Silver Eyes

silverbutterfly

Rating: R
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Draco & Ginny
Book: Draco & Ginny, Books 1 - 5
Published: 08/04/2004
Last Updated: 13/07/2004
Status: completed

Ginny is tired of her snob boyfriend and leaves him. Draco hires her to help a little boy he's hiding in his Manor. Who is this boy and why is Malfoy hiding him? As she searches for answers, love arises between the couple.

Chapters

1. A vision of the past and present

2. Meeting Old Friends and Enemies

3. High Society

4. Girls Talk

5. Breaking Up with Style

6. Weasel vs. Ferret

7. A New Start

8. Winning his heart

9. Some of the Truth

10. Kisses by the Fire

11. Birthday Party

12. Ooooopppppppppsssss

13. Three Times Hurt

14. Sweet Confessions

15. Saying Goodbye

16. Love Hurts

17. The Visitor

18. Just This Once

19. Positano

20. The Truth is Essential

21. Try

1. A vision of the past and present

Hey, I wish I had the ingredients to do the Polyjuice Potion, to make myself look like J.K Rowling, but I would still lack the writing talent, so stick with me…

I do not own Harry Potter… And, I'm really sad that I don't own Draco Malfoy (*sobs*). Oh well, life goes on!

~~Silver Eyes~~

“And I see you standing there

Wanting more from me

And all I can do

Is try…”

Nelly Furtado

Chapter 1 - A vision of the past and present

Early morning, Virginia Weasley walked along the clean and expensive floors of the Moretti Clinic, the best and most expensive medical clinic in wizarding England.

In half an hour the first patients would start arriving, but Ginny liked to arrive to early, to have everything in order to start working.

Changing her suitcase to her left hand, she raised her right one to wipe her forehead. It was middle summer, and the weather was extremely hot, even inside the marble corridors. Good thing she had put her long red hair in a perfect bun, or she would be frying beneath her large mane of curly hair.

Stopping in front of a door, she read the plaque on it…

`Healer Virginia Weasley

Specialized in Motor Rehabilitation'

Everything felt so wrong to her… This clinic was not where she had envisioned herself, when she graduated from Wizarding College. Only rich people came here, and that's where Ginny's problems started.

Her dream, when she chose her career, was to work with people who truly needed her help, because they couldn't afford medical assistance… A big part of that dream was to work with children, but everything changed even before it could start.

What destroyed her dreams? We'll get to that…

Entering her office, Ginny placed her suitcase on the big desk, and looked around her. Everything in this clinic was extremely expensive, tidied, clean and … impersonal. It made her feel melancholic and unhappy, to say the truth.

Now, let me explain why is she so unhappy…

Ginny had finished Hogwarts 6 years ago and after a few weeks of pondering, she decided what career she wanted to follow… She wanted to help people recover from their handicaps after the violent Final War, against Voldemort.

The War had lasted months, and when Harry finally destroyed Voldemort, many children were orphan, and some of them had lost more than their families… They had lost their innocence, their childhood… Some had lost their mental capacities and some had lost their body members.

How could she not feel a big desire to hep those people in need?

`Well, look where I am now… I don't belong here!' she thought sadly, sitting behind her desk. “How am I still here after a whole year?”

“Because you love me?” a male voice came from the doorway, making her jump in surprise. “Good morning, Virginia dear…”

Trying to stabilize her breathing again, Ginny watched the handsome blond man walk across her office in her direction, his attractive body beautifully covered in a black suit and blue tie, matching his deep blue eyes.

“Good morning, Carlo…” she smiled, standing up to give him a soft kiss on his lips. “You're looking good!”

“Of course, darling! I must be at my top all the time…” he winked sexily, making her weeks go weak. His smile always had that effect on her.

“So, what are you doing here, today? I thought you weren't coming to work today!” Ginny asked, sitting back on her chair.

“I'm not working today, but I have a meeting with my Father… I came by to tell you that tonight we have a dinner party at the Fashionable Hotel, at 7:30 pm. Make sure you're there on time, ok?” Carlo said, looking at her with a scowl. “What are you wearing?”

Ginny looked at her outfit. She was wearing a black skirt that barely touched her knees, a red top and black high-heeled sandals… There was nothing wrong with that, but Carlo always thought there was.

“You really need to learn how to dress, darling! How can I have you by my side if you don't have a taste for fashion?” he asked, folding his arms in front of his wide chest.

“Carlo, I'm ok like this… It's so hot out there!” Ginny complained, bored. “You always make that speech that I don't look good, and I don't like it…”

“Darling, look at me! Is there anything wrong with my look?” Carlo asked, placing his arms away from his body, for her to see well.

“Carlo, if you love me, you'll accept plain old me! I've accepted you, your rich friends and your boring parties… Just try to accept me as I am!” Ginny said, furious, studying her patients' files.

“See you there at 7:30 pm… Don't forget!” was all he said, as he left her office.

“Damn you, Carlo Moretti!” Ginny yelled, throwing the file she was reading against the closed door.

Ginny had met Carlo at college, and on their final year, they started dating.

Carlo was a very attractive man, son of extremely wealthy people, the heir of the Moretti Empire, and a successful Healer. Why he chose Ginny to be his girlfriend? Yes, she asked herself that question often, and always came to the same conclusion… Because she was the Minister of Magic's daughter.

After they both ended their graduations, a year ago, Carlo convinced Ginny to leave her job at an orphanage, and join his family's clinic. She didn't want to, but he said that he couldn't have his future wife working in such a poor place.

Happy that he thought of her as his wife, she had agreed to come to this bloody clinic. He made her change her visual, buying her extremely expensive clothes and made her take classes on how to behave in parties and social events.

Once again, Ginny found herself feeling disgusted with her behaviour. How could she leave her ambitions to join a bunch of snob rich people, that made up diseases just to go to the Moretti clinic and say in front of everyone that they usually went there? In Carlo's world, everyone lived of appearances.

She really liked Carlo, but she didn't love him… And apparently, he didn't love her back. Yes, he was gentle and caring when he wanted to, and this happened on rare occasions.

Sighing, Ginny tried to calm herself and prepared to attend her patients of that morning.

************

Hey everyone, this is my third Fanfiction here at Portkey.org and I hope it becomes as successful as the other 2: His Little Healer and When the Angels Cry.

I know this first chapter was short and a little boring, but I had to let you all know what has been happening in Ginny's life, lately.

I hope you come back for more, and until then, please leave a review, ok?

Love, Carina

2. Meeting Old Friends and Enemies

Hey, I wish I had the ingredients to do the Polyjuice Potion, to make myself look like J.K Rowling, but I would still lack the writing talent, so stick with me�

I do not own Harry Potter� And, I'm really sad that I don't own Draco Malfoy (*sobs*). Oh well, life goes on!

Chapter 2 - Meeting Old Friends and Enemies

�Healer Weasley, there's someone outside to see you!� Audrey, her secretary, told her in the middle of the morning, between patients.

�Who is it?� Ginny asked, drinking her fresh water.

�Miss Hermione Granger� Do I tell her to make an appointment?� Audrey asked.

�Of course not! Please, send her in at once!� Ginny said, standing up from her chair and running to the office door, to welcome her best friend. �Hermione!�

A tall brunette turned around at the sound of her name. Seeing Ginny, she smiled widely and hugged her sweet friend.

�Ginny! It has been so long�� Hermione smiled, looking at Ginny from head to toes. �You sure look different!�

�I know� We have a lot to talk about, after two months without seeing each other!� Ginny complained, gesturing for Hermione to enter her office.

�Healer Weasley, there are 3 more patients outside to see you!� Audrey said, shocked with Ginny's relaxed behaviour.

�I know, Audrey� I'll see them in a few moments!� Ginny replied as she shut the door and turned around to smile at Hermione. �Oh Mione, I'm in desperate need to talk with you� How was your visit to old Europe?�

�It was� incredible! Harry and I had a wonderful time together, if you know what I mean!� Hermione said with a wicked smile.

�Oh, you naughty girl!� Ginny laughed, sitting again. �Merlin, I've missed laughing for these two months��

�What's going on, Gin? Your mother said she's worried with you, that lately your always looking sad and that you don't laugh like you used to!� Hermione asked, concerned with her best friend.

�It's a long story, Mione� Can we have lunch today? I have patients outside waiting for me�� Ginny asked, sadly.

�Of course� I miss our lunches at the Three Broomsticks! I'll meet you there at 1 pm!� Hermione replied, standing up to leave.

Ginny looked at Hermione and noticed how different she was from her old days at Hogwarts. Her hair was still long, but now it wasn't bushy. By the contrary, it was silky and straight, framing her perfectly made-up face. She was wearing white pants and a pink top� so unlike her old days, when she would cover her body, in shame.

She was a beautiful woman now, and a lucky one, because she had landed with Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-Twice�

`Oh, I miss old days, when I didn't have a worry and all we did was have fun!' she thought, as Hermione closed the door after her.

Finally Ginny finished her morning patients and left the Clinic. It was 1:15 pm and she was late for her lunch with Hermione.

Diagon Alley's streets were empty, as everyone avoided the extreme heat at that hour of the day, making it easier for Ginny to walk to the Three Broomsticks. The only problem was that her heels kept on getting stuck on the stone floor, making her trip and almost fall, for several times.

Ginny was taking the last turn, that would take her to the famous bar, when she tripped again and this time was unable to keep her balance.

Closing her eyes, she thrust her hands in front of her body, waiting for the impact against the floor� but it never came. There were two strong arms around her small waist, keeping her from touching the stones floor.

Sighing in relief, Ginny straightened her self and tried to look at her saviour, but the sun was behind his face and against her eyes, making it impossible to see his features. But one thing was sure; he had a hell of a body.

�Thank you so much� I swear I'll never walk in Diagon Alley with this shoes again!� she smiled sweetly, straightening her skirt and top.

�I think the problem it's not the shoes� It's the blood, Weasel!� a male voice said, making her head shoot up in alarm and a cold shiver run through her body, although it was extremely hot outside.

`There's only one person capable of saying such thing about my family�' she thought, narrowing her eyes. `Draco Malfoy!'

�Malfoy... Now I wish you hadn't kept me from falling! I would rather heal my knees than have your ferrety hands touching me�� Ginny replied, keeping a cold facade, although she was furious and nervous on the inside.

�Hey, I'm the one who will have to sterilize his hands after this run-in!� he complained, starting to move, finally allowing Ginny to take a good look at her old nemesis, from Hogwarts, and her crush on her Bad-Boy phase.

`Well, well, well� Just look at that! The Slytherin Sex God looks even better now, than he did in the old days!' Ginny thought, looking at his long blond hair, flowing around his slightly tanned face; his silver eyes watching her with curiosity and his full lips begging to be kissed.

Can you imagine Draco wearing kaki pants and a baby blue tight polo, showing off his well-defined chest and arms' muscles? Well, that's what Ginny's seeing right now and trying hard not to drool.

<

3. High Society

Hey, I wish I had the ingredients to do the Polyjuice Potion, to make myself look like J.K Rowling, but I would still lack the writing talent, so stick with me…

I do not own Harry Potter… And, I'm really sad that I don't own Draco Malfoy (*sobs*). Oh well, life goes on!

Chapter 3 - High Society

“Mom, I'm home!” Ginny announced as soon as she Apparated home, later that day.

The sun was starting to set and the air was starting to become cooler, although it was still abnormally hot for England's standard.

After a very tiring afternoon, all Ginny wanted was to lie in her tub, enjoying a nice bath and then go to bed and sleep for the whole weekend.

“Hello darling… You look tired!” Mr. Weasley said with a gentle smile, when his daughter entered the Burrow's kitchen.

“I am tired, Daddy… How was your day at work?” she asked with a smile, kissing his baldhead.

“The usual… Nothing worth of your time.” He chuckled.

“Ginny, dear, I'm glad you're home! Carlo just sent someone to deliver a package and a letter for you… They're on your bed.” Molly Weasley said to her daughter, kissing her cheek before she proceeded to make dinner.

“Oh no… I just remembered we have a party tonight! I wish I didn't have to go…” she complained, dropping her suitcase on the couch. Looking at the big old grandfather watch, Ginny found out that she had little more than half an hour to arrive at the Fashionable Hotel.

Immediately she ran to her bedroom and as soon as she opened the door, her whole body stood still, unable to take another step.

“Oh dear Merlin! Is he nuts?” she yelled.

There, on top of her white bedcover was a red silk dress, with a humongous cleavage and a tight long skirt with a small tail that brushed the floor.

The dress was beautiful, of course, but she hated that Carlo made her wear the dresses he chose for her… Yes, they were gorgeous and expensive, but they made her feel like a toy he loved to play with and show off in front of everyone.

`Dear Virginia, don't forget to be there on time… I'm sure you'll look perfect in this dress. Best wishes, Carlo Moretti'

Even his damn letters sounded impersonal and uncaring!

Sadly, Ginny took a quick bath, dried her hair and with a quick spell made it tie itself at the back of her head, in a tight bun, with a few red curls adorning her face. Next step: she applied a little of make up and for effect, painted her lips red.

Now that she was ready, Ginny put on the dress and wished she wouldn't asphyxiate after a whole night being so tight in it. Actually, the dress fitted perfectly her curves. It was strapless, showing off her beautiful shoulders and accentuating her narrow waist. The long skirt was tight until her knees and then flared in a beautiful tail. Putting on red sandals, Ginny was ready to go to the bloody party.

“WOW!” Mr. and Mrs. Weasley mumbled when they daughter entered the kitchen, looking like a very elegant and rich woman. Yep, their little Virginia had grown up into a beautiful woman. “You look wonderful, darling…”

“Are you nuts, Dad? She's bloody naked!” Ron yelled, his face red with fury, as he watched his little sister in the tight dress. “You're not leaving this house dressed like that!”

“Ronald Weasley, I am not naked or whatsoever!” Ginny replied in a calm voice. “I'm 24 years old and I do not need you to tell me what I should or should not wear… What are you doing here, by the way? Did Luna throw you out?”

“No… I just came to talk with Dad, but don't change the subject!” Ron said, trying to contain his anger by not looking at his sister. “You shouldn't walk around with those tight dresses and big cleavages!”

“I agree, Ronniekins!” Ginny laughed amused. “But, I have a party to attend and I have to look elegant… Mom, Dad, do you approve?”

“We sure do, Gin! Carlo will love to see you in that dress…” Mrs. Weasley replied with a big smile on her face.

“Great, I must go now…” she smiled sweetly, kissing both her parents and her favourite brother. “Don't worry Ron, the dress covers the important parts…”

He only grunted in reply and watched has Ginny Disapparated.

As she had expected, the Fashionable Hotel was extremely high-class, with its high marble ceilings and the expensive couches sided by old Renaissance statues. Slowly, Ginny walked to the ballroom, where dozens of people were talking in loud voices, with big fake smiles on their faces and glasses of expensive Champaign on their heavily jewelled hands.

Ginny leaned against a large marble column, watching the way these people behaved, not realising that someone was behind her, watching her with curiosity and fascination.

*****

Draco Malfoy was late for the party, but he wasn't worried. Usually the invitations said 7:30 pm and the dinner only started at 8:30 pm. Walking quickly through the hotel's main hall, with his black robes flowing behind him, Draco entered the ballroom and immediately stood rooted to the ground.

There she was again… The woman who had kept his mind unfocused, all afternoon. What she was doing here was the first thing to cross his mind. She was looking gorgeous in that red dress, but her hair was caught in a bun, when it should have been left down, cascading around her oval shaped face. And her lips…

`Red… Always the Gryffindor.' he sighed inwardly, watching has she nibbled her bottom lip in nervousness. `Once again, what is she doing here?'

Having decided he had watched her for enough time, Draco decided to interrupt her thoughts.

*******

Ginny had lost count of the time she had spent hidden behind that column when someone touched her bare shoulder, making her take an in sharp breath and turn around to face the person.

Her eyes went huge and her mouth parted a little in shock. Right in front of her was the man whom had saved her at lunchtime… The gorgeous, but acid, Draco Malfoy.

“Wishing you were one of them?” he asked, making a head movement towards the gathering people at the party.

“Hell no!” she replied, finally breathing again, trying hard to sound cool and unaffected by his presence. “What are you doing here?”

“I am a Malfoy… Rich and powerful, why shouldn't I be here?” he asked with a sneer. “The right question is, what are YOU doing here? … Trying to sneak into the party without an invitation?”

“Of course, Malfoy… Why else would I be wearing an extremely expensive dress, matching shoes and make-up?” she replied with a well-trained smile. Then, she came closer to him and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “Don't tell anyone but I just went to the Hotel's laundry and stole some woman's dress! Can you keep this as a secret?”

With an amused smile, she took a step back and waited for his reply.

“I'm won't tell anyone, Weasel… That would be saying that we actually had a conversation! I don't want to ruin my image!” Draco replied, his hands still itching to hold her waist and his brain still acknowledging her soft scent.

“Ah, that's just what Carlo always says… I don't want to ruin my image!” she said in a bored voice, fixing her dress' corset. “Enjoy your dinner, Malfoy…”

He couldn't answer, as he had just realised whom she was talking about. Carlo Moretti, son of his business partner, Julio Moretti.

`How does she know Carlo?' he asked himself, still surprised, as he watched her walk among the big groups of laughing people, looking like she was searching for someone.

********

After a quick search, Ginny found Carlo by the bar with his Father, both looking very elegant in their black robes.

`Draco's robes are just like those but they look much better on him…' Ginny thought to herself with a smile. `Gin, you really need to stop thinking about the Ferret-boy… He's no good for you!'

“Virginia, darling, you look wonderful!” Carlo smiled, holding her against his body, with his arm around her waist.

“Thank you, Carlo… The dress is beautiful, thank you!” she said, trying hard to smile and look happy. “Good evening, Mr. Moretti!”

“Good evening Virginia… I had lunch with Mrs. Koltrain last Monday and she told me wonderful things about you. She loves you as her Healer…” Mr. Moretti, a tall man with white hair and aristocratic features. Whenever he walked in a room, you felt respect towards him… Not many people have this power over people. “It's great to have a successful Healer as my son's wife to be…”

Ginny forgot what she was about to say and just stared at Mr. Moretti in shock.

`Wife to be? Since when?'

“Virginia, why are you looking so shocked?” the old man asked, curious with her reaction.

“Oh, we are not engaged, sir… We are dating and I don't intend on marrying so soon!” Ginny said, trying to explain her reasons, but still please father and son.

“But I thought Carlo had already asked you to marry him! Carlo?” Mr. Moretti asked with a serious face.

“I was waiting for the right moment, Dad… Now that we've talked about that, I think all we need is Virginia's acceptance and the ring on her finger!” Carlo said with an air of superiority. “So, Virginia, what do you say? Are we engaged?”

`Wow… How romantic you are, Carlo!' Ginny mentally snarled, although she kept the fake smile on her face.

“Carlo, let's do this somewhere more private, ok?” she asked him. She really didn't want to answer to his stupid proposal in front of all those people she didn't know.

“Why? You just have to say Yes or No!” Carlo insisted, shrugging his shoulders.

“It's more than Yes or No, Carlo… We'll talk about this in private!” she menaced, her eyes sparkling with irritation.

“Fine, fine… I hate it when you get a temper!” Carlo complained, releasing her waist.

Thankfully, a house-elf interrupted their little fight to announce that dinner would be served. The table was extremely long and set with the finest porcelain, crystal glasses and linen napkins… On equal distances there were beautiful flower centres, with red roses, white lilies and green leafs.

Carlo, his father and another man Ginny didn't know sat between other people, leaving Ginny standing there, alone, looking at Carlo with a shocked face.

`What's wrong with him? Is he thicker than I thought?' she asked herself, furiously. `I have the biggest urge to break up with him in front of all this people, right now!'

Finally removing her death stare at Carlo, Ginny's eyes wondered down the table, searching for a seat, and her gaze locked on silver eyes… Beautiful silver eyes that shone under the candles' light, looking warm and gentle.

`Oh Merlin, I really need to forget about the Ferret-Boy… I've had enough of these thoughts when I was a teenager!' Ginny scolded herself.

Draco sneered at Ginny and with his hand pointed to the seat in front of him. The only seat left on the enormous table… Trying hard not to look affected by this, Ginny elegantly walked to her seat and accommodated herself.

“Aren't we lucky tonight, Weaselette?” he drawled, playing with one of the red roses of the flower centre, between both of them.

“Speak for yourself, Malfoy…” she replied, reading the Menu, not bothering to look at him. “I find myself very out of luck today. First of all I had a run-in with a Ferret in the middle of Diagon Alley… Did you know I hate those little animals? Then, I went home, after a tiring day at work, wishing I could sleep for a week, when I remembered that I had this party to attend! And lucky me, here is the ferret again, and I have to dinner face to face with him…”

“Aren't we smart mouthed?” he laughed with amusement, surprising Ginny and making her eyes look at him over the Menu.

“Aren't we too happy for the Malfoy's standards?” she replied, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

“I can laugh… when I want to.” He said, sipping his red wine.

`Don't look Gin, don't look!' she warned herself, but her eyes focused his full lips sipping the wine and suddenly the room was extremely hot and the hair on her nape stood on end. `Damn it, Ginny, I told you not to look!'

“See something you like?” he asked with a sexy smile.

“Yes, I was trying to see where these glasses were made! They are quite beautiful…” she said convincingly, raising her own glass to read the bottom. “Oh, Crystal D'Arques, this is a very good manufacturer, don't you agree?”

Draco just stared at her, his face blank and his eyes cold once again. Any sign of emotion had been drained out of his face and eyes, and Draco Malfoy was back to his old self.

As the meal went on, Ginny and Draco ate in silence, both trying to ignore the other by talking with the people by their side. It was on one of these conversations that Draco chocked on his wine, making Ginny laugh very unladylike.

This is what happened:

“I haven't seen you at Alexandra Campbell's birthday party!” an old lady, wearing an awful pink dress and too much gold on her neck, said to Ginny with a superior look of importance.

“I know, Mrs. Stuart, but I was working that night…” Ginny smiled sweetly. “I had an urgency.”

“Oh… Was it someone I know?” the lady asked, interested.

“No, I think not…” Ginny replied. She didn't like to reveal who her patients were.

“Oh Healer Weasley… Lately my neck is so sore, can you tell me what it is?” the lady asked, rubbing her gold filled neck, making a sour face as if she were in pain.

On that same moment, Draco, who had been sipping his wine, chocked. Ginny saw his surprised face and laughed hard, while he cleaned his wine-dripping chin. When she finally got her laughter under control, Ginny looked at Mrs. Stuart again.

“If you want to, you can make an appointment at the Clinic, but right now I'm off duty…” Ginny explained, realising through the corner of her eye that Draco was looking at her with a frown. “But I can give you an advice… Don't wear so much gold around your neck! Necks were made to support your head, not your jewel box…”

“How dare you saying such thing?!” the lady asked, feeling extremely upset. “You Weasleys have no manners!”

“Yes, we do, Mrs. Stuart… The only difference is that a Weasley always says the truth, no matter what the cost is! You should try that, sometime…” Ginny replied coldly, placing her linen napkin on the table as she rose from her seat. “Excuse me…”

With her chin high, Ginny elegantly walked out of the dinning room towards the open doors that lead to a big balcony, overlooking the Tames River and a beautiful garden, illuminated by the moonlight.

`Honestly, these people should have a few good manners classes with Mum… That would definitively be fun, watching them being yelled at by Molly Weasley!' she laughed to herself, a small smile tugging at her lips.

“Upset?” a male voice asked behind her.

“Not really… I just don't like this kind of people.” She explained, knowing immediately who was the man behind her. “They are always so fake and exaggerated… I really hate these parties!”

“Well, that makes two of us… That's why I hate being back on England!” Draco replied, leaning against the balcony railing to face her. “So, you're a Healer?”

“Yep… That surprised you, I've noticed your little reaction!” she said, giggling at the memory. “I'm a specialist on Motor Rehabilitation…”

“Really? The ones who help people with physical handicaps?” he asked, suddenly very interested.

“That's right… I wish I could really work on that! The patients at the clinic don't need me at all. They are all perfectly healthy, but they keep on coming though.” She explained, not really understanding why she was telling him all this. “I guess I'm only still working there because of Carlo…”

“You know Carlo Moretti?” Draco asked, curious.

“He's my boyfriend…” she told him, watching as his face became blank once again, hiding all emotions behind a cold faÃ§ade.

They looked at each other for a few moments until a house-elf told Draco that someone was looking for him.

“Good evening, Healer Weasley!” he said, quickly leaving the balcony.

Ginny just stood there, her hands holding the balcony's railing, breathing the garden perfumes, trying to relax after her first real conversation with Ferret-Boy, the Slytherin Sex God, Draco Malfoy.

When she moved her left hand from the railing, she felt something extremely soft brush her skin. Looking down, she saw a perfect red rose… the rose Draco had been playing with at the beginning of the dinner.

With a small smile, Ginny held it and brought it to her face, to feel the softness of the petals against her skin and the scent of the flower.

“Here's something romantic, Carlo… Something I would never expect from a Malfoy!” Ginny said into the night, before she walked back to the ball for another boring ball.

Although she searched for Draco all night, she never found him and her mind kept on thinking about the blond man that had surprised her in many ways, that day.

***********

I've just finished this chapter and wanted to get it out, so here it is…

It's the biggest chapter I've ever wrote, and if my story is going to have these big chapters, it will take me longer to update… I hope you don't mind.

Thank you for the reviews, everyone!

Love, Carina

4. Girls Talk

Chapter 4 - Girls talk

Next morning, Ginny woke up with the sound of birds singing on the Burrow's garden.

“What a way to wake up!” she yawned, stretching her long legs and arms on her king-sized bed. That was one of her first purchases, when she started receiving her pay-salary.

Through the gauzy curtain, she watched the perfectly blue sky and sighed. It was a perfect day to relax around the house… Ginny got up from her bed and has she reached for her wand, on her bedside table, her fingers brushed on something silky. Looking down, she found the beautiful red rose she had received last night, from someone she hadn't expected to do such thing.

“You're seeing too much in a simple gesture, Virginia, dear…” she scolded herself. “Maybe he just wanted to get rid of it and by coincidence he left it on the railing… close to your hand…”

She really was exaggerating, right? Or maybe not?

On her 6th year, Ginny had started to watch Draco Malfoy on the school's corridors and on the Great Hall, at meal times. He used to bed one of the most gorgeous guys in Hogwarts, with his pale and smooth skin, the full lips (so kissable) and the shiny blond hair that hung free of gel in front of his silver eyes.

If you asked Ginny what was her favourite feature in Draco, she would have to say, without a doubt, his silver eyes.

After so many months just watching him and fantasising over him, Ginny had come to be an expert on Draco's eyes.

When he was angry or when he looked at the Dream Team, his eyes would become a stormy dark grey, able to make you want to shrink until you're nothing but a little ant. When he was interested in something, his eyes became a steel grey that made you confess every single thing you knew. And her favourite look, but an extremely rare one, was when he was amused and smiled or laughed. On those rare moments his eyes became a light grey, with rays of blue in it, that could melt your heart.

After so many years, Ginny still remembered this crush she had had over him, and blamed this old thoughts on her overreaction about the rose.

Putting on a pair of black mini-shorts and a green spaghetti straps top, she caught her hair in a ponytail and walked down the stairs. In the hallway there was a faint smell of food, and she wondered if it was already lunchtime. Looked time she really had slept her tiredness away.

As she reached the last step, her eyes fell on the living room full of people and she squealed in excitement. There, sitting comfortably on couches were Ron, Luna and their 3 year old boy, Sean; Harry and Hermione sitting so close that she was almost on his lap, both looking extremely happy; and Mr. Weasley, looking proudly at his little grandson.

“Good morning, family!” Ginny smiled happily, kissing her father, her brother and Luna. As she was kissing Luna's cheek, Ginny felt a small hand grab her butt. “Hey! Sean, what do you think you're doing, little boy?”

Sean laughed when his aunt picked him up in the air and placed his tiny arms around her neck for support.

“Hello, Piggy…” he replied, with a cute smile on his freckled face.

Ginny laughed and messed her nephew's mass of red hair.

“Really Ron, I don't want you teaching those things to Sean! We already had problems at the day care because of those gropings…” Luna said angrily staring at her husband.

“Hey, I'm not the fault… He watched me doing that to you and he decided to experiment, that's all!” Ron complained with a red face.

“It's ok, Luna… At least it wasn't someone I hate!” Ginny smiled sweetly and then placed her nephew back on the ground. “And how's my favourite couple?”

“HEY!” Luna complained with a pout.

“Sorry… One of my favourite couples?” Ginny asked again, hugging Hermione and Harry.

“We're wonderful, Gin!” Harry replied with a huge smile.

“Yeah… I can see that in your face! Hey, Hermione, I wonder what you did to get such a big smile on his face? It looks like his face will stay that way for the next two centuries…” Ginny joked, sitting next to her father.

“Oh, don't worry, I'll tell you all of it, later…” Hermione said with a wink.

“HEY! I don't want your girls talking about my private life behind my back…” Harry complained, placing an arm around Hermione's waist.

“Fine, we can talk about it in front of you and picture how you looked in each moment of the story!” Luna smiled amusedly.

“Mione, promise me you won't tell them about our private life…” Harry pouted, placing his forehead against hers.

“Harry darling, I won't tell them anything they don't need to know, ok?” Hermione kissed him passionately and then smiled.

Ginny had been staring at the two couples in front of her with longing. How she wished to be like them… So deeply in love with their other half and able to show the world how happy they are.

Ron and Luna had started seeing each other on Ginny's 6th year, and they had been together ever since. Ron was his father's right hand in the Ministry and Luna owned The Quibbler, but she had made a lot of changes since her father's days and now the magazine was extremely famous.

Harry and Hermione were a completely different story…

After Harry had defeated Lord Voldemort on the end of his 7th year at Hogwarts, he became very cold and lonely. He was in a huge state of depression and no one seemed capable of helping him out. Having had enough of his bad humour and acid behaviour, Hermione had forced him to go to the old Order's Headquarters, at 12, Grimmauld Place, and after a whole week there, together, they both appeared at the Burrow, both smiling happily.

They still didn't know what had happened in that house for a whole week, but it certainly was worth it, because since then Harry never ceased smiling. Along with Hermione, Harry became and Auror and they were living together.

“Lunch is ready!” Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen, making Ginny wake up from her thoughts. With a huge smile on their faces, everyone ran to the kitchen table, eager to eat Mrs. Weasley's cooking.

A friendly chatter accompanied the delicious lunch and as soon as Harry, Ron, Mr. Weasley and Sean went out to the garden to play Quidditch, the three girls went upstairs to Ginny's bedroom.

“So, how was the party last night?” Hermione asked curious, as they all sat on Ginny's bed.

Ginny told both her friends about every single moment of last night's party and by the end of it, both girls were shocked and surprised.

“He left you a rose? Draco Malfoy?” Luna asked, unable to blink her wide eyes.

“Yes… I just don't know if that rose was meant for me!” Ginny sighed.

“Well, it sure wasn't meant for ME!” Hermione said. “Gosh… He actually did something romantic, didn't he?”

“I wish Ron was like that…” Luna complained. “So, tell me, are you falling for him again, after all these years?”

“I sure hope not, Luna… Back then it was just a little crush. I don't want to suffer in the hands of Draco Malfoy. His fame precedes him, you know?” Ginny replied, holding a pillow against her chest.

“What? The old stories about him going out with a different woman each night, or the ones about him having a one night thing and then leaving them, or the ones about him being violent on the bed?” Luna asked sweetly, making both Ginny and Hermione laugh.

“No… The old stories about him being a cold hearted bastard!” Ginny replied, steadying her breath. “You all know that I'm a sucker who thinks she can save everyone… If I decide to help Draco Malfoy discover the meaning of happiness and love, you both know that I would end up with a heart broken… So, I just don't want to take any chances and luckily I won't be seeing him so soon!”

“Who knows? You could run into him on one of those parties you go to with Carlo…” Hermione replied, looking extremely interested in Ginny's words.

“No, I won't… I've decided what's best for me, Mione. I'm going to break up with Carlo as soon as possible and feel alive again, after a whole year of prison!” Ginny wide opened her arms and yelled at the top of her lungs. “NO MORE MORETTIS IN MY LIFE!”

The three girls laughed and hugged each other.

“That's the right decision, Gin…” Luna smiled. “So, Hermione, tell us the interesting parts of your travel with Harry!”

“Oh, I really shouldn't tell you this, but I know you won't mention it out of this room, so, here it goes!” Hermione replied, blushing deeply. “We have travelled the Muggle way and the first stop was Paris… Harry rented a boat one night and we had dinner has we saw the beautiful monuments, on the Reno's margins. Then, Harry placed an Invisibility spell on us and we had the best sex of my life right there, on the boat front, watching the beautiful lights of Paris reflecting on Harry's eyes…”

“OH DEAR MERLIN!!! Hermione, and you say receiving a rose is romantic? Boy, I wish I had a Harry of my own!” Ginny said with a fascinated smile.

“I can assure you he's more than just fascinating!” Hermione laughed, covering her red face with her hands. “Next stop was Sintra, in Portugal… We have visited the beautiful Pena Palace and then went for a horse carriage sight-seeing.”

“Ok, let me guess… You did it on the carriage, as well?” Luna asked, jealously. “That was uncomfortable, no?”

“A little, yes, but it felt good, nonetheless!” Hermione laughed. “Next stop was Barcelona… Well on that city we weren't very original. The elevator got stuck between floors and instead of using magic to get us out of there, we took our chance to be together!”

“Merlin, where is the book-worm I used to know and love?” Ginny asked with mock concern. “You didn't go on vacations… You went on a Sex Parade around Europe! So where was the next stop?”

“Vienna…”

And the girls' talk went on until it was time for dinner.

“Ok, final stop was at Lake Como, in Italy. We rented a house on the lake shore and on our last day travelling around Europe we were sitting on the house's garden, watching the sun set behind the mountains, reflecting the orangey light on the lake waters and we couldn't help it. We placed ourselves in a maze of tall bushes and made love as we watched the sun set… It was magical!” Hermione ended her adventures with her tears in her eyes and a huge smile on her lips. “See, I don't need photos to remember each country… I have these moments engraved in my memory for the rest of my life!”

“Oh wow, Hermione, I can positively say that if you weren't taking any precautions, you'd have as many kids as the number of countries where you did the deed!” Ginny gasped, feeling emotional.

“I sure hope not, because I didn't take any precautions… Harry and I want a family as soon as possible!” Hermione said, happiness all over her face.

“Oh, we're so happy for you!” Ginny and Luna said, hugging Hermione. “You and Harry will be great parents…”

“Thank you… Come on, let's go down for dinner!” Hermione said, leaving the bedroom.

“Gin…” Luna called, holding Ginny's hand, asking her to stay for a little more. “Are you sure about what you said earlier concerning Draco Malfoy?”

“Yes, Luna… I'm not in love with him, I never was. Yes, I had a schoolgirl crush on him, but I'm older now, and I don't think only with my heart, I'm using my head as well.” Ginny replied, sitting back on her bed. “Yes, he is beautiful, he can be charming when he wants to, but I don't want to mistake physical attraction with love, ok?”

“Ok, Gin, but this afternoon, when you talked about him, your eyes shone like they used to when you had the crush on him!” Luna said, placing a friendly hand on Ginny's shoulder. “I have the feeling that, although you don't want to, you have already decided to help Malfoy discover the happiness and love you talked about… Just make sure of what you truly want, my friend. Sometimes the best gold runs deeper!”

“Luna, you're talking as if you knew something I don't…” Ginny said, looking at her sister-in-law with confusion in her eyes.

“Just think about what I said, ok Ginny?” Luna sighed, starting to leave the bedroom. “Come on, I miss my two boys!”

Still confused about Luna's little speech, Ginny followed her downstairs for dinner.

**********************

Ok, I know all of you want to jump to Draco's scenes, but that's not possible for now…

Next chapter will include Ginny, Carlo, Draco and a party where the plot will start to take form.

Next chapter is the true beginning of this story.

Well, I thought it would be fun to add a little of other pairings and what's better than a nice long girls talk to find out the dirty details of their relations, uh?

Thank you for reviewing and being such wonderful readers.

I love every single one of you.

Carina

5. Breaking Up with Style

Chapter 5 – Breaking up with style

“Where the hell are men when you need them?” Ginny sighed bored, in her office at the Moretti clinic.

Last Monday when she had returned to work, Ginny tried to meet Carlo only to find that he had to go on a business trip and wouldn’t be back until the next weekend. So, now, after a whole week feeling anxious to spill all her discomforts on him, Ginny was getting tired of having to postpone her exit from the clinic.

Just now, a 65 years old lady had left her office, after spending half an hour crying with pains on her wrist. To make sure the problem was real, and not just a stupid excuse to go to a Healer, Ginny performed a simple spell on the woman’s wrist.

The spell made a blue smoke appear, meaning the wrist was perfectly fine, and Ginny was about to say this to old woman, when suddenly she hugged Ginny and cried ‘Thank You! You’ve healed my wrist!’. Just imagine… She hadn’t done anything to the damn wrist, and the woman was saying she had healed her!

“I need to leave this clinic as soon as possible…” she told herself.

“Healer Weasley, Healer Moretti sent you this note.” Audrey warned her, in the middle of the afternoon.

‘Virginia,

Meet me tomorrow at Leigh Drive, nr. 7 in London. There’s a party we must attend, so don’t be late and wear properly. Be there at 9 p.m.

Best wishes, Carlo Moretti’

“The Git! First he leaves the country without even warning me, his girlfriend, and now he wants me to go running to his side at a bloody party? He must think I’m some kind of escort you can call whenever you have the need to do so!” she exploded angrily. “I’m not going! OH, wait a minute… I am going, but it will be on my own terms…”

With an evil grin, Ginny left the clinic. This was the first time, in one year that she left the clinic in the middle of the day with an agenda full of patients to see, and it felt good to finally do something for herself.

After meeting Luna at the Quibbler, both girls took the afternoon off to do some shopping in Muggle London.

“So, tomorrow is the big day… Have you thought about what you’re going to say?” Luna asked, as they both ate an ice-cream, while looking at the shop-windows.

“I don’t need to think about it… I’ve been feeling this way for so long, that when I open my mouth, it will all come flowing naturally!” Ginny smiled wickedly at her sister-in-law. “He’s going to wish he never met me…”

“Gin, please, be careful with what you’re going to do… I don’t want to have to visit you in Azkaban, that place is creepy!” Luna smiled at Ginny’s enthusiasm, and pulled her to walk inside a Muggle clothes store.

“Don’t worry, Luna, I’m not going to do anything harsh, besides ruining his image, of course…” Ginny laughed, and started to run her hands along the wonderful textures of several dresses. “What colour should I wear?”

“If you want to make him drop dead, I would have to say red suits you…” Luna said, showing her a red dress.

“No, I wore red last weekend. Maybe baby blue?”

“Nah… It isn’t strong enough for what you’re going to do…” Luna said, searching for more dresses.

“Hey, black is the perfect colour and it goes perfectly with my hair… Besides, it means mourning and I’m breaking up with him, so it’s double perfect.” Ginny smiled, picking up a black dress and placing it in front of her body. “And I think this one is a possible winner!”

“GINNY! It’s not allowed to wear that kind of dress on a high-society party…” Luna gasped, when she saw the shorter than knee-length tight dress with no back. “And you can’t wear black on those parties…”

“Tomorrow I will wear black, I will wear a short dress and I will do whatever I want to… I feel rebellious!” Ginny giggled, going behind a curtain to try on the dress. “So, what do you think, Luna? Do I look ready to kill?”

“Oh dear Merlin, you are definitively going to give him an heart attack… and then, you will go to Azkaban and I’ll feel guilty for letting you do this!” Luna sighed sadly. “I’m such a bad sister-in-law…”

“Luna…” Ginny pouted. “Please, you have to support me!”

“Gin, you look wonderful and I can only hope that after you do this insane thing, you go back to being the happy girl I once met at Hogwarts…” Luna said, hugging her friend. “I love you, sister…”

“I love you too, Loony…” Ginny smiled, taking a last turn in front of the mirror to admire her naked back and the cleavage on her chest.

After spending the whole day talking and laughing with Hermione and Harry at the Burrow, Ginny finally went to her room, to get ready for the party, with Hermione’s help. Her friend had the same reaction as Luna, but Ginny didn’t care about rules, tonight…

She took a nice bath, put on the dress, black high-heeled sandals; her long red curly hair was cascading down her back and she put on white gipsy like earrings, made of beads. Hermione did her make up in earth tones and Ginny put on an invisible pocket on the side of her dress, to take her wand with her.

“Ginny, I sure hope everything works out the way you want… If you need backup, Harry and I will be here for you.” Hermione smiled, hugging her friend.

“Oh, I think I can handle Carlo alone, but thank you anyway!” Ginny smiled, following Hermione down stairs.

“Will Malfoy be there?” Hermione asked with a wicked smile on her face.

“Hermione, why did you have to open your mouth? Merlin, I’m surrounded by incompetent people!” Ginny sighed jokingly. “I don’t know, and I’m not interested…”

“Liar!” Hermione shouted, running to Harry’s arms, as he was sitting on a couch.

“Hey, Ginny, you look great…” he smiled.

“Thank you, Harry. Now, I must get going… Don’t want to disappoint my darling boyfriend, do I?” she joked, Apparating to the address Carlo had sent her on the note.

With a soft pop, Ginny was now in front of a huge dark mansion. The walls were made of black stone and there were hundreds of windows from where the candles’ light was shone through.

“Who the hell lives in here? This looks like a house taken out of one of those Horror movies, that Hermione made me watch a few years ago…” Ginny mumbled to her self.

Taking a deep breath, she climbed the stairs that led to the entrance, and when she placed her feet on the landing, the door opened quickly, scaring her to death.

‘Oh, Merlin, this is creepy!’ she thought, her heart beating wildly on her chest, as she entered the house, and finally saw a small house-elf holding the door open.

“Good evening, Miss… The Ball is through that hallway, on the last double doors.” The house-elf said in a trembling voice, as if he was scared.

‘If I worked in this house, I would be trembling as well…’ she thought, as she walked down the dark hallway. There were some candles here and there, illuminating the passage, and there were dozens of probably family portraits, mostly of blond people with serious faces.

Ginny walked a little faster when one of the wizards on one painting moved his hand across his throat, as if menacing to kill her. This was a house of mad people, for sure…

When she reached the ballroom’s double doors, she took a deep breath and entered the room with a smile on her face and her head held high. Immediately there were whispers and gasps of surprise, as she walked around the room with a glass of Champaign in her hand, looking for Carlo.

Two glasses of Champaign later, Ginny finally found him and walked towards him. When he saw her, his face became furious.

“Virginia, what do you think you’re doing, dressed like that?” he hissed furiously. “You know women are not allowed to wear like that on high-society parties! Are you out of your mind?”

“I’ve been out of my mind for the last year, Carlo…” she said in her usual voice, smiling sweetly. “How could I stay with you for so long?”

“What are you talking about?” he hissed, grabbing her arm with extreme strength, leaving red marks on her pale skin.

“Carlo, I don’t need you by my side to be known or noticed by others… I never wanted to be in the spotlight, and since we’ve started this relationship, I’ve found myself going to high-society parties, where I don’t know anyone, wishing I all night I could be at my house!” she complained, attracting people’s attention. “And what is the problem with my image? If you truly loved me, you would never be mad at me if I wore jeans… Do you have an idea of how much I miss wearing jeans, just because you told me it would ruin your image?”

“Don’t do this here… Let’s talk somewhere in private!” he said, pulling her behind him, but she removed her arm from his grasp and faced him furiously.

“NO! I will not be your little toy, anymore, Carlo! I hate that clinic where you made me work for the last year… You always knew about my dream of helping children, and still you only thought about yourself and your image!” she sneered, folding her arms over her chest. “Oh no… A powerful and rich Moretti dating a charity worker Weasley! What a shame!”

Now that everyone was listening to the fight, Carlo gave up on trying to cover the discussion and started to fume in rage.

“I knew it! I always knew you would end up doing this to me, after all that I’ve done for you!” he yelled, unable to control his anger. “I gave you a job in the best English Clinic of Medical Care, I gave you clothes, jewels, shoes, high-society classes, everything, and this is what you do to me?”

“You gave me what men give to their hookers… I’m not a hooker and I don’t need your damn presents! None of them… All I ever wished was for you to love me, but you never did. All you could think about was showing up on the Daily Prophet with the Minister of Magic’s daughter hung on your arm!” she replied, equally furious. “I’m quitting from the Clinic and from our so called relationship…”

“You can’t do that!” Carlo yelled, advancing on her, but someone came between the fighting duo.

That someone had their back to Ginny, but she could see the masculine figure under the black robes and the long blond hair, caught in a ponytail with a silk black ribbon. Her heart quickened its pace, with recognition.

“Carlo, I believe Miss Weasley was very clear about her feelings…” Draco said in a cold voice, before he turned around to meet Ginny’s surprised eyes. “Miss Weasley, you are welcome to stay for the party. If you want to calm yourself, there are several rooms in this house, where you can do that.”

“Thank you…” she replied with a gentle smile, before she walked past Draco and Carlo, towards the house entrance. She was ready to leave the house, but her heart was beating so fast that she was feeling sick and dizzy.

Deciding that maybe she should get herself a little calmer before Apparating home, Ginny went down a different hallway, opening doors as she went, searching for a bathroom, where she could calm down and place some cold water on her forehead.

How could someone live in such place, was beyond her understanding… The walls were dark and made of stone, making the house very cold and creepy.

As she opened another door, she heard a soft noise… It sounded like a sigh… Slowly, she entered the room and lit her wand to see where she was.

In the weak light Ginny saw that the walls were painted in baby blue and there were a few toys on top of a small table. The bed was so big that it seemed to be empty, but it wasn’t…

On the middle of the bed was a small lump under the blankets.

‘That’s it, I’ve gone insane! Since when do I walk into other people’s bedrooms while they’re sleeping?’ she thought, preparing to leave, but that’s when the lump moved under the bed and two small arms removed the blanket from its head, revealing a young boyish face with blond hair. Hair as blond as Draco’s…

‘What the hell is going on, in here?’ she screamed inwardly.

Ginny was so concentrated in trying to explain the boy’s similarity with Draco Malfoy, that she didn’t see the small house-elf walking in the room and exiting again with a scared face.

***********************

Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews, they make me so so so happy!

Well, here is another chapter, and from now on, starts the REAL story, or at least that’s what everyone calls it.

The stories are boring until the couples start getting together! I totally agree!

Love ya all,

Carina

6. Weasel vs. Ferret

Chapter 6 - Weasel vs. Ferret

“What do you think you're doing? OUT!” a male voice yelled, entering the bedroom, surprising Ginny and waking up the little boy, who looked at her with fear.

Turning around, she came face to face with a furious Draco Malfoy and a small house-elf hiding behind his legs. She had been caught where she shouldn't be.

“Did you have to scream? You woke him up!” she hissed, looking dangerous with her hands on her hips in a furious manner.

“This is MY house and I'll do what I want! Leave this room right now…” he ordered, pointing to the door, looking extremely furious.

Ginny just turned around and sat on the bed, watching Draco's replica. The hair and the face were very similar to Draco's, but his eyes… they weren't the right colour… The boy's eyes were brown.

“Hello! Sorry, but we need to have this conversation right now. Soon your father will shut his big fat mouth and you'll be able to sleep again, ok?” Ginny smiled sweetly at the boy, who looked at her with curiosity.

“He's not my father…” the boy said in a cold voice, his young face devoid of any emotion. “Who are you?”

“My name is Virginia Weasley… He's not your father? But you are so…” she was interrupted by Draco, once again.

“Leave this room right now, Weasel!” Draco menaced, grabbing her arm violently, to take her out of there.

“Why? Who is this boy?” she asked, trying hard not to fall as he dragged her along the corridors, towards the main entrance.

“That's none of your business!” he hissed, stopping in front of the main door. “Did you take the night out to ruin everyone's life?”

“Of course… Didn't you know that tonight is Ladies Night and we all go out to ruin every man's life?” she asked, the sarcasm evident in her voice. “Who is the boy? He is like your clone, except for the eyes. Why did he say you're not his father?”

“Accio Wand! Silencio!” Draco said both curses in a flash, and Ginny was unable to tighten her hold on her wand, so now she was silenced and unprotected, in front of a very evil and pissed of Draco Malfoy. “Merlin, you ask too many questions and your voice is starting to make me a headache.”

Unable to speak, Ginny pocked a finger against his muscled chest and mouthed some words very slowly for him to understand.

`I will have revenge!'

“Oh, you'll have revenge? I'd like to see that!” he sneered, holding her poking finger in his strong hand and taking it to his mouth to bite it.

As he was closing his teeth on her innocent finger, Ginny pulled her hand back and he bit his tongue.

“You damn weasel!” he mumbled, placing a hand over his offended mouth.

She laughed, silently, and held her hand in front of him.

`My wand…' she mouthed.

“As a punishment, I won't give you your wand…” he sneered. “Come back tomorrow at 10 a.m. and I'll give it to you then.”

Oh, now he had made her seriously furious, and Ginny launched herself against him, in a struggle to win her wand back. Draco wasn't expecting her to do that, and they both fell on the stone floor, Ginny on top of Draco, with her skirt around her thighs, revealing too much skin.

“Merlin, are you that desperate? I guess Carlo really sucks as a boyfriend, uh?” Draco joked, placing his hands on her legs, feeling the soft skin in gentle strokes.

Unable to yell at him, Ginny slapped his face, grabbed her wand and got on her feet again. In a few seconds she had removed the Silencing Spell from her and grabbed his wand.

“I gave you no permission to touch me, did I? Now I have YOUR wand…” she smiled evilly at him, as he slowly got up from the floor. “Who is that boy?”

Draco just stared at her with a blank face and his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“Answer!” she ordered with both wands pointed at him.

When he was about to open his mouth to talk, they heard footsteps approaching them and Carlo appeared by their side.

“Virginia, we need to talk…” he ordered, grabbing her arm roughly, making her lose her grip on her wand.

“Let me go, Carlo… We have talked enough for the rest of our lives!” Ginny hissed, trying to break free from his hold.

“No… We're going to my house and we'll have a serious conversation. We cannot break up until my father's second marriage.” Carlo said, pushing her towards the fireplace.

“Malfoy… Please, this is the first and last time I'll ever ask you anything! Help me!” Ginny pleaded sadly, looking at Draco standing there with her wand in his hand and a scowl on his face.

“Only if you do something for me in return!” he said with a sneer.

“Fine! Just help me…” she yelled, feeling extremely frustrated as Carlo placed himself inside of the fireplace with a tight hold on her wrist.

“Why didn't you say so before?” he joked, quickly placing a Full Body Bind on Carlo.

Ginny released her wrist from Carlo's frozen hand and stepped out of the fireplace.

“Give me my wand!” she asked.

“No… Come back tomorrow and I'll give it to you.” He slowly said.

“Why do you want me to come back here? A few minutes ago you were ordering me out of your house!” she asked, confused.

“I have something I need to talk about with you…” he said, removing the silk black ribbon from his hair, letting it down to frame his gorgeous face.

`Merlin, did you have to do that when I'm trying to be mad at you? Now you look even hotter then before…' she complained inside her head.

“What do you want to talk with me about?” she insisted, trying to stop her hands from touching his straight long blond hair.

“Tomorrow at 10 a.m. You can keep my wand until tomorrow and I'll keep yours…” he said, turning his back on her and walking back to the ballroom.

`What the hell is going on in here? Why does he want to talk with me? Who is that boy and why is he hiding him?' she thought as she left the manor and walked to the Apparition point. “Guess I'll have to come back here tomorrow…”

With a soft pop she returned to the Burrow. It was still early and her parents, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna and little Sean were sitting in the garden talking and laughing.

“Good evening, family!” Ginny said, sitting on the grass next to Hermione and Harry.

“Ginny, you're home early! Is everything ok?” her mother asked, concerned.

“Actually, Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you… I broke up with Carlo, tonight. I was very unhappy with him and I hope you understand my decision…” Ginny explained to her parents.

“Well, to say the truth, I was hoping you married him, Ginny… He is such a nice young man and he seems to love you so much, always sending you those wonderful dresses and taking you to beautiful parties…” Molly said, wiping tears from her eyes. “He would be a perfect husband!”

“Mum, he was not what I'm looking for in a man… But, I won't have this conversation right now. I did what I needed to do, to feel better with my self. Someday you'll understand!” Ginny replied sadly, standing up and walking inside the house.

“Mrs. Weasley, Ginny really was unhappy with Carlo… Believe in me when I say she will be much happier from now on, but for that she'll need your support. Carlo doesn't love her and Ginny deserved someone who is completely crazy about her, who is capable of loving her the way she deserves to be loved.” Hermione said gently, standing up.

“Hermione is right, Mrs. Weasley. And I think she is already starting to find love and hopefully this love will be true and not a fraud like Carlo was.” Luna agreed, standing up as well, and joining Hermione's side. “Now, excuse us, because we have a friend to comfort.”

Having this said, both girls followed Ginny to her bedroom and laid down next to her, on the bed. She had already undressed and was now wearing a t-shirt and denim shorts.

“Ginny, are you ok? Don't listen to what your mother said, she was just in shock!” Luna said, trying to see her friend's face.

“I'm fine Luna!” Ginny said with a bright smile, sitting against the bed headboard. “I feel so light and happy after breaking up with the git!”

“Oh, that's great…” Hermione sighed in relief. “So, how was it? Was Malfoy there?”

“Hermione, why do you keep on talking about him? Are you in love with him?” Ginny asked, faking a shocked face.

“I'll pretend I didn't hear that… So, tell us everything!” Hermione laughed.

“Well, first of all, the party was in Malfoy Manor…” she started explaining everything that had happened until the moment when Draco had saved her from Carlo. “And then I was extremely mad at him and he removes the ribbon from his hair, and this wave of long blond soft hair falls around his face making him look like an Angel and my legs became jelly… He is gorgeous but he always makes me furious when we meet!”

“So, he affects you…” Hermione smiled knowingly.

“Yes… Unfortunately he does…” Ginny sighed, hiding her red face in her hands. “But, who was that little boy? When I say that the boy was his replica, I'm saying that they are completely similar, except for the eyes!”

“Don't worry, Gin, tomorrow you'll find out…” Luna said, leaving the bed.

“Luna? You have been full of secret messages lately. What do you know about Draco that you're not telling me?” Ginny asked, suspicious of her sister-in-law.

“I know a lot of things, but I'm not authorised to reveal them, I'm sorry…” Luna replied with a sad face. “But believe me, it's nothing bad… Just listen to him tomorrow, and take your own conclusions. See you tomorrow!”

Then, Luna left the room, leaving two confused girls on the bed, looking at each other in shock.

“What's going on, Hermione? How can she know what he's going to tell me tomorrow?” Ginny asked, sadly.

“I have no idea, but something is happening, and I'm hating the fact that I don't know what!” Hermione replied.

Have you ever had one of those nights when you can't sleep because the same thoughts keep on coming to your head, and all you can do is think about things that happened, and make questions that you can't answer?

Well, Ginny had one of those nights, and the next morning she felt extremely tired and sleepy. If she didn't have that meeting with Draco in 30 minutes, she would be sleeping all day.

Rubbing her tired eyes, she went to her bathroom to take a shower and she put on a fresh light green dress that reached her knees, put on a pair of sandals and left her hair down in natural waves.

“Ginny, where are you going so early?” Molly Weasley asked her daughter, when she appeared in the kitchen.

“I have a meeting, Mum… I'll be back in a few hours.” Ginny replied, leaving the house and Disapparated before her mother could say anything else.

It hurt, you know… Usually your parents should accept your decisions and help you go through the bad times in your life. Her father came to her bedroom last night and gave her his support, so, why couldn't her mother do the same?

If she was unhappy, and did something to help herself, why couldn't her mother accept her decision and support her?

Yes, Ginny was hurt with her mother, but she also knew that soon, her mother would come to her and show some understanding.

The Malfoy Manor was creepy at night… and was ugly during day. Really, the house was extremely awful looking outside and on the inside was dark and scary. How could Malfoy live in such a place, was beyond her understanding.

`Remember, he lived in Hogwarts' Dungeons for 7 years and spent all his life in this house… He's used to it.' She thought, as the house elf opened the door for her and led her to a huge office.

The office had bookshelves completely hiding two of the four walls. There was a big marble fireplace, a huge desk full of papers and bottles of ink. The high ceiling had paintings representing blond wizards and a huge manor, which looked exactly the same, as this house she was in right now.

“Probably is the same house…” she mumbled, sitting on an armchair.

“Yes, it is the same house.” a male voice said behind her, making her nape hairs stand on end. “Good morning, Weasel!”

“Hello Ferret!” she replied, trying to breathe again. His voice seemed to have a strange effect on her body, and it was infuriating her to feel vulnerable because of him.

Draco sat behind his desk, in front of her, slowly taking in her appearance. Only when she cleared her throat did he wake up from his thoughts.

“I brought your wand… Give me mine!” she asked, placing his on top of the desk.

“I'll give it to you…” he sneered, grabbing his wand. “After we talk…”

“I should know better than to trust a Malfoy…” she mumbled to herself, rolling her eyes. “Fine, what do you want from this Weasel?”

`I don't think you would like to hear everything I want from you…' he thought, smiling inwardly. “I have a proposal to make you…”

*************

Sorry that I'm taking so long to update, but my life is truly busy and my imagination is running low, now that I'm writing 2 Fanfictions at the same time.

Brother? Son? Cousin? Who is the little boy?

Well, read and you'll find out in about 50 chapters… Just Kidding! Soon you'll know, I just don't know when…

I've got the story all planed in my little pocket book, where I write my ideas for my stories, but I still haven't wrote the story that far.

Sexytexy, I had never received such a spectacular review and I absolutely loved it.

Thank you for giving me your true opinion and being so sincere.

Yes, I know that writing a Fanfiction with Draco or Pansy in it is incredibly hard to write because we need to stay true to the characters' personality.

I'm taking more time writing this story because I want everything to be perfect, or almost perfect. I need to think everything into the last details and then put it on paper, and not just write whatever comes to my mind.

Luna's words "Just make sure of what you truly want, my friend. Sometimes the best gold runs deeper!". Well, she does know something, but I can't tell you, it's part of the story, ok?

Thank you for being so wonderful, sexytexy.

And thank you to all of you who reviewed to my fanfiction…

I love your reviews no matter if they're long or short. All I need to know is that people are reading it and enjoying it.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Love, Carina

7. A New Start

Hey, I wish I had the ingredients to do the Polijuice Potion, to make myself look like J.K Rowling, but I would still lack the writing talent, so stick with me…

I do not own Harry Potter… And, I'm really sad that I don't own Draco Malfoy (*sobs*). Oh well, life goes on!

.

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Last chapter:

“I should know better than to trust a Malfoy…” she mumbled to herself, rolling her eyes. “Fine, what do you want from this Weasel?”

`I don't think you would like to hear everything I want from you…' he thought, smiling inwardly. “I have a proposal to make you…”

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Chapter 7 - A new start

“I'm not interested in marrying you, Ferret-boy!” Ginny laughed.

“Aren't you funny?” he replied sarcastically. “I would never propose marriage to a Weasley!”

“So, what is it that you want to propose?” she asked, curious.

“I want you to work for me… Moretti signed your dismissal letter last night, as soon as you broke up with Carlo, and I need a Healer with your qualifications.” He said, showing her a few papers signed by Carlo's father, saying she was dismissed from her functions at Moretti Clinic.

“Yes, I was expecting that already… But why do you need a Healer?” she asked, giving him the papers back. “As far as I can tell you look perfectly healthy.”

“Why thank you, Weasley! I didn't know you liked my appearance, that much…” he sneered. “That boy you saw last night, he's paraplegic. He can't move from his waist down…”

So, the child she had seen the night before, was paraplegic… A small child already suffering handicaps, wasn't it terribly sad?

Draco had just said the magical words, actually. Whenever someone talked about handicapped children, Ginny would melt like butter and do whatever was necessary to help the kids. This time, she knew she couldn't refuse the job, because she had already seen the little boy, and already cared about him.

Such a cute little boy, surrounded by mystery, living in Malfoy's house and having such similar physical appearance with Draco… She needed to accept the job both for curiosity about the boy's past and concern for the boy's future.

While she seemed lost in her thoughts, Draco Malfoy watched the young woman in front of him and admired her beauty, once again. The soft trail of freckles that lined her nose would look ridiculous in anyone else, but on her, they looked just right… How could he ever made fun of those freckles?

`Well, they look awful on her brothers, that's why…' he sneered, watching as she bit her bottom lip in deep thought. `If she weren't a Weasley, she might have had a chance with me…'

Ginny woke up from her reveries and saw Draco watching her every move. In his hand he held her dismissal papers. That's when the information downed on her…

“Hey, why are you the one to give me those papers? What do you have to do with the Moretti Clinic?” she asked, furiously.

“I'm Moretti's partner… I run the Clinic in Paris, while he runs the Clinic in London.” He replied with a sneer, enjoying her surprised face. “So, do you accept to help the boy?”

“Who is that boy, Malfoy? Where is his mother? Why are you hiding your own son?” she asked, confused and curious.

“That boy is not my son, he's under my care, and I'm not hiding him… Stop making up stories, Weasley!” Draco replied, coldly. “Listen, I don't have to tell you my entire life to get you to work with the boy, do I?”

Ginny realised he was right… She wasn't supposed to ask these things, as a Healer. But as an old victim of Malfoy's nasty words, she found herself trying to protect the young child.

“I'm sorry…” she admitted, playing with her hands. “I don't like saying such words to you, after all you've done to me and my family, but I admit I went a little over the line…”

Draco just stared at her in amazement. How could someone be so gentle hearted to be able to forgive an old enemy?

“You would work from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m., your pay check would be the same you were getting in the clinic, and you'd be working here, in the Manor…” Draco said, trying to make her accept the job.

“I love children, but I'm an Healer, not a nanny!” she replied, surprised with the working schedule. “And why ME? Why aren't you searching for a great Neuro-Healer?”

“Listen, that boy has been in every single Healer there is in England and France, for the last 3 years! I even took him to Muggle doctors and they all said it was impossible to heal him… He was submitted to painful surgeries to his spine, and nothing worked…” Draco said, in pure anger, as he paced the room, back and forth. “You are my last hope, ok? Just try to help him, and if you think it isn't worth your time, I'll let you drop the job…”

Wow, he really seemed concerned about the boy… Once again, she wondered about their similarity, but kept her mouth shut.

Well, Ginny was unemployed, so, why not give it a try? She was extremely interested in this case…

“Fine, I accept… I'll be here starting tomorrow, but first I need to see the boy and try to understand what's going on.” She replied, seriously. “Can I see him now?”

“Tabby will take you to Thomas' room…” he sneered, calling the said house-elf. “You can ask her whatever you need to know. She's Thomas' caretaker…”

“An house elf? You have an house-elf educating a young boy?” Ginny gasped, standing up from the armchair. “Does he have a teacher?”

“Not since we've returned to England, two months ago…” Draco explained, sitting behind his desk, once again. “Now, go…”

Making a huge effort to keep her mouth shut, Ginny followed Tabby out of the office and through the house's hallways.

**********

Merlin, I've never felt such relief before… I have this strange feeling in my gut that she'll be the one to save Thomas…

I probably should tell her the whole story, about the boy, but I better not. I don't have enough trust in her, and I don't think I ever will, for that fact… She's just a Weasel! I shouldn't even be hiring her to work under my roof, but, at the same time, I feel like she is a wonderful, caring person, and the motherly figure that Thomas desperately needs.

Maybe then he'll forget what happened… I sure hope so, because having Virginia go around my house, acting all motherly like, will be enough to make me want to get married and have a ton of noisy kids, with freckled faces and silver eyes.

And we don't want a Malfoy falling for a Weasley, do we?

**********

How weird was her life?

She had finally broke up with her snob and cold boyfriend, she had been dismissed from the Clinic, and had found a small child in the Manor of the sexiest man alive…

And to top it all, here she was, back at his Manor, being hired to help the small boy she had been so curious about, last night.

`Draco really confuses me, you know? One moment he's a total git, being nasty and unbearable, and the next he's delivering roses, saying gentle words and smiling warmly.' Ginny thought, still walking behind Tabby, through the house's corridors. `I think he has a serious problem of double personality…'

Tabby came to a halt, in front of the bedroom door; Ginny had entered last night, and motioned for Ginny to walk in.

Outside was a wonderful sunny day, and still Thomas' room was extremely dark and silent.

With quick steps, Ginny walked to the large windows and opened the heavy curtains, allowing the bright light to enter the room, illuminating the pale walls, and the large bed in the centre of the room.

With the daylight, Ginny was able to see how big the room really was. On the right bed side there was a wheelchair that she hadn't seen last night's darkness. The bed was large, although the boy was small, and on one corner of the room there was a very low table with toys, but it had no chairs.

“Tabby, what's his routine?” Ginny asked, sitting on the bed.

“Me don't wake up Master Thomas… He screams for Tabby when he wakes and he eats.” The house elf explained in her bad English. “Master Thomas takes nap, calls dinner and sleeps again.”

Ginny was shocked, for the thousandth time that day. They were keeping the boy locked inside of that bedroom, without even taking him out of the bed?

“Does he ever leave this bedroom?” she asked, growing furious.

“No miss…”

“Are you all stupid or what? Thomas should be out of this house, learning everything about the world and learning how to live in it, despite his handicap…” Ginny mumbled sadly, reaching for the bed covers, and removing them from the boy's upper body.

The small blond boy immediately opened his eyes, and closed them again firmly.

“Close the light!” he groaned, placing an arm over his brown eyes.

“No! It's a beautiful day outside and I want us to take a walk in the garden…” Ginny smiled sweetly, removing his arm to look him in the eye.

“I don't want to! Who are YOU?” he replied coldly, piercing her with his eyes.

“I'm a new friend, and you'll go out with me today… Let's give you a bath.” She replied, picking him up in her arms, taking him to the bathroom, despite his growls of fury and anger.

“LET ME GO! NOW! TABBY, TABBY!” he screamed, hitting Ginny with his closed fists, trying to hurt her.

“STOP, Thomas!” she commanded firmly, placing him inside of the empty tub and started to fill it in with hot water, as she removed his black pyjama. He smelled awfully!

“NO! NO!” Thomas yelled and yelled, splashing water all over the bathroom and Ginny.

Having had enough, she placed the Full Body Bind on him and gently bathed him.

“I'm here to help you, you silly boy… I know you're not used to anyone, except for Tabby, but from now on I'll be here every day to help you become a normal boy!” Ginny explained, washing his blond hair. “You need to get out of that bedroom, see the world outside, see a Quidditch game, eat an ice-cream! There's so much to see, Thomas… Don't you want me to show it to you?”

The boy's eyes watched her attentively, and there was a small spark of interest.

Ginny finished bathing him, put him on a pair of denim shorts, a t-shirt, and put him a pair of shoes. She combed his soft hair, and a weird feeling spread through her.

`It's as if I was combing Draco's hair… Would it feel as soft?' she thought. `Oh Merlin, the guy is destroying this boy's childhood and I'm wondering how is hair feels like!'

When she placed Thomas on his wheelchair, Ginny finally removed the body bind spell from him, allowing Thomas to move and talk again.

“You're ready for our walk…” she smiled at the scowling boy.

“I don't want to go out!” he replied, coldly, folding his arms in front of his chest.

Ginny didn't reply and pushed his chair along the corridor and out of the house, to the huge garden. The air was warm and the sun felt wonderful on their skins.

Along the walk, Ginny asked dozens of questions to Tabby, and the elf answered the best way she could.

According to Tabby, Thomas had no last name, he was orphan, paralysed since he was 4 y-old and he had been submitted to several surgeries, but none helped. As to why he was at Malfoy Manor, Tabby had no idea…

Thomas spent his days in bed and only saw Tabby at meal times. Draco never visited the boy, which was strange…

`Who are you, Thomas? What are you doing here, in Malfoy Manor, if you are not related to Draco? Why did you suddenly stop walking at the age of four?' Ginny thought, sadly, still pushing the chair around the garden.

Behind one of the house's windows, a tall figure watched the young redheaded beauty pushing the blond boy in the wheelchair.

`I've made the right choice… Only a Weasley, used to brats like her brothers, can help that boy… I'm sure she'll succeed in winning Thomas' trust.' He thought, watching as she ran a hand through her ling hair, to remove it from her smiling face. “And maybe she'll be able to win more than one heart in this house…”

.

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~^~^~^~^~~~~~^^^^^~~~~~^^^^^~~~~~^~^~^~^~

Hello everyone…

Yes, I know that I have not updated for an extremely long time, and believe me, not having time for my Fanfiction and for my readers is breaking my heart!

I hate not having time to write my Fanfictions and to post them on the web, but my studies come first, and I hope you all understand that.

My exams start in the 20th of June and finish on the 15th of July. Then I'm going on vacation to Algarve and I'll only come back home in the beginning of August.

But I promise, soon I'll post more and more frequently. Believe me, because I never break promises, ok?

Thank you so much for reading and supporting me, and I hope you all keep on reading this story, ok?

Until I post again, lots of love,

Carina

8. Winning his heart

Disclaimer:

Hey, I wish I had the ingredients to do the Polijuice Potion, to make myself look like J.K Rowling, but I would still lack the writing talent, so stick with me…

I do not own Harry Potter… And, I'm really sad that I don't own Draco Malfoy (*sobs*). Oh well, life goes on!

.

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Chapter 8 - Winning his heart

Later that night, Ginny waited until Thomas had his dinner, helped him change to his pyjamas, and put him to sleep. He still scowled at her, and yelled in outrage, but Ginny just pretended not to listen to him, and kept on doing her duties.

As she was about to leave the Manor, a cold hand caught her wrist, and held her strongly, scaring her to death.

“Malfoy! Don't you ever, ever do that again! I almost had an heart attack…” she sighed in relief, when she recognized the owner of that strong and pale hand.

“I think your heart is stronger than that…” he chuckled, and turned her around to face him. “You're leaving already?”

“Yes, Thomas already had dinner and now he's sleeping…” Ginny explained, not noticing that Draco's hand on her wrist had slipped into her hand, and they were now holding hands, without realizing it. “I'll be back tomorrow, and yes, I think Thomas is worth a try… Every one deserves a chance!”

“Even me?” Draco whispered, bringing his face really close to hers, feeling her strawberry lip gloss scent.

“Yes, even you…” she smiled sweetly, kissing the tip of his nose, before leaving the Manor and Disapparated to the Burrow.

Draco just stood there, in the hall looking at the closed door with his eyes sparkling and a small smile on his lips. He was worth a chance, and that made his heart jump happily in his chest.

The Burrow was full with life when Ginny arrived.

There were so many red heads that all Ginny saw was a big red dot on the middle of the living room.

Fred and Angelina were there with their 6 years old twin boys, Andrew and Anthony, both had brown hair, thank good. George and Katie were sitting on a small armchair, looking like a young couple with wide smiles on their faces, as they watched the 5 y-old red haired beauty playing with her dolls in front of them. That was Jessica, and she was the cutest girl Ginny had ever met, although she could be worse than Andrew and Anthony, when she wanted to prank someone. Ron and Luna were there as well, with Sean.

So, summing all the red heads, there were 7 of them. And the rest of her brothers weren't even there, so you can imagine how reddish her family is.

“Piggy!” Sean yelled when he saw his aunt, running to her arms. Soon, all her nephews and niece were on top of her, kissing and hugging her like there was no tomorrow.

“Oh, my babies, I've missed you all so much!” Ginny laughed, kissing each one of them on the nose, like she had done with Draco.

“Piggy, I have a new doll…” Jessica said excitedly, running to her dolls, and bringing back to Ginny one of them, with bright red hair and freckles on her plastic face.

Ginny laughed when she saw the doll… It must have been George's idea…

“Good evening family!” Ginny smiled warmly at them, finally standing up from the floor. “It's so good to see a part of the family together…”

“I totally agree!” Molly replied, with a huge smile on her face, as she fixed the piggy tail on Jessica's hair. Her mother loved all her children, but she was absolutely crazy for her grandchildren… All eight of them…

“So, Ginny, where were you all day?” Fred asked, noticing her tired face.

“I've had a long day at work… I was dismissed from the Clinic, and now I'm working for a private client.” Ginny sighed, caressing Anthony's head, while he leaned his head against her lap.

“Who?” Ron asked suspiciously. Always the big brother, that one…

“I can't say, Ron… It's private information.” She replied. “Well, I'd love to stay a little longer, but I'm terribly tired, I need a shower and a good night of sleep.

Everyone said goodnight, and her nephews and niece kissed her nose and whispered `sweet dreams'… She loved those brats! Only Luna remained quiet, silently watching Ginny, understanding what had happened that day at Malfoy Manor.

“Ginny, could I speak with you?” Luna asked, standing up from Ron's lap.

“Yes, I need to talk with you as well… Come with me.” Ginny replied, climbing the stairs to her bedroom.

As soon as they both were on Ginny's room, Luna started throwing her questions.

“What did he want from you? Whom are you working for?”

“Well, he wanted to employ me, Luna… He wants me to take care of that boy I saw last night!” Ginny replied, throwing herself on top of her bed. “Thomas… that's the boy's name, and he's a small version of Draco both in looks and personality.”

“So, he's a small git?” Luna chuckled, sitting next to her friend.

“No, he is just lonely, I guess… He never leaves the house, he used to have a teacher, but now he doesn't have one… He sleeps all day and night, and only wakes up to eat what the House-elves bring him!” Ginny explained, sadly. “I had to place him on a binding curse to be able to give him a bath… He was truly filthy and smelly!”

“How can Draco allow that?” Luna wondered in shock.

“He never visits Thomas… Both Draco and Thomas say that they are not related, but I just can't understand why the boy is under Draco's roof, and what the hell is going on!” Ginny complained, going from sad to furious. “One of the things that led me to accept this job was the need to find out what secrets they're hiding from the world…”

“Painful secrets, Ginny…” Luna sighed, sadly, once again sounding as if she knew something Ginny didn't.

The conversation ended, and Ginny took her long bath, before going to sleep. Tomorrow was a new day…

*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, Ginny arrived to the Malfoy Manor and was informed that Draco wouldn't be home for the next week. Those were good news…

Ginny wanted to win Thomas' trust before starting to work with him, so, she would use that week just to get to know the boy.

It wasn't an easy task, I guarantee you… But there was a good side in all of this! Ginny's mind was so busy with the boy's screams and name calling, that she never thought of a certain blond haired git we all love.

The following week, Ginny imposed a routine… She would arrive at the Manor, wake up Thomas and carry him to the bathtub. Usually he screamed and tried to hit her face, so, Ginny always placed him under the Full Body Bind. After he was dressed, she pushed his chair to the dinning room where she gave him his breakfast, always ending up dirty of the food Thomas threw her way. He acted like a 2 y-old baby!

After breakfast, Ginny took him out, to the garden, and tried to enjoy the ride, despite Thomas' screams. He had to grow tired of so much screams, by himself… She wouldn't do anything to stop him.

Ginny always sad under a tree, with Thomas in front of her, sitting on his wheelchair, and she would read a couple of stories, before taking him back inside the house for lunch. Another food war, and she would take him to his bedroom for a nap. When he woke up, she made him play with his toys and read his books, before making him eat dinner and go to bed.

Only then, Ginny could go home. Usually she felt so drained, that she feel on her bed and went to sleep.

After that week, Thomas showed no signs of slowing down his bad temper, and Ginny was growing very tired of it.

One of those days, while Thomas was taking a nap after lunch, Ginny sat under her usual tree, and allowed a few tears of frustration to escape.

“What's wrong?” a male voice asked, standing close to her.

“Nothing…” she sighed, recognizing Draco's voice.

“You wouldn't cry over nothing… I saw you screaming with your boyfriend, breaking up with him, and I never saw one tear in your eyes!” Draco insisted, placing a finger on her jaw, forcing her to look at him.

He shivered involuntarily, when he saw the despair and frustration in those warm brown eyes. Something was wrong with her, and that made him feel a small knot in his stomach, although he couldn't understand why.

“I'm just feeling a tad bit sad, that's all…” she replied, feeling lost in his eyes.

“Is it because of Thomas?”

“He's not accepting me, and until he does, there's nothing I can do to help him get better… He's so cold and violent!” Ginny explained, as her tears finally stopped rolling down her flushed cheeks. “He's just like…”

Draco noticed that she stopped before saying anything that would insult him.

“He's just like me, isn't that what you were about to say?” he asked coldly, his eyes becoming stormy dark grey. That was enough for her to know that he was truly mad at her.

“Yes, that's what I was going to say, but I didn't, in case you haven't noticed… Back at Hogwarts you had a temper worse than Thomas'! No wonder he acts like you! Like Luna says, he's a git…” Ginny replied furious as well, standing up from her seated position.

“No need to insult, Weasel!” Draco sneered, in his usual Malfoy way. “Are you saying you want to quit because you can't control a 6 y-old boy?”

“I never give up, Malfoy! Never!” she growled back. “I'm going to win Thomas… Just you wait and see!”

With that said she stormed back to the Manor and patiently waited for Thomas to wake up and start screaming again.

The next few weeks, Ginny worked with Thomas and avoided being close to Draco, but it was hard, as he was now working at home.

When they were in each other's presence, they would look the other way or glare at the other. It was quite childish, actually, but Ginny wanted to prove him she wasn't a quitter and Draco wanted to have that woman away from him. At least in the physical sense, because she was in his mind all day and night, which was terrifying…

“NO! I don't want to! NO!” Thomas screamed, his voice echoing in the huge house. Soon, dozens of house-elves were looking at Ginny pushing Thomas' wheelchair to the house front. Some of them smiled, supporting Ginny, but others just glared at her.

“Thomas, you should have stopped these screams by now, don't you think so?” Ginny complained. “If someone hears you, they'll think I'm killing you, or something!”

“I don't want to go out!” the boy yelled furiously.

“What's going on in here? Can't you see I'm working?” Draco complained furiously, walking towards them menacingly.

“I'm working as well, in case you haven't noticed!” Ginny replied. “Why don't you cast a Silencing Spell on your office? You are a wizard, you know?”

“Yes, I do know, Miss Weasley! But thank you for the information…” he replied impatiently.

“You're welcome…” she replied with sarcasm.

“Boy, stop this screams, you hear me?” he menaced, throwing a dirty look at Thomas, whom immediately closed his mouth and nodded in understanding.

`Ah, so, all I have to do is act like Malfoy to get Thomas to obey, uh? Let's see if it works…' Ginny thought, taking Thomas out to the garden, starting their usual walk. `I'm sure he'll start screaming as soon as he understands no one can hear him inside the house…'

And she was right… As soon as they were out of the house's hear range, Thomas started yelling again.

“Take me inside! I don't want to be out here!” he yelled, hitting his knees with his fists.

“Thomas, I'm not an house-elf you can order any time you want! I'm a woman, trying to be your friend and help you overcome some of your problems…” Ginny hissed, stopping his wheelchair. She walked around it and kneeled in front of the boy, holding his face between her gentle yet firm hands. “I won't be able to help you until you start helping me… You don't like my company? Too bad… You don't like walks in the garden? Bad luck! You're stuck with me, and until you start showing some respect and acceptance of me, I won't stop this walks outside!”

That seemed to work… Thomas was looking at her, shocked with her outburst.

True, he had been testing her patience, but he never expected her to look so menacing… Thomas looked at the blanket spread out under their usual tree and gasped. It was full of food!

“What's there to eat?” he asked, playing with his white shirt buttons.

A victorious smile appeared on Ginny's face and she hugged him tightly, although he screamed he wasn't able to breathe.

“Just trust in me, Thomas… We'll be good friends!” she said, kissing his cheek. “Now, let's eat…”

Ginny had ordered the house-elves to prepare a picnic and place it under that tree. She had done that for two reasons. One of them was that she expected to win Thomas' trust; the other one was that she wanted to avoid being in the same room as Draco Malfoy.

Ginny took the boy in her arms, and sat him against the tree trunk, then she sat next to him, and placed a full plate of food in his hands. The boy immediately started eating and talking about his daily activities before she arrived 3 weeks ago. But there was something she noticed in all this… Thomas never mentioned Draco in his conversations…

“Thomas, who are your parents?” she asked him, giving him a slice of apple pie.

“This pie is great… Tabby never gave me dessert!” he complained, not answering her on purpose.

“Why can't you tell me?” she whispered sadly.

“It was my fault, you know?” he replied, not being able to face her.

“Why do you say that? What happened?” Ginny asked, worried with his sad words.

“All my fault…” Thomas whispered once again, removing his back from the tree's support, to lay his head on Ginny's lap, surrounding her waist with his arms, seeking for comfort.

“You're scared, and sad… I wish I knew what makes you feel this way, to help you.” She sighed, running her hands through his soft hair. “So much suffer in such a little body…”

A few moments later, Ginny heard him sigh, and noticed that Thomas was asleep. Just like a small angel, on her lap.

“Who gave you permission to make a picnic in the Manor's gardens?” an angry voice said, behind her.

`Oh oh… I've angered the boss!' she thought.

“Sshh! Can't you see he's sleeping?” she whispered angrily, placing a finger in front of her rosy full lips. “It's just a picnic, we aren't destroying anything!”

“But you didn't ask for my permission…” he hissed, whispering as well, as he made the food vanish and sat on the blanket in front of her.

Ginny smiled as she watched him struggle to sit down, Chinese style, although his robes didn't allow him to do so. As he tried to fold his right leg, he made a tear on the sides of his robe and she wasn't able to hide her laughter.

“Aren't we amused?” he sneered, removing the ruined robe, sitting again, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a baby blue shirt, looking good enough to eat.

Ginny tried hard not to drool at his relaxed and practical look. That man was too hot for his own good…

“So, you won him over?” he gestured towards Thomas.

“I'm getting him used to the idea that I'm going to be around here for a while…” she replied, caressing the boy's cheeks. “He told me he's the fault, but I don't know what he's talking about… What has he done? Please, help me understand.”

Draco remained silent, looking at the horizon, lost in his thoughts.

“Probably he feels guilty, because he saw his mother die… That's all I have to say.” Draco whispered, before standing up and walking back to the Manor.

Ginny just sat there, in shock, feeling extremely sad for the little boy. It must have been a huge trauma.

“Ginny?” a small voice mumbled.

For the first time, Thomas said her name… Until then, he had only called her “Servant”, or “You”, but now, he seemed to finally accept her. And the sound of that boyish voice, calling for her, sweetly, made Ginny's heart melt.

“I'm here, Thomas… We better go home, now…” she smiled, holding the boy in her arms, to place him back on his wheel-chair.

Silently, she rolled the blanket and placed it on Thomas' lap, as they headed back to the house. It was time to start really working with the boy.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hello, dear readers…

Yes, here is another chapter, and long one, at that…

Soon, the plot will start getting more interesting but I wanted to get these ideas out, so bare with me.

I've loved your reviews, and I hope you all keep on reading.

Love, Carina

9. Some of the Truth

Chapter 9 - Some of the truth

“Malfoy, we need to talk!” Ginny said coldly, the next morning, entering his office without permission.

“The name is Mr. Malfoy, and never walk in my office without knocking on the door first…” he said, furiously. Draco had had a terrible night, revisiting old memories, and he was in no mood to listen to Ginny's voice.

“I've made a list of all the things I'll need for Thomas' physical therapy… I want a room to transform in a gym and I want to ask if you've got a pool somewhere in this house…” she asked, placing a huge list in his hands. Without asking for permission, she sat on the corner of his desk and waited as he read the list.

“Yes, I have a pool in my private garden, why? I didn't hire you for you to have fun in the pool…” he sneered, dropping the parchment on his table, and watched her properly.

Any pleasant thoughts he might have had previously about her, were destroyed that morning. The woman he once considered sexy and extremely attractive, now looked like a common house keeper, wearing a huge t-shirt and large black pants… There was no body shape underneath those clothes. She was back to being a Weasley, uh?

“Don't look so disgusted with my clothes, they are very practical to work with children, you know? When I worked at the Clinic I had to wear skirts and high-heels all the time, and it was awful…” she said, noticing his disapproving stare. “And I want the pool to work with Thomas, not to have fun! Do you allow us to use it?”

“You can use it, but don't mess with my things!” Draco warned with a sneer. It would be interesting to have Ginny walking around his bedroom, wearing only a bikini…

`Calm down mate… Too much enthusiasm over a filthy weasel!' he thought, snapping out of his thoughts.

“You can transform the room next to Thomas' into a gym and I'll have someone buy these items tomorrow… Anything else?” he asked, watching her face begin to smile.

“Yes, I want him to stop taking those pills…” she said, walking back to the office door.

“What pills? And why?” he asked, confused. Draco didn't know much about the boy, and he found himself caring for the first time. This was all her fault!

“Thomas is taking a kind of medication that is destroying his muscles, because they're for adults, not children…” she explained. “I need your permission to stop the administration!”

“Fine, do what you think it's best…” he agreed, going back to his papers.

“Thank you Mr. Malfoy…” she smiled happily, making him look at her in wonder. She might look awful in those clothes, but she had a killer smile…

`She sure as grown up… Back at Hogwarts she was a cute girl, but now, she's a beautiful woman.' Draco thought, still staring at the now closed door.

After his 5th year, Draco began noticing everything about the youngest Weasley. At first, he felt hate towards her for casting the Bat Bogey's Hex on him, but has he observed her, his feelings changed into curiosity and then admiration.

She wasn't a quiet little girl, like many people thought, that girl was the true heir of the Weasley twins… Most of the time, you could find her laughing over some prank or joke, and she was never alone. There were always a few Gryffindors with her and Luna… Luna was really changed as well.

Sometimes he still remembered back at Hogwarts, the day Luna came to talk with him, in the Quidditch pitch. The girl might act like a crazy girl, but she was very sharp.

***

Flashback

***

“MALFOY! Get off that broom right NOW!” Luna yelled, as soon as she stepped on the Quidditch field.

The sun was setting, and Draco was flying alone, enjoying the spring winds messing up his hair and licking his pale face.

Slowly, Draco landed and stared at Luna with a sneer.

“What do you want, Lovegood?” he asked, sounding disgusted. “I don't have time to waist with the likes of you…”

“Listen to me well, because I'm only telling you this once… Don't look at her like that, if you don't mean it! If you're trying to hurt her, then don't, because I won't let you!” Luna hissed, poking his chest with her finger.

“What are you talking about, Lovegood?” Draco's face remained blank, although he knew perfectly well what she was saying.

“Ginny is a sweet, innocent girl, and I don't want to see her suffer… If you like her, then go ahead, and I'll support both of you! If you don't like her at all, then stay away from her, don't think of her, don't even look at her.”

“Who's Ginny?” Draco asked, trying to sound stupid.

Luna just stood there, in front of him, looking deep into his eyes, without saying one word. She was making Draco nervous, and that wasn't easy to achieve… Then, she just snapped out of her thoughts and smiled warmly.

“I see it in your eyes, Draco, believe it or not… I'm happy to find that the Slytherin Prince does have feelings, beside hate and revenge.” Luna whispered kindly. “There's always a price to pay, and I believe it's a very high price for you.”

When Draco didn't answer Luna just walked away, back to the school. The sun had disappeared, and Draco was left alone in the dark pitch, thinking about what Luna Lovegood had just said.

`How can she know so much about my feelings? She doesn't even know me!' he thought, sitting on the grass, with his broom by his side.

“You're right, Lovegood, there's a very high price to pay for falling in love… And I'm not willing to pay it!” Draco whispered into the night.

***

End of Flashback

***

Now don't get me wrong… But, despite being a Malfoy, Draco was still a 16 y-old boy, having crushes as any other teenager, but unfortunately for him, the object of his attention belonged to the family he hated. Frequently, Draco found himself thinking about what could have possibly made him notice the girl.

He had found two explanations… One, the border between love and hate was so thin that he had destroyed it, and now liked Ginny (not loved, because Malfoy's don't love), or two, he was losing his mind.

From that day on, Draco followed Luna's advice, and stayed away from Ginny, and avoided looking at her. Fortunately, Pansy Parkinson never left him alone, so he found a way to release his frustrations. After finishing his 7th year and after all the Death-Eaters receiving the Dementor's kiss, Draco left the country and became a successful business man, forgetting all about his life back at England, until the day he received an urgent owl.

Pansy had been killed, and left a small kid behind, for him to take care of.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Thomas, you're not trying hard enough!” Ginny sighed, feeling extremely frustrated. For the last days, she had been working with Thomas, but the boy showed no signs of wanting to recover, therefore, not working well on his therapy sessions.

“I'm tired… I want to sleep!” Thomas complained, removing his hands from the parallel bars, and falling to a heap on the floor, as his legs failed to sustain his body from standing up.

As promised, Draco ordered someone to buy all the stuff she needed and set up the room next to Thomas', with all the new things.

Excitedly, Ginny began her work with the boy, massaging his body, trying to wake the blood flow in the unused limbs.

Unfortunately, Thomas usually was in a fool mood… Yes, he had come to like her and accept her, but he hated her for making him go through so much pain, with all those exercises.

“I know it's hard for you, Thomas…” Ginny sighed, sitting on the floor next to him. “But I hope you do understand, that we want to help you…”

“Who wants to help?” he asked, narrowing his eyes with suspicion.

“I do, Draco Malfoy, the house elves…” she said, wishing she could carry on with her list, but there wasn't anyone else.

“He doesn't want to help me… He hates me!” Thomas yelled, full of sorrow in his voice. “Why? Why does he hate me?”

Those sad eyes made Ginny want to hold Thomas in her harms and protect him from the world.

“Draco doesn't hate you, Thomas… He isn't a warm, loving person on the outside, but we never know what's deep inside!” Ginny explained. “Deep down he shows that he cares for you… He bought all this stuff, he said we could use his pool, he wants the best for you, or I wouldn't be here…”

Thomas remained in silence, probably thinking about what she said.

“Look, you're tired and you're bored, so I would like to go for a swim with you… Just for fun and not for work!” she smiled, excitedly. “What do you say?”

“Finally you had a decent idea!” he smiled back.

Carefully, Ginny took Thomas to his bedroom and changed his clothes to his pool wear. Just then did she remember that she didn't bring her bathing suit…

`Well, I can't leave him alone in the pool… I'll have to go in my underwear.' She thought, carrying Thomas in her arms all the way to the first floor, as a house-elf brought the wheelchair up. Ginny placed the boy on the chair and then started pushing the chair.

She had never been up there before, and she didn't want to do anything that would infuriate her boss. The hallway was pretty much like the ones downstairs, with green carpet, torches here and there, lots of ancient paintings and some pieces of furniture as a way to soften the cold and impersonal decoration.

“Thomas, do you know where's Draco's bedroom?” she asked, feeling lost in the huge house.

“No, I've never been here before…” he replied, staring at a painting of a skinny blond woman, whom was smiling back at him. “Stop looking at me!”

“What is it, Thomas?” Ginny asked, surprised with his angry voice.

“That woman won't stop staring at me…” he complained, pointing at the moving portrait.

“Good afternoon, lady… Could you help me find Draco Malfoy's bedroom?” Ginny asked to said woman, but the skinny blond just scowled and threw some tendrils of golden hair back over her shoulder.

“What are you doing in Malfoy Manor?” she asked coldly. “I will not admit some Weasley walking around my house…”

“Oh great, Narcissa Malfoy…” Ginny sighed, finally noticing the small plaque under the painting with the person's name. “Mrs. Malfoy, I'm a Healer and I'm working with Thomas, that's all. I'm not living here, don't worry…”

“Oh, Thomas, is it? My beautiful grandson…” Narcissa smiled widely, staring lovingly at the boy. “Why are you not standing up, boy?”

Thomas scowled, blazing in fury, until he finally blew up.

“I'm bloody handicapped, that's why! An I'm not your grandson, you old bat, so keep dreaming and shut your yap!” he yelled, wheeling his chair down the hallway.

Narcissa just stared at the boy, shock all over her aristocratic features.

“Yes, I know, they are very similar, but your son denies being Thomas' father…” Ginny whispered sadly.

“But… he looks like a Malfoy! He acts like one, as well!” Narcissa whispered, still in shock.

“I'm doing my best to find out what the hell is going on in here. When I find out, I'll tell you… But if you could gather some information to share with me as well, it would be great!” Ginny said, trying to conquer an ally.

“Of course, I'll see what I can find out… Draco's bedroom is on the last door, down this corridor.” The blond woman said, for the first time smiling to Ginny. “Maybe you'll become the first Weasley I'll ever like to talk to… A Healer, eh? Who would have thought? Please, tell my son, when you see him, that he hasn't visited me for the last 2 weeks, and that I miss him.”

“Thank you, I will…” Ginny smiled, walking down the corridor, where Thomas was waiting for her in front of the last door, Draco's bedroom.

Taking a deep breath, Ginny tried to ease the feeling of danger… She felt like she was doing something forbidden, despite having Draco's authorization to use the pool. Maybe it was because this was his bedroom and the his own private place… In there she could find several things about him, and that made a small shiver grow in her stomach.

Thomas was the one to open the door to the room and wheeled his way in, followed closely by Ginny.

The bedroom was typically Slytherin-ish. The walls were painted in white and had a few deep green horizontal stripes that went around the room, near the ceiling. Against the main wall was a huge bed, with deep green covers and silver pillows on top. The floor was a deep green carpet, but not a rough one… This one had a small height of fur that probably felt like heaven on someone's naked body…

That thought was enough to make Ginny see herself naked on that carpet, in front of the warm fireplace, with a naked Draco on top of her, touching her… Oh Merlin!

`I really need to get out of this bedroom!' she thought, shaking the thoughts out of her head.

The room was very tidy, and the only proof that someone actually slept in there, was a book on the bedside table and a bottle of perfume on the vanity table, next to a moving picture of a small Draco laughing in Narcissa's arms.

One of the room's walls was covered with glass doors that led to a huge marble balcony, surrounded by small plants and white rosebushes. In the center of the balcony was a good-sized pool with a huge snake painted on the bottom, and a few chaise-longs on the edges of the pool.

“Oh wow, this is huge!” Thomas screamed excitedly.

“Yes, it is… Have you ever been in a pool? Or in the ocean?” she asked, with a big smiled as she took off his bathrobe and his slippers.

“No, have you? Is it blue like the sky?” he asked, curiosity all over his childish face.

“Yes, I've been at a beach before, and yes, the sea is blue when the day is sunny… Sometimes it becomes grey, when the weather is stormy…” she explained, once again remembering Draco's eyes. “One of these days I'll take you to see the ocean… Would you like that?”

“That would be great! Thank you…” Thomas laughed, hugging her.

Ginny removed her clothes until she was only wearing her black lingerie. She quickly performed an Impervius charm on her underwear and a floating charm on Thomas.

“Let's have fun!” she yelled, excitedly, before going in the pool, maintaining Thomas floating around her.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

Hey, I know I'm not updating as often as I used to, and I'm so sorry …

I'm busy... Nowadays I go to bed at 3 a.m. and wake up at 9 a.m. Why, you ask? To study!!! (I hate school, but I have to)

This chapter reveals a few things, but not everything… Narcissa might become a precious key to the whole story, or maybe not, who knows?

I just had the idea of her painting and suddenly I thought, `well she could be useful!' Don't know how, yet!

This story is a tiny bit frustrating because I have so much of it written on my small notebook, where I write my ideas before going to sleep, and when I sit in front of my computer, I start adding extra things and sometimes my mind blocks and I don't know what to write next, because I can't make Draco and Ginny jump on each other too early…

Oh well, soon we'll all see where this story leads us.

Thank you for your wonderful reviews, and for sticking around.

Lots of love,

Carina

10. Kisses by the Fire

Chapter 10 - Kisses by the fire

Draco had had the worst day ever… His meeting with the Clinic associates had been awful and things weren't looking good at all for both Moretti Clinics, if the Moretti heir kept on spending the clinic's money for his own pleasure.

Finally returning home, all he wanted was to go to his bedroom, have a nice long bath and lay down on his bed for a well-deserved rest.

All his plans came out ruined as soon as he entered his room, and the sound of splashing water came to his ears.

Draco dropped his suitcase on a chair and took of his black robes, standing just in his white shirt and black trousers. Slowly, he approached the balcony and watched Ginny and Thomas inside his pool, splashing water and laughing happily. The floor around the pool was full of water that should have been inside the pool.

Draco kept on watching and never noticed the smile that appeared on his lips. When Ginny finally saw him, her smile vanished and she stopped her activities.

“Thomas, lets give you a bath and dinner… It's getting late and I'm sure Mr. Malfoy needs to rest.” Ginny explained to the boy, taking him out of the water in her arms.

Draco immediately picked up a clean towel to put around Thomas' body and took the boy in his arms, finally able to see what Ginny was wearing. His eyes went huge to the sight of her creamy white skin clad in her black underwear… What a sight it was!

“What is it, Weasley? Even with a Healer graduation you're not able to buy swimwear?” he joked, his voice pleasant.

“I knew you'd prefer to see me on these…” she replied, joking as well, but apparently Draco didn't realise the joke and looked at her in shock.

“Well, I do…” he agreed, placing Thomas in one of the chaise-longs, and threw a towel to Ginny.

“Thank you…” she replied, watching as his eyes became a very light blue when he stared at her body. That was new colour that she needed to investigate. What was the emotion behind the light blue eyes of Draco Malfoy? “I'm sorry if we interrupted your privacy…”

“No, not at all…” he replied gently, looking at the shivering boy. “You better bath him in my bathroom… He'll get a cold if you take him downstairs dripping in water, like that!”

“If you don't mind…” she smiled. “Thank you once again. Can you call Tabby and ask her to bring clean clothes for Thomas?”

“Yes, sure… The bathroom is on that door.” Draco replied, taking Thomas in his arms to the bathroom, placing him in the tub, then leaving again as Ginny was walking in. On the narrow doorframe, her chest brushed against his and his eyes became light blue again.

`Desire? Is that it?' she asked herself as she bathed Thomas. `Oh, nonsense… Draco Malfoy would never feel such thing for me, a low Weasley, would he?'

Tabby brought Thomas' clothes and by the time the boy was ready, Ginny was shivering like hell. Her long red hair was wet and had wetted the towel she had placed around her body, so her back was cold and attacking her lungs. Ginny needed a warm bath and a change of clothes with urgency.

“I had fun! Can we do it again, tomorrow?” Thomas asked, excitedly, as Ginny took him back to Draco's bedroom, and placed him on the wheelchair.

“Of course, we can! After we work on he gym, I'll bring you here again.” She promised with a smile, looking at Draco for authorization, to which he nodded his head in agreement.

“Ginny, are you cold? Your lips are blue!” Thomas asked, gently touching her shivering lips.

This seemed to worry Draco has he immediately grabbed her arm and led her to the bathroom.

“Take a warm bath, before you get sick! Tabby will bring your clothes in a few moments…” he ordered coldly, although his eyes became light grey with rays of blue, meaning worry. He closed the bathroom door, leaving her there, standing in the middle of the room with a silly smile on her face.

`Worried about me, are you?'

As the tub filled with warm water, Ginny took her time studying the room. There was a black bathrobe behind the door with DM embroidered in silver, on the counter there was a perfume bottle, silver shaving accessories, a small bottle of facial lotion, a comb and his green toothbrush. Hung beside the huge mirror were small silk ribbons in seven colours: black, grey, white, green, dark blue, light blue and red.

`Always the vain one…'

Ginny enjoyed the warm water and after Tabby brought her clothes in, she finished her bath and rolled a black towel around her body. This time, her curiosity won over and she couldn't stop herself from smelling his perfume…

`Just like I remembered it…' she thought, remembering that night under the stars, watching the garden and the Tames River, when he gave her the rose. He had smelled just wonderful and this little bottle was the responsible.

She placed a drying spell on her underwear, put her clothes on and tied her hair in a ponytail. Her face was slightly pink from the hot water and her body smelled of Draco's soap… It was quite an erotic thing to smell like the guy you like…

The bedroom was quiet, and Draco was the only person in there, watching her attentively.

“Where's Thomas?” she asked, searching for the boy.

“In his bedroom… He fell asleep on the way there.” Draco replied, sitting on his bed. “You've tired him, I guess…”

“Yes, I did… Well, I better leave you to rest.” She said, moving to the door, but Draco stopped her with a simple `Wait'.

Ginny turned around to face him, showing curiosity in her brown eyes.

“After Thomas eats his dinner, would you care to join me for dinner, tonight?” he asked in a pleasant voice, walking closer to her, until they were so close that he could notice that she smelled of him, as if she had been all night in his arms…

Ginny pondered for a few moments and finally agreed.

“I'll be waiting for you in the Dinning Room at 9 p.m.” he smiled warmly, and she smiled back before exiting his bedroom.

Draco's invitation had surprised Ginny, but it was a pleasant surprise… She did want to have dinner with him, get to know him better, help him know her better… Who knows if that dinner won't be the start of a great friendship? Or something more?

After giving dinner to Thomas, Ginny placed him to sleep.

“Sweet dreams, Thomas…” Ginny whispered, kissing the tip of his nose.

“She had long blond hair… Just like mine, and her eyes were blue.” Thomas whispered, as if trying hard not to forget.

“Your mother?” Ginny asked, surprised. She hadn't asked him to tell her, and here he was, opening his heart.

“Yes… She was very pretty, you know? But I was a bad boy, I didn't want to go and she had to come back and then…” Thomas sobbed, surely remembering the accident. “Then she was gone… my mommy…”

“Thomas, why do you blame yourself?” Ginny insisted, needing to know the truth of what had happened.

“We were in the street and I wanted to go to the toys shop… My mommy said she didn't have time and crossed the road, but I stayed in front of the shop. When she saw I wasn't with her, she crossed the road again, very angry. Her eyes were so dark! She didn't see the car and…” he explained, sobbing, as tears fell down his face.

“It wasn't your fault, Thomas… You wanted a toy, that's all! Your mommy should have held your hand to make you cross the road, but she didn't and you were left alone… It's not your fault that grown-up people make mistakes, because they are too tired or nervous!” Ginny explained, holding the boy strongly in her arms. “When I went to Hogwarts, I did something awful and almost killed several friends of mine… But you know what? It wasn't my fault… A grown-up had given me a dangerous weapon and I was controlled by it. It never was my fault, and when I understood that, my life became so much better!”

“But I didn't follow her!” he cried, whishing he could believe Ginny, although his guilt stopped him from doing so.

“I know, but it was her fault… You were a baby, Thomas, and she had to hold you to cross the road! She should have looked both ways before crossing it herself…” Ginny replied, kissing the tip of his nose. “But you have to forget about the accident and remember your mother on your happy moments with her. Your life must go on, and to do that, you must realise you were innocent, just like I was!”

“OK…” he whispered, kissing her nose as well. “I love you, Ginny…”

“I love you too, Thomas…” she replied, her heart bumping wildly with the boy's words. A warm feeling surrounded her whole body for having the affection of that small child she had come to love so much.

Ginny left the bedroom and sighed. The boy had seen too much suffer for such a young age. She wished she could replace the bad memories with new happy ones, and with this thought, she went to the Dinning Room, for her dinner with Draco Malfoy.

“You're late…” a soft voice said, as soon as she entered the room, making her stomach tingle.

“I'm sorry, but Thomas had something to tell me…” she replied, not wanting to talk about it, because Malfoy would surely get angry.

“Very well, let's sit, shall we?” he replied, stepping out of the shadows, with a gentle grin on his lips.

Ginny held her breath without realising it. He was looking absolutely Yummy, wearing a pair of jeans and a black sweatshirt that showed his well-defined torso.

“I still have a hard time believing you're wearing Muggle clothes…” she commented, amusedly.

”They happen to have wonderful taste in clothes… I prefer muggle jeans to the usual black pants we use in wizarding world.” Draco replied, pulling out a chair for Ginny to seat.

“Thank you… And you look great in those clothes…” she replied, truthfully, sitting on the offered chair.

“Why thank you Ginevra…” he whispered in her ear, in a low voice that made her tremble. He then sat down in front of her, and ordered the house-elves to serve dinner.

After spending the entire meal talking about her life since Hogwarts and his life in France, they went to the library, with a bottle of red wine and two glasses in their hands. The weather was pleasant but a heatless fire was lit in the fireplace, making the room orangey with its light. Draco and Ginny sat in front of the fire, side by side, sipping their wine, and Ginny finally asked what she wanted to ask since the beginning of the meal.

“So, why was I invited to have dinner with you?” she carefully asked, sipping her wine and looking at the flames.

“Do I need a reason to enjoy a meal with a beautiful witch?” he asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“When your name is Draco Malfoy, yes you need to have a reason…” she replied, trying hard not to laugh at his theatrical pout.

“You are mean, Ginevra… But you're right, I do have a reason!” he replied, his face turning serious. “How's everything going with the boy?”

“We have been working on his legs and spine… The muscles are extremely weak, almost non-existent, and we need to stimulate them once again. Only when he gains some strength on his legs will we be able to make him try to walk.” Ginny explained, in her Healer voice. “Thomas is responding well to the exercise, although he gets bored very easily, and I believe that from tonight on he will start working with new strength and courage.”

“Oh really, and why is that?” he asked with curiosity, shifting beside her on the floor, to be able to see her face properly.

“First of all I think I should tell you what's my diagnose… Thomas' handicap is purely emotional…” Ginny started, but Draco interrupted her.

“Are you saying he's like that on purpose, after being submitted to several surgeries?” he hissed, fury all over his perfect face.

“No, not something as voluntary as that!” Ginny explained slowly, as if searching for the right words to say what she thought. “In my opinion, Thomas has suffered a trauma on the day his mother died. He just told me, before dinner, that he saw her get killed in front of him, because he refused to follow her in the street. He feels guilty and that trauma blocked the motor area on his brain, making his lower body numb, not paralysed. As you know the brain controls every single portion of your body, and if Thomas believes he's paralysed, than his brain commands his body as if he truly couldn't move… Thomas isn't in this situation because he wants to, Draco!”

Maybe Ginny was right… Thomas had stopped walking after his mother had died, and that could explain it all.

Draco remained in silence, thinking about what she had just said, and ran a hand through his hair, making it fall from the black silk ribbon. The curtain of blond hair covered his face and Ginny was unable to read his emotions.

“How can we help him overcome his trauma?” Draco asked, his face still covered with his hair.

“With patience, strength and love…” Ginny replied with a smile, brushing his hair away from his eyes, with a gentle hand. “You have a big part to play in all this, Draco!”

“How? Strength and Patience, I have plenty… But Love?” he replied, grabbing her hand and caressing it with his thumb, studying the contrast between his big hand and her small, delicate one.

“I have plenty of love to give, don't worry!” she smiled, enjoying his touch, and then couldn't take it anymore. “Oh damn it all…”

“What are you…?” he started to ask but was interrupted as Ginny's soft lips covered his in a gentle kiss. That was enough for him to respond with all the passion he had been feeling for her, admiration, lust, and probably … love, but the last emotion was one he wasn't sure about.

Her lips tasted of the wine they had been drinking, and she smelled of his soap, making his body respond to the feeling of possession. Nibbling her lips and licking them, he asked for entrance and Ginny granted it, throwing her arms around his neck while Draco held her by the waist, bringing their bodies as close as possible.

Slowly their tongues explored each other's mouth in a passionate kiss and soon they had to break it, in serious need of oxygen.

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that! I better go home…” she whispered ashamed with her actions, her lips brushing his and her brown eyes locked with his light blue ones. `Desire, once again…' she thought.

“It's ok, don't worry...” He replied, unwillingly letting go of her waist, immediately missing her warmth against his body.

“Sweet dreams…” she whispered, kissing the tip of his nose, just like she always did to Thomas. Then, Ginny left the Manor and Apparated home with a huge goofy grin on her face.

Draco Malfoy was no longer the crush of her Bad-Boy Phase... Right now it was much more serious than that, Ginny was in love.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

And here is another chappie…

I now some people write 20 pages long chapters, but I don't have all that much information for 20 pages, so you have to stick with my 5 to 8 pages.

I hope you liked this chapter, and know that it's coming close to an end. There are still some chapters missing, but I don't know exactly how many, because I'm posting this story as I write.

Thank you so much for your reviews.

Love, Carina

11. Birthday Party

Disclaimer: Hey, I wish I had the ingredients to do the Polyjuice Potion, to make myself look like J.K Rowling, but I would still lack the writing talent, so stick with me…

I do not own Harry Potter… And, I'm really sad that I don't own Draco Malfoy (*sobs*). Oh well, life goes on!

Chapter 11 - Birthday Party

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“Hello family!” Ginny cheered when she got home and found that Ron and the twins were there with their families.

“What are you so happy about?” Fred asked, when he saw the dreamy look on her face.

“I'm just happy to see my family, that's all!” she said half the truth. She did love to be with her family. When the twins had left the Burrow, everything became too silent and boring… She would always miss their jokes, the sounds of the explosions in their bedroom… Everything about them!

Ron had been her only brother then, and they got even closer than they already were. But everything comes to an end, and Ron married Luna, and left Ginny as well… She had no one with her again. Thankfully she had her classes to attend and her new relationship with Carlo… But now, she loved the silence and the privacy of the Burrow.

There was no need to worry about the twins' pranks every time she ate breakfast or washed her hair. Everything was relaxingly calm…

“Ginny, what is it?” Luna insisted, her big blue eyes fixed on her friend. She was sure there was something else behind Ginny's words.

“We'll talk about that upstairs, ok? Right now, I want to kiss and hug my babies!” Ginny said, kneeling on the floor and opening her arms to hug her nephews.

The four of them ran to her arms and hugged her between giggles and laughter.

“I like your hugs!” Sean said, kissing his aunt's cheek.

“So do I, sweetie… Hey, I know there's a birthday party tomorrow, but I don't know who's the birthday person and I can't buy the present. Can you help me?” she asked, trying to look innocent. She knew perfectly well whose birthday it was.

“It's our birthday!” the twins, Anthony and Andrew, yelled. “What's our present?”

“Oh Merlin, how could I forget!” she gasped in mock shock. “I don't know what to buy to my favourite twins!”

“Hey, we resent that!” Fred and George replied, with big grins on their faces.

Ginny laughed, and winked at them.

“Tomorrow I'll think of something…” she finally said.

“Ginny, please don't spoil them! They have you wrapped around their small hands…” Angelina complained, with a big smile.

“I know, but I like to spoil them…” Ginny giggled, hugging Andrew and Anthony in a tight hug. As she did so, Ginny noticed Jessica take a couple of steps back, lowering her head and dropping her red haired doll on the floor. “Jessica, what is it?”

The twins left Ginny's embrace and went back to their parents side, dragging Sean with them. The little toddlers knew that something was wrong and were giving both girls some privacy. Smart kids…

“Nothing…” Jessica replied in a small sad voice that broke Ginny's heart. She truly was a sucker for her little babies.

“Sweetie, you know I love you very much, don't you? So, why don't you tell me what's wrong and I'll try to help?” Ginny insisted, pacing her hand under the girl's chin, to make Jessica look her in the eye.

“I want a present as well…” she complained, a few tears in her eyes. Ginny almost laughed when she heard the little girl. She was jealous of the twins! “I want to blow the candles on the cake…”

“Oh, you silly girl! Your birthday is next month, and then you'll have a party of your own, with lots of presents and candles to blow… Tomorrow it's the twins birthday, and they are the special persons…” Ginny explained, soothing the girl. “But we can let you blow the candles… Do you want to?”

“YES!” Jessica screamed excitedly, surprising everyone in the living room.

“Good… Now, go play with your dolly while I talk with Aunt Luna!” Ginny said, kissing the girls nose and calling Luna to follow her upstairs.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“What's going on, Gin? Why are you smiling like a crazy woman?” Luna asked, as soon as they arrived at Ginny's sanctuary, her bedroom.

“I've kissed him…” she sighed, throwing her tired body on the comfy bed, staring at the ceiling.

“You what?” Luna choked.

“He invited me for dinner, we talked about hundreds of things and then we had some wine in front of a beautiful fire and I've kissed him…” Ginny explained. “And it felt wonderful, although I've apologised and left right next.”

“Did he correspond?” Luna asked, in a concerned voice.

“He kissed me back, yes…”

“Ginny, I don't want you to suffer, you know that, but please, listen to me… Be sure of what you want, before you go any further.” Luna said in a worried voice, patting Ginny's knee. “Make sure it's not just a crush, make sure it's not just an adventure… Remember he's your boss.”

“I know all that, Luna… But I don't feel like I have a crush on him! We have so many things in common, we had a great talk tonight, and although he can be a great git, I enjoy his company… I think I fell in love with him!” Ginny explained, tears shimmering in her eyes. “Tonight, Thomas told me he loved me… Can you imagine how good it felt to hear that?”

“Ginny, remember your position in that house… I know you love Thomas, and you want desperately to help him, but remember, you won't stay with him forever, and the day you have to separate, you'll both suffer… It would be better if you kept a little distance between both of you!” Luna advised, pain filling her heart to having to say those things to her best friend.

“I know…” was all Ginny replied, before she fell asleep in that position, with her clothes still on.

Luna covered Ginny with a blanket and sat on the bed, watching her friend sleep. She seemed to be serious about loving Draco Malfoy, and Luna was happy, she really was. Draco had been in love with Ginny back at Hogwarts, and Ginny had loved him back, but they never knew of each other's interest. Luna had been the only one to know, and she had done something to prevent Ginny's suffer. Maybe she should have let them get together and cope with their feelings, but she couldn't do it then, and she couldn't do it now.

To love Draco, right now, would only make Ginny suffer… Luna believed Draco still loved Ginny back, but there was more at risk…

“I'm happy Thomas has you by his side, Ginny… Neville would have been so happy to see you taking care of his baby.” Luna whispered, a tear rolling down her face at the memories of the past. “Just make sure you don't break his heart… I'm sure it would be a second trauma for him!”

With that said, Luna went back downstairs, to her husband strong arms, her little boy in her own arms. She was lucky to have her family here with her, and she could only hope dear Thomas would one day be as lucky.

Next morning Ginny woke up early and went to Diagon Alley to buy presents for the twins, Sean, Jessica and Thomas. It would be impossible for her to give presents only to the twins, and leave the others out. As for Thomas' present, she had a plan, and could only hope Draco would let her carry on with it.

“Good morning, Miss Weasley!” a house-elf said, as he opened the Malfoy Manor's door. “Let me help…”

“Thank you…” she smiled, as the house-elf helped her with the present bags. “You can leave them in the leaving room… Where is Mr. Malfoy?”

“Master is out… In France for 2 days.” The creature explained, retreating to the living room with all the bags.

“But I needed his authorisation! Well, Draco doesn't have to find out about our day out…” she grinned mischievously, running to Thomas' bedroom and jumped on his bed, waking him up.

“Good morning, Thomas! It's a beautiful day outside!” she said with a big smile on her lips, as she kissed his forehead.

“Why are you so happy?” he asked, smiling at her good humour, and rubbed the sleep from his brown eyes.

“Harry asked me the same thing last night!” she giggled. “Well, Mr. Malfoy is out for 2 days, and today it's my twin nephews birthday party… I thought that you would like to go with me and have some fun!”

The boy's face became sad and pale.

“Thomas, what's the problem?”

“I've never had a birthday party… I don't even have friends!” he complained.

“I know, and that's why I'm taking you to the party… I'm sure you'll love my family as much as they'll love you!” she replied, taking him in her arms to the bathroom. And so they started their daily routine.

After she bathed and dressed Thomas, she gave him breakfast and they took a walk in the garden. The boy seemed to be very excited about meeting children of his age, and being part of a birthday party. His face held a huge smile all morning, and he often asked when would they go to Ginny's house.

“We're going at lunch time…” Ginny would repeat, with a smile on her face.

Finally lunch time came, and Ginny Floo-ed with Thomas to the Burrow, surprising Molly Weasley, whom had been cooking in the kitchen.

“Ginevra Molly Weasley, you've scared me!” she yelled at her youngest daughter, not noticing the blond boy in the wheelchair.

“Sorry Mum… Can you add two more seats for lunch?” Ginny grinned, kissing her mother's chubby cheek.

“Two? Aren't you supposed to be working?” Molly asked, waving her cooking spoon at Ginny.

“I am working… Mum, meet Thomas, Thomas, this is Molly Weasley, my wonderful mother!” Ginny said, with a big smile.

Molly noticed the boy at last, and just opened her mouth in shock.

“Ginny, why did you bring him here?” Molly asked, still shocked.

“Mother, that's no way of treating my guest! What's the problem of having Thomas over here?” Ginny asked, sad with her mother's reaction. Thomas seemed to be sad as well.

“I'm sorry, I was just surprised, and that's all!” Molly said, her usual smile coming to her face again. She walked to the boy and surrounded him in a typical Molly Weasley hug. “Welcome to the Burrow, darling! It's great to meet the boy Ginny's working with… Come, let me introduce you to my grandchildren!”

Thomas just nodded his head, not daring to say anything. This was the second time someone he didn't know acted kindly towards him. The first person to do so had been Ginny, and here he was, being hugged and tenderly treated by her mother.

Ginny followed her mother and Thomas to the small garden, and smiled happily. Her mother had accepted Thomas, just like she had expected. Molly had a huge heart, and she would never refuse someone in need of motherly care.

The twins, Sean and Jessica were running around the garden, chasing the gnomes. Once in a while, one of them would catch a gnome and throw it as far as they could. Unfortunately, Jessica and Sean were the smallest and they would trip on their feet and fall in mid-chase, getting all dirty of grass and earth. When they eventually managed to catch a gnome, they couldn't throw it very far, and the gnomes would come after Jessica and Sean and tickle them merciless.

“Kids, come here! I want you to meet someone!” Molly yelled, making them stop their fun.

The four kids stopped and looked at their grandmother, and noticed their aunt Piggy as well. They immediately ran to her and hugged her, as they always did.

“Good morning, my darlings! I see you're having fun trying to de-gnome the garden!” Ginny laughed, rubbing Sean's nose, which was full of dirt.

“It's too hard…” Sean complained, in a pout.

“That's because you trip over your feet all the time!” Andrew laughed, and Sean blushed a deep scarlet, so much like Ron.

“Well, first of all, congratulations Andrew and Anthony!” Ginny smiled, kissing both twins. “And now, I want you to meet Thomas, he's a boy I've been working with and he's my friend… I would like you all to be his friends as well!”

The four kids looked at the boy in the wheelchair and remained silent.

“Aunt Piggy, why does he have a chair with big wheels?” Jessica asked.

“That's because Thomas can't walk… He has a problem with his legs! That chair helps him move around.” Ginny explained patiently.

“He can't run like us?” Sean asked, surprised.

“No, he can't… Not yet, anyway! That's why I'm working with him, to make him better!” Ginny explained, with a big smile directed at a shy Thomas.

“Our aunt is OURS! You cannot have her!” Jessica yelled suddenly, at burst in tears.

Thomas seemed shocked with the girl's reaction and his face became pale and worried.

“Jessica is right! We don't want you here!” Anthony said, with a scowl.

Her four nephews were being very unfair to Thomas… Ginny had never expected such a negative reaction from them, and she told them so.

“Kids, you are being unfair to Thomas and to me! I brought him here, because he has no friends of his age… I thought you all would like a new friend, as well! Why are you treating him like this, when you don't even know him?” Ginny asked, anger all over her face.

“You are our aunt… We don't want you with him!” Andrew mumbled. He hated to see his aunt in a bad mood. It always looked like she would explode.

“You're jealous…” she sighed, understanding what was going on. “Kids, you all know how much I love you, don't you? You are my nephews and my small babies, no matter what! But my heart is very big, and in it there's place for everyone… Your parents, the four of you, grandma, grandpa, Harry, Hermione, Thomas and many more people! Can you accept that I love Thomas as I love each one of you?”

The four kids nodded their heads in understanding, and approached Thomas, extending their hands for him to shake.

“Hello, my name is Anthony, this is my twin Andrew, and those are our cousins Sean and Jessica… Welcome to the Burrow!” Anthony smiled, a small blush on his cheeks. “We're sorry for what we said.”

“It's ok. I'm Thomas…” the boy said with a small smile, accepting the apologies.

Soon, they were all talking about Thomas' wheelchair, and the twins were starting to have crazy ideas about riding Thomas' chair down the hill to see how fast it would go.

Thankfully Ginny placed a charm on it, to prevent possible accidents. With those twins around, one could never be careful enough.

“He seems to be a sweet boy, Gin…” her mother said, as they both watched the kids through the kitchen window.

“He is, mom… I'm happy the kids are starting to accept him. Thomas never had someone his age to play with, and I'm sure he'll have a great time today…” Ginny smiled, her heart full of happiness for the young boy.

The 5 kids had a great day, they tried to ride Thomas' chair, and screamed happily, while Thomas laughed, sitting against a tree trunk, they took a wonderful bath in the small pond, they played exploding snap… They had a day full of fun, and it was now dinnertime, but they were all falling asleep on the comfy couches.

“Look at them, they can't even remain awake for dinner!” Kate smiled, covering her baby girl with a pink blanket.

“It's the first time I see my little monsters refusing to have dinner… They usually eat more than Ron, Fred and George combined!” Angelina giggled, caressing her boy's cheeks. “Thomas is a very cute boy, isn't he?”

“Yes, he is…” Ginny replied, watching the boy sleep.

At that moment, Ron and Luna arrived at the Burrow and silently went to the living room. The two of them smiled at their sleeping child and then noticed the blond boy, sleeping next to Sean.

“Who is that boy? I never saw him around here…” Ron asked in a whisper.

“Ginny… That's… Thomas?” Luna asked, in shock.

“Yes, I brought him to have fun with the other kids… They had a great day, Luna!” Ginny smiled, incapable of reading her friend's surprise.

“Ginny?” a small voice weakly called.

“Yes, Thomas, I`m right here, you can go back to sleep…” Ginny replied, with a smile.

The boy's brown eyes locked on Luna, and he stared at her in deep thought.

“Hello, Lulu… You haven't visited!” he said, surprising everyone in the room.

“You… know Luna?” Ginny asked, looking from Luna to Thomas, and back again at Luna.

“Yes, she used to visit me, when I was little… But when my mom… she never visited again!” Thomas replied, rubbing his eyes with his pale hand.

“Luna, you knew him all along? Who is his mother? Is father? How could you know and not tell me?” Ginny asked, feeling betrayed and hurt with her friend.

“I couldn't Ginny… And I still can't. I've promised secrecy, and I'll honour my word until the end!” Luna replied, tears rolling down her face, as she walked over to the couch and kneeled in front of Thomas' small frame. “I'm sorry for not visiting you, Thomas, but there were a few problems… How are you?”

“I'm ok…” he replied in a whisper.

“That's great…” she whispered back, caressing his cheek, and taking in his appearance. “You look so much like your mummy… But your eyes, you have your father's eyes…”

“His father's eyes were brown? So, he truly isn't Draco's kid…” Ginny sighed, seating on a free armchair, running a hand over her face.

“No, he isn't… Please, Gin, understand that I've sworn secrecy… I can't tell you the truth, although I want to, so much! I see you confused and worried, and I want to sooth you, but I can't… Please, forgive me!” Luna asked, casting a worried glance at her best friend.

“Yes, Luna, I understand your reasons, but I'm still frustrated… I need to know, understand? I'll do everything I can to find out who he really is, you can be sure of that!” Ginny promised, determined.

“Come, let's have dinner… Do you want to eat or to sleep, Thomas?” Luna asked the boy.

“Sleep…” he replied, closing his brown eyes again.

“Very well… Sweet dreams!” Luna whispered, covering him and Sean with the blanket and placing a kiss on each head.

The grown-ups had a quiet dinner without the twins' chatter and Sean and Jessica's bickering. Molly placed a Cooling Charm on the birthday cake, so they could eat it the next day, after singing Happy Birthday to the twins. The presents would have to wait as well…

That night, Ginny didn't return to the Malfoy Manor, and Thomas slept with her in her bedroom. Tomorrow she would return him to the Manor, and Draco wouldn't even find out that Thomas and her had spent the day at the Burrow.

Or would he?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hello everyone,

This chapter is a bridge to what's coming next.

In case you paid attention, you now know who truly is Thomas' father.

No, not Draco's son or brother.

So, why is the boy in Draco's house?

You'll have to keep reading to find out, of course…

Thank you for the wonderful reviews, they are the reason I keep writing.

Tomorrow starts the EURO 2004, an European Football Championship that is being held here in Portugal. So, tomorrow, Portugal is playing against Greece, and I want all of you cheering for Portugal ok?

Right now, we have dozens of European teams and football adepts staying at Portugal, enjoying the warm sun, the beautiful beaches, the great food, and of course, the best football there is.

Go Go Portugal!

With all the love, from the bottom of my heart,

Carina

12. Ooooopppppppppsssss

OOOOpppppsssss......

I forgot that when you replace a chapter with another one, you don't get a warning e-mail, and I do want you people to read the new chappie, so, I'm sorry for having this non-existing chapter, and please, go READ THE NEXT CHAPTER!

I'm sorry once again,

Love Carina

13. Three Times Hurt

Chapter 12 - Three Times Hurt

Next morning, Ginny and Thomas woke up with the twins' excited screams and laughter. Apparently, they had already found out their birthday presents, that Molly had hidden in Ron's old bedroom.

“They are so funny…” Thomas laughed, as Ginny took him downstairs in her arms.

“Yes, they are, but a little too mischievous…” she smiled back, settling him on a chair for breakfast. “Good morning family!”

Ginny and her parents had breakfast, while the kids watched the twins open their presents, excitedly.

“Andrew and Anthony, those 3 presents in green wrapping paper are not yours…” Ginny warned, leaving the table to pick up said presents.

”Why? It's our birthday!” they complained at the same time, their identical faces pouting.

“Yes, and I gave you my present… But, I've bought something for my other babies, as well…” she replied, giving Jessica, Sean and Thomas their own presents. The three of them looked at Ginny with excitement and surprise in their little faces.

The three of them looked at each other and in silent agreement, they started trashing the wrapping paper, at the same time.

Sean was extremely happy with his Chudley Cannons pyjama, as he was following his father's taste in Quidditch. Jessica giggled happily when she saw the Never Ending Colouring Book, which would never run out of new images to colour. Thomas received a game of wizards' chess, in which the pieces were miniatures of the players from Chudley Cannons and the Falcons.

“Thank you Aunt Piggy!” Sean, Jessica and the twins yelled, running to her arms, kissing her cheeks and pulling on her hair, playfully.

Thomas remained seated, with a sad look on his face. Ginny told her nephews to go play with their toys, and walked back to Thomas' side.

“What is it, Thomas? You didn't like the present? I can go back to the store and buy something else…” she whispered, trying to understand his reaction.

“I do like it, very much! But…” he said, nervously, and then threw his arms around her neck, embracing her strongly. “I just felt sad that I couldn't run to your arms, like they did…”

“Soon you will, Thomas, soon you will run to my arms…” Ginny smiled, hugging the child back.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Ginny and Thomas went back to Malfoy Manor, hoping no one would tell Draco about their night out.

But they had no such luck.

Just as they flooed back to the main entrance, a very furious Draco appeared in front of them, his face pale with anger, his hands closed in fists by his side, and a look in his eyes that could have killed you.

“Oops…” she sighed, preparing herself for the fight they would be having in a few moments. “Before you start yelling on my face, let me take Thomas to his bedroom… He doesn't need to see this.”

With a wave of his hand, Draco summoned a house-elf and ordered it to take Thomas. Having that taken care of, Draco walked furiously to his office, as a silent order for Ginny to follow him. So, she did.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, the shouting began.

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, TAKING HIM OUT OF THIS HOUSE, WITHOUT MY PERMISSION? I'm his legal guardian, and if anything happens with him, I'm to blame!” he yelled, his fists slamming the desk, making it shake with the strong impact.

“I…”

“Don't you even dare to say anything! How could you break my trust? I confide him to you, and this is what you do? Take him out, show him to the world! You have probably spread to the whole world that he's in my house!” he kept on yelling, not giving her time to explain her reasons.

“No, I…”

“I told you not to say anything… I come home, earlier than expected, and what do I find? The house-elves trembling in fear, because you took Thomas out and they didn't do anything to stop you!” he hissed, stopping his yelling for now.

Draco seemed to be getting calmer, so she sat in front of the desk and looked up to him, with a serene expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he growled, watching her.

Ginny remained silent, and that made him even more furious.

“Answer me!” he ordered, menacingly, grabbing her by the arms and slamming her against a bookshelf, hurting her back and her head.

“You're hurting me…” she mumbled in pain.

Seeing her so weak and so frail in his arms, Draco felt his fury grow again. How could she be so pure, so innocent? How could she make him feel so powerless? This young woman was making him, Draco Malfoy, feel all fuzzy inside, and that's not a good thing… is it?

Feeling bad for having hurt her, but still wanting to hurt her more, to get that innocent look out of her face, Draco kissed her… Not a gentle, passionate kiss, no… A rough one! Urgent, full of hate, love, lust, repulse, every single feeling confusing him even more. He bit her lips in a rough way, and soon tasted copper. He had made her lip bleed.

Just as he was about to break the kiss, and slap himself for hurting her again, Draco felt her arms around his neck, urging his mouth even closer to hers, deepening the kiss. Obtaining such a response from her, Draco kissed her deeply, their tongues clashing in their own fight, the kiss going from furious to desperate, from bruising to passionate, from rough to gentle.

Ginny moaned in the back of her throat and Draco sighed contentedly. He held her waist tightly and Ginny locked her legs around his waist, never breaking the kiss, and rubbed her hips against his.

Draco groaned, and buried his fingers in her buttocks, rubbing their hips harder, making her feel his body reaction to their little rendezvous.

“Why do you make me feel like this?” he whispered against her throat, as he dropped butterfly kisses down the column of her neck.

“Like what?” she asked, her eyes fluttering closed on their own, enjoying the feel of his teeth biting her skin and then his tongue soothing the sensitive skin.

Her question made him realize he had said those words out loud.

`I shouldn't have said that… I really shouldn't have said that! Oh, we can't do this, we can't…' he thought, dropping her on the floor, on her butt. `I'd rather have her mad at me than looking at me with sad and confused eyes…'

And it was how he had intended… Although Ginny felt hurt with his attitude, her butt hurt even more and in a jump she was standing on her feet, looking at him with furious eyes.

“Tell me what happened and where did you take Thomas…” he requested, sitting behind his desk, trying to find a comfortable position on the chair. In his… condition it wasn't easy to be sit.

“Oh, NOW he wants ME to talk! I thought you snogged me just to shut my big fat mouth!” she replied, sarcastically. “Well, now YOU listen, Draco Malfoy… I arrived here yesterday morning and remembered my nephews were having a birthday party. As you and I know perfectly well, Thomas as no friends, and I thought he would have fun in the party. As soon as I asked the house elf were you were, I was told you were out for 2 days. Having no one else to ask permission to, I took Thomas to the Burrow, he had a whole lot of fun with my 4 nephews and they all ended up falling asleep after a fun afternoon. That's why I didn't bring him last night!”

“But you…”

“SHUT UP!” she growled, making him shut his mouth in surprise. “I didn't tell anyone who he is, because I don't know either. And I didn't tell anyone that Thomas is in your house. They don't even know who's my boss!”

“Still, you took him out without my consent…” he said, calmly. It seemed like the wonderful snogging session and the truth had calmed his fiery personality.

`And he's a darn good kisser too… I was almost fainting of pleasure a few moments ago!' she thought, touching her swollen lips, wincing when she felt the bruise he had made on her lower lip.

“Yes, I know I did…” she sighed, tiredly.

“I'm warning you, Ginny, you disobey to me one more time, and you're out of here…” he said, turning with his back on her, to stare out the window.

Nodding her head in understanding, Ginny prepared to leave the office, throwing a sad look at the bookshelf where she had been pressed against a few moments before. Just as she opened the door, Draco called her again.

“In order to keep our relation strictly professional, I'll have to ask you to forget about what happened in here…” he said, his voice cold, although his hidden face showed sadness.

A tear ran down her face, but she said a cold `Yes' and left the office, running all the way to Thomas' bedroom, where she stayed the whole day, playing chess with the boy.

After so long dreaming about how would Draco's kisses be like, Ginny had the chance to snog him senseless, and enjoyed it so much, that she wanted an encore. But his reaction was so… detached, so cold… What had he meant with the way she made him feel? Did he feel lust for her? Hate? Attraction? WHAT?

All those doubts about his true feelings were making her sad, but at least she had Thomas to make her smile, and the investigation about his parents to make her strong. She would not stay still until she found the whole truth about them.

After Thomas fell asleep for the night, Ginny gathered her things and walked to the Manor's doors, hoping she wouldn't have to face Draco on her way out.

Well, no such luck… There he was at the door, welcoming someone she couldn't see, but the voice was definitely feminine.

“Hello Draco, dear… I've missed you these last few months!” a woman's voice said in a seductive tone, that made Ginny want to puke.

“Hello, Chantal, what a nice surprise to see you in England!” Draco truly sounded surprised, but his cheery tone made Ginny jealous. He sounded like he truly cared for that Chantal woman. Who was she to him?

`Oh, just look… I'm acting like a jealous wife!' she groaned inwardly, walking again towards the entrance, stopping just by Draco's side.

There, she could now see the woman. Chantal was an extremely gorgeous woman with straight long blond hair, full lips, a perfect make up on her doll-like face, a top-model body, covered in a black mini-dress that left nothing to he imagination. She was a killer woman, that was for sure, and apparently, she had Draco Malfoy as her prey, not that he seemed to mind, no. For he was staring at her whole body with a pleased look.

“Mr. Malfoy, I'm leaving… Good night.” Ginny mumbled, stepping out the house and into the warm summer night.

“Who's this creature, Draco?” Chantal asked, in a disgusted voice, as she looked at Ginny.

“Oh, that's just the cooker, that's all… Come in, let's have a glass of wine.” Draco said, pulling Chantal inside the house and closing the door without even looking at Ginny.

Now she was truly hurt, for the third time that day, and always because of him.

First he dropped her on the floor, and she hurt her butt, then she was hurt because he dropped her after they shared a very steamy moment, and now, because he called her a cooker, and was about to spend the night with a wonderful witch.

Yes, call it jealousy if you like, but she was hurt.

Ginny did wear nice clothes, and she did have a nice body, but she wasn't all that much when compared with Chantal. Her red hair was too red, her name too Weasley and her temper too fiery. Of course Draco would never be attracted to her when he had Chantal at his disposal…

Wiping a few tears from her cheeks, Ginny Apparated home and tried to forget what had happened that day, by keeping her mind busy making cookies with her mother.

`Tomorrow, I'm going to find out everything… I have to!' she thought, making plans for the next day.

************

Time for answers:

No, I've never read Secret Garden, nor did I see the film, if it exists.

I just got the idea to do something with a handicapped child, and this is the result of that idea. But now I'm interested in that story. Maybe one day I'll read it…

Why does Thomas look so much like Draco?

Well, Pansy, as we all know, has (or had, in my story, because now she's dead) blond hair and blue eyes. Her skin was pale, as it usually his in British kids. Neville had brown eyes, Thomas' eyes are just like his father's, and he had a sweet face and personality.

So, adding all of this up, Thomas has his mother's blond hair (just like Draco), his skin is fair and soft (his mother again) and his eyes are brown (like his father's).

Ginny believed him to be Draco's son because of the skin colour and hair colour.

On the next chapters, we'll find out more about Pansy and Neville, and why they had a small child.

And we'll find out how did Luna know, all along…

So, stay tuned, for more.

Oh, by the way, Portugal lost to Greece (2-1), and I was so sad…

But, yesterday we played against Russia and we won (2-0)!! YAY!

Right now, England his playing Switzerland in Coimbra, and I hope they win.

Lots and lots of love, thank you for the wonderful reviews.

Carina

14. Sweet Confessions

Chapter 13 - Sweet Confessions

After baking dozens of cookies, Ginny took a shower and fell asleep in her soft bed, expecting a long night of sleep, because the next day, she would need to be on full alert, to put her plan into action.

But she never expected to wake up in the middle of the night, as someone pounded on the door, with extreme force.

`Who the hell is making so much noise? Are the twins drunk again, and afraid to show up at home in such a state?' Ginny thought, running down stairs, not even bothering to put a robe on top of her pyjama, aka, small shorts and spaghetti straps top.

Both her parents were already in the kitchen, their wands drawn, preparing to open the door. The person kept on pounding the door so harshly, that it was a miracle the door was still on this place.

Her father finally opened the door and a person covered in a black cloak feel in the kitchen, as she prepared to bang once again.

The first thought that ran through the three Weasley's mind was: `Death-Eater', but it was a little ridiculous, actually. Harry had killed Voldemort, and all the Death-Eaters had been captured. Surely no one would start the whole death eater thing again, right?

“Who are you, and why are you here in the middle of the night?” Arthur asked, in a cold voice, his wand directed towards the cloaked person.

“Draco Malfoy.” The male voice, Ginny had come to know so well, replied, as he rose to his feet again. Then, he removed the hood, showing his face, his eyes were extremely concerned and his mouth in a tight line.

“What's wrong? Why are you here?” Ginny asked, making him focus on her, instead of her parents.

“Thomas is burning in a fever, and I can't get it down… He keeps on throwing up and I don't know who else to call, but you!” Draco replied, letting the worry and frustration show in his voice. “Can you come to the Manor, please?”

“But, of course! I'll get my cloak!” she replied, now feeling very worried as well.

While Ginny ran upstairs, Draco faced her parents, who looked at him with anger.

“I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley…” he said.

“It's ok, Mr. Malfoy… But tell me something, how do you know Thomas?” Molly asked, already taking her our conclusions.

“He's under my care, Mrs. Weasley, but if you don't mind, I would like to keep it secret.” Draco replied, finding out that Ginny had told him the truth… Not even her parents knew were she was working.

“Why? Are you her boss? The one who yelled at her for bringing the boy to my grandson's birthday party? She was just trying to help, you know…” Molly said, growing furious on Draco.

“Yes, I know… And I want to say thank you for receiving Thomas in your house.” Draco replied, trying to stop the woman from hating him, although he didn't know why.

“It was a pleasure… Thomas is a wonderful boy, and he has become good friends with my grandchildren!” Molly replied, leaving the kitchen. “Good evening, Mr. Malfoy, and I hope Thomas gets better soon.”

As soon as Molly left the kitchen, Arthur started his own speech.

“Don't think I don't know who that boy is, Mr. Malfoy… Don't think I didn't know my child was working for you… I have my own ways of getting information, and I just let her work for you, because I saw the importance of it.” Arthur said in a fatherly tone, sitting at the kitchen table, his eyes piercing Draco's. “My daughter as a wonderful heart, and she decides who she thinks to be worthy of her affections, don't you ever forget that! So, pay attention to what is happening around you, and don't make her suffer…”

On that same moment, Ginny walked in the kitchen, wearing a light blue cloak, on top of her pyjama, sandals on her feet and her wand in her right hand.

Her arrival prevented Draco from having to reply to Mr. Weasley, and he was thankful for that, for he needed to spend some time over his words, to understand what he meant.

“Daddy, go to bed, I'll be home as soon as possible… Goodnight!” Ginny said in a sweet voice, kissing her father's bald head, and going out the door with Draco behind her.

With a small Pop, they both Apparated at Malfoy Manor.

Draco immediately took her hand in his and pulled her towards the house; quickly opening the double doors, and then lead her to Thomas' bedroom. Not a word was said, as they were both worried and nervous, and hurt, in Ginny's case.

Still, it was very curious to see Draco so worried about a little boy he seemed to despise…

Draco's deadly grip on her hand ended as soon as they walked in Thomas' bedroom. The boy was lying in his bed, his face shining with cold sweat; his lips were trembling with cold, although he was covered with several blankets.

“What the hell his going on?” she mumbled, running to the bedside, measuring his temperature and becoming even more worried. “We need to lower his temperature… Tabby, prepare a warm bath, NOT HOT, just warm!”

The house-elf ran to the bathroom, while Ginny removed the blankets from the bed.

“Cold… So cold!” Thomas cried, his teeth clashing against each other, the sound echoing in the room.

“Don't worry, sweetie, you'll be ok in no time!” Ginny promised, trying to smile. “Let's give you a bath…”

Ginny was about to take Thomas in her arms, when Draco came by her side, and took the boy in his strong arms, to the bathroom, placing him inside the tub full of tepid water after vanishing the boy's clothes. She just followed in silence.

“What do we do now?” Draco asked, sitting on the bathroom rug, covering his face with his strong hands, looking and sounding tired.

“Now, we wait…” she replied, kneeling next to the bathtub, to keep an eye on Thomas. “Hopefully his temperature will drop a little and then I'll give him a potion to balance his immunity system. I believe his body's reacting to our afternoon at the Burrow's lake…”

“Don't you dare!” Draco hissed, holding her wrist tightly, making her yelp in pain.

“What are you talking about?” she gasped in surprise. His eyes showed fury towards her and Ginny didn't know what she said wrong.

“Don't you dare blame yourself for this… You're not to blame of his natural protection being so weak!” Draco said, pulling on her wrist to bring their faces closer.

Ginny remained silent, trying to make her head and body react against his touch. He had hurt her, treated her like a lowly creature, and here she was, melting in his hands.

`Get a hold on yourself, Ginevra Weasley!' she screamed inwardly, and just as Draco was about to kiss her, Ginny turned her face, and he ended up kissing her cheek.

“I believe you've played me enough for today…” she said, in the coldest voice she could muster.

“I didn't play with you, Ginevra…” he sighed, letting go of her hand, but his eyes remained locked on her.

“Oh, is that so? Then, can you tell me what happened? Why did we both behave that way, WILLINGLY, and then you turned cold on me, and called me the COOKER? I'm no cooker, Mr. Malfoy and I certainly am no toy for you to have fun with!” Ginny hissed, trying hard not to raise her voice, because of Thomas.

“What happened in the office was a mistake, that's all… You shouldn't take it so personally, Weasel! After all, Malfoys commit mistakes as well…” he sneered, although his heart clenched to see her so mad at him. “And about the cooker thing, I don't want Chantal to know about Thomas.”

“What? Afraid she won't shag you anymore, if she knows you have a kid under your care?” she replied, coldly, touching Thomas' forehead again, and sighed in relief when she noticed the temperature had dropped a little.

“That's for me to know, and for you to never find out…” he replied, standing up from the floor, but not leaving the bathroom.

“Ginny, I'm tired…” Thomas' small voice said, as he sat in the tub.

“I know, sweetie…” she replied, taking him out of the tub, drying him up with a towel, and putting him on some fresh pyjamas. Draco once again, took Thomas in his arms and took him to the bedroom, placing him on the freshly made bed.

As Ginny moved the blanket to cover the now sleeping boy, both Ginny and Draco gasped with shock, upon seeing the boy move his legs to sleep on his left side.

“You were right, after all…” Draco sighed, sitting on the small chair, next to the bed. “The only thing keeping him from walking it's his mind.”

Ginny didn't answer, and removed her cloak, as when she had removed Thomas from the bathtub she had gotten it wet. The room was a little cold, making her shiver, as she was wearing just her cotton shorts and top.

“Mr. Malfoy, would you mind if I stayed for the night? I want to make sure Thomas' temperate doesn't rise again…” she asked, not daring to face Draco, as she knew all her resolve to be strong would fly off the window the minute she looked into his silver eyes.

“Yes, you can…” he replied, observing her whole body, and every single gesture she did, as she walked over to the bed. That woman could make him feel like the lowest scum on Earth when she treated him this way. He had his reasons to stop their very intimate moment, that afternoon, and he didn't want to tell her why, because Malfoys don't have to justify their behaviour…

“You can go back to your bed, now… I'm sure you have a full day tomorrow and you need your sleep.” She said, sitting against the headboard, under the blanket. Ginny intended on staying awake all night to watch over Thomas' sleep.

“No, I'll stay here as well…” he replied, trying to get comfortable on the small and hard chair, ending up breaking it.

Although she had her mind set on being cold towards him, Ginny giggled. What do you want? Her heart was bigger than her head, sometimes! Draco looked so cute, sitting on the floor with a shocked look on his handsome face.

Draco stared at her with killer eyes and stood up from the floor, kicking the remaining pieces of wood that one minute ago had been part of a nice chair. What he did next, surprised Ginny, but she remained silent, watching him attentively.

Draco searched around the bedroom, searching for other chairs, but there weren't anymore. Shrugging his shoulders, he walked over to the bed, took of his shoes and his black cloak, revealing a black silky pyjama.

`The man sure has class… What a contrast, uh? Me in cotton and he in silk, even in bed!' she thought with a small smile on her lips. Yes, she did have sexy underwear, but what's the point in wearing it if you didn't have anyone to show it to?

Draco sat on the bed and laid under the blanket, punching the pillow to make it softer. Right now, Thomas was sleeping on the right side of the bed, Ginny was seating in the middle against the headboard, and Draco was lying on the left side of the bed, lying on his side, facing Ginny with his now dark eyes.

“Aren't you going to sleep?” Draco asked in a deep voice, watching Ginny caress Thomas' hair and cheeks.

“Not yet… I need to keep an eye on him.” Ginny replied, sighing.

“Fine. If you need me, call me… Goodnight.” Draco replied, closing his eyes and prepared to fall asleep.

Ginny kept on playing with Thomas' hair, although her eyes were fixed on Draco, trying to memorise every single aspect of him. It was during this inspection, that she ended up falling asleep as well.

***

Everything was dreadfully quiet in the bedroom, and there was one single candle, fighting to remain burning, casting a soft glow over the dark room.

There were three people on the bed, and only one of them was awake, brown eyes shinning under the soft light.

Thomas woke up feeling much better, although his throat was a little sore. Rolling his body to lay flat on his back, he felt a warm presence by his side… Ginny.

She was everything he had ever wished, after losing his mother. Ginny cared about him and wanted the best for him, even when he acted like a brat.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he could see his mommy yelling at him, telling him to stop being so childish and then her death… Ginny said his mother was the fault, not him. Was it true? Well, maybe not, it had just happened, but the truth was, Thomas had played a small part in it, although he couldn't be blamed. Yes, Ginny had helped him realise he was too small and innocent to be guilty of such an important thing, as death.

`Can you make me forget that day, Ginny? Can you love me, like I want you to? Can you be my new mommy?' Thomas thought, caressing Ginny's face and touching her soft red hair.

There was a deep sigh, a male one, and Thomas jumped in surprise. He hadn't noticed anyone else in the room… Searching around the dark corners of the room, he found no one, but when he propelled himself up on his elbows, Thomas saw a blond man, lying on the other side of Ginny, sleeping peacefully.

`What is he doing here?' Thomas thought, watching as Draco moved in his sleep and placed an arm around Ginny's waist, bringing their bodies closer, to fit perfectly, like two puzzle pieces. `They kind of look cute together… Maybe he's here because he cares about me? Maybe he wouldn't mind being my father, and stay with Ginny?'

The Gods will always hear a child's wish… Maybe Thomas' wish is strong enough to become real? Who knows?

Thomas was still watching the couple, when Ginny woke up and smiled warmly at him.

“Hello, darling… How are you feeling?” she whispered, touching his forehead, only to find out it wasn't too warm.

“I'm better… Thank you for caring about me, Ginny!” he replied, falling on his back to touch Ginny's long fiery hair. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“No, why are you asking?” she asked, playing with his hair as well. “Are you interested?”

“NO!” he giggled. “I just wanted to know if you would like to have kids?”

“Yes, Thomas, that's what I want the most…” Ginny smiled warmly, kissing his forehead. Only when she moved to do so, did she notice the strange weight on her stomach. Looking down she was surprised to find Draco's arm holding her against his body. It was quite the sight…

“Do you like him?” Thomas asked, clearly talking about Draco.

At last, Ginny seemed to understand what Thomas was trying to do.

“Listen Thomas, adult people's lives aren't that easy… To like someone, isn't enough to be happy. You have to truly love the person before you decide anything. And most of the times, the feelings aren't present on both ways, and when that happens, you're better off alone, than trying to be the only one feeling love in the relationship…” Ginny explained. “But, that's more than your little head can understand… When you grow up, you'll know what I mean! Draco Malfoy is my boss and that's it.”

“Will you be by my side, when I understand what you just told me?” he asked, full of hope.

Yes, Thomas was just asking her if she would be present in his life, forever more. And no, she couldn't answer that, because she didn't know, and highly suspected she wouldn't.

“I love you, and I'll always be thinking of you, no matter how far we are from each other…I can promise you that.” She smiled warmly, a tear running down her face.

“I love you too, Mommy, and I'll never forget you.” Thomas sobbed, throwing his short arms around Ginny's neck, wanting to feel her motherly warmth protecting him.

His words were enough to make Ginny cry like a baby… This small child lover her like a mother! She felt so happy, because she loved him back, as a son, but at the same time, she felt fear…

Hopefully she would help him walk again, then her job would be over, and she'd have to leave the Manor… Thomas' heart would be broken, in the end, and it pained her so much to know that.

Embracing each other strongly, afraid to lose one another, Ginny and Thomas fell asleep.

Silver eyes were shining under the candle light for a few seconds, and then the candle burned out, leaving the whole room emerged in darkness. He had heard the entire conversation, and decided he would have to take measures about what he had just heard. Ginny and Thomas' shouldn't get so connected; it would only make things worse in the end.

For now, Draco tightened his hold on Ginny's waist, smiling to the feeling of having her in his arms and spent the rest of the night watching over the beautiful redheaded Weasley and blond haired Longbottom.

**********

Thank you all so much for your reviews! I feel loved and that's great for my EGO.

Well, it's 1 a.m. over here, and in about 9 hours I have an exam, to which I barely studied, but it's not a case to worry, because it's Informatic applied to Statistics.

It's easy, and so, I took the time to write this new chapter. You all deserve it, for being such great readers.

Well, next Friday I have a very important Statistics Exam, and the next week I have Learning Psychology exam, and then I have 12 days to study for the other exam, so after the 30th of June, I'll post a new chappy, ok?

Please be patient on me, I'm don't take that long to update my stories.

Love, Carina

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15. Saying Goodbye

Chapter 14 - Saying Goodbye

Waking up with Ginny in his arms had been… amazing. The way their bodies fit against each other, the small noises she made when she moved in her sleep, the way her long red hair shone with the first rays of sunlight, coming through the curtains.

Knowing it would be awkward for her to wake up in his embrace, Draco tiptoed out of Thomas' bedroom and went upstairs to his own room.

Ginny had been awake for a long time, now, and she had felt Draco watching her `sleep', his fingers running though her hair, and his breath on her neck. But, she couldn't show him she was awake… It would have been awkward and he would stop the gentle caresses, and she didn't want either to happen. When he left the room, she finally opened her brown eyes, and smiled.

“He cares, Thomas… He cares.” She whispered to the still sleeping boy. Touching his forehead, she sighed in relief, as all traces of the fever had disappeared, and his cheeks were a healthy pink again.

Kissing his forehead, Ginny left the bed and put on her slippers. She had to play the secret spy now, and the first task was to make sure the Boss was out of the way.

Walking down the hallway still on her small pyjamas, Ginny collided with Draco, just has he got to the bottom of the huge staircase. Thankfully, he still had his Seeker reflexes, and prevented her from falling on her butt.

“Oh, thank you… I didn't see you!” Ginny smiled, looking into his eyes. They were shining… That was something new about him.

He was freshly showered, and had his formal clothes on, probably on his way out, but he didn't look like he was in a rush… His hands were still on her waist, and he didn't look like he wanted to remove them any time soon.

“History repeats itself, does it not?” he smirked, mentioning their first encounter at Diagon Alley, a few months ago.

“Yes, I believe it does…” she replied with a smile. The sound of the house-elves working in the living room made Ginny's brain wake up to reality. This guy had hurt her just yesterday, and here she was, melting in his hands! Ginny quickly stepped out of his embrace, and crossed her arms around her waist, as if she was feeling cold. “I'll prepare Thomas' breakfast…”

Draco watched her leave in silence. That woman confused him, more than he cared to admit. It looked like she was forcing herself to keep a distance from him.

`Of course she is… You hurt her feelings!' he thought, following her to the kitchen.

He stood at the kitchen entrance, watching as she refused the house-elves help on cooking Thomas' breakfast. She was a very independent woman, and he liked that side of her.

As she warmed some milk and scrambled some eggs, Draco approached her silently, surprising her to death when he whispered against her neck.

“I'm leaving for a couple of hours, if Thomas gets worse, please ask the house-elves to warn me.

“Yes, Mr. Malfoy…” she replied, shivering to the feeling of his proximity, but never turning around to face him. If she did that, she would only be showing her weakness.

When the temperature around her cooled down, she knew he was gone… Now was her time, to search for answers…

After ordering Tabby to take the already prepared tray with food, to Thomas' bedroom, Ginny ran upstairs to the portrait of Narcissa Malfoy.

“Good morning, Mrs. Malfoy…” Ginny said, waking up the gorgeous lady. “I'm sorry to bother your sleep, but now is the time to search for answers. Did you find out anything?”

“My son came here a yesterday and we had a little chat, but he said nothing about the boy…” Narcissa sighed, sadly.

“Ok, thank you for trying. I'm going to his bedroom, to search for Thomas' documents… Maybe they say the name of his parents.” Ginny sighed, running a hand over her tangled hair, from having just woken up.

“Oh, great idea! How could I forget about that? Search under the bed… There is a secret compartment on the floor where he keeps his secrets… He used to hide his Play-Witch's in there!” Narcissa said, excitedly.

“Draco Malfoy, buying Play-Witch? Ah, that's new!” Ginny laughed. “Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy… I'll see what I can find out.”

Upon entering the bedroom, Ginny noticed that the bed sheets were scattered all over the bed… Apparently Draco had been sleeping before he had to call her, to take care of Thomas.

The morning sunlight illuminated the white walls, and gave life to the huge room.

Focusing on the bed, Ginny moved it with a Levitation Spell… Searching carefully for any signs of a secret compartment on the carpet, Ginny kneeled and ran her hands over the soft surface.

`Ah, here it is! Draco, I sure hope you're not hiding those magazines in here, anymore… I would be wasting my time, and I would get worried about your mental health!' Ginny thought with a huge grin, lifting the rectangle of carpet, to reveal a small wooden door underneath it. As she expected, it was locked… Nothing a simple Alohomora couldn't fix!

Taking a deep breath, Ginny looked around her, to make sure she wasn't being caught in the act, and slowly opened the little door, revealing a hole full of papers and a blue box.

Searching through the papers first, Ginny found Draco's birth certificate, his admission letter from Hogwarts, his parents' Death Certificates, some papers from the Ministry of Magic, regarding his properties… but nothing related to Thomas… Nothing!

Exasperated, Ginny dropped the papers in the hole again. There was only one chance now… Hopefully Thomas' things would be in the blue box.

Opening it, Ginny found some more papers… A St. Mungos paper with a baby footprint on it.

`Whose footprint is this? Draco's?' Ginny thought, searching for a name on the paper, until she finally found what should have been the mother's name… But, you know doctors. Their handwriting his unreadable!

Growing frustrated, Ginny fussed over the papers, none of them had great interest… Until she got to the bottom of the box, that is. There was the Birth Certificate, she had been looking for.

`EUREKA!' she yelled in her head, quickly examining the paper.

“Thomas Longbottom…” she gasped, recognizing the name. “How many Longbottoms are there in our world?”

Trying to push the idea aside, she kept on reading.

“Son of Neville Longbottom and Pansy Parkinson… WHAT?” she yelled in shock, forgetting to keep control over her voice and emotions. “How can it be? I don't understand…”

“Neither can I…” a furious voice yelled from behind her. “I don't understand how I could ever trust you… How could you betray me this way, Ginevra? I accept you in my house, to help Thomas, and here you are, fussing over things that should remain hidden!”

Ginny dropped the papers she was holding and faced him, still on her knees. Draco looked truly furious and disappointed at her, and he had every right to feel that way… but she needed answers, and now that she had them, Ginny felt even more confused and curious.

“I needed the truth… The truth you wouldn't give to me! Can you imagine what it's like to see this perfectly healthy child, wasting the best years of his youth tied up to a wheelchair? All because of a mental trauma!” Ginny replied, growing furious as well, and she stood, starting to pace the room. “'He saw his mother die' you tell me, but do you care to explain? No! That's not part of your responsibility, is it? I needed names…”

“Why? Just because he called you Mother?” Draco sneered, his words full of disgust. “I thought proper Healers kept a safe emotional distance between them and the patient…”

Ginny lowered her head with hurt. What he had just said was the truth, but she loved that boy, and she loved his guardian as well. Maybe she wasn't acting like a proper Healer, but she wanted to heal Thomas, and knowing his background was essential for that.

“Are you satisfied, now that you invaded my privacy, my secrets, my life? Are you ready to tell this to every single soul that crosses your way?” he yelled, striding quickly to her side, grabbing her arm with extreme strength.

“I believe you know me better than that…” she whispered, sad and feeling ashamed.

“Do I? Do I truly?” he hissed. “I want you out of this house in 10 minutes and before you leave, you have to explain to the boy he won't see you ever again, you hear me?”

Ginny looked at him in shock, her brown eyes wide with fear and regret.

“Draco, please don't do this to me… To Thomas…” she pleaded, tears shining in her eyes, threatening to fall.

“LEAVE! I'll send your payment via Owl…” he ordered, turning his back on her, incapable of seeing her cry because of him.

“Why are you the guardian of Neville's son? Why doesn't anyone know that he HAD a son? WHY?” she mumbled, wiping her tears away. When she got no answer from Draco, Ginny walked out of the room.

****

As soon as the door clicked shut, Draco threw a vase full of roses against a wall.

“SHIT!” he screamed angrily, sitting on his misplaced bed, with his head in his hands. “Why did you have to do that? Why did you have to make me fire you?”

****

Thankfully the bedroom had silencing charms and Ginny heard nothing as she sobbed and cried on her way to the staircase.

“Ginny? Oh, I've tried to warn you that he was coming, but I can't leave this painting… What happened?” asked a nervous and anxious Narcissa.

“He caught me in the act, Mrs. Malfoy… I found the papers and I was reading them when he found me. He was so furious…” Ginny explained, sadly.

“But, you found something, am I right?” Narcissa asked, concerned.

“All I can tell you is that Thomas isn't your grandson… He has no blood relation to your family.” Ginny said, not wanting to tell her the truth and break Draco's trust again. “I need to leave now… Goodbye Mrs. Malfoy.”

“Poor girl… It's easy to see she loves him, but she should have known that Malfoy men don't love. They don't know how to feel.” Narcissa whispered sadly, as she watched Ginny go down the stairs. “I thought I had raised my son better than this…”

Ginny had little time left, so she ran to Thomas' bedroom, where Tabby was dressing him, having just given him a bath.

“Tabby, you may leave, I'll get him dressed…” Ginny ordered, watching as the house-elf ran out of the room, and then she faced the little boy, whom was watching her with concern.

“Why are you crying?” he asked, noticing her red eyes and flushed cheeks.

“I had a small problem, and now I must leave this house…” she said, re-starting to dress him. “I had to tell you that I won't be coming back, Thomas…”

“NO!” he screamed, throwing his small arms around her neck, as if this gesture could keep her by his side forever more.

“Thomas, I know you love me, and that means the world to me… I love you just as strongly, and my heart is breaking for having to leave! Sometimes, people don't get what they want, when they want…” Ginny explained, trying not to hurt him more than she already had. “I can't stay here anymore, and I won't be able to help you anymore, but I'm sure Mr. Malfoy will find you a new Healer to help you, ok?”

Thomas looked at her, his face full of hurt, as tears rolled down his face.

“Why are you leaving me? Why? This time I didn't do anything wrong! Please, don't go… You're my mommy, now…” he pleaded, not letting go of her hands. “Please, don't leave me alone, not again…”

Unable to control her own tears and sobs, Ginny hugged the boy and kissed the tip of his nose, like she always did.

“It wasn't your fault… I was the one to do something wrong, Thomas.” She said, giving him a small smile. “I love you…”

“GINNY! GINNY! MOMMY!” Thomas screamed and cried as she left.

Ginny walked down the hallway, trying her best to ignore Thomas screaming her name, telling her to come back.

All the house-elves hurried to the hallway to see what was going on, but all they saw was Ginny Weasley walking out of the house, still wearing her pyjama under her cloak and slippers on her feet.

That was the last time they saw the redheaded lady for the following weeks.

***********

Hey everyone!

Well, as you can see, I'm posting a lot sooner than I said I would…

Monday I did my first exam, and I got an 16 out of 20, and I'm very happy, although I know I could have gotten better, but I'm happy, nonetheless.

Today I did my Statistics exam, and it went awful! I've studied so much, and this is my best class, but still it went badly… I'm extremely depressed.

BUT!!!

PORTUGAL!!! PORTUGAL!!! PORTUGAL!!!

Sorry, but I had to yell this... Portugal WON yesterday against England.

Of course I love England, but Portugal is my nation, and I'm so happy we won! I always thought England was going to win, they have a very strong team, but we ended up being victorious and passing to the semi-finals… The whole country was crazy with the game result.

Well, I don't know when I'll be posting next, but I think it'll be soon. The story is nearing the end.

Lots of hugs and kisses to all of you who have been reviewing and reading this story. I love you all so much.

Carina

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16. Love Hurts

Chapter 15 - Love hurts

It hurt; there was no doubt about that… It had been one month since Ginny had left the Malfoy Manor, and her sweet Thomas, but her heart still ached, for she had built strong ties with the boy.

His young voice calling her name, yelling, actually…, asking her to stay, calling her Mommy! Her heart broke each time she remembered that day.

Draco had sent her the paycheck, but Ginny sent it back with a small note:

`My love cannot be paid, ever…

GW'

Ginny missed Draco, Thomas, and the Manor she had learned to love… But she only had the time to miss them at night, because she spent her days out in the Wizarding World trying to find a job.

So far, nothing… Every single clinic she went to, showed enthusiasm when they read her curriculum, but as soon as they knew her name, they would refuse her. Apparently, Carlo Moretti had a huge power over the other clinics, and he had made sure Ginny would not get away with her little show in that ball, back at Malfoy Manor, when she broke up with him.

Every single day, a very tired and upset Ginny would go back to the Burrow, take a long bath and lay down on her bed, trying hard not to cry over how much she missed Thomas and Draco.

The whole family had seen how sad she was lately, but no one besides Luna, Hermione, Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Weasley could tell what was going on… Ginny's parents had seen how Ginny had looked at Draco that night he came for her, and they had concluded that was the reason why she was feeling so down, but they felt a little more relaxed… Draco Malfoy might have changed, but he probably wasn't what their daughter needed.

Luna and Hermione would come by every night, to try to cheer her up, but the only thing that got a smile out of Ginny was when Hermione confessed to be pregnant.

Luna wanted to help her best friend, that's why she was in this house, sitting inside that office, waiting for an old acquaintance.

She remembered the old days back at Hogwarts, soon after she warned Malfoy to make a decision about Ginny. Back then, he had chosen to stay away from Ginny, and with that decision he stopped watching her all the time, he stopped insulting her family, and amazingly, he had started to treat Luna much better, not even making fun of her. When she confronted him on that change, he just said:

“I'm glad she has a friend like you to watch over her well-being… I wish I had one good friend like you.” He explained with a small smile on his lips.

“I can be your friend…” Luna smiled sweetly at the once scary Slytherin.

“Yes, you can, Lovegood…” he replied, sincerely.

Ever since those days, Luna remained in contact with Draco, mainly through Owls. She always told him how was her life and he always answered back telling about his. They rarely talked to each other, but in their letters, they spilled their hearts to each other, especially Draco. It looked like he was desperate to get all those things out of his chest…

During the war, Luna was the only person to find out about Neville and Pansy…

Everyone was staying at Hogwarts, including the ex-students from the former years, trying to protect the castle and the younger kids. Luna was on her way to meet Ginny in the kitchens, for a late night snack, when she heard voices inside a classroom. That's when she saw Neville and Pansy kissing passionately, despite her tears.

“Please, don't go… Don't leave me…” Pansy sobbed, holding Neville tightly in her arms, not wanting to let go of him.

“I have to go, Pansy… I have to do this for my parents, for Harry's parents, for Harry's friendship, and for us… Always for us!” Neville answered in a sad voice. “I'll be back, don't worry…”

“Please, don't go… I… I'm pregnant, Nev!” Pansy sobbed harder, and Neville showed shock on his face, his brown eyes shining with happy tears.

“I'm going to be a father? I'm going to be a Daddy? That's wonderful!” he screamed happily, spinning her in his arms. “I love you Pansy, and I will come back to you and our baby… You mark my words!”

But he never did come back… He never met his child, he never got to say goodbye to the woman he loved, he never got to enjoy the beautiful life he had ahead of him.

Pansy, she had ran away from her evil parents, and came to Hogwarts, mostly because she had fell in love with Neville, and when he died, all she wanted to do was to kill herself, but she didn't have the courage to do so, when she thought of the small life she had inside of her. Neville's baby…

Luna was her support after the war, in secrecy. She would visit Pansy and Thomas regularly, loving to be with the son of her old best friend. But she always noticed how cold Pansy had become after Neville died, she became the old Slytherin bitch again, she acted insanely at times, but she always showed love to Thomas… Always!

When she died, Luna wanted to ask Ron's permission to adopt the small boy, which implied telling him about the whole story, but that never came to be needed.

Apparently, Pansy had had different ideas. Neville had died to save Draco's life, and that was a Wizard's debt.

In her will, she had specified that as a payment, Draco would have to be Thomas' legal guardian, and ensure his safety, his education, his future…

Luna had been in contact with Draco, ever since the boy was placed under his care, and Draco always replied with news on his surgeries and recuperation.

“Luna…” a male voice said, entering the office, and making Luna snap out of her thoughts.

“Hello Draco… Looking good, as always!” she smiled warmly, watching him sit behind the desk.

“But of course!” he grinned. “So, why are you here?”

“We have something very serious to talk about… Ginevra Weasley!” Luna said, her voice becoming deadly serious.

“What about her?” he asked coldly, although his eyes sparkled with interest.

“A long time ago, I asked you to stay away from her, if what you wanted was to hurt her… But, if you loved her truly, to go ahead.” Luna started, her wide blue eyes focused on his face. “This time, I didn't warn you on time, you didn't keep your distance and now, you're hurting her, deeply.”

“Why should she feel hurt? All she has lost was her job! I lost my privacy!” Draco replied coldly, although his heart was tight with guilt and sorrow.

“No Draco… She's lost the boy she loved as a son! He calls her Mother! She's lost the man she fell in love with, without ever having had him; she's lost her self-confidence, her laughter! She misses you both so much… She loves you BOTH, so very much, Draco…” Luna yelled furious, while pacing his office.

“She shouldn't have done what she did…” he whispered, trying not to accept the fact that Ginny loved him and he had hurt her. “Those were my private things, my bedroom, and my secret! She had no right of messing with my life!”

“Is that the only reason why you fired her?” Luna insisted, watching him run a hand over his hair, in a nervous gesture.

“No.”

“Draco, please help me understand what's going on…” she pleaded, sitting again on her chair.

“I can't have her here… I was going crazy, watching her, daydreaming about her, feeling her scent wherever I went! She was making me feel again, Luna…” he replied, although it pained him to say all that to her. But he knew he could trust Luna, like he had done so many times before, in their letters.

“Is that such a bad thing, Draco?” she whispered sadly. “She told me about Chantal…”

Draco's eyes showed surprise and confusion at the same time, but he remained silent.

“She's so jealous of Chantal… That night she met her, and you said Ginny was the cooker; she talked with me while she baked some cookies. She was so sad, feeling so hurt and ugly! You had a passionate moment and you kept on treating her like scum…” Luna complained. “She feels like you'll never look at her, because you prefer women like Chantal.”

“She's silly, if she thinks that way… How can she not see what she makes me feel?” he replied, playing with a feather in his hands.

“Why don't you tell her the way you feel?”

“I can't…”

“Why, Draco? You don't love Chantal! You don't have to marry her… We both know that! What do you feel about Ginny?” Luna screamed furiously.

“I… I've never loved before, but probably that's what I'm feeling. The youngest Weasel won her way over to my heart!” Draco admitted at last, hiding his face with his pale hands.

“Great! Now, all you have to do is tell her!” Luna said, excitedly.

“NO! I'll be marrying Chantal in a month.” He stated firmly. “I'm sorry Luna, but I have to keep my promises…”

Luna tried hard not to cry in despair because of his attitude.

“I wish I had never told her you had changed… I wish she had never accepted this job, and I wish she had never fell in love with you, for the second time in her young life… You took Thomas away from her, you took her job, her love and her self-esteem!” Luna hissed furiously. “This time you succeeded in hurting her, but be warned! There WON'T be a next time…”

Without waiting for his reply, Luna almost ran out of the office, bumping against something metallic. Looking down at her side, she found a very red in the face Thomas, eavesdropping on their conversation.

“Ginny is not… coming back?” Thomas asked, tears shining in his eyes.

“No, Thomas, she isn't… But she loves you very much, never forget that!” Luna sobbed, hugging the boy tenderly. “Soon you'll have a new mother and you'll be very happy…”

“NO! I won't be happy! Ginny is my mommy… Ginny is my mommy!” Thomas screamed, his voice echoing in the huge manor.

It was with his screams that Luna ran out of the house and Apparated to her house.

Thomas kept on crying and yelling Ginny's name, but Draco didn't leave his seat, trying to close his mind to the boy's voice. They were very linked together, that was easy to see and understand. Ginny had somehow touched both their lives… More than she would ever believe.

Sometimes Draco wondered about his decision to fire her. She had asked for answers, and he had refused to break his promise to Neville. If he had been in Ginny's place, he would have done the same thing to find out the mystery…

But, it wasn't mentally healthy for her to keep working here. She and Thomas were way too attached, and he was falling hard for the woman he had been admiring in his last year at Hogwarts. And, sooner or later she would have found out about his wedding with Chantal.

Chantal was his fiancÃ©e, and that was another promise he had to keep. Marry the daughter of the man who helped him protect the Malfoy fortune from the Ministry hands. They had wanted the money, saying it was dirty, but Draco never allowed them to touch a galleon.

So, either way, he couldn't have Ginny, no matter how much he loved her, and he would have to learn to deal with the feeling of emptiness… And so would Thomas…

`Children forget easily… Soon he won't even remember her!' Draco thought, trying to reassure himself, although he knew it was a lie.

What happens in your childhood marks you for your whole life, sometimes leaving such deep scars, that you'll never get rid of them.

“MOMMY!” he heard Thomas scream once again, and then there was a dry sound, of someone falling on the floor.

Worried about the boy, Draco came to the corridor and what he saw left him petrified in both shock and surprise.

Thomas had left his wheelchair and was crawling awkwardly towards the hall's fireplace.

“Thomas? What are you doing?” Draco asked in a weak and surprised voice, but the boy didn't answer.

Thomas reached the stonewalls of the fireplace, and using the rough gaps to lock his small fingers, he propelled his body up, on his wobbly legs, and reached for the Floo powder, like he had seen Ginny do that day she took him to her house.

Waking up from his shocked trance, at seeing Thomas standing up alone, Draco ran towards him, trying to stop him from flooing anywhere. Just as he reached the fireplace, Thomas yelled his destination and disappeared in the green flames.

************************

Hello everyone! I did my exam today, and it went well, so I got home in time to see the game: Portugal vs. Holland.

We WON! We are on the finals, isn't that great???? Yes, it is because I say so!

Well, I wrote this chapter in about 40 minutes, because I already had it written on paper. I have this habit of writing on a small notes book when I go to bed, and then I use it to develop the ideas on the computer.

Thank you so much; to all of you who have been reading, and reviewing, you are the best thing in this Fanfiction stuff.

I'm sorry if my stories aren't perfect, but I don't want a BETA, it gets hard to update when you have one, because they have their busy lives, and sometimes they take forever to send you the chapters you sent them! It's a mess!

So, you're stuck with my English, whether it's bad or not, but believe me, I've seen English people writing 10 000 times worse than me!

Lots and lots and lots and lots of love, from me

Carina

PS: Don't forget to cross your fingers for Portugal, because WE ARE ON THE FINALS!!!

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17. The Visitor

Chapter 16 - The Visitor

“I'm sure you'll find my curriculum very satisfying, Mr. Thompson…” Ginny smiled sweetly, as she handed the archive to the Director of St. Mungos, that same afternoon.

She had tried several clinics that day, and none of them had accepted her, and now St. Mungos was her only hope, for she had already tried every single clinic in England.

Mr. Thompson seemed very interested in her curriculum, just like all the others had been, but she feared his answer… Probably he would reject her just like the others had done.

“Yes, Miss Weasley, your curriculum is truly interesting… But, I'm sorry. At this moment we have to need for more Healers!” the man said with a disappointed look on his face. It was almost as if he were feeling guilty.

“Very well, sir…” Ginny replied, trying to keep her face from showing her hurt. “But, I must ask you something, and I trust you to be honest with me.”

“If I can help…”

“You don't need any more Healers, or you were told to not employ me?” she asked slowly. “Your answer won't change anything, sir… I just need to know, because I went to every single clinic in the whole country and no one wants me to work there.”

Mr. Thompson watched her frustrated and sad face, and sighed loudly.

“Miss Weasley, you know who ordered all of those clinics to not hire you, so I think I don't have to explain you anything… We all want to keep our jobs, or businesses going, and if we hired you, Mr. Moretti would do everything he could to ruin us.” The man explained in a kind voice. “You must be a wonderful Healer, but I cannot risk my job…”

“Of course not… Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Thompson.” Ginny smiled before leaving his office and the Hospital, stepping into the Muggle London.

There, among Muggles, where no one could recognize her as a Weasley, Ginny finally allowed her tears to fall down her face. She felt desperate, she felt frustrated, she felt angry and weak… Carlo had ruined her life, just because she didn't want a horrible life by his side… But, she wouldn't go to him to demand answers. That would only bring even more frustration and it would make him feel victorious for making her so unhappy.

Slowly, she made her way to the alley with the access to the Ministry of Magic. From there she would Apparate home and think about her life.

Everyone in the magnificent hall waved at her and smiled, as they all recognized the Minister's daughter. Ginny tried to smile back, but it was lacking her usual happiness and sincerity. Still, she tried her best to smile and after passing the security, entered the golden lift to go to her father's office and pay him a small visit.

“Good afternoon, Miss Kensington… Is my father available?” Ginny asked to the young secretary that worked for Mr. Weasley.

“Good afternoon, Miss Weasley… The Minister of Magic is in the middle of a meeting and then he'll have a free hour. Do you wish to wait?” the young woman, about Ginny's age, asked with a gentle smile.

“Yes, I'll wait… Thank you.”

Half an hour later, several men in expensive cloaks left the office, and Ginny walked in. The room was huge and well furnished, but it didn't reflect her father's real taste. He was a simple man, with no desire for such luxuries, but he had to have them considering his position.

“Hello Daddy!” she smiled, approaching her father, whom was leaning on his desk, writing something down on a parchment.

“Ginny! I didn't know you were coming!” he smiled openly, standing up to crush her in a hug and kissed her forehead. “So, how was your day? Did you find a job?”

“No Daddy…” she replied sadly, and watched the frown on her father's face. But it wasn't directed at her, and she knew that. He was frowning because he knew the reason why she couldn't find a job.

“I'm going to have a conversation with that evil git!” Mr. Weasley hissed, his face becoming a deep red, just like Ron used to be when he was mad.

“I don't want you to do anything, Dad… I came here just to say hello, and now I'm going home and spend sometime thinking about what I'll do next.” Ginny smiled, kissing her father's cheek. “Probably I'll leave the country and try to find a job somewhere else.”

“Ginny, that would break your mother's heart, you know she can't bear to be away from her babies…” her father complained, sitting on his chair with a sad look on his kind face.

“I know, Dad, but I want to work… I love my job, and I will not work on anything but on Healing!” she explained, pacing the room. “I'll send an owl to Dumbledore and ask if he needs an Healer, now that Madame Pomfrey is getting old.”

“Ok, darling, you do that, but I still think you should let me intervene… I could talk with the clinics where you went, and make them accept you! You are a wonderful healer!” Mr. Weasley said, shaking is baldhead.

“I know you could do that, but I don't want you to… I should be accepted because of my experience, my capacities… Not because my father is the Minister of Magic and he says so! I want to be known for me, for my talent, and not because I'm your daughter!” she replied sadly. “I love my family, I love my father and I'm very very proud of you, but I cannot accept your help on this, Dad…”

“I understand, sweetie… Just do what you must to be happy and I'll be there to support your decision.” Mr. Weasley sighed, standing up to hug her strongly once again. “I love you, Gin-bug.”

“I love you too, Dad…” Ginny mumbled, letting her tears fall down her cheeks. She did love her family, but she loved her father more than anything. He had always been such a warm and caring person, always keeping his temper calm until he could understand the complete story about what was going on, before making judgements, he always protected his kids from Mrs. Weasley's wrath, he had a wonderful sense of humour, he was honest, he behaved like a kid playing with Muggle artefacts… He was her Father, and she loved him. No matter what…

Knock, knock…

Father and daughter broke their embrace, and smiled warmly at each other, before Mr. Weasley gave his permission for the secretary to open the door.

“Minister Weasley, an owl just dropped this letter to Miss Weasley.” Miss Kensington said, walking inside the office to give the letter to Ginny, and then left again.

“It's a letter from Mom! What's going on?” she whispered worried, as she opened the letter.

`Ginny,

I'm sorry to interrupt your quest for a job, but someone just popped out of our fireplace calling out for you, and I had to warn you immediately, to come back home.

He needs you, Ginny, and he loves you so very much… Come as quickly as you can!

Love,

Mom'

“Oh Merlin… He's there! He loves me? But… it can't be true… Can it?” Ginny mumbled, thinking about Draco.

“Who are you talking about, Gin?” her father asked, suspicious of his daughter's rambling.

“I have to go home, Dad, don't worry… It's nothing to worry about! I'll see you later at home, ok? Bye…” she kissed his cheek quickly, and ran out of the office, going up the stairs instead of the lift, as it would take all day to get to the Entrance Hall. When she got there, she was panting heavily, and stopped for a moment to take a deep breath. Then, she Apparated back to the Burrow, trying hard to keep her heart away from her throat.

“MOM?” she yelled, as she ran to the Burrow's kitchen door and walked in, looking around her in search of her mother and their visitor.

“In here, darling!” Mrs. Weasley replied from the living room, and Ginny immediately followed the voice.

There, in front of her, was her mother sitting on the couch, knitting a maroon sweater with a blond boy sitting by her side. That was the visitor her mother had mentioned on the letter… Not Draco…

“Thomas!” Ginny screamed happily, her eyes shimmering with tears, as she ran to the boy and hugged him as strongly as she could, not wanting to ever let go of him again. “Oh my baby boy… I've missed you so much, darling… So much!”

“I've missed you too, mommy…” his small voice said in her ear, making the tears finally drop down her face. “Don't leave me again, it makes me sad!”

“Oh Thomas, I wish I could promise you that, but I can't…” she sighed, sitting next to the boy, still hugging him against her chest, trying to calm her wild heart.

Her mother sat still, the kitting forgotten in her hands, as she watched the heart-warming scene in front of her. Her daughter had won the boy's heart and they made a beautiful image together like that…

“How did you get here? Where's your wheelchair?” Ginny asked, breaking their embrace, to look Thomas in the eye.

“Luna had a fight with Draco, and I heard everything… Then she left and I crawled to the fireplace and flooed here.” Thomas explained, shrugging his small shoulders with a mischievous look on his pale face. “Draco tried to stop me, but I was faster!”

“Oh Merlin! You ran away? But, Thomas, you can't do that… He's your legal guardian and he has to protect you!” Ginny explained, worried about the fight that would follow, when she met Draco.

“The best is, Ginny, that he was standing on his own legs when he got here!” her mother said with a big smile.

“He WHAT?” Ginny asked shocked, looking from Thomas to her mother and back at Thomas.

“I can stand on my legs, but I can't walk yet…” Thomas said with a proud smile.

“Oh, I'm so happy you're becoming stronger, sweetie… I knew you could overcome your problem, all you need is to face life with a big smile on your face, and work your legs and back, to make them stronger…” Ginny explained with the biggest smile she had ever showed on her face.

“But, I want your help… Please, Ginny, come back to the house… I heard Draco say you won the way to his heart! That means he likes you, right?” Thomas asked with his brown eyes full of hope.

`It's like seeing Neville's eyes that night at the Yule Ball… This little boy is my best friend's son and I never knew…' Ginny thought, with a small smile on her lips. Just then, did she realise his words. `I won the way to Draco's heart? He… loves me? Nah, probably Thomas is saying that just to make me come back, but I can't because Draco would never accept me.'

“Thomas, I know you love me, and I love you too, but you can't say something that is not true… Lying is an awful thing, you know?” Ginny said with a serious face, although her voice was calm and gentle. “Well, I better take you home, or Draco will have an heart attack.”

“Mommy, please let me stay with you… I miss you so much.” Thomas pleaded again, his hands surrounding her waist as he laid his head on her lap.

“I would give anything to have you here with me, sweetie, but I can't do anything without Draco's consent. We'll go to the Manor, and if he lets you come to the Burrow for a few days, then we'll gather some clothes and come back here, ok?” she proposed, already knowing Draco's answer.

Of course she wanted Thomas to stay with her! Don't even question her feelings towards the boy, but she knew that Draco would never forgive her invasion of his privacy… He was very serious about his secrets. So, knowing the best was to keep her distance from Thomas, no matter how much that pained her, Ginny had to return the boy, and continue with her life.

“Ok…” the boy sighed in defeat. “Mrs. Weasley, can I call you grandma, like the others call you?”

Molly Weasley, being the motherly woman she was, held the boy in one of her famous ribs crushing hugs, and cried on top of the blond hair.

“Oh, my dear, of course you can… It'll be an honour to call you my grandson!” Molly replied, kissing his forehead, and watching her daughter's sad face. “Ginny, what's wrong?”

“Nothing, Mom, I'll tell you when I return…” Ginny replied, taking Thomas in her arms and walked to the kitchen, towards the fireplace.

“When WE return!” Thomas corrected, but Ginny just smiled before they Flooed to the Malfoy Manor.

The house was quiet, as usual, and the hall was dark. It seemed like there was no one at home.

`Good, this way I won't have to face Draco…' she thought. `Oh, shut up! You know you want to see him!'

Walking towards the living room, she placed Thomas on a comfortable couch and called Tabby, whom appeared seconds later.

“Miss Weasley! Master Thomas! Master Malfoy was so worried!” Tabby shrieked, twisting her hands painfully. “Tabby is bad house-elf… Tabby should take care of little master and failed…”

“Tabby, it was not your fault, so don't hurt yourself, ok?” Ginny said in a gentle voice. “Where is Master Malfoy?”

“In his room, Miss Weasley…” Tabby replied shakily.

“Please, go get him.”

“Master says he wants no interruption…” Tabby shrieked, trembling at the prospect of her master's wrath.

”Fine, I'll go there! Thomas, stay here and I'll be back in a while.” Ginny said, kissing the boy's cheek, before she climbed the staircase with determination. She was going to talk with Draco and tell him she wanted to be a part of Thomas' life, not matter what he thought of her.

But of course, this is easier said than done… When she reached the door to his chambers, her determination faltered a little, and when she opened the door without knocking, it simply disappeared.

The room was looking the same, very tidy except for some clothes on top of the bed. Entering the room and shutting the door, Ginny took a deep breath and prepared herself for the discussion that would ensue.

“Malfoy!” she called, waiting for a reply, but the only sound she received was that of water splashing. He was in the pool…

Ginny approached the glass doors that led to the balcony and watched has Draco swam from on edge to the other, never stopping to rest, his head only leaving the water for a few seconds to take in a breath. He was a good swimmer… that's how he kept that gorgeous body, for sure.

She stood there, watching him, waiting for him to come out of the water and notice her. What would he say? What would he do?

Those thoughts were pushed away as he finally left the pool, his skin shining with thousands of tiny drops of water under the last rays of sunshine. His chest was broad and muscled; there were no signs of a sedentary life, as his aura screamed healthy all over the place. His long blond hair was now wet and a shade darker, brushing his shoulders in a sensuous way as he wiped his face with a fluffy black towel.

`Enough of filling the eye, Ginny… It's time for serious talking.' She said to herself, taking a step towards the balcony.

Draco noticed the movement and immediately looked at her, surprise and confusion all over his face.

“What do you want? I told you to never come back here…” he said with a cold voice, as he wrapped the towel around his waist and removed the swim shorts he had been wearing for swimming.

Ginny tried hard not to blush at his actions and took a deep breath.

“We have a lot to talk about, and I will only leave after you listen to me.” She replied in a determined voice, locking her brown eyes with his silver ones.

“Fine… Anything to get rid of you for good!” he sneered, walking past her to his bedroom. “Go ahead, tell me what you want to say…”

Ginny followed him to the bedroom and took a deep breath. Now was the time to express everything she needed to say.

************

Hey everyone, new update!!! Soon, I'll post the next chapter, and just to warn you all, it will have sex… Just a warning! (I know I'm evil, no need to call me that! ;-) )

Have you heard? The 6th book is called Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. This prince isn't Harry or Voldemort. I've been twisting my brain, trying to figure out who is this prince and I cannot think of anyone! Who is half-blood?

Neville isn't, Draco isn't, Ron isn't, and Snape isn't… WHO IS IT? I'm going crazy, as you can see! I need JK Rowling to finish her book and publish it very soon.

Well, thank you for supporting Portugal, the final is Sunday against Greece, and I hope we win, of course.

LDevil989 - About Ginny's name. Well, in case you don't know yet, JK Rowling says in her site that Ginny's real name is Ginevra, not Virginia.

I know I started the story with her name being Virginia, and now I write Ginevra, but I'm too lazy and occupied to replace the chapters, sorry.

Well, thank you so much, to all of you who are reading and reviewing this story, and thank you to those of you who are reading, but not reviewing… I still love you guys!

Now, the king (me) says: Root for Portugal on Sunday!

And you all have to obey, of course!

Lots and lots of love

Carina

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18. Just This Once

Chapter 17 - Just this once

“I've brought Thomas back… He Flooed to my house.” Ginny started, leaning against the glass doors, watching him dry his hair with a clean black towel. “I came up here to tell you that he's ok. Why didn't you go in search for him? He could have gotten lost, anywhere in the world!”

“He only used the Floo Network once, with you, to your house… He was crying your name, he kept on asking for you and he talked with Luna about you! Where did you expect him to go? Honeydukes? I don't think so…” he sneered, making her blush with shame. He was right, as always…

“Well, I wanted to talk with you, because I have a request to make… I want your authorisation to let Thomas stay with me for a couple of days at the Burrow.” She asked, playing with her handbag straps.

“I thought I had told you to stay away from us! That boy is too tied to you, and that's not good, for either of you!” Draco replied, coldly. “No, Thomas cannot stay with you.”

“Ok.” She replied in a very calm voice.

She showed no surprise, no sadness, no anger… That lack of emotion surprised him, and Draco turned around to face her, trying to understand her.

“Why don't you sound hurt? Or at least surprised?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow, his hair wild around his face.

“It's not that hard to predict you, Draco Malfoy…” she replied with a sneer, looking him straight in the eye. “But I thought that I could give you a chance to prove me wrong, and allow Thomas to stay with me for a few days. Too bad it didn't work…”

Draco stared at her coldly, but said nothing.

“I want to be a part of his life, Draco… He's my best friend's son, and he's an orphan. I want to be close to him and help him the best way I can. All I can ask is your permission to visit Thomas once in a while and spend some time with him.” Ginny proposed, leaving the glass doors and walked over to the huge bed, feeling the silky green fabric against her hands. “For some reason you're his guardian, but I believe there's something you can't give him, just like you said that night we had dinner… You can't give him love, and I have plenty of it to give, if you'll let me.”

“I don't want you around here…” Draco sighed, deciding to tell her the truth, or at least, part of it. “My wife won't accept another woman walking in and out of the house, disturbing our lives…”

He was getting married… It could only be that woman she had met so many days ago, that French girl with a sophisticated look. Ginny's heart tightened with the urge to cry, but she kept her cool faÃ§ade.

“Very well. Could I meet Thomas some place else? The house-elves could take him to my house or somewhere else and bring him back. That way I wouldn't disturb your wonderful honeymoon…” she asked, sarcasm evident in her voice.

“No.” he replied, folding his arms in front of his bare chest, and leaned his body against the vanity table. “If that's all, leave…”

“No, that's not all, but I will leave…” Ginny replied, stepping closer to him, holding his chin in her hand, to make him face her. “That boy is a precious jewel, but a very fragile one. I trust you to keep him safe from harm; I hope you give him happy memories of his childhood, memories full of love, laughter and innocence! If you don't give him that, rest assured I will be warned and I'll come back to England to kick your pale ass, you hear me, Mr. Slytherin Prince?”

Draco stared at her angry, yet sad face, and felt her hand on his jaw, her thumb caressing the corner of his lips, driving him crazy.

“You're leaving the country?” he asked, trying to sound unaffected.

“Yes, I am… My life in England is ruined, so I'll try my luck somewhere else, not that you'll mind too much about having one less Weasel polluting the air you breathe…” she replied, a sad smile on her lips. “Goodbye Draco…”

With those whispered words, Ginny leaned against his body and kissed his lips softly. The kiss was quick and so soft you could have not felt it, but it held so many feelings in it… Sadness, regret, sorrow, worry, love, passion, frustration…

Ginny took a step back and dug her hand in her handbag, until she felt something soft brushing her fingers. She always carried it with her, wherever she went, and now was the time to return it to Draco. What symbolised the beginning, would now symbolize the end…

With gentle hands, Ginny removed his arms from their position in front of his chest, and forced one hand open, gently placing a small red rose on his palm. She had placed a charm on it to keep it fresh and perfect, so that she could remember that night, but now it was time to say goodbye to everything, and start a new life, away from here.

“Thank you…” she whispered with a small smile, looking into his silver eyes, before she left the room and ran downstairs to say goodbye to Thomas.

`I won't cry… I won't cry…' she repeated in her head as she approached the sleeping Thomas, on the living room's couch. `Hold on until you're out of here, Gin.'

Kneeling next to the couch, Ginny ran a hand through the boy's blond hair, and kissed his forehead, not wanting to wake him up, and see him suffer because they had to say goodbye.

“Thomas, you were the best thing that ever happened to me… You gave me a new hope of working with other children with problems similar to yours, you gave me the strength to work harder, you helped me free my motherly side and you gave me the joy of being my best friend's son… I will always love you, and I'll make sure Luna tells me everything about your recovery.” Ginny whispered, her voice shaking with emotion. “Maybe I'll send you a letter, when you're grown up, but for now, I don't want you to suffer more than you should. Goodbye, Thomas…”

With one last kiss on the boy's forehead, Ginny rose to her feet and walked out of the room, towards the entrance doors. With a trembling hand, Ginny opened the door, but something made the door close violently, making her jump with surprise.

“Don't you even dare!” Draco hissed behind her, his hand against the door, very close to hers. “Don't you dare leave and make me feel guilty for this…”

“I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, Draco… I'm not trying to make you feel anything!” she sobbed, the tears finally falling down her face, but she kept her back to him.

“Yes, you are…” he whispered in her ear, snaking his arms around her waist, holding her tightly against his body. “Let me have you… Just this once.”

Ginny's eyes became wide open when she realised what he was asking from her. Why did he want to do that with her, when he had said quite clearly that he didn't want her at all?

“It would only make things worse, Draco… I would know why I was doing it, but why would YOU do it with me?” she asked, shivering under his gentle touch.

“I know why, and that's all that matters…” he replied, kissing her neck, breathing in her scent that always drove him crazy. “Will you allow us just this once?”

`I shouldn't… It'll only make things worse!' she warned herself, but the other side of her that involved her body, her emotions and her desires, wanted her to do this… Just this once, to say a proper goodbye to what she had never had and would never have.

“Yes…” she mumbled the answer and turned around in his arms, to place hers around his neck, looking deep into his light blue eyes, the colour they had when he was aroused, when he desired something. At this moment, her.

That answer was all he wanted to hear… Draco held her body in his arms, and climbed the stairs to his bedroom, her delicious curves against his chest, her gentle arms around his neck, caressing the line of his hair, her soft brown eyes watching his face, trying to memorise every single line of it, every expression. This would be a one time only, but Draco knew it would not leave him satisfied even before they joined completely. He had told Luna that what he felt was probably love, but now he was sure… He loved Ginevra Weasley, and he wanted to have her, if not forever, at least today.

When they got to his bedroom, Draco placed her on her feet, and caressed her face with one gentle hand, looking deep into her eyes. The next moment, he pulled her closer and kissed her lips roughly, passionately, making her go weak in the knees and lean on his body to prevent from falling on the floor.

Draco just held her tight against his body, his hands roaming around her waist, enjoying the feeling of her soft skin against his, the tips of her long hair brushing against his hands, her sweet scent invading his brain, making it numb and desire driven.

All he could feel, breathe, see, taste and hear was Ginny. She occupied all of his 5 senses. He could feel her soft skin, breathe her sweet scent, see her beautiful red hair and brown eyes, taste the sweetness of her mouth and hear the small moans she made at the back of her throat.

Without breaking the kiss, Draco started to unbutton her shirt, enjoying the feel of her hands caressing his bare chest, feeling his toned muscles vibrate under her touch. When he finally removed the shirt, he pulled Ginny against him, wanting to feel her warm skin against his… to feel the fast beating of her heart in time with his.

“How can you do this to me?” she mumbled against his lips, enjoying the feel of his hands on her bare breast.

“Do what?” he whispered, lowering his body to kiss her jaw, her neck and then her bosom, nibbling on the sensitive skin and smoothing the bite with gentle movements of his tongue.

“Make me want you, even though I know I shouldn't…” she gasped, when his hand cupped her bottom roughly and he proceeded to remove her skirt and underwear, leaving her completely naked in front of him.

“Just this once, Gin…” he whispered, holding her strongly in his arms, taking in the beauty of her whole being.

Ginny smiled and never breaking their eye connection, she removed the towel he had around his waist, leaving their bodies on full contact, with the pressure of his arousal against her hips.

Without any other words, Draco took her in his arms and laid her on the bed, watching her long red hair spread out around her face, contrasting with the soft green bedcover, her milky white skin as soft as silk and her eyes… Those eyes that right now fluttered closed with every caress, with every kiss.

Draco laid his body on top of hers, kissing her forehead, her eyelids, her cheekbones, her earlobes, her jaw, her nose and finally her lips, making her moan and rise her hips to meet his, making him gasp with the contact.

That gasp turned into a groan as soon as she moved her hand and held his arousal, stroking it slowly.

“Don't… do… that!” he groaned, although his body thrust in time with her hand movements. “Stop!”

Ginny obeyed and smiled mischievously.

“Found your weak spot, did I?” she whispered, placing her hands on his backside and held him tight against her.

“You've already found more than one, Ginny… You are my biggest one!” he replied, running his hands on the inside of her thighs, making her shiver and close her eyes to enjoy the sensation. “You sure are my biggest weak spot…”

Ginny opened her eyes with surprise all over her face, but she didn't have the time to question him about the meaning of his words, because the next moment he had entered her, joining their bodies completely, and her brain turned into a huge centre full of sensitive connections. All she could do right now was feel, feel the way every single part of her body seemed to react to every movement of his hands, of his body… Even the simple touch of the tips of her hair against her breasts made her shiver with pleasure.

Draco thrust into her slowly, locking his eyes with hers, and then removed himself almost until the end, and thrust once again, in a slow rhythm that made small drops of perspiration appear on his forehead, showing how difficult it was for him to hold back this way.

“You don't have to hold back…” she whispered, raising her head to kiss him deeply, passionately, urging him to move faster, harder, and he did. Oh, he did.

In seconds, they were moaning against each other's mouths, roaming their hands over each other's bodies, and trying hard to reach the point of pure bliss, pure pleasure and pure belonging.

When the small pressure started to gather inside of her, Ginny's body took a mind of its own and started moving faster against Draco, meeting each of his thrusts, making the pressure grow and grow, until it was almost unbearable, and it exploded making her inner muscles shiver with the pleasure that now ran all over her body, tightening her inner muscles around Draco, making him groan with the feel and explode right after her.

Exhausted, he fell on top of her, nuzzling his face against her sweaty neck, placing small kisses on her collarbone and neck.

“I love you, Draco…” Ginny sighed, caressing his back. The words made him go still and his body tensed against her. She should have stayed quiet…

Draco removed himself from her body and laid next to her, his face staring at the glass doors of the balcony, clearly avoiding her gaze.

“I think you should go now…” he said in a whisper.

Ginny nodded her head in agreement, even though he couldn't see her, and got out of the bed, putting on her discarded clothes. When she was finished, she noticed the small red rose sitting on top of the vanity table. Draco was still facing the other way, not wanting to look at her, but Ginny took a deep breath, climbed on the bed, and kissed his cheek, placing the rose on top of his chest, before she walked out of the room and down the stairs. From the entrance to the living room she saw that Thomas was still sleeping and with a sad sigh, Ginny turned her back to the room and left the Manor, Apparating back to the Burrow.

Now was the time to move on with her life, and she knew the new memories she had built with Draco would give her strength to face the new obstacles she would find away from home.

~~The End~~ (NOT!!! JUST KIDDING!)

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Okay, first of all, I'm not very good at this sex stuff, but I think it's very important for the story, for the characters…

I'm sorry if the sex part is horrible, but it's the best I could do, really…

I'm very sad because Portugal lost the finals, but still, this was the first time we got to a Final, and the whole country won a lot from this championship.

Every single tourist loved our country, our food, our monuments, our beaches, everything!

If you don't know Portugal, you should!!!

Well, I'll post more ASAP, ok?

Right now I'm going to the pool and swim for a while. When I'm studying I eat like a cow, and I have to take care of my body.

Oh, I forgot! Don't forget to vote on the Portkey Awards, OK?

Lots of love, and thank you for the great reviews,

Carina

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19. Positano

Chapter 18 - Positano

The feeling of a new life is overwhelming… Maybe it still carries some sadness from the past, but it's still overwhelming.

It had been two months since Ginny had left England, despite her mother's non-acceptance. At least, she had had her father, Luna, Hermione and the twins to support her decision.

Luna and Hermione were the only ones who knew the real reason behind her decision to leave, while the twins thought their little sister just wanted to have fun, out there in the world without big brothers bothering her. Those two were the coolest brothers one could have. Her father… well, the love he felt for her justified his support.

Ginny had packed her bags right after leaving the Manor for the last time, and while she folded her clothes, the names of different countries kept popping in her mind. Where to go?

Finally, with some help from Hermione, she decided on leaving to South Italy, to the city of Positano. Thankfully Hermione knew hundreds of different spells that would allow Ginny to speak and understand Italian, so language was not a problem.

As soon as she arrived at Positano, Ginny searched for the entrance to the Italian wizarding world, and from that moment on, everything went just fine. She found a job on the public Hospital, San Giuseppe; she had rented a small apartment in the muggle part of town, and had familiarised herself with the new culture.

She felt extremely happy and stronger, now that she had done something alone, like coming to a foreign country and work out her life without anyone's help. But still, this feeling of freedom was clouded by thoughts of England, the cosy feeling of the Burrow, the grandness of the Manor, the walks in the garden with Thomas, sipping wine in front of the fire with Draco, making love with Draco…

She couldn't forget… Those moments were a part of her life, and they should remain in her memory, but at least, she had to minimize the frequency with which they came to her mind.

Luna sent her owls very frequently, letting her know how was the family, the country, Thomas… But she never referred to Draco, and although she thanked her friend for not referring him, Ginny felt that she needed to know how he was, if he had married already, if he was happy with Chantal…

Thomas seemed to be much better, after Draco hired a new Healer, and he was now walking with the help of a crane. These were great news, but Luna never mentioned if the boy asked for Ginny, if he missed her…

`Now you're being selfish, only thinking about your feelings!' Ginny reminded herself, as she walked on the beach, pulling up her skirt to avoid getting it wet with the sea waves. The weather was slightly chilly, but not as chilly as in England. In the south of Europe, everything seemed so much more alive, colourful…

The sea ahead of her was a little wild, and the wind was blowing strongly against her hair and clothes, but she loved to feel it against her skin. It made her feel alive, free and relaxed. The town was located on a big cliff, overlooking the sea; and all the small houses painted in white, with their red roofs, made everything look surreal… It was gorgeous scenery, and Ginny was happy with her decision to come here. One day she would return to England, but not for now…

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

“Good morning Draco!” Thomas smiled, walking in Draco's office at the Manor.

“Good morning, Thomas… Have a seat! How are you doing?” Draco smiled warmly, helping Thomas sit down on the chair and placing the crane on top of his desk.

“I'm great! So, when are we leaving this house?” Thomas asked excitedly. He could hardly wait to leave this huge house, full of nothing but air. Thankfully, he had become good friends with Draco on the last few months, and they had a good time visiting all sort of places around Diagon Alley.

That had been Thomas' first contact with the outside world, with the magic world, and they had had a lot of fun.

“We leave tomorrow in the morning, but don't worry, everything it taken care of.” Draco replied, taking the books from the shelves to place them on bottomless boxes, special for house moving.

“Do you think Mom will like the new house?” Thomas asked, his face torn between happy and concerned.

“I'm sure she'll love it, Thomas…” Draco smiled sadly.

“Can we write to her, and make her remember we love her? She would come back, right?” Thomas said, enthusiastically.

“It's too early, Thomas… We have things to finish first!” Draco warned him gently, pausing his activity to kneel beside the boy and caress his cheek. “We won't loose her this time, I promise…”

The boy only nodded in agreement and smiled. He would get his Mommy back, and what a surprise she would have!

He only had one more week to start walking without his crane, if he wanted to run into her arms, just like he had seen his cousins do.

Oh, didn't I tell you? Sean, Anthony, Andrew and Jessica were his new cousins, and they used to have a lot of fun at Grandma Weasley's house, while Draco was doing business, preparing his Mommy's surprise.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

“Buona mattina, signora…” the owner of the small coffee shop said, when Ginny walked past. Every morning she walked past that coffee shop, and every morning the old man smiled at her and gave her good morning. The Italian people were so warm and gentle; sometimes she wished some English people were like that.

“Ciao!” she called back with a big smile, walking down the street. It was early in the morning and the streets were still empty, making the sound of her footsteps echo around her at a steady rhythm. The sun was covered with clouds, but once in a while it would peak out and warm her tanned face. Living in Italy had its good points… tan being one of them.

An owl had arrived when she was leaving her apartment and Ginny pocketed the piece of parchment, deciding she would read it in her favourite spot… the beach. She liked to take long walks on the seashore every morning, with her feet immersed on the cold water, and she could read the letter while she walked.

The first thing she did when she got to the cold sand was take a deep breath, enjoying the smell of salty water and fresh wind caressing her skin. Today the sea was particularly wild and it wasn't blue… Today, it was grey, just like is eyes.

That thought was enough to make her remember the small exchange with Thomas, that day she took him to Draco's pool.

“Have you ever been in a pool? Or in the ocean?” she asked, with a big smile as she took off his bathrobe and his slippers.

“No, have you? Is it blue like the sky?” he asked, curiosity all over his childish face.

“Yes, I've been at a beach before, and yes, the sea is blue when the day is sunny… Sometimes it becomes grey, when the weather is stormy…” she explained, “One of these days I'll take you to see the ocean… Would you like that?”

“That would be great! Thank you…” Thomas laughed, hugging her.

Maybe one day she would meet Thomas again, and just maybe she would show him the ocean… Maybe.

Pulling up the legs of her jeans and removing her training shoes, Ginny started her walk and pulled out the letter. It was from Hermione…

`Dear Ginny,

Hello dearest friend! I'm missing you so much right now, that I'm almost drowning in tears… Why did you have to leave when I have to plan a whole wedding and endure the sickness that comes with being pregnant?

You should be here, picking up dresses with me, holding my hair while I throw up… Well, maybe I'm taking it over the edge, but I MISS YOU!

So, Luna told me you love Italy… Have you found any cute Italians? Just make sure you don't find another Carlo Moretti, ok?

You know what, I'm working on a huge project… I can't reveal much to you, but know that your father is one of the responsible of this project and it will help lots and lots of children in England.

Did I catch your interest? I hope so because your father is helping … I can't say whom… with this, just to have you back in England working on what you love… children.

Your family is great, Thomas is much better and Harry keeps grinning like a fool because he's going to have a Little Princess. I swear, if I didn't love him so much, I would slap that grin out of his face. It's infuriating!!!

Well, I hope you're well, and I hope you come to my wedding, ok?

Lots of love,

Mione'

“A new project to have me go back to England?” Ginny whispered, stopping her walk to read the letter all over again. “What's going on over there?”

Her only answer was the cold water hitting her lower body, as a very strong wave hit against the rocks.

Her father was trying to have her back at home… They must miss her as much as she missed them, if he was involving himself in such project. She could only imagine that it involved a clinic for children, or something like that! What could it be? Why didn't they tell her anything before?

Not paying attention to where she was going, Ginny smacked against a strong chest and would have fallen on her butt, on the wet sand, if it weren't for two strong arms surrounding her waist.

Ginny recovered from the shock and was about to take a step back and face the man when a familiar scent invaded her senses… She could never forget this smell, as it was his only. The hands on her waist were now massaging her lower back, bringing her body closer to his.

Taking in a shaking breath, Ginny lifted her head and gazed into the silver grey sea of his eyes.

“Draco…” she whispered, surprised with his presence. What was he doing in Italy? And in Positano, no less! “What are you doing here?”

Draco just watched her in silence, his face blank of any emotion. It had been so long since he had last seen her, and now all he wanted to do was observe every single part of her, and engrave them in his memory.

“I came for you…” he whispered back, kissing her forehead gently, afraid of how she would react.

“Why?” she insisted, leaning against his chest, enjoying the feel of his body against hers, welcoming his warmth.

“We'll talk about that later… For now, there's someone else here to see you!” Draco replied with a big smile on his face. A real smile that showed her how relaxed and gentle he could be when he wasn't acting like a git.

“No! You didn't?” she asked in shock, staring at his face. “You brought Thomas?”

“Yep… Thomas!” Draco called over his shoulder, and Ginny rose on her tiptoes to look over Draco's shoulder as well. There, trying to run as fast as he could in their direction was Thomas… He still couldn't run, but he sure walked fast enough, with a huge smile on his face, and his arms wide open as if calling Ginny to embrace him.

And she did… Ginny ran in his direction, kneeling in front of him to hug him the strongest she could. Even Molly Weasley would have been jealous of such hug.

“Oh, my baby… I've missed you so much, Thomas!” Ginny sobbed against his small frame, touching his face, his arms, his chest, his legs, wanting to make sure he was real, and he was really standing there in her arms. “How are you?”

“I'm great! But I've missed you so much, Mommy… We came to get you!” he said enthusiastically. “We have a surprise for you!”

“Thomas, it's a secret, so be careful with what you say!” Draco warned softly, kneeling next to Ginny, and in front of Thomas. He placed an arm around her waist and moved her so she could face him.

“We need to talk.” He said in a soft voice and very serious face.

“Yes, we do… But for now, I just want to say thank you for letting me see Thomas again. For letting me see both of you again, in fact!” she cried, caressing both their faces with her hands. “I've missed you both!”

“I've missed you too, Mommy!” Thomas shrieked happily, throwing his arms around her neck.

Draco just smiled widely, showing his perfect white teeth, as he placed his arms around both Thomas and Ginny.

Ginny looked over Thomas' shoulder at Draco and gave him a small smile, and he leaned in to give her a soft kiss on her trembling lips.

“We both missed you…” Draco whispered against her lips. “I'm sorry…”

Right now, everything was ok in the world… She had Thomas in her arms, she had Draco's warm lips on hers, and it almost felt like having her own family.

That morning, the grey of the sea and the memory of her conversation with Thomas about showing him the sea, almost seemed to be warning her about the surprise she had just received. The grey of the sea now reflected on Draco's beautiful eyes and Thomas finally got to see the ocean.

There would be time for explanations, but right now, Ginny wanted to enjoy this moment, with her two of her favourite men in her arms.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

Boy, was I quick on the update or what?

I had no idea of what to write after the last chapter, and today, when I was getting sick of studying so much Development Psychology, I decided to give a try on the chapter thanks to Sexytexy's review…

This is the result of 3 hours of brainstorming, so I hope it suits all of you.

Positano does exist, and it's a beautiful place, I assure you.

Now, on with the answers to my reviews:

RyteR - Ginny Pregnant? I have to admit I was taking the story that way when I was trying to write the plot to the next chapters, but I gave up on the pregnancy as a way to win Draco. Maybe she'll get pregnant in the future, who knows? About adopting Thomas, well, it could happen! (*hint hint*). Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Sweety_pie1276 & Company - First of all, I'm not paying you for spreading out word about my Fanfiction. As a payment I give you a new chapter and a huge virtual hug for being such a great and loyal reader. Send my thanks to all of your friends who reviewed under your name, ok? Love ya all.

Yekmah - Thank you for supporting me, both on the football and on the Fanfiction. Love ya!

Darkstarspanky - I hope your butt doesn't get flat after spending so many hours sitting, but if it does, it was for a good cause, right? Thank you so much.

Sexytexy - I know that I shouldn't write sex scenes if I don't feel secure about them, but at least I try, for the sake of the plot and of my readers, as well. You gave me the idea to actually allow Ginny to leave the country and get a job. Originaly I wasn't letting her leave England, but your review inspired me. Thank you so much for reading, reviewing and inspiring me.

Crackedribs - I know, Ronaldo was crying so much, poor thing… Well, Draco keeps pushing Ginny away because he has promises to keep, and he shouldn't make Ginny be the lover when he got married, it wouldn't be fair. So, what can he do? Push her away… Thank you for your review. Love ya

Lily love - Hello Lily, thank you so much for leaving a review!

Ginnymalfoy21 - Thank you for reviewing and I hope the chapter came out fast enough for you. Love ya!

Austen lover - I know I'm evil! Sorry! Thank you for your review…

NGI - Don't be jealous, I don't swim for fun… Well, I do, but I also swim because I need to keep an eye on my weight. On the last three weeks, because of the exams, I've been eating like a cow, and I don't want to look like one. Thank you for your review.

Americasweetie - Of course they stay together, I don't like sad endings. Thank you for reviewing.

Thats so Raven - No Unforgivables because… well, they are unforgivable! Thank you.

Eri - Hola! I assume you're Spanish, so, Como estas? Espero que bien! Thank you for reading and about the sequel, I still haven't thought about it.

Parvati89 - Thank you! Oh, Neville is Pureblood.

Tropicalcharm_bebe - They will be together, don't worry. Thank you!

Demon12 - She won't stay alone, but no kidnapping involved! That's a crime! Thank you for your review…

And Thank you to:

bByxjUjUbee, Natalie, Swimchick1614, ~Mrs~Draco~Malfoy~, Poet666, Whisperinthenight, Momentyne, Tayler, Nellio8, Prue1912

WoW! This is the first and last time I say thank you to each one of you! This is hard and time consuming.

Love you all so much,

Carina

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20. The Truth is Essential

Chapter 19 - The Truth is Essential

After they finally broke the embrace, Ginny took Thomas in her arms and started walking towards her apartment, Draco walking by her side. There was a heavy silence between them, only broke by Thomas happy chatter, but both adults knew that everything was not alright, for now… Plenty of things had to be explained, plenty of things had to be changed if they were to stay together.

Ginny's apartment was small, with only a bedroom, a small kitchen and a bathroom, but still, it was cosy and full of day light, with a gorgeous sight over the ocean.

“Isn't it beautiful?” Thomas screamed happily, as he sat on Ginny's bed, watching the sea.

“It sure is… You'll have to come back here in the summer and swim in those waters!” Ginny smiled warmly, sitting next to him.

“We can come back here, Draco? The three of us?” Thomas asked excitedly, looking over his shoulder at Draco.

“Yes, we can… I've never been in the ocean either!” Draco admitted, hands in his pockets, long blond hair framing his face.

The two of them were talking as if Ginny would always be with them, and Ginny herself didn't know what was going to happen after talking with Draco. Once again she was filling Thomas with hope, and she was afraid of letting him down once again.

“Draco, we better go to the kitchen and let Thomas have some rest…” she said, removing the boy's shoes, watching him laugh when handfuls of sand dropped from the inside of them to the wood floor. “Why, you prat, you knew your shoes had sand, didn't you?”

“Yeah, it kind of tickles…” he laughed mischievously. “I don't want to sleep, Mommy!”

“But I want to have a conversation with Draco alone… Just stay here and close your eyes, maybe sleep will come to you, ok?” she said in a gentle voice, placing him under the bedcover, softly kissing the tip of his cold nose.

“I've missed you…” he sighed, touching her cheek with his small hand. “Will I see you when I wake up?”

“Yes, you will… I promise!” she smiled back, and in a soft whisper, put him to sleep with a simple spell. “Let's go to the kitchen… I need to send an Owl to the hospital.”

Ginny prepared to leave the bedroom, but something made her stop and stare at Draco in shock. He was sitting on the bed, where she had been, gently caressing the boy's hair and placed a kiss on his forehead.

`Since when does he care for Thomas? Since when does he caress Thomas and kisses his forehead?' she asked herself, surprised. Draco just raised himself from the bed and walked to her, his face calm yet serious.

She would have to ask him those questions later… Remaining in silence, Ginny quickly scribbled a note to her superior in San Giuseppe's Hospital and sent it with her new owl, Bea. Then, Ginny prepared some tea and sat in front of Draco, with the small kitchen table between them, and their hands surrounding their hot teacups.

“Why are you here?” she asked, staring at her tea, as she added sugar.

“If you don't mind, I won't answer that question right now… There are other things you should know off first.” Draco replied in a calm voice, hoping she would look at him. Ever since they left the beach, she refused to look at him, and that was making him nervous. “Luna told me she didn't tell you anything about Thomas, or why he's with me, so, I'm going to let you know everything.”

“Ok, but first, how are you so close to Luna?” Ginny asked, finally allowing their eyes to meet each other. Her brown eyes showing curiosity and sadness, while his showed worry and hope… Most of all, hope.

“Well, in my seventh year at Hogwarts, Luna found out that I was interested in you… Romantically interested!” he specified when Ginny showed confusion. “She told me to stay away if I meant to hurt you, or go ahead if I truly loved you… Since then, we wrote letters to each other, and maintained some kind of relationship, although we rarely talked to each other in person.”

“So, you stayed away… You meant to hurt me.” She concluded, sipping her tea.

“Yes, I've stayed away, but no, I didn't mean to hurt you, Ginny… The war was about to start, I had my father menacing me to join the Dark Lord, and everything was so fucked up at the moment, that I couldn't bring myself to lower my defences because of you. I didn't want to bring you to a relationship that probably had no future, in case I died in the war…” Draco explained, his eyes unfocused as he remembered the war, years ago. “I think I did the right choice back then… I almost died, and the one who saved me, was Neville Longbottom. Can you imagine my surprise, when the worst student in Gryffindor's history jumped in front of me to save my Slytherin ass? I was shocked, and I felt responsible for the death of someone who should have remained alive…”

“Neville saved you?” she mumbled in shock, a tear falling down her face at the memory of her friend. “He was a great guy, you know? He wasn't that bad of a wizard, he was just nervous most of the time…”

“Yes, well, he gave his life to protect mine, and that means Wizard's Debt… I owed my life to him.” Draco explained, sipping his tea, his eyes never leaving hers. “After the war I left England and went to France, where I needed to start a new life. Yes, I had inherited the family's fortune, but the Ministry wanted to take it from me and then I met Monsieur Champalimaud, a very prominent businessman in both Muggle and Wizarding Paris… He helped me fight the Ministry on court and I won the right to keep what was mine. At the time, I had just started a personal relationship with his daughter, Chantal, and when I asked him what could I do to repay him for his help, he asked me to make his daughter happy…”

Ginny just stared at him in silence, willing herself not to comment on that matter. He was marrying Chantal, right? He probably already had, but why was he here, then? Her thoughts were interrupted as he kept talking.

“Soon I was invited to direct the French Moretti Clinic and I became engaged with Chantal… Everything was fine until the day I got an urgent owl. Pansy had died and I had to be her son's legal guardian! Only then, did I find out that Pansy had been Neville's girlfriend, soon to be wife, and that they had a son, that never met his father, because of me!” Draco said, his eyes slightly shiny. “She left Thomas with me as a way for me to pay the Wizard's Debt. By the time he reached my hands, he didn't walk and he barely talked…”

“What did you do?” she asked, tears glittering in her own eyes.

“I went to the best Healers with him, he was submitted to several treatments, but he never did recover… Then I decided to take him to Muggle doctors, and still, nothing… We gave up. There was nothing we could do, anymore.” Draco explained, standing up from his seat to place the teacup on the sink, his back facing her. “I never told anyone I had that boy under my legal care, but not because I was ashamed of him, Ginny… I was ashamed of myself!”

Ginny stared at his tense shoulders, noticing the slight vibration of his back. He was crying… and he was hiding his tears from her. She slowly left her seat and walked to him, placing her arms around his waist, trying to give him at least a little comfort.

“Why were you ashamed of yourself?” she whispered, leaning her face against his back, listening his quick breaths and his silent sobs.

“That boy lost his father because of me, Ginny… The guy who never did anything to help others, the one who always made fun of Gryffindors, especially Neville! I took Thomas' chance of having the happy family I never had!” Draco replied, the sadness and sorrow evident in his low voice, as more sobs raged over his body.

Ginny had never expected to see Draco in such an emotional breakdown, and it scared her. She always thought of him as a person with huge self-control, self-confidence, someone capable of hiding his feelings, no matter what was the actual circumstance… And here he was, in her arms, sobbing like a baby because he understood the wrongness of his actions in the past, because he could feel, just like any other person. Draco Malfoy was not insensible, and that was a huge relief, but right now, Ginny was worried. This man needed what he had never had… Love, support, comprehension, someone to listen him, take care of him, someone he could trust. Draco needed his own healing time.

“You are not the fault, Draco… Neville saved you because he was taught to value the lives of those who surrounded him. He was taught to love his life and the life of everybody else, no matter how cruel they were to him. Neville had a huge heart, despite his lack of skills in Magic, but he always did his best to help others, in times of need.” Ginny said, her voice steady, although tears kept running down her cheeks. “He saved you, and you shouldn't feel guilty for his actions. He chose to save you and I'm sure that he would do it all over again, because that's the way he was…”

Draco's breathing seemed to calm down and Ginny made him turn around to face her. His face was red with the effort to keep his sobs silent; his cheeks were wet with tears, his eyes slightly puffy and the tears in his eyes made the grey look like pure silver. Ginny surrounded his waist with her arms, once again, and maintained the eye contact.

“You now have the chance to repay Neville's favour… You have the chance to raise his son in the loving family he could have had, the family you wish you could have had. Nothing is lost, Draco, Thomas' life can be started once again… He is young and he has already accepted his present life and he's recovering from his trauma. These steps he's able to take now, mean his acceptance of the past and his preparation for the future!” Ginny said in a gentle voice, resting her chin against his chest. “Are you ready to guide him?”

“I'm ready, but I'll need you by my side to help me… I don't know how to do it alone!” Draco whispered, raising a hand to wipe away the tears from her cheeks.

“We'll see… First I want you to tell me the rest of the story!” Ginny sighed, leaving the warmness of his body to seat by the table, once again.

“I went back to England because I had several meetings regarding the Moretti Clinics, and I missed being home… When we met, I couldn't believe how much you had changed and how much I still cared for you, after all these years. I tried my best to keep the distance between us, to be my old self and keep you away, but I couldn't… I scolded myself for giving you that rose, on the balcony, but it felt so right!” he explained, sitting in front of her, once again. “Then, when you broke up with Carlo, in my party, I was so relieved, you can't even imagine… I felt hope, although I didn't want to think of you on emotional terms. And then, you found Thomas…”

“And you hired me… I spent hours talking with Luna and Hermione about you, how I still felt attracted with you… And later, how I had come to love you.” Ginny added in a sigh.

“I didn't tell you who Thomas really was because I was ashamed of myself, I was afraid that you'd hate me for killing one of your best friends back at Hogwarts! That night Thomas had the fever, I heard him calling you Mommy and I was scared… I knew I was engaged to Chantal and that sooner or later you would have to leave us. Thomas would be crushed and I didn't want him to be so tied with you, that's why I fired you when I found you in my room… I needed a reason to keep you away from us. Thomas had to forget you to be able to face my wife to be, and I had to keep you away to be able to focus on my new life with Chantal…” Draco explained, his hands playing with the table edges. “A part of me was relieved that you had found the truth, but the other felt betrayed, felt exposed. Those feelings and my need to keep you away, made me fire you…”

“That was one of the worst moments of my life, you know? First I find out Neville had a child with Pansy, a child I had come to love as my own, and then you find me and yell at me, saying I won't see either of you ever again… My heart broke in that moment.” She admitted, placing a hand over her chest, where her heart beat in a steady rhythm. “I went to every single clinic in England, and no one dared to hire me, because of Carlo's menace. I had nothing to lose, so I thought about leaving England and start a new life way from everything and everyone. The day Thomas appeared at the Burrow and I took him back to the Manor was the day I made my decision… Your request to have me that one time finalised everything we could never have, and it made me make my decision on leaving England.”

“I knew I shouldn't have asked that from you, that it would make me feel even worse for losing you, but I needed you… If even for that one time, I needed to have you just for me! And when you told me you loved me, it made me come back to reality and realise that I shouldn't have done that… I had hurt you more than ever!” Draco said, furious with himself, his eyes dark with frustration. “You left and for the first time, I knew what it was like to have a broken heart…”

“Welcome to the Broken heart's club, then…” she smiled warmly, knowing how hard it was for him to tell her all of his feelings. Draco chuckled and kept on talking.

“Thomas suffered as well, when he realised you really were gone, and we helped each other to cope with your absence… We spent hours talking, getting to know each other, playing together, taking long walks in the garden and most of all, plotting!” Draco smiled, when Ginny showed interest on the last word.

“What do you mean, plotting?” she asked, a suspicious smile on her lips.

“We both needed you back, so, we plotted a way to have you back and make you happy again!” Draco grinned. “I had a long conversation with Chantal and explained to her that I couldn't marry her when my heart belonged to another woman… When she asked me who that woman was and I replied it was the cooker I had introduced her to sometime ago, she nearly had an heart attack!”

“Oh, you're evil, Draco Malfoy!” Ginny laughed, happy with the way he said his heart belonged to her, and happy that he had left Chantal because of her.

“It was hard to explain to her father, but he was very understanding and gave me his blessing to build a happy life next to you.” Draco explained with a smile. “Then, we prepared your surprise, which you won't see until you get your cute butt back at England!”

“So, everything is clear now… But, why should I go back to England?” she teased, wanting… no, NEEDING to hear him say the magic words.

“Because we love you… Thomas loves you, I love you, and we both love you and need you back in our lives to make us live happily ever after!” Draco smiled, leaving his seat and pulled Ginny on her feet as well, crushing her against his body, her eyes locked with his. “I love you Ginevra Weasley, and I know that you probably shouldn't want me after all the hurt I've put you through, but know that I would feel honoured to be by your side, the rest of my days, protecting and loving Thomas, and our children as well, making sure nothing would hurt us or our family. Please, forgive me and let me love you…”

His words were so full of meaning, so sincere, so passionate, that all she could do was cry with happiness. Draco loved her, wanted her by his side to build a family and a future, in which Thomas was an essential part, and that was all she could ever want.

“I love you too, Draco…” she smiled before she placed a hand behind his neck, forcing his face down, to kiss his warm lips.

The kiss felt like heaven after so much time away from each other, after so much hurt… But now, they put everything they felt in that kiss. All the secrets had been exposed, all the lies had been explained, and all the problems had been solved, leaving room for only the love they felt. That's what the kiss was all about… Pure love…

“You're coming back with us, then?” a child's voice screamed happily, making the couple break the kiss in surprise.

Ginny turned around to face a barefoot Thomas, standing in the doorway, watching the couple with a huge smile on his beautiful face.

This boy had suffered enough for a lifetime, and now was the time to make him forget the bad memories, by replacing them with good ones. Ginny was ready to help him, with Draco by her side.

“Yes, Thomas, I'm going back with you!” she smiled as the boy quickly walked to her arms and hugged her waist strongly with one arm, while the other arm curled around Draco's waist.

“I love you both…” he mumbled, his head buried in Ginny's stomach.

Draco and Ginny looked at each other and smiled warmly, each placing a hand on Thomas' shoulders. Everything would be fine.

“We love you too…” Draco whispered, kissing Ginny once again, in the kitchen of her small apartment, overlooking the sea of Positano, on the Italian coast.

Everything would be fine…

STILL NOT THE END!!!

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I hope this chapter pleased all of you and answered to all of your answers.

Once again, huge thank yous to all of you people, reading this story and writing those wonderful reviews that fill my day with happiness!

Each time I check my mailbox, there are dozens of reviews and my face stretches in a huge smile for the rest of the day. Thank you!

Don't forget to vote for my story When the Angels Cry, if you think it's worth it, and check the one shot I wrote yesterday, Dreams.

I've been studying like crazy because next week I have 2 exams, and my brain as gone numb of so much information, so, I hope this chapter is okay.

Hell, better than okay, I don't like mediocre! I want it to be GOOD!

Well, I'll post the next chapter soon, I don't know when, but probably very soon (*hint* *hint*) because I'll have a full week.

Lots and lots of love,

Carina

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21. Try

Chapter 20 - Try

Have you ever felt the rain fall down on your face? Have you ever felt how it tickles your cheeks as the raindrops slide along your skin, the way it brushes your lips and you lick them, feeling the tasteless water with a smile? The feeling of your soul being purified, by simply getting soaked into your bones, and enjoying it?

Well, that innocent happiness was taking over Ginny right now… She had never expected to hear all those truths, and still she felt as if they had finally satisfied her curiosity, her need to understand everything around her.

Thomas' past was now a reality with faces, the sweet face of Neville and the pug face of Pansy… Yes, she was the mother of that gorgeous child and Neville had loved her, but still, Ginny couldn't bring herself to like the Slytherin girl that had made her life miserable back at Hogwarts.

The reason why Draco kept pushing her away was now explained as well… He had feared her reaction to the secrets he was hiding… He had cared enough for her, to hide the bad things about him he didn't want her to see, but now she knew, and if possible, she loved him more for telling her what he felt. Draco was a very strong man with an even stronger personality, but that day, he had cried in her arms, and showed her that he could actually feel and cry like everyone else.

Ginny had Draco's love, and he had asked her to remain by his side, and she was ready for that mission. They had agreed on not getting married for now, as they needed to get to know each other. They needed to find out more about the other, if they wanted a successful life together ahead of them, and they were both thrilled with the new project of having a Weasley and a Malfoy living under the same roof, night and day…

It was with a heavy trunk and a light heart that Ginny, Thomas and Draco took a Portkey to return to England, her true home.

When the three of them materialised in the Manor's huge hall, Ginny gasped in shock. She had never seen the house so full of light! All around her, every single surface was shining with light coming from huge windows on top of the entrance door and candles floating above their heads.

“Draco? Have you redecorated the house?” Ginny asked, noticing his mischievous grin.

“Maybe…” he chuckled, and Thomas laughed openly, not bothering to hide his amusement.

”Boys? What have you done while I was away?” she asked, her voice full of suspicion. As none of them answered, Ginny slowly walked to the first set of doors that led to the magnificent living room. When she opened the doors, she nearly fainted in shock. “D… Draco? What's going on?”

Ginny just couldn't believe it… The living room was full of hospital beds, ten at least, and the bed sheets had little animated cartoons jumping around, in all sort of colours. There were stuffed toys neatly arranged on shelves along the walls, the floor was carpeted to keep the room warmer and there was a small bathrobe at the end of each bed, some blue and some pink.

All this could only mean one thing… this was a paediatric infirmary! Ginny kept on studying the room with a surprised, yet smiling face, while Draco watched her with a smile of his own.

“So, what do you think of the new dÃ©cor?” he teased, standing behind her with his arms surrounding her waist.

Ginny turned around in his arms and gave him a gentle peck on his lips.

“Right now, I need to know what's going on… Is this the project Hermione was talking about in her letter?” Ginny asked, standing back from his arms to walk around the infirmary, Thomas by her side, playing with some toys he had found on the shelves.

“Yes… She helped us with the paper work at the Ministry. That one is unstoppable when she's around important documents and books, is she not?” Draco said, and surprisingly there wasn't hate or disgust in his voice as he talked about one of Ginny's best friends. “Your father gave us his full support and guaranteed that this new Hospital became an extension of St. Mungos, and it's going to be fully dedicated to children.”

“A Paediatric Hospital… A public one at that! This is wonderful!” she laughed happily, sitting on one of the comfortable beds. “How did you manage all this in only a few months?”

“Oh, actually, the idea wasn't mine… I had a huge help from Thomas!” Draco smiled, sitting next to her, holding her hands in his, as they both watched the boy play on the carpeted floor with miniature Quidditch figures, that actually flew around his head, trying to score chocolate Quaffles in his mouth.

“Thomas?” she mumbled, a little confused.

“Yes… We were plotting a way to have you back in our lives and he suggested I made one of your dreams come true. I had a wonderful chat with Luna, and POP, this idea came to our heads and we didn't loose anytime to put it in action!” he explained, gesturing to the room. “The whole house has been transformed into a Hospital. We have surgery rooms, many more infirmaries like this one, dozens of bathrooms prepared for handicapped children and adults, we have installed an elevator to allow a better access to upper levels, there's a ward only for Maternity, we have another ward for physically handicapped children as well, complete with two big gyms where they can work on getting better. And that's were you'll be working from now on…”

Ginny's mouth was hanging open with all of his descriptions. The old Malfoy Manor had been in the family for centuries, it had a long past of Dark Arts and now… after centuries of history, it was being transformed into a Hospital, to actually help children! Unable to stop her tears, Ginny jumped in Draco's arms and hugged him strongly, happiness flowing through her whole body.

“Thank you….” she whispered against his ear, her voice full of emotion.

“Hey, you deserve this and much more… And, we'll be working together! I'm the Director of this Hospital, I've already hired the staff, prepared the stocks with food, hygiene products, surgery utensils, dÃ©cor, toys, everything… All we need to do now, is start working!” he replied, looking deep into her eyes. “Are you ready to work, Healer Weasley?”

“I was born ready, Director Malfoy!” she laughed, kissing him passionately. “Oh, by the way, where are you living now?”

“That's the other surprise…” he smirked, kissing her softly and then called Thomas over her shoulder. “Come on kid, we have one more surprise to show to her!”

Thomas slowly stood on his feet and picked up the now motionless toys, placing them back on the shelve. If only all kids were like him, uh?

The three of them walked back to the hall and stopped next to Ginny's trunk. Draco made a new Portkey using a small quill and they were transported to their new location.

Ginny still had her eyes squeezed shut, waiting for the dizziness of travelling with a Portkey to go away, but she could feel the cold wind around her, making her long hair fly around her head and her robes to cling to her body. Finally daring to open her eyes, Ginny found herself surprised for the second time that night.

There, in front of her was a beautiful Italian villa, with only the ground level floor, so that meant no staircases for Thomas, there were several balconies surrounded by beautiful rosebushes and other colourful plants, the house was painted in white, and the windows allowed the candle light to illuminate the garden where they stood.

Everything was perfect… Draco had done a wonderful job on both the Hospital and the house as well. It was evident that he wanted to prove her how much he truly cared for her, and although she didn't need all those things to know that, she still felt proud and happy that he did them.

“Draco? Are we in England at all?” she asked, turning around to face him, noticing that Thomas was in his arms, his blond head resting on Draco's shoulder, almost asleep.

“Yes, we are very close to Malfoy Manor… I had this house built last month, knowing you would love it. Hermione and Luna gave wonderful ideas about your tastes in house dÃ©cor…” Draco grinned, one hand supporting Thomas' body against his chest, while the other hand gently rubbed the boy's back, just like a real daddy would do.

“It's gorgeous, Draco… Both the house and the two of you together like that! You'll be a great father, you know?” she asked, stepping closer to them, caressing Thomas' face and gently kissing Draco's cold lips.

“I hope so, Gin… Come, lets go inside.” he smiled, leading the way to the house double front doors, then he turned around to face her. “Welcome to Villa del Amore…”

Ginny smiled and walked in her new home, with her new family.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**

“Thomas, be careful!” Ginny called from her towel, watching as her son and her nephew had fun jumping the small waves that hit the sand.

After returning to England with Draco and Thomas eight months ago, Ginny had started working furiously. She had never felt so complete as she felt now, and she owed all that to Draco and her whole family's support and love. After all those months working non-stop, both Ginny and Draco agreed on spending some nice vacations in a far away country, and since Ginny had promised Thomas to take him back to Positano beaches, there they were, lying on the sand, enjoying the scalding sun and warm Mediterranean sea.

Hermione and Harry had married after Ginny returned to England, and last month Hermione gave birth to a gorgeous baby boy, with his father's black hair of course. Harry was always grinning foolishly, always showing pictures of his baby to everyone he knew.

Ginny was the next woman in the line to give birth… She was now 6 months pregnant and her belly still didn't show much, probably because she was carrying a little girl inside of her… A delicate flower that she loved already.

Draco had been so ecstatic the day she gave him the good news… All he could do was laugh and hug Ginny, almost making her get sick several times in the process. They were making plans of marrying as soon as their little girl was born, and then Ginny and Draco would adopt Thomas as their legal son.

Thomas… he had been so happy with the baby news. It really was important to have his acceptance on this, because he would have a big role to play in 3 months, as his sister's protector.

“Gin, I'm going to have a swim with Ron, but I'll keep an eye on the kids, ok? You can follow Draco's example and have a nap…” Luna whispered, making Ginny wake up from her thoughts.

Ron and Luna had joined Ginny and Draco on this small vacation, and Sean was having a lot of fun with Thomas, both boys spending their days playing in the wet sand, with the sea waves washing their warm bodies.

“Thank you, Luna… I don't understand how he can sleep so much! He slept the whole night…” Ginny smiled, watching Draco sleeping on the towel next to hers, lying on his back.

“Probably you've tired him…” Luna giggled, getting a horrified look from Ron.

“Oh, come on Ron… As if this baby got inside of me by miracle!” Ginny laughed, kissing her brother's cheek.

“I know, but I didn't want to hear details…” he whined, standing up and pulling Luna up with his arms. “We'll be right back!”

Ginny smiled, watching the couple jump their way to the wet sand, because the dry sand was scalding their feet. When they got there, they held the kids in their arms and entered the sea, having fun splashing water.

Ginny laid on her side on her towel, facing a sleeping Draco.

`Merlin, he's gorgeous…' she sighed, running her eyes from the tip of his head until she reached his toes. There wasn't a single flaw in his physical appearance, and everyone would agree with her on that. But they wouldn't agree with her about his personality. Many people, correction, a lot of people considered him a cold bastard. Well, she had been one of those persons some time ago, but now that she had found the real Draco, under all those layers of superiority complex, sneers, and general nastiness.

He was a wonderful father for Thomas. They usually spent hours flying on their broomsticks in the garden, they had long talks, and played with some toys, and every night Draco insisted that they read a bedtime story to the boy. Draco was trying to do everything right, he was trying to succeed where his parents had failed. Ginny was sure he would succeed with their girl as well.

With a light touch, Ginny ran her fingers over his face, his tender lips and then over his jaw. Draco stirred slightly, but did not wake up. Holding back a giggle, Ginny touched his neck and then his soft warm chest, running her nails over one of his nipples. Once again, Draco stirred and made a small groan at the back of his throat, but his eyes did not open.

`You don't fool me, Draco… I know you're awake!' Ginny thought with an evil smile, running her hand over his stomach, his belly button and lower. Watching his lips form a smile Ginny grinned and slipped a few fingers under the beach trunks' elastic, but still left her hand out.

When she didn't kept on moving her hand in those gentle caresses like he had been waiting for, Draco opened his silver eyes and stared at her with a pout in his lips.

“Why did you stop, you tease?” he complained, looking down at her hand on his waistline.

“You were having fun, weren't you? Well, this was just a lesson… You were pretending to be asleep just to have me keep on touching you! Besides, everyone is staring at my wondering fingers. Quite a few women are drooling all over the sight of you!” she teased, removing her hand from his skin and placed it on top of her belly.

“Hey, what can I do? I'm not to blame for being a sexy man!” he grinned, forcing her to lay on her back and laid next to her, with their faces inches apart.

“What have I said about modesty, Draco? You don't have to speak so highly of yourself! I'm here for that, you sexy beast…” she smiled sexily.

“Sexy beast, uh? I think that's enough payment for having stopped your wandering fingers!” he smiled, kissing her hungrily. “I love you!”

“I love you too, darling… I'm just worried about our baby girl.” Ginny sighed happily, kissing his lips gently, but Draco broke the kiss and stared at her worried.

“Why? What's wrong?” he asked.

“She's already promised to a gorgeous guy her father does not approve of!” Ginny explained, caressing his cheek.

“What? You promised our girl to some guy? Are you crazy, Ginny? Who is he?” Draco said, his face worried and his voice desperate.

“I didn't actually promised her, but I'm sure they'll be together no matter what… I'm talking about James Potter, of course!” Ginny giggled, watching his face fill with pure terror.

“No way… My daughter will not be Potter's girlfriend! Not even his friend! I don't want her to meet him, ever…” Draco said, sitting up on his towel, a cold look in his face. “We'll send her to Beauxbatons…”

“Oh Draco, you silly, you know she's going to Hogwarts and she's going to be best friends with James… Don't deny that you loved to hold the small guy last week!” Ginny smiled, sitting up and throwing her arms around her fiancÃ©e.

“Another Potter to torment my life…” Draco mumbled, his face relaxing again to an amused grin. “But, can I still menace him about our baby?”

“Sure, as soon as she turns old enough to have a boyfriend you can menace James…” Ginny chuckled and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Malfoy…”

“Love ya too, Gin…”

Together they sat on their towels, watching as Ron sat Thomas on his shoulders and Luna did the same with Sean, and they started a fight inside the water. Everything was perfect right then, and hopefully things would only get better as the time passed.

`And I see you standing there

Wanting more from me

And all I can do

Is try…'

With the same words I've started this story, I now finish it…

Sometimes no matter how hard we try to accomplish something, we never seem to be successful, feeling frustrated, a failure, incompetent, all kinds of negative emotions running through us. All we do is ask ourselves and others `What have I done wrong?' and most times we come to the same conclusion `Nothing!'.

But there's always a reason to each of our problems… You just need to search properly for that reason and try to fix it.

In Ginny's case, her relationship with Carlo wasn't very good, no matter how hard she tried to please him… So, why wasn't it working out? Probably because she was trying too hard to be someone he wanted, and not herself. Maybe she truly never loved him enough to enjoy what they had… There are several possible explanations, but in the end, all you need to know is that, sometimes trying is not enough. Sometimes all you need is to start all over again, and hope everything will be okay in the end.

Ginny started a whole new life with a new job and a new love. She faced several obstacles, but still, she tried to fix everything by listening Draco's confessions, by accepting them as true, and here she was… happier than ever.

Yes, you should try to be better, you should fight hard to overcome your problems and be happy, but sometimes, when things keep on not working, no matter how hard you try, you have to stop, take a deep breath and look around you, and inside of yourself as well. Is it really worth it, spending your time and energy on something that doesn't feel right and never seems to get on the right track? Or should you start all over again? The decision is up to you…

Each situation is unique, but Ginny's problem led her to the decision she thought was right for her, and in the end, it was worth it.

The End

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This is the worst ending to a story I've ever done! I'm not happy with it, but right now, it's all my brain accomplishes…

Actually, I'm not pleased with this story at all! I could have done much better, but the plot didn't enthusiasm me as much as When the Angels Cry and His Little Healer.

I'm tired! I had an exam yesterday and it was ok, but in two days I have another one and I need to study 500 pages of theory, isn't it nice? God, I need vacation!!!

I need vacation from school exams and I need vacation from writing Fanfiction. I need to get my ideas back together, I need to analyze the small plots I've been imagining and I need to calm down my Fanfiction addicted brain.

So, thank you so so so much to all of you who have been with me through Silver Eyes, and my other Fanfictions, if that's your case. Thank you for reading and leaving those gorgeous reviews that always made me smile, thank you for spending your time with me, … Just, THANK YOU!

Don't forget to ask for Author Alerts, in case you want to read any other work I might come up with after summer, ok?

Love, Carina

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