Black Rose (Draco Malfoy)

Talking With Harry

  Chapter 32: Talking With Harry

"That is odd," Ginny said as we sat in my room the next evening. "I don't know why Snape would bring it up. Do you think Draco could have complained to him?"

I shrugged. "It didn't seem like it." I paused. There was something else I had been thinking, and I wanted to test the idea. "Do you know if Snape's ever been in love with someone?"

Ginny seemed startled by the question. "No. The thought never even crossed my mind. He just doesn't seem like the type, if you know what I mean. He's always detested emotions and stuff like romance."

I could see where she was coming from, yet, something inside me wanted to reject the notion. Intuition. "That doesn't mean he was always that way. What if it's the other way around? What if he became bitter because of a tragic experience with a girl in his past?"

Ginny blinked. "That's an interesting theory." A thoughtful expression crossed her face. "That would certainly explain a lot." She frowned. "But then, wouldn't he be warning you away from Draco because of the pain love can cause?"

I shook my head. "Not necessarily. Maybe he knows what went wrong and wants to stop Draco and me from making the same mistake." I shrugged. "This is all just speculation, of course."

"I doubt you'll have much of a chance to find out the truth."

"I wouldn't say that," I said with a small smirk. "Don't doubt my powers of getting through to people."

Ginny laughed. "Ok, Crystal. How about instead of analyzing Snape, we talk about the actual advice he gave?"

"Alright," I agreed. "Do you think there's any sense in it?"

"I think it's understandable," Ginny began slowly and carefully. "It did seem like you gave up a bit too early, no offense. You two seemed so inseparable."

"That's because I was avoiding our problems," I said quietly, looking away.

"And now you're not?"

I looked at her and frowned. "Draco doesn't even think there's anything wrong. How are we supposed to fix something he doesn't believe is broken?"

"Did you even try? If he really means that much to you, if you really love him, then why wouldn't you do everything you possibly could to help him see the light? Don't get me wrong, you've done more than anyone ever thought possible, and no one here would blame you if you gave up, but are you really prepared to leave him behind, knowing where you're likely leaving him?" She was staring at me with a very serious expression on her face. She paused before continuing. "I don't know what the right choice is, but I would warn you to think about it carefully. You're going to have to be able to live with the decision or the rest of your life."

I nodded numbly. "Right," I murmured. I touched the place on my chest where my pendant lay hidden. "I will think about it. Thanks for the advice, Ginny."

She smiled warmly at me. "Anytime. I'm going to go see what's going on in the common room. Care to join me?"

"Ok."

We both stood up and headed down the stairs. There were several people hanging out in the common room. Ron, Harry, and Hermione appeared to be attempting to studying, but the two boys were obviously distracted. "Hey, guys," Ginny said lightly as we entered.

"Hey, Ginny," Ron said boredly. When he noticed me, he frowned. "Crystal, I take back what I said about Malfoy. You should make up with him. He's been nastier than ever to us since you broke up." He made a face.