Ginny woke all at once the next morning. The events of the previous night stuck in her head. She had been on the roof with Draco Malfoy, and had had an actual conversation.
…and the ritual. She had wanted to see if Harry was still her love, to understand her own heart.
Ginny had done this many times over her during her relationship with Harry. Maybe it was set up so she would stay “true” to Harry, but wasn’t that the purpose?
She rose from the bed and took a quick shower. The warm water seemed to melt her worries away. Ginny dressed quickly and went down to get breakfast.
She took a plateful of pancakes and- after stealing it from Ron- added a generous amount of syrup.
Across the room she noticed a pair of eyes. A lone figure sat at the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy appeared to be the only Slytherin awake.
Ginny smiled quietly at him. His expression didn’t change.
Breakfast seemed to take forever for Ginny. She tried to concentrate on whatever Hermione was talking about; however, whenever she looked up she saw Draco’s eyes on her.
“Ginny?” Ron asked. “Are you alright?”
“Yes,” she responded distractedly. “Yes I’m fine.”
Ron followed her gaze to the Slytherin table. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m not going to go snog him, Ron! Harry would-” she broke off suddenly.
“Ginny…” Ron said quietly. “Harry’s gone. He’s not coming back.”
“I know, Ron,” she whispered. The tears she expected to come to her eyes did not, but instead gathered in a lump in her throat. “…I know.” She rose from the table and fled from the hall.
A hand on her shoulder stopped her as she began to climb the stairs. Draco Malfoy’s grey eyes looked her up and down. “What do you want Malfoy?” she asked, barely managing to keep her voice calm.
“Are you alright?”
She stared through him. Watching the painting on the wall behind him.
“What do you care?” she asked, her voice low and choked.
“I- Ginny-”
“Don’t!” Her voice rang out and he flinched.
I know your games, Malfoy. I may have trusted you last night but I know who you are.”
“I’ve never been-”
“Drop the act, Malfoy! You are not this weak. If you want a girl, go find a different one.”
He grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him.
“My heart is not my own,” she murmured. “It has not returned.” She fled.
Draco looked after her for a moment before his face was slammed into the hard stone wall, narrowly missing a painting.
“What did you do to her?” Ron Weasley spat in his face.
“Nothing,” he gasped out through crushed lungs.
The larger boy was pulled off him and Draco met a wand to his face. “I don’t believe you. What did you do?”
“Nothing, Weasley. I asked your sister if she was alright and she flipped on me.” Composing himself he added, “And I’ll thank you to keep your filthy hands off my robes.” The insult was weak and he knew it.
“Since when did you care, Malfoy?”
Draco paused. “I don’t know.”
Ginny’s brother stared at him a while longer. “Stay away from her, Malfoy.” He went up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.
Draco touched the piece of paper in his pocket. “Don’t know if I can.”
Looking around he realized the hallway was empty.
As small snake statue sat in the corner. “Where did you come from?”
The emerald eyes gleamed and Draco hissed. “You…”
The snake grinned back. “Yes, me.”
“You had something to do with Ginny panicking, didn’t you?”
“I was merely trying to persuade her to listen to you and she was fighting back.”
“I can handle my own personal life, thank you.” Draco turned away.
“Look at me child,” the snake hissed.
He did.
“I am merely trying to help you. Trust me. I’ll fix everything.”
Draco watched the snake again. “Alright.”
A hoofed foot brought itself into the clearing. All was still. The black-maned centaur held his crossbow out, watching for motion in the trees.
“You are not welcome here, outsider.” A centaur with a light brown color stood on the other side of the clearing. He had blades strapped to his sides and a long bow drawn in his hands. His face resembled Azlidun’s, thin and calm, but it had less lines on it, less years.
“I wish to speak with the council,” the darker creature stated.
“You are not to pass, banished one.”
“And would you stop me, brother?”
“Don’t call me that. I no longer know you.” His finger twitched on the bowstring.
“You know me. Twenty years we lived together.”
“Those days are over now. They were over the second you saved that girl. That human.” He spat the word.
“She was innocent. She had done nothing.”
“And so you are banished for it?” The tawny one stepped forward. “Just go, banished one. Go.”
“Not until I see the council.”
His brother shook his head. “I cannot let you pass.”
Azlidun put his crossbow on the ground and drew his sword. “I challenge you to a duel.”
The younger’s eyes grew wide. “Don’t be a fool. I’ve always been a better swordsman.”
“So you refuse my challenge?”
The longbow was placed on the ground. “No. I do not refuse you.” He drew two thin blades from the sheath at his flank.
Azlidun held his sword in front of him until both blades had touched his own, more solid one.
The two circled one another. Azlidun feinted twice, causing his brother to flinch backwards.
Azlidun’s sturdy blade slashed towards his brother’s side. One thin sword came up in a weak block while the other slipped towards his exposed flank.
Azlidun reversed his swing to block the thin sword. Before he could bring around a counter swing, both of his brother’s swords were being swung at him in quick succession.
He blocked the blows as best he could with his single sword. When one of the slim blades cut too close to his fore leg, he reared up, batting both blades back with his hooves.
His brother stumbled back from him, trying to regain his balance.
Azlidun lunged forward making a stab at his brother’s exposed hip.
His brother’s weapon was brought up to smack the stab away.
Azlidun swung at his shoulder. The second sword parried, and shattered.
“Ah!” The council’s guard gasped in pain.
The dark coated one pulled his blade from the lighter’s flesh.
Azlidun walked to the path through the trees, cleaning and sheathing his sword.
A red-haired centaur slipped past him. He stopped her with a gesture. “The wound is not too serious, it will need very little to heal.” She nodded silently and moved to take care of the fallen combatant.
She knelt by him, softly dressing the wound after thoroughly cleansing it.
“When did the outsider become so strong?”
She glanced at his face, looking into his eyes. “I would assume that when one lives alone in the forest, as Wind-speaker does, one must fight to survive.
“You still call him that, my childhood friend?”
“Yes,” she said quietly.
“Why? He has disobeyed the laws of our people. He was banished for his actions. Why do you still have respect for him?” He stood as she pulled the bandage tight around his shoulder.
Naliana looked into his eyes. “I believe his actions were noble. Without him the girl would have died.” She walked along the path Azlidun had followed. “That is why I still respect him.”
She stopped and turned. “That is why I still trust him”
…and the ritual. She had wanted to see if Harry was still her love, to understand her own heart.
Ginny had done this many times over her during her relationship with Harry. Maybe it was set up so she would stay “true” to Harry, but wasn’t that the purpose?
She rose from the bed and took a quick shower. The warm water seemed to melt her worries away. Ginny dressed quickly and went down to get breakfast.
She took a plateful of pancakes and- after stealing it from Ron- added a generous amount of syrup.
Across the room she noticed a pair of eyes. A lone figure sat at the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy appeared to be the only Slytherin awake.
Ginny smiled quietly at him. His expression didn’t change.
Breakfast seemed to take forever for Ginny. She tried to concentrate on whatever Hermione was talking about; however, whenever she looked up she saw Draco’s eyes on her.
“Ginny?” Ron asked. “Are you alright?”
“Yes,” she responded distractedly. “Yes I’m fine.”
Ron followed her gaze to the Slytherin table. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m not going to go snog him, Ron! Harry would-” she broke off suddenly.
“Ginny…” Ron said quietly. “Harry’s gone. He’s not coming back.”
“I know, Ron,” she whispered. The tears she expected to come to her eyes did not, but instead gathered in a lump in her throat. “…I know.” She rose from the table and fled from the hall.
A hand on her shoulder stopped her as she began to climb the stairs. Draco Malfoy’s grey eyes looked her up and down. “What do you want Malfoy?” she asked, barely managing to keep her voice calm.
“Are you alright?”
She stared through him. Watching the painting on the wall behind him.
“What do you care?” she asked, her voice low and choked.
“I- Ginny-”
“Don’t!” Her voice rang out and he flinched.
I know your games, Malfoy. I may have trusted you last night but I know who you are.”
“I’ve never been-”
“Drop the act, Malfoy! You are not this weak. If you want a girl, go find a different one.”
He grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him.
“My heart is not my own,” she murmured. “It has not returned.” She fled.
Draco looked after her for a moment before his face was slammed into the hard stone wall, narrowly missing a painting.
“What did you do to her?” Ron Weasley spat in his face.
“Nothing,” he gasped out through crushed lungs.
The larger boy was pulled off him and Draco met a wand to his face. “I don’t believe you. What did you do?”
“Nothing, Weasley. I asked your sister if she was alright and she flipped on me.” Composing himself he added, “And I’ll thank you to keep your filthy hands off my robes.” The insult was weak and he knew it.
“Since when did you care, Malfoy?”
Draco paused. “I don’t know.”
Ginny’s brother stared at him a while longer. “Stay away from her, Malfoy.” He went up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.
Draco touched the piece of paper in his pocket. “Don’t know if I can.”
Looking around he realized the hallway was empty.
As small snake statue sat in the corner. “Where did you come from?”
The emerald eyes gleamed and Draco hissed. “You…”
The snake grinned back. “Yes, me.”
“You had something to do with Ginny panicking, didn’t you?”
“I was merely trying to persuade her to listen to you and she was fighting back.”
“I can handle my own personal life, thank you.” Draco turned away.
“Look at me child,” the snake hissed.
He did.
“I am merely trying to help you. Trust me. I’ll fix everything.”
Draco watched the snake again. “Alright.”
A hoofed foot brought itself into the clearing. All was still. The black-maned centaur held his crossbow out, watching for motion in the trees.
“You are not welcome here, outsider.” A centaur with a light brown color stood on the other side of the clearing. He had blades strapped to his sides and a long bow drawn in his hands. His face resembled Azlidun’s, thin and calm, but it had less lines on it, less years.
“I wish to speak with the council,” the darker creature stated.
“You are not to pass, banished one.”
“And would you stop me, brother?”
“Don’t call me that. I no longer know you.” His finger twitched on the bowstring.
“You know me. Twenty years we lived together.”
“Those days are over now. They were over the second you saved that girl. That human.” He spat the word.
“She was innocent. She had done nothing.”
“And so you are banished for it?” The tawny one stepped forward. “Just go, banished one. Go.”
“Not until I see the council.”
His brother shook his head. “I cannot let you pass.”
Azlidun put his crossbow on the ground and drew his sword. “I challenge you to a duel.”
The younger’s eyes grew wide. “Don’t be a fool. I’ve always been a better swordsman.”
“So you refuse my challenge?”
The longbow was placed on the ground. “No. I do not refuse you.” He drew two thin blades from the sheath at his flank.
Azlidun held his sword in front of him until both blades had touched his own, more solid one.
The two circled one another. Azlidun feinted twice, causing his brother to flinch backwards.
Azlidun’s sturdy blade slashed towards his brother’s side. One thin sword came up in a weak block while the other slipped towards his exposed flank.
Azlidun reversed his swing to block the thin sword. Before he could bring around a counter swing, both of his brother’s swords were being swung at him in quick succession.
He blocked the blows as best he could with his single sword. When one of the slim blades cut too close to his fore leg, he reared up, batting both blades back with his hooves.
His brother stumbled back from him, trying to regain his balance.
Azlidun lunged forward making a stab at his brother’s exposed hip.
His brother’s weapon was brought up to smack the stab away.
Azlidun swung at his shoulder. The second sword parried, and shattered.
“Ah!” The council’s guard gasped in pain.
The dark coated one pulled his blade from the lighter’s flesh.
Azlidun walked to the path through the trees, cleaning and sheathing his sword.
A red-haired centaur slipped past him. He stopped her with a gesture. “The wound is not too serious, it will need very little to heal.” She nodded silently and moved to take care of the fallen combatant.
She knelt by him, softly dressing the wound after thoroughly cleansing it.
“When did the outsider become so strong?”
She glanced at his face, looking into his eyes. “I would assume that when one lives alone in the forest, as Wind-speaker does, one must fight to survive.
“You still call him that, my childhood friend?”
“Yes,” she said quietly.
“Why? He has disobeyed the laws of our people. He was banished for his actions. Why do you still have respect for him?” He stood as she pulled the bandage tight around his shoulder.
Naliana looked into his eyes. “I believe his actions were noble. Without him the girl would have died.” She walked along the path Azlidun had followed. “That is why I still respect him.”
She stopped and turned. “That is why I still trust him”
Author notes: Please keep reviewing. Sorry this took so long!
Leave a Review