Chapter 9: The Other Shoe Drops
It was late when Draco returned home, sauntering through the main hallway and brushing away the trembling house elf trying to relieve him of his robe with a pointed glare in its direction. It had attempted to stammer something that was supposed to resemble English as he stormed past, but abandoned its feeble attempts as its master paused momentarily to glare at it, his eyes cold and dangerous. The elf squeaked out something about a visitor before it fled, tripping over its own feet no less than four times before it disappeared.
Draco Malfoy was so furious that everything around him just served to irritate him even further, making it difficult to keep track of the original source of his anger. As he stormed through the empty hallways of his parents’ house, he made his way towards his bedroom, slamming the door behind him with enough force to send the house elves into hiding for a month. He collapsed into a plush leather chair, images from that night flashing through his mind as he was reminded what exactly was causing his current temper tantrum.
“Bloody hell, do you think anyone saw that?” the little wench had asked, looking horror-struck at the very idea of being caught snogging him. She clearly had an incredibly warped sense of reality, as he was the one who should have been concerned about their getting caught. And yet, she was the one who looked horrified. Seething, he jumped up from his chair, beginning to pace around his room.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, just as he was examining his bookshelves for a suitably breakable object to hurl at the wall.
“WHAT?” he barked, outraged that any of the house elves would dare to interrupt him. He strode towards the door, yanking it open, prepared to lay into whichever trembling servant had the misfortune to be on the other side of the door.
“Is that any way to greet your favorite cousin?” an amused voice asked. Draco stared for a moment in surprise, before moving out of the way as his purple-haired cousin, Nymphadora Rookwood, strolled into his room with a wide smile, her eyes twinkling mischievously. Feeling slightly less furious, Draco crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, watching his older cousin stroll happily over to the chair he’d just abandoned, seating herself down with a sigh. “Seriously, Draco, try not to act too pleased to see me, it’s embarrassing!”
“What are you doing here?” he asked gruffly. She cast him a sardonic look and rolled her eyes.
“When the cat’s away, the mouse will play,” she said with a shrug.
“Which cat are we talking about, Cousin Mouse? Your cat or mine?” Draco asked, walking over towards the set of French doors that led to the balcony off his bedroom. He threw them open, despite the chill in the air, allowing the fresh air into the room.
“Don’t be silly, your cats are always away,” she laughed.
“That explains your hair color, then. Your husband would hardly be impressed by your choice. Really, purple?” he asked, with a raised eyebrow.
“I sneezed and it changed, hardly something I could help,” she said, her eyes twinkling knowingly. Draco had to laugh – the Metamorphmagus’ tendency to change her appearance was a constant source of embarrass with his family, who endeavored to pressure her into looking “normal”, encouraging her against using her powers. After her mother, Andromeda, and that Muggle she’d runaway with, had been killed in an ‘accident’, their daughter had been the only person found alive in the village where they’d been hiding. Upon hearing this, Draco’s mother had insisted on taking the child, determined that she would be raised properly – in order to ‘erase the damage done to the Black family name created by her sister’s terrible choice’. Luckily, due to Lucius Malfoy’s influence, very few actually knew the truth about Nymphadora’s father and those who did know the truth were far too worried about the consequences to ever speak about it.
“So, either your husband’s away or you were sent by my parents to check up on me,” Draco said with a pointed look. His cousin’s smile faded slightly at the mention of her husband, Augustus. She’d been married to the infamous Death Eater just after she turned 19, and the Minister of the Department of Mysteries was often away on mysterious trips about which he never told his young wife any of the details.
“Oh, the husband’s away,” she said, with a roll of her eyes. “If your parents wanted anyone to check up on you, they would hardly ask me. That would imply that they’d have to let me out of their sight for longer than 12 hours, and the Dark Lord only knows what trouble I would cause the family name during that time!”
She’d been sorted into Gryffindor, a fact that was an endless source of embarrassment for his parents. Her complete lack of grace and knack for being utterly clumsy and awkward in nearly every social situation were also sore points with them. Having a rather rebellious nature, she often made friends with ‘the wrong sort’ and repeated her ridiculous ideals, such as tolerance for non-purebloods, which certainly did not belong in the Malfoy home. Just before she graduated from Hogwarts, she told them that she was planning on marrying some peasant she’d met in the village. Acting as quickly as possible in order to prevent this travesty in the face of everything they’d try to do for that “ungrateful wretch”, they had found a suitable member of society – Augustus Rookwood – and in exchange for a prominent position, he offered marriage and silence, and Nymphadora’s intended fiancé had disappeared the same night the last of the arrangements had been made. Left with no way out, she’d had no choice but to comply.
“Rightly so. You are a bad influence on me, you know,” Draco said.
“I know. Those horrible things I’ve tried to teach you – how to have fun, how to laugh at yourself and the secrets of executing the perfect Wronski Feint – have corrupted your moral fiber beyond all repair. Your mother would faint if she knew that her impressionable son was currently at the mercy of his delinquent half-blood cousin,” she said sarcastically.
“How long are you planning on staying for?” he asked, attempting to appear nonchalant as he looked down at his hands, but he was unable to hide the hopeful look in his eyes. She knew how much time he spent alone in that empty house, with both of his parents permanently in London on Ministry business.
“Until I get bored with you and your filthy temper. Which, by the way, what has got your knickers in such a twist? The poor house elf who tried to tell you I was here practically fainted!”
“Nothing!” Draco snapped, his face cloudy with anger as she reminded him of the temper tantrum she’d so rudely interrupted. She laughed.
“Sounds like girl trouble to me,” she said with a knowing look. Draco glared at her. “It’s the only thing I know that can create that exact combination of anger and brooding. Remember how you were when that incident with –”
“It’s none of your business!” he shouted, and she threw her head back and laughed. Standing up, she grabbed his arm and started to pull him out of his room.
“Come on, broody. The only cure for romantic trouble that is guaranteed to transform even a foul git like you into something resembling a human being is ice cream,” she declared, as she dragged him down the hallway.
“It’s not a girl problem. It’s a…” Draco muttered under his breath as she led him down the hallway. “It’s a weasel problem.”
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Everyone was still gossiping, laughing and whispering about what had happened at Cho Chang’s party Friday night. A whole weekend had passed since that incident, and it was still the topic on everyone else’s mind, a fact that was driving Pansy Parkinson completely mental. She watched them all, the gossiping sycophants, as they passed through the halls between classes, feeling their barely concealed smiles as they passed by her, still laughing about what they’d heard the Weasley girl had said to her, and what Cho Chang had done. She was not willing to stand for it. The girl had been completely out of line, and she was sick of waiting for Draco Malfoy to strike first – despite the fact that, by all means, having had to suffer the Weasel lunging at him for a snog in the middle of the ballroom, he should have been ahead of the game, with regards to plotting suitable revenge.
She spotted her, sporting her tatty robes and hideous shoes, and after pulling out her wand, made ready to descend upon her and put the uppity pauper in her place. Just as she was to begin her planned assault, someone reached out from behind and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. Spinning around, practically spitting with rage, Pansy was about to lay into the person who dared to interrupt her when she realized who her attacker was. Looming over her, his eyes dark and serious, was none other than the Weasel’s latest victim, Draco Malfoy.
“Parkinson, have you misunderstood anything that I’ve said to you, in regards to Weasley?” Draco said, his voice quietly dangerous, his grip tight on her wrist.
“Of course not, Draco!”
“Then stay away from her. Far away,” he ordered, releasing her wrist, and beginning to stalk away.
“You’re not just planning on letting her get away with everything she’s done, are you?” Pansy shrieked, unable to contain herself. Her sense of justice was feeling horribly wronged, where she was the one who was victimized in front of all of her peers and some of the best of wizarding society, and yet the Weasel was getting away scott free! Draco paused, and turned around slowly.
“I don’t like having to repeat myself, Parkinson. She’s mine, and if you mess with her again, you’ll have a lot more than just public humiliation to deal with. Leave her to me or else,” he said with a pointed look, before turning and walking down the hall, without another word. Pansy watched him as he left, her mouth gaping open in shock, feeling completely incapable of saying anything else.
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Ginny wasn’t sure which was worse – the knowledge that everyone at school had heard about The Incident on Friday night, or that she couldn’t shake the memory of what had happened afterwards from her mind. As she made her way to her last class of the day, having survived the whole day under constant scrutiny and having to hear the whispers and the laughter whenever she passed while managing to bravely ignore the jeers about how she had thrown herself at Malfoy, she cursed the day she had ever stood up to Draco Malfoy. Her life had resembled nothing short of chaos ever since that moment.
“Put your books away. Today, you are going to have a practical pop quiz. Take out your wands and line up in front of the wardrobe,” Snape ordered as soon as all the students were seated in the class. Everyone groaned, but complied, while whispering to each other what sort of creature they’d have to battle this time. Snape, lacking a great deal of creativity when it came to designing his practical tests, often just threw a magical creature into the giant wardrobe in the far corner of the classroom, forcing each student in turn to defeat it. Ginny felt her heart drop at this announcement, and tried to keep herself from panicking. After the incident with the test a few weeks ago, she needed a good grade to balance the zero he’d given her, even if it meant climbing into a dark, closed in space.
Following her classmates, Ginny hovered near the back of the reluctant line that had formed in front of the wardrobe, students pushing each other out of the way as they tried to stand as far away from it as possible. Snape scowled at them all as he walked past, his eyes scanning through the students as if searching for a victim.
“This is an incredibly basic magical creature that any Hogwarts student should be able to successfully neutralize as early as their first year. Given the spectacular display of underwhelming abilities during your last practical test, I felt it necessary to bring you back to the basics. It’s simple: there is a Boggart in this wardrobe. You will be given three minutes alone inside. If it still forms the shape of your greatest fear by the time your three minutes are up, you fail,” Snape explained. A whisper of excitement passed through the room, as those who had seemed nervous about the pop quiz realized that this was practically a gift. Everyone knew how to defeat a Boggart. Ginny, however, wasn’t feeling quite the same – a thick ball of fear had formed in her stomach and she was doing the best she could not to vomit. The thought of climbing into that space, having the heavy wooden door shut behind her for three minutes, was almost more than she could bear.
“Miss Weasley, as punishment for your academic dishonesty during our last quiz, I feel that it is appropriate that you should take your practical test first,” Snape said, his dark eyes glittering as they fell on her, undoubtedly catching the unease on her face that she was too preoccupied to hide. She cursed herself, cursed Snape. She had forgotten the first rule of survival – never show any weaknesses.
“Fine by me,” she muttered, walking slowly to the front of the crowd. Her limbs felt heavy, her movements stiff and slow, as if she were walking through water. She reluctantly pulled out her wand, and as she was about to reach the wardrobe, she whispered a spell softly, making her wand glow.
"What are you doing, Miss Weasley?" Snape demanded, a twisted smile on his face. Ginny paused, looking around her, trying to figure out what she had done to deserve the question, her mind clouded by her efforts to quell the panic she could feel spreading out from her stomach.
"I'm about to climb into a wardrobe to fight a Boggart, like you asked me to," she answered slowly; uncertain as to why this was suddenly an issue with him. She was doing it, wasn't she? He knew - he knew why this was hard for her, and so he should be pleased that she was about to complete his stupid pop quiz without a word of complaint.
"I didn't say that you could use Lumos. I want all of you to be able to conquer a Boggart without using any light produced from your wand," he said. The very fragile dam that had been holding in the storm of emotions that had threatened to consume her in the few minutes that had passed since he had announced this little 'test' shattered to pieces, and she was unable to stop herself from speaking.
"It's impossible to fight a Boggart without being able to see it! Riddikulus won't work unless you are able to laugh at it, to turn your greatest fear into something you can laugh at, and you can't do that without being able to see it!" Ginny protested. Snape smiled, a cold look of triumph in his eyes.
"Then you'll have to find a way that doesn't use Riddikulus. You're supposed to be such a brilliant student - that's why the school gives you such a generous scholarship, surely you can figure something out," he said nastily, while opening the door to the wardrobe and holding it open for her. She stared at the dark, empty space she could see and felt a strong urge to vomit at the thought of going in there. "Quickly, Miss Weasley, before the Boggart escapes and I have to send you scouring the castle for another one. After grading you a zero, of course."
"I won't," she said, her voice firm despite the way her limbs were shaking.
"If you expect to pass this class, you will," Snape said, his voice a low hiss.
"I can't. And you know why," Ginny protested desperately. She and Snape certainly had their differences, but long ago, during her first year, she'd confessed to him the difficulties she had climbing into small, dark spaces, and he'd understood, slightly (while simultaneously being completely sarcastic and mocking about it).
"If you don't, then you fail the quiz. I'm not willing to make exceptions for any of my students," Snape said firmly. Staring at his impassive face, Ginny felt a surge of hatred for him, as he smiled at her smugly. Steeling herself, trying to remember the charm that Hermione had taught her to help alleviate the debilitating panic she felt any time she was faced with a small, enclosed space, she took two steps towards the wardrobe. Her breathing became shallower as it became harder to breath as she peered inside, catching a glimpse in the dim light of the dimensions of the room. It was very small.
She took a tentative step into the wardrobe, forcing herself to keep moving, reminding herself how much she needed a good mark on the quiz. She felt the door close behind her, and she was enclosed in the dark. There were a few traces of light along the cracks in the door, allowing her a small field of vision, and she looked around her, trying to spot the Boggart, planning on using Riddikulus despite what Snape had said.
And suddenly, she couldn't see anything. The noise from the classroom beyond the wardrobe had completely disappeared, and along with it, the small amount of light. Feeling her hands begin to shake and a huge wave of panic swell throughout her body, Ginny tried to breath deeply, to force herself to calm down.
But then, she heard the noises. Inauspicious sounds of a quiet forest at night, a sound that in another world would have been comforting or peaceful, filled her ears. The air became colder, and she felt her heart drop as the small space was filled with an eerie green glow. Appearing as if it were far away and partially obscured by tree tops, Ginny saw what the Boggart had chosen as her greatest fear, even as the space around her seemed to cave in on her - the Dark Mark.
Dropping her wand, Ginny clawed at the walls around her, desperately feeling her way in the dark, seeking the exit. She found it, and shoved it open, stumbling at the force with which it gave way. Unable to speak and completely ignoring the inquiring looks and muffled giggles of her classmates, Ginny breezed past her scowling professor, quickly threw her parchment and quill into her bag and ran out of the classroom.
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Ginny had been walking the grounds of the school for almost an hour, wandering aimlessly through the hallways and out into the fields, heedless of which direction she was going. It didn't really matter; she was just trying to kill enough time so that she could creep back into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and retrieve her wand, planning on waiting long enough so that Snape would have already left the classroom for his office.
She had heard classes end, and seen the majority of students leaving, so she knew it was almost safe to go back. She was still feeling rather skittish and emotionally raw, lamenting the day she'd ever let Snape in on her secret. She had the distinct feeling that he'd chosen that particular test for her special benefit, as some form of revenge for whatever wrong she'd committed lately. She ran through a list of their encounters in her mind, searching endlessly for what she might have done to upset him so much to bring about such a drastic attack on her.
Absorbed in her thoughts and still feeling the jittery paranoia that had consumed her since she'd fled her last class of the day, Ginny poked her head around the corner, checking to see if there was anyone in the courtyard, planning to cut across it and into the school to retrieve her wand - but only if there was no one around. Peering around her, she watched one straggler until he turned the corner, and decided it was safe. She was so consumed with remaining hidden until he was safely out of sight that she didn't even notice the group that came up behind her, watching her as she half-hid behind the corner, attempting to stealthily avoid notice from the person she was watching.
"Hey look, it's Weasley!" a voice called out, nearly causing her heart to stop beating from the surprise, her nerves still frayed from her earlier experience. She spun around, her eyes wild, and was dismayed to see a group mixed with people she would ordinarily be delighted to see - Blaise Zabini and Cho Chang - and a group which she decidedly not pleased to see - Crabbe, Goyle and Draco Malfoy. Her eyes scanned the group, noting that almost all of them were wearing casual smiles and there didn't seem to be much hostility coming from them. Until her eyes met Malfoy's, who was stone-faced and serious. She felt her stomach lurch as they made eye contact with each other, their last interaction that past Friday still very fresh on her mind. She looked away as quickly as possible, awkwardly trying to avoid looking at him. If only Draco Malfoy could be easily ignored, she'd never have any other trouble in life. She focused on the ground, figuring it was the safest place to look.
"Who were you spying on?" Crabbe asked, his voice tinged with amusement. Ginny started when he spoke, looking up at him, her eyes wild with surprise.
"A Gryffindor, attempting any activity requiring stealth? Inconceivable!" Goyle chortled. Ginny felt her nerves bristle and a flash of irritation run through her as she realized that she was about to shout out some defense in the name of all Gryffindors while simultaneously denying that she was actually spying on anyone. She snapped her mouth shut before she could say anything unwise, and settled for glaring at him.
"Ginny, you disappeared so quickly Friday night, I didn't have a chance to thank you for coming," Cho said with a smile, while jabbing Goyle with her elbow. Relieved to have the attention drawn away from what she had been doing earlier, knowing she’d never be able to explain why she wanted to get back to Snape’s classroom without being seen without having to go into what had transpired, she smiled at Cho and was about to thank her once again for all her kindness that night when Goyle chimed in.
“That’s because she fled after throwing herself at Draco and snogging him senseless!” he laughed, Crabbe eagerly joining. Feeling her face begin to burn, she desperately tried to avoid looking at Blaise, but she was dying to know how he reacted to that comment. She needed to explain, she wanted him to know the sequence of events, to know that she had never wanted to kiss Malfoy.
“That’s not at all what happened! I didn’t throw myself at him, as you two very well know, what with that spelled mistletoe you plant in the ballroom!” Ginny shouted. “I wouldn’t willingly kiss Draco Malfoy, and the only reason I did was because I was magically forced to!”
“You don’t have to explain it to us, Weasley. It makes no difference to us who you snog,” Blaise said, and Ginny’s eyes instantly fell to the floor, knowing that he must have caught the way she’d been looking at him as she defended herself, trying to gauge if he believed her or not.
“Don’t delude yourself, weasel. No girl has to be magically forced into anything with me,” Malfoy said, arrogantly swaggering forward, his fixed on hers. She opened her mouth, desperate to refute that statement, but the memory of that second kiss was still hovering very near the surface of her subconscious, and she felt a shiver run down her spine, rendering her speechless.
“Ginny, we were just discussing going out for dinner. Would you like to join us?” Cho asked, elbowing Draco aside with an exasperated roll of her eyes. “That’s if you can tolerate the excessive amounts of male ego we’ll have to share the table with, of course.”
“I’d like to, but I’m working tonight. In fact, I should really be going. I still have to get my wand back,” she said, the last part mostly to herself.
“Hey, Weasel, I heard you had a complete breakdown in Snape’s class this afternoon trying to defeat a Boggart,” a snotty voice called out from behind. Groaning, Ginny turned, and sure enough, the smug face of Pansy Parkinson was behind her, twirling a wand in her right hand and grinning like a Cheshire cat. Ginny felt her heart sink as she realized that Pansy was holding her wand – she must have heard about the whole ordeal after class and retrieved it, planning to torture her with the story. Ginny’s mind jumped into action, trying to find a way to defuse the situation before Pansy could make it too uncomfortable for her. The last thing she wanted was for Draco Malfoy and his goons to hear about it. Don’t show any weakness. “For a girl who claims she’s not afraid of any of us, that seems rather odd. It must have a truly terrifying sight.”
“Well, let us just say, Parkinson, that try as I might,” Ginny said brightly, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget the horrifying sight of my face slowly transforming into yours. I think I’ve been scarred for life.”
An explosion of laughter erupted behind her, and Ginny tried not to giggle herself, especially when Pansy’s face started to turn purple with rage. Striding forward, Ginny reached out and plucked her wand from Pansy’s grasp.
“Thanks for brining me my wand, Parkinson! You’ve saved me a trip!” Ginny called over her shoulder as she strode away, remembering that unless she hurried, she was probably going to be late for work.
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“All I want is for my life to get back to normal! The good old days, when I was invisible at school, and the Slytherins would see right through me, I was so insignificant,” Ginny groaned, taking a moment to complain to her friend. The night had been very busy, and in between serving customers and trying to snatch a few moments to browse over her textbooks, she’d hardly had a chance to speak to her friend.
“You want to go back to the days where you were so consumed with being invisible and unnoticed that you held your tongue and pretended you were someone you’re not? And by extension, by not protesting or standing up to their actions, you were in a roundabout way, supporting what they were doing,” Hermione asked, with a sly smile. Ginny scoffed in mock indignation, and flung her wet bar towel at her friend, laughing as she did so.
“You are far too clever for your own good,” Ginny cried, before recovering her bar towel. She worked silently for a minute, before looking up at Hermione, a pensive look on her face. “I don’t think anything will ever be normal again, ‘Mione. He’s ruined it.”
“Which ‘he’ are we talking about this time?” Hermione asked, her eyes staring at Ginny knowingly.
“Which ‘he’ do you think I’m talking about? The giant prat whose very being seems to have a detrimental aspect on every facet of my life!” Ginny cried incredulously, as if she couldn’t believe that Hermione honestly didn’t know who she was talking about.
A feigned cough caught their attention before Hermione could retaliate, and they both turned around to see the coolly smiling face of Rosmerta, watching them with her eyebrows raised.
“Are we being professional and productive, ladies?” she asked, her tone slightly admonishing. Ginny smiled sheepishly, and looked around her, noting that there were few customers who still lingering at their tables.
“Sorry, just got a little caught up with the girl-talk,” Ginny said apologetically. Rosmerta shook her head with an amused yet long-suffering sigh and then gestured for Ginny to follow her.
“There is a young man here to see you,” she said, pointing to someone with their back turned to them. Ginny’s heart immediately began beating heavily in her chest, afraid it would be him, planning something awful to get revenge for whatever wrong she had committed this time. She walked towards him, gearing up, determined to not be caught off guard by him again. As she approached, he turned around, and with a flood of relief – and a slight jolt of surprise – she realized that it wasn’t Malfoy at all, it was his best friend.
"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, startled to see him there. Blaise raised an eyebrow, looking slightly taken aback by her curt question. "No, it's just that... aren't you supposed to be out with your friends? With Cho, and Malfoy and the lot of them? What are you doing here?"
"Cho asked me to come see if you were finished work yet. She'd like you to join us, if you are," he said, with a casual shrug. Ginny looked at him inquisitively for a moment, unsure how she wanted to react to this new development. Based on what little he'd said, it was becoming clear to Ginny that there wasn't a lot that Blaise wouldn't do, so long as Cho asked. That was surprising to her, for she'd always thought that there was a streak of stubbornness or strong-headedness in Blaise, given the way that he didn't seem to buy into Malfoy's nonsense with the Howlers and all. But with the way he was standing in front of her, looking slightly annoyed and a little aloof, it seemed as though he didn't want to be there asking her to come with them. Yet he was here, and it was because Cho had asked.
"I'm finished work, but I have to get home. I've got homework, a test to study for," she said, trying to sound as if she regretted the fact that she couldn't come, as she quickly untied her apron and went about gathering her books - which had scattered behind the counter as she tried to study between customers. After what had happened at Cho's party, she wanted to be as far away from that social circle as possible, even if it meant giving up a night spent in the company of the gorgeous Blaise Zabini.
"There won't be any tests tomorrow," he said simply, brushing off her excuse. Ginny stared at him, open-mouthed, shocked by how certain he sounded.
"How can you be so certain? Snape gave us a pop quiz today - which I definitely failed," she muttered to herself. "Just because you say there aren't going to be any tests doesn't make it a reality."
"Just trust me, and come along. Cho is waiting," he said, turning around and walking out to the street without another word.
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Ginny was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed in front of her, doing whatever she could to keep away from Draco Malfoy. As soon as they'd arrived at All Hallows, Cho had greeted her enthusiastically before her attention was diverted by the others in the private room with them, and she was shuffled off, leaving Ginny alone in the crowded room with people she either didn't know or didn't want to have anything to do with. Malfoy was there, sitting on the other side of the room, surrounded by his usual horde - Parkinson and her army of mindless twitterers, Crabbe and Goyle. She'd felt his eyes on her earlier; that feeling that instantly made her conscious of what she was doing, where she was and who she was with, as if she were being singled out from a crowd of hundreds - a feeling that was becoming all too familiar for her comfort. Luckily, he seemed to be absorbed in conversation with an older-looking girl with silvery hair, and his attention was no longer on her.
Someone had handed her a drink as she'd entered, and she held the glass, feeling it grow warm in her hand, grateful to have something to do with her hands as she stood there, feeling awkward and slightly unwanted. A few non-Hogwarts students had given her funny glances, but so far, none had stopped to speak with her and she felt sorely out of place. She took a tentative sip from her glass and tried not to grimace at the taste. Fire Whiskey, no matter what fruity concoction it was mixed with, had a horrible flavor that burned down your throat, and Ginny avoided it whenever possible. It was bad enough she had to endure the smell of alcohol while she was working. However, feeling bored and unsure whether or not it would be rude of her to just leave, she began to idly sip on the drink. After awhile, the burning sensation began to feel rather pleasant, and the urge to gag had disappeared.
Twenty minutes and another drink later, her boredom got the best of her, and she began to wander around the room, hoping to find something to capture her interest. The surreal feeling of being in the fabled VIP lounge at the exclusive All Hallows' night club where so many of the snotty Slytherins frequented was punctuated by the alcohol that was going straight to her head, and it all seemed to feel rather fuzzy and amusing. She knew that if she had arrived with anyone less than Blaise Zabini, she would have been tossed out without a second thought, but seeing as she had, she was granted an all-access view of what Slytherins did for fun.
She found it all very boring. How interesting could it be to meet with the same people you saw at school every day, talking about how great you were with each other? With one last distasteful glance around her, Ginny spotted an obscure set of doors that seemed to lead out to a balcony, and noticing just how much her head felt as if it were wrapped in cotton, she stepped outside, longing for fresh air.
It was a very cold night, as the air had started to take on a bitter chill that indicated that the last days of autumn were almost behind them and that winter was just around the corner. She breathed deeply, trying to clear her head. Just as she was about to walk towards the railing in order to get a better look at the view, she heard voices engrossed in conversation, and turned her head to see Blaise and Cho. She was about to call out to them, hoping to finally get a chance to speak with Cho for more than a few minutes, when she noticed something that made her pause.
She was sitting on the railing, her feet dangling below her, hands clutching the side for balance, and he was leaning against the railing, looking up at her with his face tilted towards her. Ginny could hear Cho giggling, and from the smile on Blaise's face, it looked as if they were sharing a private joke. Feeling suddenly panicky and desperate not to interrupt their tête-à-tête, she ducked back around the corner, pressing herself against the wall.
Ginny kept telling herself to go back inside, but the shock of the fresh air felt too good and she was dreading having to back inside and wander around the crowded room awkwardly. She could hear their laughter, and tried to drown it out, not wanting to eavesdrop.
But it became very difficult to ignore what was being said.
"I'm happy to finally have a moment alone with you. I feel like we haven't had a chance to talk at all since I've been back - at least not alone, not like we used to," Cho said, with a heavy sigh, sounding exhausted.
"If you hadn't flown off and become a national hero, you could have had all the time in the world to talk to me," Blaise answered, his voice so low that Ginny was barely able to hear what he had said.
"What's going to happen with you when I leave at the end of the week? I don't know for sure how long I'll be gone this time," Cho said. Even with the distance between them and all the background noise interfering, Ginny could hear a note of sadness and worry in her voice. Leaning out, she strained to hear more, her curiosity overcoming her sense that it was wrong to eavesdrop of their conversation.
“I know there’s nothing I can say to change your mind about going, so I won’t even try,” he said, with an edge in his voice. Cho looked away, as if stung by his words. She paused for a moment, before resuming her cheerful front, smiling once again.
“I’ll just have to find you a nice girl who I can trust enough to look after you while I’m gone. You really should start dating, Blaise. You’ve got a reputation for being rather antisocial,” she said breezily, edging away from him as he looked up at her and reached for his hand. Ginny watched, fascinated to see this dynamic – to see that any girl could resist Blaise Zabini when he was reaching out to her, even someone like Cho Chang. Either she was completely oblivious to his feelings, or she knew and was trying at all costs to act as if they didn’t exist. He turned his back to her, and even in the dark, she could see a pained expression on his face.
“And who would you recommend I start dating, if you’re so concerned for my reputation?” he asked, his voice ice cold. Cho, despite his tone, smiled, jumping down from the railing where she’d been perched.
“How about Ginny? From what I’ve seen of your classmates, she’s the pick of the litter around here,” Cho suggested cheerfully. Ginny had to clutch the wall to keep herself from falling, as her knees had suddenly grown very week, and her head felt so light, she thought she was going to float away. A moment of silence followed, and Ginny hardly dared to breath, lest she be discovered and never find out what his response would be.
She didn’t know what she was expecting, but his response certainly wasn’t it. He laughed.
“Ginny Weasley? Surely you are joking!” he said, barely audible through his laughter. Ginny froze, biting her lip as her heart plummeted.
“Why not? She’s not some vapid, mindless little social climber who only cares about how prestigious your family is. And she has honest eyes; you can always tell exactly what she’s thinking and feeling,” Cho cried, her tone indignant.
“But she’s a Weasley! Even if I was willing to entertain your suggestion as something more than what you’re actually trying to do, it wouldn’t change the fact that she’s still a Weasley! She’s a funny girl, interesting to have around, but, let’s be serious!” he scoffed. Ginny edged away from the wall, turning around from them. Hunching her shoulders, crossing her arms and hugging them closely to her body against the sudden chill in the air, she leaned against the wall, and tried to stop listening. She didn’t want to hear any more.
“What do you mean, what I’m actually trying to do?” Cho demanded. A charged second of silence followed, but none of it mattered to Ginny. She felt as if she’d been stabbed in the stomach.
“How can you so blatantly pretend that you have no idea how I feel?” Blaise demanded, his voice infused with more emotion than Ginny had ever heard from the usually stoic boy. “Even if you succeed in pawning me off on some girl so you don’t feel guilty about us anymore won’t change the way I feel about you.”
“Blaise…” Cho said quietly. Ginny heard footsteps, and assumed she was walking towards him. “I’m leaving in a few days. I don’t know when I’ll be back. No matter how… how either of us feels about the other, that is the one thing that will not change. You even said that nothing you could say would change the fact that I’m leaving. I just… I want to make sure that you’ll be alright after I’m gone, that you won’t become that silent, lonely boy again, the one that I met ten years ago. Just because I’m going doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”
“It just means you care about yourself more,” he spat. Ginny nearly gasped, unable to believe that someone who never seemed to be able to take his eyes off Cho whenever she was in the room, who had that soft look on his face whenever he spoke to or about her, could possibly have sounded so angry and cruel. She heard his footsteps as he stormed away, and backed into the corner, desperate to remain hidden. He passed by without noticing.
She heard Cho sigh; a long, sad sigh. With a lot to think about, Ginny crept towards the door and slipped away from the balcony, leaving Cho all alone, standing the cold fresh air.
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Draco’s foot was tapping impatiently, his irritation growing with each passing second. He was standing outside, waiting for his cousin to show up. As it was, he’d already been waiting for her to arrive for over twenty minutes. As uncouth and rough around the edges as Nymphadora Rookwood was reputed to be, she always demanded that the men in her life treated her as she’d been raised to expect; if they didn’t hold doors open for her, adhere strictly the “ladies first” rules of etiquette, pull out her chair or wait for her outside when she was coming to meet them, she had absolutely no reservations about cursing them in order to ensure they never made the same mistake twice. Having been on the receiving end of her little “lessons in proper gentlemanly etiquette” far too many times, Draco had begrudgingly left the party and had been waiting outside for her ever since.
It was a bit of a relief to get away from it, he had to admit. With Cho back in town, there were social events happening every night, as everyone wanted to get a few moments alone with her before she left again, and the monotony never seemed to bother anyone but him. Of course, it had been rather shocking when Blaise Zabini arrived, pulling a rather reluctant-looking Ginny Weasley with him. But minutes after they’d entered the room, he had abandoned her in favor of Cho, and the Weasley girl had been left to her own devices. He’d laughed, once, as she’d glowered at a passing wizard who cast an inquisitive glance, thus scaring him – and anyone else curious enough about her to want to speak with her – away.
He checked his watch and sighed heavily as a fine misty rain started to fall, once again cursing his inconsiderate cousin under his breath. Just as he was sizing up his surroundings, looking for a suitable object which he could kick in order to demonstrate just how annoyed and frustrated he was feeling, a peculiar sight caught his eyes, and he paused. The Weasley girl was coming out of the club, and stumbled over her feet, despite the ugly pair of perfectly practical shoes she always wore - a touchy subject with Parkinson who often commented on them to him.
Recovering from her little stumble, and seeming slightly unsteady, she stopped, standing still before throwing her arms out and her head back, she heaved a great sigh, and then turned on her heel and started to walk away. He bit back a smile, recalling watching her snatch a drink that was proffered to her, and wondered if she knew exactly what was really in it.
Watching her make her way down the street, Draco watched her trip over her own feet twice, catching herself against the wall of the building. Casting a shrewd glance at the darkened street, and noting that the misty rain was steadily growing more persistent, he started to follow her.
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For some reason Ginny couldn't fathom, her feet seemed to have grown four sizes and were becoming impossibly heavy. What could be causing this phenomenon, she wasn't exactly sure, but it was becoming rather uncomfortable, especially as her head had grown so light, it felt as if it were going to float away. Of course, having her heart cruelly ripped out of her chest, unbeknownst to those whom had done that ripping, could probably explain her coordination difficulties.
She squinted, trying to make out where she was and remember where she was going. The slight bit of rain had created a thick fog, making all the lights on the street appear misty and soft, and in her fuzzy state of mind, she stopped to admire how pretty it all looked. After a moment passed, and the a cool breeze whipping through her hair snapped her out of her daze, she looked around, and realized that she really had no idea what street she was standing on. Hogsmeade was continually growing, as more and more wizards left their homes in the Muggle parts of the country, afraid that they were no longer safe, flocking to the steadily growing city. It was now hard to imagine that it had ever been the sleepy little village that her parents remembered from their days at Hogwarts. As a result of all this growth, the city had become an unimaginable tangle of streets and buildings that appeared have little rhyme or reason about them, straying in different directions and spontaneously changing names at the whim of those who occupied it.
She'd wandered down a fairly shady-looking street that was eerily quiet and fairly dark. Looking around her, Ginny fervently wished she had her broom with her. But it was lying in a broken heap under her bed, thanks in part to that bloody Draco Malfoy and his unreasonable ego. She was just about to fish around in her pocket for her wand in order to provide herself with a little more light, when a voice calling out from the shadows startled her.
"What's a little thing like you doing out here at this time of night?" a sinister-sounding voice asked. Jumping around, her wand out in front of her, she saw a man she didn't recognize emerging from behind one of the rubbish bins that lined the alleyway. Staring at him steadily, Ginny didn't answer, she just started to back away as he made a move to start walking towards her, smiling at her with a lecherous grin that made her stomach turn. "Have you gotten yourself lost?"
Even with her mind as fuzzy as it was, she knew that she needed to get away from there, as fast as possible. If her mum ever found out that she'd been walking around alone this late at night, no matter what the circumstances or how much Ginny lied in saying that it was perfectly safe, she'd kill Ginny herself. Turning around quickly and dashing back towards the direction she'd come, hoping to make it to the main street where there'd hopefully more people around, she screamed as she ran face-first into someone else.
As she stumbled backwards, a pair of hands reached out to grab her arms before she fell to the ground, holding her steady until she regained her footing. She glanced up and was strangely relieved to find Draco Malfoy staring back at her, even if he did have that infuriating smirk on his face.
"Enjoying the night life, weasel?" he asked, raising one eyebrow quizzically. Ginny narrowed her eyes and glared at him, suddenly very angry with him - mostly because he was still holding her arms and it was doing strange things to her stomach. He glanced over her head, at the man hovering behind Ginny, and with complete authority that would make any underling jump about ten feet, called out to him. "Is there a problem here?"
Ginny wrenched herself free from Malfoy's grip and pushed him away, just as the strange man answered his question, sounding suddenly nervous and eager to please.
"Oh, no, of course not, Mr. Malfoy. Just thought the girl was lost and offering my help, that's all," he stammered, his eyes growing wide with panic. Ginny turned to look at Malfoy, hardly surprised that the shady character hiding behind rubbish bins in a dark alley would be acquainted with him.
"Friend of yours?" she asked snippily, with a pointed look, before starting back towards the main street.
"As you were the one secretly rendezvousing with him in a dark alley, I think I'm the one that should be asking you that," he called back in answer. Ginny stopped, outraged. Given the fact that her heart had just been brutally ripped from her chest by his best friend, she was feeling rather less inclined to tolerate him than usual. Turning, deciding to give him a piece of her mind, she then tripped spectacularly over her own feet. Again.
He lunged forward and caught her before she fell. Again. Helping her back to her feet, she could tell that he was biting back a laugh, and it served only to infuriate her. Wishing, for once, that she could walk away from any dealing with Malfoy with even a small bit of her pride and dignity in tact, she squirmed out of his grip angrily, growing even more frustrated when he started to laugh at her.
"You've been drinking the punch," he said with a knowing laugh. She stared at him, gape-mouthed, trying to think of something snappy to say.
"What?" was all that she was able to manage, but to her credit, she was able to infuse the word with as much attitude as she could muster. Malfoy laughed again.
"You are aware that there was Fire Whiskey in the punch, weasel? I know that you may not have an appreciation for the finer things in life, but every working class ruffian knows about Fire Whiskey," he said easily, as the two of them started walking down the street, almost without realizing that they were walking along together. "You're completely sotted!"
"Of course I know about Fire Whiskey, I have six older brothers. But I only had two glasses, so I am not - nor have I ever been - sotted," she declared indignantly. Malfoy laughed again, throwing his head back and laughing as if he were any normal person and not the incarnation of pure evil. Ginny stared at him incredulously.
"That's top-shelf Fire Whiskey, weasel, which is four times as potent as that common stuff. You are extremely sotted," he said, looking down at her with his eyes - eyes that she was so used to seeing staring at her with that uncanny intensity, or in rage - were shining with amusement. She stared at him incredulously, registering that piece of information.
"No... No! I can't be!" she protested adamantly, but the whole situation suddenly struck her as incredibly funny, and she started to laugh.
"That's the answer you're sticking with?"
"Oh, bugger, I am," she said, her eyes wide and serious, until waves laughter overwhelmed her. She leaned against the wall as she giggled uncontrollably, before realizing that she was standing in a darkened alley with Draco bloody Malfoy and then clapped her hand over her mouth in a feeble attempt to contain her laughter.
"Do you often walk around dodgy neighborhoods late at night, quaffed out of your mind?" he asked, with a sneering glance around at their surroundings.
"If you hadn't broken my broomstick, I wouldn’t have to walk!" she cried indignantly, her laughter immediately forgotten.
"I didn't break your broomstick, that was entirely your own doing," he retorted.
"If you hadn't bloody attacked me with a BLUDGER, I wouldn't have had to use it to protect myself from being bashed in the face!" she yelled, stepping towards him, looking up at his sneering face. “My very plain face!”
"If you hadn't interfered in our Quidditch game, you wouldn't have gotten in the way," he replied simply, as he too took a step forward. Ginny was beginning to see red, as her temper kicked into overdrive.
"You weren't playing Quidditch, you were being an unbelievable prat by targeting someone else to get to me, and using a bloody Bludger to do it with!" she shouted. As she finished her small tirade, she noted a strange spark in Malfoy's eye, and in that instant, she realized that he'd been baiting her, trying to make her angry. Before she could try to figure out why, a strange look came over Malfoy. As she finished her small tirade, she noted a strange spark in Malfoy's eye, and in that instant, she realized that he'd been baiting her, trying to make her angry. Now he was looking at her with a slight smile on his face and a glint in his eyes that felt like he was looking right through her, as if he knew and saw everything there was about her. It made her uneasy.
"Stop looking at me like that!" she snapped.
"Like what?" he asked, taking a step forward, dangerously close to her. The butterflies in her stomach, the ones that had been an almost constant presence ever since the night of Cho's party when he'd kissed her out in the garden, fluttering occasionally whenever he was around to remind of their presence - and that night - kicked up, sending a thrill throughout her body. He reached out a hand towards her face, and in that instant, Ginny knew that he intended to kiss her again. And that she was screaming at herself to move, to duck out of the way, but her body didn't seem to be as willing to comply, leaving her fixated to the spot.
Before she could try to figure out what to do or what to say, a strange look came over Malfoy. His shoulders seemed to stiffened, and he gave this strange startled groan. He started learning forward, as if he was falling forward. Startled, ripped from the fixated near-trance she'd been in and unsure of what was happening, Ginny ducked out of the way, as he tumbled forward, landing face-first, with all his limbs stiffly pressed against his body. Staring at him in shock, Ginny realized that someone has put him in a full-bodied Leg Locker Curse.
"Draco Malfoy, I warned you about standing me up!" an enraged voice called out. Shocked, Ginny turned to see a woman marching towards them, her short hair bright purple in color. Malfoy emitted some kind of enraged mumbles that were completely unintelligible, but from the way it sounded, he was cursing rather profusely. "Abandoning your own cousin to run after some little girl?
"Cousin?" Ginny asked, astounded. The purple-haired cousin turned to Ginny, and grinned at her.
"Not too loudly, I try to avoid acknowledging my family connection to this prat whenever possible," she said brightly, while nudging Malfoy's ribcage with the tip of her boot as she spoke. Ginny stared, dumbfounded. "Nymphadora Rookwood, but you can call me Tonks."
"Tonks?" Ginny said, uncertainly. Despite the purple hair, the way she was dressed indicated a great deal of wealth - she was wearing the latest design by Parkinson's mother, and from the display in the boutique downtown, Ginny was well aware that that garment alone was worth more than five years at Hogwarts! And her stylish boots were made of dragonhide, a certain sophistication that few indulged in, given the increasing rarity of dragons. Eyeing her, Ginny noted just how incongruous the name "Tonks" seemed for someone of her status...
"It's my maiden name, used to go by it at school, because how could anyone endure the torturous 'Nymphadora'? Don' t know what my mum was thinking," she said, leaning over and pointing her wand at Malfoy, still paralyzed and lying face-down. "Suppose I should release the spell. What do you think?"
She didn't wait for Ginny to respond, and as soon as he was freed from the paralyzing effects of the curse, he jumped up, brushing off the front of his clothes angrily.
"You'd better not let my parents hear you calling yourself that," he mumbled petulantly, crossing his arms and glaring at his cousin.
"Despite your perceptions - based on that startlingly high pedestal you have those people on - your parents do not have superhuman capabilities, and cannot hear me talking from all the way in London. And even if they did, it's not like they can have anything to say on the matter - I'm married now and free from their reign of terror," Tonks chided, and Ginny's incredulousness grew as Malfoy lapsed into a sulky silence and didn't offer any retorts. Focusing her attention back on Ginny, Tonks spoke again. "Has my cousin been bothering you?"
"Bothering me?" Ginny snorted, still slightly inebriated. "Not at all. Systematic torture is more like what he's been doing."
Tonks gave her an appraising look, then smiled widely, her eyes bright with amusement.
"So, you must be Ginny Weasley! From what I've been hearing about town, you've been giving as good as you've been getting," she exclaimed happily. "My dear Draco, the consensus across the board is that you've finally met your match and everyone that hates you - even those that love you - couldn't be more thrilled with that development!"
"Pure stubborness, no matter the quantity, is not nearly a match for me, and that's all the weasel's got," he said moodily, cutting a vicious glare at his cousin. Before Ginny could say anything in response, he straightened up, and after casting one of those appraising glances that always set her skin crawling and her heart racing, he started walking down the alley towards the main street without another word.
"I've seen to have touched a fairly sensitive spot with my cousin, don't you think Ginny?" Tonks asked, with a gleeful smile. Ginny was still slightly thunderstruck by the entire encounter, for she could recognize in the way that Malfoy and his cousin interacted with each other shades of the same kind of relationship she shared with her older brothers, particularly the twins. They were always teasing her and trying to get her temper up, but always responded with pride whenever she tried to give it right back to them. And he hadn't reacted the way she'd have expected - she'd cursed him, caused him to fall to the wet ground and lay there for a few minutes while she teased him, and he'd just stood up and acted sulky instead of flying into a rage or seeking retribution. They must be fairly close, Ginny observed, judging from his reaction.
"Don't know what got his knickers all in a twist," Tonks laughed. "Now, Miss Weasley, why are you out on such a dodgy street at this time of night?"
"I'm just going home," Ginny said, gesturing vaguely around her. She remembered that she was slightly lost, and didn't exactly know where 'home' was from where she was standing.
"Where about do you live? I'd be happy to give you a lift - now that Draco's all in a strop, he won't be very much fun at the party so there's not much point in going," she explained, grabbing Ginny's arm and pulling her along as she headed back towards the main street.
"I have a small flat over Honeydukes, right in the center of the city," Ginny replied.
"Oh... yes, I know that place well," Tonks replied softly. Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny noted that she had a slightly sad and wistful look on her face. "A friend of mine used to live there… Well, come along then, let's get going."
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The next day, even though her head was pounding and she had the distinct impression that she had made a fool of herself in some capacity she wasn't aware of, Ginny ultimately decided that the whole event was a remarkable success. Not only did she meetnTonks, who she had a chance to get to know better on the carriage ride home from All Hallows, but she had the distinct satisfaction of infuriating Pansy Parkinson yet again.
After they had made the trek back to All Hallows, laughing merrily as Tonks recounted her favorite anecdotes from her interactions with the Ministry officials - Ginny was surprised to learn that Tonks found them, and most of the pure-blooded 'upper crust' of society, completely ridiculous - they had arrived just in time to see a group of Slytherin girls leaving. Milicent Bulstrode caught sight of Tonks, unmistakable in her purple hair, and started squealing, calling all the other girls over in a frenzy. Tonks had discreetly rolled her eyes at Ginny, but played along as the girls starting rapid-firing questions about why she was in Hogsmeade, how her husband was, and how long she'd be staying. It seemed as if all the Slytherin girls already knew that Tonks and her cousin were very close, and played nice with Tonks as a means to recommend themselves to the most sought-after Slytherin at Hogwarts.
Pansy Parkinson, however, had flushed red with anger as she spotted Ginny standing with Tonks, and had marched over there, eager to communicate her displeasure at seeing her there.
"Nymphadora, is this...girl bothering you?" Pansy demanded, glaring at Ginny, who couldn't help herself from smiling smugly at her. "The Weasel hasn't learned proper social etiquette, and I'd hate for her to have offended you. Draco has had a lot of problems with her as well."
"No, not at all," Tonks replied cordially, yet dismissively. At that time, her horseless carriage arrived, and after her House Elf opened the door and she had climbed in, she popped her head out and called out to Ginny. "Well, come on, Ginny! Aren't you coming?"
Ginny had barely been able to bite back a laugh as she climbed into the carriage, the sight of Pansy's face slowly growing purple one that she would relish for days to come.
"Ugh, that girl is horrible! I hated girls like her when I was at Hogwarts, and now all of them are constantly trying to get their claws into Draco. So far, he's been too smart to allow that nonsense, but he IS a teenage male, and his common sense may fail him one day, and then I'll be stuck dealing with a beast like her during holidays and Christmases," Tonks said with an exasperated sigh. Ginny started laughing, and soon Tonks joined in, and they ended up gossiping and laughing all the way to Ginny's flat.
After thanking Tonks profusely for the ride and before she stepped out onto the street, Tonks had handed her a card with her name and London address on it, telling her to feel free to write if she ever needed to. Ginny had happily accepted it, and had practically skipped her way up the stairs to her room, unable to believe that someone like Tonks could possibly be related to Draco-bloody-Malfoy.
After a bleary-eyed day at school, where she'd walked around cursing Fire Whiskey as an evil beverage while also trying to avoid Malfoy's mocking smile - he seemed to know that she was suffering, and was certainly enjoying it - Ginny had crawled into work, grateful that today she only had a blissfully short 3-hour shift to work. It had been an easy shift as well, as the number of patrons had been steadily diminishing over the past few days. Ginny had wondered out loud what could be the cause - The Three Broomsticks was such a popular spot, only to have Hermione elbow her with a pointed look at Rosemerta, who seemed worried and uptight.
"They are still hunting for that fugitive," Hermione whispered furiously to her. "The Death Eaters are all about the town, every single day, and they stop by here most afternoons. It makes her nervous, especially with me working here. Can't you feel the tension in the air? It feels like something is going to happen, but no one knows what or which side will strike first."
"With all this concern over one prisoner, one would think that they would release his name or photo, in order to help identify him," Ginny said, her voice low and cautious. The identity of most of the Death Eaters who prowled around Hogsmeade was well-known, but there were a few who were able to maintain their anonymity, a constant source of paranoia for those who were brave enough to speak out about Voldemort's reign. "By keeping this all such a secret, it's making the gossip all that more powerful."
"He escaped from Azkaban, Ginny! No wizard has ever done that, and that has to have them scared," Hermione said breathlessly. "If it turns out to be someone notorious for their anti-Dark Lord stance or who might be considered powerful enough... they're afraid of what kind of ideas this might given anyone unsatisfied with life in the wizarding world."
"You're going to have to be a lot more careful, Hermione. Things have been getting better for Muggle-borns lately, but when they get tense, they start looking for easy targets," Ginny said, her eyes dark with worry. Hermione nodded.
"I'm the epitome of vigilance, Ginny, you have nothing to worry about," she said, with a wry half-smile. "Now, you look terrible, go home and get some rest."
Ginny obeyed Hermione, quickly changing out of her uniform and gathering her things. She hadn't told Hermione the reason she wasn't feeling a hundred percent that day, knowing it would earn her absolutely no sympathy, a litany of disapproving sniffs, a high-browed lecture about responsibility and constant inquiries about the status of her homework.
After saying goodbye to the kitchen staff on her way out, Ginny stopped by the bar to ask Hermione for some help with her Potions essay that was due in a week. Just as she was listing the details of the assignment, she noticed that someone was casually waving to her. Turning, she was surprised to see Cho Chang sitting at a small table all by herself. It was the first time she'd ever seen the Quidditch star without a crowd - or Blaise Zabini - around her. After saying goodbye to Hermione, she reluctantly walked over, still feeling raw from what she'd overheard the night before and unsure how to act around her. But Cho had been waving her over to the table, and after all the kindness she'd shown her, the last thing Ginny wanted to do was act rude or blow her off in any way.
"Every time I try to catch a few minutes with you so that we can talk, something always seems to happen!" Cho said cheerfully. "Have a seat; I've been waiting for you to finish work."
"I really can't stay too long, I have a lot of homework," Ginny said, feebly searching for an excuse.
"I just wanted a chance to chat. I'll be leaving in two days, and I wanted a chance to tell you about the national team, as we're always looking for strong Chasers," she said. Ginny felt a dizzying mix of emotions - elation that her Quidditch idol seemed to think she had any chance at a Quidditch career beyond the walls of Hogwarts, but also a twinge of sadness that she was leaving and that this would undoubtedly send Blaise Zabini back into his stoic world of aloofness.
"You're really leaving?" Ginny asked quietly, looking down at her hands as she fidgeted awkwardly with the cuff of her sweater.
"Of course! We're going to be training starting on Monday, traveling all around Europe. All the professional teams want matches against us, and it's an important opportunity, as they don't allow female players on professional teams. Just think of it, Ginny," Cho said, her eyes lit with excitement. "We might actually have a chance at showing them how wrong that silly rule is, and I've come too close to turn away from that chance."
"I just thought... you know, with...” Ginny stammered, unable to form a sentence in her mind that would state what she wanted to say without revealing the fact that she had overheard her row with Blaise last night. Cho was looking at her curiously, with an odd smile on her face.
"Ginny?" she prompted. Before Ginny could stop herself, the whole truth was blurting out of her mouth, a tumble of words and explanations she was completely unable to stop.
"I heard you last night! I swear, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I wandered outside to get away from all the noise and the insipid chatter inside - not that all your friends are insipid, I'm sure some of them are really nice and intelligent and that I just haven't met them yet - but I needed to get away and I didn't know if it would be polite for me to leave, considering I'd only just got there and you'd sent Blaise all the way here to get me and we'd only just said hello. And I went outside, and saw you two there and was going to say hello but it looked like you were having a moment that shouldn't be interrupted, but I couldn't go back inside, because then you would have heard me and known I was there, and that also would have interrupted your moment, and I didn't know what else to do, so I just hid behind the corner, but I could hear everything!" she exclaimed quickly, fully aware of the fact that she was rambling but unable to stem the flow of words from her mouth. Cho looked surprised, and the smile slowly faded from her face and her expression grew serious.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Blaise isn't normally like that and I'm sure he didn't mean what he said. He wasn't himself last night," Cho said.
"He was more himself then than I've ever seen him! You have no idea; he's a completely different person when you're not here. He's quiet and aloof and he avoids people, almost like he's not really part of our world. Always reading, sometimes watching, but never participating! It's only when you came back that he seemed to come alive! I've never seen someone so obviously in love with someone else!" Ginny cried desperately. "And when you go, he's just going to be that same person again, instead of the way he is - so full of life - around you!"
"Ginny..." Cho said with a heavy sigh. A long moment of silence passed between the two of them. "I've had to make a lot of hard decisions in my life, and leaving Hogsmeade and the people here has always been one of the hardest. But there are things that I want out of life, things that I want to accomplish, that I can't do here. If I stayed for any reason other than truly wanting to be here, I would feel like a caged bird... or like you must feel, with a broken broomstick and your ability to fly taken away from you. If he ever asked me to stay, I can honestly tell you that I don't know what I would say. But no matter how he acts or what you heard him say last night, he really does understand that I need to leave - that it has nothing to do with how I feel about him - and he would never ask me to stay."
"He won't; but I will," Ginny said resolutely. "I know this sounds crazy because I barely know you and I'm being horribly meddlesome and you have every reason to go, but I'm asking you, please, don't. I don't want to see Blaise unhappy again, so for his sake, will you stay? I'm begging you,” Cho was staring at her, a sad smile on her face, but Ginny was afraid to meet her eyes, feeling that she had horribly overstepped her bounds and had destroyed her fledging friendship with the superstar player.
"You are a very nice person, Ginny, and I'm glad that Blaise has met someone like you," she said softly, her eyes shiny, seeming to be looking straight past Ginny. "It will actually help me leave with a clear conscious, knowing that there is someone who cares enough about him around to look after him for me when I go. Because I can't stay. Not even for his sake. I think you'll understand that someday."
With a sad shrug, Ginny nodded and stood up from the table, grabbing her bag and preparing to leave. She turned, and was horrified to see Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy standing nearby. From the cold look on Blaise's face, he had heard everything she'd said.
"Cho, Blaise was looking for you. We went to your house, but your parents said that you came here," Malfoy explained, his eyes fixed on Ginny with that strange expression they often got whenever he was staring at her. She was too busy gaping at Blaise, who was standing stiffly in front of her and glaring at her, as if he was trying to figure out what to say. A tense moment of silence passed, with Ginny frozen to the spot, unable to think of what to say, unable to move, wishing fervently that she could turn back time.
Finally, she pushed one foot forward, and started to walk past them, desperate to reach the door. Just as she was almost safe, Blaise turned his head towards her.
"You know, you might have an easier time at school if you learned your place, minded your own business and stopped interfering in matters that don't concern you... Weasel," he spat, his voice harsh and biting. Feeling as if she'd been slapped, she paused for a second as she absorbed the recoil, before she bolted for the door.
In that second before she started running, anyone who was watching could see the telltale signs that she was going to start crying at any second.
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"You've been avoiding me," the purple-haired hellion lying in ambush declared as he opened the door in an effort to stem the incessant knocking that had persisted for almost ten minutes.
"And you don't live here anymore, remember?" Draco sneered; walking back into mahogany-filled study he had been holed up inside since he arrived back at the manor. "If I choose to avoid you, that are entirely my prerogative, you uninvited house guest."
"Is that any way to treat family? Well, I guess it would make your parents proud to know that you're every bit as hospitable as they are," Tonks chided, planting herself in a plush leather armchair directly beside her sulky cousin, who was trying to avoid making eye contact with her. "But now that you've failed in your attempts to avoid me - surely you must have known they were futile, I am female descendant of the Noble House of Black and we are nothing if not tenacious - why don't you tell me about this girl?"
"What girl?" he growled.
"The one you ditched your very own cousin to stalk through the dodgiest street in Hogsmeade in the rain. What's this I hear about you being responsible for the state of her broomstick?" she asked with a Chesire cat-type grin on her face. He glared at her out of the corner of his eyes, gritting his teeth in annoyance. He ignored her question, and the two sat in silence, with her staring at him persistently as he refused to answer her.
"You're an incredibly stubborn girl with an infuriatingly iron will," he said suddenly, almost as if the notion had just occurred to him, as he turned towards her. "Why would someone like you, with the same characteristics, who has steadfastly refused to beg for anything - even something that is clearly in their own best interest - because they are too proud and stubborn to do so, suddenly turn around and in a fit of humility, suddenly beg for something on someone else's behalf? To just toss their pride out the window, like it was nothing, when before, it seemed like it was the most important thing in the world?"
"Oh, you sad lonely little boy. Narcissa is constantly insisting that you are perfectly fine out here all by yourself and that you even prefer to be on your own while the two of them are off licking Voldemort's boots, but how can that possibly be true if you don't know the answer to a simple question like that?" Tonks cried vehemently. "It's called love, you silly git! Caring about someone enough to sacrifice something for them, to be willing to give something, knowing that in the end, you get something even greater in return."
"Love?" he asked skeptically.
"And not necessarily the shallow romantic kind, which I know is all you're capable of wrapping your teenaged brain around. Oh, you're impossible, how can I possibly explain this in a way that you would understand?" she asked, exasperated. "Alright, here is an example. Look at Lord Voldemort. He is powerful, and he rules over the wizarding world, but not out of any emotion other than hate. He hates all of us, even your parents who act as if they love him more than their only son. And that's why no one loves him, and in fact, so many people hate him. In order to be loved, you have to be able to love, be willing to put yourself out there for someone, to give a little, so that you'll have a chance at getting a little in return."
"You have to be able to love in order to be loved..." Draco murmured to himself, a puzzled expression on his face. "That seems fairly straightforward, just like you need money in order to make money." Tonks stared at him incredulously.
"Well, you've obviously completely missed the point," she sighed. "It's all about balance, Draco, and it's not a possession, like wealth, that can be traded or can give you prestige or influence."
"No, it's actually quite logical, I understand it completely," he said, a far off expression on his face. "...I just don't know what I'm going to do about it yet."
Tonks bit back a smile, having a good sense that she knew what was going on.
"Give it a little. You never know what'll happen. At the very least, it couldn't hurt," she said, with a pointed look.
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She could have spotted the crowd milling around the train station from a mile away, and considering that the brightly-colored engine was still visible, she knew that she wasn't too late. Running, her bag hastily thrown over her shoulder and bouncing uncomfortably with each footstep, she was desperate to make sure she was there on time, vowing torturous revenge on Snape if she didn't make it on time. Pushing her way through the crowd, she waved when she caught sight of Cho, surrounded as always by Parkinson and her groupies.
"I was almost late, bloody Snape gave me detention this afternoon which is hardly something new, but I'm glad I made it on time," Ginny cried, gasping for breath, having run the entire way from school.
"I'm glad you could make it as well. We never did get a chance to talk about Quidditch, did we?" she laughed, while gesturing to the assistant who was holding her bags. "But it doesn't matter. I have something for you that I think will help you in that area better than anything I could say."
The assistant moved forward and pressed a tall package into Ginny's hands. Gasping as she realized what was inside; Ginny looked up at Cho with incredulous eyes, barely able to speak.
"Open it!" Cho laughed, and Ginny obliged, albeit with shaking fingers that struggled to untie the string holding the thick paper in place. As she carefully pushed the paper aside, she felt slightly dizzy as she saw what was underneath - a brand new Firebolt.
"I couldn't possibly accept this!" Ginny breathed, hardly able to keep herself from stroking the smooth varnished wood. Cho laughed.
"Of course you can. That's the broom I flew during our championship match. Firebolt is the team's sponsor, and as they are set to release their new model, we're not allowed to fly with the older version anymore. I'd rather see it in the hands of someone who will know how to use it and use it well instead of sitting in the attic collecting dust," Cho explained. Ginny's jaw dropped, and as much as she wanted to hand it back and refuse, her hands tightened around the handle and she just found herself nodding, her eyes bright with gratitude.
"Thank you," she answered hoarsely.
"You'll thank me when I see you playing professionally," Cho said. Just then, Ginny remembered something.
"I'd better go before Blaise sees me, the last thing I want to do is ruin your goodbye," Ginny said, looking around her. Cho's face fell slightly and her dark eyes grew sad.
"He told me he wasn't going to come," Cho said, with a small shrug. Ginny sighed heavily; upset that the one person she thought so highly of could be such a disappointment. Sensing Cho's feelings, she impulsively leaned in and gave the older girl a one-armed hug.
"He'll regret it tomorrow and send you a ridiculously apologetic letter telling you what an idiot he is," Ginny whispered. Cho laughed softly, nodding.
"You really don't know Blaise as well as you think you do," she said. At that, her assistant began tapping her on her shoulder, indicating that it was time to board the train. Waving goodbye to everyone one last time, Cho picked up the duffel bag that had been lying at her feet, and boarded the train.
Ginny watched it leave, feeling slightly wistful. Ever since Cho Chang had come to town, her life had certainly taken on surreal qualities, and as eager as she was to see an end to the chaotic incidents that kept happening to her, a small part of her was going to miss the excitement. After the train rounded the bend, and the only sign of it was the puff of white smoke trailing behind it, the crowd began to disperse. Ginny remained, her new broomstick clutched firmly in her hands, her mind full of all the possibilities that were now within in her reach. A real Firebolt, she thought happily to herself.
As she started to walk away from the station, plans of testing out the new broomstick dancing in her head, she stopped when she saw the tall, dark form of Blaise Zabini walking towards her, followed by Draco Malfoy. Incensed, she dashed towards him, anger permeating every one of her footsteps.
"When did you get here?" she demanded furiously. Blaise looked at her in surprise, and shrugged. "How long have you been here?"
"About an hour," Malfoy answered, a pointed look in his friend's direction.
"You heard what she said the other night! You know that she said that if you asked her to stay, she wouldn't know what to do! You had a chance and wouldn't ever take it; you just let her walk out of your life like that. You are such a coward, how could you let that happen? You have to work for what you want in life, to go after it with everything you have because it isn't just going to magically happen for you. Put yourself out there, take a risk. Go after her, if she's what you really want! Do ANYTHING except sit around here and wallow in your own misery!" Ginny cried emphatically, growing more incensed as Blaise listened to her rant with a calm, amused expression on his face. "And why are you smiling?"
"Because you're right," he said, holding up a train ticket. "That's why I'm taking the next train out, to go after her. If she can't stay here, then I'll have to go where she is."
Ginny gaped at him for a moment, feeling elated. But at the same time, staring up at him as he smiled at her so happily, she couldn’t help but feel a stab of envy, knowing that he was about to make a serious romantic gesture for another girl - an annoyingly perfect girl who was incredibly nice and just gave her an amazing broomstick so she wasn’t even able to hate her for it. Watching him smile, Ginny felt a wave of admiration for him and found herself fancying him even more than ever.
"That was a great speech, though," he said with a sly smile. "And if I already hadn't decided to go, I'm sure that would have convinced me."
Ginny laughed, feeling slightly embarrassed about her outburst, and was unsure what to say. Blaise reached forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, leaning down so that they were eye-to-eye.
"I'm sorry I was horrible to you the other day. You were just trying to be a good friend, even if you were overstepping your bounds," he said softly. Ginny shrugged slightly; painfully aware of how close he was to her. He suddenly learned forward, and before her mind could process what was happening, he was kissing her forehead and ruffling her hair, in a very big-brotherish manner that instantly reminded her of her brother Charlie. "Keep Malfoy in line for me while I'm gone, he sometimes loses his head and needs someone to screw it back on for him."
"I'd much prefer trying to beat some sense into him," Ginny muttered, glancing over Blaise's shoulder to see Malfoy standing nearby, glowering at them with his arms crossed. Blaise laughed.
"No, he'd like that too much," he chided, causing Ginny to recoil in horror.
"What?" she cried, her face flaming from embarrassment. Blaise didn't respond, he just threw his head back and laughed before patting her on the shoulder one last time. She watched him with wide eyes, still reeling from his quip. He walked up to Draco, and the two of them seemed to be engaged in a serious talk that Ginny couldn't hear. It didn't really matter all that much, because at that moment, Pansy and her group of friends had caught wind of the fact that Blaise Zabini was leaving Hogsmeade and had come galloping forward, eager to verify that fact from the source and lament the departure of one of their most prized male possessions.
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Weasley was standing off to the side as everyone said their prolonged goodbyes; nearly three quarters of an hour passed before Blaise was finally free of the frenzied mob, which gave him just enough time to board the next train heading London before it departed.
"I don't see why you wouldn't just Apparate, my father got the license for you a year ago," Draco said to his friend as he walked him towards the door. "It would save you all this time and trouble, and you'd be there waiting for her."
"I need that time to figure out what I'm going to say to her to explain why I'm there," Blaise said, with a nervous laugh. Blaise took a deep breath, and seemed to be preparing himself to say something that made him uncomfortable. "Thanks, Draco... you know, for what you said."
"Don't thank me," he responded stiffly, looking away. "Just repeating the lecture I got from Nymphadora."
"Don't do anything stupid," Blaise said, with a teasingly pointed look in Weasley's direction, who was hovering as close to the group watching Blaise leave as she could without actually being a part of it, patently avoiding the taunts that Parkinson was trying to throw at her. Draco followed his gaze, and grimaced when he realized what Blaise meant. "Or should I say, stop being stupid?"
"Just get on the bloody train, wanker. After all this commotion, you'd look like a buggering idiot if it were to leave without you," Draco said, pushing his friend towards the steps. "Try not to let Cho stomp all over your heart with her fancy designer heels."
"I'll be back when I've got the girl, once and for all," Blaise said, before finally climbing up the steps and disappearing.
As he stood, watching the train carrying his best friend pull away from the station, Draco was still amazed at how far Blaise was willing to go, for a girl he wasn't even sure felt the same as him. He was leaving behind his last year at school, his friends and was probably going to have to face a few stout lectures from his parents, who were much more involved in their son's life than other parents who were important and powerful in the wizarding world. All this, Blaise was leaving behind, and he had no guarantee that Cho would even want him there with her.
Draco's eyes zeroed in on Ginny Weasley, who was watching the train pull out of the station with a far-off look in her eye. Remembering what she'd yelled at Blaise, her words ran through his mind. You have to work for what you want in life, to go after it with everything you have because it isn't just going to magically happen for you. Put yourself out there, take a risk, she had yelled, her eyes lit with her anger. Coupled with the lecture that Nymphadora had given him the night before, as he watched her watching Blaise's train leave, a sudden bolt of determination ran down his spine as he realized what he wanted.
The cacophony of noise the engine was making was almost deafening, but Draco ignored it as he strode forward, ruthlessly pushing people out of his way. He stopped abruptly right in front of her, breaking her view of the train and causing her to look up, an annoyed frown on her face.
"What?" she asked warily. He paused, gearing himself up, searching for the right way to say what he wanted.
"Saturday. Town Square. Be there at one o'clock. Or else," he barked, sounding far more threatening than he'd intended. Feeling triumphant that he'd done what Nymphadora had suggested, he turned and marched away, leaving Weasley standing in a crowded of shocked spectators, whispering among themselves in amazement that Draco Malfoy - Draco Malfoy! - had just asked The Weasel out on a date.
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A/N: Sorry for the ridiculously long wait for this chapter... what can I say? It is almost 30 pages long, though... Just as a reminder, I write long chapters for this fic, and the delay between updates can be quite awhile - but I frequently post portions of upcoming updates on my LiveJournal (you can find the link on my bio page).
Aspects of the chapter I cannot claim as my own (ie. they come from HYD -anime, manga or Live Action, or Meteor Garden):
-Tonk's role as an "older sister" character, and her no-nonsense attitude towards Draco is straight out of HYD. I had to horribly manipulate her background and some of her character in order to make her fit, but she seemed like the only option (I was considering using Bellatrix, but there is WAY too much emotional baggage for her);
-the conversation between Cho and Blaise on the balcony that Ginny overhears is from Meteor Garden (Taiwanese version of HYD), although the dialogue is mine, the gist of it comes from MG;
-Tonk's attacking Malfoy in front of Ginny, her speech about love and the way it acts as an enlightening moment to Draco;
-Ginny and Cho's conversation in the Three Broomsticks, and the fact that Blaise overhears it;
-Ginny going to see Cho off, Cho giving her a present (in HYD, it was shoes), Blaise showing up late and Ginny lecturing him;
-Blaise leaving, and the fact that Malfoy demands that Ginny go on a date with him (because that's exactly what he was doing).
The rest, such as it is, was all mine.
It was late when Draco returned home, sauntering through the main hallway and brushing away the trembling house elf trying to relieve him of his robe with a pointed glare in its direction. It had attempted to stammer something that was supposed to resemble English as he stormed past, but abandoned its feeble attempts as its master paused momentarily to glare at it, his eyes cold and dangerous. The elf squeaked out something about a visitor before it fled, tripping over its own feet no less than four times before it disappeared.
Draco Malfoy was so furious that everything around him just served to irritate him even further, making it difficult to keep track of the original source of his anger. As he stormed through the empty hallways of his parents’ house, he made his way towards his bedroom, slamming the door behind him with enough force to send the house elves into hiding for a month. He collapsed into a plush leather chair, images from that night flashing through his mind as he was reminded what exactly was causing his current temper tantrum.
“Bloody hell, do you think anyone saw that?” the little wench had asked, looking horror-struck at the very idea of being caught snogging him. She clearly had an incredibly warped sense of reality, as he was the one who should have been concerned about their getting caught. And yet, she was the one who looked horrified. Seething, he jumped up from his chair, beginning to pace around his room.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, just as he was examining his bookshelves for a suitably breakable object to hurl at the wall.
“WHAT?” he barked, outraged that any of the house elves would dare to interrupt him. He strode towards the door, yanking it open, prepared to lay into whichever trembling servant had the misfortune to be on the other side of the door.
“Is that any way to greet your favorite cousin?” an amused voice asked. Draco stared for a moment in surprise, before moving out of the way as his purple-haired cousin, Nymphadora Rookwood, strolled into his room with a wide smile, her eyes twinkling mischievously. Feeling slightly less furious, Draco crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, watching his older cousin stroll happily over to the chair he’d just abandoned, seating herself down with a sigh. “Seriously, Draco, try not to act too pleased to see me, it’s embarrassing!”
“What are you doing here?” he asked gruffly. She cast him a sardonic look and rolled her eyes.
“When the cat’s away, the mouse will play,” she said with a shrug.
“Which cat are we talking about, Cousin Mouse? Your cat or mine?” Draco asked, walking over towards the set of French doors that led to the balcony off his bedroom. He threw them open, despite the chill in the air, allowing the fresh air into the room.
“Don’t be silly, your cats are always away,” she laughed.
“That explains your hair color, then. Your husband would hardly be impressed by your choice. Really, purple?” he asked, with a raised eyebrow.
“I sneezed and it changed, hardly something I could help,” she said, her eyes twinkling knowingly. Draco had to laugh – the Metamorphmagus’ tendency to change her appearance was a constant source of embarrass with his family, who endeavored to pressure her into looking “normal”, encouraging her against using her powers. After her mother, Andromeda, and that Muggle she’d runaway with, had been killed in an ‘accident’, their daughter had been the only person found alive in the village where they’d been hiding. Upon hearing this, Draco’s mother had insisted on taking the child, determined that she would be raised properly – in order to ‘erase the damage done to the Black family name created by her sister’s terrible choice’. Luckily, due to Lucius Malfoy’s influence, very few actually knew the truth about Nymphadora’s father and those who did know the truth were far too worried about the consequences to ever speak about it.
“So, either your husband’s away or you were sent by my parents to check up on me,” Draco said with a pointed look. His cousin’s smile faded slightly at the mention of her husband, Augustus. She’d been married to the infamous Death Eater just after she turned 19, and the Minister of the Department of Mysteries was often away on mysterious trips about which he never told his young wife any of the details.
“Oh, the husband’s away,” she said, with a roll of her eyes. “If your parents wanted anyone to check up on you, they would hardly ask me. That would imply that they’d have to let me out of their sight for longer than 12 hours, and the Dark Lord only knows what trouble I would cause the family name during that time!”
She’d been sorted into Gryffindor, a fact that was an endless source of embarrassment for his parents. Her complete lack of grace and knack for being utterly clumsy and awkward in nearly every social situation were also sore points with them. Having a rather rebellious nature, she often made friends with ‘the wrong sort’ and repeated her ridiculous ideals, such as tolerance for non-purebloods, which certainly did not belong in the Malfoy home. Just before she graduated from Hogwarts, she told them that she was planning on marrying some peasant she’d met in the village. Acting as quickly as possible in order to prevent this travesty in the face of everything they’d try to do for that “ungrateful wretch”, they had found a suitable member of society – Augustus Rookwood – and in exchange for a prominent position, he offered marriage and silence, and Nymphadora’s intended fiancé had disappeared the same night the last of the arrangements had been made. Left with no way out, she’d had no choice but to comply.
“Rightly so. You are a bad influence on me, you know,” Draco said.
“I know. Those horrible things I’ve tried to teach you – how to have fun, how to laugh at yourself and the secrets of executing the perfect Wronski Feint – have corrupted your moral fiber beyond all repair. Your mother would faint if she knew that her impressionable son was currently at the mercy of his delinquent half-blood cousin,” she said sarcastically.
“How long are you planning on staying for?” he asked, attempting to appear nonchalant as he looked down at his hands, but he was unable to hide the hopeful look in his eyes. She knew how much time he spent alone in that empty house, with both of his parents permanently in London on Ministry business.
“Until I get bored with you and your filthy temper. Which, by the way, what has got your knickers in such a twist? The poor house elf who tried to tell you I was here practically fainted!”
“Nothing!” Draco snapped, his face cloudy with anger as she reminded him of the temper tantrum she’d so rudely interrupted. She laughed.
“Sounds like girl trouble to me,” she said with a knowing look. Draco glared at her. “It’s the only thing I know that can create that exact combination of anger and brooding. Remember how you were when that incident with –”
“It’s none of your business!” he shouted, and she threw her head back and laughed. Standing up, she grabbed his arm and started to pull him out of his room.
“Come on, broody. The only cure for romantic trouble that is guaranteed to transform even a foul git like you into something resembling a human being is ice cream,” she declared, as she dragged him down the hallway.
“It’s not a girl problem. It’s a…” Draco muttered under his breath as she led him down the hallway. “It’s a weasel problem.”
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Everyone was still gossiping, laughing and whispering about what had happened at Cho Chang’s party Friday night. A whole weekend had passed since that incident, and it was still the topic on everyone else’s mind, a fact that was driving Pansy Parkinson completely mental. She watched them all, the gossiping sycophants, as they passed through the halls between classes, feeling their barely concealed smiles as they passed by her, still laughing about what they’d heard the Weasley girl had said to her, and what Cho Chang had done. She was not willing to stand for it. The girl had been completely out of line, and she was sick of waiting for Draco Malfoy to strike first – despite the fact that, by all means, having had to suffer the Weasel lunging at him for a snog in the middle of the ballroom, he should have been ahead of the game, with regards to plotting suitable revenge.
She spotted her, sporting her tatty robes and hideous shoes, and after pulling out her wand, made ready to descend upon her and put the uppity pauper in her place. Just as she was to begin her planned assault, someone reached out from behind and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. Spinning around, practically spitting with rage, Pansy was about to lay into the person who dared to interrupt her when she realized who her attacker was. Looming over her, his eyes dark and serious, was none other than the Weasel’s latest victim, Draco Malfoy.
“Parkinson, have you misunderstood anything that I’ve said to you, in regards to Weasley?” Draco said, his voice quietly dangerous, his grip tight on her wrist.
“Of course not, Draco!”
“Then stay away from her. Far away,” he ordered, releasing her wrist, and beginning to stalk away.
“You’re not just planning on letting her get away with everything she’s done, are you?” Pansy shrieked, unable to contain herself. Her sense of justice was feeling horribly wronged, where she was the one who was victimized in front of all of her peers and some of the best of wizarding society, and yet the Weasel was getting away scott free! Draco paused, and turned around slowly.
“I don’t like having to repeat myself, Parkinson. She’s mine, and if you mess with her again, you’ll have a lot more than just public humiliation to deal with. Leave her to me or else,” he said with a pointed look, before turning and walking down the hall, without another word. Pansy watched him as he left, her mouth gaping open in shock, feeling completely incapable of saying anything else.
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Ginny wasn’t sure which was worse – the knowledge that everyone at school had heard about The Incident on Friday night, or that she couldn’t shake the memory of what had happened afterwards from her mind. As she made her way to her last class of the day, having survived the whole day under constant scrutiny and having to hear the whispers and the laughter whenever she passed while managing to bravely ignore the jeers about how she had thrown herself at Malfoy, she cursed the day she had ever stood up to Draco Malfoy. Her life had resembled nothing short of chaos ever since that moment.
“Put your books away. Today, you are going to have a practical pop quiz. Take out your wands and line up in front of the wardrobe,” Snape ordered as soon as all the students were seated in the class. Everyone groaned, but complied, while whispering to each other what sort of creature they’d have to battle this time. Snape, lacking a great deal of creativity when it came to designing his practical tests, often just threw a magical creature into the giant wardrobe in the far corner of the classroom, forcing each student in turn to defeat it. Ginny felt her heart drop at this announcement, and tried to keep herself from panicking. After the incident with the test a few weeks ago, she needed a good grade to balance the zero he’d given her, even if it meant climbing into a dark, closed in space.
Following her classmates, Ginny hovered near the back of the reluctant line that had formed in front of the wardrobe, students pushing each other out of the way as they tried to stand as far away from it as possible. Snape scowled at them all as he walked past, his eyes scanning through the students as if searching for a victim.
“This is an incredibly basic magical creature that any Hogwarts student should be able to successfully neutralize as early as their first year. Given the spectacular display of underwhelming abilities during your last practical test, I felt it necessary to bring you back to the basics. It’s simple: there is a Boggart in this wardrobe. You will be given three minutes alone inside. If it still forms the shape of your greatest fear by the time your three minutes are up, you fail,” Snape explained. A whisper of excitement passed through the room, as those who had seemed nervous about the pop quiz realized that this was practically a gift. Everyone knew how to defeat a Boggart. Ginny, however, wasn’t feeling quite the same – a thick ball of fear had formed in her stomach and she was doing the best she could not to vomit. The thought of climbing into that space, having the heavy wooden door shut behind her for three minutes, was almost more than she could bear.
“Miss Weasley, as punishment for your academic dishonesty during our last quiz, I feel that it is appropriate that you should take your practical test first,” Snape said, his dark eyes glittering as they fell on her, undoubtedly catching the unease on her face that she was too preoccupied to hide. She cursed herself, cursed Snape. She had forgotten the first rule of survival – never show any weaknesses.
“Fine by me,” she muttered, walking slowly to the front of the crowd. Her limbs felt heavy, her movements stiff and slow, as if she were walking through water. She reluctantly pulled out her wand, and as she was about to reach the wardrobe, she whispered a spell softly, making her wand glow.
"What are you doing, Miss Weasley?" Snape demanded, a twisted smile on his face. Ginny paused, looking around her, trying to figure out what she had done to deserve the question, her mind clouded by her efforts to quell the panic she could feel spreading out from her stomach.
"I'm about to climb into a wardrobe to fight a Boggart, like you asked me to," she answered slowly; uncertain as to why this was suddenly an issue with him. She was doing it, wasn't she? He knew - he knew why this was hard for her, and so he should be pleased that she was about to complete his stupid pop quiz without a word of complaint.
"I didn't say that you could use Lumos. I want all of you to be able to conquer a Boggart without using any light produced from your wand," he said. The very fragile dam that had been holding in the storm of emotions that had threatened to consume her in the few minutes that had passed since he had announced this little 'test' shattered to pieces, and she was unable to stop herself from speaking.
"It's impossible to fight a Boggart without being able to see it! Riddikulus won't work unless you are able to laugh at it, to turn your greatest fear into something you can laugh at, and you can't do that without being able to see it!" Ginny protested. Snape smiled, a cold look of triumph in his eyes.
"Then you'll have to find a way that doesn't use Riddikulus. You're supposed to be such a brilliant student - that's why the school gives you such a generous scholarship, surely you can figure something out," he said nastily, while opening the door to the wardrobe and holding it open for her. She stared at the dark, empty space she could see and felt a strong urge to vomit at the thought of going in there. "Quickly, Miss Weasley, before the Boggart escapes and I have to send you scouring the castle for another one. After grading you a zero, of course."
"I won't," she said, her voice firm despite the way her limbs were shaking.
"If you expect to pass this class, you will," Snape said, his voice a low hiss.
"I can't. And you know why," Ginny protested desperately. She and Snape certainly had their differences, but long ago, during her first year, she'd confessed to him the difficulties she had climbing into small, dark spaces, and he'd understood, slightly (while simultaneously being completely sarcastic and mocking about it).
"If you don't, then you fail the quiz. I'm not willing to make exceptions for any of my students," Snape said firmly. Staring at his impassive face, Ginny felt a surge of hatred for him, as he smiled at her smugly. Steeling herself, trying to remember the charm that Hermione had taught her to help alleviate the debilitating panic she felt any time she was faced with a small, enclosed space, she took two steps towards the wardrobe. Her breathing became shallower as it became harder to breath as she peered inside, catching a glimpse in the dim light of the dimensions of the room. It was very small.
She took a tentative step into the wardrobe, forcing herself to keep moving, reminding herself how much she needed a good mark on the quiz. She felt the door close behind her, and she was enclosed in the dark. There were a few traces of light along the cracks in the door, allowing her a small field of vision, and she looked around her, trying to spot the Boggart, planning on using Riddikulus despite what Snape had said.
And suddenly, she couldn't see anything. The noise from the classroom beyond the wardrobe had completely disappeared, and along with it, the small amount of light. Feeling her hands begin to shake and a huge wave of panic swell throughout her body, Ginny tried to breath deeply, to force herself to calm down.
But then, she heard the noises. Inauspicious sounds of a quiet forest at night, a sound that in another world would have been comforting or peaceful, filled her ears. The air became colder, and she felt her heart drop as the small space was filled with an eerie green glow. Appearing as if it were far away and partially obscured by tree tops, Ginny saw what the Boggart had chosen as her greatest fear, even as the space around her seemed to cave in on her - the Dark Mark.
Dropping her wand, Ginny clawed at the walls around her, desperately feeling her way in the dark, seeking the exit. She found it, and shoved it open, stumbling at the force with which it gave way. Unable to speak and completely ignoring the inquiring looks and muffled giggles of her classmates, Ginny breezed past her scowling professor, quickly threw her parchment and quill into her bag and ran out of the classroom.
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Ginny had been walking the grounds of the school for almost an hour, wandering aimlessly through the hallways and out into the fields, heedless of which direction she was going. It didn't really matter; she was just trying to kill enough time so that she could creep back into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and retrieve her wand, planning on waiting long enough so that Snape would have already left the classroom for his office.
She had heard classes end, and seen the majority of students leaving, so she knew it was almost safe to go back. She was still feeling rather skittish and emotionally raw, lamenting the day she'd ever let Snape in on her secret. She had the distinct feeling that he'd chosen that particular test for her special benefit, as some form of revenge for whatever wrong she'd committed lately. She ran through a list of their encounters in her mind, searching endlessly for what she might have done to upset him so much to bring about such a drastic attack on her.
Absorbed in her thoughts and still feeling the jittery paranoia that had consumed her since she'd fled her last class of the day, Ginny poked her head around the corner, checking to see if there was anyone in the courtyard, planning to cut across it and into the school to retrieve her wand - but only if there was no one around. Peering around her, she watched one straggler until he turned the corner, and decided it was safe. She was so consumed with remaining hidden until he was safely out of sight that she didn't even notice the group that came up behind her, watching her as she half-hid behind the corner, attempting to stealthily avoid notice from the person she was watching.
"Hey look, it's Weasley!" a voice called out, nearly causing her heart to stop beating from the surprise, her nerves still frayed from her earlier experience. She spun around, her eyes wild, and was dismayed to see a group mixed with people she would ordinarily be delighted to see - Blaise Zabini and Cho Chang - and a group which she decidedly not pleased to see - Crabbe, Goyle and Draco Malfoy. Her eyes scanned the group, noting that almost all of them were wearing casual smiles and there didn't seem to be much hostility coming from them. Until her eyes met Malfoy's, who was stone-faced and serious. She felt her stomach lurch as they made eye contact with each other, their last interaction that past Friday still very fresh on her mind. She looked away as quickly as possible, awkwardly trying to avoid looking at him. If only Draco Malfoy could be easily ignored, she'd never have any other trouble in life. She focused on the ground, figuring it was the safest place to look.
"Who were you spying on?" Crabbe asked, his voice tinged with amusement. Ginny started when he spoke, looking up at him, her eyes wild with surprise.
"A Gryffindor, attempting any activity requiring stealth? Inconceivable!" Goyle chortled. Ginny felt her nerves bristle and a flash of irritation run through her as she realized that she was about to shout out some defense in the name of all Gryffindors while simultaneously denying that she was actually spying on anyone. She snapped her mouth shut before she could say anything unwise, and settled for glaring at him.
"Ginny, you disappeared so quickly Friday night, I didn't have a chance to thank you for coming," Cho said with a smile, while jabbing Goyle with her elbow. Relieved to have the attention drawn away from what she had been doing earlier, knowing she’d never be able to explain why she wanted to get back to Snape’s classroom without being seen without having to go into what had transpired, she smiled at Cho and was about to thank her once again for all her kindness that night when Goyle chimed in.
“That’s because she fled after throwing herself at Draco and snogging him senseless!” he laughed, Crabbe eagerly joining. Feeling her face begin to burn, she desperately tried to avoid looking at Blaise, but she was dying to know how he reacted to that comment. She needed to explain, she wanted him to know the sequence of events, to know that she had never wanted to kiss Malfoy.
“That’s not at all what happened! I didn’t throw myself at him, as you two very well know, what with that spelled mistletoe you plant in the ballroom!” Ginny shouted. “I wouldn’t willingly kiss Draco Malfoy, and the only reason I did was because I was magically forced to!”
“You don’t have to explain it to us, Weasley. It makes no difference to us who you snog,” Blaise said, and Ginny’s eyes instantly fell to the floor, knowing that he must have caught the way she’d been looking at him as she defended herself, trying to gauge if he believed her or not.
“Don’t delude yourself, weasel. No girl has to be magically forced into anything with me,” Malfoy said, arrogantly swaggering forward, his fixed on hers. She opened her mouth, desperate to refute that statement, but the memory of that second kiss was still hovering very near the surface of her subconscious, and she felt a shiver run down her spine, rendering her speechless.
“Ginny, we were just discussing going out for dinner. Would you like to join us?” Cho asked, elbowing Draco aside with an exasperated roll of her eyes. “That’s if you can tolerate the excessive amounts of male ego we’ll have to share the table with, of course.”
“I’d like to, but I’m working tonight. In fact, I should really be going. I still have to get my wand back,” she said, the last part mostly to herself.
“Hey, Weasel, I heard you had a complete breakdown in Snape’s class this afternoon trying to defeat a Boggart,” a snotty voice called out from behind. Groaning, Ginny turned, and sure enough, the smug face of Pansy Parkinson was behind her, twirling a wand in her right hand and grinning like a Cheshire cat. Ginny felt her heart sink as she realized that Pansy was holding her wand – she must have heard about the whole ordeal after class and retrieved it, planning to torture her with the story. Ginny’s mind jumped into action, trying to find a way to defuse the situation before Pansy could make it too uncomfortable for her. The last thing she wanted was for Draco Malfoy and his goons to hear about it. Don’t show any weakness. “For a girl who claims she’s not afraid of any of us, that seems rather odd. It must have a truly terrifying sight.”
“Well, let us just say, Parkinson, that try as I might,” Ginny said brightly, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget the horrifying sight of my face slowly transforming into yours. I think I’ve been scarred for life.”
An explosion of laughter erupted behind her, and Ginny tried not to giggle herself, especially when Pansy’s face started to turn purple with rage. Striding forward, Ginny reached out and plucked her wand from Pansy’s grasp.
“Thanks for brining me my wand, Parkinson! You’ve saved me a trip!” Ginny called over her shoulder as she strode away, remembering that unless she hurried, she was probably going to be late for work.
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“All I want is for my life to get back to normal! The good old days, when I was invisible at school, and the Slytherins would see right through me, I was so insignificant,” Ginny groaned, taking a moment to complain to her friend. The night had been very busy, and in between serving customers and trying to snatch a few moments to browse over her textbooks, she’d hardly had a chance to speak to her friend.
“You want to go back to the days where you were so consumed with being invisible and unnoticed that you held your tongue and pretended you were someone you’re not? And by extension, by not protesting or standing up to their actions, you were in a roundabout way, supporting what they were doing,” Hermione asked, with a sly smile. Ginny scoffed in mock indignation, and flung her wet bar towel at her friend, laughing as she did so.
“You are far too clever for your own good,” Ginny cried, before recovering her bar towel. She worked silently for a minute, before looking up at Hermione, a pensive look on her face. “I don’t think anything will ever be normal again, ‘Mione. He’s ruined it.”
“Which ‘he’ are we talking about this time?” Hermione asked, her eyes staring at Ginny knowingly.
“Which ‘he’ do you think I’m talking about? The giant prat whose very being seems to have a detrimental aspect on every facet of my life!” Ginny cried incredulously, as if she couldn’t believe that Hermione honestly didn’t know who she was talking about.
A feigned cough caught their attention before Hermione could retaliate, and they both turned around to see the coolly smiling face of Rosmerta, watching them with her eyebrows raised.
“Are we being professional and productive, ladies?” she asked, her tone slightly admonishing. Ginny smiled sheepishly, and looked around her, noting that there were few customers who still lingering at their tables.
“Sorry, just got a little caught up with the girl-talk,” Ginny said apologetically. Rosmerta shook her head with an amused yet long-suffering sigh and then gestured for Ginny to follow her.
“There is a young man here to see you,” she said, pointing to someone with their back turned to them. Ginny’s heart immediately began beating heavily in her chest, afraid it would be him, planning something awful to get revenge for whatever wrong she had committed this time. She walked towards him, gearing up, determined to not be caught off guard by him again. As she approached, he turned around, and with a flood of relief – and a slight jolt of surprise – she realized that it wasn’t Malfoy at all, it was his best friend.
"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, startled to see him there. Blaise raised an eyebrow, looking slightly taken aback by her curt question. "No, it's just that... aren't you supposed to be out with your friends? With Cho, and Malfoy and the lot of them? What are you doing here?"
"Cho asked me to come see if you were finished work yet. She'd like you to join us, if you are," he said, with a casual shrug. Ginny looked at him inquisitively for a moment, unsure how she wanted to react to this new development. Based on what little he'd said, it was becoming clear to Ginny that there wasn't a lot that Blaise wouldn't do, so long as Cho asked. That was surprising to her, for she'd always thought that there was a streak of stubbornness or strong-headedness in Blaise, given the way that he didn't seem to buy into Malfoy's nonsense with the Howlers and all. But with the way he was standing in front of her, looking slightly annoyed and a little aloof, it seemed as though he didn't want to be there asking her to come with them. Yet he was here, and it was because Cho had asked.
"I'm finished work, but I have to get home. I've got homework, a test to study for," she said, trying to sound as if she regretted the fact that she couldn't come, as she quickly untied her apron and went about gathering her books - which had scattered behind the counter as she tried to study between customers. After what had happened at Cho's party, she wanted to be as far away from that social circle as possible, even if it meant giving up a night spent in the company of the gorgeous Blaise Zabini.
"There won't be any tests tomorrow," he said simply, brushing off her excuse. Ginny stared at him, open-mouthed, shocked by how certain he sounded.
"How can you be so certain? Snape gave us a pop quiz today - which I definitely failed," she muttered to herself. "Just because you say there aren't going to be any tests doesn't make it a reality."
"Just trust me, and come along. Cho is waiting," he said, turning around and walking out to the street without another word.
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Ginny was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed in front of her, doing whatever she could to keep away from Draco Malfoy. As soon as they'd arrived at All Hallows, Cho had greeted her enthusiastically before her attention was diverted by the others in the private room with them, and she was shuffled off, leaving Ginny alone in the crowded room with people she either didn't know or didn't want to have anything to do with. Malfoy was there, sitting on the other side of the room, surrounded by his usual horde - Parkinson and her army of mindless twitterers, Crabbe and Goyle. She'd felt his eyes on her earlier; that feeling that instantly made her conscious of what she was doing, where she was and who she was with, as if she were being singled out from a crowd of hundreds - a feeling that was becoming all too familiar for her comfort. Luckily, he seemed to be absorbed in conversation with an older-looking girl with silvery hair, and his attention was no longer on her.
Someone had handed her a drink as she'd entered, and she held the glass, feeling it grow warm in her hand, grateful to have something to do with her hands as she stood there, feeling awkward and slightly unwanted. A few non-Hogwarts students had given her funny glances, but so far, none had stopped to speak with her and she felt sorely out of place. She took a tentative sip from her glass and tried not to grimace at the taste. Fire Whiskey, no matter what fruity concoction it was mixed with, had a horrible flavor that burned down your throat, and Ginny avoided it whenever possible. It was bad enough she had to endure the smell of alcohol while she was working. However, feeling bored and unsure whether or not it would be rude of her to just leave, she began to idly sip on the drink. After awhile, the burning sensation began to feel rather pleasant, and the urge to gag had disappeared.
Twenty minutes and another drink later, her boredom got the best of her, and she began to wander around the room, hoping to find something to capture her interest. The surreal feeling of being in the fabled VIP lounge at the exclusive All Hallows' night club where so many of the snotty Slytherins frequented was punctuated by the alcohol that was going straight to her head, and it all seemed to feel rather fuzzy and amusing. She knew that if she had arrived with anyone less than Blaise Zabini, she would have been tossed out without a second thought, but seeing as she had, she was granted an all-access view of what Slytherins did for fun.
She found it all very boring. How interesting could it be to meet with the same people you saw at school every day, talking about how great you were with each other? With one last distasteful glance around her, Ginny spotted an obscure set of doors that seemed to lead out to a balcony, and noticing just how much her head felt as if it were wrapped in cotton, she stepped outside, longing for fresh air.
It was a very cold night, as the air had started to take on a bitter chill that indicated that the last days of autumn were almost behind them and that winter was just around the corner. She breathed deeply, trying to clear her head. Just as she was about to walk towards the railing in order to get a better look at the view, she heard voices engrossed in conversation, and turned her head to see Blaise and Cho. She was about to call out to them, hoping to finally get a chance to speak with Cho for more than a few minutes, when she noticed something that made her pause.
She was sitting on the railing, her feet dangling below her, hands clutching the side for balance, and he was leaning against the railing, looking up at her with his face tilted towards her. Ginny could hear Cho giggling, and from the smile on Blaise's face, it looked as if they were sharing a private joke. Feeling suddenly panicky and desperate not to interrupt their tête-à-tête, she ducked back around the corner, pressing herself against the wall.
Ginny kept telling herself to go back inside, but the shock of the fresh air felt too good and she was dreading having to back inside and wander around the crowded room awkwardly. She could hear their laughter, and tried to drown it out, not wanting to eavesdrop.
But it became very difficult to ignore what was being said.
"I'm happy to finally have a moment alone with you. I feel like we haven't had a chance to talk at all since I've been back - at least not alone, not like we used to," Cho said, with a heavy sigh, sounding exhausted.
"If you hadn't flown off and become a national hero, you could have had all the time in the world to talk to me," Blaise answered, his voice so low that Ginny was barely able to hear what he had said.
"What's going to happen with you when I leave at the end of the week? I don't know for sure how long I'll be gone this time," Cho said. Even with the distance between them and all the background noise interfering, Ginny could hear a note of sadness and worry in her voice. Leaning out, she strained to hear more, her curiosity overcoming her sense that it was wrong to eavesdrop of their conversation.
“I know there’s nothing I can say to change your mind about going, so I won’t even try,” he said, with an edge in his voice. Cho looked away, as if stung by his words. She paused for a moment, before resuming her cheerful front, smiling once again.
“I’ll just have to find you a nice girl who I can trust enough to look after you while I’m gone. You really should start dating, Blaise. You’ve got a reputation for being rather antisocial,” she said breezily, edging away from him as he looked up at her and reached for his hand. Ginny watched, fascinated to see this dynamic – to see that any girl could resist Blaise Zabini when he was reaching out to her, even someone like Cho Chang. Either she was completely oblivious to his feelings, or she knew and was trying at all costs to act as if they didn’t exist. He turned his back to her, and even in the dark, she could see a pained expression on his face.
“And who would you recommend I start dating, if you’re so concerned for my reputation?” he asked, his voice ice cold. Cho, despite his tone, smiled, jumping down from the railing where she’d been perched.
“How about Ginny? From what I’ve seen of your classmates, she’s the pick of the litter around here,” Cho suggested cheerfully. Ginny had to clutch the wall to keep herself from falling, as her knees had suddenly grown very week, and her head felt so light, she thought she was going to float away. A moment of silence followed, and Ginny hardly dared to breath, lest she be discovered and never find out what his response would be.
She didn’t know what she was expecting, but his response certainly wasn’t it. He laughed.
“Ginny Weasley? Surely you are joking!” he said, barely audible through his laughter. Ginny froze, biting her lip as her heart plummeted.
“Why not? She’s not some vapid, mindless little social climber who only cares about how prestigious your family is. And she has honest eyes; you can always tell exactly what she’s thinking and feeling,” Cho cried, her tone indignant.
“But she’s a Weasley! Even if I was willing to entertain your suggestion as something more than what you’re actually trying to do, it wouldn’t change the fact that she’s still a Weasley! She’s a funny girl, interesting to have around, but, let’s be serious!” he scoffed. Ginny edged away from the wall, turning around from them. Hunching her shoulders, crossing her arms and hugging them closely to her body against the sudden chill in the air, she leaned against the wall, and tried to stop listening. She didn’t want to hear any more.
“What do you mean, what I’m actually trying to do?” Cho demanded. A charged second of silence followed, but none of it mattered to Ginny. She felt as if she’d been stabbed in the stomach.
“How can you so blatantly pretend that you have no idea how I feel?” Blaise demanded, his voice infused with more emotion than Ginny had ever heard from the usually stoic boy. “Even if you succeed in pawning me off on some girl so you don’t feel guilty about us anymore won’t change the way I feel about you.”
“Blaise…” Cho said quietly. Ginny heard footsteps, and assumed she was walking towards him. “I’m leaving in a few days. I don’t know when I’ll be back. No matter how… how either of us feels about the other, that is the one thing that will not change. You even said that nothing you could say would change the fact that I’m leaving. I just… I want to make sure that you’ll be alright after I’m gone, that you won’t become that silent, lonely boy again, the one that I met ten years ago. Just because I’m going doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”
“It just means you care about yourself more,” he spat. Ginny nearly gasped, unable to believe that someone who never seemed to be able to take his eyes off Cho whenever she was in the room, who had that soft look on his face whenever he spoke to or about her, could possibly have sounded so angry and cruel. She heard his footsteps as he stormed away, and backed into the corner, desperate to remain hidden. He passed by without noticing.
She heard Cho sigh; a long, sad sigh. With a lot to think about, Ginny crept towards the door and slipped away from the balcony, leaving Cho all alone, standing the cold fresh air.
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Draco’s foot was tapping impatiently, his irritation growing with each passing second. He was standing outside, waiting for his cousin to show up. As it was, he’d already been waiting for her to arrive for over twenty minutes. As uncouth and rough around the edges as Nymphadora Rookwood was reputed to be, she always demanded that the men in her life treated her as she’d been raised to expect; if they didn’t hold doors open for her, adhere strictly the “ladies first” rules of etiquette, pull out her chair or wait for her outside when she was coming to meet them, she had absolutely no reservations about cursing them in order to ensure they never made the same mistake twice. Having been on the receiving end of her little “lessons in proper gentlemanly etiquette” far too many times, Draco had begrudgingly left the party and had been waiting outside for her ever since.
It was a bit of a relief to get away from it, he had to admit. With Cho back in town, there were social events happening every night, as everyone wanted to get a few moments alone with her before she left again, and the monotony never seemed to bother anyone but him. Of course, it had been rather shocking when Blaise Zabini arrived, pulling a rather reluctant-looking Ginny Weasley with him. But minutes after they’d entered the room, he had abandoned her in favor of Cho, and the Weasley girl had been left to her own devices. He’d laughed, once, as she’d glowered at a passing wizard who cast an inquisitive glance, thus scaring him – and anyone else curious enough about her to want to speak with her – away.
He checked his watch and sighed heavily as a fine misty rain started to fall, once again cursing his inconsiderate cousin under his breath. Just as he was sizing up his surroundings, looking for a suitable object which he could kick in order to demonstrate just how annoyed and frustrated he was feeling, a peculiar sight caught his eyes, and he paused. The Weasley girl was coming out of the club, and stumbled over her feet, despite the ugly pair of perfectly practical shoes she always wore - a touchy subject with Parkinson who often commented on them to him.
Recovering from her little stumble, and seeming slightly unsteady, she stopped, standing still before throwing her arms out and her head back, she heaved a great sigh, and then turned on her heel and started to walk away. He bit back a smile, recalling watching her snatch a drink that was proffered to her, and wondered if she knew exactly what was really in it.
Watching her make her way down the street, Draco watched her trip over her own feet twice, catching herself against the wall of the building. Casting a shrewd glance at the darkened street, and noting that the misty rain was steadily growing more persistent, he started to follow her.
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For some reason Ginny couldn't fathom, her feet seemed to have grown four sizes and were becoming impossibly heavy. What could be causing this phenomenon, she wasn't exactly sure, but it was becoming rather uncomfortable, especially as her head had grown so light, it felt as if it were going to float away. Of course, having her heart cruelly ripped out of her chest, unbeknownst to those whom had done that ripping, could probably explain her coordination difficulties.
She squinted, trying to make out where she was and remember where she was going. The slight bit of rain had created a thick fog, making all the lights on the street appear misty and soft, and in her fuzzy state of mind, she stopped to admire how pretty it all looked. After a moment passed, and the a cool breeze whipping through her hair snapped her out of her daze, she looked around, and realized that she really had no idea what street she was standing on. Hogsmeade was continually growing, as more and more wizards left their homes in the Muggle parts of the country, afraid that they were no longer safe, flocking to the steadily growing city. It was now hard to imagine that it had ever been the sleepy little village that her parents remembered from their days at Hogwarts. As a result of all this growth, the city had become an unimaginable tangle of streets and buildings that appeared have little rhyme or reason about them, straying in different directions and spontaneously changing names at the whim of those who occupied it.
She'd wandered down a fairly shady-looking street that was eerily quiet and fairly dark. Looking around her, Ginny fervently wished she had her broom with her. But it was lying in a broken heap under her bed, thanks in part to that bloody Draco Malfoy and his unreasonable ego. She was just about to fish around in her pocket for her wand in order to provide herself with a little more light, when a voice calling out from the shadows startled her.
"What's a little thing like you doing out here at this time of night?" a sinister-sounding voice asked. Jumping around, her wand out in front of her, she saw a man she didn't recognize emerging from behind one of the rubbish bins that lined the alleyway. Staring at him steadily, Ginny didn't answer, she just started to back away as he made a move to start walking towards her, smiling at her with a lecherous grin that made her stomach turn. "Have you gotten yourself lost?"
Even with her mind as fuzzy as it was, she knew that she needed to get away from there, as fast as possible. If her mum ever found out that she'd been walking around alone this late at night, no matter what the circumstances or how much Ginny lied in saying that it was perfectly safe, she'd kill Ginny herself. Turning around quickly and dashing back towards the direction she'd come, hoping to make it to the main street where there'd hopefully more people around, she screamed as she ran face-first into someone else.
As she stumbled backwards, a pair of hands reached out to grab her arms before she fell to the ground, holding her steady until she regained her footing. She glanced up and was strangely relieved to find Draco Malfoy staring back at her, even if he did have that infuriating smirk on his face.
"Enjoying the night life, weasel?" he asked, raising one eyebrow quizzically. Ginny narrowed her eyes and glared at him, suddenly very angry with him - mostly because he was still holding her arms and it was doing strange things to her stomach. He glanced over her head, at the man hovering behind Ginny, and with complete authority that would make any underling jump about ten feet, called out to him. "Is there a problem here?"
Ginny wrenched herself free from Malfoy's grip and pushed him away, just as the strange man answered his question, sounding suddenly nervous and eager to please.
"Oh, no, of course not, Mr. Malfoy. Just thought the girl was lost and offering my help, that's all," he stammered, his eyes growing wide with panic. Ginny turned to look at Malfoy, hardly surprised that the shady character hiding behind rubbish bins in a dark alley would be acquainted with him.
"Friend of yours?" she asked snippily, with a pointed look, before starting back towards the main street.
"As you were the one secretly rendezvousing with him in a dark alley, I think I'm the one that should be asking you that," he called back in answer. Ginny stopped, outraged. Given the fact that her heart had just been brutally ripped from her chest by his best friend, she was feeling rather less inclined to tolerate him than usual. Turning, deciding to give him a piece of her mind, she then tripped spectacularly over her own feet. Again.
He lunged forward and caught her before she fell. Again. Helping her back to her feet, she could tell that he was biting back a laugh, and it served only to infuriate her. Wishing, for once, that she could walk away from any dealing with Malfoy with even a small bit of her pride and dignity in tact, she squirmed out of his grip angrily, growing even more frustrated when he started to laugh at her.
"You've been drinking the punch," he said with a knowing laugh. She stared at him, gape-mouthed, trying to think of something snappy to say.
"What?" was all that she was able to manage, but to her credit, she was able to infuse the word with as much attitude as she could muster. Malfoy laughed again.
"You are aware that there was Fire Whiskey in the punch, weasel? I know that you may not have an appreciation for the finer things in life, but every working class ruffian knows about Fire Whiskey," he said easily, as the two of them started walking down the street, almost without realizing that they were walking along together. "You're completely sotted!"
"Of course I know about Fire Whiskey, I have six older brothers. But I only had two glasses, so I am not - nor have I ever been - sotted," she declared indignantly. Malfoy laughed again, throwing his head back and laughing as if he were any normal person and not the incarnation of pure evil. Ginny stared at him incredulously.
"That's top-shelf Fire Whiskey, weasel, which is four times as potent as that common stuff. You are extremely sotted," he said, looking down at her with his eyes - eyes that she was so used to seeing staring at her with that uncanny intensity, or in rage - were shining with amusement. She stared at him incredulously, registering that piece of information.
"No... No! I can't be!" she protested adamantly, but the whole situation suddenly struck her as incredibly funny, and she started to laugh.
"That's the answer you're sticking with?"
"Oh, bugger, I am," she said, her eyes wide and serious, until waves laughter overwhelmed her. She leaned against the wall as she giggled uncontrollably, before realizing that she was standing in a darkened alley with Draco bloody Malfoy and then clapped her hand over her mouth in a feeble attempt to contain her laughter.
"Do you often walk around dodgy neighborhoods late at night, quaffed out of your mind?" he asked, with a sneering glance around at their surroundings.
"If you hadn't broken my broomstick, I wouldn’t have to walk!" she cried indignantly, her laughter immediately forgotten.
"I didn't break your broomstick, that was entirely your own doing," he retorted.
"If you hadn't bloody attacked me with a BLUDGER, I wouldn't have had to use it to protect myself from being bashed in the face!" she yelled, stepping towards him, looking up at his sneering face. “My very plain face!”
"If you hadn't interfered in our Quidditch game, you wouldn't have gotten in the way," he replied simply, as he too took a step forward. Ginny was beginning to see red, as her temper kicked into overdrive.
"You weren't playing Quidditch, you were being an unbelievable prat by targeting someone else to get to me, and using a bloody Bludger to do it with!" she shouted. As she finished her small tirade, she noted a strange spark in Malfoy's eye, and in that instant, she realized that he'd been baiting her, trying to make her angry. Before she could try to figure out why, a strange look came over Malfoy. As she finished her small tirade, she noted a strange spark in Malfoy's eye, and in that instant, she realized that he'd been baiting her, trying to make her angry. Now he was looking at her with a slight smile on his face and a glint in his eyes that felt like he was looking right through her, as if he knew and saw everything there was about her. It made her uneasy.
"Stop looking at me like that!" she snapped.
"Like what?" he asked, taking a step forward, dangerously close to her. The butterflies in her stomach, the ones that had been an almost constant presence ever since the night of Cho's party when he'd kissed her out in the garden, fluttering occasionally whenever he was around to remind of their presence - and that night - kicked up, sending a thrill throughout her body. He reached out a hand towards her face, and in that instant, Ginny knew that he intended to kiss her again. And that she was screaming at herself to move, to duck out of the way, but her body didn't seem to be as willing to comply, leaving her fixated to the spot.
Before she could try to figure out what to do or what to say, a strange look came over Malfoy. His shoulders seemed to stiffened, and he gave this strange startled groan. He started learning forward, as if he was falling forward. Startled, ripped from the fixated near-trance she'd been in and unsure of what was happening, Ginny ducked out of the way, as he tumbled forward, landing face-first, with all his limbs stiffly pressed against his body. Staring at him in shock, Ginny realized that someone has put him in a full-bodied Leg Locker Curse.
"Draco Malfoy, I warned you about standing me up!" an enraged voice called out. Shocked, Ginny turned to see a woman marching towards them, her short hair bright purple in color. Malfoy emitted some kind of enraged mumbles that were completely unintelligible, but from the way it sounded, he was cursing rather profusely. "Abandoning your own cousin to run after some little girl?
"Cousin?" Ginny asked, astounded. The purple-haired cousin turned to Ginny, and grinned at her.
"Not too loudly, I try to avoid acknowledging my family connection to this prat whenever possible," she said brightly, while nudging Malfoy's ribcage with the tip of her boot as she spoke. Ginny stared, dumbfounded. "Nymphadora Rookwood, but you can call me Tonks."
"Tonks?" Ginny said, uncertainly. Despite the purple hair, the way she was dressed indicated a great deal of wealth - she was wearing the latest design by Parkinson's mother, and from the display in the boutique downtown, Ginny was well aware that that garment alone was worth more than five years at Hogwarts! And her stylish boots were made of dragonhide, a certain sophistication that few indulged in, given the increasing rarity of dragons. Eyeing her, Ginny noted just how incongruous the name "Tonks" seemed for someone of her status...
"It's my maiden name, used to go by it at school, because how could anyone endure the torturous 'Nymphadora'? Don' t know what my mum was thinking," she said, leaning over and pointing her wand at Malfoy, still paralyzed and lying face-down. "Suppose I should release the spell. What do you think?"
She didn't wait for Ginny to respond, and as soon as he was freed from the paralyzing effects of the curse, he jumped up, brushing off the front of his clothes angrily.
"You'd better not let my parents hear you calling yourself that," he mumbled petulantly, crossing his arms and glaring at his cousin.
"Despite your perceptions - based on that startlingly high pedestal you have those people on - your parents do not have superhuman capabilities, and cannot hear me talking from all the way in London. And even if they did, it's not like they can have anything to say on the matter - I'm married now and free from their reign of terror," Tonks chided, and Ginny's incredulousness grew as Malfoy lapsed into a sulky silence and didn't offer any retorts. Focusing her attention back on Ginny, Tonks spoke again. "Has my cousin been bothering you?"
"Bothering me?" Ginny snorted, still slightly inebriated. "Not at all. Systematic torture is more like what he's been doing."
Tonks gave her an appraising look, then smiled widely, her eyes bright with amusement.
"So, you must be Ginny Weasley! From what I've been hearing about town, you've been giving as good as you've been getting," she exclaimed happily. "My dear Draco, the consensus across the board is that you've finally met your match and everyone that hates you - even those that love you - couldn't be more thrilled with that development!"
"Pure stubborness, no matter the quantity, is not nearly a match for me, and that's all the weasel's got," he said moodily, cutting a vicious glare at his cousin. Before Ginny could say anything in response, he straightened up, and after casting one of those appraising glances that always set her skin crawling and her heart racing, he started walking down the alley towards the main street without another word.
"I've seen to have touched a fairly sensitive spot with my cousin, don't you think Ginny?" Tonks asked, with a gleeful smile. Ginny was still slightly thunderstruck by the entire encounter, for she could recognize in the way that Malfoy and his cousin interacted with each other shades of the same kind of relationship she shared with her older brothers, particularly the twins. They were always teasing her and trying to get her temper up, but always responded with pride whenever she tried to give it right back to them. And he hadn't reacted the way she'd have expected - she'd cursed him, caused him to fall to the wet ground and lay there for a few minutes while she teased him, and he'd just stood up and acted sulky instead of flying into a rage or seeking retribution. They must be fairly close, Ginny observed, judging from his reaction.
"Don't know what got his knickers all in a twist," Tonks laughed. "Now, Miss Weasley, why are you out on such a dodgy street at this time of night?"
"I'm just going home," Ginny said, gesturing vaguely around her. She remembered that she was slightly lost, and didn't exactly know where 'home' was from where she was standing.
"Where about do you live? I'd be happy to give you a lift - now that Draco's all in a strop, he won't be very much fun at the party so there's not much point in going," she explained, grabbing Ginny's arm and pulling her along as she headed back towards the main street.
"I have a small flat over Honeydukes, right in the center of the city," Ginny replied.
"Oh... yes, I know that place well," Tonks replied softly. Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny noted that she had a slightly sad and wistful look on her face. "A friend of mine used to live there… Well, come along then, let's get going."
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The next day, even though her head was pounding and she had the distinct impression that she had made a fool of herself in some capacity she wasn't aware of, Ginny ultimately decided that the whole event was a remarkable success. Not only did she meetnTonks, who she had a chance to get to know better on the carriage ride home from All Hallows, but she had the distinct satisfaction of infuriating Pansy Parkinson yet again.
After they had made the trek back to All Hallows, laughing merrily as Tonks recounted her favorite anecdotes from her interactions with the Ministry officials - Ginny was surprised to learn that Tonks found them, and most of the pure-blooded 'upper crust' of society, completely ridiculous - they had arrived just in time to see a group of Slytherin girls leaving. Milicent Bulstrode caught sight of Tonks, unmistakable in her purple hair, and started squealing, calling all the other girls over in a frenzy. Tonks had discreetly rolled her eyes at Ginny, but played along as the girls starting rapid-firing questions about why she was in Hogsmeade, how her husband was, and how long she'd be staying. It seemed as if all the Slytherin girls already knew that Tonks and her cousin were very close, and played nice with Tonks as a means to recommend themselves to the most sought-after Slytherin at Hogwarts.
Pansy Parkinson, however, had flushed red with anger as she spotted Ginny standing with Tonks, and had marched over there, eager to communicate her displeasure at seeing her there.
"Nymphadora, is this...girl bothering you?" Pansy demanded, glaring at Ginny, who couldn't help herself from smiling smugly at her. "The Weasel hasn't learned proper social etiquette, and I'd hate for her to have offended you. Draco has had a lot of problems with her as well."
"No, not at all," Tonks replied cordially, yet dismissively. At that time, her horseless carriage arrived, and after her House Elf opened the door and she had climbed in, she popped her head out and called out to Ginny. "Well, come on, Ginny! Aren't you coming?"
Ginny had barely been able to bite back a laugh as she climbed into the carriage, the sight of Pansy's face slowly growing purple one that she would relish for days to come.
"Ugh, that girl is horrible! I hated girls like her when I was at Hogwarts, and now all of them are constantly trying to get their claws into Draco. So far, he's been too smart to allow that nonsense, but he IS a teenage male, and his common sense may fail him one day, and then I'll be stuck dealing with a beast like her during holidays and Christmases," Tonks said with an exasperated sigh. Ginny started laughing, and soon Tonks joined in, and they ended up gossiping and laughing all the way to Ginny's flat.
After thanking Tonks profusely for the ride and before she stepped out onto the street, Tonks had handed her a card with her name and London address on it, telling her to feel free to write if she ever needed to. Ginny had happily accepted it, and had practically skipped her way up the stairs to her room, unable to believe that someone like Tonks could possibly be related to Draco-bloody-Malfoy.
After a bleary-eyed day at school, where she'd walked around cursing Fire Whiskey as an evil beverage while also trying to avoid Malfoy's mocking smile - he seemed to know that she was suffering, and was certainly enjoying it - Ginny had crawled into work, grateful that today she only had a blissfully short 3-hour shift to work. It had been an easy shift as well, as the number of patrons had been steadily diminishing over the past few days. Ginny had wondered out loud what could be the cause - The Three Broomsticks was such a popular spot, only to have Hermione elbow her with a pointed look at Rosemerta, who seemed worried and uptight.
"They are still hunting for that fugitive," Hermione whispered furiously to her. "The Death Eaters are all about the town, every single day, and they stop by here most afternoons. It makes her nervous, especially with me working here. Can't you feel the tension in the air? It feels like something is going to happen, but no one knows what or which side will strike first."
"With all this concern over one prisoner, one would think that they would release his name or photo, in order to help identify him," Ginny said, her voice low and cautious. The identity of most of the Death Eaters who prowled around Hogsmeade was well-known, but there were a few who were able to maintain their anonymity, a constant source of paranoia for those who were brave enough to speak out about Voldemort's reign. "By keeping this all such a secret, it's making the gossip all that more powerful."
"He escaped from Azkaban, Ginny! No wizard has ever done that, and that has to have them scared," Hermione said breathlessly. "If it turns out to be someone notorious for their anti-Dark Lord stance or who might be considered powerful enough... they're afraid of what kind of ideas this might given anyone unsatisfied with life in the wizarding world."
"You're going to have to be a lot more careful, Hermione. Things have been getting better for Muggle-borns lately, but when they get tense, they start looking for easy targets," Ginny said, her eyes dark with worry. Hermione nodded.
"I'm the epitome of vigilance, Ginny, you have nothing to worry about," she said, with a wry half-smile. "Now, you look terrible, go home and get some rest."
Ginny obeyed Hermione, quickly changing out of her uniform and gathering her things. She hadn't told Hermione the reason she wasn't feeling a hundred percent that day, knowing it would earn her absolutely no sympathy, a litany of disapproving sniffs, a high-browed lecture about responsibility and constant inquiries about the status of her homework.
After saying goodbye to the kitchen staff on her way out, Ginny stopped by the bar to ask Hermione for some help with her Potions essay that was due in a week. Just as she was listing the details of the assignment, she noticed that someone was casually waving to her. Turning, she was surprised to see Cho Chang sitting at a small table all by herself. It was the first time she'd ever seen the Quidditch star without a crowd - or Blaise Zabini - around her. After saying goodbye to Hermione, she reluctantly walked over, still feeling raw from what she'd overheard the night before and unsure how to act around her. But Cho had been waving her over to the table, and after all the kindness she'd shown her, the last thing Ginny wanted to do was act rude or blow her off in any way.
"Every time I try to catch a few minutes with you so that we can talk, something always seems to happen!" Cho said cheerfully. "Have a seat; I've been waiting for you to finish work."
"I really can't stay too long, I have a lot of homework," Ginny said, feebly searching for an excuse.
"I just wanted a chance to chat. I'll be leaving in two days, and I wanted a chance to tell you about the national team, as we're always looking for strong Chasers," she said. Ginny felt a dizzying mix of emotions - elation that her Quidditch idol seemed to think she had any chance at a Quidditch career beyond the walls of Hogwarts, but also a twinge of sadness that she was leaving and that this would undoubtedly send Blaise Zabini back into his stoic world of aloofness.
"You're really leaving?" Ginny asked quietly, looking down at her hands as she fidgeted awkwardly with the cuff of her sweater.
"Of course! We're going to be training starting on Monday, traveling all around Europe. All the professional teams want matches against us, and it's an important opportunity, as they don't allow female players on professional teams. Just think of it, Ginny," Cho said, her eyes lit with excitement. "We might actually have a chance at showing them how wrong that silly rule is, and I've come too close to turn away from that chance."
"I just thought... you know, with...” Ginny stammered, unable to form a sentence in her mind that would state what she wanted to say without revealing the fact that she had overheard her row with Blaise last night. Cho was looking at her curiously, with an odd smile on her face.
"Ginny?" she prompted. Before Ginny could stop herself, the whole truth was blurting out of her mouth, a tumble of words and explanations she was completely unable to stop.
"I heard you last night! I swear, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I wandered outside to get away from all the noise and the insipid chatter inside - not that all your friends are insipid, I'm sure some of them are really nice and intelligent and that I just haven't met them yet - but I needed to get away and I didn't know if it would be polite for me to leave, considering I'd only just got there and you'd sent Blaise all the way here to get me and we'd only just said hello. And I went outside, and saw you two there and was going to say hello but it looked like you were having a moment that shouldn't be interrupted, but I couldn't go back inside, because then you would have heard me and known I was there, and that also would have interrupted your moment, and I didn't know what else to do, so I just hid behind the corner, but I could hear everything!" she exclaimed quickly, fully aware of the fact that she was rambling but unable to stem the flow of words from her mouth. Cho looked surprised, and the smile slowly faded from her face and her expression grew serious.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Blaise isn't normally like that and I'm sure he didn't mean what he said. He wasn't himself last night," Cho said.
"He was more himself then than I've ever seen him! You have no idea; he's a completely different person when you're not here. He's quiet and aloof and he avoids people, almost like he's not really part of our world. Always reading, sometimes watching, but never participating! It's only when you came back that he seemed to come alive! I've never seen someone so obviously in love with someone else!" Ginny cried desperately. "And when you go, he's just going to be that same person again, instead of the way he is - so full of life - around you!"
"Ginny..." Cho said with a heavy sigh. A long moment of silence passed between the two of them. "I've had to make a lot of hard decisions in my life, and leaving Hogsmeade and the people here has always been one of the hardest. But there are things that I want out of life, things that I want to accomplish, that I can't do here. If I stayed for any reason other than truly wanting to be here, I would feel like a caged bird... or like you must feel, with a broken broomstick and your ability to fly taken away from you. If he ever asked me to stay, I can honestly tell you that I don't know what I would say. But no matter how he acts or what you heard him say last night, he really does understand that I need to leave - that it has nothing to do with how I feel about him - and he would never ask me to stay."
"He won't; but I will," Ginny said resolutely. "I know this sounds crazy because I barely know you and I'm being horribly meddlesome and you have every reason to go, but I'm asking you, please, don't. I don't want to see Blaise unhappy again, so for his sake, will you stay? I'm begging you,” Cho was staring at her, a sad smile on her face, but Ginny was afraid to meet her eyes, feeling that she had horribly overstepped her bounds and had destroyed her fledging friendship with the superstar player.
"You are a very nice person, Ginny, and I'm glad that Blaise has met someone like you," she said softly, her eyes shiny, seeming to be looking straight past Ginny. "It will actually help me leave with a clear conscious, knowing that there is someone who cares enough about him around to look after him for me when I go. Because I can't stay. Not even for his sake. I think you'll understand that someday."
With a sad shrug, Ginny nodded and stood up from the table, grabbing her bag and preparing to leave. She turned, and was horrified to see Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy standing nearby. From the cold look on Blaise's face, he had heard everything she'd said.
"Cho, Blaise was looking for you. We went to your house, but your parents said that you came here," Malfoy explained, his eyes fixed on Ginny with that strange expression they often got whenever he was staring at her. She was too busy gaping at Blaise, who was standing stiffly in front of her and glaring at her, as if he was trying to figure out what to say. A tense moment of silence passed, with Ginny frozen to the spot, unable to think of what to say, unable to move, wishing fervently that she could turn back time.
Finally, she pushed one foot forward, and started to walk past them, desperate to reach the door. Just as she was almost safe, Blaise turned his head towards her.
"You know, you might have an easier time at school if you learned your place, minded your own business and stopped interfering in matters that don't concern you... Weasel," he spat, his voice harsh and biting. Feeling as if she'd been slapped, she paused for a second as she absorbed the recoil, before she bolted for the door.
In that second before she started running, anyone who was watching could see the telltale signs that she was going to start crying at any second.
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"You've been avoiding me," the purple-haired hellion lying in ambush declared as he opened the door in an effort to stem the incessant knocking that had persisted for almost ten minutes.
"And you don't live here anymore, remember?" Draco sneered; walking back into mahogany-filled study he had been holed up inside since he arrived back at the manor. "If I choose to avoid you, that are entirely my prerogative, you uninvited house guest."
"Is that any way to treat family? Well, I guess it would make your parents proud to know that you're every bit as hospitable as they are," Tonks chided, planting herself in a plush leather armchair directly beside her sulky cousin, who was trying to avoid making eye contact with her. "But now that you've failed in your attempts to avoid me - surely you must have known they were futile, I am female descendant of the Noble House of Black and we are nothing if not tenacious - why don't you tell me about this girl?"
"What girl?" he growled.
"The one you ditched your very own cousin to stalk through the dodgiest street in Hogsmeade in the rain. What's this I hear about you being responsible for the state of her broomstick?" she asked with a Chesire cat-type grin on her face. He glared at her out of the corner of his eyes, gritting his teeth in annoyance. He ignored her question, and the two sat in silence, with her staring at him persistently as he refused to answer her.
"You're an incredibly stubborn girl with an infuriatingly iron will," he said suddenly, almost as if the notion had just occurred to him, as he turned towards her. "Why would someone like you, with the same characteristics, who has steadfastly refused to beg for anything - even something that is clearly in their own best interest - because they are too proud and stubborn to do so, suddenly turn around and in a fit of humility, suddenly beg for something on someone else's behalf? To just toss their pride out the window, like it was nothing, when before, it seemed like it was the most important thing in the world?"
"Oh, you sad lonely little boy. Narcissa is constantly insisting that you are perfectly fine out here all by yourself and that you even prefer to be on your own while the two of them are off licking Voldemort's boots, but how can that possibly be true if you don't know the answer to a simple question like that?" Tonks cried vehemently. "It's called love, you silly git! Caring about someone enough to sacrifice something for them, to be willing to give something, knowing that in the end, you get something even greater in return."
"Love?" he asked skeptically.
"And not necessarily the shallow romantic kind, which I know is all you're capable of wrapping your teenaged brain around. Oh, you're impossible, how can I possibly explain this in a way that you would understand?" she asked, exasperated. "Alright, here is an example. Look at Lord Voldemort. He is powerful, and he rules over the wizarding world, but not out of any emotion other than hate. He hates all of us, even your parents who act as if they love him more than their only son. And that's why no one loves him, and in fact, so many people hate him. In order to be loved, you have to be able to love, be willing to put yourself out there for someone, to give a little, so that you'll have a chance at getting a little in return."
"You have to be able to love in order to be loved..." Draco murmured to himself, a puzzled expression on his face. "That seems fairly straightforward, just like you need money in order to make money." Tonks stared at him incredulously.
"Well, you've obviously completely missed the point," she sighed. "It's all about balance, Draco, and it's not a possession, like wealth, that can be traded or can give you prestige or influence."
"No, it's actually quite logical, I understand it completely," he said, a far off expression on his face. "...I just don't know what I'm going to do about it yet."
Tonks bit back a smile, having a good sense that she knew what was going on.
"Give it a little. You never know what'll happen. At the very least, it couldn't hurt," she said, with a pointed look.
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She could have spotted the crowd milling around the train station from a mile away, and considering that the brightly-colored engine was still visible, she knew that she wasn't too late. Running, her bag hastily thrown over her shoulder and bouncing uncomfortably with each footstep, she was desperate to make sure she was there on time, vowing torturous revenge on Snape if she didn't make it on time. Pushing her way through the crowd, she waved when she caught sight of Cho, surrounded as always by Parkinson and her groupies.
"I was almost late, bloody Snape gave me detention this afternoon which is hardly something new, but I'm glad I made it on time," Ginny cried, gasping for breath, having run the entire way from school.
"I'm glad you could make it as well. We never did get a chance to talk about Quidditch, did we?" she laughed, while gesturing to the assistant who was holding her bags. "But it doesn't matter. I have something for you that I think will help you in that area better than anything I could say."
The assistant moved forward and pressed a tall package into Ginny's hands. Gasping as she realized what was inside; Ginny looked up at Cho with incredulous eyes, barely able to speak.
"Open it!" Cho laughed, and Ginny obliged, albeit with shaking fingers that struggled to untie the string holding the thick paper in place. As she carefully pushed the paper aside, she felt slightly dizzy as she saw what was underneath - a brand new Firebolt.
"I couldn't possibly accept this!" Ginny breathed, hardly able to keep herself from stroking the smooth varnished wood. Cho laughed.
"Of course you can. That's the broom I flew during our championship match. Firebolt is the team's sponsor, and as they are set to release their new model, we're not allowed to fly with the older version anymore. I'd rather see it in the hands of someone who will know how to use it and use it well instead of sitting in the attic collecting dust," Cho explained. Ginny's jaw dropped, and as much as she wanted to hand it back and refuse, her hands tightened around the handle and she just found herself nodding, her eyes bright with gratitude.
"Thank you," she answered hoarsely.
"You'll thank me when I see you playing professionally," Cho said. Just then, Ginny remembered something.
"I'd better go before Blaise sees me, the last thing I want to do is ruin your goodbye," Ginny said, looking around her. Cho's face fell slightly and her dark eyes grew sad.
"He told me he wasn't going to come," Cho said, with a small shrug. Ginny sighed heavily; upset that the one person she thought so highly of could be such a disappointment. Sensing Cho's feelings, she impulsively leaned in and gave the older girl a one-armed hug.
"He'll regret it tomorrow and send you a ridiculously apologetic letter telling you what an idiot he is," Ginny whispered. Cho laughed softly, nodding.
"You really don't know Blaise as well as you think you do," she said. At that, her assistant began tapping her on her shoulder, indicating that it was time to board the train. Waving goodbye to everyone one last time, Cho picked up the duffel bag that had been lying at her feet, and boarded the train.
Ginny watched it leave, feeling slightly wistful. Ever since Cho Chang had come to town, her life had certainly taken on surreal qualities, and as eager as she was to see an end to the chaotic incidents that kept happening to her, a small part of her was going to miss the excitement. After the train rounded the bend, and the only sign of it was the puff of white smoke trailing behind it, the crowd began to disperse. Ginny remained, her new broomstick clutched firmly in her hands, her mind full of all the possibilities that were now within in her reach. A real Firebolt, she thought happily to herself.
As she started to walk away from the station, plans of testing out the new broomstick dancing in her head, she stopped when she saw the tall, dark form of Blaise Zabini walking towards her, followed by Draco Malfoy. Incensed, she dashed towards him, anger permeating every one of her footsteps.
"When did you get here?" she demanded furiously. Blaise looked at her in surprise, and shrugged. "How long have you been here?"
"About an hour," Malfoy answered, a pointed look in his friend's direction.
"You heard what she said the other night! You know that she said that if you asked her to stay, she wouldn't know what to do! You had a chance and wouldn't ever take it; you just let her walk out of your life like that. You are such a coward, how could you let that happen? You have to work for what you want in life, to go after it with everything you have because it isn't just going to magically happen for you. Put yourself out there, take a risk. Go after her, if she's what you really want! Do ANYTHING except sit around here and wallow in your own misery!" Ginny cried emphatically, growing more incensed as Blaise listened to her rant with a calm, amused expression on his face. "And why are you smiling?"
"Because you're right," he said, holding up a train ticket. "That's why I'm taking the next train out, to go after her. If she can't stay here, then I'll have to go where she is."
Ginny gaped at him for a moment, feeling elated. But at the same time, staring up at him as he smiled at her so happily, she couldn’t help but feel a stab of envy, knowing that he was about to make a serious romantic gesture for another girl - an annoyingly perfect girl who was incredibly nice and just gave her an amazing broomstick so she wasn’t even able to hate her for it. Watching him smile, Ginny felt a wave of admiration for him and found herself fancying him even more than ever.
"That was a great speech, though," he said with a sly smile. "And if I already hadn't decided to go, I'm sure that would have convinced me."
Ginny laughed, feeling slightly embarrassed about her outburst, and was unsure what to say. Blaise reached forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, leaning down so that they were eye-to-eye.
"I'm sorry I was horrible to you the other day. You were just trying to be a good friend, even if you were overstepping your bounds," he said softly. Ginny shrugged slightly; painfully aware of how close he was to her. He suddenly learned forward, and before her mind could process what was happening, he was kissing her forehead and ruffling her hair, in a very big-brotherish manner that instantly reminded her of her brother Charlie. "Keep Malfoy in line for me while I'm gone, he sometimes loses his head and needs someone to screw it back on for him."
"I'd much prefer trying to beat some sense into him," Ginny muttered, glancing over Blaise's shoulder to see Malfoy standing nearby, glowering at them with his arms crossed. Blaise laughed.
"No, he'd like that too much," he chided, causing Ginny to recoil in horror.
"What?" she cried, her face flaming from embarrassment. Blaise didn't respond, he just threw his head back and laughed before patting her on the shoulder one last time. She watched him with wide eyes, still reeling from his quip. He walked up to Draco, and the two of them seemed to be engaged in a serious talk that Ginny couldn't hear. It didn't really matter all that much, because at that moment, Pansy and her group of friends had caught wind of the fact that Blaise Zabini was leaving Hogsmeade and had come galloping forward, eager to verify that fact from the source and lament the departure of one of their most prized male possessions.
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Weasley was standing off to the side as everyone said their prolonged goodbyes; nearly three quarters of an hour passed before Blaise was finally free of the frenzied mob, which gave him just enough time to board the next train heading London before it departed.
"I don't see why you wouldn't just Apparate, my father got the license for you a year ago," Draco said to his friend as he walked him towards the door. "It would save you all this time and trouble, and you'd be there waiting for her."
"I need that time to figure out what I'm going to say to her to explain why I'm there," Blaise said, with a nervous laugh. Blaise took a deep breath, and seemed to be preparing himself to say something that made him uncomfortable. "Thanks, Draco... you know, for what you said."
"Don't thank me," he responded stiffly, looking away. "Just repeating the lecture I got from Nymphadora."
"Don't do anything stupid," Blaise said, with a teasingly pointed look in Weasley's direction, who was hovering as close to the group watching Blaise leave as she could without actually being a part of it, patently avoiding the taunts that Parkinson was trying to throw at her. Draco followed his gaze, and grimaced when he realized what Blaise meant. "Or should I say, stop being stupid?"
"Just get on the bloody train, wanker. After all this commotion, you'd look like a buggering idiot if it were to leave without you," Draco said, pushing his friend towards the steps. "Try not to let Cho stomp all over your heart with her fancy designer heels."
"I'll be back when I've got the girl, once and for all," Blaise said, before finally climbing up the steps and disappearing.
As he stood, watching the train carrying his best friend pull away from the station, Draco was still amazed at how far Blaise was willing to go, for a girl he wasn't even sure felt the same as him. He was leaving behind his last year at school, his friends and was probably going to have to face a few stout lectures from his parents, who were much more involved in their son's life than other parents who were important and powerful in the wizarding world. All this, Blaise was leaving behind, and he had no guarantee that Cho would even want him there with her.
Draco's eyes zeroed in on Ginny Weasley, who was watching the train pull out of the station with a far-off look in her eye. Remembering what she'd yelled at Blaise, her words ran through his mind. You have to work for what you want in life, to go after it with everything you have because it isn't just going to magically happen for you. Put yourself out there, take a risk, she had yelled, her eyes lit with her anger. Coupled with the lecture that Nymphadora had given him the night before, as he watched her watching Blaise's train leave, a sudden bolt of determination ran down his spine as he realized what he wanted.
The cacophony of noise the engine was making was almost deafening, but Draco ignored it as he strode forward, ruthlessly pushing people out of his way. He stopped abruptly right in front of her, breaking her view of the train and causing her to look up, an annoyed frown on her face.
"What?" she asked warily. He paused, gearing himself up, searching for the right way to say what he wanted.
"Saturday. Town Square. Be there at one o'clock. Or else," he barked, sounding far more threatening than he'd intended. Feeling triumphant that he'd done what Nymphadora had suggested, he turned and marched away, leaving Weasley standing in a crowded of shocked spectators, whispering among themselves in amazement that Draco Malfoy - Draco Malfoy! - had just asked The Weasel out on a date.
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A/N: Sorry for the ridiculously long wait for this chapter... what can I say? It is almost 30 pages long, though... Just as a reminder, I write long chapters for this fic, and the delay between updates can be quite awhile - but I frequently post portions of upcoming updates on my LiveJournal (you can find the link on my bio page).
Aspects of the chapter I cannot claim as my own (ie. they come from HYD -anime, manga or Live Action, or Meteor Garden):
-Tonk's role as an "older sister" character, and her no-nonsense attitude towards Draco is straight out of HYD. I had to horribly manipulate her background and some of her character in order to make her fit, but she seemed like the only option (I was considering using Bellatrix, but there is WAY too much emotional baggage for her);
-the conversation between Cho and Blaise on the balcony that Ginny overhears is from Meteor Garden (Taiwanese version of HYD), although the dialogue is mine, the gist of it comes from MG;
-Tonk's attacking Malfoy in front of Ginny, her speech about love and the way it acts as an enlightening moment to Draco;
-Ginny and Cho's conversation in the Three Broomsticks, and the fact that Blaise overhears it;
-Ginny going to see Cho off, Cho giving her a present (in HYD, it was shoes), Blaise showing up late and Ginny lecturing him;
-Blaise leaving, and the fact that Malfoy demands that Ginny go on a date with him (because that's exactly what he was doing).
The rest, such as it is, was all mine.
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