Right Here Waiting-- Chapter Two
Hermione was sitting on an old, worn out easy chair in the Gryffindor common room, Ginny at her feet. She was braiding Ginny's hair, getting her ready to meet Malfoy at Honeyduke's. Ron was sprawled out on a couch, moaning to himself.
"Our little Ginny, gone at the clutches of Malfoy. Why, why, why?"
Hermione snapped a rubberband at him, hitting the side of his face. "Oh, shut up, Ron. She's a big girl, Malfoy won't hurt her."
"I'm going to miss you, Gin. You were always my favorite."
Hermione rolled her eyes dramatically and finished the end of Ginny's braid. Ginny looked at herself in a mirror, smiling.
"Thanks, Hermione."
Hermione beamed at her, admiring her work. She got up and retreived a little package from a side table.
"Here," she said, handing it to Ginny. "It's an early Christmas present."
Ginny unwrapped the package and pulled out a long, fitted dark green cloak. She put it on, her face all smiles, and gave Hermione a little hug.
"Now, you'd better go. I've heard Malfoy doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Ginny cast another look at Ron, grabbed her copy of Edgar Allen Poe's works, and crawled through the portrait hole, bumping into Harry on her way.
"Ron's not doing very well," she warned. Harry winked at her and closed the door behind her. She walked slowly down the corridor, her heart pounding nervously; she could feel it every time she breathed. She rounded a corner, her head down, and ran in to the only person guaranteed to ruin her day- Peeves. He was bouncing from wall to wall, randomly plucking students up by their collars and lobbing them into the air. Ginny turned around, thinking she could go another way, but Peeves was faster.
"Awww, ickle little red head, where are you going with such a heavy book?" he asked, coming up behind her and pulling the book from her hands. "Let's lighten the load a bit, shall we?" He ripped a hundred or so pages from the book and threw them up into the air; the came fluttering down, landing in all directions. Peeves floated away, laughing. Ginny bent down, sighing heavily, trying to collect the pages. She looked up when a pair of shiny black boots stopped in front of her. It was Draco, his longer blond hair hanging around his face, dressed in a dark grey cloak and a wooly green scarf.
"I was going to give it to you; I thought you could read it before you go home," she said, talking about the book. Draco knelt down and took a piece of paper from her hands.
"Just forget about; you'll never be able to get them all."
Ginny sighed and stood up. "You're right."
They stood in nervous silence for a moment, Draco twitching his fingers and Ginny playing with the hood of her cloak.
"So, where're you off to?" he asked, a gleem in his eyes. Ginny smiled at him mischeiviously.
"Oh, I was supposed to go to Honeyduke's and meet someone, but I don't think he'll show up," she joked. Draco let out a mock gasp.
"Well, I suppose I'll go with you, then." They both laughed as they walked along the corridor to the front doors. Draco looked her over as they talked; her twin french braids hung on either side of her face, and her eyes sparkled with a child- like intensity. Her emerald green cloak made her skin glow, like a strand of pearls. And he loved her smile; it lit up all the darkness around her, and he wanted her to smile all the time.
"Your cloak is green," he commented, when they were almost there, "and yesterday it was grey. A Slytherin at heart, aren't you?" He opened the door to Honeyduke's for her, and found himself loving the way he was just inches taller than her, so she had to duck to walk under his arm.
"Green is my favorite color, and grey... grey reminds me of the rain," she replied, her voice far off. They sat down at a two- person table, and Draco ordered their drinks.
"I don't much like rain. It's just so dreary and cold," he said.
"Oh, I love the rain. I can look into a storm and forget about my problems. It's like an escape." She looked past him, out a window, at the falling snow. She saw her brothers Fred and George chasing Ron around, trying to get him to eat a piece of candy she was sure had some kind of spell or charm on it. She laughed, looking back at Draco.
"What's funny?" he asked.
"My brothers are out there. I remember when they used to chase me around like that."
Draco turned around and also looked at them. Again, he couldn't help but think how mad Ron would be if he saw them together, talking and laughing like they were now. Their drinks were brought to them, and Draco swirled the dark red liquid around with his straw, thinking.
"Tell me everything you want for yourself as fast as you can," Ginny said, staring at him with big eyes. He looked up at her, taken aback. No one really asked him things like that; people just assumed he was cold and uninviting, and not worth getting to know. And maybe he was. But he wished people would stop making assumptions about him, just once. And he had a feeling Ginny Weasley would do just that.
"Faster than that!" Ginny said, urging him on. Draco closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a loud sigh.
"I want a better life for my mother. I want a new book for you. I want my father to be a better man."
Ginny smiled at him. "That's nice. But what do you want, just for you?"
He took another deep breath, letting it out with another heavy sigh. "I want someone to understand me. I want someone to know me. I want to be loved."
Ginny took a long sip of her drink, looking at him. He met her gaze, trying to read her, but he couldn't. He could see she was a mask of fake emotions; he knew there was no 'happy' for her, at least not yet. She didn't want anyone to know how she was really feeling, so she put a smothering blanket over her pain. Draco knew this because he did it himself. He looked into her eyes, happy eyes to anyone who didn't understand. But he understood; he was perhaps the only one who did.
"Tell me what you want," he said, downing the last of his drink.
"I want money for my family, and I want Harry to be Quidditch team captain. And I want- I want a friend," she said, her eyes still masked with false smiles and hope.
"I'll be your friend, Ginny." He reached under the table and took her hand. Her breath hitched a little. "We're a lot alike, I think."
He was losing his mind to her soft touch, and could hardly put words together; all he was focused on was her.
They walked around in the snow, Draco's scarf tied losely around her neck and his hand tangled in hers. They were talking about different things, poetry and Quidditch. Every so often Draco would tune out out of the conversation and think about how badly he wanted to make her happy. He wanted her to smile for him, just for him, and he wanted her to belong to him and no one else. These sudden possesive desires frightened him a little, but he found he could think of nothing but her.
"I'm going back to Hogwarts," Ginny was saying, stopping along the road and turning to walk back to the school. "Are you coming with me?"
Draco shook his head. "No, I've got a bit of shopping to do. I'll see you later, then," he said, kissing her hand elegantly, making her blush. They exchanged goodbyes, and Draco watched her walk away, pulling her hood over her red hair. She almost floated above the snow, like an angel.
a/n: The bit about "tell me what you want as fast as you can" wasn't my idea; it was taken fom the movie, 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape.'
Hermione was sitting on an old, worn out easy chair in the Gryffindor common room, Ginny at her feet. She was braiding Ginny's hair, getting her ready to meet Malfoy at Honeyduke's. Ron was sprawled out on a couch, moaning to himself.
"Our little Ginny, gone at the clutches of Malfoy. Why, why, why?"
Hermione snapped a rubberband at him, hitting the side of his face. "Oh, shut up, Ron. She's a big girl, Malfoy won't hurt her."
"I'm going to miss you, Gin. You were always my favorite."
Hermione rolled her eyes dramatically and finished the end of Ginny's braid. Ginny looked at herself in a mirror, smiling.
"Thanks, Hermione."
Hermione beamed at her, admiring her work. She got up and retreived a little package from a side table.
"Here," she said, handing it to Ginny. "It's an early Christmas present."
Ginny unwrapped the package and pulled out a long, fitted dark green cloak. She put it on, her face all smiles, and gave Hermione a little hug.
"Now, you'd better go. I've heard Malfoy doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Ginny cast another look at Ron, grabbed her copy of Edgar Allen Poe's works, and crawled through the portrait hole, bumping into Harry on her way.
"Ron's not doing very well," she warned. Harry winked at her and closed the door behind her. She walked slowly down the corridor, her heart pounding nervously; she could feel it every time she breathed. She rounded a corner, her head down, and ran in to the only person guaranteed to ruin her day- Peeves. He was bouncing from wall to wall, randomly plucking students up by their collars and lobbing them into the air. Ginny turned around, thinking she could go another way, but Peeves was faster.
"Awww, ickle little red head, where are you going with such a heavy book?" he asked, coming up behind her and pulling the book from her hands. "Let's lighten the load a bit, shall we?" He ripped a hundred or so pages from the book and threw them up into the air; the came fluttering down, landing in all directions. Peeves floated away, laughing. Ginny bent down, sighing heavily, trying to collect the pages. She looked up when a pair of shiny black boots stopped in front of her. It was Draco, his longer blond hair hanging around his face, dressed in a dark grey cloak and a wooly green scarf.
"I was going to give it to you; I thought you could read it before you go home," she said, talking about the book. Draco knelt down and took a piece of paper from her hands.
"Just forget about; you'll never be able to get them all."
Ginny sighed and stood up. "You're right."
They stood in nervous silence for a moment, Draco twitching his fingers and Ginny playing with the hood of her cloak.
"So, where're you off to?" he asked, a gleem in his eyes. Ginny smiled at him mischeiviously.
"Oh, I was supposed to go to Honeyduke's and meet someone, but I don't think he'll show up," she joked. Draco let out a mock gasp.
"Well, I suppose I'll go with you, then." They both laughed as they walked along the corridor to the front doors. Draco looked her over as they talked; her twin french braids hung on either side of her face, and her eyes sparkled with a child- like intensity. Her emerald green cloak made her skin glow, like a strand of pearls. And he loved her smile; it lit up all the darkness around her, and he wanted her to smile all the time.
"Your cloak is green," he commented, when they were almost there, "and yesterday it was grey. A Slytherin at heart, aren't you?" He opened the door to Honeyduke's for her, and found himself loving the way he was just inches taller than her, so she had to duck to walk under his arm.
"Green is my favorite color, and grey... grey reminds me of the rain," she replied, her voice far off. They sat down at a two- person table, and Draco ordered their drinks.
"I don't much like rain. It's just so dreary and cold," he said.
"Oh, I love the rain. I can look into a storm and forget about my problems. It's like an escape." She looked past him, out a window, at the falling snow. She saw her brothers Fred and George chasing Ron around, trying to get him to eat a piece of candy she was sure had some kind of spell or charm on it. She laughed, looking back at Draco.
"What's funny?" he asked.
"My brothers are out there. I remember when they used to chase me around like that."
Draco turned around and also looked at them. Again, he couldn't help but think how mad Ron would be if he saw them together, talking and laughing like they were now. Their drinks were brought to them, and Draco swirled the dark red liquid around with his straw, thinking.
"Tell me everything you want for yourself as fast as you can," Ginny said, staring at him with big eyes. He looked up at her, taken aback. No one really asked him things like that; people just assumed he was cold and uninviting, and not worth getting to know. And maybe he was. But he wished people would stop making assumptions about him, just once. And he had a feeling Ginny Weasley would do just that.
"Faster than that!" Ginny said, urging him on. Draco closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a loud sigh.
"I want a better life for my mother. I want a new book for you. I want my father to be a better man."
Ginny smiled at him. "That's nice. But what do you want, just for you?"
He took another deep breath, letting it out with another heavy sigh. "I want someone to understand me. I want someone to know me. I want to be loved."
Ginny took a long sip of her drink, looking at him. He met her gaze, trying to read her, but he couldn't. He could see she was a mask of fake emotions; he knew there was no 'happy' for her, at least not yet. She didn't want anyone to know how she was really feeling, so she put a smothering blanket over her pain. Draco knew this because he did it himself. He looked into her eyes, happy eyes to anyone who didn't understand. But he understood; he was perhaps the only one who did.
"Tell me what you want," he said, downing the last of his drink.
"I want money for my family, and I want Harry to be Quidditch team captain. And I want- I want a friend," she said, her eyes still masked with false smiles and hope.
"I'll be your friend, Ginny." He reached under the table and took her hand. Her breath hitched a little. "We're a lot alike, I think."
He was losing his mind to her soft touch, and could hardly put words together; all he was focused on was her.
They walked around in the snow, Draco's scarf tied losely around her neck and his hand tangled in hers. They were talking about different things, poetry and Quidditch. Every so often Draco would tune out out of the conversation and think about how badly he wanted to make her happy. He wanted her to smile for him, just for him, and he wanted her to belong to him and no one else. These sudden possesive desires frightened him a little, but he found he could think of nothing but her.
"I'm going back to Hogwarts," Ginny was saying, stopping along the road and turning to walk back to the school. "Are you coming with me?"
Draco shook his head. "No, I've got a bit of shopping to do. I'll see you later, then," he said, kissing her hand elegantly, making her blush. They exchanged goodbyes, and Draco watched her walk away, pulling her hood over her red hair. She almost floated above the snow, like an angel.
a/n: The bit about "tell me what you want as fast as you can" wasn't my idea; it was taken fom the movie, 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape.'
Leave a Review