-1Chapter 12 - Did You Ever Really Love Somebody
Hermione, Lavender, Ginny, Ron, and Harry shared a compartment on the train home. It was a silent ride all the way home.
When they got to Platform 9 and 3/4, Charlie was there to pick all the kids up. Ginny put on her "happy face" and ran to her brother and hugged him. On her way out of the station, she took a quick look and saw that Draco was welcomed back by his mother. Hermione came up behind Ginny and nudged her on.
When they got home, Ginny greeted all her family with the "Happy face", but when she heard, "GIN-GIN!" from her three-year-old niece, Penny, Ginny had a genuine smile on her face. The little girl jumped into her arms and gave her a big squeeze.
Soon after that Ginny excused herself, saying that she wasn't feeling too well. Hermione grabbed, Lavenders arm and went after her, Lavender grabbed a hold of Sara's arm, who was shocked for she was in the middle of a conversation when she was dragged away.
Charlie threw her a look and Sara only shrugged as she followed the girls up the stairs. Charlie turned to the rest of the family and said, "Girl time I guess."
As the three girls went into Ginny's room behind her, Ginny turned to them and said, "What?"
"Ginny, you need to move on." Hermione said.
"Move on, Hermione, it's been slightly over a month. It still hurts."
"And it's always going to hurt." Hermione replied.
"Oh, shove it, if Harry broke up with you, you'd be doing the same thing, so stop preaching to me!" Ginny said rather rudely.
Hermione sat there like a fish. Her mouth opening and closing with wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.
"Close your mouth, Hermione, you look like a fish," Lavender said.
"I was just trying to be logical," Hermione protested.
"No, you're just trying to be smart." Lavender stated.
Ginny gasped, as Lavender told her friend off.
"Okay, can we start from the beginning; I don't know what's going on here." Sara said behind them all.
Ginny looked at her sister-in-law, sighed, and said, "Draco broke up with me."
"You and Draco were going out?"
Ginny grabbed Draco's jean shirt out of her trunk and sat down on the foot of the bed, the other girls proceeded to sit with her. Ginny looked over at Sara and said with a slight smile, "He told me he loved me."
"Then what happened?"
"I was stupid and worried about what Ron would do if he ever found out." Ginny paused and continued, "We never told anyone about us and I found out too late, that it really bothered him." Ginny stood up and said, "Why did I let Ron get to me? I should have just said the hell with him."
"Just think, Gin, if everyone did know, do you really think that would have stopped the incident that happened on Halloween night?" Lavender asked.
"I guess not, huh?"
"What happened on Halloween night?" Sara asked.
Ginny turned to Sara and told her with discreet details of what happened that night.
On Christmas Eve night, Ginny sat on the sill of her window and looked out to the stars. It started to snow, so the clouds covered her star up. She looked up at the sky with tears in her eyes when she saw the clouds part and she saw her star, Andromeda Silver, shining brighter than ever. Ginny looked up at it and remembered that night that Draco stayed for supper.
Flashback
"See that star?" Ginny said to Draco.
"Uh-huh."
"That's my star."
"Sorry, it's already taken."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean it's mine."
"Are you serious?" Draco just nodded his head. "Oh."
"But I'm willing to share it."
Ginny smiled, "Sharing sounds nice."
Back to the present
Ginny hugged her legs to her chest and started to cry when something came crashing at her window. Ginny screamed and jumped up. What she saw when she looked out her window made her jaw drop.
On a different path...
Draco's mother came to pick him up from the station. He gave her a soft smile and a hug.
His mother asked him, "Where's Ginerva? I was hoping to see her with you."
"She's... uh... she's with her brothers right now."
"Draco Clifford Malfoy! Don't tell me you were mean to her!"
"Mother! Is it really necessary to have this conversation here?"
"Fine! We'll talk at home." She took her wand to herself and apparated. Draco took one look around, saw Ginny leaving. He sighed and he too apparated.
Draco avoided his mother for a few days; he really didn't want to talk to her.
A few days later Draco sat in front of the fireplace holding his most prized possession; the guitar from Ginny. He played a few notes of the song he was learning for Ginny, but then he crumbled the paper up and threw it into his fireplace. He had to think. "Is it worth it?" he asked himself. "Is it worth it to put the one you love into so much danger?"
"Don't you think that's for her to decide?" came a voice from behind him.
Draco slowly turned around and saw the unlikeliest person he would ever imagine in his house.
"Potter, what are you doing here?"
"Well," Harry said crossing his arms over his chest, "Hermione and I had a long talk and she and Lavender had a long talk with Ginny."
"Ah," Draco said, stood up, and put his guitar away. "So, you've come to beat me up then."
"Unfortunately, no."
"Then what are you doing here? 'Cause I know you didn't come all the way here to tell me that I should be with Ginny." He looked up at Harry and saw no reaction. Draco sighed and said, "You did, didn't you?"
"Look. Hermione sent me over because she knew that you wouldn't listen to her, so maybe you'd listen to me."
Draco had a smirk on his face. "She's got you wrap up pretty tightly around that finger of hers, doesn't she?"
"Yeah, she does, but I don't mind. It's called being in love. Something that you, could have, but decided to throw it out the window and hurt the one girl who has really, truly loved you. I don't know why she does, but I know she does." Draco lifted his head to say something, but Harry cut him off. "And no, Hermione didn't need to tell me. I know that Ginny was happy when you two were together."
"And the reason why you just stood there and let Weasley beat me up, is because she was happy with me, and that's just the way that you guys show me that you approve of us, right?"
"Well, I figured that you did something pretty bad to just let Ron beat you up like that."
"I didn't let him beat me up."
"Sure you did, you didn't even fight back."
"Whatever, she's better off without me in her life."
"She's miserable, she won't eat and she can't eat, she's not even as nice as she used to be."
"Potter, she'll get over me soon enough and she'll move on. I don't deserve her, okay?"
"No, you don't, but it's you that Ginny wants."
"Don't you remember what happened in our second year?" Harry looked down and remembered. Lucius Malfoy tried to kill Ginny that year. "Yeah, that's what I thought! And that was even before I started having feelings for her. What do you think he'll do now when he finds out I'm in love with her!" Draco shut right up, bit his lip, and cursed softly under his breath.
"Uh-huh! So you do love her!"
Draco sighed and said, "Of course I do. What man in his right mind wouldn't?"
"So, why don't you tell her?"
"Because I am trying to protect her!"
"From who? You or your father?"
"My father, Potter!"
"Well, if you aren't willing to sacrifice a few things to be with her, then maybe you really don't love her."
Draco sighed and said, "And what Potter, am I to expect that the Weasley family is going to open their arms to me and say 'Welcome to the Family', if you haven't noticed, my name isn't Harry Potter."
"Well, Mrs. Weasley likes you, and Bill and Charlie don't have any reasons to hate you. Mr. Weasley has no problems with you either."
"Of course he does! My father and Mr. Weasley hate each other, all he sees me as is as his enemies son."
"Well, don't forget, the enemy of my enemy is my best friend."
Draco thought for a moment and then said, "I really don't think that applies in this case." Harry was quiet for a few minutes and then laughed, "What, Potter, could possibly be funny?"
"Do you remember before our second year started, when we were in Flourish and Bots?"
"Yeah, and Gildory Lockheart, was there."
Harry let out another laugh and said, "And you called Ginny my little girlfriend."
Draco let out a small laugh and said, "Ah, how the tables have turned through the years."
"Yes and through those years people have changed too." Harry said. "In the words of Draco Malfoy," With that said, Draco looked at Harry with confused eyes, "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Malfoy. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." Harry said holding out his hand.
Draco laughed a little louder this time, walked over to Harry, and shook his hand. "So, what, now we're friends?"
"No! It's too soon for that. Let's start with not hating each other." Draco and Harry both laughed at that.
"So, are you coming?"
Draco sighed and before he could say a thing they both heard, "Draco!"
"Shit, that's my father, Potter, you better get out of here." Harry opened his mouth, but Draco said, "I need to take care of this on my own." With that said Harry apparated out of Draco's room just as Lucius came running through it.
"Did you not hear me calling you?"
"No, father, I did not. Did you need something?"
Before Lucius said what he came to say to Draco, he saw something on the floor, "What the bloody hell is that?"
"Shit," Draco thought as he turned around to see his guitar on the top of his bed.
Lucius took the guitar from his son's bed and asked, "What are you doing with this?"
"It's called a guitar, father. I was playing it," Draco said without a hint of fright in his voice.
Lucius was shaking with anger, "You know this just tops it off."
Draco crossed his arms and said, "What did I do now?"
Lucius hit Draco across the face with the back of his hand so hard that he almost fell over. "You've been seen making out with that Weasley girl in public!" He smacked him again. "You went with her to a dance!" He smacked him again. "And I've heard you've been friendly with that Mud-blood girl!" He smacked Draco one last time.
Draco could feel blood trickling down his cheek. The rings on his father's hands cut open his skin. He was shocked. In all his life, his father never hit him; spanked him when he was younger, yes, but ever hit him, no.
"And now I catch you playing a muggle instrument? You have disgraced the Malfoy name!" Still Draco said nothing. "Have you nothing to say for yourself?"
"Nothing that you'll like to hear."
That was it; Lucius took his son's guitar and, using it like a bat, hit it against the wooden post on the bed. The guitar broke into a few pieces and one of them hit Draco pretty hard on the back of his head. Draco slumped to the floor and passed out.
Lucius didn't even take a second glance back as he left the room.
A while later...
Draco slowly opened his eyes and was surprised to be on his bed.
"What?"
"Hello, sir." It was Billy.
"What the hell happened?" he said sitting up, but then thought better of it when his head really started to hurt. "Ow."
"Master has to lie still."
Draco felt the back of his head and felt a rather large bump. "Why is there a bump on my head?"
"Billy is sorry, sir, but the Master of the manor has said that you shall have no healing spells cast over you. He says that if you like Muggles so much, you can try being like one."
"What else did he say?"
"He says that you have to leave the Manor, sir, and not come back. Your things are all ready to go, sir."
Well, he definitely knew what he was going to do now. He removed his sock from his foot and handed it to Billy. "Here."
Billy took the offered sock and said, "But... but... sir. Do you know what this means?"
"It means that you are now free. You are my house elf and I will not make you stay in this house."
Billy smiled really big but then frowned, "But what am I to do now?"
Draco smiled, "Go to Hogwarts. There is a man there named Albus Dumbledore. Tell him that I sent you. He will take good care of you."
"Thank you, sir!"
"Oh, Billy, will you do me one favor though?"
"Anything, sir! Anything!"
"Take my things with you when you go. I shall be returning there soon, but I must go do some things first."
"Yes, sir!" Billy said and he fled the room.
Draco slowly got up and took a few things from his belongings and stuffed them into a bag. He grabbed his wand and left the room.
As he did so he ran straight into his mother, "Draco, dear, where are you going?"
"As far from here as possible."
"Draco, what happened you?"
"Fa… Lucius did this to me. I apparently made some choices that he didn't like and he got mad." His mother gasped, "Why don't you come with me? If he's hit me, it won't be too long before he hits you?"
"I can't. If he finds me gone, it won't be good."
"Please, mum, promise me, if he starts to get mad, please apparated from here and get to Hogwarts as fast as you can." His mother didn't say anything, "Promise me, please?"
"I promise, Draco."
Draco gave his mother a hug and said, "I have to go. I have a few things to do and then I'm going back to Hogwarts."
"Are you going to go see Ginny?" Narcissa smiled up at him.
Draco sighed and said, "Yes, I am."
"Good for you, sweetie. Now go to her," Draco turned to leave, "Oh and Draco," Draco turned back around, "Happy Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, mum," he gave her one last hug and left.
He stopped in the study to grab his baby book and then apparated out of the Malfoy Manor once and for all.
A few moments later, Draco dropped to the ground to his first order of business.
He walked up to the door and knocked loudly. He heard feet pounding inside the house and made one last check to make sure he looked presentable. As he did that, he remembered that his hair was full of gel and looked greasy. He aimed his wand up to his hair and "poofed" it to his fluffy, non-evil-looking hair. As soon as he finished that, the door flew open.
"Can I help you?" a middle-aged woman asked.
"Yes, I am sorry to be bothering you on Christmas Eve and so late at night, but I am looking for Tom."
The lady allowed him to enter. "Wait here, I'll go get him."
Soon a mini Draco entered the room. Draco looked confused. "Tom?"
"Malfoy?" the boy said crossing his arms, confirming that he was Tom, but it didn't look like Tom. He had blond hair that was gelled back instead of his brown hair, and he had an evil look on his face, not the happy one that Draco knew.
"Oh, we have A LOT to talk about."
After talking with the boy for about an hour, he learned that boy changed in order for Draco to like him better. Draco hugged the small boy when he heard that and offered him his apologies. By the time that Draco left the boy's home, Tom was back to his original self and promised to owl Helen the following day and apologize to her.
"I'll see you in a few weeks," Draco said, ruffling the boy's hair.
"So, are you going to go tell her?" Tom asked.
"Kid, I already told her, but I'm going to tell her again." Draco said as he took his wand and apparated out of Tom's house.
Draco went to his second stop. He walked up to the house and took a deep breath. He picked up some snow and threw it at a window, hoping that the window wouldn't break.
To Be Continued…