That Halloween Night in Dumbledore's Office

That Halloween Night in Dumbledore's Office

By: Dean's Darling

Draco Malfoy grasped the edge of his dresser and rested his weight on his arms. His face was drawn and gaunt and he held onto the piece of furniture as if it were the only solid thing in his life. Through the mirror he could see the woman sitting up in his bed with the sheets pulled up to her chin. She was studying him with curiosity evident on her face.

With a sigh, but without turning around to look at her he finally spoke. "Ginny, I can't do this any more."

"What do you mean Draco? Of course you can. You have to. Your life depends on it."

He finally turned on her. "Yeah? And just what kind of life is it anyway? We have been meeting like this, once a month, since I came into my inheritance. Six years Ginny. Six years of anticipating your arrival and dreading your leaving. Six years of hell. You are my mate, yet you feel nothing but contempt for me." He started pacing the room and refused to look at her. "I've been patient. More patient than a Malfoy is capable of being. I just can't do it anymore. Just go away and let me die. At least I will finally be out of my misery."

Ginny got out of the bed and wrapped the sheet around herself and stood behind him caressing his back. "Draco, don't be like this. Don't..."

He spun on her, the anger apparent on his drawn face. "Draco, don't be like this? Merlin Ginny, you are unbelievable. First I am saddled with a mate that abhors the very sight of me, then in order to save my life, she must be coerced by a meddling old wizard, who doesn't seem to realize that..."

Her eyes flashed with anger. "Don't call Dumbledore that!"

"Why not? He is! If it hadn't been for him, I would be blissfully dead and you would be free to be with the love of your life. I don't understand why you don't feel the pull. I never have understood it."

He looked at her with her red hair cascading over the white sheet and his hands itched to pull her close. He longed to be close to her in every way and knew that he would literally die if he didn't. He turned away from her again. "Just go, Ginny. You are free of me. Go now! I don't want you here. I just can't do this anymore." But the thought raged through his mind. "No, don't go. Don't leave me ever again." But his lips remained stubbornly quiet.

Ginny didn't say anything for a long moment. The ridiculousness of the situation raged against reason. Essentially Draco had given her the permission she needed from him to leave him forever. He was wrong though. She did feel the pull. She had never spoken of it to him. It was a strong pull. She had been attracted to him since sixth year. At the time she couldn't explain it because the hate never went away.

He had treated her and her family with utter contempt for her entire time at Hogwarts, but during sixth year that all changed. She had noticed a difference in the blonde Slytherin right away on the journey to school. He was quiet, refined and aloof. She noticed that his eyes seemed to follow her during the Prefects meeting on the train.

The slight smile, not smirk, alarmed her and she turned away from him. She remembered that that action by itself was painful. It literally pained her not to look at him.

She scolded herself for being ridiculous and purposely walked away from him with a toss of her long red hair.

That was the beginning of her denial. She had no idea in the following weeks and months what her contrasting feelings were trying to tell her. Then on Halloween morning, she received and owl from none other than the venerable Albus Dumbledore.

Even though Harry, Ron and Hermione were almost constant visitors to the Headmaster's office, she had never been so privileged. The note was simple.

"My dear Miss Weasley,

I would like to request a visit from you after you have had your dinner this evening." It was signed, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster, Hogwarts.

The curiosity had almost killed her during the day as she attended her classes. Several times during the day she passed Malfoy and every time she did, time seemed to slow down. Movements seemed to be like moving through water.

They would stare at each other for what seemed like hours but in reality, were mere moments.

Finally the time for her meeting came and she made her way dutifully to the standing gargoyle. She was met there by the professor himself and he smiled at her. "My dear child, good, good, come follow me." He turned and entered the spiraling staircase and entered his office.

Ginny remembered the gasp of surprise that she allowed to escape from her throat. With all of the magical equipment and toys that the professor had in his possession, her eyes fell immediately on the young man that stood inconspicuously on the side of the room staring out the window.

The old mans voice brought both of them out of their perspective musings. "Draco, Ginny, please have a seat." He indicated the comfortable looking chairs in front of the desk and they both hesitantly took a seat.

Dumbledore smiled at the two of them, and then looked directly at Ginny. "I imagine that you are wondering what in Merlin's name is going on?"

She smiled tentatively at the old wizard. "Well, the thought had crossed my mind." She remembered the fight she had with herself to give the Headmaster her undivided attention rather than stare longingly at the boy sitting next to her.

"Professor, do you mind if I talk to her?"

His eyes twinkled. "By all means son. I'll just entertain my self with some of my favorite toys here.

Ginny turned, confused, to the blonde. It took all of her will to keep her feelings from showing on her face. She would not give him that satisfaction.

It took him a moment to start talking but once he did, her world came crashing down around her ears. "Ginny, I am assuming that you know that when some wizards come of age, that is their 17^th birthday, that depending on their family lineage, if there is any creature blood in them at all, it manifests itself at that time."

Ginny only nodded. She was incapable of coherent speech as she stared into the Slytherin's beautiful gray eyes.

He continued with a bit of difficulty. Her staring at him like that didn't help his concentration one bit. With pain, he looked away from her. "My birthday was this past June, and I came into my inheritance. I knew it was coming. I had grown up with that knowledge. I am part Veela, on my mother's side. Actually the male counterpart to Veela is Veelum. Anyway, when a Veelum comes of age, he is driven to find his one and only mate.

"While the females may take several partners if they choose too, the males are strictly bonded to one and one alone."

Ginny cleared her throat and looked painfully away from Draco and at the professor. "So what does this have to do with me?"

When she looked back on it, she knew. She knew that she knew. She was Draco's mate. That would explain everything; the feelings of longing when he was near and the even more poignant feeling of loss when they were separated. But this was Malfoy, Prince of Slytherin. He was destined to receive the Dark Mark. He was evil incarnate.

"Ginny Weasley, you are my mate." He wanted to say more, but couldn't think of an appropriate addition to those words, so he let them stand.

Then she laughed. "This is a joke, right? You are pulling my leg." She noticed that every word that left her lips, made him seem to diminish in size.

Dumbledore crinkled up his forehead. "Miss Weasley, I will not tolerate rudeness. This is certainly not a joke, nor would either of us be a party to such a thing. Are you telling me that you feel nothing in Mr. Malfoy's presence?"

She shook her head in a blatant lie. "No, should I?"

She watched Draco shake his head. "Of course she doesn't, Albus. She hates me so much that it overrides all other feelings."

Albus Dumbledore sighed. "Miss Weasley, Draco here must be...ahh...with his mate soon, or he will die."

That was it, she realized. The Professors blatant announcement drove the final wedge between her and Draco.

She laughed nervously. "Are you telling me that I have to sleep with...him, to save his life?"

She looked over at Draco and realized that he was no longer sitting in the chair but was staring again out of the window.

"But, how can that be? Professor, I don't even like..."

"Albus, never mind. It isn't worth it. I'll think of something else."

Ginny remembered getting angry. "Will you stop with the melodramatics please?"

"I'm being melodramatic? The brave Gryffindor is too afraid a the big bad Slytherin to live up to her destiny. This is rich. I had better never get a lecture from any of you about how righteous you are."

She was livid now. "And why should I save your life, Malfoy? Why should I give to you the one thing I have to offer a husband that is completely and totally mine to give?"

"She's not getting it, Albus. Weasley, you can go."

"I will not be dismissed by the likes of you."

"Why? You don't want to be here. You have made that abundantly clear. So go. I don't need you."

Her laugh was cruel. "I beg to differ, Malfoy; your very existence depends on my whim. I think I like this."

Albus' eyes lost their twinkle. "MISS WEASLEY! That is enough." Then the old man sighed. "Miss Weasley, it is your duty as a member of the 'Order of the Phoenix'..." Ginny's head bolted up and swiftly landed on Draco and back again to the headmaster. "Relax Miss. Weasley. Mr. Malfoy was inducted into the 'Order' just after his birthday. Now, as I was saying, it is your duty as a member, to do any and all that is asked of you. You swore it in your oath as did Mr. Malfoy. I am holding you to that oath. It is unbreakable."

The warning tone in Draco's voice didn't stop Albus from pronouncing Ginny's doom.

"Albus, don't do this! You can't force..."

"But I can son. I am holding Miss Weasley to her Witch's Oath. It was binding when she took it this summer. More importantly, she knew it was binding. You are a valuable member of the Order. She will do her duty."

She was livid, and her eyes flashed in anger. "I am still in the room. How dare you discuss my participation in this farce as if I am not even here?"

Draco growled at the old man. "Well, you have certainly assured that our first experience will be less than satisfying." He stormed out of the room, leaving his mate with the old codger.

Ginny came back to the present and stared again at the bare expanse of Draco's back.

Her voice was soft and caressed him like velvet. "Draco, first off, you know very well that there is no 'love of my life'. I gave that up when I was 16. Second, first let me say I am sorry I hurt you. I was going to talk to you about this anyway this evening." She tugged gently on his arm. "Please look at me, Draco."

His eyes raised slightly in the mirror but saw only the top of her red head leaning against his back. With a sigh he turned.

Ginny looked up into his face and softly caressed his cheek. "You look like death, Draco."

His answer was clipped and harsh. "Thank you very much for stating the obvious."

She pulled his face down to hers and gently kissed his lips. She watched, amazed as always at the changes as they happened. He looked a little less gaunt; a little less gray. "Draco, come over here and sit please.

Reluctantly he allowed her to lead him to his bed. "Ginny, don't. This is only prolonging the inevitable. Please just go."

Her eyes glowed at him. "No, I want to prolong this. I want to prolong this for years and years."

He turned sad eyes to her, completely vulnerable. "Do you hate me that much? After all these years you still hate me?"

Her smile was gentle and her caress was soft. "Not at all. Draco, I haven't been honest with you. Back in sixth year when this all started...I did feel the attraction...the pull as you call it. It was all I could do to keep my hands off you."

"Then why...?"

"Why? You and I were enemies. You never let an opportunity go to insult me or my family. I love my family very deeply and you despised everything about them. In fact it must have killed you when you realized that I was your mate.

Draco nodded. "Well, I have to admit that I wasn't happy...at first. But then I began to study you. You have a quiet dignity that is sorely lacking in your brothers."

Ginny pursed her lips and looked at him.

"If you were to be honest with yourself, you would know that I am telling you the truth."

She looked down at the folded hands in her lap and nodded. "I know, but I don't like to have my nose rubbed in it." She smiled tentatively up at her partner and leaned her head against his broad shoulder.

"So, you are telling me that all this time has been wasted. You are telling me that the absolute misery that you have put me through; the longing for your presence, the dreading your arrival because I knew that you would just leave again. Then when you did leave, the only thing that you would leave behind was a debilitating loneliness. Then it started all over again.

"You are telling me that we could have had a genuine relationship; a family and everything that I have longed for and you were just being...stubborn?"

She looked at him sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Draco."

Draco stood and walked across the room and looked out the window in thought. Then he turned back to her. "You're sorry! You're sorry! I am furious with you, Weasley. You have made my life a living hell, and for what; revenge?" He stared at her in disbelief. "Go!"

"What?"

"I said go. Leave. Get out of my life. I don't want you here. Pick any one, they all work."

He stalked over to his bedroom door and opened it in invitation to leave. Ginny stood and walked toward the door and closed it then looked at him. "I was a prat. For three years I did my duty as an Order member and kept you alive. Then it changed for me...somehow. But by then I was so deep into this...this...denial, that I didn't know how to stop it. I have been in love with you for over three years, Draco; silently in love. Last night I gave up everything for you. Everything that was important to me anyway."

The tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked when she looked at him again. "My family made me choose, Draco. I told them what had been going on and they made me choose."

Draco was in shock. "They didn't!"

Ginny only nodded and refused to look at him.

The only way that Draco knew she was crying was by the silent shaking of her shoulders. "I'm sorry."

He was lost in contradiction. He longed to comfort her, but he was so hurt by what she did to him. He looked down at her again and made a decision. With a sigh he rested his chin on her red head and rubbed his cheek in the silky mass.

She snuffled a bit then looked back up at him, her eyes red from the tears. He gently wiped the salty tracks from her face and leaned down to kiss her gently.

To his surprise, Ginny deepened the kiss and threaded her fingers in his hair. After a long moment, she whispered against his lips, "I'll leave if you really want me too, my Dragon, but please don't make me."

He looked down at her. This is what he wanted. This is what he needed. His very survival depended on it but now it was even more than that. He caressed her face with his eyes then leaned down to touch his lips to hers. "I really don't want you to leave me, Ginny. And I'll forgive you but only if you forgive me."

Ginny looked confused. "Forgive you for what?"

"That Halloween night in Dumbledore's office."