Breaking The Habit
By: Anti Darth Ani
Chapter Five: Start Again
++++++++++
-present-
She almost squealed when she saw him leaning against the wall, him arms crossed over his chest. Oh course she didn't, she hadn't since she was a little girl, but she felt like squealing. She also felt like crying, but she figured if she cried too much more, she'd drown in all the water. So instead, she run (no, walked quickly) across the hallway to him. His facial expression told her nothing about his reaction to seeing her again, but she saw a quick flicker of emotion in his eyes that told her everything she needed to know. At least for now.
His lowered his arms as she got closer to him, so she didn't crush them when she finally reached him and tightly wrapped her arms around his neck. She buried her face against his neck, remembering his smell and loving the way his long, blond hair brushed up against her forehead. She loved everything about him, even down to that unmistakable mark on his arm. She didn't like what it stood for, but the loved the way he acted when she touched it.
He didn't hug her back. He was a Malfoy, after all. But he slowly rested his hands on her hips, rubbing his thumbs against the revealed skin between her pants and shirt. Ginny closed her eyes, her body sinking down into his. She knew how well their bodies fit together. She belonged here in this exact place - in his arms. He may not know it, but she thought he would eventually realize it.
Ginny lifted her head up slightly, her lips traveling instinctively to his ear. "What the hell happened to you?" she whispered before biting his earlobe playfully. One of her hands played with the hair on the back of his head, twirling the blond locks around her fingers slowly. God, how she envied his wonderful hair. The hair he hated her touching, but allowed it anyways.
He didn't answer her and she didn't expect him to. It would be uncharacteristic for Draco Malfoy to answer to a lowly Weasley, especially a female. No, Ginny could live without the answer. She knew she would get it out of him later, when he had less control of what he let slip...
For now, Ginny Weasley was content with his presence. With knowing that he was fine. Because everyone has secrets, she told herself, her eyes closing again as she rested her forehead on his shoulder and held him even closer.
++++++++++
-past-Draco-
"You know what, how isn't even important," she snapped, pulling the towel even tighter around her. "Why the hell are you here is more accurate." Embarrassment came easily to a Weasley, being slightly poor and redheaded with a Muggle loving father. But having your brother see you in the shower, even with a towel wrapped around you, would kill just about anybody.
Ronald Weasley didn't notice his sister's discomfort. He stared at her through narrow slits in his eyes. "What's this I hear about you and Dean Thomas?" he nearly croaked out, his entire body shaking with anger - or what Ginny assumed was anger.
Ginny shrugged, wringing out all the extra water from her hair. She winced slightly as all the muscles in the lower half of her body cramped up. We're going to have to stop if he can't be more gentle, Ginny told herself, making a mental note to mention that the next time he slammed her up against a solid wall. "It all depends on what you heard Ron," she told him. "There are a lot of nasty little rumors going around this school, you know." She smirked in a way that would make old Draco proud of her. She lowered her voice, "I've even heard a few about you and Miss Luna Lovegood."
Ron blushed under his freckles. "We're not talking about my... love life right now, Gin. We're talking about yours."
"Ahh!" Ginny grinned, pointing her finger at him. "So you do have one to talk about then, right? I'm sure Mum would love to know that, since she loves that magazine Luna's father runs."
"Stop trying to change the subject," Ron snapped. "I want to know if you're really sneaking off in the middle of the night to met Dean in other places of the castle." Ron paused, "Places Fred and George taught you."
"Where did you get that ridiculous idea from?" she asked, her mind now on alert.
"Well, I wake-up sometimes during the middle of the night (he didn't admit it was from his nightmares about spiders eating him alive) and Dean's not in his bed. So I mentioned this to your roommates and they told me that you're never in your bed either. I'm not stupid, Ginny."
Ginny took a minute to collect her thoughts. Sure, she snuck off during the middle of the night, but she definitely did not meet Dean. "Well, I... I go visit Dobby during the night because it's the only time there aren't a million people watching around the picture of the fruit bowl," she lied easily. Another gift she picked up from the twins. "I don't know where Dean goes," she added truthfully, "but I'll ask him the next time I see him if it's that important to you."
Before Ron could answer her back, Ginny pushed past him and left him standing alone in the bathroom. After a double take, Ron turned to face the door, shaking his head slowly at his rotten luck. He never got anything through his sister's thick head anymore...
++++++++++
-past-Dean-
"We just want different things," Ginny looked straight ahead while she said this. She paused for a second before shaking her head. No, no, no that's lame. "Maybe we can just be friends?" Ginny suggested and immediately regretted it. I don't even really want to be friends with him anymore. Groaning, Ginny threw the hair brush in her hand at her bed, watching as it bounced off the headboard and hit the floor.
"Why can't breaking up be easier?" Ginny mumbled to herself. Truthfully, she didn't know how to end things with Dean. They dated for over a year, eleven months longer than any other relationship she ever had. Ginny flopped onto her bed, picking up her magazine off the nightstand. "We have different needs..." Ginny tried, flipping to any article she thought could help her.
"I want you to bugger off and stop snogging with me," she suggested and laughed out loud, smirking at the thought. Yeah, she'd tell him that. Watch his pretty little soccer face turn bright pink. Better yet, she would say this while standing in front of Harry and her brother. Then he might really get the message. As well as Michael did the previous year.
Guys are just too complicated, Ginny complained to herself, watching as a witch her own age twirled around in a little black number on an advertisement for a clothing line. Ginny closed the magazine back up, throwing in the general direction of the nightstand and not caring when it missed by miles and landed in the corner of the floor in a heap. It fit in with all the rest of the crap in her room.
"I can't do this with you anymore, Dean. I don't have time for myself anymore and I constantly feel like I'm drowning." Okay, sure, she had to stretch the truth a little, but how would he know? She sure didn't feel bad about it. She felt like she couldn't be in a relationship with him anymore. And she had plenty of time for herself, but he took up over half of it and Ginny was a girl who needed to primp to be pretty. No just-rolled-out-of-bed look for this Weasley child.
Now all she had to do was find the prefect replacement for Dean before she put her break-up plan into action.
++++++++++
-past-post Draco-
"Look who finally decided to show up," he snapped coolly. Ginny pulled her sweater tighter around her body, shoving her hands into her pockets. She watched the way little puffs of air appeared from his mouth when he inhaled and exhaled. Winter really changed the way Ginny felt - at least it usually did. This year, Ginny felt confused the entire year, since she stepped foot into this castle at the beginning of terms.
"I didn't have to show up at all," she shot back, but she didn't hate him. She could never hate him - not anymore. Not after everything they shared together. So she bit her tongue from adding something to the tail of the sentence. "Why you decided we had to meet out on the damned freezing Quidditch field is beyond reasoning, but I guess falling off your broom a lot really starts to distort your thinking abilities after a while."
"Don't fuck with me, Weasley," he hissed under his breath, taking a step closer to her until she could feel his breath on her cheek.
Ginny stood her ground. They were playing a game of words and Ginny refused to be the first to fold. "That's a funny statement coming from you," she answered slyly. "Because usually that's the only thing you ever want to do with me," she responded.
He immediately pushed her back up against the wall that covered the bottom of the stands. "I didn't come out here to freeze my ass off just for you to swap insults with me, Weasley. We could do that inside, in front of your little Dean Thomas."
"Then why are we out here, Draco?" she asked calmly, searching his eyes for anything, but, as usual, getting nothing back but a blank stare. Her hands reached out by habit to run her fingers through his hair, brushing the heavy locks away from his forehead.
"This is not the time for that," he whispered harshly, causing her to slowly pull her hand away, only to rest it on his shoulder. "I brought you something to help with your... problem," he continued in a lower voice. "Get it out of my pocket."
Ginny snorted unladylike. 'This is not the time for that' my ass, she told herself, letting her free hand slip into the pocket of his robes. Her delicate fingers touched the warm glass of a little vile. Wrapping her hand around the neck of the bottle, Ginny carefully pulled it out and brought it up between their two bodies, looking at the black liquid in the see-through, green tinted container. "Figures it's Slytherin colors," she muttered under her breath. Her eyes looked back to Draco, "What is it?" she asked softly.
Draco, pushed her hand down, motioning for her to put the vile into her sweater pocket. He glanced around quickly before bending his head down next to her ear. "Just pour it onto your arm," he whispered, sending shivers up Ginny's spine. He knew the powers he had over her and he always used them to his advantage.
Her own lips found his ear, her tongue darting out to trace the outer edge of his ear, "Oh, is that all?" she mocked, the arm still resting on his shoulder moving to behind his neck. "Trying to pretend like you're not getting all soft on me?"
Draco grunted against her ear, pushing her into the wall harder with his own body. "Don't start something you can't finish, Gin," he murmured against her ear, nipping at her earlobe softly. Ginny smiled when she heard her nickname escape from between his lips - a rare treat for her.
In return, Ginny arched her back so that her entire body fit flush into his. He steadied himself by resting one hand on the wall, but the other went to grip her waist. Almost possessively. Ginny kissed down his jaw line, grinning when she saw the rapid movement of his Adam's apple. You're really going to owe me next time, she giggled to herself. He found all of this too slow, finally managing to capture her lips with his own to stop her torture.
His tongue forced her lips apart and dove into her mouth. Ginny immediately moaned when his tongue reached out to hers. It didn't really get to her until he started to suck on her tongue, pulling it forcefully into his mouth. Ginny's knees started to tremble, threatening to give out soon. Draco took another small step in her direction, his leg going between her thighs so that she could relax and sit somewhat awkwardly on his knee. He knows me so well, Ginny thought to herself. A scary thought, yet a comforting one at the same time.
His hand inched it's way up the back of her shirt and before she knew it, his finger's had expertly unclipped her bra. She could feel his hand traveling back down her side diagonally, resting on her flat belly for a second while he traced lazy circles around bellybutton. When his hand traveled back up, it brought the bottom of her shirt with it. Ginny didn't protest until he reached just under her breasts (mostly because she loved the feel of his long, slender fingers on every inch of her skin). But Ginny regretfully pushed him back slowly and with great resistance, Draco finally got the message. "It's too cold," she complained, her chest heaving with the effort of trying to breathe.
"I got to go," he told her, agitated with her sudden, hot-cold emotion. As he walked away, Ginny groaned, reaching behind her to try to re-clip her bra while following close behind him. Once she finally managed to get it back on, she reached out and grabbed his arm, "Don't be such a bastard," she shouted into the gathering wind.
Draco spun around to face her, his eyes flashing with anger. "What did you just call me, Weasley?" he snapped, taking a step closer to intimidate her.
Ginny matched his movement, her hand gripping his robe's sleeve tighter. "I said 'Don't be such a bastard'." She paused for a moment. "Come back to my dorm with me," she asked softly, barely auditable above the roaring wind. She sounded like she was begging and she didn't want to sound desperate or weak. But, God, she wanted this so bad and it drove her crazy that the only part of Hogwarts they hadn't been together in was her bedroom.