Feel

The World's Only Living Brain Donor

Ginny lay on her bed that night, berating herself for taking Harry's actions so seriously. Hadn't she given up on him ages ago? She shouldn't want him to fall in love with her. She should be happy that she had his friendship. When he behaved like a normal human being, Harry was usually fun to be around. Fretting about his feelings towards her and his feelings towards her only made her miserable. Ginny turned over in her bed, punching her pillow in annoyance. It was two in the morning and she couldn't sleep. Ginny got up from her bed and pulled on her dressing gown. Maybe a trip to the kitchens would help her feel better. She was very hungry and she hoped she could get something to eat.

Ginny carefully opened her door and padded softly away from the teachers' rooms. As she made her way down to the kitchen, Ginny noticed several of the paintings had fallen asleep and were snoring in their frames. Ginny looked wistfully at the Fat Lady's portrait and wished she could be a student here again, when things like a crush didn't matter so much. Ginny had never been out at night in Hogwarts and found herself a little spooked by the quiet atmosphere around her. As she walked the halls, she saw the Grey Lady of Ravenclaw float by without noticing her. Ginny's heart rate went up when she heard a voice at her back.

"Lost Miss Weasley?"

Ginny turned around to see Nearly Headless Nick smiling at her. "Oh, Sir Nicholas! Thank goodness! I thought you were some scary ghost." Ginny smiled at Nick. He had always been a nice ghost when she was in Gryffindor. "I am lost. I'm trying to find my way to the kitchens. I missed dinner I'm afraid."

"Well, let me show you the way!" Off Nick went, careening down Halls, showing Ginny the shortcuts through the school. At last they arrived at the kitchen and Ginny entered, saying goodbye to Nick. Ginny entered the kitchen and found Draco eating a chicken leg and chugging a goblet of pumpkin juice.

"My, my. I see the dead have arisen." Draco commented on seeing Ginny enter the kitchen. "Where were you during dinner?"

"I was in my room having a nap. I heard you had a liquid dinner though? Ogden's Old Firewhiskey? Really Draco, you should know better." Ginny sat next to him at the table and poured herself a goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Ginny, I say this in the kindest way: When my mother dies, I'll give you the job, alright? Anyway, what made you so tired? Lifting heavy books?" Draco chuckled at his joke and took a large bite from his chicken leg.

Ginny knew she might as well tell Draco what happened. She needed to talk to someone and he could give her a guy's perspective. "No. Harry came and visited me in the library today." Ginny sighed and got up to look in the cupboards for something to eat. "Where did you get that chicken? I'm starving!"

"The refrigerator. So, what did Harry do that made you so upset?" Draco continued chewing on his chicken leg.

"How do you know he made me upset?" Ginny asked as she turned from the refrigerator with a plate full of chicken breasts.

"Listen, Harry's a nice guy and all that. But sometimes I think he's the world's only living brain donor. I mean, how can he stand there and look at you and not do something about the way he feels about you? You're gorgeous, smart, and you actually seem to genuinely like him. How can he not see how wonderful you are?" Draco took a long sip from his goblet and continued. "If I wasn't so in love with Parvati, I'd take you off his hands."

Ginny was shocked. "Do you really think he feels something for me?"

"Sadly, I think he does. He seemed genuinely shocked to see you at the feast in the Great Hall when the term started. It was like he was seeing you, really seeing you. You've grown into a woman Ginny. Harry seems to have a hard time reconciling that fact with how he's used to seeing you."

"And how did he used to see me?" Ginny felt like she was talking to a psychologist.

"As a little girl with this enormous crush on him that made him uncomfortable. But now you've grown up into a beautiful woman. One who has gotten on with her life. Now you make Harry uncomfortable because he's attracted to you. He doesn't know how to deal with all that." Draco wiped his lips off on a napkin.

"Do you really think so?" Ginny stood near Draco, searching his eyes.

"Yeah Ginny. I really do. You just need to figure out how to get past the barriers he's built to keep himself from getting hurt."

"Thanks Draco. It's been nice talking to you." Ginny leaned over and hugged Draco. As they were hugging, the door to the kitchen opened. Harry walked in and stopped when he saw Ginny and Draco.

Draco abruptly let go of Ginny and cleared his throat. "I gotta go Gin. Parvati's gonna be talking to me soon and I want to be there. Just think about what I've said, alright?"

Ginny nodded her head and smiled at Draco. "Believe me, I will." She watched as Draco walked out of the kitchen and went up to his room. She turned to greet Harry and found him staring funnily at her.

"Hello, Harry. Are you alright?" Ginny took a bite of the chicken sandwich she had made for herself and chewed while looking at him.

"What was that all about? 'Think about what I said?' Why were you hugging Draco Ginny?" Asked Harry.

Ginny grimaced inwardly. 'God, you're such a prat Harry! You don't want me, but Draco can't have me either.' "Oh that. Draco was just offering to give me some books from his house. They'd go in the restricted section."

Harry turned away from Ginny and angrily threw open a cabinet door. "Why were you hugging him then?"

"Draco apologized for being such a bastard in school. I hugged him to show him I forgave him." Ginny realized she had colored slightly and felt angry.

"Do you hug everyone who was an ass to you or is Draco just the lucky guy?" Harry pulled out a butterbeer from the refrigerator and opened it.

"I have nothing to feel ashamed of Harry. Draco is in love with Parvati. I have no designs on him." Ginny stood up from the counter where she had been eating her sandwich and wiped her hands on Draco's abandoned napkin.

"Why not? He's not good enough for you? Not rich enough or handsome enough?" Harry took a long swallow of his drink and eyed Ginny angrily.

"No Harry. Draco is a friend. Parvati is a friend too. You don't do that with your friend's fellas. God Harry! Why are you being such an ass?" Ginny looked exasperatedly at Harry and tied her dressing gown tighter.

Harry closed the space between them. He grabbed Ginny's face and kissed her passionately, possesively. When he was finished, he leaned his forehead against hers. "Because I don't like the way this makes me feel."

Ginny licked her lips and could taste the butterbeer Harry's kiss had left on her mouth. "If you don't like someone else hugging me, then you'd better do something about it." Ginny walked out of the kitchen and up to her room. The evening had proved interesting after all.