Disclaimer: Aye, belongs to some hen called Joanne, so it does. (How us Glaswegian folk would say it ) Also the lovely poem belongs to a fabulous dude called James Fenton, it’s called ‘Nothing’.

Nothing

I take a jewel from a junk shop tray,
And wish I had a love to buy it for.
Nothing I choose will make you turn my way,
Nothing I give you will make you love me more.

Draco watches as she finishes breakfast and gets up from her table, slinging her bag onto her shoulder and chatting away to friends as they walk to their first class. He rises quickly and hurries after her, hoping that she would talk to him today. He bites his lip; a habit he realises he has picked up from her.

The girls are discussing the potions essay when Ginny hears her name being called. She turns around, somewhat reluctantly, – she knows that voice too well.

“What do you want Malfoy?” she says coldly.

“You,” he feels like saying to her, “The only thing I want is you.” Instead Draco reaches into his cloak and pulls out a beatifully wrapped box.

“This is for you,” he says handing it to her.

Ginny takes a quick step back, surprised. “Eh, no thanks Malfoy, but as a general rule – I don’t take presents from deatheaters.”

“Look Gin, - it's nothing okay- just take it!” Draco says whispering furiously, so only she can hear.

Ginny scoffs and rolls her eyes. “First of all, Malfoy – it's Weasley to you, don’t presume that you can take liberties with me and secondly, like I said before - no! So you know what? Why don’t you just fuck off ferret boy, and leave me the hell alone!”

She turns back around to her friends, who laugh loudly at him as they leave for class. Draco stands there, alone, as students pour out of the Great Hall and classes begin.

I know that I’ve embarrassed you too long,
And I’m ashamed to linger at your door.
Whatever I embark on will be wrong,
Nothing I do will make you love me more.

Ginny blushes as her roomates recount the incident with Malfoy.

“I think he has a crush on you or something, Gin,” says Alice, a paticularly loud Gryffindor.

“Yeah right!” says Ginny, rolling her eyes. “ I bet his cronies were watching – probably just another one of Malfoy’s ingenious plans to make me look stupid or something – being the dickhead we all know he is!”

The girls laugh in agreement and Ginny bites her lip, wishing that Draco would just leave her alone.


It’s nearly one o’ clock and he lurks near the Gryffindor entrance, submered in the shadows, hoping to all Hell that nobody will see him. He doesn’t know how long he will stand here but there is little else he can do – she still haunts his dreams and he will do anything to seek her forgiveness.

Draco closes his eyes and leans against the wall when he hears somebody squeak.

“Malfoy? Is that you? What are you doing here?

Draco opens his eyes to see Longbottom squinting at him in the darkness. “Mind your own fucking business, Longbottom,” he snarls.

He storms away from a puzzled looking Longbottom, not quite sure what he’s more ashamed of – at being caught near Gryffindor or how far he would go just to be nearer to her.


The next moring, during breakfast, a large owl swoops down to land in front of Ginny; a letter and chocolates attached to it. She takes the letter, opening it swiftly – she knows it’s from him, and after briefly skimming it, she points her wand to it -effectively turning it into ash. The chocolates, however, she passes around the table, without taking one herself, he notices.

This time she gets up and walks out the Great Hall alone, not even glancing at the Slytherin table, a deep frown on her face.

I cannot work. I cannot read or write.
How can I frame a letter to implore.
Eloquence is a lie. The truth is trite,
Nothing I say will make you love me more.

“Mister Malfoy, daydreaming will not help you pass your NEWTs! Back to your work, if you please.”

“Of course professor,” he says scowling, before glaring at the turtle waiting to be transformed. He fiddles around, waiting for the class to end so that this God awful week can be over. He thinks half-heartedly that maybe he can speak to her this Saturday, in Hogsmeade.

Pansy waves her hand in front of his face, “Earth to Malfoy, wake up mate!” Draco blinks and glares at his friend, “ Piss off, Parkinson!” before turning his attention back to the book he was trying to read. Pansy sighs dramatically, “Have you tried talking to her or even explaining it in a letter?” Draco scowls at the pretty, dark haired girl. “Of course I have you stupid cow, What do you think!” Pansy shrugs and stares at him for a minute, “Why don’t you just tell her the truth?” Draco looks at Pansy but doesn’t give her an answer; he knows why he doesn’t tell her – because she’ll never believe him.


He’s thankful that she’s standing alone when he spots he on the third floor, that same night. He grabs her by the arm and pulls her into the nearest empty classroom.

“Malfoy, get your fucking hands off of me right now! Let me go!” she shouts, angrily.

“Ginny, just listen to me, just hear me out.”

“Get out of my way Malfoy, or I swear I will fucking kill you!”

“Ginevra , please,” his tone, a transparent plea.

Ginny looks away, his normally arrogance unapparent and his tone uncharacteristically reverent. She sighs, “Fine Malfoy, you have two minutes, make it quick – I’m meeting my boyfriend soon.”

Draco winces at her mention of ‘boyfriend’ but tries to look unaffected.

“Ginny, you have to understand, there was no way I could refuse – I didn’t even have a say in the matter! You know my father isn’t exactly the most understanding of people. What exactly could I do?”

“You had a choice Draco, everybody has a choice! You could have spoken to Dumbledore or Snape or even to me! You had a choice – you were just too weak to make it!”

Draco laughs bitterly, “Choice?! You think I would have gotten this fucking mark if I had a choice? Be realistic Gin, when the Dark Lord wants something- he gets it, fucking choice or not. And what exactly would you have done – got Saint scarhead to rescue me? I really don’t think so, Ginny.”

“You’re telling me to be realistic, Draco? Why don’t you try it, huh? You really think I’m going to lower myself by still going out with you, a bloody deatheater?”

“Tell me what to do then Ginny, seeing as you’re all wise now – tell me! I’m fucking head over heels in love with this girl who hates me and no matter how hard I try I just can’t stop thinking of her, I’m still fucking obsessed with her! What do you think I should do Ginevra?”

Ginny looks at him in shock. Normally the epitome of calm, Draco stands before her trembling and pained, looking more like a little boy than an evil young man.

She sighs, speaking more softly, “Even if I do love you, Draco, what kind of fucked up future would we have? How would I introduce you to my family? What place would we have in this world?”

Ginny shakes her head. “Don’t you see, Draco, it’s pointless, this would never work between us- give it up.” She turns to leave, but he quickly leans down and kisses her hard, as if the kiss could make her change her mind, make her stay. Ginny pushes him back with some difficulty and great reluctance and then, without even a goodbye, she walks out of the classroom.

Draco runs his hand over his face before kicking a nearby desk. “I’m sorry Ginny, I’m sorry. Why can’t you just understand that?” He realises he has never felt so hurt.

So I replace the jewel in the junk shop tray
And laughingly pretend I’m far too poor.
Nothing I give, nothing I do or say,
Nothing I am will make you love me more.

Draco picks up the beautiful necklace, – expensive and elegant- his eyes lingering on the precious brown stone in its centre. He remembers painfully, how similar the colour of her eyes are to the striking stone. He hates it how even the smallest thing reminds him of her.

Draco tosses the necklace back onto the counter, and speaks to the man behind the counter. “This necklace is vastly over the value – I doubt it’s worth the money. Even a Malfoy, rich as we are, would not be dim-witted as to waste our galleons on this stuff!”

He struts out of the shop and into the streets of Hogsmeade, so deep in thought, that he fails to notice the girl who has plaugued his mind daily, approaching until she is in full view- her arm wrapped carelessly around the waist of some Hufflepuff, and a smile on her face. Draco grimaces, he feels uncomfortable at seeing her with another boy. Just then she catches him looking at her and for a moment neither move; their eyes locked. She looks away first, embarrassed, and her face turns pink as she marches off with her Hufflepuff towards a group of girls.

Draco stares at her a while longer, noticing how the trademark Weasley hair glints in the autumn sun, before he too walks off towards the Hog’s Head, where his father -and his future- await him.