Glass Roses

Disclaimer: I do not own HP or anything associated, so *pokes tongue out at awaiting lawyers* nehhhhh.

Lavender carefully parted her hair, and checked five times to make sure that it was straight. It had better be, she thought to herself, don´t wanna look bad in front of one of the hottest guys in school.

She got up from her seat and swore as she accidentally knocked over her Ralph Lauren perfume. It shattered on the stone floor and all the glass shards flew everywhere. Parvati let out a little scream as one hit her ankle.

Hermione looked up from her book (Ancient Egypt and Its Witches and Wizards) and flipped over on her bed. "I told you you shouldn´t have put it there, now our whole dorm is going to smell like a drunk had spent the night living in it."

Lavender made a face at Hermione, careful not to smudge her lipstick, she said, "I know it´s a bit strong, but it doesn´t smell that bad."

"That´s what you think," Hermione said and went back to her book, "besides, who is this mystery guy that you´re meeting anyway?"

Parvati started to say something, but Lavender cut her off. She hissed quietly, "are you mad? Ginny is like her best friend, there is no way she´s not telling Ginny if she finds out."

Parvati sucked in her cheeks, "fine, whatever," and went back to painting her nails.

Lavender checked her hair the final time, and with a flourish movement with her hands, she bounced out the dorm, "I´ll be back in an hour!"

***

"Draco?" Ginny looked around the clearing, he was nowhere to be seen. He said he would be here, he said he was going to give me a surprise...

With no idea where she was going, Ginny just let her legs carry her around the grounds. When she heard shuffling in the bushes, her legs carried her around there; she wasn´t prepared for what she saw next.

"Draco!" her hand flew to her mouth as she saw her boyfriend on the ground, robes ripped, hair ruffled, and with a very confused looking but rather pretty girl on top of him.

"Lavender!" Ginny cried as she recognised her fellow Gryffindor. She just stood there, and watched blankly as Draco and Lavender tried to untangle themselves from each other, but only managing to get tangled more.

Ginny turned and ran towards the castle, behind her, she heard Draco calling her name, shouting to her that he could explain. Ginny didn´t want to hear any excuses from her boyfriend- correction, ex, boyfriend- or from her so-called friend. She just wanted to get away from it all. So this was the surprise that Draco was telling her about, she thought bitterly, that he didn´t care about her anymore, that another woman has taken her place in his heart. She tasted tears in the mouth, salty and bitter.

Ginny tripped on the stairs and twisted her ankle. She bit down on her lips hard. She wanted to get as far away from those two as possible, even if it meant being stripped of all her dignity and crawling up the stairs.

"Gin!" Draco had caught up, a very puffed out Lavender in tow. He stretched out his hand to help Ginny up, but she just brushed it away.

"Sod off!" she snapped, trying to sound as if she didn´t care. But she knew she did, and so did Draco.

"Ginny... please, really, it, it wasn´t anything..." Lavender stuttered, completely aware that she didn´t sound a bit convincing.

Ginny glared at her and tried to pull herself up, but her ankle was throbbing with pain, and no matter what she did, she just couldn´t put her weight on it.

"Ginny!"

All three of them looked up the stairs and saw a very furious Ron standing there, eyes glazing bright. You could almost see the steam coming out of his ears.

"Malfoy! Stop harassing my sister!" He barked at Draco. He then ran down the stairs and helped Ginny up. For once in her life, Ginny was gad that she had an overprotective brother.

Draco just stood there and stared at Ginny, she looked at his and caught his eyes; it had showed so much regret. Ginny steadily avoided his gaze and looked at Ron instead.

Lavender twirled her hair nervously with her fingers. She was sure that she had never someone so mad before in her whole life. Ron was positively fuming.

"Don´t you go anywhere near my sister again," he hissed at Malfoy, then he turned to Lavender, "I don´t know what the hell you´re doing with him, Lavender, but you stay away from us too."

With that, he turned and helped Ginny up the stairs without a glance back.

Draco stared at Ginny´s retreating back. Lavender laid a hand on his shoulders gently. He jerked and pushed it off. "Go away," he said without looking at her, "just- get out of my sight..."

Lavender took a step back. The two just stood there, in the middle of the Entrance Hall, no one uttering a word.

***

"What´s taking her so long?" Parvati wondered out loud as she did her nails.

"Eh, who? Lavender?" Hermione asked absent minded, not looking up from her book.

"Yes, well, who else? I wonder how it went..."

Hermione glanced at Parvati, "why are you so keen on Lavender´s private life now? And just who IS she meeting anyway? Why are you so worked up about it?"

Parvati bit down on her bottom lips, "I´m not supposed to tell..."

Just that moment, the door opened, and Lavender strode in, her hair limp around her face, completely devoid of the bounce that it had just when the girls saw her two hours ago.

A look of concern spread over Hermione´s face. "What´s wrong? What happened to you?"

Lavender sighed and sat down on her bed, head in her hands. "Tell her, Pav, tell her who I was with the whole two most miserable hours of my life."

Parvati´s eyes widened. Hermione put down her book and slid off the bed, now truly concerned. Lavender´s shoulders shook with silent tears; she broke down and told the girls the whole story.

***

Harry placed his hands over Ginny´s hurt ankle, his eyes glowed green for a while as he healed her ankle. "All done," he said and lifted himself out of the chair, getting a cushion for Ginny to put her foot on, "it may still sting for a bit but you can walk on it now."

Ginny smiled blankly at Harry, then turned back to staring at her toes.

Ron took Ginny´s hand and squeezed it. "It´s fine, who would want a git like Malfoy anyway?"

Several murmurs of "yeah" could be heard around that particular corner of the Gryffindor common room.

Ginny looked around and saw her friend´s faces, some looked concerned, some looked angry, and some looked upset. They care about me, Ginny thought; these are the people that will always be there for me, regardless of the sticky situations that I might be in. She went back to staring at her toes, but none of them can give me what Draco has given me, the feeling of love, and not in a friendly way... (AN: I still think this bit sounds corny...)

***

The second day, at breakfast, the Gryffindor table was unusually quiet. Everyone had their head down and was carefully avoiding each others´ eye. Instantly overnight, the house had split into two, one was on Ginny´s side, and the others came to Lavender´s defence. Seamus and Dean were best friends and had always mucked around at breakfast, but today they weren´t talking to each other and shot glares back and forth between themselves constantly. The only people who have not taken any sides are Hermione and Harry, also the only people who were talking to both parties.

"Ginny, please, you have to eat something," Hermione was trying to convince Ginny to eat her untouched porridge.

Ginny shook her head and pushed the bowl away. "I´m not hungry, Mio, I don´t want to eat anything."

Ron noticed the little conversation going on between the girls and glared at Lavender, who wasn´t touching her breakfast either.

Harry on the other hand was trying to make Seamus and Dean talk to each other. "Dean, could you draw me up a Gryffindor lion for the next Quidditch match? We might be needing it," Harry said, stirring his usual cup of tea.

Dean nodded his head, "yeah, but I´ll need some help though."

"Seamus could help you... can´t you Seamus?" Harry looked to his right where Seamus was sitting.

"Nope, sorry, can´t," Seamus replied coolly, not looking up from his breakfast, "don´t work with people who don´t think highly of a certain one of our fellow Gryffindors."

"Yeah? Well I wasn´t going to work with anyone who thinks that stealing other people´s boyfriends is perfectly acceptable!" Dean´s voice started to rise.

Seamus glared at Dean, Dean glared back. Poor Harry was caught in the middle and was injured continuously by little invisible daggers the boys shot at each other.

"Owl post!" a first year squeaked, distracting everyone at the table. They all looked up to find owls dropping parcels or letters on their heads. Neville jumped up and caught a rather large parcel, presumably sent from his grandma with something else he´d forgotten. Ginny looked over her shoulder at the Slytherin table, and saw that Draco was also looking at her, ignoring his owl while it feverishly pecked away at his robes. They held each other´s gaze to a moment, Draco only breaking away when Pansy tugged on his clothes and pointed at his owl, which was eating all of his untouched toast.

Ginny turned back to the table and was surprised when a large barn owl dropped a parcel on her lap. She fed the owl half of her toast and it flew off, hooting delightedly.

Ginny studied the parcel. It was covered in rose red wrapping paper that glittered gold, little stars appearing and disappearing spontaneously. She shook it to see what was inside, but she had no idea what it was. She turned the parcel over to see if there was a message or gift card or something, but there was none. Hermione peered over The Daily Prophet (`Toothless Man Wins Most Charming Smile Awards´) and "ooh"ed. "Who´s it from?" she asked, handing her paper to Harry across the table.

Ginny shook her head, "I don´t know," she said, "I think it may be from Fred or George to make up for my missing Halloween present last year."

Hermione grinned. "Well, if it is from one of the twins you´d better be careful, might burn a hole through your hands."

Ginny smiled weakly and opened the present, careful not to tear the wrapper. It left Ginny with a box the size of her hand, with the glittery rose red pattern the wrapper had. She was now curious to see what was inside the box. Ginny slowly opened it, and a little crystal ball rolled into her palm. The ball had inside a swirling soft blue mist, she shook it, and gasped as the mist cleared to reveal a beautiful miniature mermaid, half lying on the coral, brushing her lavishly long blond hair with a sea green comb. The miniature sea licked at her long scaly tail. The mermaid looked up and smiled at Ginny, then jumped into the sea and disappeared. The mist then covered the crystal again, and all Ginny could see was the soft blue.

"Wow," Ginny breathed as she watched the mist change from blue to purple and back again.

"Wow is right," Hermione gazed at the glade longingly, "Harry NEVER gets me anything like that... not that I mind, of course," she added hastily as an afterthought.

Ginny nodded absent-mindedly, picking up the box the see if there was a message inside. A piece of parchment fell out as she turned the box upside down.

Ginny, it read,

I apologise with all my heart. But it was really a misunderstanding, Lavender tripped and fell, that is all, it wasn´t what it had looked like, you must believe me... please meet me by the lake after class, I will try my best to explain then.

Love always,

Draco Malfoy

Ginny stared at the familiar flourish handwriting she had seen so many times before, tears welled up in her eyes before she even knew it. She bit her lips and held them back, trying not to cry in front of the whole school. Ginny crumpled up the note into a little ball and put it back into the box with the glade. She got up from her seat and walked over to the Slytherin table, well aware of all the eyes watching her from her own.

Draco looked at her with his cool blue eyes as she approached him. Ginny avoided his searing gaze as she set the box down on the table next to him and walked away, not trusting herself to say anything. As she walked away, she could feel Draco´s eyes on her, seeing through her like he always seemed to do so with his intense eyes.

Hermione met her half way down the aisle between the two tables, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders and walking her to the common room.

***

"Weasley, Ginny."

"Absent."

Professor MacGonagall cast a stern sideways glance at Colin and put down her quill. "Mr Creevey, would you care explaining to me Miss Weasley´s absence to her classes for the last two days please?"

Colin looked down at his parchment in front of him. "Erm, I don´t know professor... I think it´s because of what Malfoy..."

Professor MacGonagall sighed, "I must remember to mention that missing classes for personal life is not an option at this school, and Mr Creevey, would you be so kind as to tell Miss Weasley to meet me in my office at 5pm sharp this afternoon?"

Colin nodded, "yes, I will professor."

"Now we have Miss Weasley´s matter sorted out... class, turn to page 347 of your book, Miss Lincoln, please read chapter 48 for us..."

***

"Good afternoon professor."

"Why, so glad that you could join us, Miss Weasley, please, sit down here."

"Professor Dumbledore... I believe that Miss Weasley have been skipping her classes, due to her, ah, choice of acquaintances."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, I hear rumours from students about you and Mr Malfoy, Miss Weasley, quite amusing I must say. Have never experienced such a fate myself, being talked about so much."

Ginny blushed and suddenly became very interested in her shoelaces.

MacGonagall looked at Dumbledore with a sidewards glance, she could hardly tell Ginny off now that the headmaster had clearly taken an interest in his students´ own affairs. Personally, she thought that Miss Weasley should not be left off without a few detentions.

Dumbledore seemed to read her mind. "Of course, that´s no reason to miss any of your classes, you could always, talk to Madame Pomfrey, but I doubt that would help you..."

Ginny smiled a half smile, "no, I don´t think it would, professor."

Dumbledore carried on, "but remember, that knowledge holds the door to countless opportunities. Riches and fame will surely bow beneath your feet if you have the power to keep them there, and to do that, Miss Weasley, would mean no more skipping classes."

Ginny nodded. "Yes professor."

"You may go now. Oh, and Miss Weasley?" Ginny paused at the door.

"Yes professor?"

"Those butterflies in your hair are absolutely beautiful... would you be so kind as to tell me where you had gotten them from?"

***

Professor MacGonagall looked back at Dumbledore. "Professor, were you sure that was wise?"

Dumbledore tapped his wand on his glasses, cleaning off any dust that had settled on them, "Minerva, do you remember how long Gryffindor and Slytherin had been at war with each other?"

"For at least a few hundred years, professor, but..."

"I believe that Miss Weasley and Mr Malfoy are the first ever couple from rival houses."

"Yes, I think they are..."

"The first couple in a few hundred years... of course, not including Sniffles and Gabbit... but then they were mice, so they would very well be counted..."

"Do you think that they could actually settle the conflict between the two houses?"

"Maybe, just maybe they will, Minerva."

***

(A/N: this fic is getting too long... *moans and nurses sore fingers*)

***

"I wish he would stop bribing me with gifts," Ginny said softly to Hermione as she opens yet another one of Draco´s presents... sixth in one month actually... "I am not about to forgive him."

Hermione sighed into her waffles, "Ginny, I wish you´d just see it from Lavender´s point of view... it wasn´t her fault you know..."

Ginny sighed. A week ago she would´ve been very peeved at Hermione for even mentioning Lavender´s name, but now she´s realised that it wasn´t entirely her fault, and Draco probably wasn´t even entirely responsible anyway. Maybe he was telling the truth and they really had just tripped... maybe she was just making too big a deal out of this...

Ginny looked down at the glass roses that Draco had given her, and said softly to Hermione, "I honestly don´t know what to think anymore... maybe I was wrong about them all this time..."

Hermione put her arms around Ginny´s shoulders and hugged her reassuringly, "oh, honey... it´s alright, why don´t you talk to them? Ask them what actually happened? I trust Draco enough that he´ll tell you the truth."

Ginny nodded, "I guess that would help... hold on, what´s this?" she noticed a piece of parchment on the floor that must have dropped from her gift.

Love is like a glass rose, it is so very beautiful and delicate. But it is also very fragile, and if not handled carefully, it will break at the slightest disagreement. It may be mended, but there will always be a small crack separating the two, and when there is another disagreement, it may not be so easily repaired. So instead of mending an old love, move on, and find a new love...move on, Gin, as I have. I will always remember the times we´ve had together...

Ginny´s hand shook as she read the last few lines of the note... he´s... breaking up with me... he... just... broke...up...

Noticing Ginny´s blank expression on her face, Hermione looked over at the note, and gasped at the last few lines, "is this... is this... it´s not Draco´s handwriting is it? It´s..."

Ginny shook her head, vaguely aware of the tears sliding down her face, all this, we´ve gone through all this... he can´t... no...

Getting up from her seat, she ran out of the castle, ran until her legs wouldn´t listen to her anymore. She just stood there, motionless, and suddenly, her knees gave out beneath her, and the truth of all this just sank in.

No... she cried, I really really do love him, all this time, even when I tried to convince myself I don´t... I love him...I really do...

***

Draco sat on the Slytherin common room couch by himself. It was 2am in the morning and no body else was around.

There was a slight `pop´ sound from the fireplace, and he knew that his father´s head would now be in the middle of a green fire, via Floo network.

"Hello father." Draco said coldly.

"Hello Draco. Did you give her that gift as I ordered?"

"Yes father," Draco said even colder, his mind taking him to Ginny, and he felt his heart tighten. Thinking of Ginny was far too painful...

"Good, I will not have my heir seeing a Weasley. Well done Draco, I will see you next week, about the Dark Lord and the Potter boy. I expect you to keep right away from that Gryffindor crowd."

"Yes, father," Draco agreed absent minded, just wanting to get this meeting over with.

"Well, I must go to a Death Eater meeting, the Dark Lord had just called. Do not be late next week." Without a goodbye, Lucius´ head vanished from the fireplace, and the flames returned to its normal colour.

Draco just sat there staring at the fireplace, with only one thought in his mind, Ginny... I´m sorry...

~End