Ch.3 Unforgivable
a/n: Sorry about the delay. Best buy has had my laptop with this chapter on it for the last two weeks. Now I will be updating every Sunday. In the mean time if you haven't already, definitely check out my other story Take My Hand.
Ginny held onto Draco's hand tightly as they made their way through the Ministry of Magic Friday morning. They had received special permission from Dumbledore to miss their classes in the morning so that they could seek the approval they needed from the Education department.
Draco knew his way around the halls well and he walked with confidence and purpose with people flinching and moving away as he passed by. As soon as they realized who he was holding hands with they stared at the couple and hushed whispers spread around them.
"I heard she's turned, joined you know who, apparently Arthur disowned her." An older gentleman spoke to the woman next to him.
"Maybe he's cursed her. She looks a bit confused." A young auror team eyed them suspiciously.
"Wonder what she's doing with him. Do you think Arthur knows?" An older woman asked the group around her.
"Ignore them, love" Draco whispered wrapping an arm around Ginny's waist and pulling her closer to him.
"It's hard to ignore them when they are all just standing around staring at us like we are some freak show." She whispered back as they stepped into the lift.
"It'll be okay" Draco hugged her and she laid her head on his chest. The lift stopped a few levels short of their destination and though someone got on, Ginny had her back to them.
"Mr. Weasley" Draco acknowledged and Ginny spun around to stare at her father. But he didn't look at them and didn't acknowledge them at all. "It's awful rude to just ignore me you know" Draco's voice was starting to sound a bit agitated.
"Why on earth would I want to speak with the man that ruined my daughter?" Arthur turned quickly his face red with anger.
"Ruin, you think I ruined her? You are ruining her. You've abandoned your flesh and blood because of one simple mistake. Which is something my family does; not something I ever thought a Weasley would do. You are her family. But I guess not really. You are no better than the man I grew up calling father." The lift halted at the end of Draco's rant and she pulled him out before things got any worse.
"Why did you do that?" Ginny was aggravated.
"I honestly do not know. When he ignored us I just sort of lost it. I'm sorry Ginny"
"It's fine" She said slightly aggravated as they entered the Department of Education and took their seats in a small waiting area. Ginny fiddled with the hem on her coat, her fingers shaky and nervous.
"Ms. Weasley, the Department head will see you now." A young witch motioned her into an office. The smell was overwhelming an immediately Ginny had to fight back the urge to vomit. Behind the desk sat a witch that Ginny knew well. Dolores Umbridge decked out in pink her perfume as obnoxious as ever. Ginny took a seat in a chair in front of the desk.
"Ms. Weasley, I'm concerned as to why a student would want to rush three years of schooling in just one. Could you explain this?" She was being nosy and Ginny could tell. If she wasn't careful with how she responded then this could go very badly.
"It is a personal matter that would make returning to Hogwarts next year very difficult if not impossible for me so I am seeking to finish as quickly as possible so I am not faced with this problem." She kept her voice as emotionless as possible.
"And what personal matter would that be?" Umbridge's voice was giving Ginny a headache and she resisted the urge to rub her temple.
"It's personal"
"If it is stopping you from finishing school I believe it is not quite as personal as you think"
"I believe it is personal enough to not be your business" Ginny was all out biting her tongue at this point.
"Well then Ms. Weasley I simply cannot approve your request. If you have nothing more to tell me then you may leave. Good day."
Too angry to even form words, Ginny made her way back to the waiting area and sat next to Draco.
"How'd it go?" He asked clearly unsure about how to address Ginny's obvious anger.
"Not well, the old bitch wouldn't approve me because I wouldn't explain the personal matter that keeping me from school."
"Mr. Malfoy, she's ready for you now" The young witch appeared again and Draco followed her; a look of anger flashing on his face before being replaced by his normal flat expression.
Ginny put her head in her hands wishing her headache away and trying to figure out what she was going to do now. At least the waiting area was quiet, but it didn't stay that way for long. Soon she heard what sounded like Draco in a heated argument with Umbridge. It lasted a good five minutes or so before the door to the office swung open and Draco stepped out with two pieces of parchment in his hand. He handed one two Ginny when he reaches where she was sitting and she looked down to see the approval plans for her finishing school.
"But how?" She stood next to him and let him begin to lead her out of the ministry.
"You'll be angry if I tell you" He held her hand when they stepped onto the lift again. Thankfully it was now empty.
"Honestly, I don't feel well enough to be angry anymore right now. Just tell me."
"I threatened her"
"Oh Draco!"
"It's not what you think. I didn't threaten to hurt her or anything. I threatened that my mother would pull all of her donations to the Department of Education. My family provides almost all of their funding."
"You're not even speaking to your mother" The lift had stopped and they were making their way to the apparition point so that they could get to Hogsmeade.
"She doesn't know that." He smiled, nodding his head back towards the way they came.
They arrived back at Hogwarts just as the students were heading to lunch. Before heading to the Great Hall, they both went to their respective rooms and changed into their uniforms. By, the time Ginny took her seat at the Gryffindor table, she had noticed students were staring at her and whispering more intently then they had the night of the Halloween ball.
"Ron, what is going on?" She whispered still looking around at the gawking students.
"They know, everyone knows Gin, I don't know how or who told them all, but it's all everyone has been talking about all morning." He rubbed his hand on his temple. "I promise I didn't tell anyone. Harry and Hermione didn't even know until this morning. Some Slytherin girl said something in Potions and ever since then your news," He grimaced obviously avoiding giving the eavesdropping students any solid confirmation about what her news was. "has been all over school"
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you both" Ginny looked at both Harry and Hermione in turn. They both just looked concerned. "I'm assuming Ron has caught you up with everything then?"
"Yes he did, how did your meeting at the Ministry go?" Hermione asked trying to distract Ginny from the whispers growing louder around them.
"We both got our approval" She nibbled on a piece of bread as she spoke knowing it may be the only thing she would not be throwing up if she tried to eat it. Her headache was starting to pound again and she blamed it on the annoying gossip. "We saw dad, ended up in a lift with him. Draco lost it and yelled at him, basically accused him of abandoning me and being no better than his father."
"What did dad say to that?"
"We got off before we could find out." The pounding in her head was growing more and more intense and her vision was starting to blur at the edges. She needed quiet before her head all out exploded. "I'm going to go on to Potions a little early so I don't have to deal with this." She made a gesture to the students around them before grabbing her bag and leaving the hall.
When she made it to the Potions classroom she slid down the wall, sitting on the floor right outside the door and put her head onto her knees that were pulled up to her chest. Soon she heard someone walking down the hallway and turned her head slightly to see who it was. Professor Snape was deep in conversation with Draco as they headed towards her, and had not yet noticed her.
"You should be ashamed of yourself Draco." They stopped walking and turned now facing each other still unaware of Ginny presence.
"I am Uncle Severus, you know that. I have been ashamed since it happened. I just can't believe that bitch would tell the whole school."
"Do you honestly not believe that?" Snape looked at Draco like he knew better.
"No, I can't believe I told her. I can't believe I fucking slept with her. If she told the whole school about Ginny being pregnant then she could very well go and tell Ginny we slept together."
Ginny couldn't believe what she was hearing. Draco had cheated on her. When? They spent almost all their time together. She had slept in her room every night except the night she found out she was pregnant. Hot tears burned her eyes as they spilled down her face. She was such an idiot. Draco Malfoy would never change, once a playboy always a playboy. She stood silently still keeping herself from being seen by the other two, preparing to get away as soon as she found an opportunity.
"Perhaps you should have thought of that before you slept with her." Snape sounded aggravated and disappointed.
"I was drunk when she showed up at my room. I was upset about Ginny and I was drunk and she was just there. And I know that it no excuse. Ginny deserves so much more than this." Draco's voice cracked and Ginny realized he was on the verge of tears. He truly regretted whatever happened between this girl and him. But that didn't make Ginny feel one bit better about it.
"I believe Miss Weasley deserves the truth."
"How am I supposed to tell her?"
"You already have" Ginny was shocked by how her voice sounded; sadness, anger and pain all prevalent. Draco and Snape turned quickly both surprised to notice her standing there. They all stood silently for a moment just looking at each other before Draco found his voice.
"Ginny" His voice was pleading and desperate. It took all she had not to run to him and comfort him. She took a moment before speaking, but not to Draco. It was Professor Snape she was addressing.
"I'm not feeling well Professor. Is it all right if I just got my assignments from Azlyn later?" Her knuckles were white from how tightly she was gripping her bag.
"That will be fine, Miss Weasley" Snape addressed her before removing himself by entering his classroom.
"Just leave me alone" She turned to face Draco before bolting away from the dungeons up to the safety of Gryffindor tower and her bed in her dorm. She stayed in bed until she knew it was time for dinner. No doubt she would be in trouble with her professors tomorrow. Or maybe if she was lucky Azlyn covered for her. Or she could claim the baby made her sick it wasn't as if everyone already didn't know. The great hall was loud and normal and Ginny felt relieved, at least people were not just staring silently anymore. She slid into Gryffindor table next to Ron who looked relieved to see her.
"I heard you missed all your classes Gin. You can't just hide in your room now that people know. Or you can't hide in Draco's room."
"I wasn't in Draco's room." She took a bite out of a roll, realizing she had barely eaten all day.
"Oh, well where have you been?"
"My dorm and I wasn't hiding from the school. Well not completely." She took a second bite and put the roll down, her appetite gone already.
"Why? Did something else happen today?"
"Ginny" Draco's voice made her jump slightly and she spun to see him standing behind her. "Please can we talk?" He looked so lost and defeated. It took all she had to bite back her tears as she stood to face him.
"We have nothing to talk about. Leave me alone, Malfoy." She brushed past him out of the great hall and started making her way up the grand staircase.
"Ginny at some point you have to talk to me. We're having a baby together. You can't just pretend I don't exist. You can't shut me out like this." He had followed her stopping a stair behind her as she turned to face him.
Several students had poured out of the great hall and were now whispering excitedly as Draco had confirmed the pregnancy himself. Included in the group were Ron, Harry, Hermione, Luna, Azlyn, Logan, Blaise, and Pansy; all of whom looked confused by the argument between the usually happy couple.
"Listen well, Malfoy. You may be the baby's father but that in no way makes you a dad. I can and I will shut you out because my child will not be subjected to you. All you are is an arrogant, lying, cheating bastard. You will never change and I was so stupid to ever believe that you even cared for me at all. So why don't you go whine to your whore, you seem to be very good at that." She turned again and took off again us the stairs, once in Gryffindor tower she sat down on one of the sofas and took as many deep breaths as she could, willing herself to calm down before the friends she knew were coming saw her falling apart.
For days Ginny spent most of her time avoiding Draco by hiding out in the library studying for her OWLs. Every now and again she would catch students staring at her and whispering. She never even went to the Great Hall for meals anymore. She would just go to the kitchens and the house elves would give her food. She ate either there or in her dorm. She kept close to Azlyn most of the time, but even Azlyn was pulled between her love for Logan and her friendship to Ginny. One day about a week before the holidays were to begin, Ginny and Azlyn took a walk out towards the lake.
"He feels terrible Ginny." Azlyn rubbed her gloved hands together. "Since when did it decide to start snowing like this?"
"It doesn't change what he did." She shivered a bit, her old Gryffindor cloak not as warm as it used to be. "And are you really surprised at how cold it is; it's been not as cold as usual. We should feel lucky it just started getting really cold and blizzard like."
"Blizzard like? Nice vocabulary." Azlyn laughed wrapping an arm over her best friend's shoulders and the trudged together towards the tree that brought them peace. "By the way, please don't kill me for this."
"Kill you for…?" Ginny was confused and then she saw him; standing under the tree with their group of friends.
"Ginny" His face held no emotion but his voice betrayed that. He sounded nothing like the man she knew. He sounded broken. He had no right to be broken. She was broken. He broke her. He made her have to hide away from everyone.
"No" She untangled herself from Azlyn and made to turn away but Azlyn grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Please just talk to him. Please." She begged and Ginny conceded turning slowly to face him.
"I know you hate me. And you have every right. I could stand here for days making up a thousand excuses for what I did. And I know that won't make it any better. But please give me a chance to start making amends to you Ginny. I love you with all of my being and I have changed. I have changed so much for the better because of you and I need you Ginny." His face had fallen mid speech and before her stood someone she had never seen Draco be. He was never hurt, and if he was he usually lashed out with anger not sadness. She took a few steps towards him keeping about a foot between them.
"I don't hate you. I love you and that pisses me off. I should hate you and I can't so I'm angry. I'm so angry and so hurt. You are so broken but you should be; you should hurt because what you did. It is unforgivable. And I am broken because of it and I have to hide my face everywhere I go because your mistake told the whole school our secret. And I want to just cut you loose and walk away because it is the smart thing to do. But I can't because I love you and this is our baby. But I don't know what chance we have when I can't forgive you and I don't trust you." Tears had begun to spill down her face.
"I will earn your trust again. I promise you that." He took a step towards her trying to close the gap and she flinched away from him.
"I can't, I need time Draco. Can we talk about this after the holiday's maybe?" She looked down at the snow trying to resist the urge to wrap her arms around him.
"Alright, I can wait that long. You know where to find me if you need anything."
"I know, I'll see you around." She turned away and began to walk away from her friends back towards the castle. After a few minutes she stopped and looked back. Draco was still standing in the same spot watching her leave. She sighed and began on her way again, wondering when everything had become so messed up and difficult.