Disclaimer: Me no own J.
Chapter Fourteen: In Front of the Consequences
Ginny woke up the next morning with a huge grin on her face. The cheery sunlight that flowed through her bedroom window seemed inviting. She�d tell Malfoy to go out with her later in the afternoon. Maybe they can go tobogganing again. She smiled at the thought of Malfoy�s face, again bathed in the yellow dim light of the main entrance, his eyes soft and his lips so thin.
Was it wrong to make the first move? Did it seem like she was aggressive? Was she aggressive?
Of course not, Ginny thought silently, pouting at no one in particular, what I did was just right�not stupid.
Well, Malfoy seemed to enjoy it, didn�t he? He did kiss her back, didn�t he?
We were lip to lip! Ginny argued, fuming with anger at the voices inside her head, Of course he kissed me back!
Ginny finally sighed loudly and let the voices take over her head. She was sure every teenager had that particularly annoying voice after every first date. Of course, it was just normal�I hope, she thought.
As soon as she reached the Great Hall, she knew something was wrong. Every head turned her way. Half were shooting her dirty looks and the other half was giving her sympathetic frowns. She ignored the nosy students and instead searched for Malfoy in the Slytherin table.
He wasn�t there.
Ginny then marched towards Colin and Neville angrily, her cheeks turning a mighty shade of red and demanded, �Okay, what�s going on?�
Colin and Neville simply stared at their breakfast, obviously trying hard to avoid her deadly stare. When they didn�t respond, Ginny stampeded towards her brother, who was particularly looking murderous.
�I have no idea what I did now,� she said viciously, pushing aside an anonymous Gryffindor aside so that she can sit beside her brother, �do me a favour and tell me.�
�You don�t know eh?� Ron asked sarcastically, eyeing Ginny with detest, �How come the whole school knows then?�
�How am I supposed to freaking know?� Ginny bellowed, feeling her patience completely disappear. �What�s wrong with you people? If I said I don�t know, that means I don�t know!�
�Ron�this is not the best time�� Hermione whispered softly in Ron�s ear, rubbing his temples gently with her fingers. Ron gave one glance to Hermione before resuming eating, deciding to ignore Ginny once and for all.
Harry beckoned Ginny to come with him for a second. They both stood up and walked away from the many eyes of the Great Hall, and the fury that Ron was reserving for her.
Once they were outside, Harry gave her a copy of Hogwarts Monthly, and told her, �Don�t be mad.�
Ginny slowly unfolded the newspaper, dreading what could be inside.
She groaned in disgust when she found out.
It was a picture of her and Malfoy, softly kissing in front of the main entrance, entwined in each other arms. The picture made it look like they were kissing for hours, when actually they kissed for only a second. But the photo clearly knew better, as they just stayed there, locked in each other�s lips, permanently. The headline was simply horrible�now everything made sense.
The article read:
Love Knows No House
Written by: Nathalie McDonald
Photo by: Dennis Creevey
Hogwarts � Virginia Weasley, a resident of Gryffindor, and Draco Malfoy, a popular inhabitant of Slytherin, share a long passionate kiss yesterday, December 11, defying all odds and traditions which shocks fellow classmates.
According to an interview, Ronald Weasley, elder brother of Virginia Weasley, was shocked when he realized that his family rival was falling in love with his sister.
These are Ronald Weasley�s own words:
�I said it once and I�ll say it twice, the only way I can see them together is that if they�re stuck in a tiny and dark room, completely void of any human habitation, for one hour, with several piles of dirty broomsticks and a Teen Witch Weekly mag�oh cricket, oh holy cricket.�
And holy cricket it is, as Dennis Creevey, spotted the two love birds yesterday in Hogsmeade, sneaking away to the mountains, which is, as Ronald so smartly puts it, completely void of any human habitation. What is so important that they have to climb the mountains? Are they in desperate need to be alone? What they did up there, we don�t know�but we leave it up to your imagination on what could have happened.
How did the romancing actually start? Vincent Crabbe explains:
�The slut (Virginia Weasley) purposefully shoved potions to Snape, and then bullied our poor master (Draco Malfoy) to let her work for him. Sometimes we hear� (shudders) moans inside the broom shed. It was horrible.�
Virginia Weasley? A slut? Blaise Zabini confirms:
�Well, she does have 6 elder brothers, doesn�t she? It won�t surprise me if she goes around snogging everyone, I mean, all these years of her being with 6 horny people, can definitely make her horny as well.�
But as the Gryffindors explains, Virginia Weasley, or as we so sweetly call her, Ginny, is in love with none other than Harry Potter. How could she possibly jump to another guy so quick? And does she really love Draco Malfoy?
Neville Longbottom confirmed all doubts when he announced to the whole Gryffindor table yesterday, �Ginny Weasley is not in love with Harry Potter anymore. Ginny Weasley is now in love with no one else but Draco Malfoy.�
How can anyone possibly contradict that? Neville Longbottom is known to be Ginny�s best friend, he must know better than spreading false rumours around, especially if it�s about his own best friend.
But will this love against all odds last? Pansy Parkinson attacks:
�I�m Draco�s girlfriend. I�m pretty sure he�s just using that Weasley, and besides, a Malfoy and a Weasley? C�mon, am I the only person in here who has sense?�
We leave that for the readers to make out.
�I don�t get this,� Ginny moaned sadly, �why do they have to be so cruel? What�s wrong with me and Malfoy going out?�
�They don�t want what they don�t understand,� Harry explained gently as he stuffed the newspaper in the pockets of his robes, �they�re not being cruel. They�re just being dumb.�
�No they�re not dumb,� Ginny concluded, ducking her head out of Harry�s view as soon as she felt tiny pinpricks of tears threatening to leak at the corners of her eyes, �I am.�
�How can you say that?� Harry asked, surprised.
�Of course this wouldn�t work out. It took an awful lot of dirty looks before I got that one,� At this, Ginny decided that she couldn�t bear the concerned look Harry was giving her and so she began to walk away, hoping that he wouldn�t follow her.
�Look, who cares what they think?� Harry cried out, grabbing Ginny�s hand to stop her from walking away, �They�re just a bunch of idiots with opinions. If you ask my opinion I�d��
�It�s not what they think Harry! It�s how it really is!� Ginny felt the tears falling out of her eyes now, there was no way she could stop them. �For years, even back to the years when the Hogwarts Founders were alive, the Slytherins and the Gryffindors have been fighting. I can�t mend that quarrel that started a long time ago, just because I have feelings for a Slytherin! Heck, it�d break all the rules of normality!�
�If you won�t do it, who will?�
�I don�t know who, but it won�t be me. It�s just�too hard. There�s only one of me, Harry. No one would listen to just one voice.�
�Ask me what I think,� said Harry hopefully, his green eyes filled with emotion, �Ask me how I feel.�
�No,� Ginny concluded, breaking free from Harry�s grasp, �I�m afraid of what people think and feel nowadays. I just learned something from all of this.�
�And what is that?� Harry asked softly.
�That feelings are wrong; you should never listen to them.�
*.*
Professor Sinistra was overjoyed when she saw a student of hers arrive tad early for her Potions class. She didn�t know why students kept on coming late. It wasn�t as if they had a subject before Potions; it was their first subject in the morning. Perhaps, they didn�t fancy Potions after all? It doesn�t matter now, especially now that she was sure even one student was actually attending her classes and looking forward to it. It made all the difference.
�Hello,� she sang out as soon as the red-headed girl sat on an empty seat.
�Hi,� she whispered inaudibly.
�It makes all the difference,� Professor Sinistra cheerfully said, her thin lips widening into a smile.
�What do you mean?� the girl asked politely although it was obvious from her blank stare that she really wasn�t interested.
�You, coming early, miss�?�
�Ginny. You can call me Ginny.�
Now, since Professor Sinistra was too busy inside the teacher�s lounge because after all, she was teaching two subjects, she didn�t have time to actually go down to the Great Hall to eat breakfast. She simply conjured up the food to her room while she busily checked all of her student�s papers. And since the said professor was inside her room that morning, she didn�t hear about the incident that happened in the Great Hall. This was one professor who had no clue at what was going on inside the school she was teaching.
�I personally commend you for coming early in my class, Ginny,� she explained, finally getting Ginny�s attention. �As you can see, the class of which I�m teaching today seems to fancy being late. They don�t look forward to Potions at all. Sometimes, it makes me feel miserable, but now, you made it all different.�
�How can it make any difference when the entire class is late anyways?� she argued doggedly.
�Knowing that even one of my students enjoys the subject of which I�m teaching,� said the Professor, still smiling, �is enough reason for me to continue what I want to do.�
Ginny seemed to be taken aback at what she said. The poor girl stared at her for what seemed like hours, as though a million questions inside her head was waiting to be asked, but she was too afraid to actually speak.
A few students began to come in, slowly filling in all of the empty seats. Just as she was about to announce the lesson for that day, another student appeared in front of her doorway, clearing his throat.
�Yes?� Professor Sinistra asked.
�Virginia Weasley is being called by Professor Snape in his office, ma�am,� the student said politely.
Ginny stood up silently with her head bowed down, and without another word, exited the dungeons confidently.
Professor Sinistra thought she had never seen such a brave student before.
*.*
This was the second time of the year that Ginny appeared in front of Professor Snape�s desk. Again, his chair�s back was facing her, as he didn�t want her seeing his incredibly miniscule physique.
�Sit down,� he squeaked.
Ginny carefully sat down on one of the leathery chairs, preparing for the worst. If Professor Sinistra didn�t talk to her before this, she would�ve been terrified to death. But somehow, the professor�s words made her braver.
She made a difference.
And that was worth anything in the world.
�I just read the school newspaper today,� Professor Snape croaked, his voice sounding much like Trevor the toad. �Very interesting article indeed.�
�Oh yes, I agree,� Ginny whispered softly.
�Oh no, Weasley, I won�t be saying that,� the professor said in mock surprise, �because I found in that article the answer unto why my favourite student is failing potions.�
Ginny kept quiet. She never knew Malfoy was failing. And in Potions? Potions was Malfoy�s best subject! How can he possibly fail that? Maybe he didn�t attend classes because of Professor Sinistra?
�I didn�t tell you to work with the Slytherins because I wanted you to be snogging him,� the professor said precariously, his whisper suddenly becoming as slithery as Riddle�s voice, �I wanted you to be degraded, be humiliated, to realize that filth is where you belong!�
It was a good thing that Professor Snape couldn�t see her, for if he did, he would have seen the dangerous slits that were forming slowly in Ginny�s eyes. Her face matched the colour of her hair, and she was trembling in anger. She never thought she could be this livid in her entire life.
�Why can�t you understand that Malfoy wouldn�t stoop down to your level? You�re fancy�but that�s no excuse for displaying this unforgivable behaviour. Perhaps you don�t understand something. Well let me tell you,� at this, the professor turned around to face her, his tiny but scarlet face in front of her. �Sure, you�d fall in love with him, and let�s say he falls in love with you. But believe it or not Weasley, no matter how much you pathetically love him, he�d end up with another Slytherin, someone who�s as prominent as him, someone who�s not so different. And you�you�d end up, old and balding, sitting in your rocking chair, peering out of the window, still waiting for something that will never happen.�
Ginny�s patience snapped.
She stood up, looked down at the tiny professor and whispered, �It�s not my fault Malfoy�s failing potions. It�s not my fault I�m a Weasley,� she then turned around, away from the accusing professor, and towards the door, where she could run away as soon as she shout her last words.
�And most of all,� she began, feeling the lump in her throat coming back, �it�s not my fault I was placed in Gryffindor!�
And with this, she ran outside his office, slamming the door noisily behind her as she left.
*.*
Ginny angrily wiped her tears away as she stared at her reflection in the girl�s lavatory. Surely no one would bombard her with insults inside here. Maybe she�d just stay here forever, or maybe until Colin and Neville gets out of their classes, whichever comes first.
There was a creak as the door slowly opened. Ginny immediately ran her hand through her hair, acting as if she was just in there to fix her hair. She turned around to see who just came in.
It was Pansy Parkinson.
�I like your hair,� she complimented, giving her one of her famous fake smiles.
�Thank you,� Ginny retorted politely, �I like yours too.�
Silence ensued between the two of them, as both continued to stare at their reflections as they pretended to comb their hair. Finally, after a few seconds, Pansy broke the silence by asking Ginny, �Don�t you think we should talk about this?�
�We have nothing to talk about,� Ginny answered as she continuously ran her hand through her hair.
�Okay, that�s it,� Pansy exclaimed, slamming her hair brush abruptly in the counter, �I�ve tried to be very polite about it but you�ve been very rude.�
�Not rude, just truthful.�
�Look, let�s get things straight here, okay?� Pansy ordered, grabbing Ginny�s shoulder to turn her around so that they could face each other, �Draco�s my boyfriend. He�s just using you. You might as well butt out. I mean, you can�t possibly think that he�umm�how do you say it�love you, did you?�
Ginny stared at her, hurt written across her face.
�Oh no, you did?� Pansy said in a sickeningly sweet voice, �That�s so cute. Well, I hate to be telling you this but, yeah, he�s not�you know�in love with you. But you can keep on dreaming, since obviously, that�s the only thing you�re good at.�
Pansy gave her a cruel wink before she grabbed her hair brush and walked out of the room, leaving Ginny alone to fume.
�I can like whoever I want�� Ginny whispered to no one in particular, �Is that so wrong?�
Ginny felt an overwhelming wave of sadness slowly taking over her entire body. She grabbed on the counter to stop herself from falling, and when she finally steadied herself, she cried the same tears she wept the day Malfoy accidentally grabbed her diary away from her, which started everything
Only this time, Colin and Neville weren�t there to comfort her.
*.*
Ginny found Malfoy on top of the snow in the middle of the Quidditch field right after school. His arms were flailing up and down and his legs were opening and closing. Though to some people Malfoy might have looked like an idiot in their eyes, Ginny knew exactly what he was doing.
�Weasley!� he called out happily as soon as he heard Ginny�s footsteps nearby. �See I make better snow angels than you! That one with the small waist over there is you and that perfect one is me, and this�this particularly big one is your brother!�
Ginny saw that Malfoy had a scratch on his cheek, but she immediately disregarded that. Malfoy always had new scratches, due to practicing Quidditch way too seriously. Instead, she focused on the three snow angels Malfoy seemed to be proud of.
�How did you manage to finish three snow angels so quickly? School just let out,� she asked softly, although she already knew the answer.
�I skipped Potions,� he announced proudly, �I don�t like Sinistra. I don�t fancy seeing her two times a day. Come, the platter�s already on top of the hill. If we hurry up we can actually�what�s wrong?� Malfoy asked, as he saw her eyes lower down the snow. �You seem�distant.�
�Haven�t you read the newspaper today?� Ginny asked in disbelief, wondering how Malfoy can be so positive even after what Dennis had published.
�Yeah�funny thing really�the way that photo was taken, it looked as if you were stuck at my lips�although, that wouldn�t be too bad.�
Ginny sighed heavily. Malfoy always misses the point.
�Why�what�s wrong?� he asked, his face filled with concern.
�This won�t work,� Ginny finally said, her eyes not daring to meet his.
�What do you mean?�
�We�re too different�it�s just��
�Oh no, don�t tell me this crap. Who cares if it doesn�t work?� Malfoy bellowed in frustration, �Who�s making you think this way?�
�Everyone,� Ginny answered, �not to mention Snape and your girl friend, Pansy.�
�Oh for Merlin�s sake�it�s just Snape and Pansy! Your brother hit me in the cheek today with his fork at lunch but who�s complaining?�
�Aren�t you getting tired of it?� asked Ginny, her voice trembling. �Look at it this way, if we keep on seeing each other, there�s more chances of Ron hitting you in the cheek everyday!�
�Your point being?�
�I�m tired of all of it,� Ginny concluded, her eyes narrowing up, �I mean, half of it isn�t even real.�
�Are you telling me that after all of this�you�re just walking away and leaving me here?�
�Yes, and in fact,� Ginny replied, �I�m walking away right now.�
Malfoy stepped forward and held Ginny�s chin fiercely. His breath came low and hard, as if he was trying hard not to let out a scream.
�At least tell me this,� he asked slowly, his eyebrows furrowing in mystification, �which part of it is real?�
�Now that you�ve asked, I don�t think any of it was real after all.�
�I know you meant it,� Malfoy insisted, his nostrils flaring, �I know you meant it when you kissed me.�
�No,� Ginny whispered back, �no, that wasn�t real�that was a mistake.�
�Then kiss me,� Malfoy ordered sternly, �kiss me and then tell me if you mean it or not.�
Without waiting for her consent, Malfoy leaned towards Ginny�s soft and thin lips, trying desperately to warm his own chapped lips. He opened his mouth, expecting Ginny�s mouth to open involuntarily�but it never did. Her lips remains pursed as he went on, pressing his mouth against hers, begging for an entrance. When he pulled apart, Ginny saw a troubled look in Malfoy�s face.
�I thought you felt something for me,� Malfoy whispered, his chest heaving with emotion.
�I never loved your conditions,� she answered, as she stared at him straight in the eye, �it�s what�s keeping us apart in the first place.�
When Ginny walked away from Malfoy�s grasp, she couldn�t help but sigh in sadness. Was a lie just a word when you�re doing it for a cause?
It probably is, Ginny thought, trying to convince herself�but in vain.
A/N: Bad chapter? Yeah, I guessed so ^_^. Sorry, all part of the plot (shudders in a corner as she waits for flames).
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