Sometimes It Be That Way

Born on a Different Cloud

*

When she woke up, she found herself in the Hospital Wing. All of her possessions were on the floor beside her bed, a little bit crinkled but dry, and she was lying under warm covers with the curtains to her bed closed, nursing a headache again, along with nausea. It took her awhile to realize someone was sitting beside her bed.

"You know, don't you?" she asked him, her stomach twisting into knots at the thought of him witnessing her outburst at Hogsmeade.

Draco nodded. "I was the one who caught you," he told her lightly. A small grin appeared on his lips. "Granted, it did take people by surprise when I caught you, of all people."

Ginny bit her lip in disgust at the way she had acted, and at the way Draco was putting a spin on it. She shook her head at him. "You're not supposed to be this way," she told him, bitterly. "You're supposed to be angry at me for acting the way I did. You should even be disgusted. I mean, you, of all people, should be disgusted at an outburst that... stupid." She hated the fact that she was close to tears.

Surprisingly, Draco grinned again. "Actually, that outburst was rather classy. Nice to see you have it in you." Ginny scowled at this and he laughed. "Plus, I don't even like Potter or Granger, so I'm not in too much of a hurry to be reproachful on you now. Apparently, you need your rest."

"God," Ginny moaned. "If I hear those words again, I'm going to go crazy."

Draco reached forward and held her hand, stroking it gently to soothe her. She smiled and relaxed, letting him hold her hand. They looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like eternity. It felt like she knew him, but she didn't know him at the same time. Their families were so different, yet the two of them seemed to get each other. It was the first time in a really long time since she had felt so relaxed around someone and she loved how it felt.

He suddenly shifted and drifted forward towards her. She lifted herself onto her elbows and they kissed, the sweet tangy taste of his lips intermingling with her own. He pulled her closer to him, supporting her fully as they kissed deeper.

It felt like hours that they were in each other's arms, but it was merely minutes, and before they realized it, the curtains surrounding Ginny's bed had been drawn open and Draco and Ginny hastily moved away from each other to discover Professors Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall standing there, shocked. Well, Dumbledore was more happy than shocked.

Draco sighed, turning around to face Ginny. "I think I should leave," he told her.

"Yes, I think that would be wise," Snape said, his voice oddly quiet.

Draco nodded politely at Snape before getting up and moving closer to Ginny's bed again to give her a light kiss on the forehead. "If you need to talk, just ask for me." In a lower voice, he added, "Good luck."

She smiled up at him as he straightened. "I will," she told him and he smiled too, still holding her hand. Their fingers interlocked briefly as he slowly backed away before their hands couldn't touch each other any longer. And then, he was gone, and she was alone to keep herself in the school. She looked up uncertainly at the teachers before her and found two of them to be confused and one of them to be happily sitting down in the chair Draco had just vacated, pulling out for himself a sherbet and offering one to her, which she gladly took since she was starving.