Something To Believe
Chapter Seventeen: Jealousy
---
Ginny woke quite suddenly the next morning, her eyes wide, sitting bolt upright. Her hands went to her chest. She was shaking, her forehead covered in a light sheen, despite the fact that her room was freezing cold.
It was just a dream, she told herself. She swallowed, and laid back in bed. It wasn't a nightmare, like she used to have. Just a very... dark... dream. She could barely remember what it was about... the Chamber... Tom... he was calling her name... She shivered.
Under her quilt, she curled up into a tiny ball and started to cry. All her troubles seemed to hit her at once... her dark dream, her constant fear of another painful jolt to her chest, worrying if the potion would be finished in time, whether it would even work...she missed her room at the Burrow, she missed her mum and dad. And even though all this was enough to contend with, her heart was quietly and slowly breaking as she realized Draco really did not want her the way she wanted him.
---
When Draco entered the kitchen, fully dressed, Ginny was sullenly spooning porridge into her mouth while reading a healing book.
"How's your burn?" Ginny asked, closing her book. She stood and filled a bowl with porridge for Draco, not meeting his eyes.
"It's fine," he answered, warily. He sat down, stiffly, and watched Ginny place the bowl before him. She nudged the honey pot toward him and sat back down.
Ginny didn't want to mention what happened in his room last night. She'd figured it was just a lapse – a huge lapse - in judgment on her part. She'd come right out and told him what she wanted and how she felt, and he pushed her away. That told her volumes.
"So, that's it, huh?"
Ginny glanced up at his smirk. "You were right. I'm sorry. That's it."
He started his porridge and sighed. "No, I'm sorry," he said, sounding rather sincere. "I'm just too good looking..."
Ginny still felt too hurt to smile. She ducked her head, pretending to resume eating, while trying to hide her reddening face behind her hair.
"So where are we starting this morning?" Ginny asked, trying to change the subject.
"Brewing is going to take over a week. It's going to be difficult, we might need help, perhaps taking shifts. Tonks said your mum will be around this afternoon, we'll ask her who's available to help."
They ate in silence, neither knowing what else to say.
He picked up his bowl and took it to the sink, where he washed it with a spell. Ginny took hers to the sink and set it down. While he cast another spell, Ginny fidgeted with the hem of her sweater. She watched him scrub his hands in the sink.
"Draco?" she whispered. He turned to look down at her, drying his hands with a tea towel. "I really am sorry. I don't want anything to ruin our friendship." He seemed to consider this a moment and he pressed his lips together tightly and nodded. Ginny weakly smiled up at him. He indicated she should wash up and he stepped over to the cupboard with the potions supplies.
---
They spent a long morning boiling ginger root in the bronze cauldron Draco had specially bought. The cauldron was on the counter, over a large blue flame. The smell of fresh ginger was bringing back memories of the day Ginny had told Draco all about her ordeal with the diary and Tom and the Chamber of Secrets. And those memories were bringing up flashes of her terrible dream.
She shook her head, pulling her long hair back into a low ponytail. It was rather hot, standing over the boiling cauldron. She wiped her brow and watched as Draco slowly stirred counterclockwise. Every so often he waved his wand over the boiling surface, and she'd see the ginger slices dance to the surface. They stayed silent, with Draco focused on his task and Ginny watching him.
It occurred to her again that Draco planned to leave once the potion was brewed. She felt her heart sink, but also knew she was being selfish. He wanted to be with his mother, get out of hiding and away from the war. She couldn't blame him.
She wondered what would happen to her. After she drank the potion, and if it works, what would she do? Where will she stay? Here, alone at the headquarters. She'd been able to bear the past months with the aid of Draco's presence, his friendship. She let the heat and the smell of ginger wash over her, taking solace in the fact that she had at least one more week with Draco.
---
Working together for a couple days brought back a shadow of their friendly banter. Ginny surprisingly found herself smiling quite often. She was relieved that Draco had been able to forgive and forget her transgression. The topic was never brought up, while they worked.
"How goes your work on those books?" he asked her, adding hellebore to the bubbling cauldron.
"I've finished with the Basics. I'm working on the next book. But it says that the best way to learn is practical application. I'll need to get a volunteer job at St. Mungo's eventually," she said.
"My mother could help you with that," he said, "She has a few school friends there, and she's a very well respected donor...er...she was..."
"And why would she help me?"
"You're my friend, aren't you?"
"I suppose," Ginny grinned, and said, "You think she would like me?"
"How could she not?"
Her grin grew larger.
"I mean, you're a great cook, you make my bed, some light laundry," he smirked, "I think she'd hire you for herself right away."
Ginny batted his arm with the back of her hand.
"What's she like?"
"My mother? She's..." his voice trailed off as he got lost in thought.
A smile slowly formed on his lips, and he looked down as he resumed adding measured amounts of hellebore to the cauldron, he said, "She's amazing. She's quiet and graceful, a very good listener, she's brilliant, especially at charms and puzzles, that sort of thing."
He sighed. "I miss her so much. She's always been my closest friend. She loves me more than anything in the world. And she spoils me senseless."
"I've seen you with her before. At the World Cup," she said, Draco nodded at the memory. "She was beautiful, but she looked... unhappy."
Draco laughed, "Quidditch was never her cup of tea."
Ginny smiled, thinking back to that night. She remembered stumbling across Draco in the dark when the camps were under attack. He was leaning against a tree trunk, his arms folded, looking quite smug. She shook her head as if to shake the memory from her mind.
The sound of the front door opening shook them from their contemplations. Draco handed Ginny the large stirring rod and gestured for her to stir. She obeyed, watching him pull out his wand and move between her and the door. She stared up the length of his back, smiling, wanting to touch him.
They heard voices coming down the stairs. When they saw Harry, Hermione, Ron enter followed closely by Molly, Tonks and Remus, Draco lowered his wand.
"Draco, Ginny!" Hermione rushed forward, grinning. She was hugging a stack of books to her chest with one arm. She threw her free arm around Draco's waist, smiling at him, and he awkwardly patted her shoulder, avoiding Ginny's gaze.
Tonks and Remus were caught up in a whispered discussion with Harry and Ron, near the door. Ron was throwing angry glances at Draco and Hermione, while trying to listen at the same time. Molly smiled at Ginny and pulled her into a small hug. She then turned around and bustled about with arranging tea and snacks.
"Granger," he said, "Glad you're here."
Ginny looked away, hiding her face behind a cascade of her red hair, while she pretended to focus on stirring.
"Of course! When Tonks told us you needed help with the brewing, I mean... of course, we'd come!"
"We could use the help. We've been at it for about two days straight, with little sleep. And Merlin knows, little Weasley here gets cranky without sleep," he said, teasingly. Ginny knew he expected her to smile, but she couldn't, and instead pretended she hadn't heard him.
"Wotcher, Draco," Tonks said, approaching him with a smile.
"Tonks," he said, "Could I speak to you? Upstairs? Here, Granger, my notes...here's where we are, need to add the rest of that hellebore there," he pointed at the cutting board beside Ginny.
Hermione took his notes and watched as Draco headed upstairs with Tonks. She then sneaked a glance over at Harry and Ron who were talking with Remus.
"How have things been, Ginny?"
"Fine, I suppose," Ginny replied, coolly, unsure of why she couldn't be quite friendly with Hermione. She was replaying in her mind the way Hermione had flung her arm around Draco's waist in greeting. Her grip on the stirring rod tightened.
Hermione was perusing the notes, unaware Ginny was gritting her teeth.
"Hmm, looks like you've made excellent progress in the past few days. There's still a lot of hard work to do... Says here after the brewing, the potion must ferment for one month before you can drink it."
Ginny spun around to see the notes, "A month! Do I have that long?" She searched Hermione's face. The older girl was thinking to herself.
"Of course you do... Harry has to bide his time, make sure things are in place. You'll be fine. He can wait a month."
Hermione leaned over the cauldron and added the last of the hellebore to the cauldron while Ginny continued to stir. Her arm had been aching from hours of stirring.
"Here, I'll take over for a bit," Hermione said, taking the rod from Ginny's fingers.
"Oh, thanks."
"Maybe we should make up another schedule. We can work in shifts. I plan to stick around, Harry and Ron will mostly be here too, though I'd prefer if they were supervised..."
Ginny interrupted Hermione's train of thought. "What's going on with you and Draco?"
Hermione looked puzzled for a moment, and asked, "What do you mean?"
"You're always..." Ginny wanted to say 'all over him' but that wasn't entirely true. Ginny's mother has certainly hugged him more than Hermione has. She also wanted to complain about the way Hermione was always whispering with him in private, but again, he's always whispering in secret with Tonks. Neither Tonks or her mum ever made her feel so... jealous.
"Nothing." Ginny sighed, "Forget I mentioned it."
"Ginny...I think I know what you are thinking. It's not like that," Hermione turned and looked over at Ron. "You know how I feel about your brother."
When Ginny nodded, Hermione continued, "It's just I know he can use a friend, someone to talk to about certain things."
"He has me," Ginny said, glaring at her feet.
"Oh, Ginny," Hermione smiled sympathetically at her, putting her hands on Ginny's shoulders, "Those certain things are always related to you."
---
All through dinner that evening, Ginny kept her eyes on Draco, who had chosen to sit beside Hermione instead of her, like he usually did. Ginny had taken the seat across from him, between Ron and Tonks.
He seemed oblivious to her stares. She occasionally looked around the crowded table, at her mum and her dad, who joined them late in the afternoon, Tonks and Remus, all sitting at one end. At the other end, Harry and Ron were whispering to each other. Several times she caught Harry staring at her, following her eyes to Draco and frowning.
She looked on as Draco and Hermione discussed plans for brewing, they agreed to set up a schedule after dinner. After people pushed away their empty plates, as Tonks and Remus cleared the table, everyone began to stand and stretch.
Ginny thought she saw something strange sparkle in Harry's eye as he stared at her. He pulled her father aside into a corner for a hushed conversation. Ginny watched cautiously.
Draco, Hermione and Ron brought out a large piece of parchment and were starting to set up shifts. Ginny numbly stepped toward them, and stood beside Draco, watching over his shoulder, but she strained to hear Harry and her father.
"...no, this isn't the time, Harry!"
"...then when is the time...it'll make us both very happy, why can't you see that..."
"...I'm not so certain...it's not the best thing for her... and you know it..."
"...you don't understand...she was made for me, we're meant to be together..."
"...I don't like this..."
"...I don't care!" Harry bellowed, stepping away from Arthur straight to Ginny. She unconsciously took a step into Draco, leaning against his shoulder. She felt him stiffen.
Harry seemed to notice this subtle exchange and grabbed her arm, pulling her forward to him.
"Everyone!" he said, although he already had the attention of all the people in the kitchen. "I want to announce that Ginny and I are going to get married!"
Instead of any sort of response, everyone seemed to freeze. Ginny looked to her father, who went to stand beside Molly, holding her hand and shaking his head. She looked over at Ron, whose mouth was hanging open, and Hermione, who covered her mouth with her hand and looked pointedly at Draco. Draco was behind her, so she couldn't see his reaction, and she was thankful for that.
Ginny's knees trembled. His grip on her forearm was hurting her.
Wasn't this what she always wanted? It should have been perfect, but nothing about it felt right. It pained her that Harry asked despite her father's objections.
"Well what do you say, Ginny?" Before she could respond, he'd conjured a plain gold band and placed it on her finger. She stared down at it speechlessly.
She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.
Instead, her head swam, as her chest contracted in sharp pain. Her knees gave out and she fell backwards, into strong arms that cradled her. She saw concerned gray eyes stare down at her before she fainted.
Chapter Seventeen: Jealousy
---
Ginny woke quite suddenly the next morning, her eyes wide, sitting bolt upright. Her hands went to her chest. She was shaking, her forehead covered in a light sheen, despite the fact that her room was freezing cold.
It was just a dream, she told herself. She swallowed, and laid back in bed. It wasn't a nightmare, like she used to have. Just a very... dark... dream. She could barely remember what it was about... the Chamber... Tom... he was calling her name... She shivered.
Under her quilt, she curled up into a tiny ball and started to cry. All her troubles seemed to hit her at once... her dark dream, her constant fear of another painful jolt to her chest, worrying if the potion would be finished in time, whether it would even work...she missed her room at the Burrow, she missed her mum and dad. And even though all this was enough to contend with, her heart was quietly and slowly breaking as she realized Draco really did not want her the way she wanted him.
---
When Draco entered the kitchen, fully dressed, Ginny was sullenly spooning porridge into her mouth while reading a healing book.
"How's your burn?" Ginny asked, closing her book. She stood and filled a bowl with porridge for Draco, not meeting his eyes.
"It's fine," he answered, warily. He sat down, stiffly, and watched Ginny place the bowl before him. She nudged the honey pot toward him and sat back down.
Ginny didn't want to mention what happened in his room last night. She'd figured it was just a lapse – a huge lapse - in judgment on her part. She'd come right out and told him what she wanted and how she felt, and he pushed her away. That told her volumes.
"So, that's it, huh?"
Ginny glanced up at his smirk. "You were right. I'm sorry. That's it."
He started his porridge and sighed. "No, I'm sorry," he said, sounding rather sincere. "I'm just too good looking..."
Ginny still felt too hurt to smile. She ducked her head, pretending to resume eating, while trying to hide her reddening face behind her hair.
"So where are we starting this morning?" Ginny asked, trying to change the subject.
"Brewing is going to take over a week. It's going to be difficult, we might need help, perhaps taking shifts. Tonks said your mum will be around this afternoon, we'll ask her who's available to help."
They ate in silence, neither knowing what else to say.
He picked up his bowl and took it to the sink, where he washed it with a spell. Ginny took hers to the sink and set it down. While he cast another spell, Ginny fidgeted with the hem of her sweater. She watched him scrub his hands in the sink.
"Draco?" she whispered. He turned to look down at her, drying his hands with a tea towel. "I really am sorry. I don't want anything to ruin our friendship." He seemed to consider this a moment and he pressed his lips together tightly and nodded. Ginny weakly smiled up at him. He indicated she should wash up and he stepped over to the cupboard with the potions supplies.
---
They spent a long morning boiling ginger root in the bronze cauldron Draco had specially bought. The cauldron was on the counter, over a large blue flame. The smell of fresh ginger was bringing back memories of the day Ginny had told Draco all about her ordeal with the diary and Tom and the Chamber of Secrets. And those memories were bringing up flashes of her terrible dream.
She shook her head, pulling her long hair back into a low ponytail. It was rather hot, standing over the boiling cauldron. She wiped her brow and watched as Draco slowly stirred counterclockwise. Every so often he waved his wand over the boiling surface, and she'd see the ginger slices dance to the surface. They stayed silent, with Draco focused on his task and Ginny watching him.
It occurred to her again that Draco planned to leave once the potion was brewed. She felt her heart sink, but also knew she was being selfish. He wanted to be with his mother, get out of hiding and away from the war. She couldn't blame him.
She wondered what would happen to her. After she drank the potion, and if it works, what would she do? Where will she stay? Here, alone at the headquarters. She'd been able to bear the past months with the aid of Draco's presence, his friendship. She let the heat and the smell of ginger wash over her, taking solace in the fact that she had at least one more week with Draco.
---
Working together for a couple days brought back a shadow of their friendly banter. Ginny surprisingly found herself smiling quite often. She was relieved that Draco had been able to forgive and forget her transgression. The topic was never brought up, while they worked.
"How goes your work on those books?" he asked her, adding hellebore to the bubbling cauldron.
"I've finished with the Basics. I'm working on the next book. But it says that the best way to learn is practical application. I'll need to get a volunteer job at St. Mungo's eventually," she said.
"My mother could help you with that," he said, "She has a few school friends there, and she's a very well respected donor...er...she was..."
"And why would she help me?"
"You're my friend, aren't you?"
"I suppose," Ginny grinned, and said, "You think she would like me?"
"How could she not?"
Her grin grew larger.
"I mean, you're a great cook, you make my bed, some light laundry," he smirked, "I think she'd hire you for herself right away."
Ginny batted his arm with the back of her hand.
"What's she like?"
"My mother? She's..." his voice trailed off as he got lost in thought.
A smile slowly formed on his lips, and he looked down as he resumed adding measured amounts of hellebore to the cauldron, he said, "She's amazing. She's quiet and graceful, a very good listener, she's brilliant, especially at charms and puzzles, that sort of thing."
He sighed. "I miss her so much. She's always been my closest friend. She loves me more than anything in the world. And she spoils me senseless."
"I've seen you with her before. At the World Cup," she said, Draco nodded at the memory. "She was beautiful, but she looked... unhappy."
Draco laughed, "Quidditch was never her cup of tea."
Ginny smiled, thinking back to that night. She remembered stumbling across Draco in the dark when the camps were under attack. He was leaning against a tree trunk, his arms folded, looking quite smug. She shook her head as if to shake the memory from her mind.
The sound of the front door opening shook them from their contemplations. Draco handed Ginny the large stirring rod and gestured for her to stir. She obeyed, watching him pull out his wand and move between her and the door. She stared up the length of his back, smiling, wanting to touch him.
They heard voices coming down the stairs. When they saw Harry, Hermione, Ron enter followed closely by Molly, Tonks and Remus, Draco lowered his wand.
"Draco, Ginny!" Hermione rushed forward, grinning. She was hugging a stack of books to her chest with one arm. She threw her free arm around Draco's waist, smiling at him, and he awkwardly patted her shoulder, avoiding Ginny's gaze.
Tonks and Remus were caught up in a whispered discussion with Harry and Ron, near the door. Ron was throwing angry glances at Draco and Hermione, while trying to listen at the same time. Molly smiled at Ginny and pulled her into a small hug. She then turned around and bustled about with arranging tea and snacks.
"Granger," he said, "Glad you're here."
Ginny looked away, hiding her face behind a cascade of her red hair, while she pretended to focus on stirring.
"Of course! When Tonks told us you needed help with the brewing, I mean... of course, we'd come!"
"We could use the help. We've been at it for about two days straight, with little sleep. And Merlin knows, little Weasley here gets cranky without sleep," he said, teasingly. Ginny knew he expected her to smile, but she couldn't, and instead pretended she hadn't heard him.
"Wotcher, Draco," Tonks said, approaching him with a smile.
"Tonks," he said, "Could I speak to you? Upstairs? Here, Granger, my notes...here's where we are, need to add the rest of that hellebore there," he pointed at the cutting board beside Ginny.
Hermione took his notes and watched as Draco headed upstairs with Tonks. She then sneaked a glance over at Harry and Ron who were talking with Remus.
"How have things been, Ginny?"
"Fine, I suppose," Ginny replied, coolly, unsure of why she couldn't be quite friendly with Hermione. She was replaying in her mind the way Hermione had flung her arm around Draco's waist in greeting. Her grip on the stirring rod tightened.
Hermione was perusing the notes, unaware Ginny was gritting her teeth.
"Hmm, looks like you've made excellent progress in the past few days. There's still a lot of hard work to do... Says here after the brewing, the potion must ferment for one month before you can drink it."
Ginny spun around to see the notes, "A month! Do I have that long?" She searched Hermione's face. The older girl was thinking to herself.
"Of course you do... Harry has to bide his time, make sure things are in place. You'll be fine. He can wait a month."
Hermione leaned over the cauldron and added the last of the hellebore to the cauldron while Ginny continued to stir. Her arm had been aching from hours of stirring.
"Here, I'll take over for a bit," Hermione said, taking the rod from Ginny's fingers.
"Oh, thanks."
"Maybe we should make up another schedule. We can work in shifts. I plan to stick around, Harry and Ron will mostly be here too, though I'd prefer if they were supervised..."
Ginny interrupted Hermione's train of thought. "What's going on with you and Draco?"
Hermione looked puzzled for a moment, and asked, "What do you mean?"
"You're always..." Ginny wanted to say 'all over him' but that wasn't entirely true. Ginny's mother has certainly hugged him more than Hermione has. She also wanted to complain about the way Hermione was always whispering with him in private, but again, he's always whispering in secret with Tonks. Neither Tonks or her mum ever made her feel so... jealous.
"Nothing." Ginny sighed, "Forget I mentioned it."
"Ginny...I think I know what you are thinking. It's not like that," Hermione turned and looked over at Ron. "You know how I feel about your brother."
When Ginny nodded, Hermione continued, "It's just I know he can use a friend, someone to talk to about certain things."
"He has me," Ginny said, glaring at her feet.
"Oh, Ginny," Hermione smiled sympathetically at her, putting her hands on Ginny's shoulders, "Those certain things are always related to you."
---
All through dinner that evening, Ginny kept her eyes on Draco, who had chosen to sit beside Hermione instead of her, like he usually did. Ginny had taken the seat across from him, between Ron and Tonks.
He seemed oblivious to her stares. She occasionally looked around the crowded table, at her mum and her dad, who joined them late in the afternoon, Tonks and Remus, all sitting at one end. At the other end, Harry and Ron were whispering to each other. Several times she caught Harry staring at her, following her eyes to Draco and frowning.
She looked on as Draco and Hermione discussed plans for brewing, they agreed to set up a schedule after dinner. After people pushed away their empty plates, as Tonks and Remus cleared the table, everyone began to stand and stretch.
Ginny thought she saw something strange sparkle in Harry's eye as he stared at her. He pulled her father aside into a corner for a hushed conversation. Ginny watched cautiously.
Draco, Hermione and Ron brought out a large piece of parchment and were starting to set up shifts. Ginny numbly stepped toward them, and stood beside Draco, watching over his shoulder, but she strained to hear Harry and her father.
"...no, this isn't the time, Harry!"
"...then when is the time...it'll make us both very happy, why can't you see that..."
"...I'm not so certain...it's not the best thing for her... and you know it..."
"...you don't understand...she was made for me, we're meant to be together..."
"...I don't like this..."
"...I don't care!" Harry bellowed, stepping away from Arthur straight to Ginny. She unconsciously took a step into Draco, leaning against his shoulder. She felt him stiffen.
Harry seemed to notice this subtle exchange and grabbed her arm, pulling her forward to him.
"Everyone!" he said, although he already had the attention of all the people in the kitchen. "I want to announce that Ginny and I are going to get married!"
Instead of any sort of response, everyone seemed to freeze. Ginny looked to her father, who went to stand beside Molly, holding her hand and shaking his head. She looked over at Ron, whose mouth was hanging open, and Hermione, who covered her mouth with her hand and looked pointedly at Draco. Draco was behind her, so she couldn't see his reaction, and she was thankful for that.
Ginny's knees trembled. His grip on her forearm was hurting her.
Wasn't this what she always wanted? It should have been perfect, but nothing about it felt right. It pained her that Harry asked despite her father's objections.
"Well what do you say, Ginny?" Before she could respond, he'd conjured a plain gold band and placed it on her finger. She stared down at it speechlessly.
She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.
Instead, her head swam, as her chest contracted in sharp pain. Her knees gave out and she fell backwards, into strong arms that cradled her. She saw concerned gray eyes stare down at her before she fainted.
Author notes: Please review ;)
To Be Continued.
EclipsedPlanet is the author of 0 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 67 members. Members who liked Clocks also liked 1157 other stories.
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