It's My Life
A/N: Draco, Ginny and all things Harry Potter are property of J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter’s aunt, Rose Smythe, as well as the plot are from my own little mind.For more, see note and thanks at end of chapter.
Ginny didn’t know what to say for the longest time. It was strange, but wonderful, to hear him say her name. She got caught up in his beautiful silver-gray eyes and found it difficult to form a coherent thought. A snore from the bed next to them brought her back to reality and she suddenly remembered all that had happened to him that night."Ishould, um, let Madam Pomfrey know you’re awake," she unfolded her legs and attempted to stand.
He sat up and grabbed her hand, "Wait."
"She needs to know you’re awake," she stated while staring at their joined hands, feeling the tingle it caused run through her body.
"She’ll just want to give me more of that stuff.I don’t want it."
"You need to sleep."
"I wish someone would care about what I want!" He dropped her hand and lay back on the bed. "No one ever asks what I want."
"Draco," she pleaded.
"That’s another thing.No one ever calls me Draco.It’s always Malfoy or boy or..." he trailed off and looked at her as the realization dawned, "no one but you."
"Well then, what do you want?" He just looked at her. He was so surprised to be asked that he didn’t know how to respond. No one had ever asked him before what he wanted, now that they did, he didn’t know what he did want."Draco, what do you want me to do?"
"Sit, please just sit.I, I don’t want to sleep.Talk to me.The book, read it out loud, just...I don’t want to sleep."
"You need to sleep."
"I don’t want to sleep!" Ginny didn’t move, she just stood there, looking him in the eyes. He could tell she was battling something, trying to make up her mind. "Well?"
"I’ll sit.I shouldn’t, but I will."The bed shifted as she resumed her position in the corner.
"What are you reading?"
"Romeo and Juliet. A Muggle book that Professor Smythe assigned us," she waited. If he made a derisive comment about Muggles or Muggle things, she’d know that his near death had made no difference.It would mean he was the same Draco Malfoy that he always was, the one that...
"William Shakespeare," Draco said pulling her from her thoughts.He noticed a slight blush had crept into her cheeks while she was thinking. He also had noticed that she had a habit of biting her lip when she was thinking.
"How did you know that?"
"My mother has a copy, she keeps it well hidden from my," he paused, "my father."
"Draco..."
"He was going to let them kill me. He planned the whole thing. I received an owl this morning telling me to meet him at the edge of the Forest at dusk."
"Draco, you don’t have to do this now."
"I should have known better. He hasn’t spoken to me or owled me since...when was the last time? I should have known..."
"Draco, you couldn’t have known."
"BUT I SHOULD HAVE!!!"
"Ssh," Ginny moved closer to him and took his hand in hers, trying to ignore the feelings it caused her."Don’t blame yourself.Don’t ever blame yourself for what others have done."
"What do you know about it all?" He didn’t see how the Weasleys, the always happy, loving, perfect family, could know anything about what he went through, not only tonight but his entire life.
"I know more than you think about betrayal, about people almost getting you killed," she said softly.Something flashed in her eyes, Draco couldn’t tell what it was. When she looked up at him, her brown eyes were burning, "Remember the Chamber?He tried to use me, you know.He used me for...He was taking my life force to replenish his. I would have died down there..."
"If not for Potter," he stated blandly. How he hated that name and what it stood for. Perfect Potter. Malicious Malfoy. They had been shoved into the roles well long before they were sorted into their houses.Potter, whom everyone loved and adored. Potter whose father everyone loved, the martyr for the side of good, wonderful sainted James, whose son was just as loved. Malfoy, who, thanks to the thing he had as a father, was seen as evil incarnate, just waiting for the time to strike.Potter the hero.Malfoy the screw up.
"Yes, if not for Harry.Just as you would have died tonight without his Aunt."
"What did she have to do with anything?"
"She knew..."
"She knew?!"
"Now, Draco, listen.Please, if it weren’t for her, you’d have died. They’d have killed you."
"What did she know?"
"Things. She knew enough to allow for a rescue."
"You probably will want me to thank her, won’t you?"
"What does it matter what I want?"
He didn’t know how to respond to that.Why did it matter to him? He didn’t have an answer."Was anyone hurt?"
Draco’s sudden change in subject didn’t pass unnoticed.It was for the best, she wasn’t prepared for him to answer her question. Ginny didn’t want him to know that the fact that he did care what she wanted pleased her more than he could ever know."Nothing drastic.Cuts, scrapes, a burn or two.We were lucky."
"The Death Eaters?"
"I don’t know. No one has said. I don’t know anything about your father."
"He isn’t my father, not anymore. From this moment on, I have no father."Ginny opened her mouth to say something but shut it. She didn’t know what to say to that comment. Draco heard a groan from the next bed over. "Who’s that?"
"Harmon Wise. He got a hold of some Firewhiskey, drank himself into oblivion and is now paying the price. I’ll be right back."Draco watched as she quickly stood and made her way to Wise. She laid her hand upon his forehead, her wand in her other hand held slightly above his chest. Whispering softly, soft pink sparks coming from her wand, he saw that whatever she had done, Wise stilled and rolled over. Ginny came back to Draco’s cot and sat along side him. "He’ll have one hell of a headache tomorrow.Only serves him right though.He should have known better.Same thing I tell Fred and George when they wander home... What?"Ginny stopped as she noticed Draco staring at her, a thoughtful and slightly confused look on his face.
"What happened," he paused, "what happened when you were in the Chamber?" Draco watched as she deeply inhaled and then let the air out slowly.
It still shook her to think about her first year.She had been such a fool and it had nearly killed her and Harry too. Ginny still blamed herself for falling into his trap.Voldemort’s and Lucius Malfoy’s.It was Draco’s father who nearly got her killed. From the looks of it, he didn’t know that fact or that she was the one who opened the Chamber, risking the lives of all her classmates.
"Ginny?" Her eyes had clouded over, he couldn’t understand why. "I’m, uh, sorry for asking. You don’t have to..."
"No, that’s not it. What happened down there? I don’t remember much. I was unconscious for most of it. But I remember how it felt. I was cold.Weak.I wanted to see my family one last time. To hear Fred and George yelled at by my mum one more time. To have Charlie swing me around, to have Ron scream and yell at me for nothing at all. Even to hear Percy drone on about something or other. I wanted it all one last time. But my biggest fear was that no one would come for me."
"You doubted your brothers or Potter would come?"
"I doubted anyone would miss me."
"But, your brothers?"
"Fred and George, I thought, were so caught up in their lives, in Quiddich and girls and making mischief. Ron was always with Harry and, then with Hermione being turned to stone and all, they barely knew when I was around, what was to make me think they’d notice when I wasn’t around?"
"I thought no one would want to come after me.I’m not the most well liked person."
"No, really, I thought everyone loved you.Especially my brother."
Draco laughed. Ron Weasley like him? Just the thought made him, well, slightly nauseous. "But someone came for you. Ron, and Potter too."
"Yes, they did. I will forever be grateful for them because of that.Harry and Ron both risked their lives for me. As I would do for them in a heartbeat."
Draco was speechless. He had never known anything like the love that Ginny held for her family and they for her. He had never risked his life for anyone. He had never been in the position to have to. "What you said in the hall, before Christmas..." he paused and realized she had paled."Who were you talking about?"
"What do you mean?"
"I think you know what I mean. You said more people cared about me than I knew."
"Well, just look around you. You had all of the professors, including McGonagall and Dumbledore, out there tonight risking their lives to save yours."
Draco watched her for a moment. She was playing with the folds in the bed sheet.She was hiding something, leaving something out. He wanted to press her to fully answer his question, but thought better of it.Instead he asked, "How do you know they weren’t just using what happened tonight as an opportunity to take on the Dark Lord?"
"How do I know Harry didn’t go into the Chamber to fight Voldemort once again and I was just an afterthought? I don’t, Draco. I just take it on faith alone, like you have to."She looked across the room at the clock hanging on the wall. "It is getting very late, Draco. You need to get some sleep."
"Will you stay here?" The words were spoken before he could even fathom why he was asking.
His question shocked her as well. She couldn’t bring herself to reply, she could only think about it.‘What has he just asked? For me to stay with him? While he sleeps?’
"Ginny?"
"Yes," she gasped. "I’ll stay with you."
*~*~*~
Ginny went through the portrait as quietly as she could. Draco was still sound asleep in the hospital wing and she had a few things she had to take care of before he woke up. It wasn’t very early, but classes had been canceled for the day, giving the students a long weekend. She was surprised to find Hermione sitting on the sofa reading.
"Ginny," Hermione stood and walked over to her, "where have you been all night?"
"The medical ward. Why are you up? There aren’t any classes today."
"Ron," Hermione stated simply, but with a smile on her face.Ginny thought that Hermione seemed to smile whenever Ron was the subject of the conversation.
"Only my brother would rather eat than sleep."
"Gin, why were you up there all night?They said that no one was seriously injured." When Ginny didn’t say anything, Hermione must have decided to move on to the next topic. "OK, then. I know that Weasley silence. How is Rose? Really, I mean? Harry said she was all right, but you know Harry, he tends to downplay everything, try to spare us all."
"She’ll be fine."
"Is she sick? She looked horrible last night when she came in. You should have seen her, she fainted dead away.Harry, he can’t lose someone else.It would..."
"He’s not going to lose her."
"Then, Ginny, what ever is wrong with her?"
"I really can’t say, but rest assured, she’ll be fine."
"Ginny, come on," Ginny looked to where Hermione was tugging on the sleeve of her robe, like Ron did when he wanted something out of her.
"You are picking up some of my brother’s bad habits.Does he fall for that look?Oh, fine.I’ll tell you this, she’ll be fine, no sickness or fainting, in oh, about three months or so."
"What? Three months?" Hermione gasped, her hand going to cover her mouth."You don’t mean?Rose?"
"And Sirius Black, too."
"You knew, about her and Sirius?"
"Well, it was kind of hard not to notice when he came in roaring like, well, the madman he was accused of being."
"So you knew he was innocent?"
"Is innocent, in some ways at least," Ginny laughed."Harry told me everything this summer, remember?"
"I forgot. About the baby, does Harry know?"
"He can’t, Hermione, not from us. It is up to Rose and Sirius. It is not your place, or mine for that matter, to tell him.You can’t tell Ron either.He’d run right off and tell Harry."
"Ginny, I can’t lie to Ron."
"Then don’t. If he, or Harry, asks, tell them she’ll be fine. If they want to know more, tell them to ask me."
"You’ll lie to them?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Hermione, I’ve got six brothers. Harry, well anymore, I just consider him a seventh.If I didn’t learn to lie to them a long time ago, just imagine what my life would be like."
"What do you mean?"
"Ginny," Ginny said in a deeper voice, "why are you so moody? Why are you crying now? What is your problem? Are you sick or something? What is wrong with you?" In her regular voice, she continued, "What am I supposed to say to them? Well, Fred, George, Ron, my monthly is due in about a week or so and my hormone levels are all out of whack. They’d go running to the Forbidden Forest, screaming bloody murder, never to return. Or, I could say, ‘Sod off!’ and then storm away. Which would just cause me to have to deal with them, and my mum in the form of a howler, for using such language with my dear brothers. It is much easier just to say, ‘Nothing. I’m just tired. I’ll just go take a nap.’ Much easier, for me and them."
"Sometimes I’m glad I don’t have to deal with all of that. Ron and Harry are used to my moods, they don’t question them anymore."
"No, don’t get me wrong. I love my brothers, more than anything else in this world.I don’t think there is anything I could ask of them that they wouldn’t do. They’d grumble and complain, but they’d do it.I don’t know what I would do if I lost one. Even Percy."At that moment, Ron came thundering down the stairs.
"Hey, little sister. What are you doing up so early?" He stopped and looked her up and down. "Aren’t those the same clothes you were wearing yesterday?"
"Oh, Ron," Ginny threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you!"
"Um, Gin?" Ron pulled her arms from around his neck."You aren’t dying or anything, are you?" Ginny just smiled at him and than ran towards the stairs. She paused as she heard Ron say to Hermione, "What’s with her?Herm, luv, why are you crying?"
To which, Ginny clearly heard Hermione reply, "Oh, Ron!" and then the distinctive sound of her brother being soundly kissed.
*~*~*~
Draco woke up and looked around.She wasn’t there.‘I should have expected as much.She probably left as soon as I fell asleep. Typical.Like she really would have stayed here all night. Ugh!’He pounded his fist into the mattress. After he realized what he just did, he wondered, ‘Why am I so upset about a damn Weasley?Because she’s a damned Weasley female, with gorgeous red hair and cinnamon eyes.’
As he heard the door open, he turned his head and saw her waltz in.‘Damn, she is pretty.She’s also a Gryffindor.And a Weasley.You’ve tortured her and her friends for years. She was almost killed by one of my kind. Why couldn’t I have been put into Ravenclaw or even Hufflepuff?’She was walking towards his bed, smiling at him and holding something behind her back."Where were you?"
She was momentarily surprised by the edge in his voice, but shrugged it off. "Well, good morning sunshine!"
"Where did you go?" he snarled.
"Not a morning person, are we?" She sat down on the edge of the bed with a frown, showing him the plate of food she was carrying. "I went to change and then get something to eat. Hungry?"
"I suppose if I tell you I’m not hungry, you’ll make me eat anyway?"
"Possibly," she slyly waived the plate under his nose."I know you want some."
He grabbed the plate. "Did you already eat?"
"I suppose if I tell you I’m not hungry, you’ll make me eat anyway?" she mocked. They sat there for a few minutes in a companionable silence.
"Ginny! You up here?" They both heard Harry call from the doorway.
"Harry, keep your voice down!" Ginny hopped off the bed and moved out of Draco’s line of vision.Draco smiled when he heard her chastise Potter for shouting.
"Ginny, oh sorry. Can I talk to you?"
"You’re already talking to me, Harry."
Draco stifled a laugh when he heard Ginny’s response to Potter.He admired her fire.Even he had to admit she had changed. She was no longer the mousy little thing she was her first year, hell, her second and third years as well. She still blushed all the time, he had noticed that when he was snapping at her earlier, but she no longer stammered and hid like before. Now, she snapped right back. He liked that, he liked that she had fire. ‘Like her hair.’ He realized he had been ignoring their conversation.
"Ginny, is she really all right? This morning I went down to her room and" he lowered his voice so that only Ginny could here him, "they’re acting all funny sorts.Like they are hiding something."
"Harry, do you think they could be acting funny, as you put it, for normal reasons?"
"Well, they didn’t act like that before at the cottage!"
"You’re shouting again, Potter," Draco drawled from behind the screen Ginny pulled closed when she left the bed. "Don’t make Nurse Ginny mad."
"Draco, sod off!" Ginny yelled. Its only effect was to make Draco laugh.She blushed."Harry, I assure you there is nothing wrong with your aunt. She is perfectly healthy. If you need more information from her, go ask her."
"Yeah, Potter, go ask her and leave us alone!"
"Malfoy, I don’t care if you’re in a hospital bed or not..."
Ginny rolled her eyes. ‘Why does everything with these two turn into a god awful pissing contest?’ She grabbed Harry’s hand and pulled him into the hall. "Go and talk to her. Ask her what you asked me!"
"There is something isn’t there?"
"Oh, go on then!" she turned him around and pushed him slightly forward. He got the hint and started back down the stairs. She turned to head back into the medical ward but thought better of it.‘I’m not putting up with his ‘mine is bigger than yours’ antics with Harry.’ She turned on her heel and headed off to the Gryffindor common room.
Draco waited for her to come back in.After a few minutes, he decided to get up and look for her. She wasn’t there much to his consternation. ‘And I didn’t even get a kiss goodbye!’He looked round for his robe and saw it hanging on a hook near the cot he was in. Without waiting for Madam Pomfrey’s consent, he left the medical wing and headed off to the Slytherin common room to see what or who awaited him.
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Draco and Ginny belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Warner Bros and various other corporations. They are being used here without permission and/or affiliation with the above. None of the authors listed here make any profit from these stories.