No more
From the strength that
Never has the blood in my veins
Flown so fiercely as when I feel this around me
I am whole
And I'm not alone
With the touch of your hand, I am whole again
-All That Remains Not Alone
Chapter Three: Back To Hogwarts
When Harry, Ron, Hermione, George, and Ginny arrived at Platform 9 3/4 they didn't expect to see all the people that were there. Sure there were an abundance of firsties running around but there were also what looked like the rest of the trio's year as well, minus a couple of Slytherins like Millicent Bulstrode and Goyle.
The four kissed Mrs. Weasley goodbye and boarded the train. Hermione and Ron had to go and have the prefects meeting along with Harry, so after they found a compartment, they left Ginny to herself.
Ginny watched the world pass her by in a steady blur of trees and countryside. About an hour into the ride, her cabin door opened and in walled Draco, shutting the door behind him.
The two stared each other down. Ginny tried her hardest to look calm and cold when inside her heart was doing flip flops at the mere sight of him. His face had improved over the months and he looked as he did before sixth year, youthful and energized. And completely gorgeous. Finally she turned her head and looked back out the window, avoiding the fact that she wanted to jump him.
Draco looked at Ginny with concern and a bit of hope. She looked beautiful to him, even more since the funeral and he knew he had to just let all his prattiness go to achieve what he wanted. Again.
"I've been looking for you Gin." he said, his eyes being Ginny to look at him.
"Looks like you've found me." said Ginny shortly, not looking away from the window.
Draco sighed. "Must we start off like this Ginevra?"
"Why not? That's how it ended."
"No, that's how YOU ended it." said Draco.
"Oh I know you're not going to come in here and blame that all on me! You know why I did what I did!" said Ginny now facing Draco, glaring at him unintimidated.
"Do I really? Cuz you never even told me!"
"I would have thought I wouldn't have had to Draco!" yelled Ginny standing up, losing her cool.
"I can't read your fucking mind Ginny!" yelled Draco back walking closer to Ginny. "You were the one who stopped talking to me. Stopped looking at me. Stopped everything entirely and for fucking what?!"
"If you're not going to be smart and think about it, I'm not going to sit here and humor you. I don't even know why I'm talking to you right now!"
"Ginny please! I don't want to fight with you." said Draco in a low voice, grabbing Ginny's hand.
"Oh really? And what exactly you want to do with me?" asked Ginny, trying hard to sound angry even though her resolve was cracking.
Draco grinned and pulled Ginny close to him. "I think you already know the answer to that question." he said as he put his arm around Ginny's waist.
Ginny tried as hard as she could but she couldn't help but grin back at his statement. She put her hands behind Draco's neck and sighed.
"I can't do this with you right now Draco. You don't deserve it." she said almost sadly.
"You want me to prove to you that I'm sorry. Then let me." said Draco drawing her into him more.
"A snog on the train isn't the way to mend what happened Draco Malfoy." said Ginny. "I'm not Pansy Parkinson or any of those other slags you have fucked with."
"I didn't come here for that Gin. Although that would be nice, I actually came to talk to you." said Draco.
"Not here. They will be back here any minute. The last thing I need is to explain why your ferret ass is here."
"Then when?"
Ginny shook her head. "I don't know."
Draco looked disappointed. "Fine. You win this round Ginevra. But you should know by now that I'm determined. Especially when it comes to getting what I want."
Maybe you should want for something else then." whispered Ginny.
Draco smirked and kissed Ginny lightly but passionately on the cheek. "You already know I couldn't want for anything more." he whispered in her ear seductively causing Ginny to close her eyes and take a deep breath in.
Draco walked out the door quickly, leaving Ginny standing there, her head swimming in confusion. This was going to be much harder then she realized. It was easy to ignore the five other letters he sent her over the summer. But to have him physically in her face, to touch him, to smell him, to be able to taste him if she wanted to, it was going to be a challenge.
A couple minutes after Draco had left, Ron and Hermione had returned. Ron sat down close to the window and Hermione sat on his lap facing Ginny. Ron rested his head on Hermione's back. Both of them looked tired and annoyed.
"Long meeting?" asked Ginny.
"More like bloody annoying. We have Pansy as the fucking Slytherin prefect and she wants everything her fucking way and I just wanted to punch her on her stupid mouth." said Ron as he snaked his arms around Hermione's waist.
"Language Ron, and not before I punch her first." said Hermione rolling her eyes at the thought of the cow.
"That bad eh?" asked Ginny.
"She just wouldn't shut up Gin. And you know me, I tried to be as polite as I could but her along with Zacharias Smith and Terry Boot with their condescending attitudes was enough to make me want to Avada Kedavra myself." said Hermione as she put her face in her hands.
"Where is Harry?"
"He said he wanted a minute to himself." said Ron feeling himself grow tired as he snuggled his face into Hermione's back.
"I'm going to find Luna then. You two get some sleep." said Ginny as she got up and walked out the door.
Harry had stayed quiet throughout the whole meeting. Though he tried to listen to Ron and Hermione's words, the fact that Pansy wouldn't shut her annoying mouth nor would Zacharias made it impossible. Plus he still had much on his mind.
When the meeting was over, he told Ron and Hermione to go back without him. He felt he needed to be to himself for awhile.
He walked over the where the first year's car was. Their hall was usually quiet as they were only let out for bathroom breaks at certain times to keep the older kids from scaring them. A rule that had been enforced after Harry's first year.
He stood at one of the windows and put his forehead to the glass. He seriously did not want to come back to this place. He didn't want to be faced with the memories of the war, even more so than he already was. The only reason he came back was because of his friends. Ron mainly. Even though he knew that Ron and Hermione would note than likely spend a lot of their time just then two of them, he couldn't picture being without them just yet. They were the closest he had to a family now, and he didn't want to be away.
He smelled her before he saw her. It was a smell that he thought he had smelled a long time ago in sixth year but he wasn't 100% sure. It was of warm cherry pie. It was so good that his mouth almost watered for a piece of one.
He looked over and seen her leaning against the window smiling at him, those icy blue eyes seemed brighter today. Even more inviting than last he saw them.
"Is there a reason why you're in kiddieland Harry Potter?" asked Daphne, her voice teasing yet cute.
Harry didn't smile back at her. Instead he took a quick glance up and down her and then looked back out the window.
"I came here because I knew no one would bother me." he said in a voice more gruff than he wanted it to be. "I wanted to be alone."
Daphne's smile shrank a little but it didn't disappear. And she didn't look like she was having any intentions on moving.
"You can stay though." said Harry, sensing Daphne's refusal to leave.
"I know I can. You need me here just in case some big bad firstie tries to Levicorpus you." said Daphne with a small giggle.
Harry took out his wand and pointed it at Daphne's foot, raising it a bit, to show her that he can very well do it too.
"With me in a skirt Harry? And here I thought you a gentleman." joked Daphne.
Harry couldn't help but chuckle at her joke as he put his wand back in his pocket.
"I didn't think that you were going to come back to school." said Daphne. "I didn't even think I was going to come back."
"I wasn't at first. But why did you?" asked Harry turning to lean like Daphne.
"Why did you?"
"I asked you first."
"I asked you second and lady's request is always first."
Harry chuckled again. "I came back because of Ron and Hermione. I didn't want to be without my friends. Plus, Mrs. Weasley is like my mum and she would have had my head if I didn't finish school."
"I came back because of my sister Astoria. She's a sixth year and she would have been nervous to be here on her own this year." said Daphne now turning the way that Harry was before and looking out the window.
There was a comfortable silence between them as they thought of something else to say. Harry then, being the 18 year old that he was, took that moment to glance over at Daphne once again. He had a bit of a view of her bum and legs.
'Nice.' he thought. 'Wait what am I doing complementing this girl's ass?'
"Why are you talking to me?" asked Harry turning sideways.
"Pardon?"
"Why are you talking to me." repeated Harry. "You have NEVER spoken to me not once while at school. Why now?"
Daphne turned sideways to face him. She smiled that pretty smile she had earlier. "Well that day in the funeral you looked so sad and lost. I felt compelled to speak to you."
"And today?"
"You looked the same."
"So you're only talking to me because you feel sorry for me?" asked Harry slightly annoyed and somewhat disappointed.
Daphne shook her head. "That's not it. While yes, I do feel bad for how you are feeling, I just felt like you needed someone outside of your regular clan to speak to. Someone different."
Harry nodded taking her answer into consideration.
"And I didn't talk to you because of the whole Gryffindor/Slytherin thing. I was actually surprised that you would actually talk to my Slytherin self."
"Well unlike your house, us Gryffindors can get along with anyone." smirked Harry.
"So if I would have approached you say...4th year, would you have talked to me? How about 5th year when it seemed that all the Slytherin 5th, 6th, and 7th years had joined that terrible squad of that toad Umbridge?"
"Oh I would have definitely talked to you then." said Harry grinning.
"Why?"
"Anybody that considers that bitch a toad is okay in my book." he laughed as Daphne joined him.
"I despised her. A lot of Slytherin did actually. We aren't all evil you know."
Harry nodded. "I know. Sorry for generalizing."
"It's okay. We're talking now are we?" asked Daphne holding out her hand for Harry to shake.
Harry looked at her hand and then at her and for the first time in months gave a genuine smile as he took her hand and shook it.
"Well I have to go. My sister is probably wondering where I am." said Daphne still holding Harry's hand. "Can I have my hand back?"
Harry quickly let go of Daphne's hand. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay. So I guess I'll see you around." said Daphne walking away towards Slytherin cart.
"Yeah...see you around." said Harry in a low voice.
