Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter or anything created by J.K. Rowling and/or Warner Bros., but I do own everything you don't recognize (i.e. the plot/storyline, certain characters, certain settings, etc.)
Part I : Chapter One : Runaway
'Twas a rather lazy evening around the town of Ottery St. Catchpole and the sun was only just still in the sky. The orange flush it gave still lingered over the countryside. On the outskirts of the town, the woods were filled with a calm murmur of various birds and creatures. Neither bears nor any other beasts could be found within many, many miles of this serene forest. But there was a girl.
She was running as fast as she could, as though she was fleeing from You-Know-Who. She was not older than maybe six or even seven years old. She was a small thing with fiery red hair and wearing a denim overall dress. The patchwork was easily made out, making it look more frayed and worn than it actually was. Her brown boots looked as dirty as they could get.
Dodging the logs and branches blocking her path was not a very easy task, especially since her vision was obscured by tears. She let out a yelp when her dress suddenly caught on a branch, tripping her. She tumbled painfully to the ground, and she instinctively used her hands to catch herself. The impact was painful nonetheless.
When she got up, she saw the scrapes and rawness on her hands. There was some blood on her knee, but her dress covered the wound from view. Her tears had slowly stopped trailing down her face by this point. It's not like she was crying about banging up her knee or scraping her hands. She wasn't a baby.
She didn't really want to think about the real reason behind her tears. It was completely selfish, and she knew it. She sniffled a little, wiping her tear-streaked, blotchy face with the back of her forearm. She contemplated going back home, realizing how much they would worry and how much trouble she would be in.
A nearby rustling interrupted her thoughts. Her head turned to the left and she saw a shadow disappearing from view. Her head swivelled to the right when she heard it again. According to her family (mainly her brothers), these woods were filled with all kinds of dangerous animals. Bears, snakes, and even Dementors!
She took off again, not paying much attention to where she was going now. She just wanted to get away from whatever was out there. She didn't know how long she ran, but to her small body, it felt like hours. She very nearly ran straight into the river upon reaching its clearing, but she stopped at its bank just in time. Following the river's path with her eyes, she couldn't see where it ended or began. The river wasn't too wide, but it looked dangerous. The water was moving quickly in furious rapids, and it was frothing on the surface. Across the river was more forest.
Ginny had enough common sense to know that attempting to cross this river could only lead to disaster. Besides, she no longer heard the rustling, and felt she had run far enough.
Ginny turned to face the direction she had come from, but she stopped halfway when she saw something oddly out of place. A boy was looking straight at her from farther down her side of the river. He was looking at her like she was crazy, but Ginny stared at him in plain shock. What were the chances of finding someone else out in the middle of the woods? Neither kid moved. For a few moments, it seemed as though the forest grew completely silent.
More rustling coming from nearby shattered the silence. Both children turned their heads towards the area of the forest Ginny had come out of as squirrel ran up a tree trunk.
Ginny let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She placed a hand over her heart in a dramatic fashion. Her breath was ragged from the run. Her body was not yet ready for such physical labour, plus crying out all those tears had left her quite thirsty. She hunched over, bracing her hands on her thighs like a marathon runner in need of a break.
"You know, squirrels aren't that scary. I'd understand if you were running from a dragon or something, but a squirrel?"
The boy's voice was sarcastic and cold, nearly sending a chill down the young girl's spine. Unused to such icy words, she straightened up and turned her eyes on him. He had maybe a year or two on Ginny. He had really light brown hair reaching down to the top of his eyebrows in a bed-head look. It looked like it hadn't been brushed in quite some time. His face was a bit too angular for a kid, and he looked awfully dainty.
He seemed to look her over with analytical eyes, looking from her worn old boots to the top of her red, shoulder-length hair. All the while, he wore a condescending look. Ginny's temper flared a bit, so she crossed her arms across her chest and raised her chin.
"You know, dragons don't exist," she told him, her voice as matter-of-fact as she could make it.
"Yes they do," he informed her, sounding more confident than she felt.
"Oh, I thought you were a Muggle. So you're a wiz–?" she paused at the murderous glare he sent her.
"I most certainly am not a low-life Muggle," he informed her in a contemptuous manner. "I am a pure-blood wizard. My blood's as pure as Salazar Slytherin himself! I'm guessing you're a mudblood then."
Ginny was slightly taken aback by his reaction, and she gasped when he said the m-word. She didn't fail to notice the accusatory tone in his voice when he said she must be a mudblood.
"You're not allowed to say that! My mum says it's a horrid name that isn't allowed in our home. Your mum probably doesn't want you saying it neither," she rambled. She told this boy because it seemed like the right thing to do. Surely he didn't know what the word meant if he threw it around so casually. "Besides, I'm a pureblood, like you," she added, approaching him.
"I'm well aware of the fact that it's a bad word," he informed her. That surprised her. "And you and I are nothing alike! Just look at you, in patched-up old rags and not real clothing," he insulted, glaring at the overall dress she wore. "You and your family must love Muggles, seeing as how you're just as filthy as they are," he added.
"Who do you think you are, to go 'round saying stuff like that?" she demanded, her hands going to her hips as she continued to look at him. Fury was building in her, turning her cheeks red as she fumed. She couldn't believe him!
The boy smirked at her, brushing aside his light brown bangs with a rather haughty air. "Draco Malfoy, the heir to the Malfoy estate in Wiltshire, England."
"Well, I'm Ginevra Molly Weasley. I'm the first girl born into the Weasley line for generations, and proud of it!" she declared just as haughtily. "My family could beat your family easy! People who think like you are just bullies," she said naïvely, not knowing exactly who the Malfoys were. She assumed that they were just a bunch of jerks who kept to themselves and their Muggle-hating ways.
"I'd like to see you and your family try."
Ginny then proceeded to shove the older boy as hard as she could. He fell to the ground out of surprise, not because she was strong enough to knock him down (she definitely wasn't).
"Still think we haven't got a chance?" she asked furiously, her cheeks still flaming red with anger. Draco was shocked, and he looked down at his hand which had landed on an awkwardly-placed stick. There was a little blood from a decent sized cut, but no permanent damage. He slowly got to his feet and, for a moment, Ginny thought he might hit her back.
"You're so lucky you're a girl, Ginevra," he said, examining his scraped hand. "I cannot believe that you just did that…" he added, sounding awestruck and looking at her as if she were an alien.
Ginny's temper dissipated when she realized what she had just done. Her muddy brown eyes widened considerably as she gaped at him. She shouldn't have pushed him. She'd never really hurt anyone before (except her brothers, but they didn't count). She wasn't a violent child; actually, she was the complete opposite. She hated when her brothers fought for real, and she was always trying to keep the peace back home.
"Merlin! Draco, I'm sorry! It's just that you were making me so mad!" she said, looking anxiously at the tiny amount of blood across the palm of his hand. She really hadn't meant to hurt him… Okay, so she had, but she hadn't thought of the consequences!
"Is your hand okay?" she asked, looking deeply concerned.
"Meh, don't worry about it. It's just a scratch," he dismissed, shoving his hand into his pocket and averting his eyes. He was a little embarrassed about having her so worried about him. Usually, only house elves would enquire to his well-being, and that's only because if they didn't, they would have to punish themselves. Ginevra seemed much better company than those toe rags, though.
He glanced again at the redhead. It was rare that he met kids whom his parents hadn't approved of first. Father insisted he only collaborate with those who are worthy of his attention, and only if he had something worthwhile to gain from their acquaintanceship (Draco assumed that was a fancy way of saying friendship). He couldn't see anything that he had to gain from Ginevra. He offered Ginevra a wry grin. His parents would never approve, and that was the deciding factor.
"No hard feelings. I shouldn't have said those things, I'm sorry," he said, a boyish look coming over his face. His parents would have had a heart attack! Malfoys never said sorry, especially when they weren't even asked for an apology.
"Wanna be friends, Ginevra?" Draco offered, his lip twitching as he held back a snarky smirk. He held out his hand to her.
Ginny was surprised, to say the least. Just a moment ago, that stuck up brat had been saying awful things and being nasty. Maybe she'd knocked some sense into him? He sounded awfully sincere, and Ginny smiled. Wait until Ron heard about her meeting a new friend!
She took his hand as she spoke, "Call me Ginny, though." Draco agreed, and they shook on it.
"So where's your family? Are you guys camping or something?" Ginny asked after they had released hands. She was not so sure where they stood with each other now. He hadn't seemed mad or anything, but you can never be too careful.
Upon closer inspection, the way he dressed did not suggest a camping trip. He was wearing a pair of relatively clean black slacks and a white, button-up dress shirt. The shirt had obviously been altered: the sleeves were torn off, probably by Draco himself, revealing skinny arms. He had an expensive-looking cloak tied around his waist, too, which his scraped hand was still shoved into.
"Not exactly," Draco mumbled, turning away from the now-confused Ginny. He started walking towards a row of bushes covered in berries. Ginny followed closely behind.
"You know, as friends, you're not supposed to keep secrets," she complained, crossing her arms as she followed.
Draco hadn't known that before. Father always told him to never let anyone know how he was feeling unless he could trust them with his life. He said you can't trust friends with your life, only family. But sometimes, his father lied about things. Draco knew that much. For once, he decided to take someone else's word as opposed to his father's.
"Well, I ran away from home and I don't want to go back."
Ginny hadn't expected him to tell her, but apparently she'd done something to change his mind. "Isn't your family going to worry, though?"
"They don't care about me, so probably not," Draco mumbled in reply. He examined the berry bush with careful eyes. He was hungry, and hadn't eaten since yesterday evening. As he was reaching out towards a particularly large, navy blue berry, Ginny's hand appeared and smacked his away.
"Those are poisonous, you idiot!" she snapped, looking at Draco as if he had lost his mind. "Are you sure that you're cut out to have run away to the woods? No offence, but you don't seem very outdoorsy."
"Either way, I'm not going home. I'd rather starve than go back to that place," he said stubbornly, scowling as he turned away.
"Hey, um, where are you staying anyway?" she wondered, excitement entering her voice. "Can I come see?"
Draco shrugged his shoulders but did not turn around. "I'm going there now. Come or don't, I don't care," he said, though his stomach dropped when he thought of being all alone again.
Ginny ran up to him and matched pace as he headed deeper into the forest. It was only then that she noticed how much darker it was than when she had run off from home. She glanced towards the sky and couldn't make out where the sun was. There was just a very light orange glow, and she could even see some stars appearing.
"Where are we?" she asked, squinting around at the surrounding area. Her eyes weren't easily adjusting to the darkness.
"I dunno exactly," Draco told her honestly. "I found this place yesterday," he elaborated, pushing aside a rather large tangle of branches to reveal a very small clearing. It was only big enough to fit the tent.. In this clearing was a tent, which Ginny recognized as a magical tent. She'd never been in one, but Bill had, and he explained it to her once.
"Sure looks like you're camping," Ginny commented, stepping into the clearing. Draco released the branches and watched them swing back into place. Ginny didn't even wait for an invitation before entering the tent.
As he entered the tent, Draco couldn't help the small smile that crawled on his face at her amazement.
"Surely you've seen a magical tent before, right? You seem the 'outdoorsy' type."
Ginny shook her head, looking around in wonder. It was incredible! They had stepped into a living room. There was a kitchen to the right, straight ahead behind the living room was a dining room, and to the left there was a large bedroom, and all of it looked so luxurious! There were expensive-looking pottery and furniture, and the couch in the middle of the room they'd entered looked like black leather. Even the rugs and carpeting seemed luxurious, and looked like it'd be soft.
"This is wicked awesome! You could live out here for forever!" she said excitedly, looking towards Draco.
"I'm just glad I thought to grab this before I left home," he said, collapsing on the couch over one of the arm rests. Ginny giggled a bit, seeing that he had literally just flopped down. His messy, light brown hair was the only part of his head she could see, his face being buried into one of the cushions.
Draco lifted his head and tried to glare at her. His face kept breaking out into a smile, though. He sat up, kicking off his shoes and tossing the robe from his waist to the floor. He was really taking advantage of the fact that he didn't have house elves watching his every move and reporting to his parents.
"How'd you get out here? Do you live nearby?" she wondered, taking off her own shoes as well, then sitting a foot away from him.
"Well, long story short, I think I might have done a bit of under-age magic after running away. Somehow I ended up in this forest, which I don't recognize. I managed to grab this tent and some food before coming here, and put it all in a backpack. Took me a while to figure out how to set it up, though," he explained, relaxing against the couch. "I regret not bringing more food."
"You're out already?"
Draco nodded solemnly, not really wanting to talk about it. He was becoming more aware of the hunger pains in his stomach.
"When did you last eat, then?" she asked, sounding concerned.
"Yesterday."
"How about I bring you some food then?"
Draco looked over at the girl sceptically. "What do I have to do for you, then?" he asked warily. Ginny gave him a look that said she didn't understand. "In exchange for the food, what do I have to give you?" Draco said, exasperated.
Ginny thought he was kidding, but he looked dead serious.
"You're so weird, Draco," she finally said. He looked at her as if offended. She started to laugh at the look on his face and he narrowed his eyes. Had he just become friends with a lunatic? Maybe Father was right about these people.
"I'll give it to you free of charge. I thought we were going to be friends, after all," she said once she'd stifled the giggles. His look of seriousness had been ridiculous. He seemed so snooty at times, but in a funny way! "I'll bring you something tomorrow, as soon as I get the chance."
Draco was still a bit offended by her laughing at him, but this new piece of information delighted him. Apparently, you didn't have to pay friends for favours.
"All right then," he agreed, watching as Ginny gave a long yawn and rubbed her eyes. He was feeling quite tired himself. Having no food probably meant you have no energy. "So, uh, don't you think you should get back to your home now?"
Ginny's eyes seemed to widen. She got up and headed for the tent doorway, pushing aside the flap.
"Um…perhaps I could stay here for the night?" she asked, looking into the inky darkness of the outdoors. The sun had disappeared, and as far as she knew.
Draco shrugged when she looked over at him. "Suit yourself. We can camp out here in the living room," he said, hiding his excitement at the idea. Having company would be a welcome change from being alone. He had house elves for company at the Manor, and sometimes his mother would be with him, but it was never much fun with them. It was really rare that Father spent time with him, and when he did, it wasn't ever… pleasant. At all.
Draco went into the bedroom and grabbed the large feather pillows from the queen-sized bed he'd been sleeping in. They were so large that he could only hold one at a time. He dumped each on the carpet in the living room, then went back for the comforter.
"You sure it's okay that I stay here tonight?" she asked as he re-entered the living room. She was sitting quietly on the couch again. Draco looked over at her and watched her eyes start to droop. He felt a bit amused since she looked like she was barely able to keep her eyes open, let alone ask if it was okay to stay here.
"No Ginny. I've had a change of heart and you need to leave now," he said in an amused tone of voice. Ginny actually laughed. Who knew he had a sense of humour?
"I'm sure. It's kind of nice to have a bit of company after three days on my own," he said with another shrug of his shoulders. "Come here and help me with this," Draco said, gesturing to the coffee table in front of the couch. He grabbed one end and she grabbed the other. Together, they managed to move it far enough away from the couch to lay out the comforter.
"You take the couch, I'll take the floor," Draco said. Ginny was a little taken aback, but was too tired to argue at this point. She imagined that with carpeting like this, it probably wasn't that bad sleeping on the floor anyway. She yawned and took the pillow he offered her. She sat on the couch and watched as he put the other pillow on the floor right next to the couch.
"Thanks, Draco," she said, lying down on the pillow. The cool leather of the couch was actually quite comfortable as she settled down. From his place on the ground, he tossed the comforter over her and there was still plenty falling over the end of the couch for him.
She turned with her back to Draco and facing the back of the couch. She closed her eyes and her Draco saying goodnight. "Goodnight," she mumbled, falling asleep instantly.
Draco, however, was up for at least an hour more, fearing that the nightmares may come back. Eventually, the sounds of Ginny's breaths lulled him to sleep. Later on, he would be shocked when he realized that he hadn't had any nightmares.
-PC, TPR-
Ginny awoke to a blinding pain. "Ouch!" she complained, finding herself clutching her head. She rolled off of something and landed on the floor immediately.
"Gods, Ginny! You could've just woken me up with a simple 'Morning!'" Draco said from beside her, where he was sitting up and clutching his head. Ginny had rolled off the couch and she must have landed on Draco, leaving them both in pain.
"Sorry," Ginny murmured, getting to her feet, one hand still on her head. "Well… I should really head home. My mum and dad and brother are all probably worried about me," she told him hurriedly, knowing she was probably going to have a bump on her head the size of an egg. "Maybe you can come with me, you know. My mum would love to have another mouth to feed and she could help you with your family. She loves helping people, and she's an amazing cook."
"Listen, I'm sure your mum is great and everything, but she'll call my parents. I don't want to go home," he said with a dismissive shrug. The relaxed grin on his face soon turned to a grimace. "You have a really hard head," he complained with a snicker, his hand still rubbing his head. "Just promise not to tell anyone about me, all right?"
Ginny nodded. "Okay, I promise. I'll come back to see you whenever I can. I'll bring you some of my mum's cooking. It's really good," she told him, her eyes lighting up at the prospect. She was obviously proud to have such a doting mother.
Draco nodded back, turning away again.
"Hope you know what you're getting yourself into out here," she said merrily, already turned away and headed towards the tent entrance. She pushed aside the flap to show the very dimly lit trees. It looked as if it was barely dawn. "Wish me luck getting back. I know I'm going to be in huge trouble when I get home," she said with a small, audible groan. She gave him one last wave goodbye.
Draco nodded. "Good luck."