This is my little play on “How to Deal” The movie with Mandy Moore. It’s also a little thing dedicated to my love of the rain. None of this is mine. JK Rowling owns Harry Potter characters and places. New Line Cinemas produced “How to Deal” I’ve just played around with them a bit. I did a bit of editing to please one of my readers. I took some lines directly from the movie. Most of the ones where Draco and Ginny are talking to each other come from "How To Deal" just thought I'd add that.

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Draco Malfoy stood on the front steps to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry staring out into the rain. One of the people he loved most in the world was happily standing there getting soaked to the skin, not caring one bit. Her normally scorching red hair was now more of a soft copper color because of the water contained in it. Her robes and cloak were clinging to her every curve as she continued to get drenched. He smiled. Draco had never much cared for the rain but he loved watching Ginny in the rain. It always made her happier, at least while she was in it. He knew she loved the rain, she had told him so many times but he never knew why. Every time he would ask her what made her love the rain so; she would tell him it didn’t matter and change the subject. Draco however was not fooled. He knew it mattered; she was just trying to keep it a secret from him.

Not that he was at all threatened by Ginny not telling him anything she didn’t want to. The two had a very understanding relationship, despite the rumors passed around by the Slytherins. Neither forced the other to tell anything, they wanted to keep to themselves. If it was anything huge, they would drag it out into the open, but other than that nothing had to be said. They both felt that a person has to have some little secrets or else life is not truly theirs. Something had been bothering Ginny for weeks but she never said anything. When Draco would ask, it would be, “Its nothing for you to worry about Draco, I’m fine.” He wasn’t so sure about that.

Draco watched Ginny out in the rain, she looked so happy, happier then he’d seen her weeks. If not in weeks then happier then she’d been the whole day. It had been a Hogsmeade trip and they had gone together like they had been doing all year, but today was different. Well, at least for Draco it was. He had finally found enough courage to say the words every girl wanted to hear. That day he planned on telling Ginny Weasley that he loved her. Ginny, however, had other plans; it was almost as if she knew what Draco was trying to say before he could even start. The entire day consisted of the two of them kissing in remote corners of the small village, but every time they came up for air, Ginny had taken it upon herself to move somewhere else to continue. Once or twice he had tried to stop her mouth from descending upon his so he could get the words out, but she would just lean forward and claim his mouth. Then Draco lost his thoughts as her tongue slid over his.

At one particular point in the day, he had come so close to getting the words out. The two had been standing in front of the entrance to the village about to begin their walk back to the castle. Draco stopped Ginny, as she began to walk. He ran his hand up across her cheek until it reached her hair. He looked deep into her spicy chocolate eyes and got out, “Gin, I lo-” before Ginny ran from him yelling, “Race you to the doors Draco,” over her shoulder.

Draco was brought back to his thoughts by a shiver, not because he was cold but just because he was scared. What if he told Ginny he loved her and she didn’t love him back? He was sure his heart would break. “I think my father just rolled over in his grave,” he mumbled to himself. Lucius Malfoy had always been against love of any kind, he wouldn’t even admit to loving his own wife. He thought he had taught his son to be just as cruel and heartless as he, but was wrong. Aurors had finally struck down the elusive Malfoy senior after his miraculous escape from Azkaban. They had not wanted to kill him at first but after he had killed one of their own they knew it had to be done. Both Draco and his mother had taken the news surprisingly well. Narsissa Malfoy had always fancied herself in love with Lucius, but had sorted her thoughts out after he was sent to prison.

Draco wondered why Ginny had not let him get out what he wanted to say. She had told him long ago, before they started dating in fact, that she wished for love. She had always longed, to be told by someone (outside of her family of course), that they loved her. Her ill-fated crush on Harry Potter had not lasted past her third year. After that, in her heart she still hoped that he would notice her, but soon she saw that she had wasted to many years on him. The boy who lived couldn’t see a good thing if even it flew around in front of him, or spent almost every summer with him. So Ginny found Malfoy. At first the two started out as enemies. She hated him, he hated her, but there was something deep within Draco that no one else knew. Since day one of their “relationship”, Draco knew that something was different about Ginny Weasley. Soon the contempt the two felt for each other was gone, and soon after that, they began to date. The first time they kissed, Draco could see himself with Ginny at the end of his life, no matter where or when that would be. He had been involved in meaningless relationships before, so had Ginny, but they all faded to nothing when their lips met. Draco thought there was a spark between the two of them, but now, he was beginning to doubt his mind.

He looked back into the rain and was surprised to see Ginny on the ground. She was on her knees, with her head cradled in her hands. She was crying, and Draco had not noticed, he had been wrapped up in his own thoughts. Without thinking, he raced out into the rain and scooped her up into his arms. Ginny twined her arms around Draco’s neck, and buried her head into his chest. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist, and tried to sooth her now strangled, sobs. Ginny pulled away after a few moments. “Draco I’m so sorry, I can’t do this.” She managed to get out before running out of his arms and into the castle. All Draco could do was stare after her.

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Ginny Weasley slammed the door to the castle behind her. She was soaked to the skin; she had just left her boyfriend out in the rain. Tears were streaming down her face. She loved Draco, she really did; despite all that was set in their paths. Through every obstacle and objection in both his and her lives, she loved him. For some reason she just couldn’t bring herself to say it. Ron and Hermione had fallen deeply in love over the summer and had gotten promised to one another. When school came around Hermione found out Ron was cheating on her with some 3rd year. Hermione was devastated, to say the least. She had spent three days in her room crying and had sent her ring back to Ron. Now the 3rd year had it on her hand, which was always in Ron’s. Ginny didn’t want that to happen. What if she was just like her brother? She didn’t think she could hurt Draco like that.

Slowly, she made her way up to Gryffindor tower. Every step she took felt like it put more weight on her heart. She reached her dorm, shut and locked the door behind her, then turned to face the room. She was alone at the moment; that’s just what she needed. She yanked off her wet school robes and wrapped herself in a welcoming bathrobe as she looked through her trunk for some muggle clothes. She found a long black skirt, and a red blouse. Carefully she put them on. Ginny preformed the drying spell Hermione had taught her, on her hair, and sat down at the vanity in the 6th year’s girl’s dorm. Ginny grabbed her brush from her bedside table, and began to run it through her dry but tangled hair. After her mane was tamed, she got up from in front of the mirror and stuffed a quill and small scrap of parchment into her pocket. Without so much as a look around, she turned and walked out of Gryffindor tower to the owlery. Once there she called Ron’s owl, Pig, down to her. She took out the quill and parchment she had and scratched a short note to Draco. Thankfully the quill still had ink.

Dear Draco,

If you want explanations, meet me tonight. I know your Malfoy stubbornness will try to stop you from coming, just as my Weasley stubbornness will do for me. We will however, both come. You’ll listen to me and I’ll listen to you. Tonight, 9 o’clock, the Room of Requirement. If you don’t come by 9:30, I’ll see that as a sign the relationship is over.


Ginny


Ginny sighed as she folded the note and attached it to Pig’s leg. Her brother’s owl hooted happily and flew out the window, but not before crashing into the wall beside it. Ginny sighed again and hoped she was doing the right thing. She looked at her watch; it was about seven o’clock the middle of dinner. For some reason Ginny just didn’t have any appetite, so she went to the Library to read until she had to meet Draco.


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9:20

Ginny checked her watch for about the 50th time since she had gotten to the Room of Requirement. ‘Ten minutes Draco,’ she said to herself. She went back to starting into the fire blazing in the fireplace. Her eyes began to cloud with unshed tears. She didn’t want to lose Draco; she had to tell him. He needed to know the truth. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that Ginny didn’t hear Draco enter the room. He saw her sitting on a pillow a few feet away from the fire and cleared his throat, so she knew he was here. She made no sign of movement so Draco decided to speak.

“I thought you wanted us to be together,” he said to her, his voice only slightly above a whisper.

Ginny swallowed and looked over at him. He was perched on the couch that sat to the right of the fire. She almost lost her strength when she saw him looking so hurt.

“I do, but I thought that if I didn’t get out of there… with you… well I might actually love you,” she said, with great difficulty.

“And that’s… bad?” he wondered.

Ginny got to her feet, and in one swift movement she was seated next to Draco.

“Can you just listen, please, Draco,” she asked.

He inhaled and sighed.

“I’ll listen, I promise. But you have to listen to me when your turn comes,”

“Alright,” Ginny said before taking a deep breath, and starting. “You once asked me why I love the rain so much, and now I’m going to tell you. The rain helps me cope. As stupid as that sounds its true. When I’m in the rain I can think, cry, and even make decisions. Anything I need to do or think about I can. Everyone always thinks that because I’m a Weasley I’m strong, and I am. but just like everyone else I have my weak moments. I felt like I had to get away from you because I love you, and if I love you, that means I can hurt you. Ever since Ron and Hermione broke up I’ve been scared. What if I’m just like Ron? What if I wasn’t meant to love anyone? I don’t want to risk hurting you or losing you, Draco. I love you.”

Draco looked at her intently for quite sometime. He finally organized his thoughts, and spoke to her gently.

“Gin, you should have talked to me about this.” He finally said. “I know we promised that we wouldn’t push each other to say anything we didn’t want to, but if you were that scared I could have helped. You can’t just push love away. if you do it’s going to follow you around like a big, hungry dog.”

“What?” Ginny said looking up at him, confused.

“Wait,” Draco said, never losing his cool, “I didn’t mean to say loves a dog, I just meant I’m not going anywhere. I love you, Ginny. If love beats us up lets just beat it up right back. we can do this Gin! I know to you love has been a big, scary, evil concept; it was to me as well. then I met you.”

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief, and fell into Draco’s strong, waiting arms.

Draco buried his face in her red hair and whispered to her.

“Gin, if you’re ready to make the jump I’ll be right here to catch you. I’m not going anywhere I belong with you and no one can convince me otherwise.”

At his words Ginny began to cry, and Draco ran his hands through her hair and over her back to comfort her.

“Don’t cry, love,” he soothed as he pulled back to look at her, “there should be no tears shed over this.”

“Oh Draco I feel so stupid!” Ginny sniffed as she looked up at him. “How could I even think such silly things? Yet at the same time, I’m happy. happy I have you. Draco, please don’t ever let me push you away again!”

“I hope there will never be a reason for you to,” he said, as she settled back into his arms. “Gin?”

“Hm?”

“What you said before, about being like your brother…”

“What about it?”

“You’re wrong, you know. You could never, ever be like Ron. While your brother is still not my favorite person, I don’t completely hate him anymore. but Ron was really stupid in one aspect. He threw away the life he could have had with Hermoine and he’ll regret it for the rest of his life,” a smirk played at his lips. “You however, realized that you could never find anyone else to replace me … “

Ginny playfully slapped him and smiled. “I swear, I don’t know how your ego fits inside the castle.”

“But you love it.”

“Yes, I do love it; because I love you!” She smiled, and then wondered. “So now what, Draco?”

He said nothing, but leaned in, and kissed her. The kind of long passionate kiss that he knew Ginny loved. He ran his tongue along the seam of her lips and she opened on a sigh. How could she ever doubt that she loved him? His kisses; his embraces; his undying affection; and the way he spoke to her like she was all he needed; his world. She loved it all so much and now she knew. He did need her; she was a huge part of his world. She also needed something, an answer to the question she asked. She pulled away and Draco’s face fell a bit.

“Draco,” she said again. “What now?”

His eyes lit up, and he really smiled. “I guess, I learn to love the rain too.”

Now Ginny was sure she was his whole world and all he needed and now she needed another kiss she loved so much. She had made the jump and Draco had caught her with no hesitation.


~Fin~

If all those who read this like it tell me, I’m thinking about writing a multi chapter version. Also I’m not sure about some of my other stories, unless told so by others I’m gonna delete Revenge is Sweet, and Don’t want to die alone. So help me out here. Also thanks to my lovely talented and wonderful Beta, MissParker. You make my stories complete! A special thanks to my friend Connie, who gave this one last look! Thanks to all who read and review. Its you who keep me going!