Part 3: The Union

Draco took his time finding a spot to put them down. It was true that the old broom flew a bit squirrelly in the air, but he prolonged their flight so that he could enjoy Ginny’s arms around his waist. He finally gave a small sigh and set the broom down near Hogsmeade.

“You alright?” He asked, as she lifted her leg from the broom.

“Yes. You?” Ginny seemed suddenly bashful toward him and he didn’t know whether to feel flattered or annoyed.

He nodded his head in answer. “I’m good.” Draco gestured at the broom still in his hand. “This was quick thinking on your part.”

She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling in the light of the moon. “So what are we supposed to do now?”

Draco stared off toward the town. “Well, we certainly can’t risk getting back onto the grounds without the tunnel. Not this late at night, anyway.” He gave a short pause as he heard a growl in his stomach. He was hungry and it honestly wasn’t a bad idea to get some food seeing as they were probably going to be caught anyway. “Should we stop in at the Three Broomsticks to have a bite to eat and some butterbeer?”

Ginny gazed off toward a light shining from the windows of the local pub they often frequented. “It’s awfully late, though. Won’t Madam Rosmerta be closing?”

Draco waved his hand at her as though it weren’t a problem. “She knows my father. I can guarantee you she won’t deny us service.”

Ginny rolled her eyes at him. “Is that all you can do is give praise to yourself by referencing how important you think your father is?”

Draco felt his face redden, half out of rage and half out of embarrassment. He was working hard to suppress his anger and answered her through gritted teeth. “I was just saying…that I thought we could get a drink.”

Ginny ignored his comment for the second time and started off toward the town by herself, clearly irritated with him but obviously determined to let it be.

It drove him crazy. Draco was ready to bait her with whatever he could come up with.

“Weasley, what’s your bloody problem anyway? The way you put on airs, I’d almost swear you were put into the wrong house!”

Draco carefully crossed his arms against his chest and waited for the lashing he was about to enjoy, yet he was surprised by her reaction as she walked back to face him.

“Alright, let’s get a few things straight…” Ginny paused as though she was contemplating what it was she was about to say.

“Yes?” Draco raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to finish her sentence.

“First, you’ve managed to call me by my first name three times tonight so I know you’re capable of it and it won’t hurt you to continue. Second, you’re being an awful git to someone who just saved your skin. And third,” she put her hands on her hips to emphasize her final point. “You couldn’t handle me being in Slytherin house, if that’s what you were implying.”

As Ginny began to walk off, Draco chased after her, raising his voice as he went. “Excuse me, GINNY, but what in bloody hell is that supposed to mean…I couldn’t handle you being in Slytherin—“

But whatever it was Draco was about to say got cut off by the softest pair of lips he’d ever felt. Ginny had abruptly spun on her heel, thrown her arms about his neck, and closed in on him faster than he could blink. Draco gave into her completely as he deepened the kiss, welcoming the warm feeling that settled in his groin from the feel of her touch. After several moments, Ginny released herself from his grasp and her seductive stare was boring a hole right through him.

He couldn’t think. He couldn’t even be quite sure he was breathing until her next words brought him back to reality.

That is what I meant.” Once again, Ginny turned on her heel and continued on her path to Madam Rosmerta’s.


XXXX



Ginny touched the tip of her fingers to her lips, quite astounded at what she’d just done, but thoroughly pleased with herself. She’d never enjoyed anything so much as that kiss and she wanted more. She needed more. But now she’d gotten herself into such a mess that it was hard to form a straight thought.

“Ginny, wait!” Draco was running to catch up with her. She’d evidently left him so stunned that she was a good twenty or so paces ahead of him by the time he trailed after her.

“Wait up,” he said again.

Her embarrassment was slowly catching up with her. “Oh Ginny, why are you so impulsive? How can you erase what you’ve just done?” She couldn’t wrap her head around any of it. “And if Ron ever finds out…” Ginny never finished her last thought.

“Oh my God, RON!” She turned to face Draco, the words escaping her lips as nothing more than a whisper.

Draco’s eyes grew cold, once more. “Ron? What in bloody hell are you on about now?”

“We have to go back!” Ginny was grasping at the old broom Draco still held in his hand.

“What do you mean ‘we have to go back’? Go back where?”

“It’s Ron. He would’ve seen the sparks from that blast and he’ll be coming to help me. He was sleeping in the Astronomy Tower tonight to make sure I’d be safe.”

“He was what?

“He was going to look for me to fire any sparks in case I got into trouble and I know he would’ve seen that blast. We have to go back to the Shack.”

“Your brother can sod off for all I care, Weasley. Besides, he won’t attempt your rescue without his two sidekicks and you can be sure Potter the Hero or Granger the Bookworm won’t let anything happen to him.”

Without giving it any thought, Ginny promptly slapped Draco right across the face as hard as she could. “How dare you make such a comment when you know bloody well and good that my brother might be bitten by a werewolf tonight, Draco. And furthermore, if you call me Weasley once more before the sun comes up you’re going to wish you’d never crossed my path. I’ll hex you so badly, you’ll be wishing every day that it had been something as simple as a Bat Bogey, do you understand?”

Draco blinked slowly, yet said nothing as Ginny held out her hand for the broom. He shook his head at her and threw a leg over the handle. “No. I’m not letting you go back alone. Get on.”

Had there been more time Ginny would’ve argued to fly back on her own. However, under the circumstances, she climbed on behind him as Draco rapidly kicked off from the ground heading back toward the Shack.


XXXX


Draco felt worse than he’d ever felt in his life. Insulting the Trio was in his nature, yes, but he’d never make Ginny believe that he didn’t mean what he’d just said…nor did he even want to try. He hated the lot of them and wanted nothing more than to see them all fail miserably. But to be bitten by a werewolf? He shouldn’t have been so callous about it. His pride hurt so badly that it angered him and all he wanted to do was leave her at the shack and never set eyes on her again. He swallowed every ounce of pride he had in him as he set the broom down on the edge of the lawn. Draco didn’t even have time to say a word before she was off and running toward the front door. Out of sheer panic he chased after her and, once he caught up, grabbed her arm more roughly than he intended.

“Are you out of your mind?” He steadied his breathing and lowered his voice, taking nervous glances over his shoulder toward the shack the entire time. “You can’t just go running in there.”

“Let go of me,” she yanked her arm from his grasp, fire burning in her eyes. “You don’t care what happens to my brother and I can do this alone. And furthermore, stop trying to show this false concern over my well-being.”

“Look, I don’t care what happens to your brother and his friends - that’s the truth. But, Ginny, I didn’t mean what I said about the werewolf, all right? I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” She’d stopped moving and was obviously waiting for him to finish. “And for that matter…I don’t have false concern over your well-being, either.” He felt his face begin to redden as he took her hand and pulled her back into the shadow of the trees. “I told you the only reason I even came to this sodding place tonight was so you wouldn’t get hurt. That said…I’m not leaving you.”

Her face softened and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him gently on the cheek. “Why don’t you let anyone else see him?”

“See who?” Draco was perplexed.

“Draco,” she said softly.

It was as though Ginny had opened some invisible door that let in a ray of sunshine. It was an odd sort of compliment, really, but Draco was no fool. He’d understood immediately what she was trying to say and it made him feel altered to some extent, as though some other force was at work controlling his thoughts and emotions.

“Well…let’s get this over with.” He took her hand again and led her around to the back of the house where they snaked their way to the windows. Carefully peering in through the glass, Draco noted that the trap door was still closed from Ginny’s entrance hours earlier. “I don’t think he’s in here.”

“What do you mean?” The disbelief was somewhat evident in her voice.

“I mean that the trap door is still closed. If Ron had been in any kind of a hurry to get to you, he wouldn’t have bothered closing it behind him, you think?”

Ginny looked like she was pondering Draco’s reasoning, but still seemed unconvinced. “I think I should sneak into the house. I don’t hear any noise coming from inside which leads me to think the werewolf is gone.”

Draco was exasperated. “Ginny, Ron’s not there! As you just said you don’t hear anything from inside and if he did burst through the trap door looking for you we’d be bound to hear him calling your name as he searched the place.”

“But what if he’s been bitten and he’s lying in there bleeding half to death? I have to go insi--”

Ginny never finished her sentence for the same familiar scratching noise was heard behind them and, as they turned toward the noise, they saw a large wolf-like animal standing a mere ten feet from them. It wasn’t moving, but staring them down as if trying to study its prey.

“Ginny…have your wand ready.” Draco spoke the words in nothing more than a whisper. “On the count of three we’re going to do a knockback jinx on him and once we do I want you to run in the house and down into the tunnel, understand?”

“Draco, I—“

“Ginny, I’m not messing around. Now on three! One. Two…”

They drew their wands and sent the werewolf flying into the air as an indescribable noise escaped its mouth. Ginny did as Draco had told her and ran behind him up into the house. He hesitated momentarily before backing his way into the entry, wand arm still raised and waiting for the beast to turn.

XXXX


Ginny ran into the house as fast as her legs could carry her, but her sense of responsibility wouldn’t allow her to head for the tunnel. She stormed up the flight of steps yelling Ron’s name, determined to find him if he was here. Down the hallway she ran, searching the bedrooms as quickly as she could, but finding no trace of her brother.

Ginny found herself in the bedroom she’d occupied earlier and crossed the room to the corner where her things were scattered about. A tiny blue flame was still burning inside the long forgotten jelly jar. Bending down to retrieve it, Ginny capped a lid on it and shoved it into the pocket of her robes for safekeeping before she hurried her way down the staircase to meet Draco in the tunnel.

Halfway down the stairs Ginny heard a deafening scream come from the exterior of the shack. “Why is Draco still outside?” She completed her descent and ran toward the open door she’d just entered, searching the lawn with her eyes but finding no sign of Draco or the werewolf. Ginny drew her wand and circled the house, still finding no trace of them.

“DRACO!” Ginny yelled at the top of her lungs hoping to hear some plea or cry of help from Draco so that she could find him, but silence inevitably followed. Her heartbeat rang in her ears as the only sound she could hear and the tears began to fall on her cheeks. “Oh God, what have I done?” she said aloud. “Why did I leave him like that after everything he’s done for me tonight?” She ran into the shadows among the trees, still calling his name until a scene unfolded before her that made her stop dead in her tracks.

The werewolf, still standing, lay motionless against a low iron fence, stabbed through the heart with the tip of a fence post. It appeared to be dead, but Ginny kept her distance and cried out Draco’s name once more. She tore the jelly jar from her robes and pointed her wand at it yelling “Engorgio,” to bring the tiny flame to life. She levitated it high in the air and, using its light, Ginny continued to search the area for any sign of Draco. Exhausted, she fell to her knees and let the tears run down her cheeks as the fear finally caught up with her. “Draco,” she whispered. “Why did you leave me?”

Her head was on the ground as she sobbed into the sleeve of her robe until a sound behind her made her sit up in panic.

“You were supposed to be in the tunnel.” Draco stood hunched over her with a half smile on his face. His wand arm looked badly injured and he was clutching it with the other. His robes were ripped and there was a small dab of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, but he appeared to be all right and bite free.

“Draco!” Ginny jumped up and threw her arms around him despite the tiny cry of pain he let out. She stood back from him and just stared into his eyes. “I thought…I thought you left me here.”

Draco raised his good arm and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. “How many times do I need to tell you,” he said softly. “I came here tonight to protect you.” For the first time, Ginny saw a genuine smile spread across his face and it melted every last piece of resolve she had in her. Nothing he could say would change the fact that she’d managed to fall head over heels for him in a few short hours.

Ginny grabbed his hand from her cheek and pulled him closer while he kissed the top of her head. “I’m taking you back to your brother,” he said. “Let’s go find that broom.”

XXXX


Draco was able to fly Ginny back to the Astronomy Tower, though it took every ounce of energy he had left in him. She’d begged him to let her fly but he would have none of it. Returning to Slytherin Commons was going to be hard enough without someone seeing him being flown back to the castle by a girl.

“A girl,” Draco thought to himself. “But not just any girl.” He smiled as he remembered the brutal slap to the face she’d given him earlier and how very much he’d deserved it. He didn’t want to let her go.

He pulled himself from his thoughts just as the broom landed on the large stone balcony of the Astronomy Tower, well away from the telescopes and clear out of view from the window. Ginny gave a peak inside before announcing with utter annoyance that Ron was asleep, but added in a small sigh of relief how glad she was that he’d been safe all this time.

“Well,” she said in a soft voice. “I suppose I should wake him up and go back to the Common Room.”

“Yeah,” he said rather gruffly. “Guess this is it, then.” Draco couldn’t think of a thing to say, though he knew there was a lot going on in his mind. He took a step forward and bent his head near hers, taking her hands in his as he did so. “You’ve really done something to me tonight, you know?”

“Gods, but I sound like an idiot,” he thought.

However, Ginny didn’t seem to think so as she let her eyes sparkled up at him. “I…I know what you mean.” She was bashful again. “I feel the same way.”

He released his grasp on her hands and found her face, cupping her chin ever so delicately as he kissed her softly at first, but deepening it as the adrenaline built up in his body from the feel of her touch. It felt like hours before he was able to let her go.

XXXX


Ginny’s lips were swollen and her eyes bright as she shook her brother awake. It would take a miracle to cover up the giddy feeling she was feeling inside and she knew it needed to be laid to rest before Ron was fully alert. He rolled toward her muttering something about spiders before he sat bolt upright off the floor, staring at her in alarm.

“’S happened? Ginny…what?” He couldn’t form a proper sentence yet.

“It’s okay Ron. It’s all over with and I came to get you.” She made her voice as sulky as she possibly could.

“Is it morning? Did the Slytherins give you any trouble?” He stood up from the floor and scratched at the bed head he’d received from sleeping awkwardly on his rumpled cloak.

“No trouble,” said Ginny. “Pretty uneventful, to be honest.” She rubbed a finger to her lips, remembering the events from the last seven hours. Ginny hated lying to her brother, but in this case the truth would be even worse. Some things were better left unsaid.

“Well,” said Ron, staring out the window at the sun beginning to rise. “I guess it’s time we head back to the Common Room, then. I brought Harry’s invisibility cloak with me in case I’d need it. We can use that going back to avoid the early morning Prefect watch.”

“Right,” said Ginny. “Let’s go, then. I’m pretty tired and could use some more sleep.”

Ron blindly threw the cloak over their heads, having no idea how tired Ginny really was.

XXXX


Draco slipped into Slytherin Commons as quietly as he could and made his way to one of the squishy couches in front of their fire. He glanced through the glass separating the room from the bottom of the lake and noted that the giant squid slept peacefully on the other side. Draco didn’t see the Gryffindor lion clutched in any of the tentacles so he figured it was safe to say Pansy hadn’t tossed it into the lake.

As if taking a cue from his thoughts, Pansy walked in through the dungeon door, most likely from her Prefect post. She gave Draco a hopeful smile and ran to sit down next to him.

“I’ve been keeping my eye out for you for hours now. Well,” she said. “Is the little wench a wreck?”

Draco drew back slightly at the sound of hearing Ginny being referred to as a wench. “I need the lion, Pansy.”

Her face had fallen slightly at his request, but she smiled again, unbelieving that his request was real. “Stop messing with me, Draco. Tell me everything that happened tonight.”

Draco kept his face as serious as he possibly could and after several more seconds, Pansy’s smile faded for good. “But…but….” Draco wouldn’t let her protests continue any further.

“Can you get it for me? I need to take it back.” He stared down at his feet, unable to go into any detail about it and wanting to avoid further conversation with her. He was tired, happily confused and wanted that lion back in Ginny’s hands before anything else.

Pansy stood up from her place on the couch and stared down at Draco with an unreadable expression. “I’ll…I’ll be right back.”


XXXX


As Ginny woke several hours later her eyes adjusted to the crisp autumn sunlight beaming through the crack of the drapery surrounding her four-poster. She yanked them open the rest of the way, wiping the sleep from the creases of her eyes as she did so. Ginny blinked twice as her gaze fell to the worn, wooden nightstand next to her bed. The golden lion mascot sat staring at her with a piece of parchment stuck to its front paws. ”Weasley” was all that the front of the parchment said.

Ginny’s smile spread across her face as she remembered the dreams she’d been having only minutes before, and even more so of the night she’d had with Draco in the Shack. Her stomach did somersaults as she thought of the way he’d kissed her up on the tower and she touched her finger to her lips once again in recollection.

Ginny peered out into her dormitory to make certain that none of the girls was lingering and, seeing no one, snatched the lion from the nightstand. She withdrew into the protection of her curtains and held it in her hand. This hunk of metal had been the reason behind an incredible amount of grief for Ginny, yet she couldn’t help but think that it all had happened for a reason. Beating herself up over the fact that it had been stolen was more than she could take. However, the events that led up to getting it back had completed her in a way that she never thought possible.

Ginny fingered the parchment in her hands for several moments, wondering how he’d managed to get it into her dormitory, but dismissed the question as she unrolled it to view the contents. A familiar fluttering in her stomach returned as Draco’s small bit of text smiled subtly up at her from the page.

Weasley,

I suppose it’s okay to call you that again now that the sun is officially up. And as for the lion, I figured I owed it to you. Hope you enjoyed Halloween as much as I did.

XXX,
Malfoy

PS. I’ll be seeing you around, Weasley.


Ginny clutched the parchment in her hands as she gave a soft sigh, smiling to herself. “Yeah, Malfoy…” she thought. “You bet you will.”


Author's Note: So there you have it. ;) Hope everyone enjoyed my not-so-little short story. It was a nice change of pace for a bit, but now it's time to get back to finishing Don't Wake Me From This Dream. If a plot bunny bites, I might put up something small for Christmas, but we'll see. I'd love to finish the novel length so I can start on a sequel. Thanks for the reviews and for visiting my LJ with comments.
The End.
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