Author notes: This was brought into existence by a certain story called Rising From the Ashes, by Arabella and Jedi Boadicea. It isn’t necessary at all to read that story to read this one. In summary, the ending highly distressed me, and in order to bring peace to my soul, I wrote this. Also, the lyrics of the song at the beginning that I heard helped push the story into being.
Disclaimer: Every character, with the exception of Cassandra Woolstone, is Ms. Rowling’s. Additional disclaimers are to be found at the end of the last chapter, because they will ruin great plots and elements and things if I put them here. And so.
Put a Light in the Window
I don't want to tie you down
I don't want to break your stride
So if you got to go then go
And I will be the shadow at your side…
So won't you put a light on
And put it in your window
To let me know you're at home
To let me know you're alone
Know that I am waiting
Always watching…
- Burden Brothers, Shadow
Ginny Weasley sat at the Gryffindor table next to Hermione Granger, breaking every fundamental rule that had been made by staring openly and without pretense at the Slytherin table – at Draco Malfoy.
It wasn’t as bad for her as it would have been for him. She wasn’t in a practical spotlight under her house, and a dimmer one by others. People didn’t watch every way her eyes glanced.
Draco’s thin hair, which he had allowed to get longer than usual, was on the verge, the very verge of falling into his eyes as he talked with Blaise Zabini on his right and Cassandra Woolstone across and to the right of him. He wasn’t as haughty as usual at the moment – Ginny couldn’t imagine what they were talking about, and wasn’t trying to, but it held his interest, making him even animated. It was probably some sort of debate, Ginny thought vaguely. Blaise shook his head suddenly and raised a finger as he declared some point – whatever it was caught Draco off guard, for he laughed, tilting his head back. Not as loudly or uncontrollably as the other boys she knew did, but it was a real laugh all the same. Ginny felt herself smiling. There was more to him than they saw. He was just a boy, deep down under all the levels of sarcasm and snobbishness….
Dinner was ending. Students were leaving the Great Hall in their small groups, one after another. Draco rose, leading his group, as always, out. He walked in front, with no one at his side, only Blaise close behind. Ginny continued to follow him with her eyes, turning her head only very slightly and putting her hand up to her temple to at least partly disguise her target.
As he neared her table, without changing his pace at all, his eyes met hers.
Ginny moved her lips – Tonight.
Draco’s eyes flickered away and down, and there was the slightest movement of his head downward: entirely imperceptible to anyone but her as a nod.
With that assurance, Ginny returned to finishing the last of her supper.
An hour later, she slipped noiselessly up into the prefect study room above the library. The spiral staircase led up from the library itself – if you knew where to find it – to a trapdoor, which Ginny was now carefully shutting and locking beneath her.
Draco was already waiting, sitting on the edge of a small table, his long legs propped against a footstool. The only light was the moonlight coming through the window and charmed skylight. It glinted off his slightly bowed head.
Ginny came toward him, and his head rose by a degree. She could feel his eyes on her.
“You couldn’t keep your eyes off me during dinner,” Draco said matter-of-factly.
“I couldn’t,” she acknowledged, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck. “You’re too beautiful.”
He raised his head completely now, so she could see his smug smile. “Oh, really,” he drawled.
“Really.”
“You couldn’t even distract yourself with Potter?”
She grinned back. “I couldn’t.”
His smile widened, and he leaned in to meet her kiss.
Some considerable time later, they lay stretched out, side-by-side, Draco’s sheets beneath and over them. His leg was stretched lazily over both of hers, and his hand was on her back.
Ginny was sleepy and very comfortable, but unwilling to close her eyes and stop looking at Draco. “God, I’m going to miss this,” she whispered.
Draco’s eyes, which had been half-closed, snapped open, and his hand frozen from the pattern it had been tracing on her back. “What do you mean?”
Unwillingly, she closed her eyes. “Darling, you leave Hogwarts in five weeks.”
“Six.”
Ginny didn’t bother arguing. It was really impossible to win an argument with him, and she had learned to let him have the small issues.
“I thought we agreed not to talk about that,” he added, still sharp.
Her lips twisted into a smile. They had never agreed verbally. It had been an understood subject. “We’ve been ignoring it for over a year and a half. We have to work it out before – it happens.”
“We still have time. We don’t need to start now.”
“We don’t know how long it will take to settle it.”
Draco rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. She laid a hand on his chest. They were silent for a time.
“I’ll miss you next year,” Ginny said finally.
His hand moved to find hers on his chest. “We can meet in Hogsmeade.”
“And then?” she pressed. “After I leave school too?”
“We’ll both be of age.”
“The war, Draco.”
“Fuck the war,” he said, almost cutting her off. “Fuck my father and the Dark Lord and Potter.”
She turned her hand over and squeezed his, feeling depressed. He had to face it, and very soon. Ginny took a breath to ensure her voice would be steady. “I don’t want – you to leave for the summer, and I never see you again. You leave without coming to sort of finish with this –“
“I don’t want this to finish.”
“Draco!” She had to stop to get control of her voice again. He turned his head back toward her, watching the emotion on her face. “You’re so spoiled,” she said at last. “But don’t be so selfish, Draco, please. Sort this out with me.”
He paused, and then spoke slowly. “I want to find a way to keep you.”
She gripped his hand, and her other came up to touch his neck and cheek. “Whatever way. Something that will work. As long as we do settle on something.”
Disclaimer: Every character, with the exception of Cassandra Woolstone, is Ms. Rowling’s. Additional disclaimers are to be found at the end of the last chapter, because they will ruin great plots and elements and things if I put them here. And so.
Put a Light in the Window
I don't want to tie you down
I don't want to break your stride
So if you got to go then go
And I will be the shadow at your side…
So won't you put a light on
And put it in your window
To let me know you're at home
To let me know you're alone
Know that I am waiting
Always watching…
- Burden Brothers, Shadow
Ginny Weasley sat at the Gryffindor table next to Hermione Granger, breaking every fundamental rule that had been made by staring openly and without pretense at the Slytherin table – at Draco Malfoy.
It wasn’t as bad for her as it would have been for him. She wasn’t in a practical spotlight under her house, and a dimmer one by others. People didn’t watch every way her eyes glanced.
Draco’s thin hair, which he had allowed to get longer than usual, was on the verge, the very verge of falling into his eyes as he talked with Blaise Zabini on his right and Cassandra Woolstone across and to the right of him. He wasn’t as haughty as usual at the moment – Ginny couldn’t imagine what they were talking about, and wasn’t trying to, but it held his interest, making him even animated. It was probably some sort of debate, Ginny thought vaguely. Blaise shook his head suddenly and raised a finger as he declared some point – whatever it was caught Draco off guard, for he laughed, tilting his head back. Not as loudly or uncontrollably as the other boys she knew did, but it was a real laugh all the same. Ginny felt herself smiling. There was more to him than they saw. He was just a boy, deep down under all the levels of sarcasm and snobbishness….
Dinner was ending. Students were leaving the Great Hall in their small groups, one after another. Draco rose, leading his group, as always, out. He walked in front, with no one at his side, only Blaise close behind. Ginny continued to follow him with her eyes, turning her head only very slightly and putting her hand up to her temple to at least partly disguise her target.
As he neared her table, without changing his pace at all, his eyes met hers.
Ginny moved her lips – Tonight.
Draco’s eyes flickered away and down, and there was the slightest movement of his head downward: entirely imperceptible to anyone but her as a nod.
With that assurance, Ginny returned to finishing the last of her supper.
An hour later, she slipped noiselessly up into the prefect study room above the library. The spiral staircase led up from the library itself – if you knew where to find it – to a trapdoor, which Ginny was now carefully shutting and locking beneath her.
Draco was already waiting, sitting on the edge of a small table, his long legs propped against a footstool. The only light was the moonlight coming through the window and charmed skylight. It glinted off his slightly bowed head.
Ginny came toward him, and his head rose by a degree. She could feel his eyes on her.
“You couldn’t keep your eyes off me during dinner,” Draco said matter-of-factly.
“I couldn’t,” she acknowledged, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck. “You’re too beautiful.”
He raised his head completely now, so she could see his smug smile. “Oh, really,” he drawled.
“Really.”
“You couldn’t even distract yourself with Potter?”
She grinned back. “I couldn’t.”
His smile widened, and he leaned in to meet her kiss.
Some considerable time later, they lay stretched out, side-by-side, Draco’s sheets beneath and over them. His leg was stretched lazily over both of hers, and his hand was on her back.
Ginny was sleepy and very comfortable, but unwilling to close her eyes and stop looking at Draco. “God, I’m going to miss this,” she whispered.
Draco’s eyes, which had been half-closed, snapped open, and his hand frozen from the pattern it had been tracing on her back. “What do you mean?”
Unwillingly, she closed her eyes. “Darling, you leave Hogwarts in five weeks.”
“Six.”
Ginny didn’t bother arguing. It was really impossible to win an argument with him, and she had learned to let him have the small issues.
“I thought we agreed not to talk about that,” he added, still sharp.
Her lips twisted into a smile. They had never agreed verbally. It had been an understood subject. “We’ve been ignoring it for over a year and a half. We have to work it out before – it happens.”
“We still have time. We don’t need to start now.”
“We don’t know how long it will take to settle it.”
Draco rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. She laid a hand on his chest. They were silent for a time.
“I’ll miss you next year,” Ginny said finally.
His hand moved to find hers on his chest. “We can meet in Hogsmeade.”
“And then?” she pressed. “After I leave school too?”
“We’ll both be of age.”
“The war, Draco.”
“Fuck the war,” he said, almost cutting her off. “Fuck my father and the Dark Lord and Potter.”
She turned her hand over and squeezed his, feeling depressed. He had to face it, and very soon. Ginny took a breath to ensure her voice would be steady. “I don’t want – you to leave for the summer, and I never see you again. You leave without coming to sort of finish with this –“
“I don’t want this to finish.”
“Draco!” She had to stop to get control of her voice again. He turned his head back toward her, watching the emotion on her face. “You’re so spoiled,” she said at last. “But don’t be so selfish, Draco, please. Sort this out with me.”
He paused, and then spoke slowly. “I want to find a way to keep you.”
She gripped his hand, and her other came up to touch his neck and cheek. “Whatever way. Something that will work. As long as we do settle on something.”
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