HPDDD Ficlet: Ginny & Draco. Sort of. Maybe.
Sunday, 7 March 2004 18:15![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apollaA pre IAI ficlet for your reading distraction that I just found last night and just finished. Enjoy!
The Burrow, England. September 2004.
On Sunday morning, Magical Britain was ablaze with the news about the big fight between Rodney Mayhew and Ginny Weasley at the Three Broomsticks on Saturday night. The fight had even featured in the Sunday edition of the Daily Prophet. It wasn't really that surprising: Rodney was a prominent businessman in wizarding London and Ginny was the pretty war heroine who now owned a prosperous fashion house with her sister-in-law Deanna. Both were celebrities in the magical community and there had been whispers about the rocky nature of their three year long engagement for some time.
***
The Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade. The Night Before.
This most recent argument started as all their fights did. Rodney, a man renowned for being snobbier than a Malfoy, made a particularly snide comment about her family and the ever-loyal Ginny argued back. It was a fairly common fight between them, although in the beginning Ginny had been too blinded by love to really stand up for herself. This time however, Rodney had lashed out with more than words. Every person in the Three Broomsticks watched as Rodney's palm slapped against Ginny's cheek hard enough to make her stumble. On reflection, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do when Ginny was surrounded by friends- big powerful friends with names like 'Harry Potter'. For a moment, time stood still as the patrons of the pub held their breath, waiting to see what would happen. They expected Harry to step in, or even their companion Draco Malfoy, but before either could do anything, Ginny did it herself. In fact, she hit him hard enough to send him reeling into a table. She then looked at him with fire in her eyes.
"Don't ever come near me again," she said, the fire in her eyes matched by the ice in her voice. Rodney stood up, surprised that the supposedly meek Ginny had fought back. He opened his mouth to speak, but the sight of Ginny, eyes ablaze and now flanked by Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy was too much for him. Attempting to leave with a shred of dignity, he picked up his cloak and walked out of the pub. Before he even got out of the door, applause for Ginny had filled the pub. She went rather red and slid back into her chair.
"Are you all right, Ginny?" Draco asked. She nodded silently, looking into her Butterbeer. He shared a worried look with Hermione and Deanna, who had seen the whole thing from the vantage point of their seats.
"For once, I'm glad that Ron's late," Deanna muttered to Hermione. "Rodney wouldn't have made it out of here alive."
"Don't tell Ron!" Ginny suddenly said. She looked scared now.
"Ginny-"
"Please, Deanna. Don't tell him. He'll go and do something stupid. I don't want him to get into trouble. It's all over now."
"Has he hit you before, Ginny?" Hermione asked gently, reaching over for the younger woman's hand. Ginny shook her head.
"No. But he's hardly a gentleman. I know none of you liked him. You don't have to pretend anymore. Not for my sake."
"We didn't like him," said Harry "because he didn't deserve you. He didn't treat you like a princess and you don't deserve anything less."
Ginny nodded, not looking convinced. She looked at Harry for a moment before getting up.
"I'm really quite tired now. I think I'll get off home."
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked with concern. Ginny nodded.
"Yes. I should probably talk to Mum anyway."
Before any of them could reply, Ginny had rushed out of the door to Apparate to the Burrow.
***
The Burrow. The Lunchtime After The Night Before.
"Is she all right?" Harry asked. He'd Apparated to the Burrow to check up on Ginny after reading the Prophet that morning. Molly sighed.
"She says so. Although I don't really believe her. Did she really hit him?"
"Yes."
Molly looked a little conflicted for a moment before answering, "Good for her."
"I know," Harry said with a smile. "Where is she?"
"Out in the garden setting up for lunch. Will the rest of the Potters be joining us?"
"Hermione was trying to make Kitty get dressed when I left. I wanted to make sure Ginny was OK. They'll be along soon."
"Good. I hope you can get more out of her than me."
Harry squeezed Molly's hand and then stepped out into the garden. Ginny was busily preparing the table for lunch. When she saw him approach, she stopped.
"Don't bother asking, Harry. I'm really fine. I even went and got the things I'd left at his flat. I'm fine. See? Witness me being fine."
"Ginny-"
"Don't Ginny me, Harry! What would you know about it anyway?"
"OK, that's enough," Harry slammed down the fork she was about to place down. He took her by the arm and sat her down. "Talk to me, Ginny."
"What about?" she asked stubbornly. Harry was suddenly quite glad he never had to contend with child Ginny mid-tantrum.
"About what's going on in your head. About anything you need to talk about."
"I don't need to talk about anything."
"Yes, you do. Your mother is in that kitchen worried sick about you because you're pretending everything is OK."
"Harry... I..."
"Why would you stay with that bloody fool?" he asked. "He treated you alternately like a child or a servant. You can do better than that."
"Can I?"
"Of course you can! Ginny Weasley, you're one of the most beautiful witches around! And you're kind, sweet, loyal, generous, funny. Do you want me to go on?"
"No. You're wrong. I'm just yet another in a long line of Weasleys."
"You're bonkers, woman! Any bloke would be insane to turn you down."
"You did," she said. Harry didn't reply and instead looked down and the ground. He really had no idea what to say.
"So many girls lost their hearts to you, Harry. But you only gave yours to one girl. You never even noticed the rest of us."
"I never-"
"I understand, Harry, I really do. And you know, I'm not in love with you. Perhaps I never really was. But you see, whatever it was, you're the first person I thought I loved. Not many people end up with their first loves, and I don't think I really wanted to. But you did. You got your idyllic life with Hermione. And I'm happier for you than I can describe but... It's not that I want you, I really don't. But I want what you have."
"I know Ginny," Harry told her, hugging her warmly. "And whoever he is, he's out there waiting for you. There are wizards out there willing to worship the ground you walk on if you'll just give them the chance."
"Really? Who?"
"I can't tell you, silly! But I reckon that Draco Malfoy has his eye on you," he said with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Draco?" Ginny's mouth dropped open in shock. Harry grinned. "Are you aware that you just recommended Draco Malfoy to me?"
"Well, I don't know for sure. But he seemed very concerned about you last night. He's not a bad bloke really. Once you get past the deeply entrenched snobbery, one-upmanship and sarcastic remarks."
"Oh yeah," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "He's the picture of masculine perfection."
"Hello!" Hermione's voice floated through the garden. They looked up to see her standing at the back door, waving to them. Ginny watched as Harry's entire face lit up and he drank in the vision before him of the woman he loved more than anyone. No, she realised with a bittersweet smile, she'd never had a chance. Then as she saw Hermione smile at Harry, her entire face lighting up as she saw him, she realised that she didn't even mind.
***
Lunch was a raucous affair that Sunday. Everyone was wholly relieved that Rodney was out of the picture, even if they didn't say it to Ginny's face (although Fred did say it to her face). Draco sat at the other end of the table talking animatedly with Molly about what he should do about four-year-old Flynn's pre-occupation with turning his father's hair red. Ginny looked at him in what she hoped was a surreptitious manner. Once, he caught her eye and smiled quite sweetly. Draco Malfoy talking to Molly Weasley about children while smiling sweetly at Ginny. What had happened to him since leaving school? Was it really conceivable that Draco Malfoy had even noticed the youngest Weasley child? Did she want him to notice her?
***
"Hey Ginny," Draco said quietly. Dinner was long over, the sun was about to sink beneath the horizon and she had just had to escape the melee inside the house. Escape meant sitting almost out of sight under a tree in the garden.
"Hello Draco."
"I... I won't ask if you're OK."
"All right."
"I mean, it's not that I don't care... I just, you look fine. I mean-"
"I am fine, thank you Draco," she said kindly, finding it highly amusing and uncharacteristic of him to be so tongue tied.
"That's good. I mean, last night... I was ready to hit him myself."
"You were?"
"Of course. We're friends, aren't we?"
"I think so, Draco."
Draco kicked at the grass, not quite looking at her.
"There's something I've never said to you. I should've said it a long time ago, but I'm really something of a coward."
"Yes?" she asked, caught between curiosity, amusement and concern at his behaviour.
"My father... I'm sorry for what he did to you, you know, in your First year. With the diary and... everything."
She wasn't sure what she'd thought he was going to say, but that wasn't it.
"Oh. Well, all right. Thank you."
"I just wanted to tell you that. I mean, I want you to know that I'm not like him. My father, I mean."
"I know that. You think you'd be anywhere near the Burrow if any of us thought you were?"
"Well,"
"You know Draco," she said, getting up, "keep this up and you might make a fine human being one day."
So she made sure he knew she was being light hearted, she reached over and gave him the briefest of pecks on the cheek.
"Come inside," she said. "It's getting cold."
The End
The Burrow, England. September 2004.
On Sunday morning, Magical Britain was ablaze with the news about the big fight between Rodney Mayhew and Ginny Weasley at the Three Broomsticks on Saturday night. The fight had even featured in the Sunday edition of the Daily Prophet. It wasn't really that surprising: Rodney was a prominent businessman in wizarding London and Ginny was the pretty war heroine who now owned a prosperous fashion house with her sister-in-law Deanna. Both were celebrities in the magical community and there had been whispers about the rocky nature of their three year long engagement for some time.
***
The Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade. The Night Before.
This most recent argument started as all their fights did. Rodney, a man renowned for being snobbier than a Malfoy, made a particularly snide comment about her family and the ever-loyal Ginny argued back. It was a fairly common fight between them, although in the beginning Ginny had been too blinded by love to really stand up for herself. This time however, Rodney had lashed out with more than words. Every person in the Three Broomsticks watched as Rodney's palm slapped against Ginny's cheek hard enough to make her stumble. On reflection, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do when Ginny was surrounded by friends- big powerful friends with names like 'Harry Potter'. For a moment, time stood still as the patrons of the pub held their breath, waiting to see what would happen. They expected Harry to step in, or even their companion Draco Malfoy, but before either could do anything, Ginny did it herself. In fact, she hit him hard enough to send him reeling into a table. She then looked at him with fire in her eyes.
"Don't ever come near me again," she said, the fire in her eyes matched by the ice in her voice. Rodney stood up, surprised that the supposedly meek Ginny had fought back. He opened his mouth to speak, but the sight of Ginny, eyes ablaze and now flanked by Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy was too much for him. Attempting to leave with a shred of dignity, he picked up his cloak and walked out of the pub. Before he even got out of the door, applause for Ginny had filled the pub. She went rather red and slid back into her chair.
"Are you all right, Ginny?" Draco asked. She nodded silently, looking into her Butterbeer. He shared a worried look with Hermione and Deanna, who had seen the whole thing from the vantage point of their seats.
"For once, I'm glad that Ron's late," Deanna muttered to Hermione. "Rodney wouldn't have made it out of here alive."
"Don't tell Ron!" Ginny suddenly said. She looked scared now.
"Ginny-"
"Please, Deanna. Don't tell him. He'll go and do something stupid. I don't want him to get into trouble. It's all over now."
"Has he hit you before, Ginny?" Hermione asked gently, reaching over for the younger woman's hand. Ginny shook her head.
"No. But he's hardly a gentleman. I know none of you liked him. You don't have to pretend anymore. Not for my sake."
"We didn't like him," said Harry "because he didn't deserve you. He didn't treat you like a princess and you don't deserve anything less."
Ginny nodded, not looking convinced. She looked at Harry for a moment before getting up.
"I'm really quite tired now. I think I'll get off home."
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked with concern. Ginny nodded.
"Yes. I should probably talk to Mum anyway."
Before any of them could reply, Ginny had rushed out of the door to Apparate to the Burrow.
***
The Burrow. The Lunchtime After The Night Before.
"Is she all right?" Harry asked. He'd Apparated to the Burrow to check up on Ginny after reading the Prophet that morning. Molly sighed.
"She says so. Although I don't really believe her. Did she really hit him?"
"Yes."
Molly looked a little conflicted for a moment before answering, "Good for her."
"I know," Harry said with a smile. "Where is she?"
"Out in the garden setting up for lunch. Will the rest of the Potters be joining us?"
"Hermione was trying to make Kitty get dressed when I left. I wanted to make sure Ginny was OK. They'll be along soon."
"Good. I hope you can get more out of her than me."
Harry squeezed Molly's hand and then stepped out into the garden. Ginny was busily preparing the table for lunch. When she saw him approach, she stopped.
"Don't bother asking, Harry. I'm really fine. I even went and got the things I'd left at his flat. I'm fine. See? Witness me being fine."
"Ginny-"
"Don't Ginny me, Harry! What would you know about it anyway?"
"OK, that's enough," Harry slammed down the fork she was about to place down. He took her by the arm and sat her down. "Talk to me, Ginny."
"What about?" she asked stubbornly. Harry was suddenly quite glad he never had to contend with child Ginny mid-tantrum.
"About what's going on in your head. About anything you need to talk about."
"I don't need to talk about anything."
"Yes, you do. Your mother is in that kitchen worried sick about you because you're pretending everything is OK."
"Harry... I..."
"Why would you stay with that bloody fool?" he asked. "He treated you alternately like a child or a servant. You can do better than that."
"Can I?"
"Of course you can! Ginny Weasley, you're one of the most beautiful witches around! And you're kind, sweet, loyal, generous, funny. Do you want me to go on?"
"No. You're wrong. I'm just yet another in a long line of Weasleys."
"You're bonkers, woman! Any bloke would be insane to turn you down."
"You did," she said. Harry didn't reply and instead looked down and the ground. He really had no idea what to say.
"So many girls lost their hearts to you, Harry. But you only gave yours to one girl. You never even noticed the rest of us."
"I never-"
"I understand, Harry, I really do. And you know, I'm not in love with you. Perhaps I never really was. But you see, whatever it was, you're the first person I thought I loved. Not many people end up with their first loves, and I don't think I really wanted to. But you did. You got your idyllic life with Hermione. And I'm happier for you than I can describe but... It's not that I want you, I really don't. But I want what you have."
"I know Ginny," Harry told her, hugging her warmly. "And whoever he is, he's out there waiting for you. There are wizards out there willing to worship the ground you walk on if you'll just give them the chance."
"Really? Who?"
"I can't tell you, silly! But I reckon that Draco Malfoy has his eye on you," he said with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Draco?" Ginny's mouth dropped open in shock. Harry grinned. "Are you aware that you just recommended Draco Malfoy to me?"
"Well, I don't know for sure. But he seemed very concerned about you last night. He's not a bad bloke really. Once you get past the deeply entrenched snobbery, one-upmanship and sarcastic remarks."
"Oh yeah," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "He's the picture of masculine perfection."
"Hello!" Hermione's voice floated through the garden. They looked up to see her standing at the back door, waving to them. Ginny watched as Harry's entire face lit up and he drank in the vision before him of the woman he loved more than anyone. No, she realised with a bittersweet smile, she'd never had a chance. Then as she saw Hermione smile at Harry, her entire face lighting up as she saw him, she realised that she didn't even mind.
***
Lunch was a raucous affair that Sunday. Everyone was wholly relieved that Rodney was out of the picture, even if they didn't say it to Ginny's face (although Fred did say it to her face). Draco sat at the other end of the table talking animatedly with Molly about what he should do about four-year-old Flynn's pre-occupation with turning his father's hair red. Ginny looked at him in what she hoped was a surreptitious manner. Once, he caught her eye and smiled quite sweetly. Draco Malfoy talking to Molly Weasley about children while smiling sweetly at Ginny. What had happened to him since leaving school? Was it really conceivable that Draco Malfoy had even noticed the youngest Weasley child? Did she want him to notice her?
***
"Hey Ginny," Draco said quietly. Dinner was long over, the sun was about to sink beneath the horizon and she had just had to escape the melee inside the house. Escape meant sitting almost out of sight under a tree in the garden.
"Hello Draco."
"I... I won't ask if you're OK."
"All right."
"I mean, it's not that I don't care... I just, you look fine. I mean-"
"I am fine, thank you Draco," she said kindly, finding it highly amusing and uncharacteristic of him to be so tongue tied.
"That's good. I mean, last night... I was ready to hit him myself."
"You were?"
"Of course. We're friends, aren't we?"
"I think so, Draco."
Draco kicked at the grass, not quite looking at her.
"There's something I've never said to you. I should've said it a long time ago, but I'm really something of a coward."
"Yes?" she asked, caught between curiosity, amusement and concern at his behaviour.
"My father... I'm sorry for what he did to you, you know, in your First year. With the diary and... everything."
She wasn't sure what she'd thought he was going to say, but that wasn't it.
"Oh. Well, all right. Thank you."
"I just wanted to tell you that. I mean, I want you to know that I'm not like him. My father, I mean."
"I know that. You think you'd be anywhere near the Burrow if any of us thought you were?"
"Well,"
"You know Draco," she said, getting up, "keep this up and you might make a fine human being one day."
So she made sure he knew she was being light hearted, she reached over and gave him the briefest of pecks on the cheek.
"Come inside," she said. "It's getting cold."
The End
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Date: 2004-03-07 11:29 (UTC)Hope your week isn't messed up sleep wise, but if it is, you've got lots of company.
>:D< Thanks for sharing!
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Date: 2004-03-07 11:30 (UTC):D
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Date: 2004-03-07 13:02 (UTC)YAY CLARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Date: 2004-03-08 16:31 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-08 16:26 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-08 16:27 (UTC)