Until Now
Ron was not the only one to see the ring. Everyone else in the hall had seen it as well.
Snape had sensed something brewing earlier when he saw the Slytherins step onto the dance floor. He had decided to patrol the perimetre of the floor, and so he was able to pull Ron off Draco before anything could really happen.
Snape yanked Ron away and threw him at the Gryffindor beaters who quickly began to hold him back. The Slytherins went to stand behind Draco.
Ginny was caught in a crowd of Hufflepuffs.
Draco slowly, but gracefully, stood up and straightened his robes. After flicking off a tiny lint ball from his robe, he slowly looked up, lazily tilted his head, and sneered at Ron. “What in the bloody hell was that for, Weasley? You nearly ruined my robes, and I don’t think you can afford to replace them.”
“Oh shut up, you ferret fucking bastard!”
“Tsk, tsk, Weasel,” Draco said shaking his head. “What would your mother say if she knew about that colourful tongue of yours?”
“Slimy, conniving, corrupting assholes like you are fair game, Malfoy,” Ron gritted through his teeth while he tried to escape Dean and Seamus’s tight hold.
Draco examined the nails of his right hand lazily.
“You are nothing but a dirty future Death Eater! You don’t deserve her!” Ron shouted at Draco.
At this, Draco’s head shot up. “What did you say?” he asked deathly quiet.
“Your stupid bloody Death Eating arse does not deserve her!” Ron replied slowly, applying great force to each word.
Draco straightened up and averred, “You’re probably right about one thing; maybe I don’t deserve her. But I am not a Death Eater!”
Ron laughed harshly. “Don’t give me that bullshit. You’re only using her, everyone knows it. And either way, no one in my family or close to my family will ever allow you to touch her again.”
“In the end, Weasel, it still remains her decision,” Draco stated smoothly.
"Yes, it is her decision," Ron grinned nastily, "and she's made it."
Malfoy searched the crowd of Gryffindors for Ginny, but could not find her.
“You’d think that as a Malfoy you would have been taught about the power and influence of the family. My father will never let you lay a finger on her.” Seamus and Dean were beginning to lose their hold on Ron.
“Well it’s sort of late for that, isn’t it?” Draco arched his brow to make his implications clear to Ron.
Dean and Seamus lost their hold.
Ron charged at Draco. This started a chain reaction which resulted in a massive Gryffindor-Slytherin brawl. Seeing Ron take Draco down caused Harry to run onto the dance floor and then Blaise to run at Harry. Seamus and Dean were soon going after Crabbe and Goyle. Millicent Bulstrode went to attack the two Gryffindor chasers, but, to everyone’s surprise, Hermione popped her good on the chin before Millicent could reach them. Out of no where, Malcolm Baddock began throwing hexes at Neville Longbottom.
By now Ginny had run out of the Hall.
The teachers were only able to separate everyone with the help of the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw prefects.
McGonagall sent everyone back to their dormitories except for Ron, Hermione, Harry, Seamus, Dean, Goyle, Crabbe, Blaise, Malcolm, and Draco. She called for Madam Pomfrey to take Millicent and Neville up to the hospital wing.
She stared down at the ten teenagers in front of her with disgust. The professor first addressed Hermione. “This,” she gestured with her right hand, “I would have expected from the boys--or from anyone for that matter, but you. I am very disappointed in you, Ms. Granger. Fifteen points from Gryffindor.” She paused for a good half a second and, for the first time, looked down at her best student with that condescending look she always saved for trouble makers. “Well Ms. Granger, I’m sure your presence is needed elsewhere. Ms. Weasley must be in dire need of comfort.” Hermione nodded and left quietly.
Professor McGonagall rubbed her temples. “It is much too late,” she sighed. “Lucky for the nine of you, I do not have the time or energy to handle this tonight. Malfoy, Zabini, Grabbe, Goyle, and Baddock, I will leave your disciplines to Professor Snape. As for Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, I will take care of you two in the morning.” She looked toward Snape and Dumbledore, “Was there anything you two wanted to add?”
Dumbledore was the one who answered, “No, Minerva.”
McGonagall looked back to the boys, “Well then, to your dormitories at once, all of you.”
Hermione entered through the portrait hole. In front of a blazing fire, on the couch she found the two chasers trying their best to comfort a hysterical Ginny. They all turned to when they heard the portrait shut behind her.
Ginny stood and asked as calmly as she could, “Where is Ronald?”
Hermione took a hesitant step toward Ginny. “Gin--”
“Where is Ron?” Ginny asked again more sternly.
“He’s still in the Great Hall. McGonagall is issuing disciplines.”
Just as Hermione finished her sentence, Ron came bursting through the portrait hole, with Harry not far behind him.
Ron saw Hermione and began to ask, “Where is--”
He didn’t have to finish. Ginny was standing right behind Hermione.
Ginny and Ron locked eyes and stared daggers at each other for what seemed like an eternity, but was only really about a couple of seconds.
“You will not see him anymore,” Ron stated calmly but firmly.
Ginny lifted her chin in defiance. “That’s what you said three weeks ago.”
Ron paused as he searched his baby sister’s eyes. “He’s using you, and I’ll be damned before I just stand around and watch him hurt you,” he said, maintaining his calm but firm tone.
Before Ginny could throw anything back at him, Ron stalked toward and up the boys’ stairs.
“I should go up and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Harry said quietly, breaking the dead silence in the room.
Just as he began to make his way toward the boys’ stairs, Hermione stepped forward and waved a hand to stop him. “No. I’ll go, Harry.”
Before Harry could object, Hermione was already half way up the stairs.
Ginny’s fellow chasers sighed. One of them turned to address Ginny. “Gin, we should probably get up to bed now.”
“You two go ahead, I’ll stay down here for a while longer,” Ginny plopped down on a sofa and stared into the fire.
The chasers first looked at each other, then Ginny, and finally Harry. “Are you sure, Gin?”
“Very.”
With a final ‘okay’, both girls headed up to their dormitories.
For a long time, Ginny simply sat on the sofa staring into the fire, while Harry simply stood staring at Ginny.
It wasn’t until twenty minuets after the girls had left that, finally, Harry spoke. “Are you sure about him, Gin?” he asked hesitantly.
Ginny turned her head to look at Harry. “Yes. I am.”
Harry nodded and tried to fight off the feeling of hurt reverberating throughout his chest. “Then why’d you say no?”
“What?” Ginny asked, genuinely confused.
“Why did you refuse his proposal?”
Ginny turned her head to look back into the fire. “I really don’t know, Harry,” she shrugged. “I love him, and he loves me. But I just couldn’t say ‘yes’.” Ginny paused, and Harry made his way to take a seat on an armchair. “I suppose I just can’t go through with it if my family doesn’t approve of it.” She paused again. “And his family...he loves his mother, dearly. And I know Narcissa would probably be okay with us, but what about Lucius?”
“He’s in Azkaban,” said Harry.
“But for how much longer? He knows how much Draco cares for his mother. And the only real reason Lucius ever needed Narcissa was to give birth to an heir. Now that Draco’s been born, he could easily threaten Narcissa’s safety...and I don’t want to put Draco through that.”
Ginny paused again for a very long time.
“Gin?”
“Hmm?”
Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I know you‘re over that crush you had over me, that you have been for ages, but I just wanted to let you know that...I like you. A lot.”
Ginny turned to look sympathetically into Harry’s eyes. She began to shake her head helplessly, “Harry, I--”
“Let me finish,” Harry raised a hand to interrupt her. “I’ve tried to push my feelings for you away. I’ve tried to ignore them since summer holiday. But I can’t. I want you to be happy, Gin. If it has to be Malfoy... I don’t know... he seems to make you happy,” Harry unconsciously licked his lips before he continued, “so I just want you to know that I’ll stand behind you on this, okay?”
Ginny didn’t know what to say. After another long pause, she finally said quietly and appreciatively, “Thank you, Harry.”
“Ron, what are you doing?” Hermione asked just as she caught up with her boyfriend.
“She won’t listen to me. She won’t listen to any of my brothers, except for maybe Bill. But seeing as he blindly approves of this bullshit, he doesn’t make a difference.”
“So?” Hermione asked hesitantly.
“So, I’m going to owl the two people she will listen to.”
The two had just entered the seventh year boys’ dorm. Seamus and Dean were still awake and looked at the two inquiringly but kept quiet. Ron sat down on his bed and pulled out a quill and a piece of parchment. Just as Hermione sat down beside him he began to right:
Dear Mom and Dad...
(A/N: Thanks for all the reviews!!! Don't stop!)
Ron was not the only one to see the ring. Everyone else in the hall had seen it as well.
Snape had sensed something brewing earlier when he saw the Slytherins step onto the dance floor. He had decided to patrol the perimetre of the floor, and so he was able to pull Ron off Draco before anything could really happen.
Snape yanked Ron away and threw him at the Gryffindor beaters who quickly began to hold him back. The Slytherins went to stand behind Draco.
Ginny was caught in a crowd of Hufflepuffs.
Draco slowly, but gracefully, stood up and straightened his robes. After flicking off a tiny lint ball from his robe, he slowly looked up, lazily tilted his head, and sneered at Ron. “What in the bloody hell was that for, Weasley? You nearly ruined my robes, and I don’t think you can afford to replace them.”
“Oh shut up, you ferret fucking bastard!”
“Tsk, tsk, Weasel,” Draco said shaking his head. “What would your mother say if she knew about that colourful tongue of yours?”
“Slimy, conniving, corrupting assholes like you are fair game, Malfoy,” Ron gritted through his teeth while he tried to escape Dean and Seamus’s tight hold.
Draco examined the nails of his right hand lazily.
“You are nothing but a dirty future Death Eater! You don’t deserve her!” Ron shouted at Draco.
At this, Draco’s head shot up. “What did you say?” he asked deathly quiet.
“Your stupid bloody Death Eating arse does not deserve her!” Ron replied slowly, applying great force to each word.
Draco straightened up and averred, “You’re probably right about one thing; maybe I don’t deserve her. But I am not a Death Eater!”
Ron laughed harshly. “Don’t give me that bullshit. You’re only using her, everyone knows it. And either way, no one in my family or close to my family will ever allow you to touch her again.”
“In the end, Weasel, it still remains her decision,” Draco stated smoothly.
"Yes, it is her decision," Ron grinned nastily, "and she's made it."
Malfoy searched the crowd of Gryffindors for Ginny, but could not find her.
“You’d think that as a Malfoy you would have been taught about the power and influence of the family. My father will never let you lay a finger on her.” Seamus and Dean were beginning to lose their hold on Ron.
“Well it’s sort of late for that, isn’t it?” Draco arched his brow to make his implications clear to Ron.
Dean and Seamus lost their hold.
Ron charged at Draco. This started a chain reaction which resulted in a massive Gryffindor-Slytherin brawl. Seeing Ron take Draco down caused Harry to run onto the dance floor and then Blaise to run at Harry. Seamus and Dean were soon going after Crabbe and Goyle. Millicent Bulstrode went to attack the two Gryffindor chasers, but, to everyone’s surprise, Hermione popped her good on the chin before Millicent could reach them. Out of no where, Malcolm Baddock began throwing hexes at Neville Longbottom.
By now Ginny had run out of the Hall.
The teachers were only able to separate everyone with the help of the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw prefects.
McGonagall sent everyone back to their dormitories except for Ron, Hermione, Harry, Seamus, Dean, Goyle, Crabbe, Blaise, Malcolm, and Draco. She called for Madam Pomfrey to take Millicent and Neville up to the hospital wing.
She stared down at the ten teenagers in front of her with disgust. The professor first addressed Hermione. “This,” she gestured with her right hand, “I would have expected from the boys--or from anyone for that matter, but you. I am very disappointed in you, Ms. Granger. Fifteen points from Gryffindor.” She paused for a good half a second and, for the first time, looked down at her best student with that condescending look she always saved for trouble makers. “Well Ms. Granger, I’m sure your presence is needed elsewhere. Ms. Weasley must be in dire need of comfort.” Hermione nodded and left quietly.
Professor McGonagall rubbed her temples. “It is much too late,” she sighed. “Lucky for the nine of you, I do not have the time or energy to handle this tonight. Malfoy, Zabini, Grabbe, Goyle, and Baddock, I will leave your disciplines to Professor Snape. As for Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, I will take care of you two in the morning.” She looked toward Snape and Dumbledore, “Was there anything you two wanted to add?”
Dumbledore was the one who answered, “No, Minerva.”
McGonagall looked back to the boys, “Well then, to your dormitories at once, all of you.”
Hermione entered through the portrait hole. In front of a blazing fire, on the couch she found the two chasers trying their best to comfort a hysterical Ginny. They all turned to when they heard the portrait shut behind her.
Ginny stood and asked as calmly as she could, “Where is Ronald?”
Hermione took a hesitant step toward Ginny. “Gin--”
“Where is Ron?” Ginny asked again more sternly.
“He’s still in the Great Hall. McGonagall is issuing disciplines.”
Just as Hermione finished her sentence, Ron came bursting through the portrait hole, with Harry not far behind him.
Ron saw Hermione and began to ask, “Where is--”
He didn’t have to finish. Ginny was standing right behind Hermione.
Ginny and Ron locked eyes and stared daggers at each other for what seemed like an eternity, but was only really about a couple of seconds.
“You will not see him anymore,” Ron stated calmly but firmly.
Ginny lifted her chin in defiance. “That’s what you said three weeks ago.”
Ron paused as he searched his baby sister’s eyes. “He’s using you, and I’ll be damned before I just stand around and watch him hurt you,” he said, maintaining his calm but firm tone.
Before Ginny could throw anything back at him, Ron stalked toward and up the boys’ stairs.
“I should go up and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Harry said quietly, breaking the dead silence in the room.
Just as he began to make his way toward the boys’ stairs, Hermione stepped forward and waved a hand to stop him. “No. I’ll go, Harry.”
Before Harry could object, Hermione was already half way up the stairs.
Ginny’s fellow chasers sighed. One of them turned to address Ginny. “Gin, we should probably get up to bed now.”
“You two go ahead, I’ll stay down here for a while longer,” Ginny plopped down on a sofa and stared into the fire.
The chasers first looked at each other, then Ginny, and finally Harry. “Are you sure, Gin?”
“Very.”
With a final ‘okay’, both girls headed up to their dormitories.
For a long time, Ginny simply sat on the sofa staring into the fire, while Harry simply stood staring at Ginny.
It wasn’t until twenty minuets after the girls had left that, finally, Harry spoke. “Are you sure about him, Gin?” he asked hesitantly.
Ginny turned her head to look at Harry. “Yes. I am.”
Harry nodded and tried to fight off the feeling of hurt reverberating throughout his chest. “Then why’d you say no?”
“What?” Ginny asked, genuinely confused.
“Why did you refuse his proposal?”
Ginny turned her head to look back into the fire. “I really don’t know, Harry,” she shrugged. “I love him, and he loves me. But I just couldn’t say ‘yes’.” Ginny paused, and Harry made his way to take a seat on an armchair. “I suppose I just can’t go through with it if my family doesn’t approve of it.” She paused again. “And his family...he loves his mother, dearly. And I know Narcissa would probably be okay with us, but what about Lucius?”
“He’s in Azkaban,” said Harry.
“But for how much longer? He knows how much Draco cares for his mother. And the only real reason Lucius ever needed Narcissa was to give birth to an heir. Now that Draco’s been born, he could easily threaten Narcissa’s safety...and I don’t want to put Draco through that.”
Ginny paused again for a very long time.
“Gin?”
“Hmm?”
Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I know you‘re over that crush you had over me, that you have been for ages, but I just wanted to let you know that...I like you. A lot.”
Ginny turned to look sympathetically into Harry’s eyes. She began to shake her head helplessly, “Harry, I--”
“Let me finish,” Harry raised a hand to interrupt her. “I’ve tried to push my feelings for you away. I’ve tried to ignore them since summer holiday. But I can’t. I want you to be happy, Gin. If it has to be Malfoy... I don’t know... he seems to make you happy,” Harry unconsciously licked his lips before he continued, “so I just want you to know that I’ll stand behind you on this, okay?”
Ginny didn’t know what to say. After another long pause, she finally said quietly and appreciatively, “Thank you, Harry.”
“Ron, what are you doing?” Hermione asked just as she caught up with her boyfriend.
“She won’t listen to me. She won’t listen to any of my brothers, except for maybe Bill. But seeing as he blindly approves of this bullshit, he doesn’t make a difference.”
“So?” Hermione asked hesitantly.
“So, I’m going to owl the two people she will listen to.”
The two had just entered the seventh year boys’ dorm. Seamus and Dean were still awake and looked at the two inquiringly but kept quiet. Ron sat down on his bed and pulled out a quill and a piece of parchment. Just as Hermione sat down beside him he began to right:
Dear Mom and Dad...
(A/N: Thanks for all the reviews!!! Don't stop!)
Leave a Review