Something to Believe
Chapter Nine: Alright
---
When Ginny pulled her dressing robe closer around her and pushed open the kitchen door, she was surprised to find it full of people. They were all quiet, almost ignoring each other.
Her mother was bustling about setting dishes on the table and waving her wand at the pans on the stove. Draco, fully dressed and each hair perfectly set, was sitting in his usual place, reading what looked like a letter. Tonks was nursing a cup of tea and Remus Lupin, across from her, was reading the Daily Prophet. Nobody looked up when she entered.
"Good morning, all," she said, stepping to her mum for a kiss. She sat next to Draco and helped herself to tea and toast. Draco just glanced at her and went back to his parchment. She tried to catch some of the words on the page, but he dragged the letter away from her, pointedly.
"Good morning, Ginny," said Remus, scratching his chin and setting aside the newspaper. He took a long, slow sip from his steaming coffee mug. Tonks ran a hand through her mousy brown hair while she kept her eyes riveted on Remus.
"Who's that from?" Ginny asked, nodding at the letter.
"My mother," he replied, folding the parchment, and putting it in his pocket. "Tonks here gave it to me. Her mother's been looking after her."
"Here you are, Draco dear, eat up. Don't want to keep Tonks waiting," said her mother, tipping eggs and sausages onto Draco's plate. He didn't say anything as he obediently shoveled the food into his mouth. Ginny looked on curiously, as her mother placed food on her plate.
"Where's he going, then, mum?" she asked, looking from Draco to her mum to Tonks. Tonks blinked, as though startled out of a reverie, and turned to Ginny.
"He's got some affairs to settle at his Manor. I'm escorting him," Tonks explained.
"I want to go, too!" Ginny exclaimed, "I'm tired of being cooped up here!"
"This isn't exactly going to be a pleasant visit, Weasley. I have business to attend to, and it's been decided that I need a chaperone," he glared at Tonks. Tonks stuck her tongue out at him.
"She is not your chaperone, Draco, she's an Auror and she'll be guarding you," Remus stated, keeping his eyes on his coffee.
"Can I go, Mum?" Ginny asked, looking at her hopefully.
"It's not my place to decide, dear."
She turned to Draco, barely opening her mouth, before he spoke.
"No, Weasley. You may not come," he said. He wiped his mouth with his napkin, and stood up. "I'm ready when you are," he murmured, addressing Tonks.
---
Ginny finished knotting the tassels on what was supposed to be Hermione's Christmas present. She tossed her needles into her basket and started examining the pink and maroon scarf. It was rather pretty, she decided, admiring it a moment, before tossing into the basket next to her chair.
Soon after Draco and Tonks had departed, Remus Lupin had left too. She'd helped her mum with some chores while listening to her try to make idle conversation. They fixed a simple lunch and soon her mum was kissing her cheek and telling her to behave and she was out the front door, with promises of returning soon.
She sat back and watched the flames dance in the fireplace, exhaling slowly. She swallowed a small lump in her throat as she thought about Harry. He was out there...doing God knows what. How long would it be before he'd face Voldemort? What if she – what if the potion... Ginny sighed and sat up straight. Nothing is going to happen to me, she thought, Draco will...
She thought about how strange it was that she now called him Draco, even in her head. He was really no longer Malfoy. He was a different person, someone new. And yet, he was the same... it wasn't as though she ever really knew him before... perhaps he'd always been like this. Temperamental, intelligent, and... Ginny stopped herself from thinking 'handsome'.
Ginny stood and stretched. She checked her wristwatch. Nearly time for dinner, and no sign of Draco or Tonks. She knew she shouldn't worry, since he was with a trained Auror, but she couldn't help wonder what he was doing.
---
A loud clatter and the slam of a door stirred her from a soft sleep. She rubbed her eyes, noticing she was still in the chair by the fire, her knitting basket by her feet. She grabbed her wand from the table and walked to the foyer.
She saw Tonks trying to right the strange umbrella stand while Draco, arms laden with books and packages, swept past the two girls and up the stairs to his room.
"It's a good thing they managed to get down that horrid portrait, or we'd be having an earful right now!" Ginny said, smiling at Tonks.
"Wotcher, Ginny! I don't understand why we can't get rid of this stupid thing," Tonks gave the umbrella stand a kick, which knocked it over again with another loud clatter. Tonks hurriedly bent to right it again.
"How was your -" Ginny didn't finish her sentence.
Draco came storming back down the stairs, arms laden with ledgers. He brushed past Ginny with an angry glare and strode into the study. He slammed the door behind him.
"It went that well, huh?" Ginny asked Tonks, suppressing a smirk.
---
After seeing Tonks off, Ginny hesistantly eyed the door to the study. She knocked softly and listened for a response. There were soft sounds of movement inside - shuffling of books and rustling of pages.
"Draco?" She knocked again. This time she tried the doorknob and found it was unlocked.
There was a fire glowing orange in the fireplace and she stepped into the room to find Draco sitting at the desk, furiously taking notes and flipping through pages.
"Draco?" He turned to look at her, with a hunted look on his face.
"What's wrong?"
He stood up, throwing the quill down on his notes.
"It's gone. It's all gone." He ran his hands through his hair, pacing in front of the fireplace.
"What's gone? What happened?"
He walked back to the table, opening a ledger, skimming it with his finger. Suddenly, he slammed the book closed and threw it at the wall.
"The bastard spent money from my accounts as well. It's all gone."
Ginny just stood there, hovering near the door, unsure how to respond.
"How the mighty have fallen. The Malfoys hit rock bottom. Generations of riches gone," he ranted, as he flung himself onto a sofa. He seemed to collapse, his head hung low. She inched closer.
"Maybe there's just some accounting errors? You're sure you -"
"Of course I'm sure! There's no error! It's all fucking gone!"
"It'll be alright, Draco. There's no need to - "
"Please," he interrupted, smoothly. He looked up at her with a harsh glare. "I don't want pity, especially not from a Weasley."
"I – I - wasn't - " Ginny stammered.
"I don't want you to try and convince me that it's alright to be poor."
"Shut up, Malfoy - "
"Because it's not. It's not alright."
"I said stop it - "
"Just because your family seems to take pride in it, doesn't mean that it's - "
She strode forward and slapped him across his face. She could feel angry tears welling in her eyes. And not wanting him to have the satisfaction of seeing the poor, little Weasley cry, she ran from the room.
---
That night, Ginny found herself being shook awake. A harried looking Draco was leaning over her, checking her pulse, and watching her breathing.
"You were screaming."
"I know. I felt it again, just like before. Like something - "
"Breaking."
He offered her a glass of water. His entire demeanor was cold and closed. He refused to look her in the eyes. She felt another bout of tears threaten to overwhelm her. She took a shaky sip of water and handed back the glass.
As he turned to leave, she said, in a trembling voice, "I'm scared."
He stopped and turned to look at her. His face softened when he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. He sat slowly in the chair beside her bed.
"Would you like me to call for your mother?"
"Draco, I - I'm sorry about earlier. I presumed too much. I shouldn't have..." Her voice trailed off, as he leaned over her again and gently wiped away her tears with his thumb.
"I'm going to call your mother."
Draco stood gracefully and walked to the door, without looking back.
---
It was only a few minutes later when Ginny's mum was cradling her daughter in her arms, whispering in her ear. Though Ginny wasn't crying, she clung to her mother, as though in desperate need of comforting.
"Oh, my love. It's ok, you're fine now. We won't let anything happen to you." Ginny was watching Draco, who was leaning against the doorframe, with arms crossed, observing this scene.
"It'll be alright, my dear. You'll see."
Ginny swore that at that instant, she saw Draco's face draw closed once again. He straightened himself and left.
Chapter Nine: Alright
---
When Ginny pulled her dressing robe closer around her and pushed open the kitchen door, she was surprised to find it full of people. They were all quiet, almost ignoring each other.
Her mother was bustling about setting dishes on the table and waving her wand at the pans on the stove. Draco, fully dressed and each hair perfectly set, was sitting in his usual place, reading what looked like a letter. Tonks was nursing a cup of tea and Remus Lupin, across from her, was reading the Daily Prophet. Nobody looked up when she entered.
"Good morning, all," she said, stepping to her mum for a kiss. She sat next to Draco and helped herself to tea and toast. Draco just glanced at her and went back to his parchment. She tried to catch some of the words on the page, but he dragged the letter away from her, pointedly.
"Good morning, Ginny," said Remus, scratching his chin and setting aside the newspaper. He took a long, slow sip from his steaming coffee mug. Tonks ran a hand through her mousy brown hair while she kept her eyes riveted on Remus.
"Who's that from?" Ginny asked, nodding at the letter.
"My mother," he replied, folding the parchment, and putting it in his pocket. "Tonks here gave it to me. Her mother's been looking after her."
"Here you are, Draco dear, eat up. Don't want to keep Tonks waiting," said her mother, tipping eggs and sausages onto Draco's plate. He didn't say anything as he obediently shoveled the food into his mouth. Ginny looked on curiously, as her mother placed food on her plate.
"Where's he going, then, mum?" she asked, looking from Draco to her mum to Tonks. Tonks blinked, as though startled out of a reverie, and turned to Ginny.
"He's got some affairs to settle at his Manor. I'm escorting him," Tonks explained.
"I want to go, too!" Ginny exclaimed, "I'm tired of being cooped up here!"
"This isn't exactly going to be a pleasant visit, Weasley. I have business to attend to, and it's been decided that I need a chaperone," he glared at Tonks. Tonks stuck her tongue out at him.
"She is not your chaperone, Draco, she's an Auror and she'll be guarding you," Remus stated, keeping his eyes on his coffee.
"Can I go, Mum?" Ginny asked, looking at her hopefully.
"It's not my place to decide, dear."
She turned to Draco, barely opening her mouth, before he spoke.
"No, Weasley. You may not come," he said. He wiped his mouth with his napkin, and stood up. "I'm ready when you are," he murmured, addressing Tonks.
---
Ginny finished knotting the tassels on what was supposed to be Hermione's Christmas present. She tossed her needles into her basket and started examining the pink and maroon scarf. It was rather pretty, she decided, admiring it a moment, before tossing into the basket next to her chair.
Soon after Draco and Tonks had departed, Remus Lupin had left too. She'd helped her mum with some chores while listening to her try to make idle conversation. They fixed a simple lunch and soon her mum was kissing her cheek and telling her to behave and she was out the front door, with promises of returning soon.
She sat back and watched the flames dance in the fireplace, exhaling slowly. She swallowed a small lump in her throat as she thought about Harry. He was out there...doing God knows what. How long would it be before he'd face Voldemort? What if she – what if the potion... Ginny sighed and sat up straight. Nothing is going to happen to me, she thought, Draco will...
She thought about how strange it was that she now called him Draco, even in her head. He was really no longer Malfoy. He was a different person, someone new. And yet, he was the same... it wasn't as though she ever really knew him before... perhaps he'd always been like this. Temperamental, intelligent, and... Ginny stopped herself from thinking 'handsome'.
Ginny stood and stretched. She checked her wristwatch. Nearly time for dinner, and no sign of Draco or Tonks. She knew she shouldn't worry, since he was with a trained Auror, but she couldn't help wonder what he was doing.
---
A loud clatter and the slam of a door stirred her from a soft sleep. She rubbed her eyes, noticing she was still in the chair by the fire, her knitting basket by her feet. She grabbed her wand from the table and walked to the foyer.
She saw Tonks trying to right the strange umbrella stand while Draco, arms laden with books and packages, swept past the two girls and up the stairs to his room.
"It's a good thing they managed to get down that horrid portrait, or we'd be having an earful right now!" Ginny said, smiling at Tonks.
"Wotcher, Ginny! I don't understand why we can't get rid of this stupid thing," Tonks gave the umbrella stand a kick, which knocked it over again with another loud clatter. Tonks hurriedly bent to right it again.
"How was your -" Ginny didn't finish her sentence.
Draco came storming back down the stairs, arms laden with ledgers. He brushed past Ginny with an angry glare and strode into the study. He slammed the door behind him.
"It went that well, huh?" Ginny asked Tonks, suppressing a smirk.
---
After seeing Tonks off, Ginny hesistantly eyed the door to the study. She knocked softly and listened for a response. There were soft sounds of movement inside - shuffling of books and rustling of pages.
"Draco?" She knocked again. This time she tried the doorknob and found it was unlocked.
There was a fire glowing orange in the fireplace and she stepped into the room to find Draco sitting at the desk, furiously taking notes and flipping through pages.
"Draco?" He turned to look at her, with a hunted look on his face.
"What's wrong?"
He stood up, throwing the quill down on his notes.
"It's gone. It's all gone." He ran his hands through his hair, pacing in front of the fireplace.
"What's gone? What happened?"
He walked back to the table, opening a ledger, skimming it with his finger. Suddenly, he slammed the book closed and threw it at the wall.
"The bastard spent money from my accounts as well. It's all gone."
Ginny just stood there, hovering near the door, unsure how to respond.
"How the mighty have fallen. The Malfoys hit rock bottom. Generations of riches gone," he ranted, as he flung himself onto a sofa. He seemed to collapse, his head hung low. She inched closer.
"Maybe there's just some accounting errors? You're sure you -"
"Of course I'm sure! There's no error! It's all fucking gone!"
"It'll be alright, Draco. There's no need to - "
"Please," he interrupted, smoothly. He looked up at her with a harsh glare. "I don't want pity, especially not from a Weasley."
"I – I - wasn't - " Ginny stammered.
"I don't want you to try and convince me that it's alright to be poor."
"Shut up, Malfoy - "
"Because it's not. It's not alright."
"I said stop it - "
"Just because your family seems to take pride in it, doesn't mean that it's - "
She strode forward and slapped him across his face. She could feel angry tears welling in her eyes. And not wanting him to have the satisfaction of seeing the poor, little Weasley cry, she ran from the room.
---
That night, Ginny found herself being shook awake. A harried looking Draco was leaning over her, checking her pulse, and watching her breathing.
"You were screaming."
"I know. I felt it again, just like before. Like something - "
"Breaking."
He offered her a glass of water. His entire demeanor was cold and closed. He refused to look her in the eyes. She felt another bout of tears threaten to overwhelm her. She took a shaky sip of water and handed back the glass.
As he turned to leave, she said, in a trembling voice, "I'm scared."
He stopped and turned to look at her. His face softened when he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. He sat slowly in the chair beside her bed.
"Would you like me to call for your mother?"
"Draco, I - I'm sorry about earlier. I presumed too much. I shouldn't have..." Her voice trailed off, as he leaned over her again and gently wiped away her tears with his thumb.
"I'm going to call your mother."
Draco stood gracefully and walked to the door, without looking back.
---
It was only a few minutes later when Ginny's mum was cradling her daughter in her arms, whispering in her ear. Though Ginny wasn't crying, she clung to her mother, as though in desperate need of comforting.
"Oh, my love. It's ok, you're fine now. We won't let anything happen to you." Ginny was watching Draco, who was leaning against the doorframe, with arms crossed, observing this scene.
"It'll be alright, my dear. You'll see."
Ginny swore that at that instant, she saw Draco's face draw closed once again. He straightened himself and left.
Leave a Review