Chapter 2 - Make Draco Frustrated As Hell Day
Three weeks have passed since the opening of the school year and during those weeks I have been trying hard to come up with a plan to tell Ginny my feelings.
It’s hard, I tell you, to plan something I have failed at before. I mean, I have tried telling her about my feelings in the past but every time, something always gets in the way.
Like that time when we had our Yule Ball? It was the perfect opportunity to tell her, since I had always envisioned the ‘moment of truth’ to be in a beautiful place and believe me, the Great Hall was beautiful that night. I had planned to ask her to the dance earlier, but Neville Longbottom had beaten me to it. I’d planned to corner her while she got drinks that night too, but before I could overcome my sudden stuttering, Colin had asked her to dance. What's up with these Gryffindors? I tried again and again but someone was always asking her to dance with them, chat with them, take pictures with them, breathe with them…I mean, Merlin! Can’t people do anything by themselves? Why do they have to drag Ginny along with their stupid arses while they do what they do?
Needless to say, I failed to tell her that night and had gone up to my room, feeling dejected and miserable. Would you believe I didn't even get the chance to dance with her that night?
There were many times before the Yule Ball that I had tried telling her, and still more times after it. The latest attempt I made was during Bill’s wedding this summer.
I was at the Burrow, spending my summer there while my parents had gone off to do some shopping around the world. They were there at the wedding though, as Aunt Molly would have their heads on a platter if they didn’t come.
People were running around the Burrow. Aunt Molly was panicking, which she usually does when she’s hosting a party; Aunt Lily and Mum were making sure that us boys were not making trouble; Dad and the other adult male members of the Order had wisely concealed themselves somewhere, probably to drink or plan how to bring down Voldemort. The younger females of the party had gone off somewhere, probably doing pre-wedding rituals of powdering their noses and applying color to their faces. I had expected Ginny to be somewhere outside, being pushed by her Mum to do this and that, but she was nowhere to be found.
So I waited until the wedding, and then she came down the aisle, wearing a pale blue long gown and flowers in her hair. Don’t you think anyone with flowers in their hair is just asking to be told ‘I love you’? She took her place beside Danielle, Fleur’s sister, and sought out my eyes and then smiled at me.
I was sitting with Harry, Blaise and Ron on the third row and I was stunned by how beautiful she was. I mean, my Ginny is beautiful, but she was just…I don’t have enough words to describe it but right then and there I wished fiercely for her to be mine. I heard from someone that the more you love a person, the more you can’t describe the feeling, or the person, in words. I think they're right.
Anyway, she was perfect that day and I just had to tell her. So after the wedding, I told her she was beautiful and then right before I could tell her how I felt about her, Kingsley Shacklebolt’s Patronus came bounding onto the lawn and told us about the Death Eaters that were coming to gate-crash.
So, no, my plan didn’t happen.
Boo me…
As I’ve said, it has been three weeks since we got back to Hogwarts and still, I haven’t a single clue about how to tell her.
Fate sucks like that, don’t you think?
“What are you thinking about?”
I stand up straight and close the book I was reading as Ginny’s face comes into view.
“Oh!” I say, surprised at her sudden appearance.
I’ve been at the library that afternoon, doing research for my Potions essay. I realize I’ve been standing, leaning on a bookshelf for some time now, staring at the same page of the Potions book that I’m holding.
“What’s up with you?” Ginny says to me as she leans on the same bookshelf that I’ve been leaning on. She looks at me with interest and I can almost hear the wheels in her brain turning, probably wondering what I was thinking about.
I look at her and smile shakily. “Oh, nothing,” I start to tell her but she’s already shaking her head.
“No, no,” she says. “Don’t try that again. I’ve had that kind of answer from you before. Why don’t you try telling me the truth this time, White?”
I regard her with some thought. Should I tell her? I mean, this isn’t exactly the most romantic time to tell her, we’re at the library for Merlin’s sake. But hey, Bill proposed to Fleur in the kitchen of the Burrow, so this isn’t going to be the most unromantic declaration of love ever, right?
“Uhm, Gin?” I begin. My knees are shaking and my heart is pounding. Whoever said that saying “I love you” to someone is a good feeling, maybe the best feeling anyone will ever feel in their entire life, was wrong. Because I am not feeling so good right now. In fact, I feel sick.
“Yes, Drake?” she stares up at me with her brown eyes and I begin to get lost in them again.
Mocha, chocolate, wood, earth…her eyes are so brown. I want all my children to have her eyes.
“Oh, there you are!” we both whip around to see Blaise grinning at us like he’s caught us doing something naughty, and I’m thankful that Malfoys do not know how to blush.
“Oh, hey, Blaise!” Ginny smiles. “What’s up?”
Blaise grins at me first before answering. “Dumbledore’s calling you.”
Oh damn.
________________________________________
Have you ever felt that nice, weird feeling that fate is working with you?
Because I have.
No, I am feeling it right now.
Dumbledore called me, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Gin to his office and now here we are, standing around the Headmaster’s table and trying to digest every bit of information we’ve learned. Well, at least Ginny and I are. Harry, Ron and Hermione already knew beforehand what Dumbledore was going to tell us and were now looking at us with hesitation.
“Wait, you mean to tell me that you’re going away?” Gin asks them. “Because of the Horcruxes?”
The three of them look at each other and nod. “Yes,” Harry answers Ginny. “We have to leave, Gin. We have to find those remaining Horcruxes if we want to stop Voldemort.”
“Are you crazy?” I ask them, turning to Dumbledore. “You can’t just let them go like this, Professor!”
“It’s too dangerous, Professor,” Gin says, her voice trembling a little. “Tell them they can’t leave!”
“Danger is everywhere, dear,” Dumbledore tells Ginny and with that simple sentence I understand that there’s nothing we can do about it. Dumbledore was probably the one who told Harry to find the Horcruxes. “This is something that the three of them have to do, and they can’t do it if you keep holding them back. It is,” he says, walking up to Ginny and placing a hand on her shoulder, “their destiny.”
“But, Professor!” Gin argues in a weak voice. She’s probably understood what I have too and is just trying to do what little she can to change their minds.
“It’ll be all right, Gin,” Ron smiles crookedly at his sister. “Harry and Hermione and me, we’ve been planning this for some time now, and we have everything figured out. We can do this.”
Gin stares at him for a while then throws her arms around him, enveloping him in a fierce hug.
We’re all quiet as the siblings embrace each other.
After a while, I ask, “Where are you going?”
The three of them look at each other again. “We can’t tell you,” Harry answers finally. “It’s safer that way.”
“Do Mum and the others know?” asks Ginny, her eyes darting from Harry to Ron to Hermione. She has the look of a lost child and I immediately take a step towards her and held her hand.
“Yes,” says Hermione. “The Order knows we’re going away, but we haven’t told them where, or when we’ll be going.”
“And your parents?” I ask Hermione.
“I’ve…taken care of them,” Hermione smiles sadly.
“Hermione…”
She looks up at us and her smile widens. “Don’t worry about them, they’re safe.”
We nod, accepting Hermione’s offer. It’s the best she will give us, the best we can get, so we don’t press her anymore.
I turn to Harry and ask, “When are you planning to go?”
“Three days from now.”
“You’ll disappear just like that?” Ginny asks the three. “You can’t expect anyone to buy that and not ask questions. The first-years are already asking me why they see a different person guarding the Main Entrance every day.”
Dumbledore smiles at us mysteriously and chuckles. The five of us turn to each other and I resist the urge to roll my eyes at them. After years of knowing the old crackpot, I think I know when Dumbledore has a brilliant plan. ”Brilliant” often meaning insanely unbelievable, or simply silly.
“That’s where the Heads come in, my dear Ginevra,” Dumbledore says, as he sits back on his chair and lays his hands on the armrests. “They’re in charge of keeping the students happy so they won’t worry over such things.”
“But Hermione’s going…” I trail off and realize what the Headmaster is saying. “Wait, you can’t mean…”
“Yes, Draco, exactly. I am saying that Miss Weasley will be the new Head Girl,” Dumbledore answers, and both Ginny and I gape at the Headmaster. See? It’s a silly idea, making a sixth-year the new Head Girl. I mean, is that even allowed?
“But, I’m just in sixth-year Professor, I can’t be…”
“Of course you can!” Dumbledore stands up and rounds the table to stand in front of us. “Isn’t it so that if I am gone for a certain amount of time, Professor McGonagall takes over my duties? That’s because next to me, she is the highest ranking officer in the school.”
“But I’m not highest anything, Headmaster,” Ginny continues to argue.
“Miss Weasley, you are the most perfect candidate for this, and my teachers agree.” Dumbledore looks at her. “You have the highest grades of all the Prefects and you’re well respected in the school. Add to that the fact that everybody is your friend and that everyone is most certainly afraid of your wand…” Dumbledore smiles at Ginny and she blushes. “Don’t worry. I’m sure Mr. Malfoy here would agree with my plan. After all, you are best friends, aren’t you?”
Now, you might be wondering where I stand regarding this decision. All this time they have been talking, I‘ve been quiet.
Why? Because my thoughts have gone into overdrive, and have finally processed the fact that Ginny will be spending the rest of the school year with me in the Heads’ personal dormitory.
Did I tell you that Hermione and I have shared the same Common Room, all by ourselves, for the past two weeks? And that her room is just across from mine? Well, now you know.
Of course before this all happened, I hadn’t thought of the Heads’ Dorm as much of a perk. I mean, you know. Sometimes it gets lonely there, with just Hermione and me, so we opt to hang out in the other Houses’ Common Rooms, where our friends are. The only part of having my own room that I’m thankful for is that I have my own bathroom and I can sing in it without being made fun of by Blaise or Theodore.
But now. Now that Ginny’s going to be Head Girl, can you guess what is going through my mind?
No, you pervert. Not that. I’m not thinking about taking advantage of Ginny in our cozy little Common Room, which we will have all to ourselves. I’m thinking that, with this situation, I’ll have the perfect opportunity to tell her how I feel. Then, if all everything goes well, maybe we can take advantage of each other in our cozy little Common Room.
I look at Ginny, whose eyes are questioning me. I see her hesitancy and I smile. “Don’t worry Gin,” I tell her. “You’re going to be great.”
________________________________________
After meeting with the Headmaster, Hermione and Ginny go to the Head Girl’s room and I go with Harry and Ron. Or rather, I’m ambushed by Ron, with Harry laughing beside us.
“What?” I ask Ron when we settle into an unused classroom. I look at Ron curiously and see that he’s red in the face.
I laugh. I know exactly what’s going to happen.
“Draco Malfoy,” Ron starts after a deep breath. “Draco Malfoy, I trust you.” He continues. Ron looks me squarely in the eye. “I agreed to this plan because I know Ginny deserves to be Head Girl and if Harry, Hermione and I can’t beat Voldemort, this might be the last school year for everyone. Especially for us…” he trails off.
My humor evaporates and I look at both of them. Harry has stopped laughing too, and is now sitting on one of the seats, fiddling with his hands.
“What do you mean?” I ask them, knowing exactly what they mean. But I have to know, have to confirm it with them. Harry looks up at me and smiles sadly.
“This is it, Drake,” Harry answers. “Remember the Prophecy? When we battled with the Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries?”
“Yes?”
“It said that only one of us would be able to live,” Harry says. “And the three of us, Hermione, Ron and I all agreed that this has to stop, and soon. It’s a terribly dangerous thing to do, and if it goes awry, well…” Harry trails off and we all fall silent.
Random thoughts come to mind and I think of my parents, who are probably at the Order’s Headquarters, planning how to fight Voldemort and his army. I think of Harry’s, Ron’s and Hermione’s parents and I wonder how they’re doing. I think of Luna and I immediately feel sorry for both her and Harry. I think of my friends and how this could be our last year together. And I think of Ginny. And I realize that this could probably be my last chance to tell her.
“Is that why Dumbledore gave her the position? Because it might be our last year at school?” I ask, although I don’t know if my words are making any sense.
They must be, because Harry nods. “Dumbledore said he was going to pick Ginny for the position next year, when her seventh year comes. Hermione said that he should give it to her now, since we aren’t sure what’ll happen and whether we’ll even have a new batch of Seventh Years next year,” he smiles sadly again.
“Of course Dumbledore refused to acknowledge that we might fail, but he still agreed to give Ginny the position. After all, she is the best candidate for it,” Ron answers. “Which leads me to say, Malfoy, that I trust you not to take advantage of my sister now that you two are going to have your own dorm to yourselves.”
I stare at Ron. “Of course I won’t…”
“I’m not finished,” Ron holds up one hand. “Draco, I know you love my sister. I know you would do anything for her. So please, before everything’s too late, tell her how you feel.”
I’m taken aback. This wasn’t what I was expecting. No, not even from Ron. Especially not from Ron.
“Ron…”
“She has to know, Drake,” Harry nods at me. “Listen, this is your opportunity. You’ll have plenty of time and privacy to tell her. We’re off to try and put a stop to Voldemort but we’re not promising anything Drake. We can fail. We might fail. So consider this your last chance.”
I look at both of them and realize that they’re probably right.
I smile. “You’re off to battle but you’re more concerned with Ginny and me?”
Ron and Harry look at each other and grin at me.
“Of course, mate!” Ron steps forward and flings his arm over my shoulders. “Because if we get back and you haven’t told her yet, we will do it for you.”
I grin. “Don’t you mean, when you get back?”
They look at each other again.
“Come on, you two,” I tell them. “You’re going to make it. Don’t think otherwise. Remember, Voldemort feeds on your fears. Don’t let him get you.”
Harry nods. “Don’t worry about us,” he tells me. “We’ll do the best we can. Although, I have a favor to ask you.”
I cock my head to one side and ask, “What is it?”
“It’s about Luna…” Harry says, looking at me with his sad expression.
“Luna, does she know?” I ask.
“Yes, I told her yesterday and she’s taking it pretty well. I think she knows that I have to do this,” Harry says. “But I’m worried about her. Remus and Sirius said Voldemort might attack the school and…”
The unspoken words send a chill down my spine and I shiver. If Voldemort decides to attack Hogwarts, that will be a horrific time, and I can guarantee that there will be bloodshed. Already, Dumbledore’s being forced by the Ministry to step down as Headmaster. Fudge is utterly Imperiused and I think half of the Ministry is, too. If Fudge succeeds at making Dumbledore step down, Hogwarts will probably lose to Voldemort. They’ve been brainwashing some of the more important Members of the Board of Education and it’ll be a matter of time before Dumbledore is forced to step down. It’ll leave Hogwarts vulnerable to attacks and Voldemort would seize it easily.
“Don’t worry, Harry,” I tell him. “I’ll take good care of her,” I turn to Ron. “And of Ginny, of course.”
They smile at me and I can’t help but be worried for them. I know Harry has the power to defeat Voldemort, he just has to believe in himself that he can. Though I know it isn’t an easy task, I also know that he’ll succeed. I have faith in him. We all do.
________________________________________
“I’m scared.”
I look up and see Ginny staring at me, chin cradled on her hands, elbows on the pillow on her lap. Her eyes are worried and her lips are set in a straight line.
Yeah, she makes worrying look cute, would you believe that?
“About Harry and Ron and Hermione,” I tell her. I don’t even try to ask what. “And about being the Head Girl.”
She nods and chews her lips. I take note that they are unusually red. She must have been biting on them since we arrived at my room. She said she wanted to go somewhere quiet, where she could think, so I brought her to my room.
“Biting your lips won’t help Red, stop it,” I tell her and she glares at me. Well I had to, I was getting too distracted by what she was doing.
I stare at her for a few moments, before reaching out and taking her in my arms for a hug. I feel her tremble and soon I hear the sound of her sobs.
There are many things you should know about Ginny and one is that she never cries in front of other people. Except me.
I knew she was going to cry, I could feel it since we heard about the Trio’s plan. But Ron had whisked me away before we could talk.
We’re in at my room, me and Ginny. She came down to the dungeons right after dinner and she’s been sitting on the floor, doing her homework. Or at least trying to.
That was before she started crying.
I continue to whisper things to her, assuring her that everything will be all right, and she continues to cry.
In the sixteen years that I’ve known Ginny Weasley, I have come to know three things that make her feel better after a good cry: ice cream, a blanket and fireworks.
Don’t ask me why. It’s just always been that way since we were little. Whenever she started crying, one of us would give her ice cream or a blanket or a fireworks display.
Then after the Tom Riddle incident, I found her crying inside her room at our Manor, where she had been staying for safety. I remember being very afraid for her as she’d been crying rather hard for several days. I made my Mum buy lots of ice cream, got the fluffiest blanket in our house and asked the Twins for a few firecrackers, the ones that make a small fireworks display. After getting everything, I went to her room and there we pigged out the whole night, eating nothing but ice cream, wrapped in the blanket as we tossed the small tablets in the air, and laughed as they exploded into little webs of different colors.
After that, those three things were known as Ginny’s Pick-me-uppers. The three should always be together or you couldn’t make Ginny feel better.
Anyway, she’s been crying and crying and I start to get up to get her Pick-me-uppers but she just tightens her hold around me.
“Gin?” I tell her. “I’ll just go get…”
“No,” she sniffles. “I’m okay. Just stay here…please?”
I’m surprised. And suddenly glad.
So I hug her tightly against me, keeping quiet and stroking her red hair.
I love her hair. Did you know that Ginny’s the only redheaded girl in Hogwarts? That makes her easier to spot. And hers is reddish-orange, you know, like fire, while Ron and her brothers have reddish-brown.
Suddenly, she stares at me, and just like earlier, I get lost in the brown orbs that are her eyes…wait, did I just say ‘orbs’? Anyway, just like any other time that I get lost in her orbs, I start thinking that maybe this is perfect timing. After all, this is a romantic setting. Me and Ginny inside my room, beside the fire, hugging each other.
It’s perfect…
Except that Blaise is now barging into my room, looking pissed as hell and ruining the moment.
Remember how I said Blaise is an expert at ruining one’s appetite? Well, forget that. He’s the master at ruining everything. He should make a book out of it. ‘How to Ruin Everything, by Blaise Effing Zabini’.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he has the grace to say as he plops down on an arm chair and sulks as if I’ve given him permission to sulk inside my room. “Am I interrupting something?”
Ginny sniffles. “No.”
Blaise then realizes that Ginny’s been crying. “Hey, Gin. What’s wrong?”
Gin smiles at him and says, “No, don’t worry about me Blaise. What’s gotten your knickers in a twist?”
Blaise pouts.Hello! I’m trying to have a moment here! I scream at him mentally when I realize that he’s there to stay.
But before he can say anything, there’s a knock on my door, and it opens. Millicent Bulstrode, Blaise’s current stepsister, sticks her head inside and calls out Blaise’s name. Great, is it "Make Draco Frustrated As Hell Day' again?
“What?” Blaise answers.
“Oh, you’re here. I knew it,” Millie smiles. “Hi Drake, Gin.”
“Hey, Millie,” says Gin. I nod at her.
“You okay?” she addresses Blaise.
Blaise nods.
Good, go then. I wanted to say.
“Look, I’m sure Pansy doesn’t mean anything she said.”
Ah, Pansy.
As I’m sure you already know, Blaise is in love with Pansy. They were childhood friends, growing up near each other since Blaise and his mother moved to England from Italy when he was six. He had already told Pansy how he felt. It was during the annual Christmas Party at Slytherin dungeon last year. It was a disaster.
I can’t say I envy Blaise for having enough backbone to tell her, because he told Pansy everything during a very bad time. I won’t go into that just yet. But I have to tell you, things have never been the same between them since then.
That’s one of the reasons why I’m afraid of telling Ginny.
“What happened?” Gin asks, sitting on the bed and staring at Blaise.
Blaise shook his head.
It was Millie who answered. “Pansy told Blaise that she doesn’t want to see him again.”
“But she‘s told him that before,” I say. Blaise glares at me and I shrug. Well, it’s true.
“Well, Pansy made sure he listened this time,” Millie tells us, coming over to sit beside Ginny. “You heard about her and Greg?”
We nod and Blaise glares at his sister. Greg and Pansy have been going out since the start of the semester.
“Blaise walked in on them in the Common Room, kissing and…” Millie looks at Blaise, not sure if she should continue or not.
“What happened, Blaise?” Ginny asks.
“I wrenched Pansy away from Greg and started shouting,” Blaise tells us in a clipped tone.
I nod. “And she got angry?”
“Of course.”
“Then?”
“Then she turned and started kissing Goyle again. In front of me.”
We stare at him, unbelieving.
Pansy might be a bitch sometimes, but she’s really nice. She’s like Gin in some ways, feisty but with a good heart.
“Well, if she wants me gone, then I’m gone,” Blaise bitterly spat. “Fuck her to hell. I’m through with this.”
He stands up and climbs on my bed. Millie puts and arm around him and Gin goes to his other side to lay her head on his shoulder. She looks at me, her eyes getting all teary again. I can feel that she’s trying not to cry, so I sat beside her and interlace her fingers with mine.
Oh, crap.
Three weeks have passed since the opening of the school year and during those weeks I have been trying hard to come up with a plan to tell Ginny my feelings.
It’s hard, I tell you, to plan something I have failed at before. I mean, I have tried telling her about my feelings in the past but every time, something always gets in the way.
Like that time when we had our Yule Ball? It was the perfect opportunity to tell her, since I had always envisioned the ‘moment of truth’ to be in a beautiful place and believe me, the Great Hall was beautiful that night. I had planned to ask her to the dance earlier, but Neville Longbottom had beaten me to it. I’d planned to corner her while she got drinks that night too, but before I could overcome my sudden stuttering, Colin had asked her to dance. What's up with these Gryffindors? I tried again and again but someone was always asking her to dance with them, chat with them, take pictures with them, breathe with them…I mean, Merlin! Can’t people do anything by themselves? Why do they have to drag Ginny along with their stupid arses while they do what they do?
Needless to say, I failed to tell her that night and had gone up to my room, feeling dejected and miserable. Would you believe I didn't even get the chance to dance with her that night?
There were many times before the Yule Ball that I had tried telling her, and still more times after it. The latest attempt I made was during Bill’s wedding this summer.
I was at the Burrow, spending my summer there while my parents had gone off to do some shopping around the world. They were there at the wedding though, as Aunt Molly would have their heads on a platter if they didn’t come.
People were running around the Burrow. Aunt Molly was panicking, which she usually does when she’s hosting a party; Aunt Lily and Mum were making sure that us boys were not making trouble; Dad and the other adult male members of the Order had wisely concealed themselves somewhere, probably to drink or plan how to bring down Voldemort. The younger females of the party had gone off somewhere, probably doing pre-wedding rituals of powdering their noses and applying color to their faces. I had expected Ginny to be somewhere outside, being pushed by her Mum to do this and that, but she was nowhere to be found.
So I waited until the wedding, and then she came down the aisle, wearing a pale blue long gown and flowers in her hair. Don’t you think anyone with flowers in their hair is just asking to be told ‘I love you’? She took her place beside Danielle, Fleur’s sister, and sought out my eyes and then smiled at me.
I was sitting with Harry, Blaise and Ron on the third row and I was stunned by how beautiful she was. I mean, my Ginny is beautiful, but she was just…I don’t have enough words to describe it but right then and there I wished fiercely for her to be mine. I heard from someone that the more you love a person, the more you can’t describe the feeling, or the person, in words. I think they're right.
Anyway, she was perfect that day and I just had to tell her. So after the wedding, I told her she was beautiful and then right before I could tell her how I felt about her, Kingsley Shacklebolt’s Patronus came bounding onto the lawn and told us about the Death Eaters that were coming to gate-crash.
So, no, my plan didn’t happen.
Boo me…
As I’ve said, it has been three weeks since we got back to Hogwarts and still, I haven’t a single clue about how to tell her.
Fate sucks like that, don’t you think?
“What are you thinking about?”
I stand up straight and close the book I was reading as Ginny’s face comes into view.
“Oh!” I say, surprised at her sudden appearance.
I’ve been at the library that afternoon, doing research for my Potions essay. I realize I’ve been standing, leaning on a bookshelf for some time now, staring at the same page of the Potions book that I’m holding.
“What’s up with you?” Ginny says to me as she leans on the same bookshelf that I’ve been leaning on. She looks at me with interest and I can almost hear the wheels in her brain turning, probably wondering what I was thinking about.
I look at her and smile shakily. “Oh, nothing,” I start to tell her but she’s already shaking her head.
“No, no,” she says. “Don’t try that again. I’ve had that kind of answer from you before. Why don’t you try telling me the truth this time, White?”
I regard her with some thought. Should I tell her? I mean, this isn’t exactly the most romantic time to tell her, we’re at the library for Merlin’s sake. But hey, Bill proposed to Fleur in the kitchen of the Burrow, so this isn’t going to be the most unromantic declaration of love ever, right?
“Uhm, Gin?” I begin. My knees are shaking and my heart is pounding. Whoever said that saying “I love you” to someone is a good feeling, maybe the best feeling anyone will ever feel in their entire life, was wrong. Because I am not feeling so good right now. In fact, I feel sick.
“Yes, Drake?” she stares up at me with her brown eyes and I begin to get lost in them again.
Mocha, chocolate, wood, earth…her eyes are so brown. I want all my children to have her eyes.
“Oh, there you are!” we both whip around to see Blaise grinning at us like he’s caught us doing something naughty, and I’m thankful that Malfoys do not know how to blush.
“Oh, hey, Blaise!” Ginny smiles. “What’s up?”
Blaise grins at me first before answering. “Dumbledore’s calling you.”
Oh damn.
________________________________________
Have you ever felt that nice, weird feeling that fate is working with you?
Because I have.
No, I am feeling it right now.
Dumbledore called me, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Gin to his office and now here we are, standing around the Headmaster’s table and trying to digest every bit of information we’ve learned. Well, at least Ginny and I are. Harry, Ron and Hermione already knew beforehand what Dumbledore was going to tell us and were now looking at us with hesitation.
“Wait, you mean to tell me that you’re going away?” Gin asks them. “Because of the Horcruxes?”
The three of them look at each other and nod. “Yes,” Harry answers Ginny. “We have to leave, Gin. We have to find those remaining Horcruxes if we want to stop Voldemort.”
“Are you crazy?” I ask them, turning to Dumbledore. “You can’t just let them go like this, Professor!”
“It’s too dangerous, Professor,” Gin says, her voice trembling a little. “Tell them they can’t leave!”
“Danger is everywhere, dear,” Dumbledore tells Ginny and with that simple sentence I understand that there’s nothing we can do about it. Dumbledore was probably the one who told Harry to find the Horcruxes. “This is something that the three of them have to do, and they can’t do it if you keep holding them back. It is,” he says, walking up to Ginny and placing a hand on her shoulder, “their destiny.”
“But, Professor!” Gin argues in a weak voice. She’s probably understood what I have too and is just trying to do what little she can to change their minds.
“It’ll be all right, Gin,” Ron smiles crookedly at his sister. “Harry and Hermione and me, we’ve been planning this for some time now, and we have everything figured out. We can do this.”
Gin stares at him for a while then throws her arms around him, enveloping him in a fierce hug.
We’re all quiet as the siblings embrace each other.
After a while, I ask, “Where are you going?”
The three of them look at each other again. “We can’t tell you,” Harry answers finally. “It’s safer that way.”
“Do Mum and the others know?” asks Ginny, her eyes darting from Harry to Ron to Hermione. She has the look of a lost child and I immediately take a step towards her and held her hand.
“Yes,” says Hermione. “The Order knows we’re going away, but we haven’t told them where, or when we’ll be going.”
“And your parents?” I ask Hermione.
“I’ve…taken care of them,” Hermione smiles sadly.
“Hermione…”
She looks up at us and her smile widens. “Don’t worry about them, they’re safe.”
We nod, accepting Hermione’s offer. It’s the best she will give us, the best we can get, so we don’t press her anymore.
I turn to Harry and ask, “When are you planning to go?”
“Three days from now.”
“You’ll disappear just like that?” Ginny asks the three. “You can’t expect anyone to buy that and not ask questions. The first-years are already asking me why they see a different person guarding the Main Entrance every day.”
Dumbledore smiles at us mysteriously and chuckles. The five of us turn to each other and I resist the urge to roll my eyes at them. After years of knowing the old crackpot, I think I know when Dumbledore has a brilliant plan. ”Brilliant” often meaning insanely unbelievable, or simply silly.
“That’s where the Heads come in, my dear Ginevra,” Dumbledore says, as he sits back on his chair and lays his hands on the armrests. “They’re in charge of keeping the students happy so they won’t worry over such things.”
“But Hermione’s going…” I trail off and realize what the Headmaster is saying. “Wait, you can’t mean…”
“Yes, Draco, exactly. I am saying that Miss Weasley will be the new Head Girl,” Dumbledore answers, and both Ginny and I gape at the Headmaster. See? It’s a silly idea, making a sixth-year the new Head Girl. I mean, is that even allowed?
“But, I’m just in sixth-year Professor, I can’t be…”
“Of course you can!” Dumbledore stands up and rounds the table to stand in front of us. “Isn’t it so that if I am gone for a certain amount of time, Professor McGonagall takes over my duties? That’s because next to me, she is the highest ranking officer in the school.”
“But I’m not highest anything, Headmaster,” Ginny continues to argue.
“Miss Weasley, you are the most perfect candidate for this, and my teachers agree.” Dumbledore looks at her. “You have the highest grades of all the Prefects and you’re well respected in the school. Add to that the fact that everybody is your friend and that everyone is most certainly afraid of your wand…” Dumbledore smiles at Ginny and she blushes. “Don’t worry. I’m sure Mr. Malfoy here would agree with my plan. After all, you are best friends, aren’t you?”
Now, you might be wondering where I stand regarding this decision. All this time they have been talking, I‘ve been quiet.
Why? Because my thoughts have gone into overdrive, and have finally processed the fact that Ginny will be spending the rest of the school year with me in the Heads’ personal dormitory.
Did I tell you that Hermione and I have shared the same Common Room, all by ourselves, for the past two weeks? And that her room is just across from mine? Well, now you know.
Of course before this all happened, I hadn’t thought of the Heads’ Dorm as much of a perk. I mean, you know. Sometimes it gets lonely there, with just Hermione and me, so we opt to hang out in the other Houses’ Common Rooms, where our friends are. The only part of having my own room that I’m thankful for is that I have my own bathroom and I can sing in it without being made fun of by Blaise or Theodore.
But now. Now that Ginny’s going to be Head Girl, can you guess what is going through my mind?
No, you pervert. Not that. I’m not thinking about taking advantage of Ginny in our cozy little Common Room, which we will have all to ourselves. I’m thinking that, with this situation, I’ll have the perfect opportunity to tell her how I feel. Then, if all everything goes well, maybe we can take advantage of each other in our cozy little Common Room.
I look at Ginny, whose eyes are questioning me. I see her hesitancy and I smile. “Don’t worry Gin,” I tell her. “You’re going to be great.”
________________________________________
After meeting with the Headmaster, Hermione and Ginny go to the Head Girl’s room and I go with Harry and Ron. Or rather, I’m ambushed by Ron, with Harry laughing beside us.
“What?” I ask Ron when we settle into an unused classroom. I look at Ron curiously and see that he’s red in the face.
I laugh. I know exactly what’s going to happen.
“Draco Malfoy,” Ron starts after a deep breath. “Draco Malfoy, I trust you.” He continues. Ron looks me squarely in the eye. “I agreed to this plan because I know Ginny deserves to be Head Girl and if Harry, Hermione and I can’t beat Voldemort, this might be the last school year for everyone. Especially for us…” he trails off.
My humor evaporates and I look at both of them. Harry has stopped laughing too, and is now sitting on one of the seats, fiddling with his hands.
“What do you mean?” I ask them, knowing exactly what they mean. But I have to know, have to confirm it with them. Harry looks up at me and smiles sadly.
“This is it, Drake,” Harry answers. “Remember the Prophecy? When we battled with the Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries?”
“Yes?”
“It said that only one of us would be able to live,” Harry says. “And the three of us, Hermione, Ron and I all agreed that this has to stop, and soon. It’s a terribly dangerous thing to do, and if it goes awry, well…” Harry trails off and we all fall silent.
Random thoughts come to mind and I think of my parents, who are probably at the Order’s Headquarters, planning how to fight Voldemort and his army. I think of Harry’s, Ron’s and Hermione’s parents and I wonder how they’re doing. I think of Luna and I immediately feel sorry for both her and Harry. I think of my friends and how this could be our last year together. And I think of Ginny. And I realize that this could probably be my last chance to tell her.
“Is that why Dumbledore gave her the position? Because it might be our last year at school?” I ask, although I don’t know if my words are making any sense.
They must be, because Harry nods. “Dumbledore said he was going to pick Ginny for the position next year, when her seventh year comes. Hermione said that he should give it to her now, since we aren’t sure what’ll happen and whether we’ll even have a new batch of Seventh Years next year,” he smiles sadly again.
“Of course Dumbledore refused to acknowledge that we might fail, but he still agreed to give Ginny the position. After all, she is the best candidate for it,” Ron answers. “Which leads me to say, Malfoy, that I trust you not to take advantage of my sister now that you two are going to have your own dorm to yourselves.”
I stare at Ron. “Of course I won’t…”
“I’m not finished,” Ron holds up one hand. “Draco, I know you love my sister. I know you would do anything for her. So please, before everything’s too late, tell her how you feel.”
I’m taken aback. This wasn’t what I was expecting. No, not even from Ron. Especially not from Ron.
“Ron…”
“She has to know, Drake,” Harry nods at me. “Listen, this is your opportunity. You’ll have plenty of time and privacy to tell her. We’re off to try and put a stop to Voldemort but we’re not promising anything Drake. We can fail. We might fail. So consider this your last chance.”
I look at both of them and realize that they’re probably right.
I smile. “You’re off to battle but you’re more concerned with Ginny and me?”
Ron and Harry look at each other and grin at me.
“Of course, mate!” Ron steps forward and flings his arm over my shoulders. “Because if we get back and you haven’t told her yet, we will do it for you.”
I grin. “Don’t you mean, when you get back?”
They look at each other again.
“Come on, you two,” I tell them. “You’re going to make it. Don’t think otherwise. Remember, Voldemort feeds on your fears. Don’t let him get you.”
Harry nods. “Don’t worry about us,” he tells me. “We’ll do the best we can. Although, I have a favor to ask you.”
I cock my head to one side and ask, “What is it?”
“It’s about Luna…” Harry says, looking at me with his sad expression.
“Luna, does she know?” I ask.
“Yes, I told her yesterday and she’s taking it pretty well. I think she knows that I have to do this,” Harry says. “But I’m worried about her. Remus and Sirius said Voldemort might attack the school and…”
The unspoken words send a chill down my spine and I shiver. If Voldemort decides to attack Hogwarts, that will be a horrific time, and I can guarantee that there will be bloodshed. Already, Dumbledore’s being forced by the Ministry to step down as Headmaster. Fudge is utterly Imperiused and I think half of the Ministry is, too. If Fudge succeeds at making Dumbledore step down, Hogwarts will probably lose to Voldemort. They’ve been brainwashing some of the more important Members of the Board of Education and it’ll be a matter of time before Dumbledore is forced to step down. It’ll leave Hogwarts vulnerable to attacks and Voldemort would seize it easily.
“Don’t worry, Harry,” I tell him. “I’ll take good care of her,” I turn to Ron. “And of Ginny, of course.”
They smile at me and I can’t help but be worried for them. I know Harry has the power to defeat Voldemort, he just has to believe in himself that he can. Though I know it isn’t an easy task, I also know that he’ll succeed. I have faith in him. We all do.
________________________________________
“I’m scared.”
I look up and see Ginny staring at me, chin cradled on her hands, elbows on the pillow on her lap. Her eyes are worried and her lips are set in a straight line.
Yeah, she makes worrying look cute, would you believe that?
“About Harry and Ron and Hermione,” I tell her. I don’t even try to ask what. “And about being the Head Girl.”
She nods and chews her lips. I take note that they are unusually red. She must have been biting on them since we arrived at my room. She said she wanted to go somewhere quiet, where she could think, so I brought her to my room.
“Biting your lips won’t help Red, stop it,” I tell her and she glares at me. Well I had to, I was getting too distracted by what she was doing.
I stare at her for a few moments, before reaching out and taking her in my arms for a hug. I feel her tremble and soon I hear the sound of her sobs.
There are many things you should know about Ginny and one is that she never cries in front of other people. Except me.
I knew she was going to cry, I could feel it since we heard about the Trio’s plan. But Ron had whisked me away before we could talk.
We’re in at my room, me and Ginny. She came down to the dungeons right after dinner and she’s been sitting on the floor, doing her homework. Or at least trying to.
That was before she started crying.
I continue to whisper things to her, assuring her that everything will be all right, and she continues to cry.
In the sixteen years that I’ve known Ginny Weasley, I have come to know three things that make her feel better after a good cry: ice cream, a blanket and fireworks.
Don’t ask me why. It’s just always been that way since we were little. Whenever she started crying, one of us would give her ice cream or a blanket or a fireworks display.
Then after the Tom Riddle incident, I found her crying inside her room at our Manor, where she had been staying for safety. I remember being very afraid for her as she’d been crying rather hard for several days. I made my Mum buy lots of ice cream, got the fluffiest blanket in our house and asked the Twins for a few firecrackers, the ones that make a small fireworks display. After getting everything, I went to her room and there we pigged out the whole night, eating nothing but ice cream, wrapped in the blanket as we tossed the small tablets in the air, and laughed as they exploded into little webs of different colors.
After that, those three things were known as Ginny’s Pick-me-uppers. The three should always be together or you couldn’t make Ginny feel better.
Anyway, she’s been crying and crying and I start to get up to get her Pick-me-uppers but she just tightens her hold around me.
“Gin?” I tell her. “I’ll just go get…”
“No,” she sniffles. “I’m okay. Just stay here…please?”
I’m surprised. And suddenly glad.
So I hug her tightly against me, keeping quiet and stroking her red hair.
I love her hair. Did you know that Ginny’s the only redheaded girl in Hogwarts? That makes her easier to spot. And hers is reddish-orange, you know, like fire, while Ron and her brothers have reddish-brown.
Suddenly, she stares at me, and just like earlier, I get lost in the brown orbs that are her eyes…wait, did I just say ‘orbs’? Anyway, just like any other time that I get lost in her orbs, I start thinking that maybe this is perfect timing. After all, this is a romantic setting. Me and Ginny inside my room, beside the fire, hugging each other.
It’s perfect…
Except that Blaise is now barging into my room, looking pissed as hell and ruining the moment.
Remember how I said Blaise is an expert at ruining one’s appetite? Well, forget that. He’s the master at ruining everything. He should make a book out of it. ‘How to Ruin Everything, by Blaise Effing Zabini’.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he has the grace to say as he plops down on an arm chair and sulks as if I’ve given him permission to sulk inside my room. “Am I interrupting something?”
Ginny sniffles. “No.”
Blaise then realizes that Ginny’s been crying. “Hey, Gin. What’s wrong?”
Gin smiles at him and says, “No, don’t worry about me Blaise. What’s gotten your knickers in a twist?”
Blaise pouts.Hello! I’m trying to have a moment here! I scream at him mentally when I realize that he’s there to stay.
But before he can say anything, there’s a knock on my door, and it opens. Millicent Bulstrode, Blaise’s current stepsister, sticks her head inside and calls out Blaise’s name. Great, is it "Make Draco Frustrated As Hell Day' again?
“What?” Blaise answers.
“Oh, you’re here. I knew it,” Millie smiles. “Hi Drake, Gin.”
“Hey, Millie,” says Gin. I nod at her.
“You okay?” she addresses Blaise.
Blaise nods.
Good, go then. I wanted to say.
“Look, I’m sure Pansy doesn’t mean anything she said.”
Ah, Pansy.
As I’m sure you already know, Blaise is in love with Pansy. They were childhood friends, growing up near each other since Blaise and his mother moved to England from Italy when he was six. He had already told Pansy how he felt. It was during the annual Christmas Party at Slytherin dungeon last year. It was a disaster.
I can’t say I envy Blaise for having enough backbone to tell her, because he told Pansy everything during a very bad time. I won’t go into that just yet. But I have to tell you, things have never been the same between them since then.
That’s one of the reasons why I’m afraid of telling Ginny.
“What happened?” Gin asks, sitting on the bed and staring at Blaise.
Blaise shook his head.
It was Millie who answered. “Pansy told Blaise that she doesn’t want to see him again.”
“But she‘s told him that before,” I say. Blaise glares at me and I shrug. Well, it’s true.
“Well, Pansy made sure he listened this time,” Millie tells us, coming over to sit beside Ginny. “You heard about her and Greg?”
We nod and Blaise glares at his sister. Greg and Pansy have been going out since the start of the semester.
“Blaise walked in on them in the Common Room, kissing and…” Millie looks at Blaise, not sure if she should continue or not.
“What happened, Blaise?” Ginny asks.
“I wrenched Pansy away from Greg and started shouting,” Blaise tells us in a clipped tone.
I nod. “And she got angry?”
“Of course.”
“Then?”
“Then she turned and started kissing Goyle again. In front of me.”
We stare at him, unbelieving.
Pansy might be a bitch sometimes, but she’s really nice. She’s like Gin in some ways, feisty but with a good heart.
“Well, if she wants me gone, then I’m gone,” Blaise bitterly spat. “Fuck her to hell. I’m through with this.”
He stands up and climbs on my bed. Millie puts and arm around him and Gin goes to his other side to lay her head on his shoulder. She looks at me, her eyes getting all teary again. I can feel that she’s trying not to cry, so I sat beside her and interlace her fingers with mine.
Oh, crap.
Author notes: A/N: Thanks guys!
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