Perfect Picture
Chapter Two
All three heads flicked in her directions, each wearing a different expression. She took a step forward finally noticing the closeness of the boys before her. Whatever was going on it was definitely not a friendly chat that they were having, and by the expression on her brothers face in particular, fists were planning to be used.
Upon reaching the three, Ginny immediately stepped between them, her back facing the Slytherin as she eyed the two Gryffindors waiting for an explanation of the happenings that she had come across. Seeing her stern look Ron immediately relaxed his face, knowing that the Molly Weasley face his sister had mastered at a young age left no room for beating around the bush.
"He was being Malfoy as normal" Ron stated interpreting his sister's look correctly as it softened just slightly and his gaze quickly flickered to the tall Slytherin.
"Yes Ron, but just being an arrogant prick does not mean you can hit him" Seeing Harry trying to speak she quickly added, "or insult him for that matter" at this she crossed her arms as Ron spluttered slightly.
"But he was talking about you." Harry said quietly causing Ginny to whip round to face Draco who nodded his head just slightly in confirmation a slight smirk tilting his mouth to the side. She made a mental note of the image to draw later. The idea of drawing caused her to quickly look to his eyes, capturing his gaze. Sighing slightly in frustration when she was again unable to decipher what was in his eyes.
Ginny proceeded to draw herself to her full height and breaking of her staring contest she returned to the situation at hand, turning again to the two Gryffindors. Disbelief etched itself into her features when she thought of the two of them again defending her honour when it was absolutely unnecessary to do so, though they obviously did not realise such a thing. Then again that was how it always was when it came to her brother and ex-boyfriend.
"Well that's no reason to try to punch him now is it, I can defend myself dear brother so I'll handle it from here whilst you two go and pester Hermione to help you with your homework, how about that" Her glare gave no room for argument and the two boys stalked off mumbling under their breaths and casting furtive glances back to the couple stood in the middle of the courtyard.
"I was complimenting you just so you know." Draco said nonchalantly before adding.
"Though mentioning how nice particular assets of yours looked in your school uniform to your brother was probably not the best way to go about it" He smiled now, teeth showing perfectly in the light as his lips pulled themselves back. It was perfect, as everything about him was and without thinking Ginny pulled her sketchpad from under her arm and grabbed the pencil from behind her ear.
Flipping to a clean page she hastily began to sketch earnestly eyes never leaving the parchment as she worked on getting down the image she had just seen. Draco just watched in amazement as his smile took form on the paper, first a rough outline of the lips as she scribbled quickly onto the page. Then onto the teeth, her pencil moving like lightening across the paper, before she again moved back to the lips sharpening their shape. Ginny's skill in drawing astounded Draco further the more of her work he saw.
Finishing the final detail to as much precision as she could when she only got a fleeting glance at her subject Ginny snapped the book shut, only then did realisation dawn on her of what she had just done. Her drawing inspiration had always been sudden yes, but with other subjects, inanimate objects, when she was sat alone in privacy.
Never had she been so suddenly struck with the need to draw, to recreate such an image to as much perfection on paper as it had been in real life and NEVER, since she had begun drawing had she done such uncontrolled drawings in front of someone. Not even her family had seen what she could create when the inspiration struck her.
They had seen the set objects, the bowls of fruit, everyday house objects. Her drawings of people and especially of Draco had been kept well away from prying eyes. Until now that is, he had seen what she could do, liked what she could do, a feeling she had never before had to comprehend came forth at the thought and she cursed herself for acting like a giddy little school girl, though she believed that when faced with such a fine specimen of the male physique as Draco even the straightest of men could do nothing but admire.
She allowed herself a slight breath in relief when she realised that it had been only Draco with her at the time, Harry and Ron now safely within the castle. However she could not allow herself to relax completely after such a thing, drawing Draco so suddenly, without his permission and a smile nonetheless, something she doubted graced his face with its presence very often. She looked up quickly from her thoughts eyes wide as even more implications as to what she had done hit her.
He was still smiling, or at least had smiled again and the change it brought to his face was exquisite. He was smiling at her; the truth then as she saw where his eyes were focused hit her like a ton of bricks and knocked all the wind out of her in one big whoosh bringing her back to the reality of the situation. He had smiled at her, not a smirk, or grin, a true honest smile, she could not for the life of her figure out the circumstances for which he had done it.
Breaking herself away from the trance she had seem to settle into Ginny without a glance back to him, exited the courtyard into the main body of the school, intent on finding somewhere to hide and draw where she would not run into her friends. She was on auto pilot, her body automatically directing her to the Gryffindor common room without a second thought as her mind was obviously not with it.
Draco quickly wiped the smile from his face, settling it into its normal scowl before anyone was to notice. Straightening himself he stepped off the courtyard, heading towards the grounds for a very much needed walk to clear his head. This he hoped would clear his head of a certain vivacious, talented red head, though if the walk did not help, a cold shower was definitely his next port of call.
Ginny kept up with her various drawings throughout the next few days, adding various pieces of shading and accenting to already perfect drawings of Draco. It wasn't until Thursday again rolled around that Ginny received another note, the same time and place neatly written on expensive parchment, a particular flare to the writing that no one else would be able to recreate.
Gathering her wits and evening her breathing Ginny pushed open the large oak door to the Room Of Requirement. Shutting it quietly behind her she stood mesmerised by the scene in front of her. Light music could be heard reverberating around the cavernous room and alone in the centre stood Draco Malfoy, not dancing, or moving at all it seemed, he was just stood there, back to her.
Setting her bag silently onto the floor she again picked up her sketchbook and pencil and began to draw, slowly rotating around his figure so as to capture every detail. It wasn't until she finally reached far enough around to face him that she saw the shining tear tracks down his face. The site made her gasp in shock not just out of how vulnerable such a seemingly powerful man seemed to be, but also at the beauty of the scene. She was also struck by a large pang of worry at what would cause Draco such sorrow, though she quickly swept it aside as hunger.
At her gasp Draco seemed to break out of his revere. When he had requested music from the room, to listen to whilst he waited he was not expecting such a familiar tune to flow throughout the room and for that tune to bring forth such suppressed memories. Memories he wished he would never have to think of again, that affected him stronger than anything else.
This particular melody, a soft floating rhythm played on a simple piano was one he had known from a very young age. As soon as he could walk and talk his mother had sat him at their piano in the Manor. A specially designed music room Lucius had created for his wife when they first got married, and the only place within the cold building that ever saw emotion. It was a sign of a husband's devotion and love for his wife. A love that slowly petered out as the years progressed and the Dark Lord took control.
The love Narcissa had once had for her husband then transferred to her son and with that love her adoration for music was also passed on to live in her son. The tune playing now was very rare, one only a few pureblood families would know and from the first time that Draco heard his mother play it he was hooked. He begged her to teach it to him and though it took his perfected puppy dog eyes she finally agreed.
From then on he worked as long as possible in that room, both with and without Narcissa's comfort to learn that tune. By the time he hit his fifth birthday he had the tune down perfectly and there was only one thing that could beat his mother's pride, his father's. So one day he played the piece for Lucius expecting and hoping for that fatherly affection he had seen other children get when him and his mother were out shopping.
He had not gained such a thing, but rather only a curt nod at something that to Draco meant a whole lot more. His father had become a mere shadow of his former self, now under the every beck and call of Lord Voldemort no compassion to any living or dead thing for that matter could be shown, only a cold mask was to be displayed. Draco could scarcely remember the time his father had actually shown compassion, of any form be it simply a smile, or even just a pat on the back.
That was the first night he saw it, peeking around his bedroom door when he heard shouting, his parent's bedroom door across the hall was ajar and all he saw was a palm move as quick as a flash before his mother crumbled to the floor. The next morning there was a large bruise across her usually perfect face, the use of magic had been unable to cover the whole damage and therefore hinting at the severity of the damage.
Until just last year he would see his mother with various bruises across her body, but she never stopped teaching him the piano, making sure that this particular melody stayed perfect as well as teaching him many others. He would visit every summer, winter, whenever he could, sitting in that room with her for hours on end just playing, laughing, loving, until she was there no more.
He returned to the Manor the summer after his 6th year entering the house he expected his mothers greeting but only his father stood there, as cold as usual, his snake head cane held delicately in his pale grip, the only thing that seemed to gain love from its master. So he headed to the music room, bolting up the stairs as fast as possible to avoid his father and that dreaded cane. Bolting up those stairs thinking she was in there waiting for him, only to find that such a thing was not as he thought.
The room was bare, no piano, no colour, no music at all. Everything was bare apart from a simple white casket.
Sinking to his knees beside it Draco stared at his mother's serene face, for the first time in many years bare of the scars her brutal husband had laid upon her. It was at this moment that Draco changed, no longer was he going to do everything his father told him, no longer would he be a puppet groomed to soon take his father's side and become a member of the Dark Lords circle. Passing his father in the doorway, who in one of the only acts of understanding that people would see of Lucius let his son pass. So without even a backward glance Draco left what was always a cold home.
He attended Narcissa's funeral the next day before packing up any leftover items in his room, avoiding his father easily in his task. From this moment onwards Draco lived at Hogwarts using Dumbledore's charity for the second time in his life and wishing that he would not have to ask for it again, after all there was only so much of that knowing twinkle that Draco could take.
No one had known truly what had happened and no one truly saw the changed Draco as he kept the cold mask his father taught him in place nearly all of the time. Pansy from his return this year had of course thought an engagement was imminent, a thought he quickly destroyed disentangling himself from her clinging hold. The only friend he really kept was Blaise, whose intelligence was on a close par with his own, however that mask was forever in its place.
But this he had not expected at all. He was broken again from his memories when he felt soft warmth enveloping his body, looking down he saw only the top of her head that beautiful copper until she raised it to meet his eyes. She didn't question him, or tease him but just accepted that something had happened and for that he was grateful. Finally opening his mouth he suggested they started drawing now as it was already getting late, saying that her talent needed to be used and he was of course the greatest subject for it. She nodded in consent grinning slightly at his comment.
"Draco" Ginny's voice stopped him, soft within the quiet room.
"Draco, are you alright?" she asked stepping towards him as he lifted his eyes to hers tear tracks long forgotten.
He nodded his head silently as she finally reached him, glad that she wasn't questioning him any further. No one knew what had truly happened to his mother much the same as no one truly understood what had happened to him and Draco did not want to discuss it no matter how much people pushed him to let it all out. Ginny's silent acceptance of his grieve was something he felt he would be thankful for and adhered to her even more than he was before.
Ginny had seen in his eyes that he did not want to discuss what had happened so instead moved away requesting from the room the objects they had used from the last session. She set them out in the correct places as she allowed Draco to collect himself before they both settled down into silent work, only for one to break it an hour in.
"Thank you Ginny" Draco said looking over to the artist as she worked on his outline in the drawing. She only nodded in response concentrating again on the drawing in front of her before his actions started to affect her more than she thought they should.
Having collected herself Ginny allowed herself a more thorough look over of his figure which was completely unrelated to the part completed drawing in her lap. Taking in his casual posture in the chair his hair falling slightly into his eyes, eyes of which she was still not quite able to draw. Due to the circumstances she knew he would make no effort to brush it away instead allowing her to draw as accurately as possible, she allowed him the idea that her perusal was art related.
Catching her gaze when he slowly lifted his head Draco smirked slightly at her 'deer caught in headlights' look. He knew for a fact that her once over of his physique was not one to do with an artist and her painting, he however did not use that as an excuse to do a once over of her body, which according to his mind other pieces of anatomy, was perfectly proportioned. He knew he would have no shame into admitting so to Ginny's face either. Her look though was not just that appraisal but also one of a teenage girl having set sights on a rather attractive male who she more or less wished to snog the daylights out of.
Ginny giggled as the thought entered her head, though the noise ended abruptly when Draco stood up sharply from his before relaxed position. His eyes had taken on a darker hue, a stormy grey, one that she'd never seen before but knew its implications almost as quickly as the speed that the pleasant thrill ran up her spine, shaking her to the core. He took sharp strides towards her, such a short distance across the room that to Ginny felt an age.
Stopping within inches of her face the two just simply stared at each other, grey clashing brilliantly with hazel drawing and posing forgotten as such thoughts flew out of their minds, only to return when common sense did. When the realisation of what may happen will finally catch up with them, but until then they were content to be in this room with one another.
Ginny slowly felt her pencil slipping from her lax fingers and the ting of it hitting the floor vibrated a sound wave across the room adding to the already wired atmosphere. Though neither party paid any heed to retrieving the article.
An: Okay, so that was the second chapter please give me your views.