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Epilogue (A few weeks later)
"It's okay to see other people besides Harry."
She gave a muffled, "Hmph!" into her arms as she stared at the ominous pike of tomes looming before her. They seemed all too eager to drown her in knowledge, the forefront to their real purpose: devouring helpless students too lazy to listen in class.
Was that a buzzing in the air? It sounded suspiciously like a voice... And was she not supposed to be listening to someone?
"Ginny!"
There it was again, that strange buzzing noise. Abruptly, sound filled her ears again, making them ring in protest.
"Ginny, are you even listening to me?" Hermione repeated with exaggerated patience.
Jolting upright in the chair, Ginny stared wide-eyed at her friend. "Of course I'm listening! Who do you take me for?" she demanded in mock indignation. Ignoring the outburst, Hermione leaned across the table, her narrowed brown eyes focused solely on Ginny.
"Do you love him?"
The question was so shocking, so unexpected that Ginny slammed into the back of her chair, making it tilt precariously on its hind legs. Face pale and voice shaky, she mulishly declared, "If you're talking about who I think you're talking about, I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Hermione's features softened in amusement and sympathy. "I've seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one is looking. He's clearly besotted. The only thing I don't know is if you feel the same way." Oh mercy, I hope not. Ron's already out for blood. I shudder to think what he'll do to Malfoy if he finds out the git tricked Ginny into actually falling for him.
The fight went out of Ginny and she slumped in the chair. "I...I don't...know. Maybe. I care about him—a lot. Way more than I ever thought I would." She paused before admitting in a small, uncharacteristically timid voice, "He kissed me. And I kissed him back. It was..." amazing "...nice."
A strangled noise jumped from Hermione's mouth and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. Throat bobbing, she visibly struggled to speak for five minutes. Finally, she folded her hands jerkily, a fake smile plastered on her face. After taking a deep breath, she asked, "Are you sure about this? He's not exactly... Well, you see, he's... What I mean is, he isn't—" She broke off suddenly and shook her head dazedly.
"Isn't Harry?" Ginny sighed. "I know." Her lips twitched as she thought about how they had argued for half an hour about some trivial issue before bursting into snorts of laughter for no reason. "But that doesn't seem to matter as much anymore. I really care about him, Hermione." Earnestly she leaned forward and placed her hands on either side of Hermione's tightly balled fists.
"He's changed so much these past few weeks. Sometimes I have to pinch myself just to remind myself that this isn't a dream. I mean, would the old Malfoy ever carry my schoolbooks for me from class to class even when it makes him late?"
"He actually does that?" Surely I would have noticed! And Ron, well, Ron would have immediately marched up to Malfoy and punched him in the nose for bothering Ginny.
Ginny chuckled. "Well, no, not really." Seeing Hermione's exasperated eye roll, she held up a hand. "Okay, so he's still working on some issues, but I don't mind. In fact, I like it when we bicker about chivalry and crazy stuff like that." Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "Usually it ends with me ordering him to give back the textbook he stole from me and him smirking that infuriating, self-satisfied smirk and holding it just high enough that I can't reach it. Then I pull my wand out on him and he forks it over with so much smugness that I want to hex him just to teach him a lesson."
Shyly lowering her gaze and tracing the wood design on the table with her finger, she shrugged. "I don't know, Hermione. I really like him. Ron nearly had a heart attack when he found out about us, but he just doesn't know Draco the way I do. He's different; I know he is."
"Sounds like love to me."
Face white, Ginny lifted her gaze to Hermione, who nodded reluctantly. "Ginny, when you were in love with Harry—"
"I wasn't," Ginny interrupted. "Not really." At Hermione's stern glare, she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Please, oh wise one, enlighten me."
"When you liked Harry," the other girl amended begrudgingly, "it really hurt you when he left. Now, I know him better than most do, so I can truthfully say that it nearly killed him to walk away from you. If he could stand to let you go while being deeply in love with you, what could Draco do to you? I do not doubt his affection. Underneath that smirking, haughty exterior, he clearly cares for you. I just hope it's enough. I don't want to see him hurt you, by accident or by intention." She gazed at Ginny sadly. "What if it's not enough? What if he ends up disappointing you? I think you're rushing into things without thinking it through. I'm worried about you, Gin, and Ron is too."
Whatever's going on with you, with me, with both of us, I don't want to mess things up again. I just want to take things slow and...and see what happens next.
Draco's words came rushing back to Ginny, filling her with resolution. She grabbed Hermione's hands and squeezed reassuringly.
"I know, Hermione, and I'm so grateful that you're my friend. You've been here for me through the lowest and most awkward moments of my life. Besides Mum, you know me better than anyone else does. In fact," she added wryly, "there are some things you know that I pray she never finds out."
They shared a laugh, remembering late night chats back at the Burrow, spent holed up in Ginny's room. They had talked about everything from boys to schoolwork to Quidditch (that particular conversation had ended rather quickly) to books, not necessarily in that order.
"Anyway," Ginny said with an impish grin that faded into a calm, self-assured smile, "what I'm trying to say is that I know you're worried about me. Even I'm worried about myself. But I don't think I can stop caring about him. Not now. He makes me feel secure in my own identity again. After that horrible thing in my first year, and then the war after that, I lost sight of who I was. I pushed myself to be better, to be that strong, confident girl everyone liked. But it wasn't me. Draco's shown me that I can still be strong, still be self-confident without losing sight of myself. It's...complicated. Hermione, I think I..." She swallowed hard, her throat raw. "I think I'm in love."
"Oh, honey," Hermione sighed, rising from her chair and rounding the table to drag Ginny into her arms. "It's going to be okay."
Swamped by self-pity, she sniffled on Hermione's shoulder. "I'm going to kill that blasted ferret! I mean, really, what right does he have to make me love him? It's despicable! He's worse than a cad. He's an absolute troll."
Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. Instead, she continued rubbing Ginny's back soothingly. "Honestly, no shame at all; absolutely ghastly," she agreed solemnly.
"You're bloody right he is."
THE END
Thank you, everyone who has read, followed and favorited this. I loved writing it, and never would have been able to finish without ya'll. Also, a big, big, big, big, big thank you to marinka, my amazing beta reader. You helped me so much!
Love ya'll!
-Whisper
