Unaffected

Chapter 10

Ginny awoke with a throbbing headache. She sat up in her bed and moaned softly, pressing the back of a cool hand to her forehead. When her feet hit the floor, she felt a wave of nausea roll over her. She slowly made her way down to the kitchen and rummaged through a cabinet for Harry's old hangover remedy. Her fingers closed around a small vial and she pulled the stopper out, then took a small sip. Instantly she felt better; warmth reached to the tips of her fingers and toes. She was replacing the vial when she heard a loud crack, signaling the apparition of someone. She plodded out to the sitting room to see who it was.

"Well, you look like something the cat just dragged in," Ron said, grinning. He wagged his eyebrows suggestively at her, and she grunted. "What did you do last night?"

"I went out," she said, flopping down on the couch. She stifled a yawn and glared at him. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?" He blinked.

"Early in the morn-" he sat down. "Gin, are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It's not morning. It's noon." Her eyes flew open and she sat up quickly.

"It can't be!"

"It is," he said, nodding. "Tell me you didn't forget about the game today as well." She shook her head and smiled.

"How can I forget that the Falcons are going to win today?" He grunted in disgust and rolled his eyes. Another loud crack sounded, and Fred walked into the room. He eyed Ginny suspiciously.

"Why is our little sister still in her bedclothes?" he asked. Ron winked at Ginny before turning to Fred and standing up.

"Looks like she went out and had herself a night on the town," he said teasingly. She groaned.

"Alone?" Fred asked, arching an eyebrow. The blush that crept into her cheeks was their answer. "With who?"

"Draco," she said, standing. The boys whistled and she shot them a murderous look. "It wasn't like that! All we did was have a few drinks and dance a bit. I think." Ron's eyes widened.

"You don't even remember what you did?" he boggled.

"I remember drinking something with him," she said hotly. "And I remember him rescuing me from some overgrown ape of a man. Then I remember drinking more, and laughing with him." The boys exchanged curious glances, but before they could ask anything else, Draco stepped out of the fireplace.

"Oh," he said quickly, his gaze falling on Ginny in her rumpled state. He averted his eyes. She was still in her nightclothes, which consisted of nothing more than a pair of black flannel pants that hung so low they exposed the curve of her hips and her navel, and a tiny red tank top that hugged her as though it was spray painted on. "I hope I'm not too early." She narrowed her eyes at her brothers, indicating that they should keep their bloody gobs shut about last night. Ron turned pink and Fred whistled innocently while he stared at the ceiling.

"You're not too early," she said, clearing her throat. "I just slept in, that's all. I'm going to go get dressed. You two," she said, pointing at her brothers. "Had better behave while I'm upstairs." She turned and trudged up the stairs. She had barely disappeared from sight when the boys began bombarding Draco with questions.

"Did you two really go out last night?"

"Was it a date?"

"What happened?"

"Wid you rescue her from?"

"Was your fiancée there?"

"Did you do a memory charm on her?" This last question caught Draco's attention, and he gave Ron an odd look.

"What? No! Why would you even ask such a thing?" Ron shrugged.

"She said she couldn't remember everything you two did." Draco didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. He'd lain awake in his bed last night for a good long time, wondering if she'd ever speak to him again. When that fear had faded, he began to relive the last kiss over and over; remembering the soft feel of her lips, the surprised look on her face, and most importantly, the fact that she'd even said she wanted to kiss him. He swallowed hard and forced himself to remain cool and composed.

"I didn't perform any memory charms," he said honestly. "We just had a couple of drinks, and I think we both probably drank a little more than we should have. All we did after that was talk and dance."

"That's not as much fun as I would have hoped," Fred said, grinning. Draco couldn't help himself, and laughed. "But there are always second chances." Ron elbowed Fred.

"Would you cut that out? If Ginny finds out you're trying to-" his voice faltered and he shot a wary glance at a very curious Draco. "Well, you know, then she's gonna hand you your arse on a platter!"

"She won't know anything unless you tell her, ickle Ronniekins," Fred pointed out. Draco smothered a laugh and Ron's ears turned scarlet.

"Alright," Ginny said, descending the stairs. Draco turned and caught his breath. She was wearing a simple white tank top and a pair of black shorts. Her copper hair was tucked beneath a worn baseball cap that Draco didn't recognize. Fred and Ron recognized it immediately and wondered why she'd worn it. "I'm ready. I hope they didn't give you too much trouble," she said sweetly, smiling brightly at Draco. He shook his head.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." She eyed her brothers suspiciously, but said nothing.

"Are we ready, then?" Ron asked. Ginny nodded.

"How are we getting there?" she asked. "I don't think it would be a good idea to try and get there by floo; it's too long of a distance."

"I thought we might apparate," Fred suggested. Everyone seemed to agree, so without further argument, four loud cracks sounded, and they found themselves standing in front of a very large stadium. It was decorated with varying shades of a gaudy orange, and Draco realized that it must be the Cannons' stadium. He raised an eyebrow at Ginny.

"You didn't tell me that you and I were stepping into the lions' den, so to speak," he said. She grinned wickedly at him.

"What's the matter, Draco? Chicken?" He looked offended.

"Absolutely not. I was just wondering if you'd be able to handle being the odd person out. After all, we're not rooting for the home team." He grinned.

"Don't worry about me," she said, grabbing his arm and tugging on it. "Come on, let's get inside! They'll be starting any second now!" He let her drag him inside the stadium, and they found their seats beside Fred and Ron. Of course, he thought with amusement. We're smack in the middle of the Cannons section. She turned and caught his eye, then smiled.

"Now we'll see what you're really made of, Draco Malfoy." He laughed, and suddenly the teams were in the air. He found that he didn't care that he and Ginny were the only ones in their section rooting for the Falcons- her enthusiasm was infectious. He was surprised at how relaxed he felt around the Weasleys; after all their years of bitterness and hatred, they had just welcomed him into the fold. He berated himself silently; the war had changed everyone. Still, it surprised him. He turned and studied Ginny.

She was completely focused on the game. He smiled to himself; he hadn't thought it was possible that another person in the world adored the Falcons like he did, let alone a woman. He hadn't met very many women who watched the games and actually understood them - even with her brother being a professional player, Natasha didn't know much about the sport. That was clearly not the case with Ginny. Perhaps it had been the fact that she had been raised around it, or maybe it was because she'd married someone who loved the game. Whaver the reason was that she enjoyed it, it made him feel drawn to her.

He watched as she stood and shouted at the call the referee had just made, and he bit his lip to keep from laughing. She was so passionate about what she loved that it made his heart ache. Would he ever feel that way about anything beyond Quidditch? She sat back down and shot him an annoyed look.

"That was blatching if I've ever seen it," she grumbled. He laughed and saw Ron poke his tongue out at her, then laughed harder when she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Ron's neck. She was rubbing her fist into the top of his head, and he was screeching.

"Fred! Get her off of me! Help!" Fred was rolling with laughter and shook his head. He turned to Draco.

"She's got a right nasty temper when it comes to Quidditch," he confided, still laughing. "Her and Ron can't watch a game without fighting over something. That's why I learned to start going to every game they went to - they're way more entertaining than the players." He laughed at Fred, then looked back at the sparring siblings. Ron had wrested himself free of her vise grip, only to be the recipient of a quick poke to the ribs. Draco was laughing so hard that he was holding his sides.

"Geroff! Geroff!" Ron howled. Fred cackled and pretended he hadn't heard his brother's cries for help. Ginny finally relaxed her assault on him and sat back in her seat, her cheeks flushed with the exertion of beatg up her brother. Draco saw her fleeting smile before she was on her feet again, screaming at one of the Chudley players for something.

He couldn't remember ever having so much fun in his entire life. Fred and Ron were speaking to him as though they'd never been anything but good friends, and Ginny was cracking him up by making faces behind Ron's back. Was this what it felt like to have friends? He was sorely regretting all of the time he'd spent at Hogwarts terrorizing them. He began to wonder if Potter and Granger were this much fun, too, and the thought startled him. He shook his head to clear it.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked, giving him a concerned look. He nodded and smiled.

"Never been better." She grinned and turned just in time to see Ron mocking her behind her back. She leapt forward again, and Fred and Draco laughed at their antics. When the game was over and the Falcons had won, Ginny held out her hand to Ron expectantly. He rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket, but she stopped him with a smile.

"You don't have to pay me," she said. He looked relieved. "You can just buy me dinner." He gaped.

"I didn't bring enough money for that!" he protested. She giggled and grabbed his hand.

"Then I guess it'll just have to be my treat," she said, her eyes twinkling. He hugged her once quickly before releasing her and smiling. She turned to Fred and Draco. "How about it, fellas? Before I go get Lily, would you like to stop and have dinner on me somewhere?"

"You don't have to pay for me," Draco said quickly. She arched an eyebrow and feigned anger.

"I'll have none of your chivalry today, Mister Malfoy," she chided, grabbing his hand with her free one. "Dinner is on me. My treat. That means I pay, you know." Fred grinned.

"Sounds good to me," he nodded. She smiled.

"Where to, then?"

"The Three Broomsticks?" Ron suggested. Draco and Fred both nodded.

"The Three Broomsticks it is, then," she said, pulling the boys behind her. When they had gotten inside and settled into a booth, Ginny and Ron began a heated discussion about the game. Draco stared down into his drink, wishing that the day would never come to an end like he knew it would. He was reluctant to let go of his newfound friends and his sense of belonging, only to go back to the Manor and have to face Natasha and the coldness that he knew was waiting for him.

"You can't possibly believe that," Ginny said. Draco turned his attention back to her and smiled. She was wearing that impassioned look again; the one he'd already grown so fond of. Ron huffed.

"Why not?"

"Ron, the Cannons have lost more games than any other team in the league." He started to open his mouth, but she cut him off. "Combined."

"She's right," Fred conceded, taking a long swig from his mug. "As usual." Ginny tried not to look embarrassed by his praise, but the color appeared on her cheeks anyway. She stood and excused herself to go to the restroom, and Draco raised his mug to his lips to take a drink. As soon as she was out of earshot, Fred turned to Ron.

"You know, you might as well go ahead and pay me and end this thing with a little bit of your dignity in tact." Ron flushed but shook his head.

"I think it'll happen. You just need to give her time to crack."

"You're the one who's cracked, Ron. It isn't going to happen. Pay me my five galleons and forget about it."

"I will not!" he protested. "She'll come around, once she pulls her head out of her arse." Fred snorted.

"Alright, but you're only making this more painful than it has to be."

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked curiously. The brothers exchanged wary glances, then looked at him.

"We can't tell you unless you swear not to tell Gin," Ron said softly. Draco nodded. "Well, she normally has a breakdown every year on Harry's birthday, right? Only this year, she didn't. She didn't do any of the things she normally does - she didn't burst into tears over nothing at all, she didn't lock herself in her room, she didn't stay home all night with Lily and bake. She didn't vent her grief at all." Draco bit the inside of his cheek to keep from telling them that she had burst o tears, and twice.

"Ickle Ronniekins over here thinks that she's bottled it up and she's going to have a meltdown," Fred said. "I don't believe it for a minute."

"Why not?"

"My sister has learned how to hold things inside," Fred said, his eyes darting around for any sign of her. "Harry's birthday is the one day she really lets loose and wails like a banshee. Only, she didn't do it this year. I say she was distracted enough to forget Ha's birthday." He leaned back and gave Draco a triumphant look.

"You think something distracted her?"

"He means someone," Ron said pointedly. Draco gave him a puzzled look.

"Who?" Before he could get an answer, Ginny slid back into the booth beside him. Her hip brushed his momentarily, and he felt as though he'd been burnt. He shifted slightly, but she didn't seem to notice. She took a drink of her butterbeer and turned innocent eyes to Fred.