(A/N: Warning: This chapter was not beta-ed either.)
Better Sessions
After breakfast, Hermione and Harry decided to go back up to the common room.
Hermione really needed to speak to Ginny, and Harry agreed to help by taking care of Ron.
They had just turned into an empty corridor that led to Gryffindor Tower when they began to hear noises. Harry held out his arm to stop Hermione.
"You hear that?" Harry whispered out of the corner of his mouth.
Hermione nodded. "It sounded like--"
Hermione was cut off when a door began to open. Hermione and Harry had barely made it around a corner unseen.
They both strained their ears as they began to hear two voices.
"Blaise, stop," said a female voice softly with a tinge of absentmindedness. "Anyone can see us."
"Where-do you-want-to go-then?" The deep voice that responded was clearly that of Blaise Zabini. His response had been punctured with what sounded like kisses.
Harry silently looked around the corner to see who Blaise was talking to and froze.
"Harry?" Hermione whispered worriedly. "Harry?" She gently shook him.
Hermione sighed in relief as Harry grabbed her arm to stop her form shaking him. He looked back at her and nodded toward the voices. Hermione carefully looked around the corner. Her eyes widened in shock.
Blaise Zabini had a long haired blonde up against the wall and was kissing her feverously. The girl, who had been kissing him back with just as much passion, was none other than Luna Lovegood.
After much effort, Luna pulled her lips away from those of the tall dark haired young man pinning her to the wall. "Blaise, we can't do this here."
Blaise rested his forehead against Luna's. "Then we'll go to the Slytherin dungeons."
"Alright," Luna said in that ever present wistful voice of hers.
Hermione ducked her head back around the corner just as Blaise took Luna's hand and began to lead her to the dungeons.
Harry and Hermione were still speechless long after Luna and Blaise's footsteps could no longer be heard. After a good ten minutes, Hermione and Harry finally burst out laughing.
Draco stalked through the halls, making his way out to the lake. His mind was still slightly in shock from the reactions of his housemates toward his relationship with Ginny.
He had seen the looks of his housemates when he had led Ginny into the Great Hall. They were shocked, yes, but not disgusted. In fact, some even looked impressed. Pansy was, really, the only person who had reacted the way Draco had thought they would. He supposed that was because everyone had thought Pansy was a shoe-in for his wife.
Draco had thought Blaise would have been the first person to contact Lucius. Instead, Blaise, for what reason, Draco had no idea, seemed to be the most understanding about the situation.
And Snape--talk about unexpected reactions. Draco was expecting Snape to have him sent to the hospital wing for any odd spells or potions. The last thing he expected was to be given advice. Wasn't Snape within the Dark Lord's inner circle? You'd think that he would have spat on Draco or took him aside to emphasize the reasons why their "crowd" did not consort with Weasleys. But advice? And what did he mean by "perhaps when the differences between our priorities change"? He always knew that Snape was hiding something, and the fact that his mother had gone to his professor for advice for her son, only confirmed it. His mother never did trust the crowd that his father surrounded himself with.
Draco turned into a semi-crowded corridor. As he walked through the corridor, every Slytherin, as always, nodded in his direction respectfully. Every Hufflepuff cowered away from him, and every Ravenclaw simply ignored him. The Gryffindors, Draco noticed, glared at him even more fiercely than usual.
Draco turned into several more corridors, each a bit less crowded than the other. He had just made it out the doors and onto the grounds when he saw Ginny's fellow Gryffindor chasers in the distance. They were bound to say something, anything about Ginny, so he followed them.
"Did you see Ginny at breakfast?"
"Of course I did. Only everyone in the hall did."
"Do you know what happened?"
"What? You don't know?"
"No. Did it have something to do with Ron?"
As the conversation continued, the girls began to slow in step. Draco was careful to stay unheard and unseen.
"Oh come on. You should know by now that it always has something to do with Ron."
"Well, what did he do this time, then?"
"He owled his parents."
The girls had reached the lake. They stood by the shore, while Draco hid behind an oak tree.
"You're kidding."
"I over heard Nearly Headless Nick say something about it while he was arguing with the Bloody Baron about Ginny and Malfoy, this morning. Sir Nicholas said that after the Ball, Ron had gone directly up to his dorm and owled his parents about Ginny's, quote unquote, little secret."
"How'd they react?"
"They came to visit this morning."
The other girl gasped. Draco nearly faltered.
"That's why Ron took her aside when we were walking to breakfast," the girl continued. "Mr. Weasley had gone bonkers. Said something along the lines of threatening to tell Malfoy's dad if she didn't stop seeing him."
Draco froze. So that was what happened.
"I really hope Ginny knows what she's doing," the other girl whispered.
"Of course she does. She would never risk hurting her family like this otherwise. She loves him. Couldn't you see that at the Ball."
"What I saw was her reject Malfoy's proposal to marry him."
The girl gave a frustrated look to her teammate. "She must have had a good reason to say no. Besides, Ginny is smart enough to know whether or not she's being used."
"Well, she didn't know with Riddle."
Draco unconsciously clenched his fists.
"She was eleven then. She's grown since, okay?"
There was a long pause.
"Do you think she'll be able to practice this afternoon?" the other girl asked.
"I dunno."
Practice? When did the Gryffindors have practice today, Draco thought. I thought the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs had first priorities to the pitch with their match next weekend.
The girls had started to make their way back to the castle. Draco carefully moved to hide behind the other side of the oak tree and stared down at the ground.
After about half an hour of thinking, Draco's head snapped up.
The common room was empty except for Ron sitting quietly watching Ginny stare emptily out a window.
Still amused about their encounter with Blaise and Luna, Hermione and Harry walked through the portrait hole. Their small smiles immediately fell and they looked at each other as soon as they saw Ron and Ginny. Harry nodded and went to sit beside his best friend.
"How's it going, Ron?" asked Harry as he sat down.
Ron grunted in response, his eyes on Ginny never wavering.
Harry sighed and ran a hand through his untamed hair. "I've come up with some great new strategies."
"That's nice Harry," Ron said in a subdued manner.
"Why don't we head out to the court yard and discuss them?" Harry stood.
"You go ahead, Harry. I'd rather stay here."
Harry looked at Ginny and then back down at Ron. He sat back down and said quietly, "Look, Ron, I care about her, too. And in more ways than one. But you can't keep following her around like this. Hermione's here. I'm sure she'll make sure Ginny doesn't sneak out or anything. So, come on, let's go talk some quidditch."
Ron finally looked at Harry. "I just don't know what to do, Harry," Ron whispered as he hung his head. "She loves him, I know she does. I know I can be thick, but I'm not blind--well, completely blind, anyway. I saw it in her eyes at the Ball. And I hate to say it, but I saw it in Malfoy's eyes as well." Ron shook his head. "But I just can't trust Malfoy."
Harry placed a reassuring hand on Ron's shoulder. "It's hard for us as well, Ron. Come on. Maybe Hermione can dig up some information for us."
Ron nodded weakly, and they both stood. With one more look at his sister, Ron followed Harry toward the portrait hole.
Just before Harry walked through the portrait hole, he turned and raised his voice to address Ginny. "Hey, Gin. You up for practice this afternoon?"
"I dunno, Harry," Ginny said, still staring out the window.
Hermione had not moved from her place near the entrance. Just as Ron was about to follow Harry out of the common room, he went to gather Hermione in his arms and kissed her lips softly. He then buried his face in her hair and said, "I love you."
Hermione pulled away and smiled up at her boyfriend. "I love you, too." Hermione kissed Ron on the nose, and he finally exited the common room.
Hermione sighed and turned to look at Ginny. She really is beautiful, Hermione thought, even when she is depressed.
Hermione walked over to her friend and sat next to her. She rested her head on Ginny's shoulder as one of her arms went to wrap around her, resting on the opposite shoulder that Hermione had her head rested on. Ginny didn't flinch. Hermione used the hand that had rested on Ginny's shoulder to gently stroke Ginny's hair.
"I know you love him, Gin."
Ginny said nothing and continued to stare out the window.
"I could only imagine--"
"No you can't imagine. Not a bit," Hermione was surprised by Ginny's calm interruption and stopped stroking her soft red hair.
"Actully I can. Not exactly what you're going through, of course, but the gist."
Ginny said nothing.
"You see there's this play, a sort of story, that's been passed on in the muggle world for centuries. In fact, some muggles a bit younger than we are study it in school. It's called Romeo and Juliet."
"Romeo and Juliet? Aren't those letters of the Greek Alphabet?" Ginny asked absentmindedly, keeping her eyes on the yellow zooming blurs that were the Hufflepuff quidditch team practicing in the pitch.
Hermione sighed and began to stroke Ginny's hair, once more. "It's about a boy and a girl who fall in love, but because their families hated each other, they were forced to hide their love. The girl, Juliet, had a cousin, who, if you think about it, acted much as Ron is now."
"But I'm babbling," Hermione shook her head and stood. "The thing is Ginny, is that the couple had killed themselves in the end, because they had come to the wrong conclusion that their love was impossible. I don't want you thinking that this can't work, Ginny--that you and Draco have to do something drastic. The Slytherins have seemed to completely accept this whole thing, even Snape. Dumblodore seems to be happy, I don't think I know why, but he is. Harry and me have also accepted it. And we know that the rest of the house and your family will learn to accept it over time, along with a bit of persuasion. They just have to be given it."
Ginny shifted in her seat.
"Gin, it'll be fine. You'll be fine."
Ginny turned her head abruptly and yelled, "I am fine! Why does everyone think I'm not?"
"Because you aren't, Ginny," Hermione took a step back, bracing herself for Ginny's wrath.
Ginny stood and her eyes narrowed into slits as she turned to look at Hermione. "What makes you so sure that I'm not?"
Hermione sighed and rubbed her temples. "We've had this same discussion hundreds of times already, Ginny. I'm getting really tired of it."
"Oh Plea--" Hermione cut Ginny off.
"No! I've had enough of this. You will shut up, sit down, and listen to what I have to say without a word!" Hermione yelled.
Ginny simply crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked at her friend expectantly.
"I am standing here, offering you my help. So stop acting like Ron and suck up that stupid Weasley pride of yours and listen!" Hermione took a deep breath and continued calmly, "I hate to put it this way, but I am Head Girl. I am known for a reputation of having good views. Don't you think that having me on your side will help you? Whether I'd be giving you advice or just letting people know that I'm okay with you two?"
"Of course I do. I just don't--"
"Shut up! I haven't finished yet!" Ginny couldn't help but take a step back at Hermione's sudden outburst. Ginny had seen Hermione snap at people before, but this was different.
"What is with this attitude of yours, Ginny?" Hermione asked exasperatedly. "You have been so off lately--so depressed and cranky. Do you honestly think that this attitude will help you at all with convincing your family and the rest of our housemates that your relationship with Draco is a good thing."
"Well, I was much happier before my parents intervened."
"Okay, then. Maybe it'll be easier for our housemates to accept this. But what about your family? They aren't going to care about how you were when you two were seeing each other behind everyone's backs." Hermione took in deep breaths as she stared at Ginny, who's eyes had become rather softer and a tad more understanding.
"What do you think I should do, then?" Ginny asked softly, uncrossing her arms. She took a seat on a nearby sofa.
Hermione relaxed, relieved that Ginny was finally listening to her. Suddenly, Hermione felt tired and didn't feel like saying more than she needed to say, so she cut right to the chase. "Harry and I will take care of Ron and the rest of the seventh years. You need to talk to Bill. Get him to try and soften your family, specifically your mum. If your mum can accept Draco, it'll be much easier to convince your dad and the rest of your brothers. You also need to talk to Colin, Denis, and the other chasers on the team. Once you can convince those four to accept it, news of how okay your relationship actually is will be bound to start circulating throughout the tower. And since Colin is a favourite of Ron's to look after you, then maybe you and Colin can work something out so that you can see Draco. But the first and foremost thing that you need to do is talk to Draco."
"Ha. Easier said than done. How am I supposed to talk to him if Ron's always got someone following me?" Ginny looked away from Hermione and stared into the fire.
Hermione laughed softly, all feelings of fatigue gone. When Ginny turned to look at her friend, there was a small, uncharacteristic, mischievous smile on Hermione's face. "Well, that's how being Ron's girlfriend is one of the many benefits of having me on your side." Hermione's smile widened. "You see, every time Ron tries to convince someone to look after you, he always comes to me first to see who would do the best job. Since you have practice this afternoon and Colin is busy, he'll be talking to Michael Corner before lunch."
"Michael? Why Michael?"
Hermione smiled. "Well, Ron seems to think that Michael still has a little inkling for you, and thus, would do well to keep you away from Draco and closer to himself."
Ginny tilted her head in confusion. "But Michael just realised--"
"He's not interested in girls. I know. But, Ron doesn't, and I think it's better that way. Talk to Michael. I'm sure he'll find your whole predicament quite charming and help you."
Just as Hermione finished her sentence, Harry walked into the common room. Alone.
One of Ginny's brows rose in question. "Where's Ron? Not that I'm complaining, of course."
"He's talking to Michael Corner," Harry smiled, indicating to Ginny that he knew all about Hermione's plan.
Harry moved to sit down next to Ginny. "So, is my star chaser up for practice today?"
Ginny smiled for the first time in what seemed like ages, but was actually a little less than a day. "And why wouldn't I be?"
Before lunch, Ginny had owled Bill and talked to Colin and Dennis on the way to the Great Hall.
Draco wasn't at lunch, so Ginny found that it was much easier to feed herself. Just as Hermione had tipped off, Ron had told Ginny while they were eating, that Michael was going to watch her for the rest of the day. Ginny, not wanting to look suspicious, acted as she usually did--indifferently.
As the Gryffindor quidditch team was walking out to the pitch, Harry managed to get Ron to the front of the group while Ginny dropped to the back with Michael Corner, where she told him about her and Draco. Michael, just as Hermione had thought, was all but willing to help Ginny.
When the other chasers saw Michael snickering at a smiling Ginny, they looked at each other questioningly. They dropped to the back of the group to find out what was going on. It was then that Ginny caught them up on her and Draco, as well. Just as during the conversation that Draco had overheard at the lake, one of the chasers seemed to be very accepting, while the other seemed to be a lot more hesitant.
Practice had gone very well. The chasers had all of their plays down to the dot. Ron's form was magnificent, and the only attempts that got passed him, were, unsurprisingly, Ginny's. In a little more than a half an hour, Harry had caught the snitch three times. Seamus and Dean rotated aiming bludgers in the direction of either the chasers and Ron or Harry--all of whom were hit at least twice.
After four hard hours of practice, the entire team made their way to the ground, Michael staring at them speechlessly.
"Don't go off telling your house team about our strategies, now, Corner, " Harry chuckled.
"Th-that was amazing," Michael said in awe.
"We've had better sessions," said Seamus.
"Better sessions? Is that even possible?" Michael asked, his mouth agape.
The team laughed.
Seamus, Harry, and Dean immediately made their way to the boys' dressing rooms, while Ginny's fellow chasers made their way to the girls'.
Ron was giving Ginny another lecture, which she did not hear a word of. She had been so used to these by now, that his words just seemed to automatically tune out. She was thinking of how she was going to talk to Draco. Ginny had just decided to talk to Michael about it, when she was snapped out of her thoughts by Michael grabbing her elbow and leading her to the girls' dressing room. Ron must have finished.
"Ow!" Ginny squealed, ripping her elbow from Michael's tight grasp. She cradled her elbow over exaggeratingly and threw him a mock glare. "What's the rush for?"
Michael smiled, "You'll see."
Just as Ginny and Michael reached the girls' dressing rooms, the other chasers were leaving rather hurriedly.
Ginny looked at them questioningly. "Dressed already? I know Ron tends to drag on those lectures of his, but we weren't gone for that long."
"Well, it seems that we are not wanted here, per say," one of the girls--the one that didn't approve of Draco--said slightly bitterly.
"What do you mean 'not wanted her--" Ginny was cut off when the other girl--the one that did approve of Draco--grabbed her teammate and headed toward the castle, stopping only to peck Ginny on the cheek and say, "We'll see you later, then, Gin."
Ginny stood in the light snow confused, white flakes falling softly around her. "What was that all about?" she asked Michael. When he didn't answer, she turned to look at him. There was a strange smile on his face. "Michael?"
"I'll see you later, Ginny. Meet me near the old D.A. room just before dinner."
"But--"
"Make sure you talk to Malfoy, okay, Gin?" Michael shouted over his shoulder and made his way toward the castle.
"Yeah, okay," Ginny whispered to herself. She slightly shook her head at her friends' odd behaviour. She began walking toward the dressing room.
Just as she was about to walk through the door, Ginny realised something and smiled. If what she thought was correct, then she was going to have a little fun with it.
Ginny walked into the dressing room looking tired. She hid a small smile as she smelled a hint of his cologne. She walked over to her things, set down her broom, and turned to sit down slowly on the bench. She was facing the centre of the room. Ginny took off her quidditch robes seductively. Then she stood, and bent down to remove her shoes and socks. She undid her quidditch trousers, and shimmied out of them slowly. After tossing her trousers behind her with the rest of her things, Ginny sat again and began to play with the hem of her quidditch jumper before she finally pulled it over her head and tossed it behind her. She was in nothing but a white cotton bra and matching knickers when she raised her arms to release her hair from its messy ponytail. She shook it out teasingly. Ginny hid another smile when she heard a soft growl.
Ginny stood slowly, picked up a towel and her wand, and began to walk toward the showers. When she was finished she made sure to put her underwear back on, wrap the towel around her, and perform a quick drying spell on her hair. As soon as she walked out of the showers, she made her way toward her things. Once she reached the bench, a pair of strong hands grabbed her waist and pulled her back against a firm chest. Ginny smiled.
"You knew I was here, then?" Draco breathed into Ginny's ear.
Ginny turned so that they were now fully facing each other. "Of course. I could make out that smell of yours anywhere," Ginny said before reaching up to kiss him.
Draco groaned and pulled her even closer to him. When Ginny began to respond to Draco's tongue with her own, the kiss immediately went from innocent to passionate.
Ginny pulled away reluctantly, slightly panting. "We need to talk, Draco."
Draco rested his forehead against Ginny's. "I know."
Ginny and Draco told each other everything without moving from each other's arms.
Draco told her about his housemates, his letter to his mother, and his conversation with Snape.
Ginny told him about her brothers' ultimatum, her parents, and Hermione. She didn't feel it was time to tell him about Harry yet, other than that he was okay with them, so she didn't.
Ginny rested her head against Draco's chest and Draco rested his chin atop of Ginny's blood-red hair. They stood quietly, content with just being in each other's arms.
"Ginny?"
"Hmm?"
Draco lifted his head and, with a long finger, tilted Ginny's chin upwards so that he could look into her eyes.
"Why'd you say no?"
(A/N: Review! Review! Review!)
Better Sessions
After breakfast, Hermione and Harry decided to go back up to the common room.
Hermione really needed to speak to Ginny, and Harry agreed to help by taking care of Ron.
They had just turned into an empty corridor that led to Gryffindor Tower when they began to hear noises. Harry held out his arm to stop Hermione.
"You hear that?" Harry whispered out of the corner of his mouth.
Hermione nodded. "It sounded like--"
Hermione was cut off when a door began to open. Hermione and Harry had barely made it around a corner unseen.
They both strained their ears as they began to hear two voices.
"Blaise, stop," said a female voice softly with a tinge of absentmindedness. "Anyone can see us."
"Where-do you-want-to go-then?" The deep voice that responded was clearly that of Blaise Zabini. His response had been punctured with what sounded like kisses.
Harry silently looked around the corner to see who Blaise was talking to and froze.
"Harry?" Hermione whispered worriedly. "Harry?" She gently shook him.
Hermione sighed in relief as Harry grabbed her arm to stop her form shaking him. He looked back at her and nodded toward the voices. Hermione carefully looked around the corner. Her eyes widened in shock.
Blaise Zabini had a long haired blonde up against the wall and was kissing her feverously. The girl, who had been kissing him back with just as much passion, was none other than Luna Lovegood.
After much effort, Luna pulled her lips away from those of the tall dark haired young man pinning her to the wall. "Blaise, we can't do this here."
Blaise rested his forehead against Luna's. "Then we'll go to the Slytherin dungeons."
"Alright," Luna said in that ever present wistful voice of hers.
Hermione ducked her head back around the corner just as Blaise took Luna's hand and began to lead her to the dungeons.
Harry and Hermione were still speechless long after Luna and Blaise's footsteps could no longer be heard. After a good ten minutes, Hermione and Harry finally burst out laughing.
Draco stalked through the halls, making his way out to the lake. His mind was still slightly in shock from the reactions of his housemates toward his relationship with Ginny.
He had seen the looks of his housemates when he had led Ginny into the Great Hall. They were shocked, yes, but not disgusted. In fact, some even looked impressed. Pansy was, really, the only person who had reacted the way Draco had thought they would. He supposed that was because everyone had thought Pansy was a shoe-in for his wife.
Draco had thought Blaise would have been the first person to contact Lucius. Instead, Blaise, for what reason, Draco had no idea, seemed to be the most understanding about the situation.
And Snape--talk about unexpected reactions. Draco was expecting Snape to have him sent to the hospital wing for any odd spells or potions. The last thing he expected was to be given advice. Wasn't Snape within the Dark Lord's inner circle? You'd think that he would have spat on Draco or took him aside to emphasize the reasons why their "crowd" did not consort with Weasleys. But advice? And what did he mean by "perhaps when the differences between our priorities change"? He always knew that Snape was hiding something, and the fact that his mother had gone to his professor for advice for her son, only confirmed it. His mother never did trust the crowd that his father surrounded himself with.
Draco turned into a semi-crowded corridor. As he walked through the corridor, every Slytherin, as always, nodded in his direction respectfully. Every Hufflepuff cowered away from him, and every Ravenclaw simply ignored him. The Gryffindors, Draco noticed, glared at him even more fiercely than usual.
Draco turned into several more corridors, each a bit less crowded than the other. He had just made it out the doors and onto the grounds when he saw Ginny's fellow Gryffindor chasers in the distance. They were bound to say something, anything about Ginny, so he followed them.
"Did you see Ginny at breakfast?"
"Of course I did. Only everyone in the hall did."
"Do you know what happened?"
"What? You don't know?"
"No. Did it have something to do with Ron?"
As the conversation continued, the girls began to slow in step. Draco was careful to stay unheard and unseen.
"Oh come on. You should know by now that it always has something to do with Ron."
"Well, what did he do this time, then?"
"He owled his parents."
The girls had reached the lake. They stood by the shore, while Draco hid behind an oak tree.
"You're kidding."
"I over heard Nearly Headless Nick say something about it while he was arguing with the Bloody Baron about Ginny and Malfoy, this morning. Sir Nicholas said that after the Ball, Ron had gone directly up to his dorm and owled his parents about Ginny's, quote unquote, little secret."
"How'd they react?"
"They came to visit this morning."
The other girl gasped. Draco nearly faltered.
"That's why Ron took her aside when we were walking to breakfast," the girl continued. "Mr. Weasley had gone bonkers. Said something along the lines of threatening to tell Malfoy's dad if she didn't stop seeing him."
Draco froze. So that was what happened.
"I really hope Ginny knows what she's doing," the other girl whispered.
"Of course she does. She would never risk hurting her family like this otherwise. She loves him. Couldn't you see that at the Ball."
"What I saw was her reject Malfoy's proposal to marry him."
The girl gave a frustrated look to her teammate. "She must have had a good reason to say no. Besides, Ginny is smart enough to know whether or not she's being used."
"Well, she didn't know with Riddle."
Draco unconsciously clenched his fists.
"She was eleven then. She's grown since, okay?"
There was a long pause.
"Do you think she'll be able to practice this afternoon?" the other girl asked.
"I dunno."
Practice? When did the Gryffindors have practice today, Draco thought. I thought the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs had first priorities to the pitch with their match next weekend.
The girls had started to make their way back to the castle. Draco carefully moved to hide behind the other side of the oak tree and stared down at the ground.
After about half an hour of thinking, Draco's head snapped up.
The common room was empty except for Ron sitting quietly watching Ginny stare emptily out a window.
Still amused about their encounter with Blaise and Luna, Hermione and Harry walked through the portrait hole. Their small smiles immediately fell and they looked at each other as soon as they saw Ron and Ginny. Harry nodded and went to sit beside his best friend.
"How's it going, Ron?" asked Harry as he sat down.
Ron grunted in response, his eyes on Ginny never wavering.
Harry sighed and ran a hand through his untamed hair. "I've come up with some great new strategies."
"That's nice Harry," Ron said in a subdued manner.
"Why don't we head out to the court yard and discuss them?" Harry stood.
"You go ahead, Harry. I'd rather stay here."
Harry looked at Ginny and then back down at Ron. He sat back down and said quietly, "Look, Ron, I care about her, too. And in more ways than one. But you can't keep following her around like this. Hermione's here. I'm sure she'll make sure Ginny doesn't sneak out or anything. So, come on, let's go talk some quidditch."
Ron finally looked at Harry. "I just don't know what to do, Harry," Ron whispered as he hung his head. "She loves him, I know she does. I know I can be thick, but I'm not blind--well, completely blind, anyway. I saw it in her eyes at the Ball. And I hate to say it, but I saw it in Malfoy's eyes as well." Ron shook his head. "But I just can't trust Malfoy."
Harry placed a reassuring hand on Ron's shoulder. "It's hard for us as well, Ron. Come on. Maybe Hermione can dig up some information for us."
Ron nodded weakly, and they both stood. With one more look at his sister, Ron followed Harry toward the portrait hole.
Just before Harry walked through the portrait hole, he turned and raised his voice to address Ginny. "Hey, Gin. You up for practice this afternoon?"
"I dunno, Harry," Ginny said, still staring out the window.
Hermione had not moved from her place near the entrance. Just as Ron was about to follow Harry out of the common room, he went to gather Hermione in his arms and kissed her lips softly. He then buried his face in her hair and said, "I love you."
Hermione pulled away and smiled up at her boyfriend. "I love you, too." Hermione kissed Ron on the nose, and he finally exited the common room.
Hermione sighed and turned to look at Ginny. She really is beautiful, Hermione thought, even when she is depressed.
Hermione walked over to her friend and sat next to her. She rested her head on Ginny's shoulder as one of her arms went to wrap around her, resting on the opposite shoulder that Hermione had her head rested on. Ginny didn't flinch. Hermione used the hand that had rested on Ginny's shoulder to gently stroke Ginny's hair.
"I know you love him, Gin."
Ginny said nothing and continued to stare out the window.
"I could only imagine--"
"No you can't imagine. Not a bit," Hermione was surprised by Ginny's calm interruption and stopped stroking her soft red hair.
"Actully I can. Not exactly what you're going through, of course, but the gist."
Ginny said nothing.
"You see there's this play, a sort of story, that's been passed on in the muggle world for centuries. In fact, some muggles a bit younger than we are study it in school. It's called Romeo and Juliet."
"Romeo and Juliet? Aren't those letters of the Greek Alphabet?" Ginny asked absentmindedly, keeping her eyes on the yellow zooming blurs that were the Hufflepuff quidditch team practicing in the pitch.
Hermione sighed and began to stroke Ginny's hair, once more. "It's about a boy and a girl who fall in love, but because their families hated each other, they were forced to hide their love. The girl, Juliet, had a cousin, who, if you think about it, acted much as Ron is now."
"But I'm babbling," Hermione shook her head and stood. "The thing is Ginny, is that the couple had killed themselves in the end, because they had come to the wrong conclusion that their love was impossible. I don't want you thinking that this can't work, Ginny--that you and Draco have to do something drastic. The Slytherins have seemed to completely accept this whole thing, even Snape. Dumblodore seems to be happy, I don't think I know why, but he is. Harry and me have also accepted it. And we know that the rest of the house and your family will learn to accept it over time, along with a bit of persuasion. They just have to be given it."
Ginny shifted in her seat.
"Gin, it'll be fine. You'll be fine."
Ginny turned her head abruptly and yelled, "I am fine! Why does everyone think I'm not?"
"Because you aren't, Ginny," Hermione took a step back, bracing herself for Ginny's wrath.
Ginny stood and her eyes narrowed into slits as she turned to look at Hermione. "What makes you so sure that I'm not?"
Hermione sighed and rubbed her temples. "We've had this same discussion hundreds of times already, Ginny. I'm getting really tired of it."
"Oh Plea--" Hermione cut Ginny off.
"No! I've had enough of this. You will shut up, sit down, and listen to what I have to say without a word!" Hermione yelled.
Ginny simply crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked at her friend expectantly.
"I am standing here, offering you my help. So stop acting like Ron and suck up that stupid Weasley pride of yours and listen!" Hermione took a deep breath and continued calmly, "I hate to put it this way, but I am Head Girl. I am known for a reputation of having good views. Don't you think that having me on your side will help you? Whether I'd be giving you advice or just letting people know that I'm okay with you two?"
"Of course I do. I just don't--"
"Shut up! I haven't finished yet!" Ginny couldn't help but take a step back at Hermione's sudden outburst. Ginny had seen Hermione snap at people before, but this was different.
"What is with this attitude of yours, Ginny?" Hermione asked exasperatedly. "You have been so off lately--so depressed and cranky. Do you honestly think that this attitude will help you at all with convincing your family and the rest of our housemates that your relationship with Draco is a good thing."
"Well, I was much happier before my parents intervened."
"Okay, then. Maybe it'll be easier for our housemates to accept this. But what about your family? They aren't going to care about how you were when you two were seeing each other behind everyone's backs." Hermione took in deep breaths as she stared at Ginny, who's eyes had become rather softer and a tad more understanding.
"What do you think I should do, then?" Ginny asked softly, uncrossing her arms. She took a seat on a nearby sofa.
Hermione relaxed, relieved that Ginny was finally listening to her. Suddenly, Hermione felt tired and didn't feel like saying more than she needed to say, so she cut right to the chase. "Harry and I will take care of Ron and the rest of the seventh years. You need to talk to Bill. Get him to try and soften your family, specifically your mum. If your mum can accept Draco, it'll be much easier to convince your dad and the rest of your brothers. You also need to talk to Colin, Denis, and the other chasers on the team. Once you can convince those four to accept it, news of how okay your relationship actually is will be bound to start circulating throughout the tower. And since Colin is a favourite of Ron's to look after you, then maybe you and Colin can work something out so that you can see Draco. But the first and foremost thing that you need to do is talk to Draco."
"Ha. Easier said than done. How am I supposed to talk to him if Ron's always got someone following me?" Ginny looked away from Hermione and stared into the fire.
Hermione laughed softly, all feelings of fatigue gone. When Ginny turned to look at her friend, there was a small, uncharacteristic, mischievous smile on Hermione's face. "Well, that's how being Ron's girlfriend is one of the many benefits of having me on your side." Hermione's smile widened. "You see, every time Ron tries to convince someone to look after you, he always comes to me first to see who would do the best job. Since you have practice this afternoon and Colin is busy, he'll be talking to Michael Corner before lunch."
"Michael? Why Michael?"
Hermione smiled. "Well, Ron seems to think that Michael still has a little inkling for you, and thus, would do well to keep you away from Draco and closer to himself."
Ginny tilted her head in confusion. "But Michael just realised--"
"He's not interested in girls. I know. But, Ron doesn't, and I think it's better that way. Talk to Michael. I'm sure he'll find your whole predicament quite charming and help you."
Just as Hermione finished her sentence, Harry walked into the common room. Alone.
One of Ginny's brows rose in question. "Where's Ron? Not that I'm complaining, of course."
"He's talking to Michael Corner," Harry smiled, indicating to Ginny that he knew all about Hermione's plan.
Harry moved to sit down next to Ginny. "So, is my star chaser up for practice today?"
Ginny smiled for the first time in what seemed like ages, but was actually a little less than a day. "And why wouldn't I be?"
Before lunch, Ginny had owled Bill and talked to Colin and Dennis on the way to the Great Hall.
Draco wasn't at lunch, so Ginny found that it was much easier to feed herself. Just as Hermione had tipped off, Ron had told Ginny while they were eating, that Michael was going to watch her for the rest of the day. Ginny, not wanting to look suspicious, acted as she usually did--indifferently.
As the Gryffindor quidditch team was walking out to the pitch, Harry managed to get Ron to the front of the group while Ginny dropped to the back with Michael Corner, where she told him about her and Draco. Michael, just as Hermione had thought, was all but willing to help Ginny.
When the other chasers saw Michael snickering at a smiling Ginny, they looked at each other questioningly. They dropped to the back of the group to find out what was going on. It was then that Ginny caught them up on her and Draco, as well. Just as during the conversation that Draco had overheard at the lake, one of the chasers seemed to be very accepting, while the other seemed to be a lot more hesitant.
Practice had gone very well. The chasers had all of their plays down to the dot. Ron's form was magnificent, and the only attempts that got passed him, were, unsurprisingly, Ginny's. In a little more than a half an hour, Harry had caught the snitch three times. Seamus and Dean rotated aiming bludgers in the direction of either the chasers and Ron or Harry--all of whom were hit at least twice.
After four hard hours of practice, the entire team made their way to the ground, Michael staring at them speechlessly.
"Don't go off telling your house team about our strategies, now, Corner, " Harry chuckled.
"Th-that was amazing," Michael said in awe.
"We've had better sessions," said Seamus.
"Better sessions? Is that even possible?" Michael asked, his mouth agape.
The team laughed.
Seamus, Harry, and Dean immediately made their way to the boys' dressing rooms, while Ginny's fellow chasers made their way to the girls'.
Ron was giving Ginny another lecture, which she did not hear a word of. She had been so used to these by now, that his words just seemed to automatically tune out. She was thinking of how she was going to talk to Draco. Ginny had just decided to talk to Michael about it, when she was snapped out of her thoughts by Michael grabbing her elbow and leading her to the girls' dressing room. Ron must have finished.
"Ow!" Ginny squealed, ripping her elbow from Michael's tight grasp. She cradled her elbow over exaggeratingly and threw him a mock glare. "What's the rush for?"
Michael smiled, "You'll see."
Just as Ginny and Michael reached the girls' dressing rooms, the other chasers were leaving rather hurriedly.
Ginny looked at them questioningly. "Dressed already? I know Ron tends to drag on those lectures of his, but we weren't gone for that long."
"Well, it seems that we are not wanted here, per say," one of the girls--the one that didn't approve of Draco--said slightly bitterly.
"What do you mean 'not wanted her--" Ginny was cut off when the other girl--the one that did approve of Draco--grabbed her teammate and headed toward the castle, stopping only to peck Ginny on the cheek and say, "We'll see you later, then, Gin."
Ginny stood in the light snow confused, white flakes falling softly around her. "What was that all about?" she asked Michael. When he didn't answer, she turned to look at him. There was a strange smile on his face. "Michael?"
"I'll see you later, Ginny. Meet me near the old D.A. room just before dinner."
"But--"
"Make sure you talk to Malfoy, okay, Gin?" Michael shouted over his shoulder and made his way toward the castle.
"Yeah, okay," Ginny whispered to herself. She slightly shook her head at her friends' odd behaviour. She began walking toward the dressing room.
Just as she was about to walk through the door, Ginny realised something and smiled. If what she thought was correct, then she was going to have a little fun with it.
Ginny walked into the dressing room looking tired. She hid a small smile as she smelled a hint of his cologne. She walked over to her things, set down her broom, and turned to sit down slowly on the bench. She was facing the centre of the room. Ginny took off her quidditch robes seductively. Then she stood, and bent down to remove her shoes and socks. She undid her quidditch trousers, and shimmied out of them slowly. After tossing her trousers behind her with the rest of her things, Ginny sat again and began to play with the hem of her quidditch jumper before she finally pulled it over her head and tossed it behind her. She was in nothing but a white cotton bra and matching knickers when she raised her arms to release her hair from its messy ponytail. She shook it out teasingly. Ginny hid another smile when she heard a soft growl.
Ginny stood slowly, picked up a towel and her wand, and began to walk toward the showers. When she was finished she made sure to put her underwear back on, wrap the towel around her, and perform a quick drying spell on her hair. As soon as she walked out of the showers, she made her way toward her things. Once she reached the bench, a pair of strong hands grabbed her waist and pulled her back against a firm chest. Ginny smiled.
"You knew I was here, then?" Draco breathed into Ginny's ear.
Ginny turned so that they were now fully facing each other. "Of course. I could make out that smell of yours anywhere," Ginny said before reaching up to kiss him.
Draco groaned and pulled her even closer to him. When Ginny began to respond to Draco's tongue with her own, the kiss immediately went from innocent to passionate.
Ginny pulled away reluctantly, slightly panting. "We need to talk, Draco."
Draco rested his forehead against Ginny's. "I know."
Ginny and Draco told each other everything without moving from each other's arms.
Draco told her about his housemates, his letter to his mother, and his conversation with Snape.
Ginny told him about her brothers' ultimatum, her parents, and Hermione. She didn't feel it was time to tell him about Harry yet, other than that he was okay with them, so she didn't.
Ginny rested her head against Draco's chest and Draco rested his chin atop of Ginny's blood-red hair. They stood quietly, content with just being in each other's arms.
"Ginny?"
"Hmm?"
Draco lifted his head and, with a long finger, tilted Ginny's chin upwards so that he could look into her eyes.
"Why'd you say no?"
(A/N: Review! Review! Review!)
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