Miles Away From Perfect

Ginny sat amongst her friends in the Great Hall, all of them enjoying lunch and talking about their favorite lessons thus far. It had been a week since they'd arrived on the train and today was Saturday, the beginning of the student's first weekend of term.

September had been nice so far, and today was no different. Ginny had planned for her and Harry to spend some time together outside today, to remind them of their days this past summer. It was also a perfect opportunity for them to practice their Quidditch skills.

Just then, the doors opened wide and Harry and Ron entered the Great Hall. Harry caught her eyes immediately; he was looking forward to their little escapades out on the grounds too.

"Where's Hermione?" Ginny asked them once they approached.

"She stayed up in the common room," Harry answered quickly. He plunked down next to Ginny and gave her an exaggerated smile.

"She mentioned something about prefect stuff, but we didn't get much out of her when we pestered her about coming down and getting some lunch," Ron continued as he sat across from the couple.

"Well, you know how she is," Harry said, matter of factly.

"Bye Ginny, we'll work on our Potions tomorrow, okay?" Colin Creevey confirmed from on her other side. He patted her arm as he got up to leave.

Ginny turned quickly to her other side to acknowledge her friend. "Yeah sure, I'll be there." She waved to Colin and Marylena before they left the Great Hall.

Ginny could feel two curious pairs of eyes on her when she turned back to her food. As much as it annoyed her, their attention made her blush. Damn them, she'd done nothing wrong.

"Yes, I do actually converse with people, other than you lot," she finally said, with a sigh.

"There you go, Gin, you've made some friends," Harry said, gently tipping her chin up, but she pushed it away, laughing.

"See what we've been telling you?" Ron asked. There was pride in his eyes when he looked across at her.

"Blimey, I wasn't in a depression, you idiots. I was just feeling lonely. You know, I actually know other people in my year... and I talk to them too, and study with them even," she said dryly. Harry gave her a look and she couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Well I'm just glad you've gotten out of one of your moods," Ron joked, but she could tell by the way he glanced over at her that he was serious. "Then again, mate," he directed toward Harry, "you'd be the one to have to take it all, not me."

"Thanks Ron," Harry said, "glad to know that I can count on you."

"Anytime my friend," said Ron.

After they had all satisfied their appetites, Ron took the longest; they made their way out of the Great Hall and back up to the common room. Ginny and Harry each retrieved their brooms from their dormitories and they left Ron in the common room with Hermione who had a pile of books around her. Ron took one look at her, and went to find a partner for a game of Wizards Chess. He knew she didn't want to be bothered precisely at that moment.

Ginny snaked her arm around Harry's as they strolled across the grounds toward the Quidditch Pitch. Her idea for a private Quidditch practice for the two of them was a success. He'd been far too tense all week, and already, just by hanging on his arm she could tell this was loosening him up.

"You seem much less...stiff today," Ginny commented as they came upon the broom shed.

"Is that so?" Harry asked. He pulled open the wooden door and motioned for her to enter first.

"What a gentleman," she crooned as she walked past him, "and yes, you seem much more carefree." She set her broom on the bench and took off her cloak.

"It's probably nothing, Gin. Don't worry about me. I think it's you that seems 'much more carefree' today," he told her as he did the same.

Her broom looked so much tattier than his sleek Firebolt. The name emblazoned on hers wasn't even worth mentioning, she snorted to herself.

"What?" he asked her. A smile hinted at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, I was just looking at our brooms," she laughed shyly.

"Don't turn into Ron on me," he groaned playfully. He took her hand and pulled her closer to him.

She looked up into Harry's bright eyes and couldn't help but feel warm. She put her hands to his chest when he pulled her even closer.

"Do I look like Ron to you," she asked him, lowering her voice seductively.

"Not at all," Harry said, running his hands down her sides to rest them on her waist. A spark of amusement shot through his eyes and she jumped for him, throwing her arms around his neck.

She was a breath away from his lips when she said, "Thank Merlin." Then she kissed him. His mouth was open and ready. Neither of them wasted any time on shy sweetness, they were past that at this point.

By the time they broke apart, Harry's hands had made their way to her bum. She had to say it felt good, but they had an agenda.

"Come on now, we've got some brooms to fly," Ginny told him. She gathered up their brooms and pulled Harry out of the broom shed by his tie.

They mounted their brooms and took off into the sky. The first whoosh of air that pushed past her face felt wonderfully refreshing. Neither of them had been on their brooms since last Quidditch season. Mum wouldn't let any of them fly too high at the Burrow. It just wasn't worth it to hover off the ground by ten feet and then come back down.

They raced each other around the poles a few times, and every time, Harry out flew Ginny by a mile. His broom was just too good for hers. After a time, they switched brooms and Ginny got to feel what it was like to race by, almost faster than the speed of light.

Everything went by so fast, she almost lost control when she tried to slow down and get back to the ground. Luckily, Ginny was an experienced flyer and she remained in control. When she got her feet on the ground, she had to wait for her eyes to adjust to see the concern written all over Harry's face. She could definitely hear what he had to say though.

"Gin, are you okay? Maybe you should have a little...restraint. Especially when you haven't been on a broom in three months," he finished and he gently took the broom from her hands.

"That was wicked," was all she could say.

"I think you've got more Ron in you than either of us thought," Harry laughed as he gripped her arm and led her slowly back toward the broom shed.

Ginny groaned disgustedly at Harry's comment, which only made him laugh harder.

"It's going to be dark out soon," Harry said looking to the west where the sun was casting out pinks into the sky.

"It's beautiful," Ginny said, once her proper vision had returned to her.

"Ginny, you're beautiful," Harry said. His eyes bore into hers and she had to blush once again.

She didn't know what to say to that. Finally he lowered his gaze and turned back toward the broom shed ahead of her.

She didn't catch up to him until he'd already redressed himself with his cloak in the broom shed. It was much darker inside the rickety shed without the sunlight, so she propped the door open to keep them from total darkness.

She crossed the shed and retrieved her own cloak from the lockers. Then she sat down on the bench and took a comb out from her pocket to tame all of her flyaways back into her ponytail. She watched Harry's back while she worked.

"I didn't tell you, but I'm supposed to meet Hagrid just before dinner," Harry said.

She didn't know what to say to him just then, but she felt a twinge of disappointment suddenly and she didn't know why.

"It shouldn't take very long, though," Harry said, finally turning around and confronting Ginny. He pulled her to her feet and stroked her cheek once. "Save a place for me, will you?"

"Of course," she smiled sweetly.

"Don't worry about our brooms; I'll take care of them. Just go and eat, Gin," he told her softly. He gave her a chaste kiss on the lips and nodded her toward the door.

She left the shed and made her way back up the grounds toward the castle wondering what Hagrid had needed Harry for. The setting sun had looked beautiful when she stood admiring it with Harry, but now it was eerie.

It cast an orange tint on everything around her. She couldn't really explain it, but she decided to quicken her steps. She looked around the grounds and there was not a soul around.

She reached the stone archway with its cobblestone path and returned to her normal pace. Suddenly up ahead another figure turned onto her path from one of the side tunnels. It was a boy. She could tell instantly from his height, but she didn't know who because he'd drawn up his hood over his head. He walked briskly toward the castle taking long strides, with his black cloak swishing back and forth.

Suddenly he turned around as though to make sure no one was behind him before he could remove his hood. There was a look of slight shock in his eyes when he saw her but then he pushed back his hood and raised his brow in a mocking manner and gave her the little Malfoy smirk before turning back around.

He hadn't stopped at all throughout their entire encounter, but Ginny had stopped in her tracks without even being aware of it. She reached into her robe pocket and took out the extra prefect schedule that she'd been forced to deliver to her partner.

It had been a week and Ginny had kept it with her at all times telling herself that she'd just approach him and hand it over. The problem was... that hadn't happened.

"Malfoy, Malfoy wait," Ginny called down the hall, running after him.

He didn't stop at all, but at least he turned his head slightly to acknowledge that she'd spoken to him. That was a start. She was breathing harder than normal once she caught up with him, but even then he didn't stop. She was forced to keep his pace and his enormous strides.

"I have your prefect schedule for the midnight patrols," she said, handing it over to him.

"How is it that you've gotten a hold of it," he asked her, snatching it from her hand.

"A regular thank you would suffice, Malfoy," she told him. "Maybe we could slow down a bit, if you don't mind."

They rounded a corner and the castle doors were in sight. However Malfoy just kept right on going.

"There is no 'we', if you haven't noticed and once again, how did you get my schedule?" He was glaring at her now, but she knew it was just for show.

"You left before the meeting was over, you twit, and since I'm your partner, it was my job to give it to you," she told him glaring back.

They climbed the steps up to the castle in silence. Malfoy took two at a time, which made Ginny have to move even quicker to stay by his side. He reached the doors first, but she pushed past him just as he'd opened the heavy door.

"By the way, our first patrol is tonight," she said sweetly. She flashed him one of her cute smiles and then turned away from him quickly and made her way to the Great Hall.

"What?" he asked. She could hear the annoyance brimming over in his voice and she felt satisfied with herself for the moment.

"Well you certainly did a great job with getting it back to me, didn't you? This is just splendid." He spoke under his breath, but she heard him anyway.

* * *

Draco made his way down to the dungeons, probably farther down the murky hall than any other student at Hogwarts dared to go. He was on his way to Snape's office. There was something important he needed to talk to him about and he wanted to make sure he wouldn't be interrupted by anyone.

Some how, he didn't think that would be a problem, but even still, he had made the decision this morning that he would go to Snape during dinner while everyone was eating to ensure that the two of them wouldn't be bothered.

He fingered the piece of parchment in his pocket of the schedule that Ginny had just given him. She just had the perfect timing. He especially liked the part where she waited until the very last minute to inform him of their duties. It looked like he would be going without food until tomorrow then.

His stomach growled at the thought of it. He was planning to just make a visit into the kitchens for some food tonight, but now, he was just a little too busy for even that. Oh well, if he was edgy tonight, she'd only have herself to blame.

Draco knocked on the wooden door at the very end of the hall. He relaxed against the wall near the door and crossed his arms over his chest. The hall was silent while he waited and the glow of the torches was even dimmer than usual down here. Most people would find it a little unsettling, but to Draco, it reminded him of home. Just the thing he was here to discuss.

Snape pulled open the door harshly with a glare ready on his face to present to the unknown intruder. Draco turned around and welcomed himself right into Snape's private chambers.

His office was only a touch lighter than out in the hall. His office was always tidy and clean, and there was never anything out of place. There was only one chair across from Snape's desk in the event of a guest, but it was an old chair. If you weren't careful one of the legs would snap right under you and you'd fall on your ass.

"Hello Draco, what brings you to me at this hour?" Snape asked. The anger had left his face.

"I have something to discuss with you, sir. I need your help," Draco said. He might as well get right to the point, he decided as he pulled himself up onto the counter space in the back of the room.

"Concerning what exactly," Snape asked. He reseated himself behind his desk, where his dinner was laid out for him. He picked up his fork and began with his green beans as he waited for an answer.

"My father," Draco said finally.

Snape put down his fork at once, but he kept his head down toward his meal. He picked up his napkin from his lap and took his time wiping at his mouth. Not until he set his napkin down on his desk beside him did he look up into Draco's eyes. They were full of pity and sadness.

Draco looked away. He didn't want anyone's pity, especially not Snape's. Professor Snape had already done so much for him in the past. Snape had kept him from insanity.

"What have you heard recently?" Draco asked him. His voice sounded void of emotion, even to himself. That was because when it came to his father, his entire being was void of any thing even similar to emotion.

"Draco, I haven't heard anything out of the usual. Has something happened?"

"Nothing yet, sir, but it's only a matter of time before he snaps," Draco sighed.

"You're exaggerating. It's only natural for you to feel this way, but this is your last year here and then you are free," Snape told him. He looked so seriously concerned that it almost made Draco nervous.

Draco had never had anyone blatantly show him any sort emotion before. Why couldn't Snape have been his father, or anyone else for that matter? He would have taken anyone else.

"That's just it Snape, it's exactly the opposite. I'm free right now, away from him, and once I graduate I'll be under his control completely. I'll have to follow him around like a little mindless minion."

"Nice alliteration," Snape smirked, taking the intensity out of the situation, "but seriously, Draco, you don't know that."

"Yes I do. I know my father better than anyone else can even imagine. He's ten times worse than anyone even suspects. I think he is slowly going mad," Draco heaved himself off the counter. He couldn't sit any longer.

"I won't lie to you, Draco. There is something terribly wrong inside of him, but I just don't know what it is, or how to do anything about it."

"It's all of the inaction, that's what it is. He can't stand the fact that Voldemort hasn't summoned a single one of his followers since he has returned to power."

"Voldemort is gone, or at least he's abandoned this world. No one knows what has become of him, Draco," Snape replied.

"I know that," Draco told him, annoyed, "it's my father who needs to be reminded. He still has plans of branding me with that goddamned dark mark, but I won't have it."

"At least you've got the brains before it's too late," Snape muttered cynically while rubbing his own forearm, but Draco ignored it.

"It's pointless to do it, you know that. Voldemort is gone, what's the point? Besides you knew of my decision years ago. I'll not worship anyone, unless I make the decision for myself."

"You sound like a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake," Snape told him raising an eyebrow. He did it just to test Draco's patience.

"That's not it at all. I don't give a damn about fighting evil and all that nonsense. You can blame my father for my morals, if that's what you can call them. He pushed me towards Voldemort and that is what pushed me away. If he had let me come to my own conclusion, who knows where I'd be just now," Draco said.

"Well I know for a fact that you'd have made sure you stayed out of trouble either way. You've got a good head on your shoulders. You won't be easily fooled, Draco." Snape rose and patted Draco on the shoulder. "Don't worry so much just now. It's only been one week into term."

Snape walked Draco to the door of his office. Draco followed him with a plan forming in his mind. These thoughts had been stewing in the back of his mind since he'd arrived for his last year at Hogwarts and now he could finally put them together.

"Go see if you can make it in time for some dinner," Snape told him, opening the door for him.

"I'm going to get away once I graduate. I don't know how, but I'm going to disappear." Draco only saw Snape's face aghast for a moment before he turned sharply and made his way hastily back down the hall the way he came.

* * *

Harry ran his hands through his hair and sat down silently on the bench in the broom shed. He rose suddenly and crossed the dark shed to peek out the door and up the grounds. There were no redheads in sight.

He relaxed a little and went back to the bench to sit in the darkness. Light fell into the room through the doorway that Ginny had propped open yet the wind threatened to swing the door shut. Harry barely heard the loud creaking noises of the wood as he stared down on the ground at the beam of light.

He felt stressed and a little claustrophobic, but he forced himself to stay still inside the little shed. Annoyance consumed his fears and he forced himself to let everything go. There was nothing to be worried about and he was thinking too much.

He was just overwhelmed with the way his life had changed so much in the past year. The beginning of his sixth year had been rough and he had been so lonely. It was one of the first times when he felt like he was missing a big part of his life. The only other time he had come across this feeling was when he had seen his entire family in the Mirror of Erised in his first year.

Everything always came back to his family. He couldn't get away with the fact that he didn't have one. There were constant reminders that he had to deal with everyday, even sometimes more than once in a day. It had never really truly bothered him before his sixth year, but then he found that he could no longer sweep away how he felt.

It bewildered him to look at his life now. One year later, the beginning of his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, and he arrived fully equipped with a loving girlfriend and the admiration of her entire family to go with it.

He and Ginny were a perfect couple and he loved that about them. They completed a perfect family and he liked that even more. The past summer had been brilliant. The Weasleys included him in all of their family plans, and even though they had always done that since he'd befriended Ron, dating Ginny made it official.

He remembered sitting before the fire in the Weasleys living room passing around a tin of freshly baked cookies that Mrs. Weasley had just removed from the oven. They sat together, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and the occasional guest and they just reminisced about growing up at the Burrow.

Harry loved when Fred and George came over for dinner and a chat. They were always so entertaining and it was a riot to listen to their stories, of which they had millions.

One time he remembered putting chocolate on Ginny's nose when he saw that she had fallen asleep in the armchair. Ron's laughter finally was the thing that awoke her. Mrs. Weasley had told her it was probably time to go up to bed, while she hid her sniggers. Once they got up the stairs Harry took it upon himself to kiss the chocolate off of her nose.

He could never get enough of their kisses. He had always thought she was so innocent, until she had made the first move on him at the beginning of the summer. From that point on, he began to learn how wicked she was.

Ever since their first day of break, Ginny had been tagging along with Ron and Harry everywhere they went. It annoyed Ron to no end, but Harry wasn't bothered by her in the slightest. In fact, he looked forward to seeing her bound down the rickety stairs at breakfast ready to make an adventure out of the day.

There was a little stream that ran along the edge of the Weasley's southern property line, which Fred, George, and Ron had discovered only a few years ago. It was hidden underneath a canopy of trees and it was so serene that they often took naps there in the afternoons.

About two weeks into their summer, unfortunately for Ron, Mrs. Weasley had come across his stash of just recently purchased miscellaneous items from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Fred and George had just come for dinner only two nights earlier, when Mrs. Weasley found Ron's goods.

"I was selling those back at school, mum, for a little extra spending money," he bellowed. His face looked dangerously red.

She was furious, which to Harry was no surprise, even if she had finally given her two entrepreneur sons her blessing.

"If you want extra spending money, Ronald Weasley, you go out and get a job!" She forbade him to go out with Harry that day and for the rest of the week as well.

Harry and Ginny escaped the mess and left Ron to fend for himself. After all, he knew perfectly well how Mrs. Weasley felt about Fred and George's products.

It was especially sunny that day and Harry and Ginny sprinted to the safety of the stream near the boundary of their property, and out of harm's way.

They sat down together, admiring the stream, and catching their breath. Harry was finding that to be quite hard however, as his arm brushed slightly against Ginny's'. Before he had to go through with the trouble of coming up with something to say, Ginny fell backward and lay straight on her back.

She laughed mischievously and waited for him to copy her, which he obliged. It felt wonderful to be lying next to Ginny, staring up at the big blue sky. He couldn't even describe the sensations he felt, except for that he felt complete, or at least a step closer to it than he had ever been before.

He felt Ginny eyeing him to his right. It made him feel nervous and daring at the same time. He turned his head toward her and angled his body in her direction, curious about what she wanted.

Her eyes shone in the sunlight and it almost hurt to look at them, but he couldn't look away either. She was smiling weakly, but she moved towards him with confidence.

She rolled over so that her upper body was lying across his and then their noses were touching. He should have felt her breath on his face, but she wasn't breathing.

"Ginny," he groaned. He could no longer control himself around her. Her lips pressed onto his and he lost himself for a moment.

The rest of the summer had gone on just like that with Harry and Ginny sneaking around for snog any chance they got. He came back to Hogwarts this year feeling like a new man, a complete man and he had to say, it felt great. However he had forgotten about a few loose strings that he had left behind from the previous year.

Up to this point, he thought he could just erase them from his memory. He'd finally gotten over the hurdle that had halted him last year, but he realized now that the past would not disappear. He wasn't embarrassed by what he'd done, neither was he ashamed of it, it was just that he didn't need it anymore.

He wasn't dependent on Hermione anymore. He had found a permanent source of strength, and even though he was dating Ginny, he found that he could be independent now too.

It was such an accomplishment, but he found that he couldn't share it with anyone, except for maybe Hermione. However, he was finding it hard to just talk with Hermione like he had done so many times last year. That was how it had started, hadn't it?

Ron was busy with his Prefect duties one night in early December and Harry wondered into the common room late after a study session with Hermione in the library. Madame Pince had practically just kicked them out and Harry still found it hilarious.

He tossed his books onto the nearest couch and moved instantly toward the fire. The castle was too drafty in the wintertime to be without a fire.

Hermione joined him momentarily and they kneeled next to each other by the fire for a few moments, enjoying the silence of the empty common room.

"It's getting a tad bit late, Harry," Hermione ventured into the silence.

"I don't want to sleep yet," Harry told her. He didn't want to go up to his bed alone.

"You're right. I don't either," Hermione breathed. She scooted back and leaned up against the base of the nearest armchair and made herself comfortable.

Harry stayed forward and stared into the fire, absorbing the silence. The walls echoed all around him, but he found himself straining to hear if Hermione made even the slightest noise.

"This castle is so massive that sometimes it makes me feel like I'm lost." His voice cut through the silence, only to be followed by an even louder one.

Hermione scooted forward once again and touched his arm. She wrapped her other arm around him and the embrace felt comforting. It made him feel ten times warmer than the fire.

"Harry, are you okay? You've been so...distant lately. It's not like you and I want you to stop it." Hermione squeezed him tenderly.

"What do you want me to do?" His voice sounded hoarse and it made him feel broken.

"Anything!" She exclaimed only a touch louder than he had been. Her eyes looked urgent. "I want the old Harry back again!"

He didn't waste his breath for another second, nor did he think about what he was going to do. Instead he twisted around and tasted Hermione's mouth. She jerked in surprise and he wrapped his arms around her waist to steady her.

He felt her hands pushing on his chest lightly and he thought she wanted him to stop, but then she opened her mouth and pushed her tongue inside his. The feeling was electric, like a thousand volts were passing through their bodies. He gripped her shoulders roughly and pulled her into his lap.

Her hands were in his hair and then she was pulling off his glasses. He heard them hit the ground a few feet away. The crack didn't sound good, but he didn't care.

He explored her mouth until he was an expert on it and then his hands grew bored. He pulled on the bottom of her shirt, completely ignoring the school robes she wore over it. He trailed his kisses down her jaw line and moved to her neck to give her some air.

"Harry." He knew this was the okay for him to explore deeper and his hand made its way to the cup of her bra. He flicked open the clasp without wasting time and returned his hand to her breast. He let the bra hang over her as he cupped her harshly.

She hissed out loud and then gasped at the volume of her voice. She seemed to panic for a moment, as though they shouldn't be doing this in the middle of the common room floor, and then her hand was at his buckle.

That was the night that he lost his virginity, and if he wasn't mistaken, he had taken hers as well. By the spring of that year, he and Hermione had been together so many times he was not a novice at the business of sex. However, as the year had come closer to the end, he found himself getting tired of their hurried escapades. It was the same thing over and over, but Hermione didn't seem to want to let up at all. Her going to Ireland was a much needed break for the two of them.

It helped him to realize how much help she was to him when he needed it, but most of all, it helped him to understand that he no longer needed anyone's help. He could depend upon himself and Ginny knew that. However, she didn't know about Hermione, no one knew about them. They had both decided upon that the second time they had gotten together. It was for Ron's sake, mostly, but they didn't really want anyone to know at all, for that matter.

Actually he didn't ever want that to come into the light. He didn't know what Ginny or Ron would think of it or the rest of the school and now it was even worse because it would hurt too many people if his secret got out.

Harry left the shed and swung the door shut behind him. It was dark out now and he made his way up to the glowing castle in silence. He wasn't worried about the darkness, either. He knew these grounds by heart. They were his home, his first home, anyway.

The Burrow was his home now and he wanted it to stay that way. He just didn't know if Hermione would let that happen.