~*~Green and Gold~*~
By Kellyanne
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I am up to no good…oh, I mean…I own nothing *sheepish grin*
Chapter 1
She smiled up at the train after passing through the barrier. The train, shiny and stunning, looked like heaven. She had been wishing for this day ever since school let out. Life at the Burrow was too much and she looked forward to returning to Hogwarts.
After a birthday from hell and an even worse summer, Ginny was glad to be getting back to a place where explosions and ghosts were everyday sights.
At that moment, Platform nine and three-quarters had never looked so welcoming.
She loved leaving the muggle world more then anything else. The freedom to announce that you are a witch without having some stupid muggle cast strange looks your way was so…satisfying.
"Ginny?"
She spun around just as her brother Ron passed onto the platform.
"What took you so long?" She asked, watching Ron's ears burn red.
"I…um…er…"
"You were flirting with a muggle again, weren't you??" She asked, her eyes wide with laughter.
"You're…you're crazy. I mean…bloody hell, muggles?? Ha!" Ro started pushing his trolley and she laughed. He had been flirting with a muggle.
She started walking when someone burst through the barrier at full speed, knocking her right off her feet.
"Watch it, you git!!" She screamed before she saw who had hit into her.
"Sorry, Ginny," Harry said sheepishly, helping her to her feet, "Thought I'd miss the train if I didn't hurry."
She nodded, looking into Harry's green eyes.
They didn't seem quite as brilliant as they had at the end of her fourth year.
"It's alright," She mumbled. Harry was already walking to the train.
Bloody git!
Her thoughts startled her. That's what she called Ron.
The realization hit her like a sledgehammer.
She didn't like Harry!!
He was no longer 'the Magnificent Harry Potter' or 'Harry Potter, the boy who lived'…he was just Harry. Just Harry.
He was just Harry like Ron was just Ron.
A chuckle rose in her throat. After four years…four lonely, painful years, she was over Harry.
She smiled.
This was a great way to begin her fifth year at Hogwarts.
He had been staring out the train window, watching the blur of trees and water, when he heard the soft tap on the compartment door.
He turned his head quickly.
"Mal…um…Draco, do you mind if I sit here?"
He couldn't take his eyes off her. Her chocolate eyes were filled with worry. Her deep red hair was cascading down her back in an enticing way.
She was beautiful.
Wait…what was he talking about?
She was a Weasley!!
His voice failed him and he simply nodded. She sat opposite him, resting her head against the window.
She looked so damn beautiful.
What was he saying?? She's a Weasley…he's a Malfoy!!
Bitterly, he asked, "Why aren't you sitting with the Dream Team, Weasley?"
Ginny's eyes flashed open, shining with a mix of hatred and sadness.
"They didn't save a seat for me," She whispered softly, pressing her eyes closed again. He saw a tear roll down her cheek.
That wasn't the answer he had expected. If she had said something like, 'I couldn't find them,' or 'Why do you care?" then he could have made fun of her. But…she was crying.
He could have suppressed these strange emotions towards a Weasley with angry words, like his father would…
His father…why would he want to be like his father?
Lucious Malfoy was a cold, hated man who hit his wife and tried to make his son follow in his dark footsteps.
He didn't want to be anything like his father. He wanted to be…like himself…for the first time in his life.
That's why he moved his seat to sit next to a weeping Ginny. That's why he put his arm around her small shoulder and let her cry into his robes.
Her sobs, muffled by the black robe he wore, made him feel his heart skip a beat. How could they have hurt her like this?? This girl, who was always kind and considerate and beautiful, had been mistreated and it bothered him. It bothered him down to his soul… a soul she probably didn't believe he had. He laughed bitterly and she tipped her head up to meet his gaze.
Her wet, brown eyes looked into his and he could feel her pain, her hurt, and her sorrow.
He didn't know why, but his lips were suddenly pressed gently to her forehead. He closed his eyes and took in the sweet smell of vanilla.
Ginny smiled but her lips fell quickly to a frown. She gasped.
Turning his head, he saw an angry Ron standing in the doorway, his face as red as his hair and his eyes full of hatred.
"Ronald Weasley!!!!! What are you doing???" She screamed as her brother dragged her along the train.
Her brother's grip on her arm only tightened.
"Stop it! You're hurting me!"
"I...Can't…Believe…You…Kissed…A Malfoy!!" Ron whispered harshly through his teeth.
She made a fist with her free hand, her blood boiling.
"He kissed me on the forehead, Ron!!"
Ron stopped in front of a compartment and he slammed the door open. She jumped, as did Harry and Hermione.
"What's going on??" Hermione choked out, her face pale. She could see how angry Ron was and that was enough to frighten anyone.
"SHE KISSED HIM!!!"
"What?" Harry stuttered. He was even paler then Hermione, his lightning scar sticking out even more against the whiteness of his forehead.
Why did he care? She wondered.
"Who? Ginny, what happened?" At least Hermione was being rational.
"Nobody! I didn't kiss anyone!" She screamed, trying to push her way past Ron. He wasn't scrawny anymore, so it was damn near impossible.
"I was trying to find her and I caught her kissing that bloody git!!"
"WHO??" Harry and Hermione screamed in unison.
Had Harry's voice always been so annoying?
"Draco! I kissed DRACO!!!!" She screamed before pushing hard against Ron and falling into the hallway.
She ran until she found a nearly empty compartment of first-years.
Had she said this year was starting great?
Scratch that! This year was starting like HELL!