This chapter is so cute – or at least I think so

Disclaimer: Nope characters don’t belong to me.
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She sat huddled by the lake, tears streaking her face. She had been sitting here for what must have been hours, simply sobbing. She’d reached her breaking point and had dissolved into tears. All the anger, frustration and confusion that she seemed steeped in of late had stretched too thin, and wore her ragged.

She sat, hiccupping slightly, and stared at the black waters lapping gently on the bank, trying to figure out why she’d reacted to Colin’s kiss with such ferocity. It had been an innocent kiss, yet she’d snapped. Why? With a blush Ginny realized the answer, but she tried to deny that Draco Malfoy had been the only thing she’d been thinking about when Colin had tried to kiss her. So she sat trying to trace the path that had led her to this moment. It wasn’t hard to figure out where it’d all started. She could even pinpoint it exactly, when she’d looked up into those steel gray eyes and had realized Draco had saved her life. She heaved a sigh, the nightmare that had followed would have been inconceivable at that moment.

The sound of feet nearby jerked her from her thoughts. She strained to see through the darkness exactly who it was who approached. She could only make out the person’s black silhouette. Ginny sat silently, praying that whoever it was would go away.

Finally the figure stepped into the silvery moonlight and Ginny gasped - it was Malfoy.

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Draco was taking a nighttime stroll to ease his thoughts, he’d been doing it a lot of late –simply clearing his head. There was a lot to think about- his father, Voldemort, Snape, school, Harry…and Ginny. Every time his thoughts drifted to the red-haired girl, he wanted to smack himself. He simply couldn’t understand why he couldn’t drive Ginny Weasley from his thoughts. She wasn’t the prettiest girl, or the smartest. So what was it about her that intrigued him so — wait that came out wrong! She wasn’t intriguing, she was a Weasley for crying out loud! Malfoy’s and Weasley’s were like—like oil and water. They just didn’t mix…still the expression on his father’s face if he brought a Weasley home for Christmas would be priceless. Realizing what he’d just thought Draco banished all thoughts of Ginny from his head.

Draco was deep in thought when suddenly he heard someone gasp. His eyes darted in the direction whence it came and spotted a familiar red-haired girl. His stomach twisted slightly, and he was aware of a tightening in his chest.

He was contemplating taking off in the other direction when he heard her whisper, “Malfoy what are you doing here?”

It appeared they were back to a last name basis. Draco grimaced and said in a flat voice, “I’m allowed to be here Weasley - you don’t own this spot - not that you could afford it.”

“Sod off,” was Ginny’s reply.

Draco ground his teeth in frustration - damnit, why wasn’t she reacting?

“I’m surprised by your vicious reaction - after all you were the one who told me to come to you if I ever want to talk.” He sprawled on the ground beside Ginny.

Ginny furiously wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She glanced at Draco attempting to gauge his intentions; however, his expression was unreadable.

“What happened with you?” He asked.

“I…broke up with Colin,” Ginny said, praying that he wouldn’t ask her why.

“Oh,” was his ambiguous reply.

Ginny waited, knowing that Draco would talk when he was ready.

Draco allowed the silence to descend, it was weird, with any other girl such a silence would be highly awkward yet with Ginny it was anything but. He closed his eyes for a long moment, then finally snapped then open once more.

“I – my father wants- no expects me to join the Deatheaters-I don’t-won’t join because those damned fools are fighting a losing battle- you heard that traitor Snape-they’re desperate. But if I refuse the Mark my father will kill me – I kid you not, the Malfoy’s live to serve the Dark Lord, my father will not allow me to refuse it. Either way my life is over – I either end up in Azkaban or I end up Avada Kedavra’d by my dad for disobeying the orders of that fag Voldemore. I need –hel—I mean…what do you reckon I oughta do?”

Ginny frowned, her brow furrowed in thought, she was always advising her brothers, but she’d never had a predicament such as this set before her.

“We-e-e-e-l-l-l-l” Ginny stretched out the word, “Draco, you could, I mean why don’t you just not go home?”

“Run away?” Draco said disbelieving.

“No…you just don’t return home. You could stay with a friend-you’re dad can’t kill you if he can’t find you.”

Draco let out a bitter laugh.

“What?” Ginny said, slightly indignant.

“Well it’s just that I don’t exactly have any friends that’ll allow me to hole up with them, do I? There’s Crabbe and Goyle, their parents are Deatheaters too- Pansy’s father as well- not that I could stand to live with that whore anyway. Zabini, Bulstrode, all Death Eaters.” He ticked them off one by one.

“You could live with me,” Ginny clapped her hands to her lips in horror, the words had escaped her mouth without warning.

Draco laughed again but this time it was a full, rich laugh, “Life with the Weasel King- reckon I’d survive longer than two days?”

“He wouldn’t touch you if you were under my protection,” Ginny said fiercely thankful for the cover of night so Draco wouldn’t see how bad she was blushing.

Ginny got to her feet, ready to head back to the castle before she made a further fool of herself.

Draco grasped her arm, pulling her back.

“What?” Ginny said in a would-be cool voice, trying to hide the tremor in her voice at the unexpected contact.

“Why do you care?” Draco hissed. “You’re Potter’s girl-you shouldn’t give a damn about me.”

Ginny wrenched free and said, “I’m not Harry’s girl and I can care about anyone I please!”

“No one has ever given a damn about me before. I like you-you’re not like the other girls.”

Ginny fled before she did something she would later regret. His words echoed in her ears- “I like you –you’re not like any of the other girls.” Did he really mean it? Did he really honestly like her? He’d sounded sincere, but you never could tell with Draco…

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