Something to Believe
Chapter Four: What's in a name?
---
This is nice.
That was all Ginny could think. It was nice sitting with someone else in the same room. Something so simple that she'd missed so much. After spending nearly a fortnight in the same house, they're finally sitting together in the same room.
It was surprisingly nice. Even if he was studiously ignoring her. She watched the flames in the fireplace. Watched the rain trickle down the windowpane. Watched his eyes flutter across a page.
She looked down at the book in her lap. Potions. She read for a few pages. Her eyes were instinctively drawn once again to his face. She wondered what he was reading. He glanced up and caught her watching him.
"Reading potions. Maybe you should, too."
Her eyes widened and instantly dropped her book. She picked up where she left off and didn't stop reading the rest of the afternoon.
---
"Why haven't you put up a fight?"
He had asked if they could sit together again after dinner. She sat on the rug near the fireplace, braiding her hair. He was in the armchair, ignoring the book open in his hands.
"What do you mean?" she asked, looking at him over her shoulder.
"What I mean is - well, you're such a fighter. I remember that hex you used on me once. Why aren't you arguing with your folks? To join the war?"
"I have six brothers. Even if my parents were crazy enough to let me join the Order, the six of them would make sure that I didn't."
"Must be nice."
"What?"
"To be so well-protected."
He shut his book and put it on the table beside him.
"It makes me feel secure. And loved. And very helpless. And sometimes hopeless," she answered.
"Do you want to fight in the war?"
"Not really. I just hate the whole idea of war. I hate it. But I don't want to fight. I wanted to be a healer."
Ginny released her hair, letting the braid come undone.
"Wanted? Not anymore?" He raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know. There may be no more Hogwarts. I don't know how we'll ever finish our studies."
"I wanted to be an auror," he said, shifting his gaze to the fire.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Why? I never imagined - "
"Never imagined what?"
"I don't know. I guess I never imagined you wanting much of anything. Except wanting to kick a puppy. Or steal candy from a baby. Stuff like that."
"Evil stuff, right?"
She smiled softly and nodded. He smirked. Slowly, it slipped away, leaving his face blank.
"That's why I did this." He pulled up his sleeve and showed her the revealed skin. There, laying dormant but menacing, was the Dark Mark, imprinted black against his soft, pale skin.
Her eyes met his. He looked completely withdrawn, his eyes not focused on her, but staring off behind her. She licked her lips and reached forward to pull down his sleeve, covering his forearm.
"We all make mistakes."
He scoffed at her.
"I'll pay for this mistake until the day I die."
"So...what are you doing here, at Order Headquarters?"
"You mean, besides being guarded like a prisoner?"
"I mean, why did you come here with McGonagall that night?"
"I don't know where to begin to answer that."
"You don't have to tell me. I've just...you know...been dying to know. Is all."
He smiled at her. It was an awkward curve of his lips - something far different from his trademark smirk, something vulnerable and shy.
"I'll tell you some other time."
---
Ginny lay awake in her bed that night.
The late summer storm raged on outside. Flashes of lightning and waves of thunder. The steady fall of rain.
Her room was dark and chilly, but she felt a cold sweat develop on her forehead.
Suddenly she felt a sharp, blasting pain in her chest. She couldn't breath. She struggled to sit up, but found herself immobilized.
Pain flooded her entire body and Ginny screamed for what felt like hours. She felt herself fade to darkness.
---
She awoke to someone slapping her cheek softly.
"Weasley! Weasley! Can you hear me?"
Her eyes fluttered open. She could make out blond hair and pale skin in the wandlight. Draco Malfoy.
"What happened?" she moaned, as she struggled to sit up. She saw that Malfoy was crouched by her bedside, wearing his pajamas.
"Funny, that's what I was going to ask you," he sneered. He offered her a glass of water.
She drank slowly, thinking back. She raised a hand to her chest. She panicked a moment, thinking back to the end of her first year, when she'd felt something very similar. But it was alright now. She felt fine. Just a little weak.
"I...it was...just a nightmare." She averted her eyes, not meeting his steely gaze.
"A nightmare? You screamed bloody murder. And when I came in here, you wouldn't wake up - just kept whimpering and tossing around."
"I don't know what happened. Just felt a horrible pain in my chest. Like something... something inside me broke."
He looked stunned at that information.
"I think I'm ok now," she added, shakily, trying to shrug it off. She lay back in her bed. "I'll try to get to sleep."
He nodded slowly, eying her as if seeing her for the very first time. He stood gracefully and left her room, softly shutting the door behind him.
---
Ginny entered the kitchen the next morning, to find a ruffled Draco Malfoy sitting at the table. He was wearing the same pajamas and was wrapped up in his dressing robe.
"Breakfast?"
"Yes, please."
She padded toward the cupboard, and started on some pancakes.
"You know, I don't even know your name, Weasley."
She turned to look at him, holding a mixing bowl in one hand. She smiled broadly.
"Yeah, I figured. I'm just the littlest Weasley, eh?"
"Well...yeah."
"Ginevra. Most people call me Ginny." She stepped forward and offered him a handshake. He looked from her hand to her face. Without removing the blank look on his face, he took her hand and kissed her knuckles. She blushed.
"Ginevra. I'm Draco Malfoy."
She snickered. "Yeah, I knew that."
"Oh. It's just that you always call me Malfoy, so I wasn't sure."
"I see," she found she couldn't stop from grinning. She went back to work on the pancakes.
She could hear him muttering her name under his breath.
"Ginevra...Ginevra...Ginny."
Chapter Four: What's in a name?
---
This is nice.
That was all Ginny could think. It was nice sitting with someone else in the same room. Something so simple that she'd missed so much. After spending nearly a fortnight in the same house, they're finally sitting together in the same room.
It was surprisingly nice. Even if he was studiously ignoring her. She watched the flames in the fireplace. Watched the rain trickle down the windowpane. Watched his eyes flutter across a page.
She looked down at the book in her lap. Potions. She read for a few pages. Her eyes were instinctively drawn once again to his face. She wondered what he was reading. He glanced up and caught her watching him.
"Reading potions. Maybe you should, too."
Her eyes widened and instantly dropped her book. She picked up where she left off and didn't stop reading the rest of the afternoon.
---
"Why haven't you put up a fight?"
He had asked if they could sit together again after dinner. She sat on the rug near the fireplace, braiding her hair. He was in the armchair, ignoring the book open in his hands.
"What do you mean?" she asked, looking at him over her shoulder.
"What I mean is - well, you're such a fighter. I remember that hex you used on me once. Why aren't you arguing with your folks? To join the war?"
"I have six brothers. Even if my parents were crazy enough to let me join the Order, the six of them would make sure that I didn't."
"Must be nice."
"What?"
"To be so well-protected."
He shut his book and put it on the table beside him.
"It makes me feel secure. And loved. And very helpless. And sometimes hopeless," she answered.
"Do you want to fight in the war?"
"Not really. I just hate the whole idea of war. I hate it. But I don't want to fight. I wanted to be a healer."
Ginny released her hair, letting the braid come undone.
"Wanted? Not anymore?" He raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know. There may be no more Hogwarts. I don't know how we'll ever finish our studies."
"I wanted to be an auror," he said, shifting his gaze to the fire.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Why? I never imagined - "
"Never imagined what?"
"I don't know. I guess I never imagined you wanting much of anything. Except wanting to kick a puppy. Or steal candy from a baby. Stuff like that."
"Evil stuff, right?"
She smiled softly and nodded. He smirked. Slowly, it slipped away, leaving his face blank.
"That's why I did this." He pulled up his sleeve and showed her the revealed skin. There, laying dormant but menacing, was the Dark Mark, imprinted black against his soft, pale skin.
Her eyes met his. He looked completely withdrawn, his eyes not focused on her, but staring off behind her. She licked her lips and reached forward to pull down his sleeve, covering his forearm.
"We all make mistakes."
He scoffed at her.
"I'll pay for this mistake until the day I die."
"So...what are you doing here, at Order Headquarters?"
"You mean, besides being guarded like a prisoner?"
"I mean, why did you come here with McGonagall that night?"
"I don't know where to begin to answer that."
"You don't have to tell me. I've just...you know...been dying to know. Is all."
He smiled at her. It was an awkward curve of his lips - something far different from his trademark smirk, something vulnerable and shy.
"I'll tell you some other time."
---
Ginny lay awake in her bed that night.
The late summer storm raged on outside. Flashes of lightning and waves of thunder. The steady fall of rain.
Her room was dark and chilly, but she felt a cold sweat develop on her forehead.
Suddenly she felt a sharp, blasting pain in her chest. She couldn't breath. She struggled to sit up, but found herself immobilized.
Pain flooded her entire body and Ginny screamed for what felt like hours. She felt herself fade to darkness.
---
She awoke to someone slapping her cheek softly.
"Weasley! Weasley! Can you hear me?"
Her eyes fluttered open. She could make out blond hair and pale skin in the wandlight. Draco Malfoy.
"What happened?" she moaned, as she struggled to sit up. She saw that Malfoy was crouched by her bedside, wearing his pajamas.
"Funny, that's what I was going to ask you," he sneered. He offered her a glass of water.
She drank slowly, thinking back. She raised a hand to her chest. She panicked a moment, thinking back to the end of her first year, when she'd felt something very similar. But it was alright now. She felt fine. Just a little weak.
"I...it was...just a nightmare." She averted her eyes, not meeting his steely gaze.
"A nightmare? You screamed bloody murder. And when I came in here, you wouldn't wake up - just kept whimpering and tossing around."
"I don't know what happened. Just felt a horrible pain in my chest. Like something... something inside me broke."
He looked stunned at that information.
"I think I'm ok now," she added, shakily, trying to shrug it off. She lay back in her bed. "I'll try to get to sleep."
He nodded slowly, eying her as if seeing her for the very first time. He stood gracefully and left her room, softly shutting the door behind him.
---
Ginny entered the kitchen the next morning, to find a ruffled Draco Malfoy sitting at the table. He was wearing the same pajamas and was wrapped up in his dressing robe.
"Breakfast?"
"Yes, please."
She padded toward the cupboard, and started on some pancakes.
"You know, I don't even know your name, Weasley."
She turned to look at him, holding a mixing bowl in one hand. She smiled broadly.
"Yeah, I figured. I'm just the littlest Weasley, eh?"
"Well...yeah."
"Ginevra. Most people call me Ginny." She stepped forward and offered him a handshake. He looked from her hand to her face. Without removing the blank look on his face, he took her hand and kissed her knuckles. She blushed.
"Ginevra. I'm Draco Malfoy."
She snickered. "Yeah, I knew that."
"Oh. It's just that you always call me Malfoy, so I wasn't sure."
"I see," she found she couldn't stop from grinning. She went back to work on the pancakes.
She could hear him muttering her name under his breath.
"Ginevra...Ginevra...Ginny."
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