Fic: "Night at the Leaky Cauldron" for everybody
Gift for: everyone
Author: paradise_loved
Title: Night at the Leaky Cauldron
Pairing: Draco/Ginny
Rating: PG13 for drinking
Summary: After the tragic death of a central character, Ginny and another character sit together at the Leaky Cauldron.
Notes: Beta-ed by Heidi.
A cool wind blew through Ginny’s hair as yet another loud group of wizards and witches walked into the Leaky Cauldron. She clicked her red nails impatiently on wooden bar, looking around at everyone else who seemed to be twice as cheery as she was.
"Can I get another Butterbeer, yeah?" she called out to the young barkeep, a new lad not much older than her who had taken over after Tom had died a year ago.
"That’s your fourth tonight, Miss," he yelled back. "You should be giddy by now. Can I offer you anything else?"
Ginny shook her head and glanced around one more time, still clicking her nails. The main room was cool, surprisingly, on the night in August. Her black dress hung loosely off of her shoulders and her hair still looked slightly neat from the morning’s service.
The barkeep turned back around and set down a small glass of Firewhiskey. Ginny looked at it, furrowing her eyebrows, and then said quietly, "I don't think I requested that."
"I know that," the barkeep replied. "That blonde lad over there did."
Ginny turned to see Draco Malfoy sauntering over, wearing black slacks, a while collared shirt, half unbuttoned with a loose maroon tie. He smirked at her and pointed to her Firewhiskey as he sat next to her at the bar.
"Care to give me the same as her?" he asked, pointing at her drink.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ginny reprimanded. "Do you always have to be a git?"
"Do you always have to look like you're going to turn and Avada Kedavra yourself any chance you get?" Draco responded, giving the same smirk he had given her not a moment ago.
Ginny stared at him and then shook her head, turning back and drinking her Firewhiskey. Once it was down, she blinked the tears out of her eyes and asked, "I suppose you went then?"
"'Course. I had to make sure the bloke was dead finally," he said with a shrug. "Rather surprising not seeing you there though. Most of us expected you to be there to forgive him for all he'd done and all that."
Ginny paused before saying anything else, debating whether or not she should tell Draco that she had come to the funeral. Harry had left her the Invisibility Cloak in his will, and she had taken it, to stand in back and just watch his funeral. It was miserable watching a 7-month pregnant Hermione sob through her eulogy, and to listen to her brothers stutter nervously through most of theirs. She had never seen so many people at a funeral before and all of them seemed so appreciative of Harry. So proud, he might as well have been made a saint.
Draco stared at her for a moment, before asking, "Are you still that furious?"
"I don't have anything else to say to you," she murmured. This was a lie, and Ginny realized it as soon as the words came out of her mouth. "Actually," Ginny added, "I want to know something."
"I am single," he replied, with a grin. "Is that all?"
"Shut it," she told him. "I want to know why you killed Bellatrix during the Final Battle."
"Because she was a Death Eater."
"But no - that's not the reason! You never lifted your wand until Bellatrix came after me. And you ran through half the battle to get to her, for Merlin's sake! I didn't you to save me!"
"But Harry did," Draco added. "Bloke put me in charge of making sure you got out alive, even if no one else did. So you can go on and sit here and pretend that you can still yell at him about leaving you after you got bleeding engaged, or you can go live your life. He did love, whether you doubt that or not."
Ginny watched intently as Draco got up and headed toward the door. Quickly, she threw down a handful of Galleons, grabbed her coat, and ran out the door after him. Her shoes clicking on the cobblestone, she came up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. He was nearly a head taller than her, but Draco turned nonetheless.
"What?" he asked.
"D'you feel like walking me home? Seeing as how you're already a pro at making sure I don't get killed, I just assumed you'd love to," Ginny asked with a grin, though immediately regretted asking.
Draco rolled his eyes and took her hand. "I'd be delighted," he sneered jokingly.
Author: paradise_loved
Title: Night at the Leaky Cauldron
Pairing: Draco/Ginny
Rating: PG13 for drinking
Summary: After the tragic death of a central character, Ginny and another character sit together at the Leaky Cauldron.
Notes: Beta-ed by Heidi.
A cool wind blew through Ginny’s hair as yet another loud group of wizards and witches walked into the Leaky Cauldron. She clicked her red nails impatiently on wooden bar, looking around at everyone else who seemed to be twice as cheery as she was.
"Can I get another Butterbeer, yeah?" she called out to the young barkeep, a new lad not much older than her who had taken over after Tom had died a year ago.
"That’s your fourth tonight, Miss," he yelled back. "You should be giddy by now. Can I offer you anything else?"
Ginny shook her head and glanced around one more time, still clicking her nails. The main room was cool, surprisingly, on the night in August. Her black dress hung loosely off of her shoulders and her hair still looked slightly neat from the morning’s service.
The barkeep turned back around and set down a small glass of Firewhiskey. Ginny looked at it, furrowing her eyebrows, and then said quietly, "I don't think I requested that."
"I know that," the barkeep replied. "That blonde lad over there did."
Ginny turned to see Draco Malfoy sauntering over, wearing black slacks, a while collared shirt, half unbuttoned with a loose maroon tie. He smirked at her and pointed to her Firewhiskey as he sat next to her at the bar.
"Care to give me the same as her?" he asked, pointing at her drink.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ginny reprimanded. "Do you always have to be a git?"
"Do you always have to look like you're going to turn and Avada Kedavra yourself any chance you get?" Draco responded, giving the same smirk he had given her not a moment ago.
Ginny stared at him and then shook her head, turning back and drinking her Firewhiskey. Once it was down, she blinked the tears out of her eyes and asked, "I suppose you went then?"
"'Course. I had to make sure the bloke was dead finally," he said with a shrug. "Rather surprising not seeing you there though. Most of us expected you to be there to forgive him for all he'd done and all that."
Ginny paused before saying anything else, debating whether or not she should tell Draco that she had come to the funeral. Harry had left her the Invisibility Cloak in his will, and she had taken it, to stand in back and just watch his funeral. It was miserable watching a 7-month pregnant Hermione sob through her eulogy, and to listen to her brothers stutter nervously through most of theirs. She had never seen so many people at a funeral before and all of them seemed so appreciative of Harry. So proud, he might as well have been made a saint.
Draco stared at her for a moment, before asking, "Are you still that furious?"
"I don't have anything else to say to you," she murmured. This was a lie, and Ginny realized it as soon as the words came out of her mouth. "Actually," Ginny added, "I want to know something."
"I am single," he replied, with a grin. "Is that all?"
"Shut it," she told him. "I want to know why you killed Bellatrix during the Final Battle."
"Because she was a Death Eater."
"But no - that's not the reason! You never lifted your wand until Bellatrix came after me. And you ran through half the battle to get to her, for Merlin's sake! I didn't you to save me!"
"But Harry did," Draco added. "Bloke put me in charge of making sure you got out alive, even if no one else did. So you can go on and sit here and pretend that you can still yell at him about leaving you after you got bleeding engaged, or you can go live your life. He did love, whether you doubt that or not."
Ginny watched intently as Draco got up and headed toward the door. Quickly, she threw down a handful of Galleons, grabbed her coat, and ran out the door after him. Her shoes clicking on the cobblestone, she came up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. He was nearly a head taller than her, but Draco turned nonetheless.
"What?" he asked.
"D'you feel like walking me home? Seeing as how you're already a pro at making sure I don't get killed, I just assumed you'd love to," Ginny asked with a grin, though immediately regretted asking.
Draco rolled his eyes and took her hand. "I'd be delighted," he sneered jokingly.