Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to the extremely talented J.K. Rowling. I own nothing more than the plot.
Author's Note: I would like to apologize in advance if at any point in this story the characters are out-of-character as perceived through the Harry Potter series.
Chapter 5:
Ginny woke up nice and early the morning after they had arrived. She looked outside only to see that the skies were grey and cloudy. It looked like it was going to rain, something she loved, especially walking through it. She liked the feeling of beads of rain pounding down on her and running down her body. She felt as though nothing could touch her; she was free of mind and body for those few moments. She enjoyed these times because she was separate from the rest of the world; it was her time away from her problems, work, and thoughts. It was when it rained that she was truly free.
She looked out the window, watching the rain fall and splash against her window. Being a Prefect, she was entitled to her own room and had special authoritative power. She would have to make sure that no students were out of bed after hours, especially this year due to the extra precautions Dumbledore put into place. She had to make sure the students abided by these rules. She was glad that she was chosen to be one of the Prefects, as Harry and Hermione were the new Head Boy and Head Girl, which was nothing less than anyone expected - 'perfect' Harry Potter and 'know-it-all' Hermione Granger.
Ginny turned away from the window, got out of her four-poster bed, and crossed the room to stand in front of her full-length mirror. She gazed into it, like she would a crystal ball, trying to see what others could not. Of everything, she liked her personality, which was full of determination and kindness, as well as the ability to speak her mind. Physically, however, she loved her eyes and hair, for she thought of them unique and different, which defines her character quite well. She liked her freckles and fair skin tone, btu she had never liked her nose. Although she turned quite a few heads, she never thought of herself as pretty.
Draco woke up suddenly from a horrific nightmare. Although he would never admit it, he was capable of being scared, especially when it came to his father. He couldn't quite call Lucius Malfoy his father, after all, neither one could say or even express that they loved one another, but alas, love would be 'out of character' for a Malfoy. As Lucius would say, "Love is for mudbloods and muggle-lovers."
Draco would rather refer to Lucius as an acquaintance, after all, being forced to receive the Dark Mark after he completes his schooling at Hogwarts, being forced to follow in his father's footsteps, was not quite what Draco wanted. He wanted to be involved in the Ministry of Magic, to make a difference in the wizarding world, but not the kind of difference his father wanted. He wanted to change it for the better, not lead to its destruction. Needless to say, he could never tell his father, or anyone, this, for it was un-Malfoy like, and after all, he needed to live up to the Malfoy name.
He observed his surroundings, glad to be a Prefect. In addition to having his own room, he now had authority, but as always, The Boy Who Lived and the mudblood were Head Boy and Head Girl, but nonetheless, he had his say with some authoritative power. His eye caught a mirror on the other side of his room. He walked toward it, looking into the mirror.
'Will I always have to be what my father wants me to be? Can't I simply be Draco, without having the Malfoy name implied?' Draco thought, sighing to himself.
During the previous summer, he had taken a lot into account and considered everything that he stands for. He wanted to make a difference for the better, no doubt about it. What bothered him was the possibility that he wouldn't be able to, being a Malfoy and all. After Lucius had been put in Azkaban, he wondered if things would change, if he would be allowed to follow his dreams and do what he wished, without wondering if it lived up to Lucius' standards. With Lucius in Azkaban, he might regain control of his life. He might be able to choose the life he wanted to live, which was Dark Mark and Voldemort free.
He wished he wouldn't have to put up a tough-guy image, that he could simply be himself, that he wouldn't care what others thought of him, but he did. He adored how Ginny could stand up for her family and speak with such passion. He was jealous of the undying love within her family, for he had never experienced the feeling of being loved. Yes, he was jealous of the Weasleys, but so what?
Draco wanted to be able to stand up for his family the way Ginny had, but even though he did stand up for Lucius like he had on the train, he wondered why he did. He was a man filled with pure hate for those different from himself. 'How could I have stood up for such an evil man?' he wondered. He was a man that would kill to fulfill the evil plans of his master, the Dark Lord. He secretly hoped Lucius would stay in Azkaban-for good.
Draco was furious with himself for his past actions. He looked at himself in the mirror and vowed, "Things are going to change."
Ginny sighed and turned away from the mirror, deciding how she should spend her free day before classes began for the year. She walked down to the Great Hall to eat a bit of breakfast. She opened the great oak doors, spotted her good friend Colin Creevey, a fellow sixth year, and decided to eat with him.
"Hey, Col! How was your summer?" Ginny asked, slipping into the seat beside him at the Gryffindor table.
"Hey, Gin, good to see you! Ummm, I went with my mum and dad and traveled around England, visiting family," Colin said and took a swig of his pumpkin juice, washing down the piece of toast he had just finished.
Ginny chewed a piece of her bagel and said, "That sound awesome, Col. Mine was alright, I suppose. I spent most of the time with my brothers and parents, played some Quidditch, read some books, relaxed, worked a bit at my brothers' store (Weasley's Wizarding Wheezies) where I earned quite a bit of cash. I must say, my brothers' inventions, shall we say, are quite a hit! Oh, and I did a bit of school shopping."
"I love their shop, it's so much fun to play tricks on my neighbors and parents."
"Oh, you didn't!" Ginny said, to which Colin blushed a light shade of red.
Colin, trying to change the subject, said, "So you built on your already fabulous Quidditch skills?"
It was now Ginny's turn to blush. "I'm not that good!"
"Stop being so modest! You're the best chaser we've had in years!"
"Oh hush," Ginny smiled. "Thanks."
They continued their breakfast with more talk about Quidditch and how Gryffindor was going to with the Cup again this year, as well as the upcoming school year in general.
Ginny excused herself after she finished her pumpkin juice, bagel, and eggs. "I'm going for a walk, I'll see you around."
"Bye, Gin."
Ginny walked out of the Great Hall and out the Grand Entrance double doors. She was comforted instantly once she felt the rain fall down on her. She walked around the grounds, past the lake where the squid surfaced to the top, and to the Quidditch Pitch.
She was lost in her thoughts and absentmindedly began to sing a muggle song she head on the radio over the summer. Her father had brought it home and she listened to it often, before her father bewitched it to play music by The Weird Sisters. They had performed at the Yule Ball Hogwarts held after the first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament in her third year when she was escorted by Neville Longbottom, a fourth year and one of Harry's and Ron's roommates.
Ginny smiled to herself and began singing the song she had heard over the muggle-radio. "Raindrops keep falling on my head, but that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning r-"
"Red!" someone called from behind her.
Ginny turned around and saw Draco coming toward her. She smiled inwardly and greeted him with a friendly, "Hello."
"What are you doing out here in the rain?" he asked, water running down his cheek.
"I love being out in weather like this. I find it comforting... I can clear my mind of everything that's going on. Why are you out here?"
Draco pointed to his brand new, top-of-the-line Nimbus 2007 Extreme (limited edition) and said, "Mother bought it for me earlier and owled it to me now, so I thought I'd give it a try." With that, he got on his broom and pushed his feet off the ground, rising higher and higher, faster than any broom she'd ever seen. She watched as he did cork-screws around the Quidditch field, in and out of the hoops of the goal posts, made quick sharp turns, and then landed smoothly twenty minutes later beside Ginny, without a sound.
She looked at his broom in awe and said, "That's quite a broom you've got there!"
"It's grand," he said, agreeing with her statement.
She glanced at her watch when she heard her stomach growl from hunger. "It's already 2 o'clock... I'm going to head up for lunch. See you around."
"Bye," Draco said, watching Ginny's departing back walking toward the castle. He sighed when she was completely out of sight, took a few more laps around the field, and decided to head in for a bit of lunch, as well.
Ginny helped herself to a piece of chicken and mashed potatoes, her mind wandering else where from the conversation unfolding in front of her between Ron and Harry. She had barely heard Colin calling her name as she decided to walk up to her dormitory. She retrieved her broom from atop her suitcase and walked to where she had previously watched Draco fly around before she grabbed a bit of lunch.
The rain no longer fell as hard as it had before, but was now a mere drizzle. She mounted her broom and zoomed around the Quidditch Pitch, doing dips and dives here and there. She let herself go, moving with the wind as droplets of water fell on her. She practiced some tricks and moves she had seen from her (and Ron's) favorite Quidditch team, the Chuddly Cannons.
No one needed to look twice to see that Ginny was an amazing flier. She was a natural, as many would say, but she was persistent nonetheless to build on her skills. She had remembered what Colin said that morning about her being the best Chaser Gryffindor has had in years, and smiled to herself.
She loved the feeling she got when she was on a broom flying through the air. She was peaceful and content with herself, to which she was glad. She was a hard worker and was proud of everything she had achieved, especially in her flying and learning abilities.
By the time Ginny's feet touched solid ground, it was seven o'clock. Finding that she wasn't hungry, she decided to go back up to her dormitory to unpack her things and get ready for her first day of her sixth year back at Hogwarts.
Please review. Tell me what you think of the story so far, what you would like to see happening in future chapters, and any criticism regarding anything that you have found in my story that you would like to see changed or improved. Thanks so much!
Thanks to:
Elissa: Yes, that's right.... I updated!!!
kneh13: Indeed, it does...
Catherine Weezy: Yes, he can finally knock her up cough. You will be pared with a Giddy Gryffindor. ;)
Sunflour: Nope! Hehe. Wait and find out...
xBr0kEnB0tTle: Haha, thanks babe!