The Dragon's Fire

Ginny arrived in the Gryffindor common room after her talk with Draco.

Now we're getting somewhere, she thought. Who knows what could happen next.

"Hey Gin, come here," Ron called from across the common room.

What is he doing up? she thought.

"Hey, Ron, how come you're still up?"

"I wanted to apologize again for-" Just then Ron stopped talking and his gaze flickered to Ginny's arms. A look of shock and anger came across his face.

The bruises! Shit! Why didn't I wear robes?

"Who did that to you Ginny?"

"Ron, it's nothing."

"Who did it?"

"None of your business."

"Was it Malfoy? Did he do that to you when you were patrolling? If he did, I'll kill him!"

Ginny had never been good at lying to her brother, and was just about to make an attempt that surely would have failed, when she was interrupted.

"Gin! I really need to talk to you. Come here!" Hermione yelled from the stairs to the girls dormitories.

"Sure thing, Hermione. Oh, Ron, apology accepted." And with that she made a mad dash to the stairs before Ron could say anything else.

When the girls got to Hermione's room, they went inside and sat down on Hermione's bed before closing the curtains.

"Thanks so much, Mione! You just saved me from a Ron-attack!"

"No problem. But did Malfoy give you those bruises? Because if he did then maybe this isn't such a good idea."

"Oh. I told you he grabbed me and slammed me against the wall yesterday on patrols. But he apologized tonight! A Malfoy! Apologizing! To a Weasley!"

"Wow. He must really like you."

"Oh, I don't think so. But who knows, right?"

"Yep, stranger things have happened." Hermione winked at her. "Hey, do you want me to heal those bruises for you? Maybe if Ron doesn't see them again he won't say anything. Out of sight, out of mind, right?"

"Sure, thanks. I think I'm going to go up to bed though, I'm kind of tired."

Hermione finished healing Ginny's bruises and Ginny left for her own dorm. She got ready for bed and her dreams were once again filled with Draco Malfoy.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Draco got back to the dungeons after patrolling, Blaise was sitting in the common room doing homework. Draco decided to have a talk with his friend, and see if he could get an opinion on his 'situation' with Ginny.

"Hey Blaise."

"Drake! How was patrolling?"

"Fine. Didn't give Gi-er-Weaselette any new bruises."

"You can call her Ginny you know. And what do you mean, new bruises? You bruised her?"

"Yes, and I apologized so don't worry about it."

"What?! I thought Malfoys didn't apologize?"

"They don't. But I'm not really a Malfoy anymore, am I?"

"I guess not. So anything else exciting happen?" Blaise winked.

"No, Blaise. Well," Draco said, and then continued to tell Blaise about his talk with Ginny.

"And, so now, I don't know what we are. Merlin, I sound like some mushy Hufflepuff. But, seriously, are we friends now? Or what?"

"Don't analyze it so much, Drake. You like her right?"

"No! She's a Weasley and I'm a... I'm me."

"I meant as a friend, but obviously you like her more than that too, so just talk to her."

"I do not like Ginny. Just because she's hot-"

"I knew it!"

"No, just because she's hot, which I'll admit, doesn't mean I want to do anything more than look at her."

"You're scared she'll turn you down!"

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are. But she won't. Bri thinks she likes you too."

"I don't care. I'm going to bed."

When Draco woke up the next morning he felt relaxed and refreshed. He got ready for the day and left the common room to go to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Maybe I'll catch a glimpse of Ginny, he thought. No, I don't care.

You can't deny that you like her in your own head.

Yes I can.

No you can't.

The voices in my head are arguing. Just great, Draco thought. Little did he know that the person they were arguing over had the same problems.

Draco went into the Great Hall and had breakfast with Blaise. They went off to their first class of the morning, History of Magic, during which they both caught up on their sleep. Draco left Blaise after class to go to Study Room B of the library. He was looking forward to maybe talking to Ginny this morning. He opened the door.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny woke up that morning a half an hour late. She rushed around getting ready, and was dreading running into Ron in the common room. She'd hoped he'd already left for breakfast, but alas, as she descended the girls' staircase there were her brother and his friends, sitting in their chairs in front of the fire.

Damn, thought Ginny, guess I have no luck today.

"Gin! Come here right now!" Ron demanded.

Ginny debated just ignoring him and leaving the common room, but knew that would probably be a bad idea.

"What do you want Ron?" she asked as she walked towards her brother. She sat down in the free chair opposite him and looked at Hermione, to see if her friend's face would give her any clue as to what this was about, thought Ginny was pretty positive she already knew.

"Ginny, I know it was Malfoy who gave you those bruises, and I just want to help you. If you tell me, so that I'm positive, I'll go and make him pay."

Ron seemed to be taking the calm, soothing road this morning. Ginny had no doubt that Harry had told him what to do.

"Ron, if you seem to think you know Draco gave me the bruises, then why do you need my conformation? Because you don't know, that's why. And since I'm not going to tell you what happened, because it's none of your business, don't you dare go picking fights about it. Understand?"

"But-"

"No buts, Ron. Just leave it alone."

"Ginny, did you just call Malfoy Draco?! He's the enemy, you don't go around addressing the enemy by his first name!"

"He may be your enemy Ron, but he's not mine. And I didn't want him calling me Weaselette or some stupid thing like that so I had to start calling him Draco. It's not a big deal. Seriously though, Ron, please don't do anything stupid."

Ron just rolled his eyes and got up and left the common room.

Please don't do anything Ron! Please...Ginny thought.

She got up and made her way down to breakfast. Afterwards she went up to Study Room B, to go over some of her Potions text, so that she and Draco could talk, instead of study.

An hour later, Ginny had read over two chapters of the text, and was pretty sure that when Draco got there, they would breeze through it in no time. Ginny heard the door click open but didn't turn around.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco stood in the doorway for a minute, staring at her back, hoping she would turn around and look at him. But she didn't, so he spoke.

"Hey Gin."

Whoa, where'd that come from? Since when do I call her Gin? he thought.

She turned around.

"Oh, hey Draco. I didn't think you were coming."

"Why wouldn't I come?"

"You're late." She smiled at this. She knew that it would hit a nerve.

"Malfoys are never late. I am perfectly on time, thank you. You were probably early."

Ginny was snickering now. Then he understood. She was just trying to get me worked up. Sneaky little Weasel.

"I was early, actually. I have a free period first, so I came here to read ahead. I thought we could maybe... umm... oh, never mind."

Draco realized he was still standing in the doorway, so he walked over and sat beside her.

"Thought that we could what, Ginny?"

"It's stupid. Forget it. Let's study, ok?"

"Sure, chapters two and three is it?"

Draco opened her book and quizzed her on all of the information from the two chapters. She knew it all. She didn't make one mistake.

She must really know her stuff. Either that or she wanted to get done quickly. Why though? I thought we were getting along now.

"Well, that's everything. Do you want to go ahead? Or maybe tell me what you were suggesting before?"

"Oh, um, it was nothing. I was just going to say that I thought maybe we could, um, talk. Like last night." She looked up at him and Draco looked into her eyes. He saw fear, but also hope, and excitement. Like he was a book that she had had to stop reading and she couldn't wait to start again. He was apprehensive. He didn't just divulge this sort of information at will. It made him vulnerable. But Ginny would never tell anyone, right? She wasn't just trying to find his weakness.

Ginny seemed to sense his unease.

"Never mind. We can just cut today short if you like."

"No! Er, I mean, what do you want to know?"

"Oh! Um..." He makes me so nervous, she thought. "Why did you run away this summer?"

"Hmm. Why do I have to answer the first question? I think I should get to ask you something first."

"Ha ha, alright. I'm an open book."

What do I want to know about her? Draco thought.

"Well, you're not really like other Gryffindors are you, Ginny? You're tolerant of other houses. It seems like you have more friends in Slytherin than your own house. Why?"

Ginny stared at him for a moment. He seems to know me better than I thought, she thought.

"Wow. Good question. Um, I don't know. I didn't really make any friends my first year because of all that drama with the Chamber of Secrets. I think it's because of all that that I fit in better with Slytherins. It sounds kind of stupid, but Gryffindors don't really get me. I'm not like them. Gryffindors are supposed to be so brave and put themselves first. When I see a situation I find myself thinking 'How can this benefit me?' That's the stereotypical Slytherin way of thinking, isn't it? And to go along with the stuff in my first year, I kind of feel like I shouldn't be in Gryffindor anymore. Part of T-t -- him is in me. He's a part of me. And he's--well, he's as Slytherin as you can get. Does that make any sense?"

I can't believe I just told him all of that. Please don't let him laugh at me, thought Ginny.

Draco stared at Ginny, stunned. Wow. She just poured her heart out to me, he thought.

"Yeah. It makes total sense Gin. You feel the 'pull of the dark side' as my- as Lucius puts it. And being Slytherin isn't so bad, you know!"

Ginny smiled at him. "But my house would beg to differ. It's like a crime to them to be a Slytherin, or to even tolerate any one who was sorted there."

"But you aren't like them."

"No. I'm not."

"Good."

They smiled at each other.

"Ok," Ginny said, breaking the silence, "how 'bout you answer my question now?"

Draco smirked, looking at the clock. "Ah, but you see, we're out of time. Maybe tonight."

"Hmph! Alright. Oh, before you go... Be careful of my brother. I think he may be out for your blood. He saw the bruises. But I didn't tell him they were because of you, he figured it out."

"Ha, me be careful of the Weasel? Right!" Draco scoffed, before leaving the room.

Boys! Ginny thought, but her thoughts were interrupted when Hermione arrived.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco's morning went by well, and he couldn't stop thinking about Ginny. He was still thinking about her as he made his was into the Entrance Hall to go to the Great Hall for lunch. His thoughts, however, were interrupted by a voice yelling his name.

"MALFOY!"

Draco turned around to find the Weasley he didn't want to see running down the stairs at full speed with his wand out, ready to hex the first person who got in his way. Further up, Potter and Granger were trying to fight their way down the stairs after him. But Draco knew Weasley would get to him first.

"What is it, Weasel King?" Draco drawled as Ron caught up to him and pointed his wand at Draco's chest. Draco just looked at it, uninterested, and didn't even bother to pull his own out.

"Keep your paws off my sister, Ferret-Boy!" Ron yelled.

"And why would I even want to touch your sister, Weasley?" Draco couldn't bring himself to insult Ginny more grievously. They had talked a lot in the last couple of days, and he found himself wary of hurting her feelings.

"I know you did it, Malfoy. I saw the bruises on her arms. And now you are going to pay. No one messes with my sister!"

There was a crowd gathering now, and Draco was getting a little bit worried. He knew Ginny wouldn't talk to him anymore if he hexed her brother.

Just as Draco was thinking about her, Ginny made her way to the top of the Grand Staircase. She saw her brother with his wand aimed at Draco's chest.

Ron you idiot! she thought.

Just then Draco saw a flash of red hair on the stairs, and heard the voice from his dreams.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" she yelled.

Ron turned around.

There you go! Look at me. Lower the wand. Good Ron, good.

"Ron! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Go away, Gin! I'm taking care of it!"

Taking care of it. Right. You're taking care of getting yourself expelled.

Then it happened so fast that neither Draco nor Ginny could register what was going on. Ginny was stuck on the stairs about to yell at her brother again when Ron turned around and raised his wand. Draco didn't have time to react before he heard the spell ('Stupefy') and saw darkness.

At first Ginny thought he could've done much worse, but as she made her way down the stairs she noticed that Draco's head must've hit the stone floor pretty hard, because there was blood pooling around it.

"Ron! Oh my god, what the hell were you thinking?" Ginny yelled.

"Gin, I-"

"Merlin, Ron! Honestly. I told you this morning to forget about it! You just had to go and be a prat!"

"It's Malfoy Gin! Why the hell do you care?"

Ginny wanted to scream.

Doesn't he get it?! she thought, It's not because it's Draco. It's because he doesn't trust me!

Oh part of it is because it's him.

No it isn't!

Yes it is!

This is not the time, nor place for the voices in my head to be arguing!

Ginny shook her head, to shake out the voices, and looked at Ron.

"You don't get it Ron. It's not because it's Dr-Malfoy, Ron. It's because you don't trust me!"

Ginny was now kneeling down beside Draco, and her robes were dragging through the blood.

The Great Hall is right there! I'm sure one of the professors must've heard something!

Harry and Hermione had arrived, finally, and Hermione looked like she wanted to scream at Ron for his complete disregard for the rules, however she seemed to think Ginny had it under control. Meanwhile, Harry's eyes kept darting from Ginny and Draco on the floor, to his girlfriend, who seemed to be unfazed by the fact that Ginny was kneeling beside his worst enemy, to his best friend who was screaming at Ginny with a look of confusion on his face.

"Well that proves that you don't get it Gin. I trust you, I just don't trust him!"

"But, I told you that it didn't have anything to do with him!"

Just then Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape came out of the Great Hall. They all rushed over to Draco. Dumbledore summoned a stretcher and placed Draco on it, while McGonagall used her wand to direct it in the direction of the hospital wing. Then Dumbledore looked at the four of them and said,

"Will Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Miss Weasley please meet me in my office in 10 minutes. Anyone else who has anything to say about today's incident may speak to their Head of House. Now, move along to the Great Hall please. No need to congregate out here."

Ginny fell in step with Hermione, behind Harry and her brother, and began burning holes in the back of Ron's head with her eyes.

Ron looked back at Ginny and saw the death glare she was sending him.

"What the hell, Ginny? Why are you so bloody pissed? Not over Malfoy? Please tell me you aren't--besotted with him!"

"Shut up Ron! Just shut up!" Ginny yelled.

"Gin-"

"Ronald Weasley, just can it! I don't want to hear you! I don't even want to look at you right now!"

Ron scowled. "No, Ginevra, I won't can it! It's Malfoy! And you aren't even denying it! He's Malfoy! Look at his father! Look at all the history between him and dad. What the hell do you think Mum would say? Do you even think, Ginny? Really, do you?"

"Ron! It's not like I want to bloody marry the guy! I didn't even say I liked him! You automatically jump to conclusions! You're like a bomb ready to go off at any given time! I'm fifteen, so frankly I don't have to give a damn what you think about anything! I can befriend whoever I bloody well want!"

"No you can't. Not Malfoy. Anyone but Malfoy."

"Oh, and what are you going to do about it?!"

"I'll owl Mum."

Ginny gasped. "You wouldn't dare! How many times have I covered for you? How many times have I taken your side? And you just go running to Mum about something you know absolutely nothing about?"

"Yes Ginny. It's for your own good."

Ron turned around, clearly finished with the conversation. Who the hell does he think he is? Ginny fumed. I can't believe he'd tell Mum on me over something as stupid as me being friends with a Malfoy.

Then she heard Ron talking to Harry and just wanted to hex them both into next week.

"Harry, can you believe she likes Malfoy?! It's Malfoy! She must be off her rocker!"

Harry just nodded, but he looked back at Ginny and scowled. Ginny heard Hermione make a noise beside her, and saw her giving her boyfriend a look. Ron didn't miss it.

"Hermione, please tell me you didn't know about this before? You did, didn't you? She tells you everything."

"Ron I-"

But Ginny interrupted.

"Ron, leave Hermione out of this! I will not allow you to attack one of your best friends just because she happens to be my friend too! It's like you expect her to come running and tell you every little thing I say. Like I can't take care of myself."

"Well, your first year proved to us all you can't."

Ginny was stunned. How dare he! She was also incredibly hurt that her brother would even dare bring something like that up. It's not like I knew what the hell I was doing. I was only eleven! Before she knew it, Ginny was fighting back tears.

Hermione saw this and was about to start yelling at Ron when Ginny did something first. They were standing still in the corridor now, definitely late for Dumbledore, and Ginny walked up and slapped her brother across the face. Then she turned and continued walking towards the Headmaster's office. After a shocked moment, the other three followed her slowly.

Finally she reached the stone gargoyle, the entry to the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore was waiting, and he said the password ("Pepper Imp") and they all got on the spiral staircase. When they entered the office, Dumbledore conjured four chairs for them to sit on. Ginny made sure to sit on one end of the row while Ron sat on the other.

"Well, I would like to know what happened today. Miss Weasley, perhaps you'd like to enlighten me?" Dumbledore said, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Of course, Professor. You see, my idiot brother decided he needed to hex Dra-er-Malfoy because of something he assumed that Draco-er-Malfoy did to me. I tried to stop him but he's just so stupid that he did it too fast for me to intervene."

Ron stared, agape, at Ginny. As if he thinks, after what he said to me, that I'll lie for him to Dumbledore.

"Professor, Malfoy bruised her! Show him, Ginevra. Show him your bruises."

Ginny glared at Ron. "They're gone," she said through clenched teeth. "And I told you I took care of it!"

"That is enough, Mr. Weasley, Miss Weasley. I am well aware of the situation. Ron, you will report to Professor McGonagall for detention every night for two weeks. Nothing gives you the right to hex another student. Mr. Malfoy could be in serious condition right now."

Ginny gasped. In her fight with Ron, she had totally forgotten about Draco. "Professor, may I go? Er, please?"

"Of course, Miss Weasley. Though I'm not sure if Madame Pomfrey will allow you to see her patient. You can tell her I sent you, but it most likely will not make a difference. You may go. Oh, and Miss Weasley? Don't worry about patrolling tonight. I'll have someone cover your shift."

"Thank you, Professor." Ginny stood up and practically ran for the door. She wanted to get away from Ron before he could say something else he might regret. Or say something about the slap. Before she did she heard Dumbledore address her brother, before he and his friends got up and followed her.

"You three may go as well. Mr. Weasley, don't forget the detentions."

"Yes Professor."

She heard three bodies get up and head in the same direction as her. As soon as Ginny got out through the stone gargoyle, she made a mad dash in the direction of the hospital wing. She thought to herself as she ran that she didn't know why she cared so much about Draco, but kept telling herself that it was because it was her fault.

She skidded to a stop and caught her breath outside the hospital wing doors. She pushed them open, and immediately saw Madam Pomfrey fussing with a patient at the other end of the wing. Ginny walked slowly down, and as she did she could make out silver-blonde hair behind the matron. Madam Pomfrey turned around and that was when Ginny saw Draco. He was asleep, and it didn't look like there was anything wrong with him.

"Ah, hello dear," the matron said, "are you here for Mr. Malfoy?"

Ginny nodded.

"I'm afraid he'll be asleep until morning. I've healed him, but the wound needs to heal fully, and it won't unless he's asleep. You can stay here if you like."

"Um, alright. Thank you Madam Pomfrey."

The matron nodded, and smiled at Ginny, before walking back to her office at the other end of the ward. Ginny sat down in the chair next to Draco's bed and watched him sleep. She wasn't sure why she was staying, but once again she told herself it was because it was her fault Draco was here. Soon afterwards, she felt herself nodding off, and after a glance at Draco to reassure herself that he was alright, she fell asleep.