Nothing I Have Ever Seen

Chapter 6

Draco muttered something about having to go and hastily exited the pub, with Flint and Pansy watching confusedly as he left. They made as if to follow him but one glare from his steely grey eyes held them back. It was as if they were turning into Crabbe and Goyle or something. What did he have to do to get his own space?

The blustery wind swiftly blew the snowy clouds across the sky, momentarily revealing the moon, bright and full, before it was obscured again. Draco´s rebellious streak made him contemplate not going back to Hogwarts this evening. There was nothing to tempt him back. Not after today´s events.

However, he knew his father would have a lot to say if he found out that his son had been found missing from his dormitory tonight. Although it wasn´t what he said that would worry Draco. Cruel words and insults flowed as easily from his father´s mouth as his own- and Draco had learned to ignore this. It didn´t affect him anymore. No, it was more what he would do that often stopped Draco acting on his impulses. There was no deceiving Lucius Malfoy. Nothing could stop him imposing and enforcing his own rules. He was the only person able to influence Draco. The only person that he couldn´t shout down, disregard or disobey. Draco raised his eyes to the sky as the moon briefly reappeared, lighting his solitary path back to Hogwarts.

Before he´d even had the time to pass the Hogwarts gates, his stride was broken by a familiar, and somewhat unwelcome figure. That Gryffindor Mudblood, Hermione Granger. Draco glared at her as she barred his path.

"Get out of my way! Are you blind or something?" Draco bit out.

The flurry of snowflakes couldn´t cool the fiery expression on her face as she glared back at him. "Do you know what you´ve done?"

"I´m sure I have no idea what you´re talking about Granger, now kindly get out of my way." He pushed past her, moving ahead towards the castle.

"Malfoy, what on earth did you do to Ginny? She got home in such a state, mumbling something incoherent about you. I can´t begin to imagine why. And now she´s nowhere to be seen. You´d better have a decent explanation for this," she folded her arms and stared defiantly into his face as he turned round to address her.

How dare she demand anything of him? He blasted her with a frosty reply that he knew would be lies; she didn´t deserve anything better.

"If Weasley´s sister has disappeared, then that´s her own business. Her business- in which I am not involved. I suggest you look for more suitable reasons for your loss. You´re not going to find her anywhere near me, I assure you of that." With an air of finality in his tone, he strode past that know-it-all annoyance of a Mudblood back up to the castle, as a look of pure disbelief crossed her face. His pace quickened, with an annoyed, more forceful intent, a look of pure resent on his face. He didn´t stop until he reached the common room, where he pushed the heavy door open with such a force that it crashed back against the wall. He stormed over to the fireplace and fell back into his chair. He stared deeply into the fire, frowning.

He had a pretty good idea where she´d be. Like an instinct, he could almost sense her there. But he remained in his seat, glaring at the flickering flames. She deserved the isolation. She should know what it feels like. She had been undeniably rude to him today, and she hadn´t even given him a chance. But there was a problem. When Granger found her, she´d be sure to reinforce what Ginny would sure surely be thinking now- about what nasty and terrible human being he was. Draco´s eyes narrowed.

Breathing heavily, he rose from the chair, flung his thick black cloak around his shoulders and headed back out of the dungeons.

His heart jumped as he felt the need for urgency in finding her. Finding her before Granger. His pace quickened as he headed towards the main exit. He silently pushed open the heavy oak doors. He looked down at the empty steps ahead of him. He stood silently for a moment gazing out onto the snow covered Hogwarts grounds. No one, it seemed was around. Not to be deceived as he had been the night before, he slowly made his way down the steps. A small dark figure, head down, red hair ruffling slightly in the breeze, sat hugging her knees against the shadowed side of the gatepost. Draco´s heart gave an unexpected jump. Now that he´d seen her, he realised that he didn´t care whether Granger was looking for her. He´d found her now, and she was not going to escape him again.

*

He stood silently in front of her for a moment, her head still buried in her hands, cloak wrapped tightly around herself against the bitter winter air. She hadn´t seemed to have noticed he was there. Then, as he stood watching her, she stirred and lifted her head. She raised her hand to wipe at the stream falling from her liquid brown eyes. Something inside Draco jolted. He´d made her like this. He´d created this state in front of him. It was down to him. An instinctive feeling of pride surged through him. It was almost a confirmation of the power and effect he had over others.

She looked into his face and angrily looked away again. "Just leave me alone. Haven´t you done enough already?"

Obviously not, Draco wanted to say. If I´d done enough, I wouldn´t be here now would I? But his heart softened as he took in the sad expression on her usually animated face. He knew what he was about to do, and didn´t care that he didn´t know why. He didn´t care about the consequences. All he knew was that he was where he wanted to be, with the person he wanted to be with. Not doing what was expected of him just because that was how he´d been taught to live his life.

"No, I haven´t. There´s something I forgot to do before..."

She regarded him uncertainly as she accepted the strong hand that helped her to her feet. An electric charge ran through Draco as their hands met. Her eyes sparkled at him as he pulled her close. So close he could smell the faint scent of coconut on her hair.

He leaned in and kissed her gently.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her waist protectively. Pulling slightly apart for a moment, she gazed into his eyes so deeply she would surely be able to see his thoughts. For his part, he just flicked his light gaze over her face. Her eyes glinted in the soft lights from the castle, and tiny snowflakes caught in her long lashes. Her lips curved into a small smile as he leaned in and kissed her again.

The world around them dissolved. Standing so close, it was as if Hogwarts had disappeared. All cruel words were forgotten. Their differences were lost. The moon shone down on them as snow swirled wildly- it was a magic of its own. This couldn´t have been created with wands.

Adrenaline rushed through Draco. This was his proof that he had the ability to obtain whatever he wanted. He´d been rude to her, hurt her, and yet she was still his for the taking. Not to mention this was an undeniable rebellion against his father. Pansy Parkinson. That was whom his father considered a suitable match for him. The situation was almost laughable. Draco congratulated himself on his accomplishment.

"Ginny! Ginny where are you?" frantic voices called into the night, not far away.

Ginny made no reply. She stumbled back from Draco´s grasp. Her eyes widened with apprehension as the voices she knew so well neared. Draco made no effort to move.

Three all too familiar heads appeared in front of them. All with the same disbelieving expression splashed across their faces. Draco couldn´t have planned it more perfectly if he´d tried. They´d found Ginny in the hands of the enemy. He´d beaten them to her. He´d won.

"Ginny! Thank God you´re ok!" The bushy haired Mudblood pushed past him, suffocating Ginny in a tight, possessive hug. "What on earth are you doing out here with him?"

"N-Nothing," stammered Ginny. Draco smirked. He´d even broken her loyalty to her fellow Gryffindors, not to mention her own brother and friends.

"You´ve got some nerve Malfoy. Just leave my sister alone, you hear me? Or I´ll curse you," the red headed boy added in what Draco supposed was a menacing tone. Wand aimed straight at his heart, Draco sneered and knocked it away dismissively with the back of his hand.

"You´ll curse me? You´ll be lucky, you couldn´t manage a simple transfiguration spell with that poor excuse for a wand," Draco drawled in his custom patronising manner.

"Just ignore him Ron." The Mudblood shot a warning glance at Weasley as she clung to Ginny as if Draco were about to eat her, or something equally as absurd.

He was very aware of Ginny´s eyes trying to lock onto his- silently begging him not to tell their secret. Draco purposefully ignored this. It fuelled his sense of power over her. Not that he intended to tell the three interfering Gryffindors in front of him of all people what had just happened...

"Come on, let´s go. We don´t have to tolerate this," Potter the diplomat instructed his followers. Like dogs following their master, Granger and Weasley turned and followed the retreating scarhead up the steps and into the castle, pulling Ginny along with them. Draco caught a glimpse of the distinct confusion written across Ginny´s flushed face as the door slammed shut behind them. Draco smirked to himself. If things were chaotic before, they were about the get a hell of a lot worse. And Draco liked that.

*