Soulmates

"Well, hasn't this day been absolutely perfect so far?" Ginny mumbled sarcastically as she dragged herself through the dungeons that she'd been in not ten minutes earlier. Every few seconds a torch would emit its burning light onto her features, revealing a beautiful pale face with a mix of anger and anxiousness playing in its eyes. "I wake up late, miss breakfast..." Her stomach confirmed the last statement with a muffled growl of hunger. "I'm late for Charms, I'm missing, therefore failing, a day of Potions class, I've already gotten myself on Snape's bad side, I lost ten points for Gryffindor, and I've been sent to McGonagall! All on the first day of school! Ginny, you've got to start watching what you do and say from now on!"

As Ginny continued her bout of self-pity and self-retribution, she caught a glimpse of another figure at the end of the hall hurrying towards her. Ginny wondered whom it could be, since the person was too short to be a teacher. Who would be in the dungeons at this time of day?

As the boy glided steadily nearer to Ginny, she realized it was what seemed to be a handsome male student. His steps expressed urgency and uncertainty, although there was still an arrogant swagger noticeable. His shoes clicked each time they made contact with the floor, and his face seemed to be staring at the ground. He appeared to be oblivious to the fact that he was not alone.

Just then, the figure passed through some torchlight and a gasp escaped Ginny's lips, followed by a groan. "Oh great... Not Malfoy..." she thought. "And I thought this day couldn't get any worse..."

--

Draco strengthened his grip on the parchment in his hand, crumpling it. He was using Lucius's letter as a means to let out his rage, but the rage wasn't directed at Lucius. Years ago he had learned not to waste any of his emotions on Lucius.

No, Draco was in fact infuriated with himself, because he knew there was most likely no way out of his situation without putting himself in a lot of danger. He could become a spy like Professor Snape, but this caused Snape to live in a world where every day he feared being caught. Could Draco stand living such a life? He knew he was undeniably strong and clever, but he had to admit that he wouldn't be able to take on Voldemort if he were found out. But if he didn't become a spy, then he'd have to skip the initiation altogether and be on the run at all times...

Draco's thoughts were interrupted as he saw the outline of someone slowly walking towards him, just meters away. Draco hurriedly tucked the balled letter into the inside of his robes before the anonymous person could catch a glimpse of it. The dungeons were very dark, so Draco couldn't make out whom the person was, though he could tell it was a female. As the woman walked under a dimming torch, Draco got a closer look at her, and her beauty was so mesmerizing that any thoughts of Lucius's letter were wiped from his mind momentarily.

Who was this beautiful young girl? He couldn't recognize her, but he knew she didn't look like a first year. She had a petite nose and full lips that seemed bright against her pale skin. Her eyes were bright and her body was shaped perfectly, and her hair... Well, he hadn't gotten a good look at her hair as he had been staring mostly at her face, but in the shadows her hair looked a bright auburn color. Either way, Draco decided from that small glimpse that she was the most attractive creature he'd ever seen, and there was no way he would let her just walk right on by.

As Ginny approached Draco, she moved to the far left side of the hallway in order to avoid him, but he stepped sideways and blocked her path. Instinctively, Ginny began to turn back to the right side of the hall, but once again Draco moved in front of her. Through clenched teeth, Ginny let out, "Could you kindly step aside?"

Draco casually leaned his long arm against the wall and looked down at the mysterious girl. Despite the darkness surrounding them, the proximity between the two allowed Draco to make out a dusting of freckles across her nose that he hadn't noticed earlier. Her eyes shimmered with determination and contempt. Smirking, Draco replied, "Maybe I will, after you tell me who you are."

Ginny was taken aback by the comment. "Wh-what?" Was Malfoy just trying to be annoying by pretending to not know whom she was? He had to know it was her! The bright red hair was a dead giveaway! Unless he couldn't make out the color of her hair in the dim light...

"In all my years here, I've never seen your beautiful face around before. What's your name?"

He actually doesn't know it's me! And he seems to be flirting with me! Maybe I can tell him to call me Virginia, and then flirt back and lead him on a bit as payback for all the torment he's caused my family! ...Oh, who am I kidding? I can't flirt! But... This is your chance, Ginny! Prove to yourself that you can be outgoing whenever you want to be! Do it for yourself! Ginny's thoughts were broken as Draco waved his hand in front of her face to grab her attention. "My name?" she squeaked. Draco nodded impatiently. Ginny gulped and said in what she hoped was an alluring tone, "Virginia."

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "Virginia, huh? That's a sexy name. I'm Draco, but you probably already know that because I'm known as the most handsome man here at Hogwarts." After finishing the last sentence, Draco smirked and shifted his head to give Ginny a better view of his 'handsome' features.

Despite Draco's extremely distracting good looks, Ginny was able to answer nonchalantly. "Yes, I've definitely heard of you. However, from what I see, I can't imagine why anyone would call you the most handsome man here," she replied, smirking. Ginny, you're doing it! You're teasing him and flirting with him, and you're not even acting nervous!

"Oh, really? Well I think you're lying. I think you find me awfully attractive and it's taking all of your self-control to keep from jumping on me and snogging me senseless."

A genuine, heartfelt laugh escaped Ginny's lips at Draco's words. "I think maybe you're confusing my emotions with yours, Draco." Ginny paused for a split second at the foreign feel of his first name on her lips, then went on. "Please try and hold yourself back as I continue on my way." Before Draco could react, Ginny lifted his arm that had been set in a barrier in front of her and walked onward, assuming that he wouldn't follow her.

Draco watched in minor shock as Ginny walked up the cement steps out of the dungeons and opened the tall wooden door at the top. In the light from the doorway, Draco could see Ginny's hips gently swaying, long, fiery red hair bouncing against her shoulders as she stepped into the light and closed the door behind her. Wait... Fiery red hair? Only one girl was known to have hair that color at Hogwarts... "Weasley?!"

--

After getting over the shocking revelation that the very beauty he had been talking to was in fact the youngest Weasley girl, Draco found himself walking back down to Snape's room to talk to the professor. However, thoughts of Virginia persisted in floating around in his mind.

Had that actually been little Ginny Weasley? She had definitely grown, and she had worn her hair down, giving everyone a glimpse of her gorgeous red locks. The mousy girl had apparently changed not only in appearance, but in personality, too. Draco remembered when she was just a first year, crushing on that blasted Harry Potter and sending him that cheesy valentine. If this were the same Ginny Weasley, how come she had not cowered under his sheer presence? Needless to say, Draco was very intrigued by the changed young woman, and he vowed to find out more about her. However, at the moment he had more important things to worry about.

When Draco reached the door to the potions room, he strode through without knocking, as he preferred to catch everyone's attention right when he walked into a room. All eyes turned to Draco as he stepped inside, and he glared at the students in a menacing way, causing them to turn back to their cauldrons. Walking forward to Professor Snape's desk, Draco leaned over and spoke in a hushed voice that was barely audible. "Severus, I must speak with you. Privately."

With a curt nod, Professor Snape led Draco into his office, locking the door behind them and placing a silencing charm on the room. Turning to Draco, Snape's face turned even more serious than usual. "Is it about the initiation, Draco?"

Draco nodded, depositing the wadded up letter into Snape's hands, who flattened it out with an annoyed look on his face. Once the letter was straightened out enough for Snape, he began to silently read Lucius's words. After finishing, Snape returned the letter to its rightful owner and sat down behind his desk. "Sit," he commanded Draco, who quietly obeyed. "Now, what exactly is the problem?"

At these words, Draco blew up. "WHAT'S the PROBLEM?! What do you mean what's the problem?! My initiation is in less than four months and I have no idea what to do!"

"Draco, I thought you were more rational than this." Draco slumped down into his chair and ran his hand through his hair like he always did when he was aggravated. He hated being insulted, but he decided now was not the time to get into a fight with Snape. "There's nothing new or unexpected in that letter, and we've talked about all of this before. I told you that he'd already set the date, and I told you that you had a choice to make."

Draco looked up at Snape, glaring at him as if all of this was to blamed on him. "There's got to be another way, Severus."

"Draco, you know the options! You can tell Lucius that you refuse to become a Death Eater and live on the run, or you can go to the initiation and become a Death Eater, spying for our side, like myself. Those are your two options."

Draco shifted in his seat, sitting straight in the chair once more so that he was on eye level with Professor Snape. "I do not want to live the life that you live, Severus. I think it is utterly foolish and it is way too risky for my liking. I thought I'd made myself clear on that."

"Then you choose to defy Lucius and the rest of the Death Eaters. That's the only other option there is, unless you want to completely give up and join the Dark Side, becoming a loyal Death Eater."

Draco's eyes hardened on Snape in a way that said, without words, that they both knew that Draco would rather kill himself than choose the Dark Side. "Those can't be the only ways, Snape!"

"What do you plan to DO then, Mr. Malfoy? Go on to the initiation and single-handedly battle dozens of Death Eaters? Oh, and let's not forget that the Dark Lord himself will be there. Do you plan to kill him, too? Do you wish to be the hero and end the entire war all on your own?"

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm, Severus. I'm just saying that the number of options that I've been given seems irritatingly low, and I feel as if we haven't thought things through all the way."

"Believe me, Draco, I have thought this through and through. Don't you think I would know about this sort of thing from experience? It kills me that you're having to go through this, and if there were some way that you could get out of it without being in danger, then I would have thought of it. I've already trusted you to the point where I've told you about my job as a spy for Dumbledore, and I trust you now to make a smart decision. Now... What path will you choose?"

An uncomfortable silence filled the room as Draco sat contemplating, trying to figure out if he even had a choice. It seemed that anything he came up with was either completely irrational or he refused to go through with it. Five minutes of this passed by, with Snape waiting patiently for Draco's answer.

Finally, Draco spoke up. "I suppose I have no choice. I will tell Lucius that I won't take part in the initiation."

A rare smile spread across Snape's features. "I respect your decision, Mr. Malfoy. Now, you must wait until the beginning of the holidays to actually speak with Lucius about it. If we did it any sooner, then it would only cause you to be in hiding longer than you have to. Once the holidays draw near, we will have to discuss arrangements with Professor Dumbledore, as he will have to be informed of the dangers you will be in for the remainder of your time at Hogwarts. If the war is still going on after you graduate, then we will have to prepare for you to live on the run. We do not have to worry about either right now, not until you speak to Lucius about it."

"Thank you, Professor. Truly." Draco stood up from his chair and waited for Professor Snape to unlock the door, then he left the dungeons without another word.

--

"Ginny, what's this I hear about you standing up to Snape this morning?" Ron asked in an excited voice as he slapped Ginny on the back at lunch.

Ginny coughed into her pumpkin juice, half swallowing and half breathing in the beverage. After noticing that Ginny was choking, Hermione began to gently thump her on the back to help her cough it out. When Ginny caught her breath, she scolded, "Ron! You almost killed me! Don't do that!"

"He's sorry, Ginny," Harry apologized, trying to get to the point of the conversation. "But we heard from a few sixth years that you stood up to Snape this morning! Is that true?"

Before Ginny could speak, Ron added, "Yeah, what happened? What'd you say?"

With the trio's full attention on her, Ginny began to tell them what had happened in potions that morning and how infuriated Snape had grown.

"Whoa," Ron muttered.

"What exactly about what you said made him so mad?" Harry wondered.

"You guys, she accused him of never having been in love and he went crazy! I think it's pretty obvious what's going on!" Harry, Ron, and Ginny stared at Hermione blankly. "He obviously was once in love! Why else would he have been so insulted by her comment? I'm betting that things went wrong, though, and when you reminded him of the painful memory, he let out his fury on you."

"Wow..." Harry replied. "Snape? In love? I don't know about that... It's too hard to imagine."

"It's IMPOSSIBLE to imagine!" Ron exclaimed. "Snape doesn't know how to love! That would be completely disturbing!"

"But Hermione, how could he have been in love once?" Ginny began. "He made it quite clear that he didn't believe in it!"

Hermione shrugged slightly, replying, "Well, sometimes people grow bitter and negative towards love if there's something in their past that has turned them off of it."

"So, what exactly did Snape do to you?" Harry asked in an attempt to end the talk of Snape ever being with a woman.

Ginny rolled her eyes, showing that she didn't care about the fact that she'd gotten in trouble. "He sent me to McGonagall." It was funny how earlier that morning, Ginny had been a wreck over being sent out of class, but after the run-in with Malfoy, Ginny felt like a new person. That conversation had been so liberating--strange, but liberating nonetheless. After it, she had decided she would try to act more like Virginia and less like Ginny from now on.

"Oh my gosh!" Hermione breathed. "He sent you to McGonagall?! What did she do?"

"She was shocked at first as to why Snape sent me to her instead of dealing with me himself, but after I told her what I'd done, she seemed to understand why Snape had been so angry that he couldn't trust himself to punish me."

"See? McGonagall must know about Snape's old love!" Hermione reasoned, as Harry nodded in agreement and Ron sneered in disgust at the thought.

"Yeah, I guess so..." Ginny answered. She was beginning to grow tired of the conversation, so she finished, "Anyway, so McGonagall gave me a week's detention that I start tonight, but it's no big deal. Well, I'm going to go ahead and head off to class, as I don't want to be late for the second time this morning. Bye!" Ginny grabbed her uneaten sandwich and took a bite, picking up her things. After the trio said their goodbyes and Hermione quickly complimented Ginny on her hair being down, Ginny hurried out of the Great Hall to Care of Magical Creatures.