Prince of Unicorns

Ginny had thought she would sleep for days, so she was surprised when she woke up slightly before dawn the next morning. She felt perfectly fine now, the draining exhaustion she had felt the night before was gone.

She got out of bed and dressed silently, pulling her cloak on before she had even made up her mind about where she was going.

There was hardly anyone in the halls and she hurried out of the castle. It was a bright, sunny winter’s day and she smiled a little, walking down the steps and into the snow.

“Adrieyl?” she called as she approached the forest.

Ginny, the alpha unicorn greeted as she stepped out of the trees. You are feeling better?

Ginny smiled, holding out her hand, and the unicorn cantered closer, nuzzling it. “Yes, thank you,” she said out loud.

We are glad the Prince is gone, Adrieyl said vehemently, snorting. He was not a gracious Prince.

“That’s sort of what I wanted to talk to you about,” Ginny whispered. “I don’t want to be your Princess any longer.”

Adrieyl stepped back, her eyes narrowing. Why?

“Because you should be free. Unicorns aren’t meant to bow to humans, Adrieyl, it’s just not right. Copper manipulated you and used you, tricked you into making him your Prince, and then he abused that power. I don’t want that.”

Adrieyl was studying her face carefully. You do not wish to be immortal?

Ginny shook her head. “I don’t. Does that mean I will die like Copper did? If you took the Gift back, would I die?”

No, the Prince died because his age finally caught up to his body. You have only been immortal for three days, Ginny. You would age three days.

Ginny smiled, swallowing heavily to keep herself from crying. “Can I do it then? Abdicate or whatever?”

Adrieyl nodded. But you do not have to. We would like for you to remain our Princess.

“I can’t. It isn’t fair, you weren’t meant to have a Princess. After I abdicated, would I ever get to see you again?”

Adrieyl laughed gently, stepping closer and nuzzling Ginny’s face. Of course, Ginny. You wish to return our gift of immortality so that we can have our freedom back. We would all protect you with our lives. If you truly wish for us to take back the Gift we have given you, we will be eternally grateful to you and will never leave you.

Ginny smiled a little. “Wouldn’t that be just like if I were your Princess?”

Adrieyl’s eyes were sparkling. No. Because we’d be doing it willingly and you would grow older. She grew solemn. But we would not be able to talk this way.

Ginny nodded, sniffling. I know. But I would still get to see you, so it would be all right.

You truly wish to do this then?

I do.

It shall be done, my Princess. Her eyes dark and solemn, Adrieyl bowed low, touching her horn to the ground. Ginny gasped as she felt the white magic inside of her that had lain sleeping deep inside since she had fallen from the sky come to life again, swirling angrily through her veins and leaking out of her fingertips. When it was gone, she felt rather empty. Her mind echoed with this sudden emptiness and she knew, even if she should try, that she could not speak to Adrieyl that way any more.

Adrieyl watched her carefully and Ginny smiled at her. “Thank you,” she said, blinking back tears.

Adrieyl turned and disappeared back into the forest without looking back.

Ginny would have started to cry, except someone spoke behind her.

“Ginny?” It was Draco.

She stiffened and turned around slowly, hooking some of her hair behind her ear. “Hi,” she said awkwardly.

“I saw you from the castle,” he explained, gesturing vaguely the way he had come. “I wanted to see if you were all right.”

She smiled nervously. “I am. I’m fine.”

He nodded, licking his lips and saying carefully, “I’m sorry.”

Her eyes widened. “For what?”

“For everything. It was all my fault, the whole thing, and I’m really sorry.” He suddenly looked as awkward as she felt, and Ginny realized it was probably the first time he had ever apologized to anyone.

“It’s all right,” she said, shrugging. “It wasn’t your fault I went off searching for adventures, and it wasn’t your fault that some ancestor of yours was mean to Copper.”

Draco smiled. “Granger said practically the same thing.”

“She was right.”

He nodded. “I also wanted to…thank you.” He paused for a moment before hurrying on. “You saved my life and I’m grateful for that, and you also saved my family from whatever Copper was planning, and I know my father probably wouldn’t even care if I told him, but I care, and… Thank you.”

Ginny grinned mischievously. “What was that you said the other day about Malfoys feeling that people should give their lives for them the way a servant gives its life for its master?” she teased.

Draco looked surprised, and then he rolled his eyes, smiling a little. “Yeah, well, I’ve been wrong before. But that wasn’t all I wanted to come out here and say. I couldn’t sleep last night, so I looked through some of the books my dad gave me, the Dark books, looking for a way to reverse the tongue-binding Copper did on you.”

“Did you find anything?”

“The only cure is if I cut out your tongue,” he said, smirking. “And I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

She shuddered. “I’d rather just not be able to talk about it,” she said.

“I thought as much. But there is a way to alter the spell. I could change it.”

“Change it how?”

He shrugged. “Now the spell prevents you from saying anything Copper hadn’t wished you to. If I perform the spell again, it would override his and you would be bound to whatever I didn’t want you to say instead.”

She scowled. “And what would that include?”

“Ginny, I didn’t mean —”

“What, you’d want to prevent me from telling anyone that you had kissed me?” she snapped. “I could see where that possibility would frighten you. I mean, the very thought that the great Malfoy kissed a worthless Weasley would have the entire school laughing for days!”

“Ginny,” Draco interrupted, looking pained.

“Don’t call me Ginny,” she growled.

His temper snapped. “What do you want from me?” he shouted. “Do you want me to walk down the halls holding your hand, to write you little love letters in class and sign them with hearts and kisses? Tell you I love you and gaze at you for hours and hours like a lovesick puppy dog?”

“No,” she whispered.

“That’s not who I am, Ginny. And I never said anything about making it so you couldn’t tell anyone. I don’t care who you tell.”

“You said it wasn’t real,” she said. “In the caves, you told me that this wasn’t real and I was just acting irrationally.”

He shrugged. “And you said you were sorry for acting that way.”

She scowled. “I didn’t mean I was sorry for that, I meant I was sorry for feeling you up when you were dead.”

He grinned. “I wasn’t sorry for that.”

“Shut up.”

He sighed. “Ginny, I wouldn’t make it so you can’t talk about anything, all right? Or maybe I should make it so that you can’t yell at me. That would be an improvement.”

“You wouldn’t. It turns you on and you know it,” she grumbled. “Besides, why bother changing the spell at all, I don’t need to talk about it. I’d prefer not to talk about it, actually.”

“You have to talk about it, because if you don’t tell your brother and Potter what happened, the whole story, they’ll expect me to do it, and I don’t particularly feel like discussing it with them, all right?”

Her shoulders slumped. “Why can’t you just tell them?”

“For the same reason I can’t walk down the halls holding your hand,” he said quietly. “Ginny, they hate me. I don’t like them all that much either, you can’t change that.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I don’t hate you anymore, but I can’t be whatever it is you’re expecting me to be. I’m still Draco Malfoy, and this doesn’t change a thing.”

“It changed everything for me,” she shot back angrily.

“It can’t change anything. Ginny, this isn’t a fairy tale, it can’t work, all right? Just let it go.” He ran a hand through his hair.

Ginny studied him for a moment. His hair was pushed messily out of his face and she smiled a little, sadly. “Draco, why are you doing this to me?” she asked quietly, stepping towards him and running her fingers through his silky hair, smoothing it.

“Doing this to you?” he echoed, his voice rough with anger. “Ginny, you’re missing the point. I owe you more than to ruin everything that way for you.”

“Ruin what?”

“Everything! Think of what would happen if we suddenly started… You know, speaking to each other in the halls. Sitting with each other in class. I don’t know! Whatever people do in these situations!”

“I’m still not following,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Ginny, the Gryffindors hate me and just because you don’t anymore doesn’t mean they’re going to change their minds. They’ll be angry with you if you start anything with me. And the Slytherins aren’t going to decide to like you just because I do.”

She smiled. “You like me?”

He looked exasperated. “That isn’t the point.”

She sighed. “I suppose not. But I really would have expected more from you than some vaguely offered idea that we just forget this entire thing. Draco, I died for you. I was dead. I stayed there on the floor in a pool of my own blood with a dagger in my back.”

He flinched. “I know,” he replied softly. “And I wasn’t worth it.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Is that what this is about? You don’t think you’re worth me? Draco—”

“Listen. Let me do the spell, and then I want you to turn and walk away and forget this. I was right before. It’s not real.” He was scowling furiously and she studied his face in silence for a few moments before finally nodding.

“If that’s what you want.”

“I do.”

She shrugged. “All right. Doesn’t matter to me. Do you have to do the spell the same way he did it?”

Draco nodded. “I’ll try not to let it hurt.”

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter.” Her voice was cold and stiff.

He sighed and took her hand. “C’mere then.”

She stepped close and tilted her face up to his, squeezing her eyes shut. Draco touched her face gently. “Ginny —”

“Just do it already,” she snapped.

He kissed her angrily, slamming his lips against hers hard enough to make her wince, but she didn’t pull away. Instead she kissed him back just as furiously, and he didn’t care when she bit his lip. He could taste his own blood on her lips as he grazed her teeth with his tongue. His eyes were closed but he could tell she had started to cry because he could taste her tears and he stroked her wet cheek gently, softening the kiss and caressing her hair. He wanted it to last forever but it couldn’t because he knew when it was done she’d walk away and forget it, just like she had promised she would do. He touched her cheek again with his fingertips and whispered the proper words against her lips. A gentle curl of magic left his fingers and brushed inside her, against her tongue. It didn’t tighten around her or sting the way Copper’s spell had done. It just brushed through her like a sigh and faded away.

Draco didn’t end the kiss there, though. He didn’t want to. He continued to kiss her until she was nearly dizzy from needing to breathe, and she was the first to pull away.

He just stood there trying to catch his breath, as Ginny stepped back. She brushed his hair out of his face, tilted her head a little and studied his eyes, which were darker than she’d ever seen them. She tucked some hair behind her ear and smiled a little.

“Thanks.”

He looked away, staring fixedly at the snow, and Ginny turned and ran as fast as she could back into the castle. Draco didn’t look up until he was sure she was gone.

The End.

A/N: I do intend to do a sequel to this eventually, so if you liked Prince of Unicorns, watch for that.