Chapter 13- I’ve Been There
Ginny sat alone in front of the Common Room fire, thinking over her conversation with Malfoy. He certainly hadn’t acted as confused as she felt, but neither had he been as sure of himself as he normally was. Either way, she didn’t regret being as blunt as she had; it felt wonderful to have all that off her chest. Unthinkingly, she softly sang a few bars of one of her show songs.
“Raoul, I’ve been there
To his world of unending night,
To a world where the daylight dissolves into darkness.
Darkness.”
What on Earth was she doing? It just didn’t make any sense that a Weasley would fall for a Malfoy. Why was she so tied up in knots over that bloody Slytherin? The answer came to her without a moment’s pause.
“But his voice filled my spirit with a strange sweet sound,
In that night there was music in my mind.
And through music my soul began to soar,
And I heard as I never heard before.”
Ginny sighed and shook her head in disgust; she just couldn’t puzzle this out. She rose and headed down to the Great Hall for lunch, singing the last two lines as she ducked out of the portrait hole.
“Yet in his eyes all the sadness of the world;
Those pleading eyes that both threaten and adore.”
“Ginny, I want to talk to you.”
Ginny kept herself from choking in surprise with some difficulty. Ron was actually speaking to her, something he hadn’t done in quite a while. She forced herself to keep eating calmly, answering him in a normal voice.
“I’m listening.”
“It’s important.”
Something in his tone gave her pause. Ginny stopped with a forkful of mashed potatoes halfway to her mouth and raised her eyebrows at her brother.
“So talk.”
“I think you’re in too deep with the Slytherins.”
Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed her fork into her mouth. “Oh, honestly. . . Ron, we’ve been over this.”
“No, hear me out.”
Ginny rolled her eyes again, but gestured aimlessly with her fork, and Ron seemed to take that for assent.
“You’re spending so much time with them, and I don’t think it’s necessary that-”
“We tried rehearsing apart, but, somehow, it just wasn’t the same.”
“Well, yeah, but you seem really comfortable with them, and-”
“Not really, I just act that way to spite you,” Ginny said, drawing a snort from Harry, sitting across the table. She hid a grin with difficulty and tried to make herself take the conversation seriously. It didn’t work. “Seriously, Ron, we’re costarring in a show; we have to be at some level of relaxation with each other.”
Ron seemed to realize he was losing his battle. “You just seem too relaxed with them, and I don’t like it.”
Ginny sighed and made herself stop joking. “Ron, here’s the long and short of it: whether you like it or not, I’m starring in the show with two Slytherins. I know you don’t like it, and you probably never stopped to think that it might not be a piece of cake for me, either.” Ron looked dumbfounded, and Ginny nodded. “Exactly. Yes, there are times when it’s extremely hard, and all I want to do is run home to mum. All in all, though, I think I’ve had more fun with them than I’ve had since Fred and George left Hogwarts.”
Ron raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Fun?”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Oh, dry up, Ron; you know that’s not what I meant. Blaise is a really nice guy, and working with him never puts me in anything but hysterics. He makes me laugh, and he treats me well. Bloody hell, even Harry admitted that he hasn’t turned out to be half-bad.”
Harry tried to find a sudden interest in the ceiling, but the sun was shining too brightly for that. Blinking wildly, he stared studiously into his pumpkin juice and avoided Ron’s incredulous gaze. Hermione, sitting on Ron’s other side, rubbed her upper lip in suspiciously amused way.
“As for Draco,” Ginny continued, drawing Ron’s disbelieving gaze back to her. “Yes, Draco, that’s his name, Ron. As for Draco. . . well, he’s really not half-bad, either. Yeah, we fight all the time, but it’s no worse than I do with any of you guys. If he tries to be an asshole I put him in his place, but, overall, he’s really not that hard to work with.”
Singing Malfoy’s praises had earned her incredulous stares from both Ron and Harry, but Hermione just smiled faintly, eyes twinkling slightly. Ginny noticed that and worked to control a blush. Luckily, neither of the boys seemed to notice.
“So. . . you like being with Slytherins?”
“Oh, don’t be dense, Ron,” Hermione snapped, dropping her spoon with a clatter. “That’s not what she said.”
‘Bless you, Hermione.’ Ginny thanked her friend with her eyes and tried to explain it so her thick-headed brother could understand. “If I had to hang out with Pansy Parkinson or Crabbe and Goyle all the time, I’d go bonkers. Blaise and Draco, though. . . they’re not a problem, because most of the time, they don’t act like Slytherins.”
Ron, Harry, and Hermione all three raised their eyebrows at that, and Ginny hurried to amend her statement.
“Alright, most of the time, they don’t act like Slytherins with me.”
Across the Great Hall, one of the two non-Slytherin Slytherins was watching a certain redhead with an unreadable look on his face. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, then nudged the boy sitting next to him.
“Blaise, watch Ginny.”
“Gladly. Why?”
“She keeps glancing over here as she talks, and she’s shooting us somewhat. . . mischievous glances.”
Blaise grinned and clapped his friend on the shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry about it, Draco. She’s probably just singing our praises to the ‘Golden Trio.’”
Just then, Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned around to stare at the two of them incredulously, and Blaise dropped his hand from Draco’s shoulder to resume eating.
“You see? Nothing to worry about.”
Ginny sat alone in front of the Common Room fire, thinking over her conversation with Malfoy. He certainly hadn’t acted as confused as she felt, but neither had he been as sure of himself as he normally was. Either way, she didn’t regret being as blunt as she had; it felt wonderful to have all that off her chest. Unthinkingly, she softly sang a few bars of one of her show songs.
“Raoul, I’ve been there
To his world of unending night,
To a world where the daylight dissolves into darkness.
Darkness.”
What on Earth was she doing? It just didn’t make any sense that a Weasley would fall for a Malfoy. Why was she so tied up in knots over that bloody Slytherin? The answer came to her without a moment’s pause.
“But his voice filled my spirit with a strange sweet sound,
In that night there was music in my mind.
And through music my soul began to soar,
And I heard as I never heard before.”
Ginny sighed and shook her head in disgust; she just couldn’t puzzle this out. She rose and headed down to the Great Hall for lunch, singing the last two lines as she ducked out of the portrait hole.
“Yet in his eyes all the sadness of the world;
Those pleading eyes that both threaten and adore.”
“Ginny, I want to talk to you.”
Ginny kept herself from choking in surprise with some difficulty. Ron was actually speaking to her, something he hadn’t done in quite a while. She forced herself to keep eating calmly, answering him in a normal voice.
“I’m listening.”
“It’s important.”
Something in his tone gave her pause. Ginny stopped with a forkful of mashed potatoes halfway to her mouth and raised her eyebrows at her brother.
“So talk.”
“I think you’re in too deep with the Slytherins.”
Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed her fork into her mouth. “Oh, honestly. . . Ron, we’ve been over this.”
“No, hear me out.”
Ginny rolled her eyes again, but gestured aimlessly with her fork, and Ron seemed to take that for assent.
“You’re spending so much time with them, and I don’t think it’s necessary that-”
“We tried rehearsing apart, but, somehow, it just wasn’t the same.”
“Well, yeah, but you seem really comfortable with them, and-”
“Not really, I just act that way to spite you,” Ginny said, drawing a snort from Harry, sitting across the table. She hid a grin with difficulty and tried to make herself take the conversation seriously. It didn’t work. “Seriously, Ron, we’re costarring in a show; we have to be at some level of relaxation with each other.”
Ron seemed to realize he was losing his battle. “You just seem too relaxed with them, and I don’t like it.”
Ginny sighed and made herself stop joking. “Ron, here’s the long and short of it: whether you like it or not, I’m starring in the show with two Slytherins. I know you don’t like it, and you probably never stopped to think that it might not be a piece of cake for me, either.” Ron looked dumbfounded, and Ginny nodded. “Exactly. Yes, there are times when it’s extremely hard, and all I want to do is run home to mum. All in all, though, I think I’ve had more fun with them than I’ve had since Fred and George left Hogwarts.”
Ron raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Fun?”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Oh, dry up, Ron; you know that’s not what I meant. Blaise is a really nice guy, and working with him never puts me in anything but hysterics. He makes me laugh, and he treats me well. Bloody hell, even Harry admitted that he hasn’t turned out to be half-bad.”
Harry tried to find a sudden interest in the ceiling, but the sun was shining too brightly for that. Blinking wildly, he stared studiously into his pumpkin juice and avoided Ron’s incredulous gaze. Hermione, sitting on Ron’s other side, rubbed her upper lip in suspiciously amused way.
“As for Draco,” Ginny continued, drawing Ron’s disbelieving gaze back to her. “Yes, Draco, that’s his name, Ron. As for Draco. . . well, he’s really not half-bad, either. Yeah, we fight all the time, but it’s no worse than I do with any of you guys. If he tries to be an asshole I put him in his place, but, overall, he’s really not that hard to work with.”
Singing Malfoy’s praises had earned her incredulous stares from both Ron and Harry, but Hermione just smiled faintly, eyes twinkling slightly. Ginny noticed that and worked to control a blush. Luckily, neither of the boys seemed to notice.
“So. . . you like being with Slytherins?”
“Oh, don’t be dense, Ron,” Hermione snapped, dropping her spoon with a clatter. “That’s not what she said.”
‘Bless you, Hermione.’ Ginny thanked her friend with her eyes and tried to explain it so her thick-headed brother could understand. “If I had to hang out with Pansy Parkinson or Crabbe and Goyle all the time, I’d go bonkers. Blaise and Draco, though. . . they’re not a problem, because most of the time, they don’t act like Slytherins.”
Ron, Harry, and Hermione all three raised their eyebrows at that, and Ginny hurried to amend her statement.
“Alright, most of the time, they don’t act like Slytherins with me.”
Across the Great Hall, one of the two non-Slytherin Slytherins was watching a certain redhead with an unreadable look on his face. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, then nudged the boy sitting next to him.
“Blaise, watch Ginny.”
“Gladly. Why?”
“She keeps glancing over here as she talks, and she’s shooting us somewhat. . . mischievous glances.”
Blaise grinned and clapped his friend on the shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry about it, Draco. She’s probably just singing our praises to the ‘Golden Trio.’”
Just then, Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned around to stare at the two of them incredulously, and Blaise dropped his hand from Draco’s shoulder to resume eating.
“You see? Nothing to worry about.”
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