Chapter 4 Comfort In The Strangest Place
Ginny and Collin woke up early and headed down to breakfast at eight o'clock. They sat there talking until there head of house, Professor Potter, handed out their schedules. Ginny looked over hers and had to double check. She turned to Collin still clutching her schedule in her hands. "Collin, can I see your schedule?" He gave her a funny look and handed it over. Ginny kept muttering to herself about how it wasn't possible.
"What's not possible?" Collin asked her worriedly.
Ginny stopped comparing the schedules. "I have Mondays off." she said softly. "What?!" Collin asked grabbing her schedule from her. "Wow! I guess that you completed more last year than you thought, lucky girl." Ginny stared at him. "But, Collin, what am I going to do all day?" she whined looking a little lost. "Have fun?" Collin suggested as he watched her. He was looking at her as though she had grown a second head and was going to eat him. "But everyone will be in classes besides me. "
Collin told her to wait and got up and walked around the tables talking to people. When he came back he sat down with a sigh. "You're right. No one else has Mondays off, but no one has DADA after lunch in any of the years, and nobody has Potions until lunch in any of the years either. So you could always wait until after lunch and hang out with Harry for the rest of the day." Ginny grinned at him. "Thanks Collin. That's a great idea. I haven't had a chance to talk to Harry since the summer." She hugged him around the neck.
They both settled back into the conversation and continued eating. Halfway through the meal something dawned on Ginny. No one had potions until lunch. Draco would be free all morning. She should have known. There was no way that it could be as good as it seemed, and she couldn't avoid Draco since he was not only her Potions Master, but also in charge of the Heads and he had the password to their dorms. Damn!! The only two rooms that he couldn't get into were her bedroom, if Collin hadn't told him the password, and her art room that even Collin didn't know the password for. She guessed that the only thing to do after her walk around the grounds was to go up to the third floor and lock herself in her art room.
When breakfast ended everyone headed for their classes. Ginny walked Collin to Herbology and hugged him before leaving to walk around the grounds and see what all had changed. Really she was just looking for a place to sketch in peace. She walked over to her willow, as she called it. She and Harry used to spend their time off sitting underneath this willow tree just talking and watching the giant squid. She smiled when the squid popped one of his tentacles out of the water and waved it. Ginny waved back and smiled while she reached into her pocket and pulled out a little baggy of bacon and bits of toast. Ginny sat there for about half an hour feeding the squid. At the end he set his head just out of the water and let her pet him. She told him that she would be back the next morning, and patted him on his head one more time.
Gin pushed herself off of the ground, grabbed her bag and continued her walk around the grounds. She passed Hagrid teaching a lesson and waved at him. Half way around the lake she found what she was looking for. She walked through the gate into the graveyard and latched it back behind her. She headed straight to the middle where Dumbledore's tomb stood. Next to Dumbledore was Professor Sprout, Professor Snape, and Madam Hooch. Ginny touched all of their graves sending little sparks up for all of them. She walked farther down the row and stopped facing one of the tombs. She read the engraving again.
Charles Edmund Weasley
1979 - 2004
A great friend and an
even better man. We will
miss you.
Ginny sat down next to her brothers grave. She opened the bag that she was carrying and took out a photograph, and a bouquet of flowers. She placed the picture on the ground and leaned the flowers against them. "Hey Charlie. It's me, Ginny. See I told you that I'd come and see you." She let out a watery laugh. "I've been thinking about that time that you took me to see my first dragon. Remember? I was so excited and when we got there I started crying so hard that you had to carry me because I couldn't walk. And then on top of it all, just as we were about to leave I started crying again because I wanted to see the dragon. I looked at it that time, Charlie. Remember? You were so proud that you bought me that little stuffed dragon that I carry everywhere with me. Do you remember what I called him? I was so embarrassed when I came to school. You all used to tease me so badly but you never told anyone else. Draco says hello by the way. I still can't believe that I named that poor little stuffed dragon Draco!" She went into a fit of giggles. "You remember Ron came back from his first year here and tried to burn him? That was hilarious!
"I wish you could see Ron now, Charlie. He and Hermione are going to get married just like you always said they would. They're so cute together that it almost makes me sick." She giggled again. "Harry and I didn't get back together, Charlie, and I don't think that we're going to. Don't think badly of him though okay? He was right we are better off as just friends. It still hurts a little sometimes, but I'm getting over it. Sometimes I just wish that I could have what Bill has with Fleur or mum and dad have or even what Ron and Hermione have. You know? I just want to know what it feels like to love someone like that and have them love you back. I really wish that you were here to tell me what to do. You were right about that too though I am stronger than I thought I was. At least I hope I am. I miss you so much that it actually hurts. I just wish that I could talk to you one more time and say goodbye properly. We don't always get what we want though do we? I just wish that I knew what to do!" Ginny laid her head on her knees and wept.
Draco followed Ginny on her walk. He was amazed! The squid had never let anyone pet it besides Dumbledore. She had a far off look in her eyes and he knew that she was thinking about what had happened with Harry. After a while she pushed herself up and kept walking. He watched her smile and wave at Hagrid. Her next stop made him falter, but he followed her into the graveyard.
He watched her hand as she trailed it over each of the graves, even Snape's. A lot of people would have avoided his grave but not Ginny. She just wasn't like that. Then she stopped and sat next to one of the graves. He watched her pull out a picture of her family, Hermione, and Harry and set it in front of the grave along with a bouquet of roses that were enchanted to never die. He listened to her talk to her oldest brother and felt like his heart would tear in two. He laughed with her about her story about the dragon especially the part where Ron tried to burn it cause it had his name. When she began to talk about Harry he started to leave until he heard the tears in her voice. "I just want to know what it feels like to love someone like that and have them love you back." He turned back and stared at her as a tear rolled down her cheek. She was so lost and alone and all anyone saw was the beautiful, happy, funny, Ginny Weasley. He wondered if anyone even tried to dig deeper. When she spoke about her pain and how much she missed him he felt a sudden loneliness wash over him and he longed to talk to his parents again.
He watched her pull her knees into her chest and drop her head to them and start to weep. Watching her crumble this way broke his heart. She really was just human like everyone else.
Draco walked to where she was sitting. He knelt down next to her. Ginny lifted her head and watched him as he sat next to her. He ran his hand over her hair and she began to cry even harder. He tugged on her shoulder a little and she leaned into him weeping into his chest. She hadn't let herself cry since Charlie died. Now here she was and the one person that she never thought would care was the one person who did. It amazed her how life could tip the scales on you so quickly. Here Draco was running his hands through her hair and whispering comforting words just like Charlie would have had he been here. Ginny let everything that she had been holding in flow out of her. She clutched at his shirt and cried all of it away. He simply kept running his hands through her hair and rocking her. When she had cried herself dry Draco picked her up and grabbed her bag and carried her back to the castle. He made his way up to the third floor and said the password. He carried her all the way down the hall and laid her on the couch. When he knew that she was okay he went to the kitchen and fixed her something to drink.
Draco walked out carrying a glass of ice water to find that she wasn't on the couch. Her bedroom door was standing open. He walked to the doorway and knocked. Then he saw her. She had changed into her pajamas and was laying right in the middle of the bed holding a little stuffed dragon that he could only assume was Draco. He walked over to her and set the water on her night stand. He sat on the edge of the bed and tucked her hair behind her ears. "You okay now?"
Ginny nodded quietly. She looked up at him with still wet eyes. The tears were clinging to her eyelashes and they had left streaks on both of her cheeks. She looked so sad and little. He sat next to her and propped himself up against the headboard. She sat next to him and laid her tear stained cheek on his shoulder. "So... Is this little Draco?" he asked her with a laugh in his voice.
Ginny giggled "Yes, it is, and I must say he's much more handsome." She looked up at him with a teasing grin on her face. He tweaked her nose. "Ha! Ha! Very funny." When she kept grinning he started to tickle her. After ten minutes she got him pinned and found out that he was just as ticklish as she was, maybe even more so. Draco tried to buck her off so hard that they actually fell off of the bed. Draco spun at the last second to cushion her fall. They stayed that way for a while and just laughed at each other. After they had calmed down they noticed where they were. Ginny was laying on top of Draco on her bedroom floor and his hands were firmly on her waist while hers were on his chest. They both stopped laughing and just stared into each other's eyes. Ginny swallowed and slowly lifted herself off of him without breaking eye contact. She held her hand out to him and he took it. She helped him to his feet and they didn't move. They stood there, inches apart, holding hands, and staring into each other's eyes.
Ginny was the one that broke the silence. "Draco?" He cocked his head slightly to the side. "Can I have my hand back?" And with that the spell was broken. Draco looked down at their hands intertwined and slowly let go. He cleared his throat. "Let's go do something. Come on. Get dressed. Let's go." He headed out of her bedroom. He turned just before he left. "If you're not out here in twenty minutes I'm gonna break down the door and carry you out whether you're dressed or not." He smiled at her and she found herself grinning back.
Ginny quickly ran around the room pulling off articles of clothing to replace them. She sat on the bed and put on her shoes slowly. She stood and took a deep breath as she headed into the sitting room. However, Draco was not there. She ventured down the hall and found him in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee, and staring out the window. She stood there for a moment just looking at him. The past hour or so had made her see him in an entirely different light. She noticed for the first time just how handsome he really was. His hair had turned a dark gold color and his face had become more pronounced. He was taller than she had realized. At her five foot five inches she had to look up to most people but he must have been close to a foot taller than she was. His eyes were no longer an icy grey but had softened and reminded her of the sky right before a storm. In the black slacks and sweater he looked relaxed yet regal at the same time. He really had changed.
Draco realized that someone was watching him and turned ready to take an onslaught from Creevey, but the sight that greeted him was much more welcome. Ginny was standing in the doorway. She was wearing a black long sleeve shirt that clung to her and her hair fell over her left shoulder. The jeans that she was wearing fit her like a glove and looked absolutely marvelous. She was wearing black boots that the ends of her jeans were tucked into. She smiled at him.
"So... What do you want to do today, Professor?" She grinned as he shook his head trying to clear it.
"Well, I figured that we could go flying for a bit." He held up his broom. Ginny grinned and summoned her own.
"Let's go." Was all that she said before heading out the door. She walked straight out the doors before looking at Draco again.
Draco caught her look and had to ask. "Why do you insist on calling me Professor when I've asked you repeatedly to call me Draco?"
Ginny smirked. "It's just weird to call you Draco after everything that we've been through over the years. Don't you think?" She cocked her head to the side and then plowed on not giving him time to answer properly. "And anyways, I always called you Malfoy or Ferret Boy. Since we've sort of started a friendship it wouldn't be right to call you either of those. See? So it has to be Professor." She grinned.
"I see your reasoning but it makes me feel so old. I know that you despised me so for the longest time. Whenever you heard the name Draco you probably wanted to hit something unless it was in reference to that adorable stuffed dragon that you sleep with. You can't call me Malfoy cause you get mad just saying that name. And Ferret Boy is completely uncalled for. I mean, that happened forever ago. You Gryffindors are like elephants. You never forget." He stalled as Ginny giggled. "How about you give me a nickname. And I don't mean something embarrassing or mushy or just plain stupid. Like Mione. That's what you call Hermione Granger right? Something like that. Or Ron for Ronald. Or Nev for Neville. Just something simple that I won't be horribly embarrassed to answer to."
Ginny stopped and thought about it. "Well, I used to have this friend, her mouth was the same shape as yours. We called her 'lips'." Ginny lifted her eyebrows at him.
"One..." Draco held up a finger. "You going around calling me 'lips' might give the wrong impression to quite a few people." He watched her face as she realized how it would sound. "And two..." He held up a second finger. "When did you study my lips long enough to know the exact shape of them?" He smirked as he watched her blush and start to walk away quickly. He started to follow her. "Dammit, Gin, quit walking away from me. I feel like a damn fool chasing after you." She came to a halt and looked at him. "You still haven't come up with a solution to our problem." He reminded her.
"OH! Fine!" Gin threw her hands up in exasperation. "Let me think." She looked him over and looked to be in deep thought.
Draco couldn't help himself. "I'd prefer it if you didn't look me over while you think of one. You might come up with another 'lips' thing." He chuckled as her blush rose higher. "Ginny, you're redder than some of the apples I've seen. Calm down. I was just picking."
Ginny glared at him. "How about selfish, idiotic, spoiled, slimy, loathsome, self- centered, the world revolves around me, stuck up, bloody, git!" Ginny ranted at him. With every word she shoved her finger into his chest and shoved him backwards an inch. "Does that work for you?"
Draco looked at her sheepishly. "Actually no. I resent the 'idiotic' remark as I was second in my year, and I don't think that the world revolves around me though I wish it did. I haven't been spoiled in two years. I most certainly am not selfish or stuck up. The rest of that is your opinion so I can't say if it's true or not for you. But I can tell you that I have tried to be nothing but nice to you since I saw you again. Plus I don't think that you could remember all of that. I was thinking something simpler. While you think about it, Princess, I'm going for a fly."
Draco mounted his broom and flew into the air. Ginny quickly followed suit. Draco saw her from the corner of his eye as she sped past him. They raced around the Quidditch pitch for an hour before landing. Ginny had beaten him by two lengths though he claimed that it was unfair seeing as she had winked at him and it had distracted him.
They walked around the grounds to cool off and stretch. Ginny gloated the whole time.
"You're never going to let me live that down are you?" He asked her incredulously.
Ginny grinned at him over her shoulder. "Hm-mm..." She put her index finger on her chin as though she was thinking about it. "Nope. Sorry. Nope." She laughed and ran back to the castle with Draco on her heels. Once they reached her dormitory they stopped. "Ha! I won again. Face it. I'm just in better shape than you are, Professor." She bent down to grin in his face.
Draco slowly straightened. "Don't tempt me Gin." Was all he said as he stalked towards her. She laughed and ran down the hall into the sitting room. Draco chased her around the couch but soon grew tired and jumped it. He caught her around the waist and carried her to the couch so that he could sit and catch his breath. He sat her on his lap. "Ginny Weasley, you are a handful." They both laughed at that.
Suddenly Draco turned to her. "Gin, go to Hogsmeade with me?" he asked.
"I've already agreed to go with you. Why are you asking me again?"
"No. Not as a teacher getting to know his student better. Like people used to when they were in school."
"You want to go as friends now?"
Draco gave an exasperated sigh. "No, Gin. I'm asking if you'd go on a date with me to Hogsmeade. I know it sounds insane, but I really like you. I've tried to fight it or turn it into a friendship, but it's more than that. You are the most intelligent, fun, down to earth, real girl that I've ever met."
"You forgot beautiful." Ginny stated matter of factly. "Now you're supposed to tell me how beautiful I am. You forgot beautiful."
"No I didn't. I mean you are beautiful but that's not why I feel this way about you. I think seeing you in the graveyard cinched the deal. You didn't try to be beautiful while you cried, you weren't overly dramatic, or anything like that. You just cried. To know that someone like you, who seems so perfect to everyone, can be as lonely as I am is comforting in a way. Maybe we can help each other with that. I want to give it a shot. It might be worth it."
Ginny stared into his eyes. "All right." She agreed hesitantly. Draco shot off of the couch.
"Good. I have to go. Lunch starts soon and I have to change into my robes. I have to be there early. Okay. I'll see you this weekend."
A/N: I'm so sorry that it took this long to update. I know that I am a terrible author but I promise to make it up to you all.
Jennicula--- I'm glad that you like it so far and seeing as it took me this long to update I think it's fair that we ignore you not reviewing for chapter 2. lol. Hope you stick with me. I promise another update tomorrow.
Jamie Lynn Potter-- I'm glad you enjoy this. Please stick with me.
Dracoginnylover24-- Thanks so much for the reviews. I'm sorry it's taken so long to update. Thank you for the luck yet again. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
MascaraSmudge--- For a first time reader I am sure that I have made a terrible impression on you. I promise that I am not usually this bad about updating. I just had a lot going on lately. I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to enjoy the story.
Writerofdarkness6-- So sorry for the long wait. If you've stuck with me then I promise that I will make it up to you.
hecate0808-- Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it. Sorry for the long wait. Hope you stick with me and that you enjoy this chapter.
Okay guys I promise to make it up to all of you. I will post another chapter tomorrow and try to post yet another on Saturday though I cannot proomise. I will try to continue updating at least once a week from now on. Please forgive me guys! Bria/gemini69