Trademark smirks and Temperamental redheads

Chapter 14 - Unexpected Repercussions (Fifth Year)

"Malfoy!" Ginny shouted excitedly as she made her way toward the oak. "My parents replied! I got the owl just now!" She bounded over to him, settling down beside Draco and pushing the letter towards him.

Draco opened it slowly, a sense of dread at the pit of his stomach. It couldn't be that bad, the most they could do was refuse to allow their daughter to have anything to do with him...

Dear Draco,

Arthur and I have spoken with the Headmaster about this as well as Ginny herself, and find no reason to prevent your friendship with our daughter from continuing. We will have to decline your mother's offer of tea, due to my husband's busy work schedule. However, we would be delighted to arrange another time to catch up with her, we went to Hogwarts together, your mother and I.

We have looked into your academic records and are happy for our daughter to befriend someone of your intelligence. Please take care of Ginny for us and assist her in her schooling if any problems occur.

Sincerely,

Molly Weasley.

Draco looked up at Ginny, who had been reading the letter over his shoulder. She was grinning from ear to ear; he continued to look at her, still in a daze. Was that a 'yes'? They were agreeing to Ginny and him being together? Draco looked back at Ginny to see her smirking at him slightly.

"What?" he asked, vaguely curious.

"Are you surprised?" she asked instead.

"Well, of course not. How could anyone say no to Draco Malfoy? They're probably just glad you finally got over your crush on Wonder Boy," Draco replied confidently. Ginny smacked him on the arm. "And it turns out your brother, actually has more decency than I gave him credit for," he continued.

"Really? Did he agree to us?" Ginny asked in surprise.

"I suppose. He threatened me with slow, painful death if I don't take care of you properly. Guess I'm stuck with you now," he said with a slight grin.

Ginny laughed and hugged him tightly. This was turning out to be one of the best days of her life.

Draco held Ginny to him in a warm embrace, for some reason, the feeling he had now was even better than beating Potter at Quidditch.

~~~

During dinner that night, quite a lot of spoons and forks clattered onto plates as the pair walked into the Great Hall, hand in hand. Many more clattered noisily as Ginny followed Draco to the Slytherin table, the two of them sitting down in the middle, next to Crabbe and Goyle. Some Slytherins stared at Ginny wide-eyed, as others glared at Draco, scowling at him.

Draco ignored their glares and helped Ginny to fill her plate enthusiastically as if they were having a picnic with no care in the world. As they ate amongst the whispers of the students, Ginny nervously scanned the Gryffindor table across the Hall. Ron had red spots of anger on his cheeks, and was trying to stare a hole through his food. Beside him, Harry and Hermione were trying to avoid Ginny's eyes; further along the table, Sara and Melissa were both shooting her sympathetic glances.

She turned her glance to the Slytherin table, studying them carefully. The lower years were eating their food without comment, while the fourth and fifth years shot Malfoy dirty glances when he wasn't looking. The sixth and seventh years however, were glaring at him with open hatred as if they longed to slice him up and serve him for supper. Ginny gulped and sank lower into her seat, jumping slightly when she felt Malfoy's hand over hers on her lap. She looked up at him and saw him giving her a reassuring smile. She smiled back hesitantly, and turned her attention onto the plate of food in front of her.

How come she had never noticed the Slytherins' dislike towards Malfoy? To her, they had always been united as a House against all the others. Malfoy had always had the support of the Slytherins whenever he teased Harry or made fun of the Gryffindors and Mudbloods. He was their leader; the one they looked up to with respect and admiration...wasn't he? Was it because of her? Were they angry because he had chosen to be with her, a lowly Gryffindor and a muggle-lover?

Ginny could feel the guilt stirring in her stomach; she looked at the food in front of her and felt sick. She got up abruptly, pushing away the plate on the table, and running from the Hall.

~~~

Draco followed after her, cursing himself. How could he have been so stupid? Of course Virginia wouldn't have felt comfortable eating with him at the Slytherin table, especially when all of them were sending her death glares. Scowling darkly to himself, he raced out of the castle. He spotted her by the lake and went over to her.

"I'm fine!" Ginny shouted before he had even reached her.

"You aren't fine," Draco replied. "Ginny, I shouldn't have told you to sit with me at the Slytherin table, it was a stupid idea," he said, looking at her with concern etched in his features.

"It's my fault isn't it?" Ginny asked quietly.

"What?" he asked confused.

"It's my fault," she repeated louder. "They look down on me for being poor and a Gryffindor, and now that we're together they'll look down on you too. They think you've lowered your standard to associate with someone like me, that's why they were glaring at you back in the Hall...I'm so sorry."

Draco shook his head and smiled slightly, pulling Ginny towards him. "Silly girl, is that why you ran out of the Hall? All of the Slytherins hate me Ginny, they only put up with me because they're afraid of my father's power," he explained.

He had grown up never really knowing what friendship was; to him there was only the strong and the weak. He was taught that dominating others was the only way to prove one's superiority, to establish fear in the hearts of others so that they would fall under your control.

When he was younger, his dominance was only mild. He'd head the other Slytherins in taunting the other houses and treating the mudbloods with open hostility. The other students didn't really mind his leadership; it was all just a game to them anyway.

But now, it had all changed since the Dark Lord's return. He needed to distill the fear in their hearts, to turn them into his slaves in the war against the tainted and the impure. There was no longer time for games, and a smile or grin was rarely found on Draco's face, replaced by an arrogant grace as he sneered at even his fellow Slytherins.

They resented him, and true to their Slytherin souls, they returned hostility with hostility. Part of the reason Draco had his own room, was due to Narcissa Malfoy's concern over her son's safety in the Slytherin dungeons.

Draco grinned sadly at the irony of it all. He had vowed to Weasley that he would protect Virginia with all he had, and yet he was the one who was in danger of becoming another resident ghost of Hogwarts.

He looked down at Ginny's face in the moonlight; she was staring at him with an odd expression on her face.

"Don't," he said quietly, looking out into the night.

"Don't what?" she asked in confusion.

"Look at me like that. I don't need anyone's sympathy Virginia. This is my life," he gestured to himself, looking up at the night sky. "I've been destined to this ever since I was born. My path was chosen for me long ago, there's nothing anyone can do to change that."

"There has to be, you can't give up before you've even tried. Admitting defeat isn't like you," she said to him solemnly.

"Virginia, I have no reason to fight this. I was brought up believing that this was the right path," he said.

"No, it's not the right path Malfoy, it can't be. Someone with your intelligence should realize that. I know Tom, he is truly a monster, there is no human sentiment in his heart, only vengeance and carnage. If you follow his path, there will be no future for you...you will end up dead," she said firmly, a hint of sadness in her brown eyes.

"Believe me Virginia, becoming a Death Eater isn't on my top priority list," he replied dryly. "Crawling beneath his feet and kissing his robe hems just doesn't hold much appeal for me," he attempted some humor. Ginny remained unmoved.

"Then don't do this."

Draco sighed tiredly, how could he make someone like her understand? Even he couldn't understand this death wish of his most of the time. And he had grown up amongst it all, the darkness he felt in the hearts of his parents and their associates.

"There is nothing for me outside of serving the Dark Lord. This is me, and this is my all."

Ginny was shaking her head at him in frustration. How could he say that? "That's not true. What about me, what about us? How can you say that there is nothing? We can make it work," she insisted, looking at him with a fierce determination.

"I can't just change and become a good boy Virginia, it's more complicated than that. I know I'll never be the hero you see in Potter, hell, I'd settle just for being called 'nice'," he ground out bitterly.

"Don't compare yourself to Harry, you're not him, and I don't want you to be. I love you for you, and for what you can be, I just don't know if I can love who you are and what you will become," she searched his eyes, seeking an indication of understanding.

He reached out to touch her cheek softly, she flinched slightly at his ice-cold touch and he withdrew his hand hastily. He pressed his thumb to his temple; he could feel a headache coming on.

"Are you okay?" she asked in concern.

"Just...just trust me Virginia," he said tiredly. "I don't want to talk about this, can we just enjoy our moment together?"

There were questions racing around in Ginny's head, but she relented at the look of pain on his face. She walked up to him and placed her hands on either side of his face, massaging his temples gently.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Leaning up to kiss his forehead, as she moved away, he held her arms and pulled her towards him, kissing her firmly. His lips were warm, like fire to touch, unlike the rest of him, which numbed her skin with its chill.

No matter how hard she tried to tell herself that Draco Malfoy could never be hers, her heart still remained obstinate. She closed her eyes tightly, ignoring the tears that slid down her cheeks, her awareness entirely focused on the way his lips felt against her own.

~~~

It had been a month since the incident in the Great Hall, and most of the students had gotten used to Ginny's presence at the Slytherin table. She'd spend most dinners over there sitting next to Malfoy, although she insisted on sitting near the end instead of in the middle. The Professors didn't seem to mind much; no doubt Dumbledore had had a few words with them on the matter already. Snape still gave a disgruntled frown every time he spotted Ginny at his House's table, but had not given her any trouble so far. All in all, the couple's presence was beginning to sink into the level of normality.

Neither of them had mentioned anything more about the Death Eaters, having decided that further discussion on the matter would be fruitless. In fact, whenever they were in danger of sinking to that line of discussion, Malfoy would distract her with his 'charm'. He had discovered Ginny's ticklish nature in certain places, and enjoyed himself immensely by running over the spots lightly with the tip of his tongue, and watching her attempts to squirm away.

Ginny smirked into her food as she remembered the tingling feeling his tongue would leave on her skin. Sitting next to her, Malfoy noticed her amusement, and leaned over slightly, whispering,

"What naughty thoughts are you thinking now Weasley?"

Ginny blushed and shook her head violently before stuffing a spoonful of potato into her mouth. She could see him smirking at her, and fought back the urge to stick her tongue out at him. Ginny looked past him, studying the Slytherins as she had fallen into the habit of doing during dinner. She had taken a fascination to them, wanting to understand these people in hopes of enlightening her to Malfoy's situation. Her glance caught on Pansy Parkinson, who was staring at her from across the table. It was not her usual glare of loathing and hatred, in fact, her stare was devoid of any emotion altogether. Her face was blank, her eyes guarded, revealing nothing of her thoughts. Ginny felt a chill run down her spine and hastily turned back to her food.

After dinner, Malfoy surprised her by asking if she wanted to go down to the Slytherin common room.

"Won't the other Slytherins mind?" Ginny asked uncertainly.

"We can stay in my room," Malfoy shrugged casually.

She agreed reluctantly and followed him down to the dungeons. Sure enough, as soon as they stepped in, the room fell silent as she received the full attention of the students in the room. They glared at her silently, as if daring her to take one more step into their beloved common room. Not that it looked as if it was worth protecting mind, the whole room was chilly due to the damp brick walls, and the lighting was dim, the lamps glowing an emerald green fire so that the Slytherins seemed even more sinister than usual. Ginny briefly wondered how someone could live in these conditions and not become homicidal, then again, these were Slytherins. Ah. She thought to herself. Debating over whether it was the inhabitants that affected the décor of room, or the atmosphere of the room on the Slytherins. Probably both. She concluded, as she followed Malfoy to his room, grateful to escape their icy stares.

She watched as he started a fire, glad for its warmth, the red and orange flames reminding her of her own common room. She felt distinctly out of place as she studied the green and silver in the interior of his room. Malfoy was sitting on his bed observing her silently; she went over to him, settling herself on his lap. He kissed her neck lightly; she shuddered as a tingle traveled through her body. She turned to face him, tracing the contours of his face with the tip of her finger. He looked somewhat peaceful, his pale face illuminated by the light of the fire, though his eyes held a depth of anguish she could nver reach.

He leaned in to kiss her, tracing her lips with his tongue, softly urging them to part. She complied eagerly, feeling his tongue against hers. He reached to untie the ribbon holding her hair in a plait down her back, allowing her fiery hair to frame her face. As he took in her beauty, he became aware of the warmth flowing through his body, taking note of her flushed cheeks. He shifted their position until their limbs were tangled together on his bed, not allowing for any separation between them. He deepened his kisses with a fervent urgency, feeling her response just as demanding.

Suddenly, their intimate moment was interrupted by a loud, impatient knocking at his door. Malfoy cursed loudly, before striding to the door intent on murdering whoever it was out there. He was greeted with the blank expressionless face of Pansy Parkinson.

"Explain very clearly to me why you are standing outside my door or I cannot be held responsible for how you may end up," Draco enunciated each word clearly, his eyes full of cold fury.

"Professor Snape wants to see you," she stated flatly. Draco scowled in annoyance.

He turned back to Ginny. "I'll be right back," he said quickly, before seizing his cloak and walking out of the room.

Ginny glanced nervously at Pansy Parkinson, who was staring at her in eerie silence from the doorway.

"Do you er, want to come in?" Ginny asked hesitantly.

Pansy walked in slowly, and settled herself at Malfoy's desk, absently playing with a quill. A long moment of silence passed.

"So...what did Professor Snape want to talk to Malfoy about?" Ginny tried again.

The blond girl only shrugged slightly, fixing her cold eyes on Ginny. Finally, after another long moment of silence, Ginny's patience snapped.

"What?" she demanded, staring back defiantly at the blond girl.

Author Notes: Hehe, a slight cliffy, but what the hell, next chapter will be worth it. Finally, we move onto Pansy and her character developement. But! Review first! And for those who are going to ask me, what did Snape need to see Draco for? haha, I haven't got a clue, I just needed him out of the way for a while =P I know, very unprofessional of me. And just when you all thought it was going to be a happy ending for our couple, I twist it around and take them around an extra bend =P I am naughty, aren't I? Oh well, keep reading!

Sorry about doing this so late, but I thought I should thank my reviewers for kindly letting me know how much they support me and enjoy my fic. It really helps me to keep going ^-^

Thank you to: DaZLinDZ, Sunia, TarmaTalesedrin, Liz R., silent sigh, Diva Girl, Siryn, Ash, missclaudia, PrncsPnut, Camilla GoE. And Secret Keeper and LOTR who reviewed constantly =)

princeofdeath Well ch11 should clear up Ginny's point of view on the incident for you =)

Brushfire Fairytales I agree with you, Draco's letter in the first chapter is probably a bit too eloquent for a eleven year old, but hey...whatever haha

Darcel13 You must be one of my readers from Fanfiction.net right? I remember you review heaps too, thanks for your support!

ginny1313 Well actually, he wasn't looking at anything silly, he just couldn't meet Ginny's eyes, get it? coz it's pretty embarrassing for Draco sex-god to admit he likes her

hart_break How they can't stop thinking of each other?? Haha I don't really like fluff that much, but if I do write about that, I'll make sure it's done with class, ie, you won't be gagging over the soppiness

mizz_person I assure you obtuse can be used in lots of different ways, but apart from that, I hope you're actually enjoying my fic lol

PIXIEGIRL Thank you for your support! And don't worry, I write this fic purely because I love d/g so I won't let any reviews get me down, in fact, I encourage it, that way I will improve as a writer =)

rizka Haha, I'm sorry, but Draco's heart is going to get broken a couple more times before I'm through with him =( *shrugs*

Sirius10 Do you really want to see a Weasley Christmas? Haha Maybe I'll write one for you later on in the story k?

veela haha well hope you like the fluffy parts to come! There'll be a lot while they get together, before moving on to angst...hope you'll like that too?

iluvtomfelton125 They'll get together soon, I promise =) "But the part where Draco told Ginny that he liked her had a lot of unbelievable dialogue" really? How so? When Draco said that, he didn't actually mean it that way, he was teasing her, joking.

Kori Lewis Sorry about Slimy Blaise, but someone had to do it. *shrugs* I mean, we don't really know any other males in Slytherin except for Crabbe and Goyle and do you really want them hitting on Ginny? No, I didn't think so...

Rachel Satowsky What?? I'm so confused by your review...Well you should understand why Ginny's angry about sleeping with draco in chapter 11, and after that, there'll be lots of d/g action, so you won't need to worry about Harry and Ginny going to the kitchens ok?

Umm Well when I said 10year old, I meant the mental stage of one, not really the past times that you got into when you were 10...oh well...I'm glad you enjoyed your childhood though haha

Emma Malfoy Contraceptives huh? Well, I've read stories where condoms are used (mostly under the instructions of Hermione), or they cast some sort of charm, potions I've heard of but never read in a d/g fic. But would you ease your mind at all if I told you that they didn't use contraceptives? I mean think about it, Draco would probably be careful enough to use it, had he not been so drunk that he couldn't even focus properly. And Ginny, she's a virgin, what can I say? I really doubt she thought much of it while Draco was busy elsewhere, know what I'm saying? But don't worry, Ginny won't get pregnant, so, you can relax.

You like slimy Blaise huh? I suppose he could make a guest appearance later on, haha, I'll keep it in mind. Any particular performance you'd like him to do?