Moonlit Grounds

Chapter 4

When Draco finally pulled away from Ginny, he saw that her cheeks were tear stained like his. He didn't know how long they had stood there in each other's arms, but he felt better for it. He stood still as she brushed her flaming hair back behind her ear.

"Thank you, Draco. Thank you for not laughing, or teasing. Thank you for understanding." Then Ginny turned and walked away.

*

Draco watched her retreating back until she had left the quiddtch pitch. He laid down on the grass and stared up at the clouds. The overcast sky did nothing to relieve the tension coming from within him. How could I do this? he thought. I let my guard down. I opened up to a Weasley. He didn't know what to think. He had meant to spend a relaxing afternoon practicing for quidditch and had ended up in the arms of Ginny Weasley, crying his eyes out. He couldn't even imagine what Lucius would do if he knew what had happened.

Something inside of him though, made him feel attached to Ginny. He didn't know what this was, and he didn't dare guess. He didn't want any connection with those blood-traitors. However, even as he thought this, he realized that this insult would've hurt Ginny and he didn't want that. They were just so alike.

*

It took all of Ginny's strength to let Draco go. She remembered saying something to him, but she wasn't sure what. She stumbled back to the castle, still in a shock from her encounter. She needed to find her release. Tonight, she thought, I will go to the forest.

"Ginny? Where have you been?" Now she was under the scrutiny of Harry's bright green eyes.

"I was flying," she stated quietly. She kept walking right past him and found the stairs. Once she was able to make it back to her bed, she fell into a very deep sleep.

*

Draco finally got up from the ground and walked back to the castle as it began to get dark. He didn't want to think about what had happened with Ginny, so he thought he might just retreat to his dormitory, without supper. As her made his way towards the dungeons, Pansy Parkinson came up the stairs and squeled.

"Draco! I've missed you this afternoon! Where've you been? You missed a wonderful game of wizard's chess between Crabbe and Goyle. It was the most hilarious thing I've seen all year! They just went on and on! Everyone was making bets on who'd win! You'd never guess! It was Goyle, the big oaf! I didn't make any bets, but Blaise won ten galleons from Bulstrode. It was hilarious!" Pansy paused a second for breath.

"So?" Draco asked her mockingly with his eyebrow arched. "Should I care? I have better things to do than watch two morons play a child's game." He walked past her as fast as he could.

Once he was down the stairs, he felt safe from Pansy. She always annoyed him, but he usually put up with it- father's orders. Pansy's father was a very influential leader in the wizarding business community. Lucius had many deals with Mr.Parkinson and so he constantly reminded Draco to be kind to the girl. He wouldn't have minded it, if Pansy wasn't such an annoying, pug-faced female.

Unlike Ginny, he thought. No, he couldn't think about that. He tried remembering all the horrible things his father had said about the Weasley family. They were poor, didn't have proper pure-blood pride, friends with mudbloods, muggle-lovers, and......Ginny had said she wasn't like her family. She wanted nothing to do with them. Could his father be convinced of that? It didn't matter though, she didn't want anything to do with the war, just like him.

*

Ginny was running. Draco was following close behind, calling her name. She wouldn't let him catch her. She dived under a bush and shivered. It was cold. She saw him run past her. She could feel the relief flooding her body. She took out the knife she had hid inside her robe. She held it up so that the moonlight reflected off it and hit her face. Suddenly, Draco was sitting next to her, crying for her to stop. He kept calling her name.

Ginny slowly opened her eyes. The room was now dark and the moon was out. She sat up and stared at the moon for a few seconds. It comforted her to know that no matter what happened, the moon would always be there. She checked her bedside clock and saw that everyone would be in the Great Hall eating. She grabbed her robe and slipped something shiny into the inside pocket. She made sure to close the drapes around her bed, so no one could see if she was there or not. She knew she'd have to make an appearance at dinner, so Ron wouldn't badger her with annoying questions.

She quickly ran down the stairs and a few minutes later, she had found a seat next to Ron and Harry.

"Now really Ginny, you've been strange lately. What have you been doing?" Ron asked as he buttered his roll.

"I was working on homework. I'm so tired I think after I get a bite to eat I'll be going up to my to sleep. I really need to catch up on it." She hoped that was all the assurance they needed, and seemingly it was.

She ate a small portion of shepard's pie, then said her goodnights to everyone at the table. She walked out of the Great Hall, but instead of going straight up the stairs, she turned to the right. She quietly pushed open the oak doors and glided down the stone steps.

Ginny headed straight for the Forbidden Forest, unaware that she was being watched.

*

Draco found that he was too awake to even lie down, so he paced around his room. He tried to write his essay for Snape's class, but couldn't concentrate. Finally, he gave up trying to occupy himself. He sat by the window and stared at the grounds, not caring enough to focus his eyes. He was content to just sit and not think, to be able to zone out and not care.

He awoke suddenly to find that night had fallen and that he was incredibly stiff. He wasn't quite sure when he had fallen asleep, but he was grateful that he did actually rest. Just as he was about to get up, he noticed a thin ray of light shining from the castle out onto the grounds. He watched with mounting curiousity as a figure issued forth from this light. He remembered the night before and the figure leaving the forest late that night. He knew that it had to be the same person.

Draco felt an impulse to follow. He wanted to know who this was and what they were doing. He didn't think it was one of the Gryffindor Trio anymore. He could feel this figure's energy, their need. It was nothing like he had ever felt before.

He grabbed his cloak and ran out the door, with every intention to get his answers.