Pride

Chapter 5 - Bite

Ginny stood up and brushed the dust from her skirt, furtively looking about the room. Her eyes landed on two fallen bodies, two separate lovers. She sat between them, her hands pressed against the cold ground, her eyes stinging from the abrupt tears that she knew would be coming soon enough. There were no movements, no noise, just the deafening silence that pierced the still halls of the corridor. When she looked up from Theodore's body, she had noted that the shadowy figure had disappeared.

Then there was the sound of a sputtering cough and a groan. Ginny's eyes lifted to meet a pair of cloudy grey ones, and she felt her heart stop. His face was as pale as it has always been, and there was some leftover blood dripping from his nose - she hadn't remembered Theo hitting him. His hair hung loose around him. He smiled ever-so faintly.

"What happened?" His voice was raw, and she could tell that it hurt to speak.

Ginny bit her lip. "Well, you see--" she started, surprised when he cut her off.

"Just tell me."

"Theodore found us - he attacked you and was about to go after me--"

He growled softly. "Bastard," he breathed.

"Someone knocked him out," Ginny informed him with a sideways glance. She moved to Draco's side and leaned against his shoulder, hoping her tiny frame was enough to support him. His hand found hers, and she squeezed it. He barely returned the gesture. "I don't know who it was."

"It doesn't matter right now," he whispered roughly. "We need to hide him."

With Ginny's help, the two levitated Theodore Nott's body and slowly, so very slowly because Draco looked about to collapse, preceded to the Slytherin quarters. They both decided that it was best to leave him to his own conclusions about what had happened that night and placed him on the couch when they entered, making sure that no one was around.

"You look like shit," Ginny admitted softly.

He stared at her, leaning against the fireplace, his eyes roaming over her body. Her clothes were slightly torn, and there were smudges of dirt on her cheeks. "You're one to talk. Would you like to use the shower in my room? You're welcome to it."

Ginny blinked, momentarily forgetting that Malfoy had his own private room and washroom. "That sounds good." She stepped with him up the stairs and into his dorm. The room looked like hers except for the green and silver curtains and the fireplace - that and his room is private.

"Bathroom's over there," Malfoy muttered, collapsing into a chair.

When he heard the door shut and the water run, he groaned. He gritted his teeth together and tried to will his carnal urges away. Ginny Weasley was a beautiful human being, and it was a wonder why anyone would want to hurt her. This thought made the Slytherin very angry, he concluded, having the strong desire to break Theodore Nott's face when he saw him again.

He must have dozed off for a few minutes when Ginny's voice stirred him from his slumber.

"How are you feeling?" she asked from the doorway, nearly causing Draco to jump out of his skin. He tried to blink himself awake.

Ginny Weasley was standing in his room half-naked, her hair wet and dripping between her breasts.

"Fine," he lied, his voice cracking. "How are you?" He could barely look her in the eye. Come on, he thought, staring at the girl.

"You look...better." Ginny smiled faintly and bent to pick her clothes up from the floor, giving Draco a generous view of her ass. He bit his lip, stifling a moan as his hands twitched on his lap. He didn't understand why he was acting this way. He had seen her with nothing on before.

The towel stayed in place as she sat down next to him. "I ..." she blinked at him, her voice catching. What was wrong with her? She had been like this in his dorm before, even in his luxurious room at Malfoy Manor; however, that had been a different experience altogether.

Draco Malfoy's bedroom at Malfoy Manor was not at all what Ginny had expected it to be when she stepped over the threshold. It was massive. There was a large four-poster bed by the window and books were adorned on numerous shelves and cases. She giggled, and he shot her a confused look.

"I didn't know you liked to read. If I'd known, I would have gotten you a book for Christmas."

"I have enough," he replied tersely.

"I see that. Your house is gorgeous, Draco." She smiled and turned to him. "This would definitely make my family uncomfortable to know that I was here."

"I'd rather not have your family here at all," he smirked, his hands reaching for her. He pulled her close, his head dipping down to capture her lips in a slow kiss. He moaned when her fingers wound in his hair, and she pulled him to her, holding him as tightly as she possibly could. "Think about it Ginny: this could be yours too someday."

That dream had been shattered long after their affair. Things had been wonderful for awhile but then Ginny had become suspicious and Draco angry. She accused him of unspeakable acts, and he, in turn, vanished from her life, having no more energy to take the bite in her words. They cut him like a sharp knife, the blade ready to drive into his guts, slowly killing him.

"I remember the last time you were in my room at home," he said with bitterness.

"Do you?" she asked. "It happened so long ago though."

"You accused me of bad things, Gin." He sighed, running his hands through his hair. "How could you be shocked the day I left?"

"I thought you loved me..."

"I did, but you didn't love us enough to stop yourself from being paranoid, did you?" He glanced at her, his eyes dark. He reached over to the bedside table and pulled a package out of the drawer and handed it to her. "I think you deserve these."

Ginny stared at what he had handed her. They were photographs of Theodore with someone. The redhead stared at the picture and shut her eyes. She distinctly noticed the hair first. It was long, brown, and brushy.

"This is..."

"That's right." Draco frowned, seeing the pain on her face as she blinked back un-shed tears.

"Why did she do it?" Ginny's voice was shaky. She let her hand tighten around the paper, which she let crumble onto the rug beneath her. "She had to have known we were together unless--"

"He didn't tell her, Ginny."

"I have to go," she stood up and began to dress.

"Don't do anything foolish."

I won't, she promised silently. I'm just going to kick the shit out of someone who used to be my best friend.

---

Everything Ginny had ever told anyone about Hermione Granger was a lie. She wasn't nice, wasn't trustworthy, and certainly wasn't faithful to her relationships. More than once Ginny had caught her with another boy when she was Harry Potter's girlfriend or Ron's even.

The halls were dark as she stormed down them. She didn't care what time it was and didn't care whether she was caught. She had bigger problems to deal with.

Upon reaching the Fat Lady, she spotted Hermione creeping inside, but not before looking around.

Wonder whose boyfriend she's been with this time? Ginny thought maliciously, her eyes hard.

Hermione entered the common room slowly, looking around. No sign of anyone. She breathed softly and went to her dorm. She frowned when Ginny walked in.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"I was with Draco." There was no use in trying to hide it.

"Again - didn't you learn from before?"

"Obviously not," Ginny replied snidely.

"What's up? You don't seem like yourself."

"I-I..." the female Weasley sputtered. "You ... Draco told me you were with Nott last year ... that you two were together."

"We were."

"I was with him!" Ginny heard herself shout. "Didn't you know that? We were dating for five months and then you..."

"I knew that too."

"You..." Ginny had had it.

She walked over to Hermione and without a second thought, swung her fist. She caught the brunette in the jaw, sending her to the floor with a thud. The noises stirred the others, and the screams had the boys up in seconds. Ginny's foot was ready to smash that know-it-all bitch right in her face when several hands grabbed her waist at once.

"What ARE you doing?"

"You're going to kill her!"

"Hermione, are you all right?"

Ginny lifted her head and looked at what she had done. She saw Hermione on the ground with blood pouring from her lips and nose. She thought that she would be happy about this. She wasn't. She stared at the floor, her head hung low, and the tears came fast. She let her body slip slightly through the arms of whoever held her so that she went fairly limp.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, the ache and sadness in her tone did nothing to satisfy the whispers that she heard.

There was the rush of feet and a hand lifted her chin. "Ginny..." Someone cried out, and she could barely focus on his pale hand touching her, his grey eyes, and worried gaze. She collapsed into a heap in his arms and cried.

"I didn't mean..."

"I know," he said, stroking her hair as he carried her away from everything she had done.

---

Her eyes fluttered open, and she turned over. "I can't believe I did that," she whispered, her voice raw. She didn't know where she was, and she didn't care. She just wanted to disappear. Finally she heard a man speak.

"It's understandable why you got mad," he said, and she looked over at him

"You don't get it..."

"Excuse me?" He would have laughed had he not thought she was being ridiculous.

"You've never been close enough for this to happen." Close enough to rage, she wanted to add.

"You students think you know me so well."

Ginny sat up and was immediately handed a glass of water. "But you don't, Severus." She had become accustomed to referring to him by his given name since he was part of the Order

"Draco doesn't think you acted irrationally; however, I think the Headmaster will find this situation very grave."

"Where is he?"

"He's talking to Potter."

Ginny's eyes widened slightly. "Oh ... I think that's a bad idea."

"My sentiments exactly," her Potions Master replied disdainfully. "He thinks it would do some good to explain just what happened last night." Snape was sitting in the only chair in his chambers, in front of his writing desk. "What do you think will be the outcome, Miss Weasley?" He looked very interested to know her answer.

"I don't know."

At this moment the door to the room burst open, and Draco walked in. Ginny noticed right away that he was limping as he sat down beside her. His hair was ruffled, and there was a bruise forming on his cheek.

"Stubborn bastard," he snarled, looking around. "Your brother," he said as Ginny raised an eyebrow. "He yelled at me like it was my fault. He asked where you were, and I told him to bugger off. They won't find you here if you don't want them to."

"I have to go to classes eventually," she said.

"I've taken a leave of absence." The blond said, "I'm going to take care of you and help with what happened. It's partly my fault that you're in this mess."

"You didn't cheat..." Ginny corrected.

"No, but I am the one who told you who it was with. It led to this."

"I hit her, Draco. I hit my best friend. I could have killed her. I was so mad."

"But you didn't."

"I could have!" She shook her head, bringing her knees up to her chest.

Things were only going to get worse from here on out.