Sorry this took so long to get out. But I gave you guys the last three chapters in like a week, and knowing me, that's pretty much a miracle. I kind of spent myself out on those ones. And believe it or not, I do have a life outside this story, and once in a while it calls to me, and every so often I like to answer it.
Dislcaimer: The day I become a Cheesehead will be the day that I own Harry Potter.
Chapter 34: Free at Last
When Ginny first woke on Saturday morning, she snuggled further beneath the covers. She lazily opened an eye and one look out the window told her that she was glad she was in bed; once more the snow was falling, though not quite as harshly as before, and Ginny could tell by the way that the trees were bending that the wind was fierce. Letting out a contented sigh, she closed her eyes and prepared herself for sleep once again.
And then Ginny's eyes flew open and she leapt out of bed. The Quidditch game, she thought, all traces of sleep now gone from her body. Ginny glanced at the clock as she pulled her hair back into a messy pony tail; the game started in a half hour.
After Ginny donned her Quidditch robes, she rushed down the stairs to find only a few people left in the common room, mainly a few girls who seemed to be in their first year. Ginny paid them no mind, however. She rushed out of the common room, ignored the Fat Lady's indignant huff as the portrait door did not properly shut, skidded around corners and zoomed down stairs, passed the Great Hall and any people remaining in it, ran out of the castle, and sped down the path towards the Quidditch pitch.
By the time she reached the Gryffindor changing room, she was completely out of breath and her hair was falling back into her face. Ginny took a few deep breaths as she walked inside. Immediately the rest of the team turned to look at her.
"For goodness sake, Ginny," cried Harry as he walked up to her. "We have to be out there in fifteen minutes! Where were you?"
"Sorry," huffed Ginny, "I overslept." Ignoring Ron's muttering, Ginny got out her broom and sat down next to Colin. "Did I miss anything important?" she whispered to him.
"No," Colin said. "Well, not unless you consider Harry practically blowing a gasket because you weren't here on time important. I'd call it interesting, really," he continued, leaning back against the bench. "He was just about to send someone looking for you."
"Well I'm here now," Ginny sighed, fixing her pony tail. She glanced across the room; Seamus was standing near the door that led out onto the Quidditch pitch, a faraway look on his face. Ginny sighed again, looking down at her lap. Ever since Christmas, things had been awkward between them. Even before he had asked her out, Ginny and Seamus and never talked a lot. Sometimes when Ginny would be hanging around Hermione, Seamus would sometimes be with Harry and Ron, and so they'd exchange a few words, but they'd never been best friends. After they'd broken up, they had hardly said anything to each other. Ginny hated that it was partly her fault for this silence between them, but she didn't know what to do about it.
"Okay then," Harry said resolutely, and the rest of the team stood. "Let's go."
Harry stood at the front of the line, Ron behind him, Dean and Seamus standing before Ginny, and Colin and Dennis took up the rear. The Gryffindor stands erupted in applause as they walked out onto the field. Ginny saw the Slytherin team coming out from the other side as well.
When they reached the center of the field, Madame Hooch was resting one foot on top of the chest that contained the Quidditch balls, a whistle in her mouth and the Quaffle tucked under her arm. "Captains come forward, please!" She called. Ginny watched Harry and Draco fly forward a few feet so they could reach each other's hands. Draco scowled as he reluctantly shook Harry's hand, and when they were done, Harry wiped his hand against his robe as if to scrape off slime.
Some things never change, Ginny thought as Madame Hooch released the balls into the air. Even if Draco has changed albeit only slightly, he and Harry will never stop hating each other.
An hour later Ginny growled in frustration. Slytherin was up by six points; Gryffindor had only managed to score twice. Ron was letting pass far more shots than normal, no doubt because of the taunting of the Slytherin fans. His face was red from embarrassment and anger and Ginny didn't have the heart or energy to go talk to him. She caught a fast pass from Seamus and scowled at Goyle as he caused a Bludger to knock her off course. Ginny retained possession of the Quaffle, however, and managed to make it fly past the Slytherin Keeper, Warren Quinn.
"Gryffindor scores!" shouted Jacob Smith, the announcer. "But Slytherin still has the lead with eighty points. This goal by sixth year Chaser, Ginny Weasley, brings Gryffindor up to thirty points, but unless Harry Potter can catch the Snitch soon, I think Slytherin has this game in the bag."
Ginny stopped flying after one of the Slytherin Chasers and turned to glare at Jacob Smith, a Gryffindor fifth year. Why isn't he booing the Slytherins like the rest of the fans, she thought in annoyance, resuming her chase.
"And Slytherin scores again!" shouted Smith. "Blaise Zabini smashes the Quaffle past Ron Weasley! Ninety-thirty to Slytherin!"
Ginny gritted her teeth, wrapping her hands tighter around her Nimbus 2001 and urging it to go faster. She watched the Quaffle fly back and forth between Dean and Seamus as they approached the Slytherin goals, but just as Dean was about to shoot, Alan Howry cut him off, causing the Quaffle to drop ten feet before it was caught by Blaise Zabini.
"This is not good," muttered Ginny. Just then, something shiny zoomed past her. Ginny squinted to see if it was the Snitch, but then Draco shot by her as well, nearly knocking her off her broom. Just as Ginny was thinking, I guess it was the Snitch, Harry flew past her as well, chasing after Draco.
"Go, Harry!" Ginny shouted, completely forgetting about the rest of the game.
"It seems like Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter have spotted the Snitch!" Jacob Smith's voice rang throughout the stadium. For a moment the stands got quiet, and then suddenly everybody started screaming, urging their team on. Ginny held her breath, watching as the Snitch took a sharp turn upwards. Harry rose behind Draco and tried to catch up to him, but it did no good.
With one broom length still separating the two Seekers, Draco's hand wrapped around the Snitch. The Slytherins started shouting triumphantly as the cheers of the Gryffindors died.
"Slytherin wins! A fantastic catch by Draco Malfoy gives Slytherin a two hundred forty to thirty victory over Gryffindor!" A few Gryffindors booed Smith's commentary, but they were mostly drowned out by the Slytherin cheers. Ginny dejectedly flew down to the ground, where Colin and Seamus were already standing; Dean and Dennis soon joined them. Ginny saw Ron start his way down towards them, but Harry was still sitting in the air, staring after Draco and the Snitch. Ginny's heart went out to Harry; he had always taken losing badly, seeing it as entirely his fault.
But when Ginny saw Draco's satisfied grin as Blaise slapped him on the back, she couldn't help but smile. Rarely did she ever see Draco so happy, and even if it meant that she had lost, she was glad that he had won.
Ginny trailed after Harry, Hermione, and Ron as they walked into Hogsmede that afternoon. Harry and Ron had been dejected for most of the day, Ron choosing to vent his frustration by complaining; Harry said little. Hermione was doing her best to cheer them both up, but so far she wasn't doing much good.
"Well, I suppose it could have been worse," Harry finally admitted. Hermione beamed.
"That's the attitude, Harry," she said cheerfully. "After all, Quidditch is just a game and no matter how many times you lose, you should always walk away smiling."
"Well that's easy for you to say, Hermione," Ron whined. "You didn't embarrass yourself in front of the whole school. I mean, I was a disaster! I played horrible."
"No, Ron, you played horribly," Hermione said. Ron stopped in the path and turned to look at Hermione with a peeved look on his face.
"I already said that, Hermione," he said through gritted teeth. "There's no need to rub it in. If you're trying to make me feel better you're doing a hell of a job because I feel loads better alre–"
"No, Ron," Hermione said in exasperation as they continued walking again. Ginny laughed silently. "You said you played horrible. I said you played horribly. Proper grammar states that –"
"Look, save it for another time, alright, Hermione?" scoffed Ron. "I'm really not in the mood for learning anything right now." Hermione rolled eyes as she and Ginny shared a knowing look. Ginny herself was quite amused by the transaction, but she knew better than to annoy her brother right now.
"So," Harry said, changing the subject, "Hermione, where's Ewan?"
Ron rubbed his hands together. "Yes, where is the boyfriend?"
"Say what?" Ginny asked. "Hermione, you didn't mention meeting him here today."
"Well, we're not," Hermione corrected, pointing to her and Ginny. "Harry and Ron are going to be spending some time with him. Something about a male bonding experience."
"And by a 'male bonding experience,' you don't mean…?" Ginny trailed off, her eyebrow raised questioningly as she held back her laughter. Ron and Harry, finally understanding what she was implying, turned around to look at her with disgusted, horrified looks on their faces.
"Eww, Ginny," Ron said, his face one of disbelief. "I can't believe you just said that. Get your mind out of the gutter, baby sister! That's disgusting!"
Ginny giggled and even Hermione was trying hard not to laugh. "Well I just wanted to make sure," she said playfully. Ron shuddered.
"So what are you going to be doing with Ewan?" Hermione asked nervously. "Not anything detrimental, I hope?"
"No," Harry reassured her. "We're going to take him to Quidditch Supply Plus first and teach him all about Quidditch."
"Yeah, can you believe the bloke doesn't even know the difference between a Quaffle and a Bludger?" asked Ron. "It's incredible. Ah, there he is." Ron pointed towards the Quidditch shop; Ewan was standing by the door. Harry and Ron started walking off toward him.
"We'll see you later," Harry called back.
Ron turned back around, still walking. "I mean, what kind of guy doesn't know anything about Quidditch?" He left the question hanging in the air and then caught up to Harry. Ewan waved to Hermione, who waved back.
"A nice one," Hermione said quietly. She and Ginny looked at each other. Then they laughed.
"So what do you want to do while the males, uh…bond," Ginny said, laughing again.
"I don't know," Hermione sighed. "We could go to the Three Broomsticks and get something for lunch. I don't know about you but I'm starving."
"I like the way you think," Ginny smiled. "I didn't even get breakfast because I slept so late." And so they started off down another street, their feet crunching slightly on the hard snow.
Sighing with content as he stepped into the Three Broomsticks, Draco headed for the bar. The place was crowded with Hogwarts students as well as locals of Hogsmede. Madame Rosmerta was on the other side of the bar assisting another person, so Draco waited. Looking around, he saw a group of Gryffindor fourth years scowl at him as they walked past; Draco grinned wickedly at them. Slytherin beating Gryffindor in the game earlier that day was a huge boost of confidence for both Draco and his Quidditch team. True to his word, Blaise Zabini had talked to Aidan Tulson and convinced him to go back to the team. Though he and Draco still weren't on the best of terms, Tulson had played his fiercest game yet, scoring the majority of Slytherin's points. Most of the Slytherins were still back celebrating in the common room, and Draco had stayed for a respectable amount of time, but he had escaped as soon as possible. He wanted to visit his mother today to see how she was doing, and right after he got a drink, he was planning on doing just that.
"What can I get for you?" Rosmerta asked Draco, coming to stand in front of him.
"Do you have the good stuff?" Draco asked, his eyebrow raising in question.
Rosmerta narrowed her eyes. "Draco Malfoy, surely you aren't one to drink in the middle of the day? You know I don't serve Hogwarts students anything stronger than butterbeer."
"I'm of age," Draco said indignantly. Rosmerta merely looked as if she was waiting for him to come up with a better argument. "Come on, Rosie," he continued, putting on a look that would send innocent girls running away blushing. "Just one little firewhisky…for me?"
Rosmerta's mouth twitched as she tried to hold back a smile. Draco's hand crept towards hers but she slapped it away. "Don't call me Rosie," she said, turning to walk away before Draco could see her amused look. "And it's butterbeer for you!" she called over her shoulder.
"Come on!" he shouted after her playfully, but she just waved her hand back at him as if to tell him to shut up. Draco shook his head and grinned as he sat back in the bar stool. When Rosmerta brought him the butterbeer, she handed it to him without a word. Draco raised his eyebrows as he took it. He held the glass up to her and said cheekily, "To you, Rosie." He drank deeply and watched as Rosmerta walked away, rolling her eyes.
"What's the matter, Malfoy, Rosmerta not falling for your oh-so-amusing antics today?" Blaise Zabini asked as he took a seat next to Draco.
Draco looked at Blaise and said, "Hey, I can get anything I want. It just so happens that I'm in the mood for butterbeer today."
Just then Rosmerta came up to Blaise. "Blaise Zabini. I hope you'll have more class than Mr. Malfoy here, and know not to ask for a firewhisky, hmm?" she asked, sending Draco an annoyed glance.
"I wouldn't dream of it, Rosie," Blaise said, causing Rosmerta's face to darken. "It just so happens that I'm more of a brandy type of fellow. Got any back there?" he asked, leaning forward to try and look past the bar.
"No," snapped Rosmerta, though Draco could see the amusement in her eyes. "You want a butterbeer, then, or nothing?"
Blaise gave an exaggerated sigh. "Well, if I must…I'll take a butterbeer." Rosmerta nodded and walked away, returning shortly with Blaise's drink. "So, it was a good game, wasn't it?" Blaise said, turning to Draco.
Draco grinned. "Yeah it was. Did you see Potter's face after I got the Snitch? I thought he was going to burst into tears right then and there."
"Yeah," laughed Blaise. "We couldn't have done it without Weaselby though."
"You're right," Draco agreed, pretending to be serious. "It was all thanks to his fabulous Keeper skills."
"I'll drink to that," said Blaise. He and Draco clinked their butterbeer bottles together and drank, laughing. For a while after that they didn't say anything; they just sat and thought, occasionally sipping their drink.
After a while, Blaise spoke up. "Hey Draco, do you ever think about what you're going to do after Hogwarts?"
Draco looked sharply at Blaise, caught off guard by the question and not entirely sure if he wanted to get into the conversation anyway. Blaise knew that Draco's father was a Death Eater, just as Draco knew that Blaise's father was a Death Eater even though Blaise hardly saw his real father. As far as Draco knew, Blaise's mother wasn't a Death Eater, though she always seemed to marry Death Eaters; all of the husbands she'd ever had, all of them conveniently very rich as well, seemed to die suspiciously soon after their marriage. Draco couldn't even remember who she was married to now, if she was married at all. One reason that Blaise and Draco got along so well, though they rarely talked about their personal lives with each other, was because they were both in the same position. Their fathers were Death Eaters and while Draco felt more pressure to join Voldemort, he knew that Blaise felt it too. Draco wasn't quite sure where Blaise's loyalty lay, but Draco knew that anything was possible.
"Draco?" Blaise asked, catching Draco's attention again. "Did you hear me?"
"Yeah," Draco said quietly, sipping his butterbeer. "Not sure I have an answer to that question."
Blaise sighed. Draco glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, wondering what exactly Blaise was thinking. "Same here," Blaise said, staring at the bar in front of them.
After a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence in which both boys contemplated what their future was to be like, Blaise downed the rest of his butterbeer and said, "Well, I reckon I better get back to the castle. I've, uh…got homework." He turned around and hastily stood up, knocking into someone who was walking behind him.
Draco turned in his seat as he heard a body fall backwards to the ground. Blaise looked very uncomfortable. "Oh – uh, sorry," he said half-heartedly. Blaise offered his hand to the person who sat on the ground staring back up at him. Draco raised his eyebrow at Blaise's act of chivalry as none other than Hermione Granger took Blaise's hand and stood from the ground. Draco wasn't sure if Blaise had recognized her yet, but he wasn't about to tell his friend that he had just helped a muggle-born.
Draco flinched as he watched Blaise help Hermione up. Then he noticed Ginny standing next to Hermione. Ginny was looking straight back at him, a soft smile on her face and her cheeks slightly red. When she saw that Draco noticed her staring at him, she blushed even deeper and looked at Hermione.
"Come on, Hermione," Ginny said, pulling her friend away. Hermione tore her confused eyes away from Blaise and followed Ginny out of the pub. Blaise stood there for a moment, staring after them as they disappeared outside; then he glanced back at Draco nervously. Draco saw his eyes dart around the room to see if anybody had noticed, and without saying a word, he hurried out of the Three Broomsticks.
Draco shook his head and turned back around in his seat. Poor Blaise, he thought. He must be wishing he was dead right now for helping Granger. He hoped that wind of this incident wouldn't find its way to Draco's father, or worse, Blaise's father. There was no telling what kind of trouble Blaise would be in if his father found out he had helped Hermione Granger. Draco was just glad it hadn't happened to himself. Though, if he had knocked over Hermione, he wouldn't have been stupid enough to help her back up. He would've smirked at her, said something nasty, and then walked away.
But what if it had been Ginny? a sly voice asked inside his head. Given how Draco felt about Ginny, he knew that his first instinct would have been to help her up; however, he would've fought that instinct. He had already helped Ginny Weasley once in public and he had no wish to do it again; it had caused too much trouble both for himself and Ginny. But you would've wanted to help her, the voice reminded him. You wouldn't want to see her hurt.
Which is exactly why I wouldn't help her, thought Draco angrily. He sighed and shook his head. Arguing with himself would get him nowhere. His feelings for Ginny were stirring up his conscience and he didn't like it one bit. He suddenly had the desire to talk to Ginny, to kiss her again. Holding her in his arms felt so right even though he knew it was so wrong. And it had been so long since he'd been with a girl, even if it was just to kiss her.
"Oh, what am I going to do," Draco groaned as he rubbed his eyes. "This is all so messed up." He slapped the money for his drink on the counter and stood. Stretching his back, he walked out of the Three Broomsticks and headed for the shop that his mother was in.
"What do you think that was all about?" Hermione asked Ginny as they walked through the streets of Hogsmede.
"What do I think what was all about?" Ginny asked back.
"Back in the Three Broomsticks," Hermione said with a frown. "Since when does Blaise Zabini, pure-blood wizard, help up Hermione Granger, muggle-born witch? Since when does any Slytherin help a Gryffindor?"
Ginny shrugged, truly at a loss for an answer. "Maybe he didn't know it was you," she offered. Hermione looked worried. "Maybe he thought it was someone else." Hermione didn't say anything. "Look, is it so wrong if a Slytherin is nice once in a while?" she sighed. "I mean, not all of them are bad."
Hermione's head shot up to look at Ginny. "What are you talking about, Ginny?" Ginny looked away, suddenly wishing she would've kept her mouth shut. "Which of them are ever nice to us?"
"Well nobody in particular," Ginny said, showing her exasperation. "All I'm saying is that it's not like some big surprise if a Slytherin doesn't turn out to be a Death Eater. For all we know Blaise Zabini is a good person."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Ginny Weasley, are you defending him?"
"Well he didn't do anything wrong, did he?" Ginny asked in confusion. "For goodness sake, all he did was help you up!"
"I know," said Hermione, looking ahead of them. "But it's a little odd, don't you think? If Zabini has ever said anything to us, it's only been crude sayings. So why does he now become a gentlemen."
"Well a gentleman would've never knocked you over," pointed out Ginny, hoping to take some of the heat off herself.
"True," nodded Hermione. "But it was an accident."
"Exactly, Hermione," Ginny said. Then she frowned. "Wait, what?"
"What?" Hermione asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Well," said Ginny as a coy smile formed on her face, "if I said a gentleman would've never knocked you over, and then you say it was just an accident, then are you saying that Blaise is a gentleman?"
Hermione's eyes widened and she sputtered. "No, of course not!" she cried. Ginny grinned, happy to not be under Hermione's scrutiny anymore. "I never said that, Ginny."
"Oh I know that," Ginny laughed. "I'm just messing with you, Hermione."
Hermione sighed and shook her head as they walked back to Hogwarts. "But he is kind of cute, isn't he, Hermione?" Ginny asked playfully again. "Come on, I know you think so. Everybody thinks Zabini is handsome."
"Ginny," Hermione said, laughing. "You'd better watch it." However, Ginny noticed Hermione's cheeks reddening. Ginny sighed satisfactorily.
Hermione suddenly giggled. "What do you think Ron and Harry would say if they knew what we were talking about?"
"Oh wow," Ginny said. "Well, after they stare at us in shock for a few minutes, they'll turn red with anger, forbid us ever to leave the Gryffindor tower again, and then they, along with your boyfriend, will burst into the Slytherin house and murder Blaise Zabini. And probably every other male in sight too."
"How about we don't mention this little incident to them, okay?" Hermione asked.
"Deal," Ginny said.
"Hello?" Draco asked as he stepped into Reina's store, Life's Little Things. He looked around, but he saw no sign of Reina. He wasn't surprised to see that Narcissa wasn't around; he'd told her to either stay upstairs or in the kitchen, out of sight of the rest of the store just in case Lucius came prowling. "Hello?" Draco called out again, making his way to the back of the store.
"Draco?" asked Reina as she stepped out from around a large rack of clothes; her sudden appearance made Draco jump back a little. She smiled when she saw who it was. "Hello there."
Draco nodded. "Hello. How is she?"
"She's quiet," Reina said, beckoning for Draco to follow her. They walked to the back of the store and into the kitchen where they sat down. "She's upstairs during the day but after dark she usually comes downstairs for a while. Very quiet, that one is," Reina mused, hand on her chin. "Kind of nice to have another soul around though, even if it's a quiet one," Reina said as she gazed at Draco. "It does a body good."
"Well…er – that – that's uh, good," stammered Draco, eyeing Reina. This was only the second time he'd seen Reina, and while she seemed like a harmless, pleasant woman, some of her remarks unsettled Draco. He wasn't quite sure how to act around her. Ginny had told him that Reina was a Squib and normally Draco would act superior around such people, belittling them to his heart's content, but he couldn't bring himself to be like that around Reina. Draco didn't know if she knew about how Lucius was, but that she would take in and shelter a complete stranger awed Draco. He wasn't used to kindness. Until Ginny had come along, nobody had ever seen him as anybody other than evil incarnate. Reina either knew nothing of Draco's reputation or simply didn't care, and for that, Draco was eternally grateful.
"If you want to see her, go on up," Reina said, nodding towards the ceiling where their room was.
"Thanks," Draco said. He couldn't help the smile that worked its way onto his face as he climbed the stairs; the door that covered the opening in the ceiling was closed. Though he was sure his heart was pounding so hard that it would rip right through his chest, as he stood on the spiral steps, he knocked with confidence on the door.
"You can come in," he heard Narcissa say.
Draco opened the door and stepped into the room that Narcissa and Reina were staying in. Narcissa was leaning against a wall of pillows stacked high on her bed and her eyes were closed. If Draco hadn't heard her speak just a few seconds ago, he would have thought his mother to be asleep. As it was, he cleared his throat to get her attention.
"Hello, Mother," he greeted, stepping further into the room. At the sound of Draco's voice, Narcissa's eyes shot open and she sat upright, a smile breaking across her worn face.
"Draco," she said happily, standing and reaching out to hug her son. Draco, still a bit unused to such displays of emotion on a regular basis, tentatively hugged her back. "I didn't think you'd be coming to see me so soon."
"Well I wanted to see how you were doing," said Draco as he pulled back. Narcissa sat back down on the edge of her bed and patted to a spot next to her, indicating for Draco to sit as well.
"I'm doing wonderful," Narcissa said. "And it's all thanks to you and Reina. I've never felt so happy in my life. It's quiet here, but I like the quiet; it's what I've been used to for so long. Anything else would seem strange. But this…I could get used to this."
"Used to what, exactly?" Draco asked, smiling at his mother's obvious pleasure.
"Freedom," Narcissa said, staring straight into Draco's eyes.
Ah, freedom, Draco thought to himself with a sigh. My mother has found freedom from Lucius. I only wish I could have the same.
"You look so much like him," said Narcissa softly, as if reading Draco's thoughts. Draco's face tightened, but he didn't say anything. He didn't need to, for Narcissa noticed his reaction anyway. "I suppose perhaps you don't like to think so, but you do. But no matter how much you look like him, you're not him. You're better than him, Draco."
Draco closed his eyes. Ginny had been trying to convince him of the same thing not too long ago. "Well, you're safe, and that's all that matters," Draco said as he opened his eyes. "Tell me, what have you been doing over the past few days?"
Narcissa let out her breath. "Not too much. I sleep a lot. During the day I mostly stay up here and either read or just sit and think. I don't like to go downstairs too much because I don't want to be seen. But at night I go downstairs for a while. It's very peaceful here." She smiled again. Draco noticed that in a strange way, although she looked old, at the same time she seemed like a little girl. Her eyes shone with a brightness that Draco couldn't ever remember seeing. He liked to think that it was because she was no longer under the curse.
"But I don't want to talk about me," Narcissa sighed, tilting her head as she looked at her son. "I want to talk about you. Even though I've known you your whole life, I've never really been there. I feel as if I don't truly know you, not the real you. But I want to know everything," she said as she smiled again. Draco swallowed. Everything? If he told her "everything," she'd probably never want to see him again. An abridged version of "everything" would suit better. An uncomfortable twitch of guilt pecked at Draco's mind. All his life his mother had clung to the one shred of hope that her son would turn out differently than her husband, that Draco would be able to resist Lucius and turn out a decent man. But he hadn't been doing that. No matter how much Draco disagreed with Lucius, he'd always listened to his father and been the bully at school, nodded his head and said "Yes" when asked if he'd become a Death Eater, performed an Unforgivable Curse on a young boy, taking away life with the flick of a wand…
Draco swallowed against the memory he so wished to dispose of. He looked back up at his mother's anxious, hopeful face. She had wanted so much for her son; she had just wanted to love him and be loved back. She had maintained her sanity by believing that everything would be alright and that her son would come out a better man. Draco would never lie to her, but he knew that he could never tell her exactly all that he'd done over the years. At least not anytime soon. Perhaps one day when all of this was over, and if Draco was still alive then, he might tell her his secrets. But not this day.
"Well," he began slowly, "there's not much to tell. I'm good at my classes, especially Potions. Actually, I've more than once been told that I'm second-best in my year," he said proudly. "There's only one mud – uh, one muggleborn ahead of me," said Draco. He'd almost said "mudblood," but for some reason he had refrained. Something told him that while Lucius might find such terms amusing, his mother wouldn't.
"Second-best?" Narcissa repeated. "That's wonderful, Draco." Draco saw the delighted look on his mother's face, and he couldn't help but crinkle his brow as he looked back at her in wonder. His father had a fit every time he was reminded that his son was just second-best. Lucius especially detested Hermione Granger for making his son seem incompetent. But Narcissa was pleased that her son was doing so well; she didn't care that he wasn't the very best.
"Yeah," continued Draco, realizing that he probably seemed a bit slow to his mother since he kept stopping to think every few sentences. "Yeah, so my grades are good. I'm on the Slytherin Quidditch team. I'm captain actually," he grinned.
"I heard from Lucius that you played Quidditch, but he never went into details and I was never able to ask," Narcissa said. "Tell me about it."
"Well like I said, I'm the captain," Draco said, excited that somebody was interested in it. "I started playing as the Seeker in my second year, and I made captain this year. I'm probably the best Seeker in the school. Well," he trailed off frowning. "I mean, there are other Seekers that are talented, I guess," he said, thinking of Potter but not wanting to admit that the boy was any good. "Actually, we just had a game today, and we won," Draco said, a real smile forming on his face. "We beat the Gryffindors into the ground. The look on Potter's face was priceless," he said, laughing. "He didn't know what to think."
Narcissa eyed her son with amusement. "I wish I could see you play sometime," she said wistfully. Draco looked at her.
"You know that can't happen," Draco said seriously. "If anybody saw you, there'd be trouble."
"Oh I know," Narcissa said. "I was just thinking that it'd be nice." Draco nodded, pleased that she cared about what he did. It was never an unusual thing to see parents at Quidditch games during the school year, but Lucius Malfoy rarely attended; Narcissa had never been once. And whenever Lucius had come, Draco wished he hadn't. His father would spent the majority of the time after each game criticizing Draco, which the boy found ironic since his father had never played the game.
"And you have friends, I take it?" Narcissa continued. Draco detected a bit of caution in her voice and he knew where it came from. She knew that he was in Slytherin and that most of the students in that house came from Death Eater families; she knew the types of people he consorted with.
"Yeah, a few," Draco replied. "I mean, there's Crabbe and Goyle and Zabini." He shrugged. "A few others too, but there's not a ton of them."
Narcissa nodded slowly, chewing on her lip. Draco wondered what he was thinking. "And do you have a girlfriend?" she continued. "Is there anybody special waiting for you back at Hogwarts?"
Draco inhaled sharply, and an unfamiliar sensation swept through him. His face and neck felt warmer than they usually did. With a horrific sense of dawning, he realized that he was blushing; he suppressed a shudder at the thought. An image of Ginny floated into his mind as his mother watched his reaction curiously. Draco inwardly cursed the way that his emotions were betraying him, and feeling like he was acting like a girl, he cleared his throat, sending all thoughts of Ginny scurrying for cover.
"No," he said, surprised at how innocent yet defensive he sounded. He coughed. "A girlfriend? No." He shook his yet, but he wasn't sure if his mother was able to tell.
Narcissa nodded slowly, eyeing Draco with a small smile on her face. She didn't say anything, but Draco didn't like the way her eyes were shining. He shifted uncomfortably on the bed. Finding the position and silence awkward, he stood up and walked around the room.
"So you like it here, huh?" Draco asked, looking around the room. It certainly was nothing to brag about, but even he had to admit that it seemed cozy. He could tell that an extra bed had been added to the room for Narcissa; the one that she was sitting on right now stuck out oddly from a wall. Another bed with gold coverings was against another wall, and next to the bed stood an old nightstand. Several rusted trunks and a few boxes were stacked against yet another wall. There was a rectangular purple and gold woven rug covering part of the floor, and a few lamps were lit in the room.
"I do," Narcissa said. "It's peaceful."
"Yeah," Draco nodded.
For a while they were both silent. Draco was looking out the window at the streets of Hogsmede, and Narcissa was just content to watch Draco. Draco could see only a handful of Hogwarts students in the people below; not many came to Hogsmede on a Sunday. He suspected that many of them were tired out after the game, and that they probably had homework to finish. He could certainly think of one History of Magic essay that was only partially completed that was due on Monday, but he pushed that out of his mind. He wondered for a moment what Ginny and Hermione were doing in Hogsmede. Draco felt the desire to talk to Ginny pulling at him. The kiss he had shared with her plagued his mind, and although he wanted to talk to the girl, he wasn't sure he wanted to discuss that particular, very sensitive subject. Never before had he been shy around girls; he had always been the forward one, the one to initiate the action. That had been the case with his and Ginny's first kiss, but now that it was said and done and he'd admitted, in actions rather than words, that he cared for Ginny, he wasn't so sure he felt up to talking about it.
But he couldn't seem to think of anything but Ginny. Draco was still trying to sort out his feelings for the girl; he had never felt anything strong for girls before except lust, but he automatically knew that what he felt for Ginny was more than just that raw feeling. Draco didn't know when it had started happening, and he didn't care much anymore, but when he was around Ginny, he felt like he could drop whatever pretences he carried and just be himself. He knew that Ginny didn't think him to be like Lucius; her helping him to save his mother had been a testament to that. And the fact that Ginny was willing to accept him as Draco Malfoy rather than Lucius Malfoy's son, a supposed Death Eater, lit a spark of hope in him.
The fact that she had returned his kiss was encouraging as well…
"Draco?" Narcissa asked, startling Draco away from the window.
"Huh?" he asked, clearing his throat.
"That Ginny Weasley…" Narcissa began carefully, and Draco straightened. "I'm just curious, but what was she doing here the night you brought me here?"
"Oh," Draco said, searching for the right words. "Well, she was just – uh, making sure you got here safely. You know, she wanted to introduce me to Reina and all," he finished lamely.
Narcissa nodded slowly. "So you're friends with her, then?" Draco heard the caution in her voice and he didn't like it. His eyes narrowed.
"Yeah, I am," he said a bit defensively. Narcissa glanced down.
"I don't want to seem rude or forward," she began, "but I must say that I find that astonishing. Given how our families feel about each other, I cannot see how such a friendship ever developed."
Draco shrugged, his chest thumping in an effort to keep his temper in check. What did it matter who he was friends with? Shouldn't she just be happy that he was friends with such a wonderful person?
Narcissa looked back up at him, a confused look in her eyes. "They are blood traitors, Draco," she said as if explaining to a child that two plus two made four. "Their whole family is. We are purebloods and it is our duty to uphold that honor and dignity that comes with the title."
Draco stared at his mother before looking down, feeling hurt but understanding where she was coming from. His whole life Lucius had drilled into his brain the importance of maintaining the family honor. That meant not only socializing with other respectable pureblood families, but also to humiliate other muggleborns and blood traitors whenever possible. Lucius Malfoy, already possessing an oversized ego, delighted in belittling the Weasley family especially because they were so poor. On more than one occasion Draco had overheard his father exclaiming that he was constantly surprised, given the Weasley's love for muggles, that such a run-down family was pureblood. He always stated that he thought they'd have been better suited for a farm out in muggle-land.
Draco had always agreed with his father and had made it one of his goals while at school to make a fool out of Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and of course, Harry Potter as well. While he still despised the three people, he had since come to learn that blood didn't matter as much. Right off the top of his head Draco could think of ten reasons why he shouldn't be friends with Ginny, and while the friendship was rather unexpected, it was appreciated nonetheless.
"I can't help who my friends are," Draco shrugged. "It just sort of happened." Narcissa sighed heavily but said no more. "I suppose I'd better be getting back," Draco said. "I have an essay to finish."
"You're not mad at me are you, Draco?" Narcissa asked fearfully, standing to look her son in the eye.
"No," Draco sighed. He really wasn't. His mother, even under the Imperious Curse, had always been rather proud of her pureblood heritage. Draco couldn't expect her to give up that pride just because she was free from Lucius. Maybe, over time, he could convince her that Ginny wasn't all that bad. But in the mean time, he would just have to put up with Narcissa.
With one last look at his mother, he left the room and headed downstairs. After he let Reina know that he was leaving, Draco walked out into the streets and headed back towards Hogwarts with no intentions of completing the essay that he had excused himself to finish.
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A/N: Hope you guys weren't too disappointed or upset by that boring chapter. I'm not fond of it. Next chapter will hopefully be better.
Just a question for you…how long of chapters do you guys prefer? I mean, do you like the super long ones like Chapter 22, the really short ones like Chapters 1 and 12, or medium-length ones such as Chapter 20? I'm just curious because some people don't like reading the really long ones, some are annoyed with really short ones (myself included), yet some aren't quite satisfied with medium ones. I'm just wondering what you guys prefer.
And in case any of you were confused about my disclaimer...allow me to explain. "Cheeseheads" refer to Green Bay Packer fans. In case you don't know football, that's a team in the NFC North of the NFL. Anyway, I am not a Packer fan. I am a die hard Minnesota Viking fan. Packer fans are called "Cheeseheads" because they have these hats that look like a wedge of cheese. I refer to all Packer fans as Cheeseheads. Now in case you aren't a football fan, Viking fans and Packer fans do not get along. To put it in perspective...the relationship between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers is like the relationship between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy in J.K.'s books. I mean, we're not trying to kill each other or anything, but there is definately some heavy rivlary between us. So hopefully my disclaimer makes more sense now.
Reviews welcome!
Lauren
