it was you, Ginny," Harry argued.
"That doesn't matter, Harry! You shouldn't be that cruel to anyone! I can't believe you could say such a thing, Harry Potter. You should be ashamed," Ginny scolded him before turning away. Harry stared at her back for a moment before replying. He lifted a hand out of his black robes and placed it on her shoulders, turning her around.
"Ginny, I truly am sorry. It was a horrid thing I did and to think I said it to you makes me feel even worse. I don't know what came over me. It's just that Malfoy makes me so made sometimes, the things he says to us," he explained softly sincerity shining in his light green eyes.
Ginny sighed, "Is there something you want Harry?"
"I uh, well, I missed you, Ginny," he blurted out. Ginny's eyes snapped to his in shock.
"You what?" she asked incredulously.
"I missed you," Harry said confidently. He gathered one of her small hands in his and rubbed the top in gentle circles.
"The day you left to go with Professor Dumbledore, back in the burrow, well, that's when I realized how much you meant to me, Ginny. I was so afraid for you when you fell off the cliff and when he finally took you away, I didn't want you to go." Harry admitted to Ginny's disbelief.
"I know I have been caught up these past years with Ron, Hermoine and all the things that are happening with Voldemort, but I realized what I have been missing not paying enough attention to you." He said stepping closer.
"You are so beautiful Ginny." Harry whispered bringing a hand up to the side of her face. Ginny was frozen to the floor as her mind went wild as it processed Harry's confession.
"I was wondering if you would go with me to the Christmas Ball." Harry asked finally as he looked intently into her eyes. Ginny looked back at him in wonderment as she took in his words. Closing her eyes Ginny shook her head slightly before looking back at him.
"I can't Harry." She said regret filling her eyes.
"What?" he asked in disbelief, "Why not?"
"You've had your chance Harry. You have had four years and you blew it. I'm not longer the little girl that was infatuated with you my first year, Harry. In case you didn't notice, I've grown up. Going to the ball together would not be a good idea." Ginny finished. Harry opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted by a sharp voice.
"Well isn't this scene cozy," a voice drawled. Ginny looked away from Harry finally noticing their close proximity to glance at the person who spoke. Draco Malfoy was standing there with a sneer on his face, Blaise and Tristan behind him.
"It seems to me as if the weasel has run back to the trash where she belongs," Draco said with a cold chuckle. Blaise and Tristan looked around uncomfortably, but made no move to stop Draco.
"This isn't any of your business, Malfoy," Harry growled pushing Ginny behind him protectively. Ginny on the other hand couldn't help but roll her eyes at Harry's bravado act.
"It's funny to me, Potter, that you can so coldly insult her when she looks ugly, but try to hit on her when she beautiful. Kinda cold hearted don't you think?" Draco asked.
"Draco, stop it," Blaise hissed in his ear pulling on his robes. Draco ignored her, but turned his steely gaze onto Harry.
'Did he just say that I was beautiful?' Ginny whispered in her mind as her heart flip flopped.
'God what am I doing? He's sitting here insulting me and I'm getting all giddy,' Ginny scolded herself.
Stepping around Harry, Ginny stood defiantly in front of Draco forcing a cold look on her face.
"Look, Malfoy," Ginny hissed emphasizing his last name, "you don't want to see me and I don't want to see you. Why don't you get your slimy face out of mine before I throw up at the sight of it."
"Oh ho, little Weasley thinks she can take on the King of Slytherin," Draco sneered through narrowed eyes. Harry, Blaise and Tristan stood transfixed at the display the two students were putting on. It was as if they were in their own little world trying to get the upper hand on the other, oblivious to anyone else.
"King of Slytherin? Don't make me laugh, Malfoy. The only throne you'll ever see is the moldy toilet sitting in your bathroom," Ginny laughed mockingly.
"Don't mock me weasel," Draco threatened stepping closer to Ginny.
"Or you'll what? Get some fellow death eaters to avenge your honor?" Ginny spat out angrily not really caring what she was saying anymore. Draco hissed his silver eyes darkening to a fierce gray at her words.
"Don't speak of things you don't know about, Weasley," Draco threatened in a low voice. Ginny sniffed at him before continuing, her anger building with every word. So long had she held back her emotions that she expressed them the only way she could, through her anger.
"Or maybe you'll go running to daddy so he can solve everything by dumping dark magic artifacts in my possession in order to save his precious Voldemort. Maybe this time it'll work and I'll be dead. How would you like that?" Ginny screamed, her now enraged voice filling the hallway.
"Ginny, stop it," Harry said quickly placing a hand on her arm. Ginny whipped around, brushing his hand off.
"Don't you touch me, Harry Potter! You don't know what it was like! You don't know what he did to me!" She screamed. Harry stumbled back at the force in her words.
"Ginny, it's ok," Blaise's soothing voice broke through her anger. Ginny looked up at her friend's sympathetic face and felt her anger slowly melt away. A flicker of emotions crossed her face as she processed the feelings she had just ranted. Turning her gaze back to Malfoy she squared her shoulders before addressing him one last time.
"I don't have to explain myself to you. If Harry and I want to be together than we will. We are going to the Ball together and I don't give a crap what you think," Ginny said evenly. Draco glared at her before stomping past her. Blaise and Tristan followed giving Ginny an encouraging glance as they brushed past.
"Ginny," Harry's voice cut through her thoughts.
"Yeah, Harry?" Ginny asked slowly.
"You do know we aren't going to the Ball together right?" Harry asked her.
"But Harry, you asked me to go," Ginny replied.
"Yeah, and you said 'No' and I'm not going to be your little game to make Malfoy mad. That's the only reason you said we were going together. You knew it would piss him off," Harry argued.
"I refuse to be a part of your stupid Slytherin games, Ginny," Harry added sharply before storming off in the opposite direction. Ginny stared after him in shock and remorse. It seemed that she was destined to be alone.
Draco stormed down the hallway angrily, his black robes billowing about him. Students sensed his mood and backed warily away from the enraged Slytherin. He refused to speak to anyone as he headed back toward the common room, Blaise and Tristan in tow. When he reached the inside, he sprawled himself against the leather couch by the fireplace and crossed his arms. While Tristan headed upstairs to the dorms, Blaise followed Draco and came to rest in front of him, her hands resting on her hips.
"Draco Malfoy, that was uncalled for!" she hissed angrily her eyes flashing.
"Get off it, Blaise. Leave me alone," Draco commanded.
"No, I will not 'get off it,' Draco," Blaise said emphasizing his words.
"I don't know what your problem is, but Ginny has done nothing but be kind to you. She was your friend, Draco and now you are treating her like crap," Blaise pointed out.
"Angelina was my friend. Ginny Weasley will never be my friend," Draco replied hotly.
"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard you say," Blaise growled. "Angelina and Ginny are the same person."
"Ginny Weasley is deceitful and a liar. I want nothing to do with her," Draco said.
"Ginny was forced to do what she did. She had no choice. Voldemort was hunting her, she would have died!" Blaise argued.
"She should have thought about that before she aided the Dark Lord," Draco countered.
"Draco Malfoy, I cannot believe what a stupid git you are!" Blaise hissed. "Your so called father is the reason Ginny got into that mess in the first place."
"What are you talking about, Blaise?" Draco asked through narrowed eyes.
"Where you not listening to anything she said back there?" Blaise asked exasperated.
"She is not worthy of my attention," Draco replied.
"Your father gave her some stupid diary that Tom Riddle once owned back in Hogwarts and the Dark Lord found a way to manipulate Ginny through that journal," Blaise explained. Silence ensued her comment.
"Draco, look. I have known you for years and I think I can honestly say I can read you inside and out," Blaise began. Draco snorted and turned his head away, but made no response.
"You are mad at yourself, I can tell. You are mad that you let yourself fall for a girl who was not who she was supposed to be. Angry that you were so easily deceived and it angers you that you were so blind by your developing feelings, feelings for someone you aren't even remotely physically attracted to, to notice it was happening." Blaise said softly as she came and sat down next to him on the couch.
"Draco, please. Just talk to her. Let her explain to you so you can understand what she has been through. It's more than you could possibly know," Blaise pleaded with him. Draco finally turned his head and met her eyes.
"No," he said firmly.
"Ginny Weasley maybe be alive again to everyone else, but she is still dead to me," he ended coldly before getting up and exiting the room leaving Blaise sitting alone on the couch left with a bitter silence.
A few days later found Ginny in the potions dungeon. She was standing next to one of the desk surrounded by different ingredients. Ginny commanded her hand to stop shaking and to be perfectly still. It wasn't that she was scared, just a little nervous. She was working on a very important potion for the medical wing and if done wrong, could be a very explosive potion. She carefully picked up the glass vial full of bright green liquid with her silver tongs and prayed that her hands wouldn't jerk as she poured it rhythmically into the black lead cauldron. Pulling out a metal spoon, she stirred the concoction five times in a clockwise motion before dropping three hippogriff feathers into the mixture. The potion hissed and fizzled as it consumed the newly added ingredient.
Ginny sighed in relief when the potion turned a dark green and wiped her brow with the back of her dragon leather gloves. Her brow had gathered small beads of perspiration while she worked. She picked up her wand, she expertly performed a cooling spell and watched as the steam rising from the cauldron evaporated. Ginny gingerly touched the cauldron, testing to see if it was still hot and picked it up when she found it to be relatively cool. Pouring the new potion into a large glass bottle, she sealed in and put it in her bag to take to Madame Pomphrey. Quickly cleaning up the mess she had made, Ginny looked around the classroom one more time to make sure everything was in place so Snape wouldn't get mad at her before shutting off the lights and exiting the room.
Draco yawned and tried to stifle it with his hand, but failed miserably as it echoed through the room causing Professor McGonagall to glare at the Slytherin who at the moment had his eyes closed and his mouth wide open. Draco shook his head, trying to throw off the sleepiness that was threatening to take over him and he looked back down at his parchment paper. It was blank. He had been sitting in detention for at least an hour now trying to focus his attention on writing the stupid essay so he could get out of there, but his mind just wasn't cooperating. It was Potter's fault, that stupid git with his idiot weasel friend and ugly mud blood girlfriend. Sure Draco had been a little moody as of late for no reason that he could comprehend. Maybe he had begun to lash out against the students a little more than he used too. And no it didn't have anything to do with that blasted weasel. If the idiotic trio hadn't been walking down the hallway when he was he wouldn't have picked on them. They should just stay away from wherever he was that way he wouldn't get in trouble for putting them in their place.
Draco sneered as he remembered Granger's cry of indignation and Weasley's look of rage. It was quite comical really how the two boys tried to protect Granger's honor when in reality, she could probably kick both of their butts with all the studying she did. She's nothing but a nerdy bookworm, no feminine charm at all. Who'd want a girl like that? Not him, that's for sure. He wanted a real woman, one who knows what she wants and is sexy beyond belief. A flash of red filled his mind, but Draco quickly put it out of his head. Draco sighed again when he looked back down at his parchment paper, it was going to be a long afternoon and he was going to miss dinner.
Ginny hummed happily to herself as she walked down the hallway. She'd finished her potion a lot quicker then she had originally calculated and now she could still catch dinner at the great hall. Ginny's amber curls bounced slightly as she walked, her green eyes looking tired, but happy. She quickened her pace in order to get to the Great Hall faster since her stomach was continuously growling in protest to its starvation. She rounded a stone corner and was immediately halted by the sharp impact of another object. A soft gasp slipped from Ginny's lips as the hard body crashed against her, the force knocking them both over and back onto the hard floor.
Draco pushed back his chair and grabbed the parchment paper off his desk before strolling towards the front of the classroom. Finally handing in his finished detention essay to McGonagall with a smug look, she dismissed him with a curt nod. Casting a quick time spell, Draco discovered that he had just enough time to satiate his grumbling stomach at the great hall. As he rounded the corner a soft, warm body crashed into him, knocking him slightly off balance. Draco automatically wrapped his arms around the person in order to steady himself, pulling them closer, but they fell over backwards anyways. The delicate scent of strawberries infiltrated his nostrils as silky auburn curls brushed up against his face. Draco inhaled the sweet scent of the woman he was now holding, enjoying the feel of her soft curves against him. His pleasure was short lived as she pulled herself slightly out of his grasp. Draco's eyes traveled a white creamy neck to a smooth, freckle dusted face where bright green eyes met gray steel.
Draco's eyes widened in shock and disgust as he realized that he was currently embracing the weasel. She was cradled to his chest now, her face buried in his firm body as she trembled slightly. Draco smirked briefly. He did have that effect on people. His arm was snaked under her, his hand supporting her silky smooth auburn locks. Draco ignored the way his body reacted to hers from being in such an intimate position, or at least, tried too anyways.
Draco roughly pulled his arm out from under her, causing her body to hit the ground and her lips to release a whimper of pain. He pushed himself off the ground and turning away from Ginny, brushed the dust off his black robes. Ginny on the other hand glared at Draco's since the jerk didn't have the decency to help her up. That's when she noticed a cold presence appearing around her. Ginny looked down at her bag to find the potion she had worked so hard on for countless hours shattered by the fall. The dark green liquid was creeping about through all the cracks of the stone floor and she could feel it seeping through her robes. Groaning, Ginny quickly gathered up the broken glass and shoved it in her bag before standing up. Her green eyes blazing with anger, Ginny pulled herself to her full height and composed herself into a face of indifference and coldness. She lifted her head up proudly, her hair caressing her face, prepared to face him. One look into Draco's cool silvery eyes, however, broke her.
Draco stared at her slightly mesmerized by the silvery flecks shining in her bright green eyes framed with feathery black lashes. For a moment neither spoke as if in a trance. Ginny finally opened her mouth then, as if to say something to him, but Draco regained his composure and quickly drew a sneer to his face.
"Didn't know you were such a klutz weasel. Maybe you should watch where you are going next time. That way you won't defile me by coming in contact with me," he sneered unpleasantly. Ginny snapped her mouth shut, the blaze of fire returning to her eyes. She tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to her mind.
"What's wrong Weasley? No snappy comeback this time? Finally realized when you have been defeated?" Draco mocked raising an eyebrow. Ginny looked a little less confidant now as she looked at him, not sure what to say.
"How pathetic. Get out of my sight weasel. You are contaminating me with your presence," Draco finished in a dismissive tone.
All words had fled Ginny's mind. For the life of her she couldn't think of one thing to say to him, one thing to defend herself. Her mind had failed her and drawn a blank. The fire flicked and seeped out of her eyes, the color dulling to a pale green. She bowed her head as the first prick of tears collected in the corner of her eyes and threatened to spill over. Gritting her teeth Ginny clenched her fist as she prepared to walk away. She might not have been able to stand up to him, but she refused to let him see her cry.
Draco did her a favor however by casting her one last cold look before brushing past her and heading down the hallway. As soon as he was gone, Ginny leaned back against the cold stone of the hallway and slid down the wall to rest at the bottom. Burying her head in her arms, Ginny let the tears cascade down her face in silvery rivers as silent sobs wracked her body. She felt so weak right then. The soft thudding of footsteps caught her attention and Ginny quickly wiped her eyes. Tristan's spiky blond head appeared followed by his lithe frame as he walked down the hallway. Surprise filled his blue eyes when he noticed Ginny huddled against the wall.
"Hey Ginny," Tristan greeted her warmly to her surprise. Ginny gave him a weak smile and hello in return.
"What are you doing on the floor?" he asked curiously.
"I uh, tripped and spilled the potion I was carrying and was cleaning it up. I'm just resting now," Ginny half lied.
"Okay," Tristan said and then proceeded to settle his long frame next to her on the floor once again surprising her.
"Tristan, what are you doing?" Ginny asked.
"Just sitting down for a chat with one of my friends," he replied smiling warmly at her. Ginny returned his smile, this time happier.
"So Ginny, I was wondering. Well, earlier I heard that Potter was taking some Ravenclaw to the dance. I thought he was taking you?" Tristan said looking at her expectantly. Ginny sighed and leaned back against the stone.
"Harry and I aren't going to the ball, we never were," Ginny admitted.
"But I heard you guys in the hallway. I heard you tell Draco," Tristan pointed out.
"Yeah, I kinda only said that cause I knew it would make him mad," Ginny admitted sheepishly. Tristan raised his eyebrows before breaking out into laughter causing Ginny to join in.
"So that means you're free?" he asked.
"Yup," Ginny affirmed. Tristan's blue eyes lit up as he grinned.
"Great. Well then Ginny, would you do me the honor of going with me to the ball?" Tristan asked with relish. "As friends of course," he added.
"Sure Tristan. That would be fun." Ginny agreed.
"Awesome. Well I gotta get going. Draco was complaining earlier about some emergency quidditch meeting," Tristan said rolling his eyes. Ginny giggled and ignored the sorrow that hit her at the mention of Draco.
"Oh, hey Ginny?" Tristan called over his shoulder as he stood up and walked away.
"Yeah?" she answered.
"Are you still playing quidditch? Like, for Gryffindor or something?" he asked. Ginny shook her head.
"That sucks. I was looking forward to good competition. I'm gonna miss seeing you in action. You are an amazing player." Tristan complimented her causing her to turn red with his praise.
"Thanks. Now scat!" Ginny said with a laugh as she waved him away. Tristan gave her one last grin before continuing merrily on his way. Ginny smiled to herself. She still had friends. Maybe things were looking up after all.
Finally the next chapter! I know I made you guys wait forever, but I was so not in the mood to write! Hope you enjoyed it though!
.:Angelgrl185:.