A/N: this chapter redone as of 11/29 with a great beta by Amber from Checkmated!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 4: Challenges
When Draco Malfoy awoke to sunlight pouring in through a large, slightly dusty window and a bird merrily chirping outside, he sat up with a start. He felt like he had been in another world for days.
He cried out as a sharp pain coursed through his still-sore back. ‘Where am I?’ he wondered vaguely. He’d been under so many anti-pain charms and sleeping draughts that his thinking was just returning to normal. Slowly everything came back to him.
Had Professor McGonagall and Harry Potter really brought him to the blood-traitor Weasley’s house? What the bloody hell was Snape up to? And his mum--why would she ever agree to this?
Draco mulled these thoughts around for a while before sadly realizing that he was lonely. He thought back to the past year and wanted to… cry? He’d never wanted to cry before this past year, yet lately he’d been doing a lot of that--in secret, of course. That git Dumbledore! Dumbledore had known all along what he had been up to, but Dumbledore had still been kind to him, even when he had been fighting his inner battle about killing the old fool! Why would anyone do that? How could anyone do that?
Malfoy heard the door handle creak slowly. He looked around for his wand but his attempt was futile. But, he knew that no one was going to hurt him here.
Ginny Weasley entered the room, looking annoyed and carrying a tray with some sandwiches and tea. “Good morning.” She did not smile.
Malfoy simply nodded and studied her. The baby weasel had become quite popular during her five years at Hogwarts. She was, after all, dating the famous Potter last he heard.
Ginny set the tray on the table beside the bed. “Are you hungry?” she asked. A part of him wanted to say no and throw the tray across the room but the horrible growling in his stomach gave him away. He nodded. She motioned to the tray as if to say, “All yours,” and turned to walk out.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” Malfoy managed with a full mouth. If he was going to take her food, he wouldn’t let her leave without a good insult.
Ginny stopped but didn’t turn to face him. “I don’t have one. But I assume you are referring to Harry? Would you like me to get him?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
“Nah. I just wondered is all,” he said. “Figured he’d have been in by now to give me his best and rub this whole mess in my face.”
“Harry’s got better things to do than bother with you,” Ginny said, turning up her nose and leaving the room.
Malfoy grinned. He still had it--his old way of making those beneath him know their place. This stay with the Weasleys might be quite fun after all.
Malfoy scarfed down everything he could and then, just to be a pain, pushed the tray off his bed, spilling the remaining food on the floor.
* * *
Mrs. Weasley and Ginny heard the clatter of the tray falling all the way down in the kitchen.
“Oh my!” Mrs. Weasley cried. “Do go and make sure everything’s all right will you, Ginny dear?”
“Sure,” Ginny said snidely. ‘I’ll go make sure it’s not alright,’ she thought.
As she quickly but quietly ran up the stairs, she secretly hoped to find Malfoy lying on the floor, horribly disfigured from some catastrophic fall. She knew better than to expect this, though. Entering the room, Ginny saw clearly what Malfoy had done and rolled her eyes.
“Oh! So sorry, baby weasel,” he smirked. “I’d have cleaned up the mess but my wand seems to be misplaced at the moment. Besides, it was an accident.”
“Whatever, ferret-boy,” Ginny said and began to clean up the mess, without magic as it was not allowed outside school.
“Well some things will never change. You Weasley lot will always be around to clean up the messes then, won’t you?” he sneered.
As she bent down to collect the tray, she felt his eyes travel down her body. She shuddered at the intrusion and, standing up straight and determined, walked out, slamming the door behind her.
As she reached the kitchen, her mother eyed the messy tray. “Oh my! He wasn’t hurt was he?”
“No,” Ginny said dryly. “But one can hope.”
“Oh now! I know his family is, er well… at any rate he is our guest and he’s been through a terrible ordeal. He doesn’t even know all the particulars yet. Just try to tolerate him, for a few more days, at least. I know it’s hard, but please try.”
Ginny shook her head in disbelief and finished cleaning up. She yawned a little and decided that a lazy afternoon nap would do her some good. She bid her mother goodbye and headed, as quietly as she could, back up the stairs, lest her unfortunate house guest hear her. She tiptoed past Fred and George’s old room where Malfoy was staying, but alas, despite his other injuries, his hearing was still intact.
“Hello? Mrs. Weasley? Somebody?” he called, sounding innocent enough. Ginny scowled, mumbled an impolite word and tipped her head in through the door.
“Can I help you with something?”
“I’m really quite bored. I don’t suppose you’d…” he paused. She could be mistaken, but was that vulnerability she saw flash across his face? He became arrogant again quickly. “I don’t suppose you’re any good at cards or chess or something of the like?”
“You want me to play a game,” Ginny asked, confused. “With you?”
“Well, it would be nice to have some company and, while I’m here, I guess I can’t really be picky," he said snidely as he looked down his nose at her. "You’re here so you’re the lucky one,” Draco crossed his arms over his chest and looked terribly satisfied with himself.
Ginny stood quietly, contemplating this. She had become quite good at cards. It could be a good way to put Malfoy in his place.
“Alright then. Fancy a game of Exploding Snap?” she asked, trying to sound put-off at his request. What she couldn’t ignore was the decidedly un-Malfoy-ish look of “happy” flit across his features. It didn’t last long.
“What would we bet?”
Ginny thought about it. “We don’t have to bet anything.”
“It’s no fun without betting, now is it?”
“Well… I…”
“Well, as you probably have nothing really worth anything, I guess we’ll just play a few innocent hands and see how your game is. If you’re horrid, I’ll get bored and we’ll have to do something else. I do enjoy a challenge.”
* * *
The baby weasel was really fun to aggravate. Draco had always enjoyed making sport of her family, but there was something different about her. Despite her bright red hair, which was actually quite becoming, and her telltale Weasley freckles, she was very pretty. She had a great body. Draco had overheard numerous Slytherin boys complimenting the Gryffindor and saying what a shame it was that she was a Weasley. How, they wondered, was she even from the same parents as her goofy-looking brothers? Malfoy shook his head.
Ginny returned with her deck of cards and to his surprise, she was actually quite good. She beat him six hands out of nine, and they even managed some pleasant, if not sarcastic, chats and laughs between hands.
“Nice play. Come back tomorrow and I won’t let you win,” Draco smirked. This time, he felt the noticeable change in his demeanor, but didn’t move to correct it as he had before.
“Oh don’t try to act like you let me win! I may not know you that well but I know you better than that.” Ginny smiled genuinely, and Draco noticed how pretty her eyes were when they crinkled a little at the corners. It scared him.
“Whatever, Weaselette. I’m tired now. You should go,” he huffed, hoping he sounded bored with her.
Ginny shrugged. “Don’t worry, I certainly am not going to go bragging around that I beat you at cards. That would mean that I actually stayed in your presence without hexing you and, after all, I do have a reputation to live up to.”
This time, the smile she shot at him wasn’t as genuine. She turned and closed the door loudly.
* * *
Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned later that afternoon from Diagon Alley with their attire for the wedding and some other household necessities.
After setting everything away, Harry knocked on Ginny’s slightly open door, but as it opened he saw the room was empty. He headed outside and after a quick look, he found her just inside the garden walls. She was lazily picking some vegetables and playing with a few garden worms.
“Hey,” Harry said, waving from the edge of the garden.
“Hey!” Ginny waved back gracefully, dropping a parsnip into her basket.
“So, good day?” he asked.
“It was OK. I had to take care of the dreaded patient though. Loads of fun that was,” she rolled her eyes and laughed.
“Oh, I can imagine. Is he back to his usual self or the pain charms still kicking in?”
“They must still be kicking in because he actually… well he was bored so he wanted to play cards… and, of course, I whipped his arse,” she added quickly. “But, he was actually pleasant for a few rare minutes.”
“You played cards with Malfoy?” Harry said, unable to hide his disgust. “He didn’t say anything awful, did he?”
"Not really. So, he's still definitely not himself.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 4: Challenges
When Draco Malfoy awoke to sunlight pouring in through a large, slightly dusty window and a bird merrily chirping outside, he sat up with a start. He felt like he had been in another world for days.
He cried out as a sharp pain coursed through his still-sore back. ‘Where am I?’ he wondered vaguely. He’d been under so many anti-pain charms and sleeping draughts that his thinking was just returning to normal. Slowly everything came back to him.
Had Professor McGonagall and Harry Potter really brought him to the blood-traitor Weasley’s house? What the bloody hell was Snape up to? And his mum--why would she ever agree to this?
Draco mulled these thoughts around for a while before sadly realizing that he was lonely. He thought back to the past year and wanted to… cry? He’d never wanted to cry before this past year, yet lately he’d been doing a lot of that--in secret, of course. That git Dumbledore! Dumbledore had known all along what he had been up to, but Dumbledore had still been kind to him, even when he had been fighting his inner battle about killing the old fool! Why would anyone do that? How could anyone do that?
Malfoy heard the door handle creak slowly. He looked around for his wand but his attempt was futile. But, he knew that no one was going to hurt him here.
Ginny Weasley entered the room, looking annoyed and carrying a tray with some sandwiches and tea. “Good morning.” She did not smile.
Malfoy simply nodded and studied her. The baby weasel had become quite popular during her five years at Hogwarts. She was, after all, dating the famous Potter last he heard.
Ginny set the tray on the table beside the bed. “Are you hungry?” she asked. A part of him wanted to say no and throw the tray across the room but the horrible growling in his stomach gave him away. He nodded. She motioned to the tray as if to say, “All yours,” and turned to walk out.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” Malfoy managed with a full mouth. If he was going to take her food, he wouldn’t let her leave without a good insult.
Ginny stopped but didn’t turn to face him. “I don’t have one. But I assume you are referring to Harry? Would you like me to get him?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
“Nah. I just wondered is all,” he said. “Figured he’d have been in by now to give me his best and rub this whole mess in my face.”
“Harry’s got better things to do than bother with you,” Ginny said, turning up her nose and leaving the room.
Malfoy grinned. He still had it--his old way of making those beneath him know their place. This stay with the Weasleys might be quite fun after all.
Malfoy scarfed down everything he could and then, just to be a pain, pushed the tray off his bed, spilling the remaining food on the floor.
* * *
Mrs. Weasley and Ginny heard the clatter of the tray falling all the way down in the kitchen.
“Oh my!” Mrs. Weasley cried. “Do go and make sure everything’s all right will you, Ginny dear?”
“Sure,” Ginny said snidely. ‘I’ll go make sure it’s not alright,’ she thought.
As she quickly but quietly ran up the stairs, she secretly hoped to find Malfoy lying on the floor, horribly disfigured from some catastrophic fall. She knew better than to expect this, though. Entering the room, Ginny saw clearly what Malfoy had done and rolled her eyes.
“Oh! So sorry, baby weasel,” he smirked. “I’d have cleaned up the mess but my wand seems to be misplaced at the moment. Besides, it was an accident.”
“Whatever, ferret-boy,” Ginny said and began to clean up the mess, without magic as it was not allowed outside school.
“Well some things will never change. You Weasley lot will always be around to clean up the messes then, won’t you?” he sneered.
As she bent down to collect the tray, she felt his eyes travel down her body. She shuddered at the intrusion and, standing up straight and determined, walked out, slamming the door behind her.
As she reached the kitchen, her mother eyed the messy tray. “Oh my! He wasn’t hurt was he?”
“No,” Ginny said dryly. “But one can hope.”
“Oh now! I know his family is, er well… at any rate he is our guest and he’s been through a terrible ordeal. He doesn’t even know all the particulars yet. Just try to tolerate him, for a few more days, at least. I know it’s hard, but please try.”
Ginny shook her head in disbelief and finished cleaning up. She yawned a little and decided that a lazy afternoon nap would do her some good. She bid her mother goodbye and headed, as quietly as she could, back up the stairs, lest her unfortunate house guest hear her. She tiptoed past Fred and George’s old room where Malfoy was staying, but alas, despite his other injuries, his hearing was still intact.
“Hello? Mrs. Weasley? Somebody?” he called, sounding innocent enough. Ginny scowled, mumbled an impolite word and tipped her head in through the door.
“Can I help you with something?”
“I’m really quite bored. I don’t suppose you’d…” he paused. She could be mistaken, but was that vulnerability she saw flash across his face? He became arrogant again quickly. “I don’t suppose you’re any good at cards or chess or something of the like?”
“You want me to play a game,” Ginny asked, confused. “With you?”
“Well, it would be nice to have some company and, while I’m here, I guess I can’t really be picky," he said snidely as he looked down his nose at her. "You’re here so you’re the lucky one,” Draco crossed his arms over his chest and looked terribly satisfied with himself.
Ginny stood quietly, contemplating this. She had become quite good at cards. It could be a good way to put Malfoy in his place.
“Alright then. Fancy a game of Exploding Snap?” she asked, trying to sound put-off at his request. What she couldn’t ignore was the decidedly un-Malfoy-ish look of “happy” flit across his features. It didn’t last long.
“What would we bet?”
Ginny thought about it. “We don’t have to bet anything.”
“It’s no fun without betting, now is it?”
“Well… I…”
“Well, as you probably have nothing really worth anything, I guess we’ll just play a few innocent hands and see how your game is. If you’re horrid, I’ll get bored and we’ll have to do something else. I do enjoy a challenge.”
* * *
The baby weasel was really fun to aggravate. Draco had always enjoyed making sport of her family, but there was something different about her. Despite her bright red hair, which was actually quite becoming, and her telltale Weasley freckles, she was very pretty. She had a great body. Draco had overheard numerous Slytherin boys complimenting the Gryffindor and saying what a shame it was that she was a Weasley. How, they wondered, was she even from the same parents as her goofy-looking brothers? Malfoy shook his head.
Ginny returned with her deck of cards and to his surprise, she was actually quite good. She beat him six hands out of nine, and they even managed some pleasant, if not sarcastic, chats and laughs between hands.
“Nice play. Come back tomorrow and I won’t let you win,” Draco smirked. This time, he felt the noticeable change in his demeanor, but didn’t move to correct it as he had before.
“Oh don’t try to act like you let me win! I may not know you that well but I know you better than that.” Ginny smiled genuinely, and Draco noticed how pretty her eyes were when they crinkled a little at the corners. It scared him.
“Whatever, Weaselette. I’m tired now. You should go,” he huffed, hoping he sounded bored with her.
Ginny shrugged. “Don’t worry, I certainly am not going to go bragging around that I beat you at cards. That would mean that I actually stayed in your presence without hexing you and, after all, I do have a reputation to live up to.”
This time, the smile she shot at him wasn’t as genuine. She turned and closed the door loudly.
* * *
Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned later that afternoon from Diagon Alley with their attire for the wedding and some other household necessities.
After setting everything away, Harry knocked on Ginny’s slightly open door, but as it opened he saw the room was empty. He headed outside and after a quick look, he found her just inside the garden walls. She was lazily picking some vegetables and playing with a few garden worms.
“Hey,” Harry said, waving from the edge of the garden.
“Hey!” Ginny waved back gracefully, dropping a parsnip into her basket.
“So, good day?” he asked.
“It was OK. I had to take care of the dreaded patient though. Loads of fun that was,” she rolled her eyes and laughed.
“Oh, I can imagine. Is he back to his usual self or the pain charms still kicking in?”
“They must still be kicking in because he actually… well he was bored so he wanted to play cards… and, of course, I whipped his arse,” she added quickly. “But, he was actually pleasant for a few rare minutes.”
“You played cards with Malfoy?” Harry said, unable to hide his disgust. “He didn’t say anything awful, did he?”
"Not really. So, he's still definitely not himself.”
Leave a Review