The Elvin Bride

Note: Chapters 1-5 have been slightly edited, nothing major!

Summary: When Ginny was accidentally zapped by a spell that turned her into an elf some crazy things started happening, including a marriage that no one, not even the groom could get out of because of an ancient law regarding a Celtic necklace.

Note: Expect Lucius Malfoy to be a bit differently described. If you don't like OOC then don't read this...I try to say IC as much as possible, but it's hard so have a little understanding.

The Elvin Bride

Chapter One:

It wasn't fair! She was always in the wrong place at the wrong time and this time her consistent bad luck and clumsiness had taken its toll. Sixteen-year-old Ginevra Weasley jumped up and down in an angry rage, showing her immense distaste for the situation.

"Ginny, please quit throwing a temper-tantrum," Molly sighed rubbing her forehead in frustration, one hand on her hip.

She threw her head back and cried out with her arms stretched towards the ceiling. "I have ears!"

Ron, who'd been looking at his youngest sister in shock when she'd walked into The Burrow, after a last minute school supplies trip to Diagon Alley, burst out laughing. He clutched his sides in a fit as he watched her hands slide up her long ears.

"Everyone has ears Gin," Percy said, trying to sympathize with his kid sister.

Ginny gritted her teeth. "I'm a bloody elf, Percy! I have elongated ears and bleach blonde hair with roots...look at the roots; BLACK not RED, but BLACK! We're leaving for school tomorrow and there is no known way to lift an elf curse! Hell, Father didn't even know that elf curses existed. If those stupid men hadn't been fighting in Knockturn Alley this wouldn't have happened," she ended, stomping her foot to the floor.

Molly's lips formed an irritated line, her orange-reddish, frizzed hair drifted into her right eye as her frown deepened. �Yes well, if you hadn't been where you weren't supposed to be it wouldn't have happened.�

Percy flinched at his mothers' tone and then focused his attention back to his piece of yellow tinted parchment. �What were you doing there anyway?�

Ginny gave him a helpless look, her brown eyes pleading with him to understand, and shrugged her shoulders. �I got lost.�

Percy rolled his eyes and placed one hand onto his hip, all the while still holding his piece of parchment. �That is absurd! How long have you been going to��

�Mother, have you seen how many alleys there are in that town?� Ginny questioned looking to her mother for understanding.

For a fraction of a second Molly almost looked speechless�almost. �Ginny, you have been going to Hogsmeade for quite sometime. I wouldn't expect that to be an excuse for��

Ginny raised an eyebrow. �For what? I'm serious. I just took a wrong turn and instead of paying attention I was daydreaming. It's not unheard of.�

�Oh, what rubbish,� Percy snorted, raising his nose up to the ceiling.

Hermione glared while she watched as Ron, clutching his sides on the floor, over-dramatized Ginny's situation just to taunt her. He seemed to notice the heavy, heated glare of anger and looked up. His only response was to shrug his shoulders, causing Hermione to roll her eyes and return her attention back to Ginny.

�Ginny, in the muggle world they have something called hair dye. You can dye your hair back to its original color and we can give you a new hairdo to cover up your ears. I can have my parents send it to me, but they insist on sending things the muggle way and since they're on vacation in the Bahamas I'm not exactly sure when you'll get it,� Hermione paused to stare at Ginny.

�What?� Ginny asked irritated.

�Would you please stop that?�

�Stop what?�

Hermione groaned. �That! You've been doing that since you came back here, fiddling with your ears, it's very distracting.�

Ginny instantly stopped and frowned. �Sorry.�

�Now, I'd go and get the dye myself, but I just haven't the time��

�I could go,� Ron offered

Hermione raised an eyebrow. �Um-no, maybe Harry could?�

Harry instantly shook his head. �I haven't even started on my school supplies list.�

Hermione frowned. �School starts in two days, really Harry, you and Ron must stop procrastinating. I honestly don't understand how we get along��

�Okay, okay,� Ginny said a bit too loudly.

�The only option left would be to wait until we got to school. Now, I've never done a hair dying potion, I'm positive I can do it though. The longest it could take would be a month. Luckily your hair goes past your ears, if it's all the same. All you have to do is remember not to wear your hair up. Oh�did you know your eyebrows changed as well? They aren't blonde, but blackish brown.�

�Oh no, I'm doomed. If my life at school wasn't bad enough, I mean people already think I'm an ugly freak. Loot at me now! I look like a monster,� Ginny gasped sniffling.

She hadn't really been paying attention to anything else other than her ears, which were now pointed and elf shaped. Not to mention the burn mark she'd received on her cheek from where the spell hit her when the fighting young man had zapped her.

�Oh Ginny, stop over-exaggerating, and you are not ugly. You are the furthest thing from ugly,� Molly smiled reassuringly patting her daughters back.

Ginny growled and rolled her eyes. �Yeah, tell that to the guys who won't even say hello to me and besides you have to say stuff like that!�

Hermione jiggled her shoulders, cleared her throat, and sat up straight. �Actually Gin, that's your brother's fault.�

�I partially already knew,� Ginny frowned, slumping her shoulders down.

�I don't know, I'm not so sure Ron and Harry will be able to threaten those boys to stay away from you anymore,� Molly grinned raising an eyebrow to Harry and Ron.

Ron's laughter, which had gone to an amused chuckle a while ago, had completely stopped.

�Well Ginny, look on the bright side. It makes you look exotic,� Harry said giving a small smile.

Ginny's eyes widened and she gasped. �I have been waiting since I was eleven years old for you to give me a compliment, or some sort of sign that you noticed me, and finally you give it to me when I'm an ELF?�

Silence filled the room.

This is like a scene from a movie where you can here the crickets and grasshoppers. Hermione thought, holding in a chuckle.

Ginny slapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes bugging out in shock. Her cheeks flushed to a pink color and tears of embarrassment dripped over the rims of her eyes.

Ron straightened up from his position, leaning his back against the couch, and frowned up at his sister. Percy finally sat down, and Molly simply gasped, shaking her head back and forth at her daughters' admittance.

At that moment Ginny knew it couldn't possibly get any worse. �Why did I say that? I mean usually�I don't say things like that! I have more self-control of what I speak and what I don't. When I said that it felt like I was sitting in the background while my doppelganger did my talking or something,� Ginny turned and glanced at Hermione.

She gave a nervous laugh and shrugged. �I don't have an answer to this question.�

�Surprise, surprise,� Ginny mumbled.

Hermione clucked her tongue. �Hey��

�Doppel-what?� Ron asked.

�Ron that response was entirely too late. A doppelganger is the mirror image of you�the reversed image,� Hermione sighed, speaking slowly as if she would to a child of three.

�Hermione�� Ron started and then jumped as Hermione squeaked.

�I-I remember reading something about elves while I was doing research on mermaids for Hagrid,� Hermione frowned and gave a nervous laugh. She brought one of her hands down and bunched it up into her pink jumper.

�Hermione, talk,� Ginny demanded impatiently.

�Well you see, elves are�well elves have this��

Ginny almost did a double take as she heard Hermione stutter for the first time she had known her. �Y-you're stuttering. Hermione I have never heard you stutter in all the time that I've known you now spit it out,� she croaked out.

Nibbling her bottom lip Hermione bent her head down. �You are going to find yourself saying things you would never say. The Elfin people are rather outspoken. Think of the elf as your doppelganger�the elf in you is going to speak everything you are thinking, full force, meaning it won't hold anything back and considering elves are stronger than witches it will dominate. Your emotions will be a big problem, I hope you had them intact before this curse Ginny, or it'll be too late to hold your secret feelings inside. The worse part about this is that after your doppelganger has spoken the real you will resurface and you realize what you've said.�

�So I'm kind of two people then? Oh great, not only am I just the ugly duckling, but now I'm going to have two personalities. I know if I go to the clich� of saying `could it possibly get any worse,' because knowing how my luck is it most likely can and will.�

�Actually, since you were already beautiful before you turned into an elf�their breed is naturally exotic and alluring. It's a genetic material that's inside every one of them. You just aren't used to looking like an elf and the burn on your cheek that you keep rubbing will wear off. Elves tend to be tall with a slim physical build, which basically means you might be getting taller, not much if any because you already had the height mind you,� Hermione took a breath and walked over to Ginny who was leaning up against the kitchen doorway. �If you look in the mirror you'll see that your eyes have slanted down just a tiny bit, giving you that almond-shape and your features have sharpened. This is what characterizes elves, sharp features.�

Hermione smiled gently at Ginny and cupped the sides of the younger girls face. �You already looked cute and impish. The only things that have changed on your face are the tiny inch of slanting in your eyes and your ears. On good news, you'll become even more agile.�

Ginny frowned. �Where there's good news there's bad��

Hermione shook her head. �No more wrestling with Ron and your brothers. The slim build of the elves make them a very frail race and you already have trouble with them. I'm not saying it lightly either because I don't know for sure so wrestling is completely out.�

�Hey�� Ginny started.

Molly sighed and looked to Ron, and the twins, who'd been in the corner of the couch whispering back and forth to each other. �Do you hear that? No more wrestling with your sister, do you understand? I will not have my baby harmed.�

Fred and George frowned. �She starts it anyhow,� George mumbled.

�Yeah,� Fred countered leaping up from the sofa and walking towards Ginny, �even ask her, it's her favorite sport beating up Ron, it is,� Fred grinned and punched his sister in the arm, who in turn punched him even harder back.

�She couldn't beat me up if she tried,� Ron retorted proudly.

Fred, whom was still rubbing his arm, chuckled. "Ouch Gin. Ron, she doesn't have to try all she has to do is curl a finger."

Ron lifted his lanky body up off the floor, combed a hand through his ruffled red hair and grinned devilishly as he too walked up to his sister and pinched her side. "Look on the bright side Gin, all that baby fat you have will finally go away."

�Wisely changing the subject,� Harry commented sarcastically, pushing his glasses back up onto his nose.

Ginny thumped Ron in the chest. "I do not have baby fat!"

Ron balanced his body weight on the heels of his feet while he rubbed his chest and grinned.

Hermione sighed impatiently, �As I was saying��

�Say's the woman who claimed to not have an answer,� Harry said smiling up at Hermione.

She glared and turned her head towards Ginny. �Elves are descendants of the faerie races, they are blessed with,� Hermione paused to think, ��night vision, which makes it capable to see in the dark. Another good thing is if you're going to be stuck as an elf, well, elves tend to live to an older age than others and therefore live worry-less lives. That's one reason why they are so outspoken. They're a haughty race and view others of the realms with a tolerant attitude, very much if an example is needed, like a mild version of the Malfoy family. On another good note, elves are extremely carefree and flighty. They have a great love of nature, magic, and music."

"Great, so it's like a whole evil kin of Malfoys!" Ginny sniffled and rubbed her running nose.

"Last I saw, Malfoy didn't have any elf ears," Hermione said drolly. "Which means Elves may be carefree, flighty, and a tad stuck up but they have a great amount of love, hardly any hate, and they see good that others rarely see. It's why elves are always known to be in wooded areas. Nature holds wondrous beauty. What we don't see, they do."

Ginny lifted her eyebrow. "Ah-huh, oh yeah. I'll need to charm my mouth shut, Miss I-know-everything!" She bit her lip. "Sorry I didn't mean that."

Hermione licked her lips as she tried to compose her slightly irritated response. "That's the thing, everything you say, you mean. It's the..."

Ginny rolled her eyes and made a suggestion. "Elf in me?"

�The `elf in you' is your sub-conscious level of your thinking�for the people who don't want the doppelganger theory�something you know you would never say would be shut off completely in your mind, so our conscious level wouldn't know about it because it's almost non-existent, but your sub-conscious knows. Is that about right `Mione?�

Hermione smiled a little at Harry. �Yes.�

Ginny glared slightly at the tender look Harry and Hermione shared. "Oh Merlin! 'Harry lets go boi<

The Elvin Bride
Chapter Two:

�Okay, this is what we have�� Hermione said as she sat down in the Gryffindor common room next to Ginny.

Ginny tucked her now blonde hair behind her elfin ears and sighed as she glanced at the very large, very musky book Hermione had gotten from the Restricted Section of the Library. The four of them had come, with the permission of Dumbledore, earlier than the other students and so far the only people who knew Ginny had turned into an elf was her family, Harry, Hermione, a few teachers, and Dumbledore.

Hermione put her hand on top of Ginny's head and turned it. �Ginny? Are you listening? Classes start tomorrow and the sorting ceremony is tonight, which means we all have to sit at the table awaiting the first years to come in.�

�I KNOW!� Ginny half hollered. �You may have been here a year longer than me, but I do catch on rather quickly�blast! Hermione I'm so sorry. I really don't like being so outspoken!�

Hermione gave her a grim look and stuck her nose back in the book. �Elves are often more intelligent and wise then the average human, but aren't as strong. Mentally elves are very strong, with wondrous magical abilities, but physically they are very weak. Well I shouldn't say weak per-say, just Gin, you won't be as strong as you used to be. Those cauldrons will be more challenging than last year and you may need some help lifting it.�

Ginny scoffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder. �I will not!�

Hermione lifted a finger up. �You forget. You're a sixth year now; the cauldrons get bigger and better every year. So it'll be heavier than last years. Plus you're mum got you the copper one, although very cheap at twenty galleons, very hard and heavy. �

Harry choked on some unknown substance and widened his eyes. Ron snorted in amusement at Harry's response.

Ginny lifted her eyebrow at their behavior. �What does it being copper have anything to do with it?�

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed at Ginny's show of ignorance. �Copper lesson,� she stated as she started going into a lecture. �Copper, which symbol is Cu on the Periodic Table, is a brownish-red metallic element that is one of the most widely used of metals. It's the transition element of the periodic table.�

�What are you talking about?� Ginny asked incredulously.

�This is muggle science so pay attention. You do have advanced Muggle studies this year, right?�

When Ginny nodded confirmation Hermione nodded and started speech again.

�The atomic number of copper is twenty-nine. When copper is in its pure state it's very soft, but can be hardened��

Ginny cut her off. �Hermione I know you're a book train-spotter and all, but I don't give a toss about it! So�just tell me about the elves and what other outrageous things I'll start doing!� she complained as she played with her new finely arched, golden brown eyebrows.

Hermione cast a disapproving look towards Ginny. �Very well. I was getting to the point��

�Well I don't give twopence anymore!� Ginny spoke forcefully.

�GINNY! Show some respect.� Ron glared. �I can't believe you're acting like this!�

�It's not my fault! I'm feeling rather weak from trying to hold it back. It's just like it has a mind of its own. I try to stop it before it comes out; the only problem is I don't know when it's to come. It just pops out!�

Ron glowered. �You shouldn't talk to Hermione like that especially when she's trying to help you!� he smiled tenderly at the bushy haired girl.

Hermione's cheeks lightened to a peachy pink color and smiled gratefully. Harry turned away pretending not to notice it.

�What? Ron, you got the flirts with Hermione too, huh? Do I sense a love triangle? Oh-la-la!� Ginny grinned suddenly then placed her hands as a visor on her forehead so they wouldn't see her embarrassing blush.

Ron's ears tipped with a blush as he sputtered in fury. Before Ginny could help it her mouth ran away with her and started up again. �And besides Hermione you sound like a text book.�

�Actually,� Hermione squeaked, �it's from the internet.�

Ginny crossed her eyes and looked at the tip of her nose in a very rude manner.

She barely remembered what `the internet' was.

Ginny decided to ignore Hermione's glare.

�Now as I was saying. Elves are phenomenal spell casters, which means you'll probably be good in Potions and Transfiguration, and �most definitely the Dark Arts. They're very independent, but the elfin powers have a connection with each other. When elves are together they are more powerful because their powers are drawn together by love, curiosity, and friendship. So you'll be very, very loyal. I fear that since you were all ready curious before, that your curiosity might get the better of you in a troubled situation and will most often annoy people.�

�What do you mean I'll BE loyal?� Ginny glared.

�-Err, I didn't mean that you weren't.�

�Go on!� Ron demanded. �What else?�

Hermione lifted her nose at him and began. �You'll be drawn to other elves,� she searched through the book that had `Legends of the Elf' engraved in gold on the front cover. �I believe there is an elf town mentioned in this book. Oh would you look at that Elf Town is what it's called and it's in Scandinavia? Perhaps we might take a trip in a few weeks. Oh wait, maybe not! It's VERY expensive just to get into the town. It seems that the original elves, since they are all said to be brothers and sisters, were, and are, extremely wealthy. Not to mention it's nearly impossible to get past The Vale of the Fairies. The Fairy Queen is very snooty it would seem.�

Harry seemed to perk up. �I could help with the expenses.�

Ginny flinched as she felt a cramp in her stomach.

�That's very thoughtful Harry, but so you don't go broke we would need others to pitch in. I could help a little. We'll just have to wait. It's a shame that Dumbledore didn't know a counter-curse. Apparently in all his years he's never seen something like this,� Hermione sighed.

�Did you see the way he looked at Ginny when he saw her?� Harry exclaimed.

Ron nodded, his eyes showing his disbelief.

Ginny rubbed her stomach gently, trying to ease the nagging pain.

�You know, Dumbledore isn't a god. You shouldn't be so surprised that he doesn't know everything,� Hermione commented. �Anyhow, it also appears to be that Elves are in close relations with the Seelie Court. The Seelie Court is more or less assumed to include the deities of the sprites, sea sprites, pixies, nixies, atomies, grigs, satyrs, korred, nymphs, brownies, leprechauns, dryads (and hamadryads), unicorns, pegasi, centaurs, swanmays, killmoulis, treants, pseudodragons and faerie dragons, seelie faeries faerie fiddlers, and gorse faeries.�

Ginny sighed heavily. �Not that I knew what half of those were��

Ginny gasped suddenly and the pain in her stomach became almost unbearable. �Um�Hermione I'm feeling rather strange.�

Hermione lifted her eyes. �What's wrong? I should also tell you there are dark and light elves, and I haven't been able to tell which one you are. So whatever happens to you with in the next couple of hours could be a result of which one you'll be, but since your hair is blonde now, I'm sure you'll be a light elf. It was a curse however; they're bound to be drawbacks. It's really what I'm waiting for.� Her voice was edged with panic.

Tears started pouring down Ginny's eyes. �My stomach is burning painfully and I-I feel like my hearts breaking,� she cried.

�W-what's wrong with her?� Ron asked in a panicked voice as he leapt up and over to her.

The fear in Hermione's eyes left and they filled with understanding. �She's feeling Mother Earth's grief and pain.�

�What?� Harry asked, turning his worried gaze away from Ginny.

�Since the lives of Elves are very long, they know no sickness or diseases. Because of this they know great happiness and even greater sorrow. When Mother Earth is happy, they fill with joy, they feel her joy, but when she's unhappy, their whole being fills with guilt, grief, and pain. What I was waiting for has made it known. She's definitely a light elf.�

Ginny choking, hiccupping sobs filled the Hogwarts library. Ron awkwardly wrapped his arms around his sister and let her rest her head on his shoulder while she cried almost hysterically as if she were in terrible pain.

�You sure she isn't in physical pain?� Ron looked at Hermione pleading for an answer.

�I-I don't really know if it's physical pain. There isn't anything in the book that goes into full detail on the physical and mental state she'd be in. At least I don't think. She did mention something about stomach pains though.�

�Gin? Are you in pain?� Harry asked as he knelt in front of her.

Ginny's eyes focused on Harry, but she didn't answer. Her eyes seemed to glow.

Hermione frowned and carefully watched Ginny's features shift quickly. She dropped her eyes back down to the book and searched, finding what she had already had a small dreaded inkling about.

�Oh-my,� Hermione whispered as she brought her index finger into her mouth to nibble the tip of the nail.

�What's `oh my' mean?� Ron asked raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

Harry got up and went around Hermione to look at what she had just read. His eyes widened. �Okay�basically we can't let her get mad at anyone! I mean not even a little bit mad!�

�Why?� Ron asked.

Hermione spoke up. �Well�I'll just read it from the book: `In nature they find solace; and for the most part are peaceful people and mean no harm to those who do no harm. But woe is to those who oppose the Elves, for to awaken the anger and fury is to most assuredly bring about your own destruction. Beneath the soft exteriors of the elves, beyond their songs of peace and tranquility lie skilled archers, powerful mages, and deadly warriors. There is no more revered friend than an elf, and likewise, there is no more feared foe than an angry elf.' This is basically saying if Ginny gets angered in anyway she has the capacity and capability to kill without remorse.�

Ron jerked his head down to his sisters trembling body. �Ginny c-could never do that,� he said in denial.

Harry looked down and spoke softly. �Ginny couldn't, but the elf could.�

Ron gritted his teeth. �So that's the backup�that's where the curse comes in. We'll just have to make sure she doesn't get mad. I don't want her going to Azkaban!�

�None of us do Ron. Technically, that was already an attribute to elves. We'll just have to keep an eye on her. Perhaps Professor Dumbledore will let each one of us switch off and go to classes with her.�

Ron looked troubled. �Since that can't be where the curse comes in, where can it? It says here that it's in a real elves nature to be like that. So there must be something else, something maybe not in the books, or even in the Restricted Section of the library. I know we barely touched the topic of going to Scandinavia, but it might be our only answer. Maybe what we need is in Elf Town.�

Hermione looked at Ron with an approving stare. �Ron, you're exactly right�surprisingly. Maybe we could do a fundraiser. Ginny, I believe you can do the following: Sing, dance, and play musical instrument. You'll find yourself very agile here shortly. It would be very entertaining to see traditions of an elf. Even though you aren't a real elf but rather a cursed one, you still have the instincts and traditions of one.�

�I could owe Fred and George a debt and have them send some tricks to me from their Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes shop. I know people would love those,� Ron added.

�And I could just put in whatever was needed after you guys do that,� Harry grinned.

�While those are very good ideas we need to think realistically. This is very, very expensive, and Ginny cannot go by herself. Ron, being her brother you have not only an obligation, but a protectiveness embedded into you for her, I need to go so I can negotiate with them in their language, which by the time we collect the money I will be fluent in, Harry needs to go to be able to fight if need be.�

�Aren't elves like future tellers of some sort?� Harry asked as he took a seat next to Hermione on the maroon couch.

Hermione's eyes lit up with happiness. �That's right! Harry, you're magnificent!�

He blushed and unconsciously bumped his knee into hers.

�I'm not giving future readings,� Ginny whispered

�Okay�� Harry shrugged.

�They don't fortune tell though fake crystal balls like in Divinations, but they can read the stars, which is I think a lot more reliable! Oh and they can communicate with animals! I wouldn't be surprised if a unicorn allows Ginny to ride on it's back. Also your understanding of the human race will lessen.�

�That's all fine and dandy, but we need to find why they call this elf curse a curse. I mean so far the only thing that worries me is ticking Ginny off and lets face it there's just something about being redheaded and having a quick temper,� Harry said.

Hermione nodded in agreement. �You're right. I wonder if Snape would be willing to lend his talents in this area. The anger potion isn't at my level. I've actually tried it a couple of times on Ron, but it only made him more agitated.�

�What?� Ron glared. �Harry, did you know about that?�

�I-I-I�.� Harry bent over his knees placing his elbows against them.

�Are we going to be late to the sorting ceremony yet? I don't know the time,� Ginny whispered, who'd placed her head on her brothers' lap.

Hermione smiled gently as she watched Ron run his fingers through his sisters' hair.

He really was a good brother.

�Gin, maybe you should stay here. I could bring you up something,� Ron spoke softly. �I can only imagine how it could be. A lot of wizards have problems with Muggle born wizards and witches. How would they be with a half elf?�

�Ron, I appreciate the thought, but I can't stay here and hide myself. If I do that I'll just do it for the rest of the year. I can't,� Ginny lifted herself up and wiped away the salty teardrops. �I like the idea of having one of you guys coming to my classes with me though. It would be easier to face things. I'd like to do that if possible.�

Harry shook his head. �I'm sure Dumbledore will allow it,� he spoke softly.

They slowly stood up and respectfully pushed their chairs in before they made their exit. Ginny allowed her hand to slip into her brother's

The Elvin Bride
Chapter Three:

Walking up the spiral staircase and through the trap door the first thing Ginny saw was Professor Trelawney. Her messy, tangled hair and her huge glasses on her crooked nose was almost a perfect `out of this universe' picture as she fidgeted around her desk.

The crystal ball cupped by a silver metal claw seemed to glare at Ginny as she dropped her bag down on the floor next to her chair. For some reason that ball had always irked Ginny in the wrong way and almost every time she had to struggle to take her eyes away from it.

She groaned silently at the Tea Leaves that rested on the tabletop. She didn't know if she could handle any more Tea Leave Readings. Just when she thought she was going to fake sick she noticed a distinctly shaped Jade colored rock with a lopsided X carved in the middle.

Runes.

Now that was something she could handle and considering the runes were color coordinated, one side jade the other side black ice Ginny knew they'd be focusing on certain topics. Ice runes were most commonly used for questions about struggles, conflicts, and achievement whereas jade runes leaned more towards relationships, friendship, and love.

“And it would figure—” Ginny started but abruptly stopped as the over powering aroma of Patchouli and a hint of Sandalwood nearly knocked her off her feet.

Ginny shifted her gaze to the doorway as she sat down to see Cela staring at her. Shivers ran up and down Ginny's spine. That elf was frightening. Her mere presence was enough to make Ginny want to jump out of her skin, and yet at the same time she soothed her. It was strange really, that this elfin girl could pull Ginny into separate directions.

“What are you doing here?” Ginny asked proud of herself for keeping the small tremble out of her voice.

Cela sauntered towards her.

Sauntered? More like glided. It looked as if her feet had never touched the ground!

“Don't you remember? I'll be attending your classes with you.”

Ginny went to say something but paused. From her first encounter with Cela she hadn't expected her to be so friendly. She had been cold and unflinching in the beginning, but her tone now was soft and gentle.

What changed?

Ginny shook her head and smiled. “I remember. So—are you stressed?”

Cela frowned and turned her shockingly blue eyes on Ginny. “Why do you ask?”

Ginny paused and stared. “Well-I just thought-well, Patchouli is an oil that helps stress and I—”

“You know your oils. It's also an antidepressant and an aphrodisiac among other things. What do you know about Sandalwood?”

Ginny grimaced and bit her lip. “That the Japanese name is Byakudan—I never knew that before.”

Ginny froze in shock and repeated the words she had just said.

I never knew that before.

“Elves have a great love for anything involving nature. It's a natural characteristic and we don't have to be taught the properties of lets say…oils,” Cela smiled gently.

“Oh,” Ginny breathed out softly sinking into Cela's smile.

Ginny snapped her teeth and swiftly faced Professor Trelawney. Cela just gave an amused yet superior look to Ginny. Cela elegantly lifted her hand and trailed it almost lovingly along Ginny's skin.

Ginny turned her eyes and stared at the elf as if she had grown another head. “I-I…”

Cela licked her lips. “You intrigue me.”

“Okay, let's review. Who can tell me what Divinations is?” Professor Trelawney smacked her hands together in anticipation.

A Slytherin boy with short black hair and piercing green eyes raised his hand and literally smirked his answer out, “Seeing into the future.”

Professor Trelawney lifted her fish bowl glasses up and nodded. “Yes, but you're sixth year, where's the depth to that answer? Miss Weasley?”

Ginny, who hadn't raised her hand, started to panic. “I-I—what?”

Why did this have to happen to her? Why do teachers always have to call on people who aren't raising their hand…or paying attention for that matter? It wasn't fair.

“Divinations, Miss Weasley, a definition please.”

“Divinations is an attempt to gain knowledge of the future or otherwise hidden information through a supernatural agent.”

“Bravo! Ten points to Gryffindor! You'll get another ten if you can tell me five forms!”

Ginny gritted her teeth. She had always had trouble naming forms of Divination, but when she opened her mouth to answer the words just seemed to flow. “Hepatoscopy or reading livers, mainly from sheep, dice, astrology, pig entrails, dowsing, graphology, palm reading, runes...”

“Runes! One of the topics for today! They were first used over 1500 years ago by the East Goths, and later appeared throughout England and Scandinavia. As Christianity took hold, the use of runic alphabets in divination became reviled as a Pagan practice. The word "rune" itself comes from an early Anglo-Saxon word meaning "secret" or "mystery", and they remain an enigma to the world at large. Runes were initially most popular among Wiccans and modern pagans, but have enjoyed unprecedented mainstream adoption in the past 30 years. Now, there are two sets of runes, both different colors on your desk. Who can tell me what each color means?”

Although she knew the answer Ginny wasn't one to volunteer for class discussions and frowned in disappointment as another Slytherin answered the question.

“Jade is for love, friendship, and relationships, and black ice is for struggle or some type of conflict, and achievement.”

Ginny held in a groan as ten points was awarded to Slytherin. If she had only raised her hand! Where was the `elf' in her now?

“We won't be spending more than five minutes on Runes because our main topic today is Palmistry, however I thought this would be a fun beginning of the year project. With the person that is sitting next to you at a later time, you will practice ten rune readings on each other and write two paragraphs for each reading you accomplish successfully. This will be due the next time we meet and since it's your first big grade I suggest you do well.”

Ginny wanted to be upset about the assignment, but it was a topic she was familiar with. She had done plenty of rune readings on herself and was pretty experienced for not being a professional.

“Ginny, I'd like you and your elf friend to be my example. Would you both please come up here?”

After she thought her embarrassment for the day would be complete Ginny grudgingly, followed by Cela, lifted herself up and walked slowly down the stairs towards the front of the room.

“Find your heart line, head line, and life line!”

“Would you like me to read your palm after she lies about it?” Cela's thick exotic accent breezed against Ginny's ear.

Ginny jerked back. “Okay…space is something everyone requires,” she waved her hands around her, “this is my area and this is your area. We don't cross the lines between them!”

Cela's eyes flashed a light red before the elf grinned. “I love your logic.”

Ginny lifted her finger and shook it. “And stop doing that!”

Ginny had the greatest urge to smack herself in the face and make her mouth stop moving. Cela was sure to kill her now. Elves were grudge holders.

Giving an innocent look Cela licked her top lip. “Doing what?”

Ginny stuttered slightly, still pointing. “That! J-j…stop what you are doing! If you think it's something you'd do then do the opposite!”

Cela gave a small chuckle and chucked Ginny under the chin causing Ginny to sputter in shock. “You better pay attention!”

Ginny growled and lifted her right hand up. Silently she opened the Palmistry book that Trelawney had presented to her and very quickly identified her heart line, lifeline, and headline.

“Produce your writing hand!” Professor Trelawney lifted her hand out so Ginny could place her right hand into hers, and she cleared her throat. “Your growth line has remained static for some time now. It crosses the line of expediency approximately midway. A positive change will be taking place in your life. There is a place you have been dreaming of, and it will become a reality if you keep working toward it and do not diverge.”

“Am I hearing this correctly? No Grim?” One of the students snickered out.

Ginny felt her eyes widen as anger crossed Professor Trelawney's face, but she simply cleared her throat and continued.

“You are often faced with small temptations that you see other people giving into. Sometimes you feel deprived because you do not allow yourself to give in. Instead of feeling deprived, you should feel proud that you are stronger than the others. Stay strong and you will be extremely pleased with the success it brings.”

Ginny snorted and walked to back to her seat. “Oh yeah…static means remaining the same! She was definitely wrong,” Ginny murmured.

Cela looked at the Professor and frowned. “Perhaps about that, but she was more accurate than I would have anticipated with a few of the details. I can give you a reading tonight in our room.”

Ginny choked and gasped for air. “W-w…our room?”

“Hmm, I didn't tell you. It must have slipped my mind. I failed to mention that your roommates agreed to move into another room while you and me will be living there for the year. Just you and me.”

Ginny could feel her mouth drop open. “WHAT?”

“Miss Weasley, however impressed I am with you today, please do not irritate me!” Professor Trelawney scolded.

She gulped and gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry Professor!”

“What about Professor Dumbledore? I'm sure he would say—”

“He's the one who asked your roommates to move.”

Ginny groaned and gave a defeated look. Cela patted her gently on the shoulders, letting her hand rest a little too long for comfort against Ginny's shoulder blade. Cela then let her hand trail down the spine.

“SPACE!”

Cela frowned. “Why don't you like me?”

Please don't let her hit me!

“It's not that I don't like you it's just—what? Do you want me to say that I'm afraid of you? That you scare me and calm me at the same time…if that's even possible? You have this immense power radiating off of you and your eerie beauty is just off putting. I'm scared of you and if that's going to make you angry then—”

“I'm not angry, but you have nothing to be afraid of. I promise. I'd rather hurt myself than hurt you.”

Ginny huffed. “For someone that can tell the future you sure couldn't tell what was nagging me.”

“I more open to telling the future, that doesn't mean I can get everything that's channeled my way.”

Ginny bowed her head, turned away, and listened as Professor Trelawney began calling on students. The first was a Gryffindor girl; she pulled through the reading stuttering and with a nervous twinge to her voice. Ginny knew then that this would be a long class period.

By the time everyone had spoken their readings, and class had ended, Ginny found herself fidgeting. She stood up and gathered her books, scratching her side, and sighing as the Slytherin's pushed their way through, glaring down their nose with distaste at the Gryfindors.

“What's your next lesson?” Cela asked softly.

“Transfigurations, and then everyone has the rest of the day off because it's only the first day.”

Cela just stood there eyeing Ginny, showing no sign of emotions. Ginny turned, widened her eyes, and walked out of the classroom, clutching her bag to her right shoulder.

Run; get as far away from this magical beast as you possibly can, Ginny thought to herself and instantly felt ashamed.

Cela, however bizarre it was, had been trying. Ginny, try as she might though couldn't stop her legs from forming a `V' as she sprinted towards her next classroom. Once she was safely in her seat guilt plummeted into her gut and she knew she should get up and find Cela.

Just as she had gotten the courage up to go and find her Cela sat down.

“Tsk, tsk, Ginny! I thought we had discussed this fear of yours?”

Ginny had the insane urge to jump up and down, to stomp rudely and cry out that `it wasn't fair', but then she had done enough temper tantrums for the day.

“Like I said it's not that I don't like you and now that I know I don't need to be afraid of you I—it's just that the thing that happened in the Great Hall…and, and,” she stuttered, “and you are trying to provoke me!”

Cela crossed her arms across her chest. “I haven't done a thing,” she said letting the tip of her tongues slide along her top lip.

“Sit over there!” Ginny pointed to the corner.

“I cannot,” Cela spoke softly letting her white hair fall into her face.

“Ah Miss Weasley, welcome back! I trust you've had a good day so far?”

“So-so!” Ginny gave a generous smile.

A silver chalice with foreign engravings on it appeared in front of Ginny's face, making her jerk back in shock.

“Don't be startled. Is everyone here?” Professor McGonagall asked. “Right then. This task should be extremely easy so once you've finished and you've shown me what you've done you may leave and have the rest of the day to yourselves!”

The class cheered.

“Transfigure the cup into a heart pendant. Wave your wand, with precise wrist flicks, saying Commutabilis Exta. It means Change Heart.”

Students began flicking their wrists and working on the pronunciation. As Ginny began to do the same she felt something crawling up her back. She turned to see a huge spider resting on her shoulders. Ginny screamed and pushed it away. She expected it to hit the ground and creep away with its crawly hairy legs, but she didn't see anything.

“Miss Weasley would you please sit down!”

Ginny felt the hysterics in her voice when she pointed. “But there's a spider!”

“I see nothing!” McGonagall glanced towards the floor.

Squinting her eyes she spoke with sarcasm. “Really? No I was just screaming for nothing! Just because I'm a student doesn't mean I'm a liar,” Ginny slapped her hand to her mouth, her eyes widening in horror. “I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that!”

McGonagall gave Ginny a grim look. “I'm willing to let that slide under your circumstances, but please in the future hold your tongue!”

“Yes,” Ginny forced out as she sat down and began the phrase. “Commutabilis Exta.”

The raunchy smell of blood and the sound of a beating heart was what Ginny saw as the cup changed into a bloody heart. The coppery smell of it was so strong she could almost taste the liquid in her mouth. She gagged and heard a Hufflepuff girl scream and scramble away from her.

“Professor!” the girl screamed.

Ginny tried desparetly to explain that it was an accident, but all she got out was a loud gag. She quickly covered her mouth, blinking her eyelids rapidly so as to get the water out of her eyes.

“Oh! Dreadful smell!” a Gryffindor boy scowled.

“Well, I suppose class will be even shorter today! You all are dismissed. Ginny, you may go to!”

Ginny quickly darted for the door, but paused as a thought formed in her head. “Um, professor? Couldn't you have just used magic to get rid of it instead of dismissing everyone?”

Professor McGonagall gave Ginny a knowing look and waved her hand, muttering some words, and the heart disappeared.

“Oh!”

“Have a good day, Miss Weasley.”

Ginny nodded her eyes still wide with shock. Cela glided up to her and let her arm, rest on her shoulders. Cela began playing with a piece of Ginny's hair that had fallen in her face.

“Professor Dumbledore has given permission for a special back to school trip in to Hogsmeade. Would you like to go?”

“Yes, but why has he given permission?”

“Harry, Hermione, and your brother thought it would be a perfect time for you to start your fundraising. You'll be dancing and singing while we all gather money from the crowds.”

Ginny slipped out from under Cela's arm. “That soon huh?”

“Of course! Don't you want to see my home town?” Cela's eyes twinkled with happiness. “It's beautiful. The most magical place on Earth—”

“I don't understand Cela, why can't you just get us in?”

“I could tell you, but there would be a price!”

“A price? For you telling me why you can't take us to Elf Town?”

“Yes.”

Ginny sighed as the walked out of the classroom and down the empty halls. “What's the price?”

“We elves aren't allowed to give away our secrets of Elf Town without a price we set.”

“That price would be?”

“Trust and love. I've never given both away. So I'm sorry that you'll have to take the long way to get to Elf Town. It's a journey that will make you realize your worth. I believe it's for the best anyhow. I will however willing be your guide for the long way if you provide me with your kiss.”

“Whoa-wait-what?”

“Oh, it isn't that bad!” Cela smacked Ginny's thigh. “When are you going to understand that you are now attracted to both sexes?”

“I am not!”

“Yes you are!” Cela argued back.

“No, I'm not!”

“Yes you are!”

“NO, I'm not!”

“Yes—oh for the love of moon petals—it's simply a fact now that you are an elf. It's nothing to be ashamed of!”

“I'm not ashamed! I'm just not kissing you!”

“Do you ever want to be rid of this curse?” Cela asked calmly almost eerily.

“I do but—” Ginny sniffled trying desperately to hold back the tears.

Ginny slowly leaned forward, cupped Cela's face, and placed her lips against hers, Ginny felt her heart start to escalate just as she pulled away.

“You now officially have a guide.”

________________________________________________________________________

“Ginny, ready?” Hermione asked as she popped her head into her room.

“I don't think I can do this! Is this going to work?” Ginny asked as she walked out the door.

Hermione trailed behind her. “I don't know. All we can do is hope for the best. Ginny, you'll do great.”

“Hopefully the elf gene will kick in fast because I couldn't dance or sing if my life depended on it!”

Hermione gave a chuckle as the walked towards Harry, Ron, and Cela. Ginny choose to ignore the glare Hermione sent towards Cela as the elf trailed her hand down Harry's arm. Harry laughed at something that was said and leaned back against the Gryffindor table.

“She's become very familiar with everyone hasn't she?” Hermione asked. “Can she not make up her mind and decide who she's attracted too?”

“Hermione, are you jealous?”

“Not in the slightest,” Hermione huffed as they walked over to the group.

“My interest is solely towards one person Miss Granger,” Cela informed Hermione while she stared at Ginny.

“Well, if it isn't four eyes, the momma's boy, and the mudblood,” Draco Malfoy drawled out with a sneer on his face.

Ginny sighed and plopped herself down on the bench, letting her head lean back as she stared at her brother's worst enemy. Draco gave a glance to Ginny and swiftly averted his gaze.

“I didn't say anything to you, Malfoy so why don't you just get bent and die?” Ron growled out.

Cela lifted her finger up and grinned almost evilly, “You forgot a bisexual elf that wants Ginny, and the newly formed bisexual elf, Ginny.”

Ginny grunted and shook her head, tiring of fighting with Cela about her bisexuality. This news however, obviously new news, seemed to shock Malfoy enough allowing his face to actually show emotion. Ginny didn't know who was more surprised.

“Bisexual, huh? Well that's interesting!” Malfoy smirked and rubbed his hands together as he eyed Ginny and Cela. “Well any time you guys want a real man, you come over to my room.”

Malfoy chucked a shocked Ginny under the chin and smirked at a glaring Cela. Ron growled as he watched him touch his sister.

“You do look a lot better with blond hair,” Malfoy grinned down at Ginny who'd averted her head, a warm blush flushing her cheeks, amusing him more.

It was then that Ron reacted smashing his fist into the ferrets face.

“Oh! Ah!” Ginny cried out, holding her head, as she watched her brother and her enemy start bashing each other.

“Harry, do something!” Hermione screamed.

The fight began and ended so quickly that all Ginny had to do was blink. The very last thing she saw was Malfoy swinging his leg, his foot making contact with Ron's face. When Harry ran to intervene another kick he was rewarded with a roundhouse to the side of his face. The force of it was so hard Harry did a flip and fell to the ground.

Draco stood over them, slightly out of breath, glaring. “Don't fuck with me!”

“Ron!” Ginny cried out as she saw that he wasn't getting up.

She leapt past Malfoy to go to his aid. Blood was pouring out of her brothers' nose. Ginny ripped one of her sleeves and tried to force him to tilt his head back so that she could stop the bleeding.

“Put your head back,” Ginny demanded as she took a rubber band out of her hair and started tying it around his finger. “This will make you brain register that you finger needs blood, and the blood flow of your nose will slow.”

“Let him bleed to death!” Malfoy growled viciously.

“Just leave! You've done enough damage!” Ginny yelled

Malfoy, who'd been glaring at Ron, jerked his gaze towards Ginny. She expected him to say something, but all he did was stare for about three seconds, before he smirked, glared, and walked away.

Hermione, who'd been examining Harry, walked over to Ron. “Harry just has a nasty bruise on his forehead, he might have a concussion. Lets see Ron,” Hermione lifted his chin up and grimaced. “I think you might have broken it.”

“Looks like the fundraiser Hogsmeade trip is on hold then,” Ginny said with hope.

Ron gave a nasal response. “No, Ginny, you have to go. Cela and Hermione, you guys will go with her right? Harry and I will take ourselves to Pomfrey.”

Hermione stood and gave a sigh. Ginny, who'd thought, she'd gotten out of her humiliation, groaned.

“Are you sure Ron? Because I mean—”

“Ginny, I'm sure!”

“Come on,” Cela spoke into Ginny's ear as she gently pulled on her arm.

“Can't we just have a bake sell like everyone else? Why do I have to shake my arse in front of people?”

“Ginny, watch you language!” Ron said still holding his nose.

“Right, because you do!” Ginny sneered and stomped away.

Ron gave a pained sigh and went with Harry to Madam Pomfrey's.

====================================================================

“I don't want to do this!” Ginny glowered. “This is so ridiculous.”

“If you want to find a way to lift this curse, Ginevra Weasley you'll have to do this. We need to go to Elf Town and for that we need money that we just don't have. This is your only option.”

“My full name is just dreadful!” Ginny grumbled.

“I think it's cute…virginal,” Cela grinned, her face a little too close to Ginnys'.

“Do I have to do that, this is my space this is your space speech again? Why do you have to go from being my worst nightmare to teasing me?” Ginny asked crossing her arms as she stood on the sidewalk in front of a chain of Hogsmeade stores.

Cela gave a chuckle and gently tickled Ginny's back.

“I'm going to get something to drink. I'll be back in a second,” Ginny sighed.

Cela frowned as she watched Ginny retreat down the street. Hermione glanced up and looked at a dreamy Cela.

“You like her a lot huh?” Hermione concluded.

Cela slipped her hands into her front pockets and shrugged. “She's different.”

Hermione gave a knowing smile. “She's a good girl, too. She's taking this situation very well. Probably better than I would have.”

Cela smiled, still looking in the direction Ginny had gone. “Yeah.”

________________________________________________________________________

“Oaf—” Ginny crashed into someone's chest and fell to the ground. “Oh! I think I broke my butt!”

“Watch it, you stupid Gryffindor!” the voice sneered.

Ginny lifted her head up to see a 7th year boy from Slytherin, his name was just on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't remember it. He had black hair, searing black eyes, and he was extremely tall.

“Well excuse me, but I think it was you who ran into me!”

He sneered and gave a look that sent shivers down her spine. “You're dead meat weasel!”

Ginny glared as she watched him walk away. “Jerk.”

====================================================================

“Ginny, finally! Come on! Get up on those steps and start,” Hermione pushed.

“I-I don't even know what I'm going to do!” Ginny complained.

Cela smiled. “It'll come to you.”

Ginny bent the tips of her toes, and turned, stretching. It was almost as if she knew what she was doing.

To Be Continued…

-->

The Elvin Bride
Chapter Four:

“Stupid elves!” someone screamed.

Ginny stopped in shock. Had she heard correctly? She had expected this experience to be bad, but for people to be yelling out curses because of what they were was just unbelievable. She should have been used to it with all the `Muggle-lover' insults that her family had to endure, but she wasn't.

“Go back to where you came from!”

As that last cruel shout came out a round red object flew threw the air and hit Ginny squarely in the chest with a splattering squish. She felt her mouth drop open in horror as the bruising ache in her chest throbbed and tears gathered in her eyes.

Ginny gasped as another object was thrown at her, but that time the aim was perfect and it hit her right in the face with a sound smack. The sting brought even more tears to her eyes. She cried out in anger.

___

Hermione's eyes widened in fear as she stared at their new elfin friend, it was the first time she had seen Cela angry, and she wasn't sure she wanted to see it again. From the first object that had been thrown to the last Cela had looked evil mad. Her skin had become literally milky white, her hair looked like the color of new snow, and two glowing blue slashes marked her forehead and upper arm. She turned towards Ginny to see if she had noticed and when she realized Ginny was too upset, Hermione was glad she hadn't.

___

Ginny's cry seemed to have caught Cela's attention. “Ginny,” she whispered in a scratchy voice.

Another vegetable flew and Ginny ran. She ran past stores, pushing people out of her way. She didn't stop, not for the people calling to her, and not for the people in her way.

She ran and she ran until she reached the Hogwarts grounds pausing for only a moment before she went straight to her room.

~~

The moment she entered her room the intense need to hit something was so over whelming that Ginny almost screamed once again. She dashed towards her drawer and opened it, trying to find her stress ball, but what she found was the stench of raw spoiled brownish hamburger pooling out of her draw. If the stench of the meat hadn't been so raunchy she would have demanded to know who had done it. She would have much rather started a fist fight than to fall back a step gagging.

“Oh…ew!” she covered her mouth and gagged again, then waved her hand over the rotting contents, “Evanesco.”

The meat disappeared along with the smell. Finally, still a bit in shock, Ginny collapsed to the floor, holding her hand to her mouth, crying.

“Knock, knock,” Cela's voice came.

“I don't want to talk!” Ginny cried hysterically. “Go away!”

Cela opened the door and saw Ginny crumbled on the floor with blood-shot eyes. “Too bad.”

She walked over to Ginny and sat in front of her. Cela brought Ginny into her arms as she leaned against the bed allowing Ginny's head to rest against her stomach.

“Why did they do that?” Ginny cried softly.

“I couldn't tell you. People sneer at difference, especially something as different as you and I.” Cela said, simply running her hands through Ginny's hair, “I'm sorry about what happened to me. I got mad. Can't let them get to us.”

“What do you mean?”

Cela frowned. “Didn't you see me?”

Ginny shook her head in confusion.

“Never mind then. They have no idea what they're missing. You are a wonderful person, you're fine the way you are. So don't linger on anything they said.”

Ginny shook her head. “You barely know me. Why should I listen to anything you say?”

Cela's eyes softened as she glanced down towards Ginny and she softly ran her fingers through her hair. “I may not have been around you long, but the moment I introduced myself to you Ginny, I knew you; what was in your heart, your mind…I knew you. I knew you like you were mine.”

“I'm not, you know... yours I mean.”

Cela smiled. “Oh, but you are.”

Ginny just shook her head and cried.

===================================================================

“I am not, Cela! I wish you would stop.”

“You're in denial. Why don't we just give it a try?”

Ginny sighed heavily and gave a Cela a hopeless look. “I-I just can't. I mean I'm fine that you're bisexual, but you know whatever floats your boat; it's far from floating mine. I like guys. I'm sorry I'm being so squeamish about it too, I've just never had another girl like me like that.”

“Try it,” Cela coaxed.

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest and jerked her head back and forth giving a vehement `no'. “I'm not kissing you! I wish you would have some respect for me.”

“Fine!” Cela said flopping on the bed.

“Good night!” Ginny ground out as she nipped the covers with the tips of her fingers, bringing it up to her chin.

“Night,” Cela sighed.

___

Cela stood over Ginny as she slept. “You have no idea how beautiful you are do you? I wish you were comfortable with you.”

She leaned forward and gently kissed Ginny's forehead, went back to her bed, and fell straight to sleep.

___

The hollow of her neck itched like crazy. She smacked herself in the chest, trying to get the nagging scratch to go away. Ginny jerked.

“Ow!” she cried out softly.

She must have smacked herself too hard. The burning itch slowly developed into a sting that went into a pounding ache. Ginny's eyes widened as the pain coursed through her body.

“Ow, ow, OW,” she started screaming louder.

She lifted open her shirt to see steam coming from her chest and black lines crisscrossing just below the hollow of her neck. It looked like someone was digging a pen into her while drawing something.

“Ow!” she screamed.

It was burning like crazy she lifted her shirt up, ran out of her room, and down the hall towards the bathroom. She splashed freezing cold water on to it, which only made it burn worse. She jumped up and down frantically as the burning became more severe. It felt like a needle puncturing into her, harder and faster as time went on. Tears of pain were streaming down her face.

“Ron!” she cried.

She dashed down the stairs and ran straight up towards her brothers' and Harrys' room. She burst through the door and as the pain became full force she felt faint. She glanced down one more time and saw that the design had formed a Celtic Knot. One last hard puncture stabbed into her, causing her to scream at the top of her lungs. She screamed so loud and for so long she felt her throat beginning to go raw. She collapsed to the floor clutching her chest.

Ron jerked awake to see his sister crumbled on the floor in front of his bed screaming and crying her eyes out. He leapt up and ran to her.

“Ginny? Ginny, what's wrong?”

“Is she okay?” Harry asked coming towards them.

“I don't know she won't stop screaming.”

“Look! She's clutching her chest. Lets get her hands off—”

“Don't you touch her! I'll do it!”

Harry shook his head, understanding and watched as Ginny allowed Ron to pull her hands away and push down her shirt a bit. Ron sucked in a breath.

“Oh my god.”

“What is it?”

“Look at this, Harry!” Ron whispered.

“What the hell?”

Ron lifted his eyebrows at his sister and gave her a suspicious look. “When did you get a tattoo?”

Ginny, surprised, stop crying for a second and glared. “I didn't get a tattoo you idiot! It was being invisibly stabbed into me!”

“Really?” Harry gave a worried glance towards Ginny.

Ron offered her his hand. “Come on! Let's go put some burn ointment on it.”

“Lucky you burned yourself last summer, or else mum wouldn't be making you carry that stuff around all the time,” Ginny whispered.

Ron cast a worried glance in his sisters' direction and pushed out some of the white cream onto his index finger. Ginny lifted her neck and pushed her shirt aside.

“Be careful,” she jerked slightly as he went to apply it.

He traced the tattoo with the cream. Instantly Ginny felt it soothing the burning sensation and she sighed in relief.

“How does that feel?” Ron asked worriedly.

“A lot better.”

“You're bleeding a bit. Here,” Ron said as he plastered a band-aid onto her neck. “Okay.

“We'll talk to Hermione about this tomorrow in class, figure out what it is, see what kind of curse it is. Sit by us at lunch!”

Ginny nodded then lifted her eyes up, pleading. “Ron? C-can I stay in here with you tonight?”

Ron sighed and pursed his lips then shook his head. “A-yeah, um, you can have the bed. I'll sleep on the floor.”

She hugged him. “Thank you.”

“Yeah! You better buy me some chocolate covered frogs next time we go to Hogsmeade. Puh! Making me sleep on the floor,” he shook his head in disgust.

She chuckled as she lifted herself into his bed and closed her eyes. “G'night.”

“Night, Ginny,” they said in unison.

___

“There has to be a logical explanation,” Hermione said folding her arms across her chest.

“Keep it down Granger!” Draco yelled as he grabbed some rosemary oil.

Hermione turned her head and glared. “Anyhow—what did it look like?”

Draco snorted.

Ron turned around, started forward, but then stopped himself. “You know you stupid little ferret, if I wasn't so worried about my sister at the moment, I'd beat you to a pulp!”

“Oh right, because you did so well last time!”

“Ron,” Hermione warned. “Draw it!”

Ron gritted his teeth then bent down and started drawing the picture. Hermione lifted the picture up once she was done, giving it a thorough examination.

“Well actually, it looked a lot more precise than that. Like it was a professional tattoo artist putting it on her,” Harry interjected.

“Shove it, Harry.”

Harry grinned obnoxiously. “Well at least we know Ron won't make it as an artist.”

Hermione gave them a disapproving look. “It looks like a Celtic knot. You say it was tattooed on her by an invisible -err pen?”

“That's what she said it felt like. Like pens going straight through her skin. I never heard such an awful scream in my life!” Ron sighed and dug his hands into his pocket.

Draco slowly lifted his eyes up from his potion. “What?”

Ron turned and gave him an evil quizzical look. “What?” he repeated back obnoxiously.

“Shut your wagging jaw Weasel. Let me see that!” Draco demanded as he walked up and yanked it out of Hermione's hand.

He took a deep breath as he stared at the poorly drawn duplicate of the necklace he had underneath his uniform. He gritted his teeth and lifted his eyes back up to them.

“Who has this?”

“It's none of your business Mal—”

Hermione lifted her hand up to stop Ron from speaking. “Do you know something about it, Malfoy?”

Draco sneered then his face went blank, “Maybe.”

Ron's face turned red. “You're the one that did this to my sister? You son-of-a—”

Draco's face drained of what little color he had. “You're sister?” he said through gritted teeth. “Oh, fuck me.”

He vigorously rubbed the back of his neck before he turned sharply and stomped out of the room.

“Mr. Malfoy, where do you think you're going?” Snape hollered out.

Draco ignored him and slammed the door as he went out.

Hermione watched as he left. Ron glared and bit down on his lip so hard that a bead of blood formed, staining his front teeth.

“Stupid ferret!” Ron's voice was filled with pure disgust. “I wanted to punch him so bad.”

“Ronald Weasley, you must learn to control your temper,” Hermione scolded.

“Hermione, do you have any idea what kind of curse it is?”

“I don't think it's a curse Harry,” she said still watching where Draco had retreated. “I think it's a tradition. After all, pure-blooded families always have ancient traditions.”

Ron and Harry gave each other a puzzled look. “What?”

___

Ginevra Weasley? Ginny Weasley?

“No way it's her!” Draco ground out as he punched his fist into the wall.

The cemented wall split his skin causing blood to ooze out. He lifted his other, none injured fist and repeated the motion. Pain shot through both of his arms as blood slipped down his wrists.

“You stupid elf,” a scream came from down the hall. “You're disgusting! Why don't you go back to where you came from?”

Draco lifted his head to see some Ravenclaws and Slytherins pushing a blonde haired girl to the ground. The girl cried out in pain as her bottom smashed into the ground. He felt anger rising up in him as he watched a Slytherin boy kick her in the face.

Ginny!

“You stupid bastard!” Ginny screamed lifting herself up. “I didn't mean to run into you. Stop it!”

Wind gushed through the halls pushing her hair back. The boys that had been harassing her looked at her in shock.

“Crazy freak!” they yelled and then gave her a kick in the stomach causing her to double over.

Draco glided towards them and he soon was standing over Ginny. The Ravenclaw boy had drawn back his fist to hit her again, but Draco, like lightening, grasped his fist and threw it back. He then took the boys head and rammed it into the wall. The boy fell to the ground with a trickle of blood sliding down his forehead. He went around the crumbled girl and stood in front of the Slytherin boy, who gasped and fell out of Draco's reach. He dashed down the hall leaving his fellow abusers behind.

“I suggest you get your arse up and leave before I get medieval on you!” Draco threatened.

The boy shook all over as he lifted himself up and ran. Draco turned and kneeled down. Ginny sniffled and Draco watched as one of her tears splashed to the floor.

“Tha—” she started to say as she lifted her head up.

Her eyes widened in shock as they registered who had saved her.

“D-Draco Malfoy?”

Draco rolled his eyes and took her hand in his. “Let's get you cleaned up, Myrtles bathrooms' the closest.”

He lifted her up onto her feet. She stumbled and held her head as everything started spinning. Draco scowled at her and then put his arm beneath her legs and pulled her up with ease.

Ginny couldn't believe it! Draco Malfoy was carrying her!

“Why didn't you call me just Malfoy?” he asked suddenly.

Ginny stared at the side of his face and shrugged. “I don't know.”

They walked into Moaning Myrtles bathroom. Draco lifted her up to a sitting position setting her on the side of the sink. He went for a paper towel, turned on the faucet, dipped the towel under it, and then lifted it up to the blood that had gathered at the corner of her lips.

“How's your stomach feel?” Draco asked softly.

Ginny snorted. “Like it's been kicked.”

He smirked as he brought the damp towel up to her bruising eye and grimaced as he saw the slice underneath the bruise. First thing was first however, before he started getting somewhat more civil he needed to make sure she had the mark. He brought his free hand to her uniform and gently pulled it down.

“Hey! Just because you saved me doesn't mean I'm going to—”

“Get your mind out of the gutter,” Draco mumbled, barely containing the grin that was forming.

“I-I—” Ginny was shocked. She had never seen him smile, well grin. He was so beautiful when he did.

“Do you stutter a lot?” he asked as he pulled her shirt down and exposed the mark.

He ground his teeth together. The black coloring of the symbol was surrounded by red, burned skin that glistened slightly from what he would assume to be an ointment.

“No. Um—why are you looking…”

“That mark,” Draco replied putting the shirt back in place.

“What about it?”

He pulled out his necklace from underneath his shirt and let it dangle around his chest. He watched Ginny's eyes drop.

“So? A lot of people have those.”

Draco shook his head. “This is an ancient one, an original.”

Still feeling slightly puzzled Ginny frowned. “O-oh.”

“After I'm done fixing you up we'll have to go talk to that dreadful excuse of a Headmaster.”

Ginny glared and pushed Draco. “He is a wonderful Headmaster!”

Draco lifted his hand up and grabbed her wrist, his eyes darkening in anger. “Don't you ever, ever, push me.”

Ginny gulped, then turned her head and sighed. “I'm sorry.”

Draco went back to cleaning the blood up. “Whatever. Here, lift your shirt.”

“Why?” Ginny asked starting to panic.

“I'm not a pervert Wea-Ginny! I may like sex, but I'm not going to take advantage of you while you're in pain, not that I'd want to, you disgusting Weasel!”

Ginny chuckled. “I see how it is,” she said as she lay back against the wall of the sink and lifted her shirt up to expose her midriff.

Draco gave a slight shudder as he saw her stomach. “How what is?”

“You start losing that evil, I hate everybody demeanor, and actually start being some what nice, then you realize it and put up another front.”

Draco didn't say anything as he pushed against Ginny's stomach lightly. “Does that hurt?”

Ginny shook her head.

“How `bout that?”

She shook her head again as he moved up a bit higher. Ginny felt her heart flutter with surprise as his fingers brushed the under curve of her breast.

“How about this?”

“Ow! Ow! Stop it! Yes that hurts!”

“Okay. I think it's just a bruising of the ribs, but just in case you should hop over to Pomfrey after we talk to Dumbledore.”

Ginny snorted as he pulled down her shirt. “Are you going to look at my arse too?” she teased.

Draco felt his eyes widen and cringed at the familiar heat rising in the back of his neck. “What?”

“My tail-bone! I landed pretty hard on it.”

“Turn around,” Draco said, nothing showing in his voice about how he felt about the situation.

Ginny had just been somewhat playing, but she very well couldn't back out as he helped off the sink counter. She turned and bent over the sink, pulling her pants down a bit. Heat flooded into Draco's stomach. He shook his head trying to clear its sudden cloudiness.

“Naughty, naughty, naughty, Draco! Who is it this time? You really like it that way don't you?” Myrtles annoying whine came from one of the stalls.

“Ugh, this is not happening,” Draco spoke with humiliation as he watched the ghost fly through the wall and out of the bathroom. “This is going to be all over the school.”

Ginny gave a shout of laughter. “No one is very fond of her, don't worry, man whore!”

“Shut-up! Looks like its just bruised too,” he added quickly as he pulled her pants up and turned her around.

“What happened to you?” Ginny asked as she noticed his hands for the first time.

“Nothing.”

“Not nothing, don't start being mean again!” Ginny demanded as she slowly lifted herself back up to the sink, grimacing from the pain it caused her to do it by herself.

She pulled his hand into her lap and dampened another cloth. “You doctored me up, so it's only fair that I do it back.”

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Ginny smiled gently. “Don't worry about it; after all it's only human to be thankful.”

He watched her face intently, refusing to say anything.

Ginny shifted her feet uncomfortably at the awkward moment that passed between them. “I wish I had a Wizcam! Tape this moment so that everyone could know that the mighty Draco Malfoy can actually be considered human.”

The comment had the effect she had hoped for, breaking the awkward moment as he glared.

“Draco, you wouldn't happen to know how to get rid of elf curses would you?” she lifted her head up and looked at the curve of his cheek, watching him watch something in the corner.

Draco's eyes fell to hers. “No.”

Before she could stop it, the reality of her situation came crashing into her. A sob caught in Ginny's throat. She started hiccupping as tears streamed down her face. She bent down over Draco's hand, clutching it, as she cried hard. Draco felt extremely uneasy as he felt wetness fall onto his hand. He gently detached himself from the hard grip Ginny held on him.

“Come on, let's go talk to Dumbledore.”

“Sorry, I'm such a cry baby lately,” she mumbled.

To Be Continued…

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Thank you to TrinitYMalfoY527 for going over this chapter and fixing my negligence with the commas and mistakes! I appreciate it!

The Elvin Bride
Chapter Five:

“No way,” Ginny's eyes were wide as they focused on Professor Dumbledore and Draco Malfoy. “No! NO! I-I—this is not happening!”

Draco was leaning against a smaller desk in Dumbledore's office, his hand caressing his chin as he studied Ginny's reaction.

It was obvious that the reality of the situation was finally sinking in, not only to her, but to him as well. She was meant for him. She was his soul mate and yet he hated her.

Draco just couldn't believe it. He didn't know whether to be disgusted or shocked. All he knew was he definitely wasn't happy about it.

“Isn't there anything we can do to reverse it?” Ginny asked in hysterics as she got up from her seat and started pacing. “And why aren't you upset about this?” she looked pointedly at Draco.

Draco's eyes shifted for second, showing the slightest flicker of surprise as he stared at her. He simply gave a careless shrug in response. “I knew about it a head of time.”

Ginny glared at him. “Yeah, but did you know it would be me?”

“No.”

“YOU HATE me, or at least my family, which I'm apart of! And I hate you back, it's a whole hating thing that has worked perfectly up until now,” she crossed her arms over her chest. “I can't handle this right now. I can't be married without my knowledge!”

“Technically, it's a Celtic tradition in Mr. Malfoy's family. You aren't married in the form legally that you're familiar with, but you are bound to him,” Professor Dumbledore explained.

Well, if nothing else had pissed Ginny off, then that did. She turned her eyes slowly towards Dumbledore. “I'm BOUND to him?” She asked, jerking her upper body forward expressing her distaste. “What does that mean?”

“It means you'll have a tendency to take on wifely duties as Draco will have to take on husbandly duties.”

Ginny lifted her eyebrow. “And exactly what are `wifely' duties?”

Draco smirked and began talking. “Well, cleaning, cooking—”

“What? No! I don't even know what a stove looks like, let alone know how to work it. Even if I did have some cooking skills I wouldn't waste it on you, ya punk!”

Draco gritted his teeth, glaring at Ginny. “Did I not help you? Did I not show you—”

“Save it, you clod!”

“Miss Weasley, I'm very sorry for this. You do not have to act on anything, but if my reading is correct, since you both are soul mates well life mates, you won't be able to stay away from each other for very long.”

Draco looked up, the color of his gray eyes intensifying. “What's that supposed mean?”

“From what I understand, Draco, you'll literally get sick and start going through withdrawal if you are away from her too long. The symptoms are similar to the ones you'd have if you had an addiction. It's a very damaging tradition if the two people don't want to be with each other. It could physically or mentally kill you. So I am taking precautions and moving you two into the same living quarters.”

Draco turned sharply to look at Ginny. She looked dumbfounded, eyes glazed over. She then threw her head back and laughed.

“You're kidding right?” Ginny laughed and smacked herself in the head. “That was a good one. Really. This whole thing? Bravo! You really had me going,” she giggled.

Draco formed his hands into a steeple and watched Ginny's face carefully. She really was beautiful as an elf, though he couldn't compare her to her original look; he hadn't paid much attention to her. The focus of his hatred had manly been towards her brother and her brothers' two best friend.

“I wish I was kidding, Miss Weasley.”

“No! I won't! My parents will never allow it and I'm sure ferret boy's raunchy, death eating parents won't either!” Ginny screamed before understanding the full depths of what she said.

She quickly smacked a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in fear as she glanced towards Draco to see his reaction. She was shocked. He looked blank, almost as if he hadn't heard her, but she knew she said it loud enough. He had heard it, she could tell by the cold icy look that glazed his eyes over.

“Your parents should be here, right about—now,” Professor Dumbledore said. The door to the office opened and Draco watched Ginny stiffen as her eyes strayed towards his father.

The Chamber of Secrets event was his father's doing, so he understood her reaction as she flinched and backed away with a disgusted glare plastered onto her face. He however looked at Ginny's parents just as distastefully. He watched as his mother and father sat down in front of Dumbledore's desk.

“So you're Draco's other half,” Lucius' cold gray eyes pierced Ginny's.

Her insides turned ice as those none feeling evil eyes assessed her. Shivers swept up her back and her mouth went cottony dry as slowly turned towards her mother. “Mom, tell them they can't make me move in with him!”

“It's definitely unsanitary,” Draco added.

Lucius looked at his son and smirked. “Draco, be nice.” Draco's startled glance turned towards his father's. Then he saw Lucius smile towards Dumbledore.

“Surely there's something that we can do to avoid having them live together, isn't there?” Molly asked.

“They're soul mates, but I also fear it may be more than that. To find the one person in the entire world that you are supposed to be with isn't accomplished very often. It's an extraordinary occurrence,” Dumbledore said.

Ginny snorted, plopped down unceremoniously into the nearest chair, and then yelled out the first thing that came to her mind. “Ex-extraordinary? Are you nuts? This is horrendous, beyond horrendous…th-this is crap!”

“Ginny,” Arthur warned.

Ginny pulled out a hair tie and lifted her hair up, pulling it into a ponytail. “Extraordinary would be lifting this elf curse, extraordinary would be passing my Potions exams…this is—well I'm running at a loss for words, but I'll let you know when a suitable one comes up. It's something very, very bad.”

Everyone in the room was looking at Ginny, but what caught her attention first was Draco's amused stare. If Ginny would ever admit he was gorgeous, she would have said he looked absolutely breath-taking, almost angelic. She would say that she literally had trouble dragging in air. She would confirm that his hair was slightly rumpled, with a boyish, good-looking flare from that incident in the hall, and that [his bruised knuckles on hands that she felt like kissing for there savings of her time in dire need], were folded underneath his arms. That his eyes actually twinkled with hilarity! All of that would be true if she would admit it openly, but Ginny knew she never would.

“As I said before, if they stay apart they could mentally or physically damage themselves,” Dumbledore said, seemingly ignoring Ginny, “and I fear that this could interfere with their studies.”

“I don't understand—” Molly started.

“Since when did finding your mate become physically damaging?” Lucius interrupted.

“That's where my concern enters. They aren't only soul mates,” Dumbledore informed the rightfully surprised if somewhat upset parents.

Lucius raised an eyebrow and eyed Dumbledore. He opened his mouth as if he were about to say something but Draco quickly intervened.

“What good would it do if we lived together?” Draco asked ignoring what Dumbledore said and wanting to stay on topic.

If he hadn't felt the impact of reality nipping at the edges of his mind he probably would have heard what Dumbledore had said, but at that moment he felt ill. He was nauseous with disgust and something else…something he couldn't quite pinpoint. His palms were sweaty as he brushed them against the legs of his black trousers and the urge to break something was almost overwhelming.

“Since you both are in a different year you would never see each other during the day, and if you went to opposite dorms it would slowly start to take its toll.”

“I-I'm sorry to say this, Molly, but I'd rather Ginny be okay, then ill,” Arthur replied turning to his wife and reaching for her hand.

“Dad!” Ginny cried out.

“Ginny, I think it's for the best. I don't want that to happen to you.”

Ginny stared at her parents in horror. Could they seriously be weighing this-this wretched, vile thought? She glanced up at Professor Dumbledore, who seemed to be interested in Lucius and his wife's reaction.

“As much as I dislike this situation, I'm afraid I agree,” Lucius replied.

Ginny felt anger rising inside of her throat like bile threatening to erupt as she spoke, “When exactly did my life become a democracy? This is not a `majority rules' situation. We are talking about MY life and I am not going to-to just, not only associate, but also survive in an extremely hostile environment with a man that I hate?!”

Silence.

Ginny frowned, turning her head to the side. “Oh I'm sorry, did I say `man'? Oops, my mistake!”

“Well wasn't that speech lovely? The fact that it came from a poor, rag clad, ratty, mal-nourished, impoverished Weasley was all too hysterical,” Draco sneered, his eyes darkening with animosity.

Ginny scowled and childishly stuck her tongue out. “I hate you!”

Draco flipped a hand up in the air to wave her off. “The feeling is entirely mutual!”

She stomped her foot nosily and advanced towards the door with her arms wrapped around her chest and her breathing irregular.

“Ginny, quit being melodramatic, this is not the time and it's definitely not the end of the world. Don't you want to talk about this?” Molly asked quietly.

Ginny stopped, and with a malicious glance back, she spoke, “Don't you think I know that? Perhaps it isn't the end of the world to you, but do you understand what topic is being raised?”

“We understand perfectly, and until we can find a way to reverse the situation, young lady, you will do as we say!” Molly declared ferociously, her plump face turning red with fury.

“I don't want to talk about it.” Ginny sighed in defeat and walked out.

=====================================================================

“Harry, guess how many different languages I can say `elf' in?” Hermione chanted excitedly.

Harry glanced up from his reading material and adjusted his glasses. “All of them?” he offered.

Hermione chuckled and waved her hand. “Hardly. Do you know how many there are? I've only learned about seven, but these are in Old English, Middle Low and Old High German, French, Old French, Late Latin, Arabic, and Persian. For the Old English it's Aelf, elf, ylf and for the plural form ylfe. For Middle Low German it's Alf, for Old High German it's Alp, Elb, with the plural form of Albe—”

Harry exhaled heavily and ran his fingers through his already rumpled hair. “Hermione, as much as I'd love to hear this—”

The disturbing sound of The Fat Lady's picture opening interrupted Harry. Relief filled him as he saw Ron enter, his ragged and faded brown sweater torn at the neck, hung on him a little too largely and his off brown corduroys ripped at the bottom.

Ron grinned as he saw Harry's look of solace and glanced at Hermione. “Are you at it again?”

Hermione shot him a disapproving look, but changed the topic. “I've been doing some research on an Elvin race called the Valkyries, the female servants of Odin—”

Once again the picture creaked open, pausing any form of a complete thought. Ginny came through the opening with her fingers tucked into the loops of her well-worn blue jeans and her baggy black t-shirt coming off her right shoulder. “You are not going to believe this,” she said in a ghastly and almost eerily calm manner.

When she didn't continue Ron shifted his feet and widened his eyes. “Well? What is it now?”

“I, me, I—”

Hermione snorted and rolled her eyes in amusement. “You want to throw in a `she, they, her, them'?”

Ginny grunted and stared at her. “Huh?”

She bit her lip, her cheeks flushing. “Um, never mind.”

“Like I was saying I have to move in with Draco Malfoy.”

“That's not funny,” Ron stated smoothly. “Are you trying to be funny? Because if you are you're failing miserably.”

“Is there any sign on my face that says I'm trying to be funny?” she asked then with sarcasm added, “No, Ron, I really am joshing with, jesting with, playing around with, because that's a topic I would play around with! Come on!”

Ron looked at her. “You're serious.”

Ginny scoffed and rested her hands on her hips. “Gee, you aren't the brightest male in your year are you? Why would I lie about something like this? And guess what, this mark, the one that gave me the worst pain I have ever felt in my entire life, means that I'm now, in a `traditional, however not exactly legal by our laws now' terms, his wife. Professor Dumbledore says I'm bound to him and that if I'm away from him for too long I could become physically or mentally sick.”

If a needle were to drop at that point in time, it would have made a deafening sound.

Hermione was the first to speak. “Um…” she nervously rubbed her thighs, “what did your parents say?”

Ginny's eyes widened. “That's the first thing you say? Ever the level minded…and my parents actually had a lot to say. I mean, you'd think in this type of situation they'd be speechless for days. How often does this sort of thing happen?”

“So what'd they say?” Hermione asked again, ignoring her last comment.

“They agreed solely amongst themselves and the Malfoys that I should stay with him. I give up. This type of stuff does not happen to me. I mean, I had bad luck before this elf curse, but now this? Could my life get any worse?” Ginny growled as she collapsed to the floor.

Ron sneered and mocked her. “Oh no, poor pitiful you! Quit acting like a baby and start pretending that you're actually the sixteen year old you really are.”

Ginny twisted around to stare at him. “You obviously haven't grasped the details of the situation. I have to be in the same environment with Malfoy, I have to live with him, literally. Ugh, I have to breathe in his sickened air; deal with his ugly sneers…”

“No I get it, and he is so dead for that,” Ron growled.

Hermione bent down, rested her elbows upon her knees, and cupped her chin in her hands as she stared up at Ron. “Well, it's not like it's his fault. I'm sure he's just as unhappy about the situation as anyone else.”

Ginny glanced towards Harry who had resumed doing his work. “Harry, what do you have to say about this?”

Harry leafed through his book before lifting his eyes to look at Ginny. “Look, I really, really need to finish this research for my DADA class…”

Ginny glared at him menacingly. “Harry, does it look like I care? If you want to study go to your room, but I could really use some friends right now.”

Harry heaved a sigh and flipped his book shut. “Alright, I'm all ears.”

“I hope that wasn't a joke at my expense…What do you think about me living in Malfoy's dorm?”

He sputtered and shook his head. “Pardon?” Harry asked as he went to clean out his ear with the tip of his finger.

“What do you think—”

“This is about that soul mate tattoo thing right? It's horrible! What did your parents say?”

Ginny growled. “We've been through that already. Anyhow, do you know what that little bugger said to me? That I'm a poor, rag clad, ratty, mal-nourished, impoverished Weasley!”

“That confirms it,” Ron started.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. “Oh, that's the thing that gets you riled up out of everything I just said? Thanks big brother,” she muttered sarcastically before she realized that he had actually started walking out.

“Ron, don't do anything rash,” Hermione called.

Ron opened the door. “I won't, I'm only going to kill him.”

It took a full second before what he said registered. Harry leapt up and ran out the door.

Ginny jolted up and quickly followed. “I hope he bashes Draco's head in,” she yelled out to Harry.

Hermione shook her head and ran to catch up all the while yelling at Harry. “Harry! Stop him!” She then muttered grudgingly under her breath, “He really needs to learn how to control his anger.”

“Where did they go?” Ginny gasped as she turned the corner and found an empty hall.

Hermione came up behind her and rested her hands against her knees, breathing heavily. “I think I need to work out.”

“GINNY!” Cela called to them from behind, “I believe your brother is on a rampage. You might want to go stop him. He's outside shouting insults at Mr. Malfoy.”

Ginny and Hermione turned quickly, running towards the outside fountain. What they saw was Draco and Ron circling each other like a pack of angry wolves, looking for the perfect moment to strike.

“Ron, stop it!” Hermione yelled, “Ginny, instead of just standing there why don't you do something?”

“Oh stop, please, stop,” Ginny said weakly.

Hermione turned and rolled her eyes. “You're not trying very hard.”

Ron screamed in outrage at something Draco commented on and lunged. His fist connected with Draco's jaw with a force that made Ginny cringe. She hadn't expected him to be this angry about it considering the way he had handled it. He was furious. She had never seen him this mad before.

Maybe he's trying a new method now…“stay calm until everyone's gone so you can beat the object of your fury to a pulp.”

In Ginny's opinion, the method was great.

“Harry! Do something,” Hermione hollered.

“I'm trying to figure out how to get in there without getting knocked in the face,” Harry said as he examined them.

Ginny snorted and tossed her hair. “Stop worrying about your precious face and go help your best friend!”

Harry glared. “For you information, I don't care about my face. If Malfoy was to hit me, I wouldn't have said, `okay that's fine now let me get Ron' and not do anything about it. I would just add to the problem,” Harry barked out. “I know this elf thing has you speaking your mind, but don't do it to me! You don't know me that well Gin! If you aren't even going to try to keep it under control, then you and me are going to be having some problems!”

Hermione sucked in her breath of surprise. “Harry!”

“I'm only saying the truth Hermione. It's what everyone's been feeling lately.”

Ginny bowed her head. “I'm sorry.”

Harry simply nodded his head. “Maybe we should just let them go at it, release some steam.”

Hermione sighed. “I could pull them apart with my diduco, but I suppose you're right. Anyhow, none of us could really physically stop it.”

“What? You can't—” Ginny started to say, but stopped as she realized the truth of the events.

She watched as her brother and Draco fought each other viciously, like a two-man pack of rabid animals.

Draco Malfoy is technically your husband now.

What does that mean though?

Well for one thing I have to live with him.

Does he expect me to have sex with him?

No. He finds me disgusting.

What if he wants to anyway?

Just tell him no-

But would I want to say no?

Ginny gnawed on her lip as she let her eyes follow the left hooks, the snap kicks, and the occasional head butt. “I think this stupid wifely role Dumbledore mentioned is starting to kick in.”

“This could go on forever,” Cela commented, wincing as drops of blood fell to the ground. “I think they've let off enough steam. If you don't pull them apart now they will very nearly kill each other. Every time they hit each other the fight gets angrier and the punches get harder.”

“You're right,” Hermione sighed. “Diduco.”

They flew across the room, each on opposing sides. Harry and Hermione ran to Ron. Ginny looked at Draco to see him wiping away blood from his lip and grinning. He shook his head in disgust afterwards, and then looked up at Ginny, who couldn't decide if she should go to Ron or Draco.

“Thanks for the souvenir, you damn elf!” Draco yelled.

Ginny's eyes flashed red. “It wasn't my fault!” she hollered back. “If your stupid family and their medieval ways weren't still followed, this wouldn't have happened!

Draco sluggishly got up. “Well if you hadn't run off to your damn brother—”

“Bitch! Do you want to go another round with me?” Ginny glared. “Let me fill you in on something…women always win!”

Draco grinned with so much maliciousness that Ginny swore she felt her heart freeze in fear. “You obviously don't know the Malfoy's very well.”

“Like-wise,” Ginny said, then stopped, “Well, the Weasleys, you don't know well…well, is that right?” she looked to Cela who was smiling at her.

“You are so cute,” she grinned.

“Merlin's beard! Spare me the bisexual flirting,” Draco grunted.

“You shouldn't hide the fact that it turns you on,” Cela said as she sauntered over to him.

“Get away from me!” he growled.

To Ginny's surprise Cela backed up, but not before saying something…something Ginny could barely make out.

“Hmm, you're more powerful than you look.” Is that what it was?

Ginny looked towards Ron and saw him glaring at her. It was obvious he didn't want her and Draco talking. She fell to her knees, giving up for one minute, but in that one minute everything fell and she rolled into a ball, clutching her knees as she began to cry.

Draco stood awkwardly away from her, sighed and then started to walk over, but Cela beat him to it. He lifted his brow glared.

Had he actually almost gone to her? As if they were—

“Ginny?”

“I can't do this. This is not me; I'm not strong enough for this. I'm the girl that everyone just simply looks over. Not the one that starts fights!”

Cela brushed Ginny's hair out of her eyes. “I'm afraid you'll be starting more than fights.”

Ginny gave her a puzzled look. “W-what?”

Cela bit her lip, her eyes warming and staring down at Ginny gently. She leaned down, and placed a soft tender kiss against Ginny's lips.

Draco felt his eyes widen as he stopped and stared. …And it was there and then that he felt something he used to pride himself on never feeling, that nagging feeling that came when poor people saw a rich person.

Dear gods, he felt it.

Jealousy.

To Be Continued…

Thanks for reading!

I'm not sure if I used anything else that wasn't mine, but I know two for sure!

“Could my life get any worse?” ~ Roswell - Isabel Evans.

“Gee, you weren't the brightest….” ~ Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Buffy

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Chapter Six:

Draco blinked rapidly at the display in front of him.

Could he actually be jealous-over her? How could this be happening to him? It was ridiculous. Why should he care if she decided to be with another girl?

The problem was, he did care. It was a horrifying feeling. One that he didn’t want to rush in on feeling again, but the fact of the matter was, Ginny was his soul mate, but he would not let her disrespect him like she was.

“Excuse me,” he growled, his left eye twitching.

Cela continued to kiss Ginny for three more seconds before she pulled away smiling in satisfaction as she glanced up at him, but not before noticing the dazed expression on Ginny’s face. Ginny’s eyes were still shut and her cheeks flushed. Her lips were as red as a rose petal, still in a ‘kiss me’ form, before she realized it had stopped.

Draco hoisted Ginny up to her feet. “She’s mine now, so I suggest you keep your distance. I’m not one for sharing.”

“I do not belong to you or anyone! I am not Jane…Tarzan!” Ginny snapped, remembering a movie she had seen when she went to Hermione’s house with her brother the previous summer.

Draco looked stumped. “What are you on about?”

“Forget it,” she sighed and jerked her arm away.

The moment she pulled from Draco’s grasp she felt it. Coldness. She hadn’t even realized that the moment he touched her warmth had spread through her. It was like his clutching of her arm was natural. The difference, now that he wasn’t touching her, was almost painfully icy. Her eyes snapped to Draco and she saw him looking at his hand.

Good! The pompous bastard feels it too.

Ginny flinched slightly, as she saw Draco reach for her, and gasped as he yanked her towards him. His grip was tight, strong, and she knew she’d bare the bruises in an hour or so, but Ginny would never be able to describe the feeling that pushed aside the pain. It was a tender, loving, and somewhat of an erotic sense that had Ginny shaking from head to toe.

“I suppose I must taste the goods, before the purchase is complete,” he stated, his gray eyes dark with something only slightly familiar to Ginny, as he dropped his lips to hers.

She couldn’t really say it was her first kiss, because the fact was it wasn’t, but it was really the first time she’d ever felt her toes curl with pleasure—she definitely had enough room in her shoes (which were handed down to her by her brother Ron) to do so. It was like fire had engulfed her, spreading rapidly down to her gut. His gentle suckling of her bottom lip was such an amazing feeling that Ginny actually her herself whimper.

When had she ever whimpered, really whimpered, from a kiss?

Ginny knew she should pull away, hell; even beat him down for taking extreme liberties with a person he supposedly hated. No matter how hard she tried to clench her hands into a fist though, it just wouldn’t happen. It was almost as if feeling had left them and it had all gone to her lips and belly. Her knees were even bending with weakness and she almost did fall when Draco slipped his tongue in her mouth, lazily massaging hers.

If her senses hadn’t been going wild with the closed-mouth kiss, they were definitely in a ‘to hot to handle’ category now. Ginny moaned as Draco pushed his hands through her hair, clutching the back of her head so it would stay. Her hands lifted to clench around his upper arms. She wasn’t really sure how she’d managed that. Though it could have possibly been the fear of being held in place. The experience was erotic and sweet, all at once.

She tasted like strawberries.

It was the first thought Draco had had. It was the same thought that continued to go through his mind as he intensified the kiss, as he held back a groan of pleasure, and as he finally felt her tongue respond to his.

Just as he was about to let his hand trail down her arm, she jerked away, and looked at him in shock as she brought her fingertips to her, partially open, mouth. She let them fall, causing her lips to follow the motion, which made Draco clench the sides of his black slacks tightly. He almost allowed himself to lean down and steal another kiss, but he paused as he took in Cela’s appearance.

Ginny glanced over at Cela, and sucked in a breath. She had never seen anything so frightening in her life. Cela’s hair was moving to a wind that shouldn’t have been there, her eyes were completely blood red, and a deep blue tattoo formed in the middle of her forehead. It looked like writing only, in a different language.

“Cela, your eyes—oh Merlin. Are you angry? You said it yourself; Draco’s just misunderstood, right. So you don’t need to be angry. Please, Cela, you’re scaring me,” Ginny pleaded with her friend, walking up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

Draco scoffed. “You don’t really believe that stuff about me being misunderstood, do you?”

Cela shrugged Ginny’s hand off and looked at her.

~So that’s where all your things went. ~

“What?” Ginny asked loudly.

“Are you going nuts already?” Draco asked, nonchalantly.

~Telepathy, Ginny, it’s Cela. ~

Ginny’s eyes darted towards Cela. “H-how are you doing that?”

“She’s completely bonkers! That’s it, there is now way I can live, or be soul mated to a psychopath!”

Ginny pushed Draco’s face away and glared at him. “Cela’s talking to me telepathically. Forgive me for finding it interesting. Can I do that?” she directed the last part to her friend.

“Yes, but it’s an ability that elves have to develop. I can help you, but like I said, we won’t be having night times together. Your stuff is gone.”

“What?” Ginny shook her head trying to clear it.

“Some little green, brownish guys came in, and packed up everything.”

“The school elves? Why do I have to move in with him? Why can’t it be the other way around?”

Cela scoffed. “Those are not elves, more like ugly goblins.”

“They are elves. There just a different race.”

Cela looked at Ginny dumbfounded. Ginny just shrugged. “Hermione told me.”

Draco slowly backed away as Harry, Hermione and an unsteady Ron walked up to them.

“Poor Ginny,” Hermione sighed, brushing her hands through her hair.

“This must be awful for you,” said a 6th year Gryffindor girl whom Ginny hadn’t really gotten to know.

“Yeah,” she sighed, and then turned to look for Draco.

Why doesn’t anyone say ‘Poor Draco’?

Yeah.

This has to be just as bad, probably worse for him.

“Ron, are you okay?” Ginny asked.

“Fine,” he gritted out. “Why don’t you go after him? Talk to your husband now,” he spat out.

“Stop talking to me like it was a decision I willingly made. I don’t appreciate that. Did you ever think of how this could be for him? Why would he do this on purpose? He despises everything about us. He wouldn’t stoop this low just to get back at you. He wouldn’t make his life miserable just so he could get you! Think before you act,” Ginny turned to find him, the longing in her gut compelled her to go faster.

What the hell was wrong with her?

“That’s right! Go after your snake lover!” Ron screamed.

Ginny with her back still turned stopped dead in her tracks, and her shoulders slumped at her brothers’ hurtful words.

“Ron!” Hermione screamed. “What is wrong with you?”

Ron glared then cried out. “Ginny, I’m sorry! Wait!”

Ginny turned and gave him a sad look. “It’s okay, Ron. I understand why you would say something like that, but truth be told, what Dumbledore said, it was true. I can feel a connection, a strong one, between Draco and I. It’s pushing me to go after him, literally. Like if I don’t go after him my heart will be ripped to pieces. When he was standing next to me he had grabbed my arm and when I jerked away I felt so cold, like I had frozen over. I can feel the power of this, and I don’t think I can fight it. I’m sorry I’m disappointing you, but I’m not that little girl you’ve protected and loved your whole life. I’ve grown up, even though I haven’t been acting grown up as of late, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love my brother anymore. Do you understand? I will never ever stop coming to see you or forget about you,” Ginny paused and she knew then that that was what Ron feared. “That’s it isn’t? You afraid of losing your little sister, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “It’s just after The Chamber of Secrets—”

Ginny cringed at the words.

“I-I…when I found out that you might die, the only thing I could think of was, I won’t have anyone to tease, or to nag, like Fred, George, Charlie, and Bill did.”

“You forgot Percy.”

Ron shook his head. “No I didn’t! Everyone gave him a hard time; he simply lifted his nose and turned the other way. I always felt you and I were closer, because we would always be left behind, you were also the only one who ever got my jokes.”

Ginny scratched her nose and gave a little laugh. “Ah, no! I pretended to get them, because I wanted to hang out with my big brother. Ron, I look up to you. I always will. We were left behind a lot weren’t we?”

Ron shook his head smiling.

Ginny smiled, and then dropped it sadly. “But you know what, you ended up leaving me behind too.”

Ron squinted his in shock. “What? No I didn’t!”

“Yes, you did. You grew up and you left to go to Hogwarts. It was no longer you and I waiting to go. It was me, just me,” Ginny shrugged, smiling gently. “You were off having wild adventures with the great, beautiful Harry Potter.”

Harry flushed and dropped his gaze.

“I’m sorry, Gin, I—”

“Ron, you can’t be sorry for growing up. It’s inevitable, you finally realized that’s exactly what I was doing, and you got scared. You aren’t the only one. Do you remember this summer when you walked in on Fred and I yelling at each other?”

Ron grinned. “Yeah.”

“Fred had taken me shopping for an early birthday present, and he caught me eyeing this really gorgeous guy. He said something so mean; I don’t even remember what it was. So what I did is I went over to the guy and left with him. When I came home an hour later…well Fred snapped.”

“What? I didn’t hear about this!”

“Don’t worry. The guy I was looking at liked guys. Nothing happened. Oh, was Fred furious, he and George were always the pranksters, so I had never seen him like that. I thought he was going to hit me, but he didn’t, he sent me to my room. Then when you came in and yelled at Fred for yelling too loudly at me, I smiled, because I thought to myself, I have wonderful loving brothers. Even though they knew exactly how to tick me off.”

“It’s what we’re supposed to do!” Ron grinned.

“I love you, Ron. You’ll always be my big brother,” Ginny smiled and hugged her brother.

Ron became uneasy. “You don’t have to be all like that.”

Ginny chuckled.

“Why don’t you, go-go,” he gritted his teeth, “go after him. Tell him I’m—”

“That you’re sorry?”

“Yeah. You know ever since you’ve become an elf your emotions have been driving me insane. One minute you are a lunatic, the next you’re a baby, the next your well I don’t know what this is.”

“Ron, shut-up,” Harry said shaking his head. “Seeya, Gin.”

Ginny smiled and went after Draco.

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Draco was livid.

This can’t be happening. I’m a Malfoy.

Draco’s stomach hurt from the fight, a dull ache forming behind his eyes, and he cringed as he accidentally moved to fast.

“Draco! Wait.”

He scowled. “What do want Weasel?”

“To talk to you,” she ran in front of him, stopping him in his tracks, “I’m sorry about what happened and believe it or not I yelled at Ron for it. He apologized.”

Draco snorted. “Again, which part of that am I to believe?”

“So, now I guess I have to go with you to our room. I don’t know where it is.”

Draco sighed and rolled his eyes at her attempt to change the subject. “No one does. Lucius pays for me to have my own wing connected to the Slytherin side. It’s an invisible entrance that goes through the door that I originally would have stayed at.”

“So…I guess we’ll be up there all by-all by ourselves,” Ginny paused and her eyes widened in fear, “all night.”

Draco turned his head, eyeing her before he gave smirk. “I don’t expect anything. Yet, anyway.”

Well, it almost made her feel a little better.

But in reality it made her stomach hurt worse. Yet, Draco had said. What worried her was would she be willing when that ‘yet’ came?

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“Hey! Harry, I-I have to talk to you,” Hermione breathed out after chasing him down.

They had taken Ron to the hospital wing, he’d been complaining about his side, and Madam Pomfrey said it would be best to leave him over night. Ron had asked Hermione to stay for a second to help him with his Transfiguration homework so Harry had left them. Now, after running through half of the castle, Hermione was gasping for breath.

She had made her decision that she would tell Harry her feelings. She only hoped she had missed him.

Harry grimaced and turned. “What is it?”

“I-well I, um,” Hermione stopped, took a deep breath and pushed her hair behind her ears, “I feel for you.”

Harry leaned back on his heels and gave an amused look. “A-huh?”

“I mean, I mean I have more than friendship feelings for you.”

Harry’s smile slowly dropped. “Oh.”

Hermione sighed. “Oh, is right.”

“Hermione, I—”

Hermione pushed her finger against his lips. “Before you say anything…I want you to know that I’ve felt like this since our fourth year. I think with time, if you feel the same way, I could even love you. I mean I do love you now, but I think if you just well dated me you could too.”

“Hermione…”

“Harry, let me finish. I don’t want you to say anything if you don’t feel the same way and if you don’t, I’m hoping we can pretend this conversation never happened. I don’t want to lose our frien—” Hermione was cut off by Harry putting his hand over her mouth.

“I feel the same,” he whispered.

Hermione gulped. “Y-you do?”

“I do,” Harry gave a sad look, “but I’ll never act on my feelings.”

“Why?”

“Because Ron loves you too!”

Hermione’s eyes widened. “Oh, god.”

“Yeah,” Harry sighed and turned around.

“Harry—”

“Hermione, please wait until his feelings go.”

“What if your feelings go first?”

Harry turned and gave her a knowing look. “They won’t.”

Hermione shuddered as his looked pierced her soul.

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Ron sighed as he leaned against the fluffy white pillow. It was good to get babied.

“This is the life,” he hummed.

“Yeah, don’t get too used to it!” Hermione came in.

He jerked up. “Hermione, what are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to confront you about your feelings for me.”

Ron grinned and shook his head. “I figured this was coming.”

“How did you figure it?”

“I know you have feelings for Harry. I’ve known for some time now.”

“Do you have feelings for me?”

“I thought I did, I mean I love you,” he smiled as he watched Hermione flinch. “I’m not sure, but I think it’s just for a friend.”

“Well, let me kiss you then and we can figure it out,” she said.

“That’s my Hermione, going straight to the death grip.”

Hermione leaned forward and placed her lips on his bruised ones. It was sweet and tender, but no electricity so they pulled back. Hermione put her fingers to her lips and looked up at Ron.

“I didn’t feel anything,” Ron sighed. “So you can go to Harry now.”

“I didn’t feel anything either, but I won’t go to Harry just yet. I’ll visit you,” Hermione grinned as relief flooded into her.

She would make Harry wait a little longer for her. He had no idea how great of a person Ron was.

She could be with Harry.

To Be Continued…

Chapter Seven:

“Would you please go to sleep?” Draco growled in frustration.

Normally, he was not one to say “please,” but sleeping was his only favorite thing of the day, and he hadn’t planned on having it taken away by a Weasley.

Ginny fidgeted on the floor and sighed. “I can’t! I’m used to sleeping in a bed, not on the floor.”

“Hmm, I never knew you Weasley’s slept on a bed. I mean look at your pathetic excuse for a house—I thought it rather obvious that you all slept on the floor.”

“Malfoy, I’m tired too. Considering the situation, I’m being a pretty good sport about it.”

“And I’m not? I have to adjust to things a little more than you. At least you have a rich, well groomed, life mate.”

“Should I be jumping for joy?” Ginny said drolly.

He growled in response before settling into his pillow and shutting his eyes. It was going to be a long night and not in a sexual escapade way.

It’s not like you would have wanted to have sex with her anyway!

Oh no, of course not.

Draco snarled as he heard the shuffling of sheets from the floor again. “Would you desist?”

“Why don’t you sleep on the floor and see how you like it? If you were a gentleman, I know it’s a far reach for you, you would have offered me the bed.”

“I will never be gentlemanly to a low breed such as yourself, and I will not sleep on the floor.” He sighed and turned his back to Ginny’s restless rustling. Five minutes later it stopped.

Finally! She’s quiet.

This is going to be hell.

I can’t believe she expected me to give up my bed for her.

What’s the matter with me? I’m losing my patience way too quickly!

A grunt of displeasure interrupted the silence. “Draco?” Ginny whispered. “Are you sleeping?”

An inhumanly growl rolled out of his mouth. “Ginny, if you don’t shut your face—”

She sighed. “You called me Ginny,” she started, but quickly forgot and went on. “Couldn’t you just give up the bed? Please? I can’t sleep on this floor.”

Draco gritted his teeth and balled his fists in the silk sheets of his bed trying to keep his cool demeanor. “I’m not sleeping on the floor!”

“Fine,” Ginny spat out.

When the irritating noise paused once again, Draco wondered if there was hope that she’d fallen asleep.

Maybe she’ll be quiet now.

Please Merlin let her be quiet or I might have to gag her and tie her down.

On the other hand, that doesn’t sound too bad.

He sighed as he heard more ruffling. Not so lucky. Suddenly he felt the opposite side of his bed cave slightly, and he jerked up instantly.

“Oh, um, you don’t have a shirt on,” Ginny laughed nervously, raising her hand up to twirl her newly blonde hair.

Draco sneered and studied her face. “What are you doing?”

Ginny shrugged and gave an impish smile. “I can’t sleep on the floor. I can’t! If you won’t give up the bed, then I’ll just sleep with you,” Ginny’s eyes widened and she smiled nervously while twisting and pulling on the sheets. “I mean, not sleep with you, I just meant, you know, in the same bed.”

Draco, leaning on his arms, gave her a look, and just shook his head exasperatingly. “You are going to kill me!” he sneered, continuing to shake his head before once again falling back against his bed. “Now, will you go to sleep?”

I’m never so open and I almost said ‘please’ to her! What’s the matter with me?

He turned his head towards her and watched as she lay down scrunching her arms over her chest in an obvious move to not touch him. As she did so her lame excuse for a pajama top, slowly rode up her stomach, exposing her milky smooth midriff to him. At that point Draco could probably describe the desire of a poor man craving food, of him craving Ginny.

Something had to be done about this.

“Where did you get those pajamas?” Draco found himself asking her. He knew then, why he was so open with her. Why he could ask her about her pajamas. It was comfort, like he wasn’t trying to hide anything.

“Hermione. She said these bears are pretty popular in the muggle world. I think she called them Care Bears. This is Tender Heart,” she said touching the brown bear with a red heart in the middle of its stomach. “I’m remembered his name because he’s my favorite.”

She then touched the lower part of her shirt and smiled. “These are the heart and star buddies. She said she was an addict of the cartoon.”

Draco smirked in amusement. “How very quaint. Can we go to sleep now?”

“I never said you couldn’t go to sleep you over grown ferret. I, on the other hand, happen to be afraid of the dark.”

Against his will his eyes widened and he clenched his fists into his sheets. “You bloody well better be joking Weasley. I’m not in the mood to deal with this. What do you want me to do about it?”

She shrugged and turned to her side, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand, her elbow indenting her pillow. “Got a night light?”

He gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing. “No I do not! Nor will I allow you to light your wand. I need dark when I sleep. Just darkness.”

Ginny grunted in frustration. “Well, why don’t you just hold me then?” She swiftly smacked her hands to her mouth, her eyes widening.

Draco turned his head to the side and stared at her. Ginny blushed and turned her head away.

He smirked suddenly as he remembered the way she had looked when she had entered his room, the teasing he remembered most of all. He wondered if, perhaps, he wouldn’t mind holding her.

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“Wow, your room is huge!” Ginny gasped as she looked around, “Dark like I expected, but—”

Draco smirked and leaned lazily against his dresser. “Been imagining what my room looks like?”

A body blush filled Ginny’s cheeks. “No, I-I just, oh this is ridiculous.”

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Draco snorted in and continued to stare at her. “Let me get this straight—”

“I didn’t mean to say that out loud. It just popped out. I didn’t mean it,” Ginny stuttered turning her head back.

Draco licked his bottom lip. “You meant it.”

Ginny glared. “I didn’t, but so what if I did. You don’t have a problem with it do you?”

Draco shook his head and gritted his teeth together. “You need to learn how to control your temper.”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Isn’t that calling the kettle black?”

He grinned suddenly. If he were going to hold her, he’d most likely have to make the initiative. Normally, he would never have done it, but it would just agitate her more. He scooted over to her and laid himself down directly in front of her.

Ginny lifted her eyebrows. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to hold you. Just like you asked.”

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped a fraction. “Y-you-what? No, I told you I wasn’t serious. And why are you being so-so not you?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Weasley, you don’t know me. So you don’t know how I normally act,” he said. “Come on, it’ll be fun,” he whispered in her ear.

Ginny licked her lips nervously and then turned on her side so that her back was facing him. She curled his arm around her neck and held his hand, so that their fingers rested underneath her chin.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Draco watched the side of her face and brought her closer to his chest. He was a teenage male, so usually “things” could never progress fast enough, but he recognized the fast pace and it was too fast.

Was she holding his hand?

It was officially awkward now.

You’re the one that agreed with her outburst.

I was just trying to piss her off.

Draco then realized what they must look like curled up together. They looked like lovers. Her back to his chest and his arm draped over her shoulders with her hand holding his. He unconsciously turned his face into her hair, taking a deep breath. She smelled of the soft smell of roses and Draco felt a tiny stir in his blood as he dropped his head and sniffed her neck.

Ginny jerked slightly at the feel of his nose nuzzling her neck. “A-are you smelling me?”

Draco smirked against her neck. “Admiring your perfume.”

Ginny relaxed somewhat before speaking again. “I had the craziest thought,” she laughed nervously.

“Oh?”

“That you were a vampire, waiting for the right moment to sink your teeth into my neck. Pretty strange huh?”

Draco lifted his head and raised an eyebrow at her, making a face that asked the unasked question of ‘are you stupid?’ “What? No! Just go to sleep.”

Ginny turned her head, ignoring his grunt of dissatisfaction as her forehead knocked into his cheek. “I don’t know, with the way you reacted to my suggestion, could very possibly be a vampire. You never know.”

Ginny gave a startled gasp as she felt Draco shaking behind her, then frowned when she recognized that low rumble in his chest to be laughter. She shivered slightly from the feel of it. Butterflies started roaming around in her stomach as Draco laid his head on her shoulders and continued to keep his mouth and nose near her neck.

“You’re laughing,” she stated simply. “I-you’re-I didn’t think Draco Malfoy was capable of very much emotion, especially not laughter.”

“You have a very strange mind,” he whispered. “It’s not that I don’t have emotion. It’s just for some reason I feel comfortable around you.”

“Like you belong,” Ginny asked back just as softly.

He cleared his throat nervously. “Yes, it’s a bit hard to continue to act like I don’t feel. So want made you think of a vampire? Was I being my usual self? Sexy, seductive?”

“Right,” she said sarcastically and then shrugged. “It’s not like vampires don’t exist. Harry and Ron saw one the other day. Said he was ugly, grimy and dirty; that his skin was all wrinkled and pale from the night.”

Draco smiled as he watched her neck move while she talked. “They were lying to you. Trying to get you scared.”

“How do you know?”

“My father does business with vampires, and none that I’ve seen, especially the women, are grimy, ugly, and dirty. They definitely don’t have wrinkled skin, maybe slightly pale, but that isn’t because of the night. They can go into the sunlight; it’s just really irritating to their eyes and skin. They also have to wear sunglasses in the day because they have this automatic shield that falls over their eyes turning them a glowing red.”

Ginny shivered. “Merlin—I think I was okay knowing that vampires were a myth. Thanks mister debonair for making me frightened for the rest of my life.”

Draco gave a small chuckle then sighed as he saw the time. “We should go to sleep now, I’d rather not fall asleep tomorrow.”

“But it’s Saturday.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Quidditch practice.”

“That’s right, your house needs to practice. We are going to pulverize you come next Saturday.”

“Quit telling yourself lies, Weasley.”

“Confident aren’t you? Which I find hard to believe since your team has not once beaten Gryffindor.”

“Go to sleep,” Draco grunted.

Ginny sighed and settled herself down. She curled her hand tighter into his and propped it directly underneath her chin.

Draco stared at the back of her head.

Okay.

I’m okay with this. It’s not really so bad now that she has blonde hair instead of red. I could pretend she’s a Veela.

Draco closed his eyes and made himself relax, but it fled from his body instantly, once he felt Ginny’s bottom collide with his groin. He bared his teeth and held in a groan. He bit his lip hard and grunted.

Ginny’s sleep filled voice whispered to him. “Are you okay?”

NO! I am not okay. Why did she have to have blonde hair? My bodies reacting because it thinks she’s not a Weasley.

That doesn’t make sense.

“Fine,” he whispered.

“Mm,” she answered sleepily.

He gritted his teeth together as she snuggled into him. He knew then, that the night would be a long one.

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“Have fun,” Ginny smiled, patting him awkwardly on the back.

Draco frowned up at her. He was on the ground near the Quidditch pitch cleaning his broom. He had been irritated and on edge all morning. He would like to blame it on the fact that he had been turned on most of the previous night, but deep down he knew it was because he hadn’t seen Ginny for more than three hours. She hadn’t been next to him when he woke up from the hour of sleep he’d managed and he’d been livid. “Stay here.”

“I can’t.”

“But you will.”

“Malfoy, my patience is running thin.” Ginny slid her hands into her pockets and shrugged. “Anyhow I have to do some more research with Hermione and Cela.”

Jealously filled his stomach to the brimming at the mention of the other elf. Disgusted with himself for that being his first reaction he glared. “Why?”

“Because I was hit by an elf curse, case you haven’t noticed!” Ginny said, motioning to her elf ears and hair.

“You look better with blonde hair.”

Ginny punched him in the arm. “You never paid attention to me when I had red hair so how do you know!”

Draco shrugged. “You should be staying here! Cheering on your-” he swallowed, “husband.”

Ginny held up a finger. “Technically we are only bound as husband and wife by this,” she said exposing the black tattoo of the Celtic Knot. “Therefore we are not husband and wife.”

Draco lifted his eyebrow. “Yes, we are. Wizard family traditions are very powerful.”

“I’m going to find you the Witches Rede of Chivalry, maybe it can give you some tips on how to act.”

“What was that?”

Ginny ignored him and walked towards the library.

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“You’re late, Ginny!” Hermione scolded as she plopped a very large book into her hands.

“I’m sorry, are we reading for enjoyment or researching?” Ginny asked irritated as she sat down next to Cela. “J.R.R Tolkien?”

“The information this author has on this elf breed is almost all right. She must have been an elf,” Cela explained in appreciation.

Hermione jerked her head up and gave a glare. “J.R.R Tolkien is a he,” she stated simply, leafing through another book.

Cela frowned at Hermione and then turned her attention back to Ginny. “HIS information on elves is phenomenal,” Cela replied.

“Was,” Hermione added.

Ginny scooted closer as she looked over her shoulder. Cela turned her head and watched Ginny’s eyes wander over the book, reading it. She leaned up and kissed Ginny full on the mouth. Ginny’s eyes jerked towards hers.

“You’re so cute when you read,” Cela offered softly.

Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled the book away from her, moving to her original position. She was getting rather used to Cela having a crush on her, but every once in a while it felt-well, dangerous.

The kissing most definitely has to stop.

“I don’t think so,” Cela muttered.

Ginny laughed nervously. “Would you stop reading my mind?”

Cela smiled generously and chucked Ginny under the chin. “Learn how to not broadcast your thoughts so loudly and I might stop.”

“W-well how do I do that?”

Cela grinned and scrapped her teeth along her bottom lip. “Kiss me and I’ll tell you.”

“Tell me and I’ll kiss you,” Ginny pushed back.

Cela lifted up her finger. “Nice try! If I tell you first you won’t. You kiss me, I tell you!”

“Fine,” Ginny growled and leaned forward giving her a three second kiss on the mouth.

Cela licked her lips, humming slightly at Ginny’s taste. “Sorry, love that wasn’t a kiss in my book.”

“That was a kiss!”

“A French kiss is a real kiss.”

“Well, what are the English kisses? I’m not French.”

Cela lifted an eyebrow. “I’ll show you!”

Cela cupped Ginny’s face in her hands and placed her lips against hers. She probed the crevice of Ginny’s mouth with her tongue, opening it. Ginny sat there with her eyes wide as Cela caressed her tongue with hers and then pulled back.

“I don’t remember it being so dull,” Ginny mumbled.

“It’s that tattoo necklace. It’s over riding the elf curse,” Cela said looking over Ginny’s shoulder.

Ginny spun around to see Draco glaring slightly. “Will you two be kissing every time you’re together?”

“Like it’s any of your business if we do or not,” Ginny growled.

Draco flipped his hand in the air. “Forget it.”

“Why aren’t you at pracitce?” Ginny asked.

Draco sighed and sat down in front of Ginny. “Ravenclaw had a teachers note to practice.”

Ginny bowed her head. “Oh.”

Draco casually draped his arm over the back of Ginny’s chair. He sat lazily there, tapping his fingers of his other hand on the table top, all the while watching Ginny. “Not a problem.”

Hermione’s eyes widened as she watched the display between the two play in front of her. She frowned when she noticed Cela, however, her eyes tinted with a light red.

“This is disgusting! You guys are already acting like a married couple,” Cela huffed.

Ginny snorted. “No we aren’t!”

“I think we need to talk about the necklace. To tell you guys the changes we’re seeing in both of you,” Hermione added.

“For one thing, it’s obvious you don’t despise each other anymore,” Cela ground out still glaring at Draco.

“Why are you glaring at him?” Ginny asked.

Draco smirked evilly at Cela. “Because she wants you and can’t have you!”

She glared one more time. “This necklace has made feelings develop over night between the two of you.”

Hermione stroked her chin. “It has hasn’t it?”

“It just gave us a large boost. If my father hadn’t had the necklace it would have happened anyway,” Draco informed her.

“Maybe, but it’s made you possessive of her and Ginny, you’re more submissive to him. It’s not in your nature to give in so easily.” Hermione had concluded.

Ginny snorted. “Posh!”

Draco looked at Hermione and glared. “What’s that mudblood?”

“You see! You were so enthralled with what Ginny was doing, and just being around her, that you didn’t even notice you were talking, in a civilized way, to me,” Hermione exclaimed excitedly as she slowly began to figure it out. “You aren’t just soul mates, but you knew that didn’t you?”

Draco shrugged. “Your point?”

“Do you know the real definition of a “life mate”? That necklace of yours is supposed to find your soul mate. Well this time it found your life mate. Soul mates have the one side of one whole soul right? Life mates have the same, but more. I’m not sure exactly what is the ‘more’, I need to do some research on that, but I KNOW there’s a difference between soul mates and life mates.”

“I thought there was only one person in all the world for—” Ginny began.

“That’s true! There is only one person that you are supposed to be with, and it’s very rare when you find your life mate. Let me try to explain this—the only time when someone can find their life mate is when their soul mate is so completely, either different, or a like, in your case different, that the contrast of them clash,” Hermione interrupted.

“You aren’t doing a very good job of trying to explain it!” Cela commented.

“Well, it’s a very complicated topic. I don’t even understand it fully. Which is why I need to find some books on it.”

“Let me try!” Cela smiled at Hermione. “You and the pig over there are life mates. Which basically means that you’ll be together forever, literally. When you die, you’ll be reincarnated and re-join each other. It’s a cycle that you’ll keep doing over and over again. Once you find your life mate for the first time, it’s like a guarantee to immortality, kind of. You’ll be reborn a year after you die with each other until the earth explodes. Whereas if you are in between, only making you soul mates, it won’t be like that. A person is reincarnated every one hundred years, it’s the rules, but you can time loop the rules if you find your life mate. This is going to sound clichéd, but it’s the truth. Nothing, not even death can keep you apart, for very long, now that you’ve found each other. I’m guessing this is the first time for you both finding your life mate, which is why the feelings, the emotions, and so forth are so intense. Not forgetting the fact that since you’ve been cursed an elf you’re emotions are stronger, more pure.”

“So does that mean you have two different people meant for you?”

Cela grinned affectionately at Ginny. “I wish, then I’d be meant for you too! That’s not it, your soul mate is your life mate, but there’s a borderline that’s extremely hard to cross to be ones life mate. Here it might help if I used a visual aid,” Cela said grapping a piece of paper. “The S symbolizes soul mates, the L life mates.”

S/L

“Do you see that line between them? Okay that’s the line that has to be crossed over to become a life mate. So if you’re a soul mate you are their life mate, but you just aren’t ready to make some sort of step. Usually it’s involved with your attitudes. Your families held so much hatred towards each other, which was passed on to you guys that the soul mate principal between you two crossed over to life mates. Usually to get your life mate out of your soul mate you have to hate them. Hatred ignites it, love caresses it afterwards.”

“That makes sense,” Hermione whispered. “You explained it better than I did,” she pouted. “I need to go—”

“Why didn’t we see it sooner?” Ginny asked never once looking at Draco.

“Oh, I’m sure you felt something towards each other the whole time, even if you did ignore one another. Hate is a strong emotion that borders closely to love, or obsession, but lets not go there. In the soul mate principle most of the time the couples are extreme opposites, but when you go into the life mate principal it’s both. You are so completely different from each other, and yet you are so alike.”

“Wait a minute, slow down!” Ginny’s voice rose as she held out her hand.

“It’s also why you’re reacting so strongly towards this, and yes Ginny, when Draco was holding you last night the life mate principal is what made you feel safe and warm in his arms,” Cela gritted out.

“Would you stop that? Stop it! Stop it stop it! No reading of the mind!” Ginny yelled out.

“Lower your voices or I’ll be forced to kick you out!” the Librarian scolded.

“Sorry,” Hermione responded.

“What an old bat,” Draco bantered.

Ginny reached over and smacked him on the head. He glared at her and jerked her hand, grasping her wrist hard in his. Blue sparks zipped up Ginny’s arm making her shiver from the force.

“Is that going to happen every time we touch each other?” Ginny asked Draco.

Draco sneered. “Don’t ask me like I know!”

“Malfoy, don’t talk to me that way!” Ginny tossed her hair over her shoulders and glared.

“We’ll have to talk more about this later! Right now, we have to go to Hogsmead. Ginny get your dancing gear on.”

Draco watched as all the bright glowing color drained from her face. He frowned. “Are you okay?”

“I-I can’t do that again,” Ginny gasped out.

Hermione handed her a piece of paper. “Look at that amount. Do you want to get rid of the curse?”

Cela glared at Hermione. “Don’t be such a bitch!”

Hermione turned her eyes to Cela. “Someone has to be, if Ginny wants this curse to be lifted.”

“Why does it automatically have to be you?” Cela sneered. “Because you’re the smartest or because you’re the most anal one with no life?”

“Cela stop it! Hermione’s right, it’s just too soon. I can’t do it yet. I’m sorry, I-I just can’t!” Ginny covered her mouth and half ran out of the library.

“What was that about?” Draco asked suspiciously.

Hermione smiled at him. “It’s good to have you being nice for once. You’re not all that bad.”

“Shove it, you dirty blooded bitch!” Draco snarled.

“Well, that didn’t last long now did it?” Hermione ground out, irritated. “We were trying to raise money for all of us to go to Elf Town so we could find a cure. She was supposed to dance and sing.”

“What were the rest of you supposed to do?” Draco glared.

Cela looked at Hermione and Hermione twined her fingers together nervously. “Hand her water when she got tired.”

Draco sneered at them with his jaw set. “Yeah, leave it to—”

“Anyhow, before she even started, people started throwing things at her. Calling her raunchy elf names. I tried to explain that it was all nonsense and that the people who did it just weren’t comfortable with differences in people, but she refused to listen.”

With out a word Draco leapt up and went after her.

Hermione shook her head. “He is so different.”

“Is he? It’s because of the necklace?”

“Maybe, but I think the necklace just gave him a boost as he said.”

------------------------------------

“Ginny?” Draco called down the hall and walked past the stairs.

“What?” he heard her mumble.

He turned around and glanced down at her sitting on the bottom step, leaning against the wall. He kneeled down beside her and brushed a stray strand of blonde hair out of her face. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she sniffled. “Sorry for running out of there like that.”

Draco’s heart clenched at the tears streaming down her face.

What the hell?

Aren’t you supposed to hate her?

Why am I acting like this?

He brought his hand up to her face and wiped away the wet tearstains. “How much do you have to get?”

Ginny hiccupped another cry and held out a piece of paper. Draco unfolded it and let his eyes follow the neat precise writing.

He slowly smiled. “That’s it?”

Ginny stiffened as she heard laughter bubble up in him. “Well, it may not be a lot to a rich bastard like—”

Draco held up his hands, laughter still etched out on his face. “Hey, hey! I wasn’t insulting you.”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Well that’s a surprise!”

Draco snorted. “This is chunk change for me, but if you’re going to be like that I won’t pay for it!”

Ginny jerked her head up from her hands and plopped her feet down to the floor. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him, causing him to gulp noticeably. “What?”

“I’ll pay for it,” he smiled softly into her eyes.

A smile, relieved smile spread across Ginny’s face.

To Be Continued….

I started getting lazy towards the end, so sorry. I’m just tired and wanted to get this one out soon. So I hope everyone liked the improved chapter! ~Aya

Chapter Eight:

When Draco had said he would pay for the trip all Ginny could do was smile, but now that she had time to think about it, it just wasn’t something she’d pictured him doing.

“Are you serious because if you aren’t that’s just cruel,” Ginny said, placing her hands on her hips and staring him down.

Draco raised an eyebrow and stroked his chin. “I have no reason to lie.”

Ginny felt her eyes start to sting slightly as she stared at his smooth, very serious face. “So-so you’re serious?” Her voice wavered.

“Very,” he spoke softly.

Ginny stared at the ground, shaking her head back and forth in disbelief. “But-why?”

Draco frowned. “I don’t know,” he said simply, shifting his weight while he continued to stare at her bowed head. “It’s proper to make eye contact when having a conversation.”

Ginny lifted her gaze and gave him a sheepish smile. Draco stiffened as he felt his stomach clench with—something he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to analyze at that moment.

“Are you absolutely sure?” Ginny asked, nibbling on her bottom lip.

Draco Malfoy could be described as many things, but not as a weak kneed, breathless, teenage boy. Most definitely he would not be associated with a girl because of it, but that was one thing Ginny Weasley could do, make his knees weak, make him breathless, by just giving him an innocent look. “I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t sure.”

Ginny gasped out a sob, and with a huge smile on her face, launched herself into his arms. He wasn’t expecting such an impact, catching him off balance as she wrapped her legs around his waist, squeezed him tightly, and buried her face into his neck. He steadied himself by dropping one of his hands on a table directly behind him and placing his other hand beneath her, holding her to him so she wouldn’t fall.

Draco cleared his throat. “You might want to warn me the next time you—” he paused as he felt wet teardrops drip onto his neck.

“Thank you so much,” she whispered, sounding heartbroken. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

With an uncomfortable look, Draco awkwardly patted her on the back, while resting his hip against the table for support.

“You’re welcome.”

She lifted her head up from his neck. “Ron isn’t going to like this. He wouldn’t even let Harry pay for it. Harry could help you, you know. So you wouldn’t have to pay for all of it.”

Draco glared. “Potter,” he spat out with disgust. “I will never need his help, as I said before this is pocket money for me. Multiply that amount by thirty and that is how much I have in my vault.”

Ginny smiled at him and lifted her hand up to touch his face. He jerked slightly away, so in response, she cradled his face in both of her hands, pulling him closer to her. She glanced down at his mouth, tracing her thumb along the bottom lip. “I’m going to kiss you Draco,” Ginny whispered, licking her lips unconsciously.

He pulled his head back and gave her a challenging look. “And if I won’t let you?”

Ginny laughed softly. “You’ll find you won’t be able to refuse.”

She took in a shaky breath then placed her lips, firmly, on his. When she felt him stiffen, she slipped her tongue out of her mouth, and coaxed his lips to open. Ginny cringed slightly as she felt the tips of his fingers digging into her side, as is he would pull her away. Ginny sighed inwardly and lifted her hands up, trailing her fingers around the back of his neck. She jolted with triumph as she felt his hands relax in the valley of her lower back, and pride swelled in her when she felt him groan with defeat. Desire swept through her, making her toes curl when she felt his tongue finally respond. The kiss became more intense and it was as if their tongues were fighting for dominance of the other.

Passion.

The thought struck Ginny so quickly that she grunted and rolled her hips against Draco’s, causing him to growl in response. If someone had asked her, before this kiss, if she had ever felt passion, she could have safely answered no, but now, passion was the two of them. She felt the warm desire pool in the lower pit of her stomach and she knew then, that if Draco asked to have sex with her, she wouldn’t be able to say no.

Ginny grunted softly as she felt Draco’s hands trail down and grip her buttocks tightly, forcing more friction between their bodies. He gave a guttural groan and swiftly flipped her around, lying her down on the table that he’d been resting on. He made jerking motion with his hips, pushing himself closer between Ginny’s thighs and she gasped as she felt his arousal against her.

Without warning Ginny dropped her right cheek to the side, resting on the cool tabletop, forcing Draco’s lips to land on the side of her jaw. Hiccupping for breath, her chest heaving, she bit her lip and stared at the shelves of books. Draco, who was too trying to catch his breath, grunted and rested his forehead against her shoulder.

“I-I’m sorry,” Ginny spoke breathlessly.

“It’s fine,” he said, his voice sounding deeper than usual. He slowly lifted up his head, reached to move Ginny’s face so that she was looking at him, and gently stroked his thumb down along her cheek. “Isn’t it the guy that’s supposed to make the first move?”

Ginny felt heat rise in her cheeks and she nibbled her bottom lip. She had never seen his eyes so dark and intense. “If you remember correctly,” she whispered, “you did, it just took me a few days to reciprocate.”

Draco smirked. “Reciprocate huh? That’s a pretty big word for a Weasley.”

Ginny instantly felt irritated and smacked him hard on the head, before bucking her hips to get him off. He grunted and dodged to move her rising knee. He quickly yanked her wrists up to the top of the table and applied pressure to her legs with his.

“I was just kidding!” He hollered, his hands gripping both of her wrists tightly.

“Why do you always have to be such an arse? I thought we were being-” Ginny cried out almost in tears.

“Thought we were being what?” He asked raising an eyebrow.

Ginny shook her head. “Just forget it. Get off me!”

“Hey!” Draco growled.

“We’re lucky there was no one in here. Do you know how many detentions we’d have to serve after what we just did?” Ginny said, trying desperately to change the subject.

Draco smacked his leg. “Did I miss something?”

Ginny clucked her tongue and smacked her thighs. “I don’t know if I can deal with this.”

Draco frowned. “With what?”

Ginny motioned her hands in a circle. “This-it’s weird, but nice and I don’t know what to think sometimes.”

A throat cleared, jerking their attention away from each other. They lifted up their heads and saw Cela standing there. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she glared at them.

“Dinner!” she gritted out and stomped towards the Great Hall.

Draco smirked. “It really irks here that your mine and she can’t have you.”

Ginny smacked him on the shoulder. “Don’t make her mad, elves hold grudges!”

Draco raised an eyebrow and leaned against the table. “I guess I’ll have to remember that!”

----------------------------------------

Ginny couldn’t stop herself from staring at him. He was so different. Almost everything he did surprised her. He made her hot, cold, happy, sad, angry and—horny at the same time. She really hated admitting the last part, but it was the truth. Draco had her attention even when he wasn’t around.

“Ginny! Guess what?” Hermione smiled evilly as they finished dinner and got up to walk out.

Ginny lifted her eyebrow, continuing her search for the only person she’d been thinking about. “What?”

“My parents sent the hair die a couple of weeks ago and I got it today! It’s exactly your original color!”

Ginny stopped in her tracks and turned. “Are you serious?”

Hermione grinned at the look on her friends face. “Yep!”

“Oh Merlin—yes!” Ginny laughed and launched into a fast run, down the hall towards the Gryffindor common room.

“Wait, wait! Don’t you need to tell—” Hermione hopped to keep up with her, calling out to her.

“I don’t care! I want my red hair back!” Ginny cried out grabbing the dye. “Herbal Essence! True intense color!” she read from the box. “Under ground red, fire beneath the surface. This is exactly my hair color! Wow! Muggles really are creative aren’t they? I’m sure it wasn’t easy getting this color. So can I get my hair color back now?”

Hermione laughed. “Calm down.”

Cela smiled gently at Ginny. “You think you can stand to be away from your lover for an hour?”

Ginny’s cheeks flushed red. “He’s not my lover-yet.”

Cela shrugged. “I just figured with the both of you living together, you guys would have done it already.”

Ginny turned to look at her elfin friend. “What? I-I no. I wouldn’t know what to do. The furthest I’ve ever gotten was breast caressing.”

“Well, while I’m dying your hair you can do some research,” Hermione informed, dropping a book in front of her.

Ginny lifted her eyebrow. “On what?”

Hermione patted her head and smiled. “Sex. It’s best that you know everything.”

Ginny’s eyes widened in shock. “I-I can’t read that!”

“Nonsense. Haven’t you ever heard that knowledge is power, freedom?”

Cela grinned and looked up at Hermione. “Been reading into the kinky books lately?”

Hermione gave a disapproving look. “I like books, I like the way they smell, the way the pages feel—it doesn’t matter what’s in them.”

“Reading those books with anyone in mind?” Cela smirked teasingly at Hermione. “So, when are you going to ask Harry out?”

Ginny glanced up at Hermione, wondering the same thing. She smiled as she saw her friends flustered face flaming.

Hermione gritted her teeth. “How do you know I want to?”

Ginny patted Hermione on the back. “Well, it’s a bit obvious, to everyone really—well except my slow brother and of course Harry.”

“Oh, Harry will see her soon enough,” Cela smirked arrogantly.

“How did we switch topics from Ginny to me?” Hermione asked slightly irritated.

Ginny shrugged as Hermione put plastic over her shoulders. “I just went along with the transition. It’s easier talking about how out of whack other peoples lives are.”

“Lets get back to Ginny and Draco,” Hermione suggested.

Cela glanced at Ginny. “Yes,” Cela spoke softly. “Lets.”

“He’s paying for the trip,” Ginny spoke suddenly and shrugged. “So maybe you guys could talk nice about him. Maybe.”

Hermione paused. “What?”

“I said-”

“No, I heard what you said. Just take it as a rhetorical question. Why is he paying for the trip?”

Ginny shrugged again. “He said he would.”

Hermione frowned and began parting Ginny’s hair, taking two and a half inches of hair from each side.

“Why are you doing that to her hair?” Cela asked.

“So I can get the roots,” Hermione spoke hastily, as if Cela’s question wasn’t important. “That’s a rather-erm, courteous thing for him to do!”

Ginny twirled her fingers together, smiling down. “I couldn’t believe it at first either.”

“Does he know how much it is?”

Ginny nodded her head. “He said it was pocket money for him.”

“Rich and conceited, you know, he’s just trying to get into your knickers,” Cela smirked. “I’m not sure I like him.”

Ginny shook her head and laughed. “The feelings mutual on his side. Besides, you’re the one that said not to judge him by his attitude when we first met.”

Cela scoffed and power sizzled through the air. Ginny frowned. “Cela, is that you?”

“Sorry.”

“What were the conditions?” Hermione asked.

Ginny gave a puzzled look. “No conditions! He just said he’d do it and that was it. He didn’t want anything in return.”

“I said it once and I’ll say it again. He just wants to get-” Cela sneered.

Ginny pierced her lips at her then turned to look at Hermione. “You don’t think he expected something do you?”

Hermione turned Ginny’s head back around, but not before she saw her head shaking. “No! If he wanted something for it he would have said something. Draco isn’t one to keep his mouth shut about something like that.”

“He really judged harshly by people who don’t know him,” Ginny whispered feeling giddy, “What is wrong with me?” she asked suddenly.

“Didn’t Dumbledore say this would happen? The need to nurture and love each other?” Cela asked.

Ginny sighed. “Yes, I suppose. I guess I just didn’t expect it to be so-so right there in my face.”

“Cela there’s another book over there! Hand it to Ginny, she’ll like that one better.”

Cela sauntered over to the table and lifted the book up. “The Art of Making Love?” she raised an eyebrow and tossed to book to Ginny. “You aren’t going to fuck him are you?” she sneered out irritated.

“CELA!” Ginny cried out. “Not that it’s any of your business. I really wish you would stop acting like I belong to you,” Ginny added and cringed when she saw Cela’s eyes turn red. “I’m not trying to be disrespectful-I just don’t think I can handle being called someone’s possession from one more person. Draco’s been doing it enough.

Cela glared down at the footstool, stood up, kicked it, and walked out.

Ginny gulped nervously. “Gosh! I don’t think I’ve ever seen her act that way. She’s always calm and collected.”

Hermione’s eyes trained on the door. “Gosh is right. I think there’s more to her than she’s letting on.”

“We aren’t supposed to get elves angry right?”

“That’s right.”

“If Cela has feelings for me and I’m supposed to be with Draco—you don’t think that it will—”

“Everything will be fine! Trust me,” Hermione smiled, but she stared at the door that had just slammed shut, worry filling her eyes.

-------------------------

To Be Continued…

Chapter Nine:

Draco looked up from his reading material at the sound of his door opening and did a double take. “What are you wearing?”

He’d had to endure most uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, especially in his lower regions, for longer than he wanted. At first it had just irritated him that when Ginny walked in the room he ignored her neck and up, then it got down right impossible. He’d been having sex fantasies, daydreams, and night dreams left and right.

I must be dreaming. Why would Ginny wear something like that to bed? She really is trying to kill me!

Ginny stared at him drolly. “That’s the first thing you notice? What about my hair?”

“Your hair-what the bloody hell did you do?”

“You know, why do you only pay attention to everything below my neck? Every time I’m in the same room with you, you make me feel like a piece of meat.”

Draco snapped his teeth and rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing at his sweaty palms. “I have been sleeping, in the same bed, with a fully developed teenaged girl, for too long, with no sex. I might add, Weasley, that before you came a long I had quite often. How do expect me to react when you come in wearing that?”

“It’s my brothers’ old Quidditch shirt!”

“Do you have anything under it?”

Ginny snorted and tossed her hair over her shoulder, looking highly offended. “That is none of your business!”

Draco’s eyes darkened and he smacked the top of his thigh in irritation. “This is ridiculous.”

I can’t take this anymore! I feel like a damned thirteen year old when I’m around her.

Ginny clucked her tongue and dug her fingers into her hips, trying desperately to hold onto her temper. “I didn’t know you wore glasses,” she said, looking to change the subject.

He gave her a puzzled. “What? Oh,” he cleared his throat and then jerked his glasses off. “Eh, it just helps the words not become blurred.”

“It’s kind of cute,” she grinned biting her lip.

“Your hair,” he repeated pointing at it. “What have you done?”

Ginny snorted and then started clapping. “Bravo! I actually thought you had some-”

Draco shook his head. “Just be quiet!”

“We’re making progress Draco. You didn’t tell me to shut my mouth.”

“We’ve been making progress?” He asked raising an eyebrow. “The only thing I’d like to be making progress with is getting into your knickers,” he grumbled.

“Would you stop it? You’re just trying to get on my nerves.”

“Actually, I’m trying to make you blush and I’m mostly serious.”

“What?” she grinned as she sat on his bed.

“So, is everything prepared for the trip?”

“Don’t try and change the subject!”

“I was changing it for your sake. I’d gladly like to stay ‘on’ the topic.”

“Malfoy!”

“Back to Malfoy again? You really ought to make up your mind, because I want you screaming my first name when you come.”

“I came in here to thank you for the trip and show you my hair. Really more to thank you and all you can do is get your jollies off by talking dirty to me?”

Draco slowly lifted himself up, looking like a cat stretching lazily as he walked over to her. “To thank me? What have you been doing?”

“N-nothing.”

“I have a feeling that nothing is something!” Draco grinned down at her.

Ginny pushed herself on the bed and brought herself up, with the help of her feet digging into the bed, to lie on the pillow. She rested her arm beneath her head, her body taking a seductive pose.

She smiled as she watched Draco gulp nervously. “Gin, what are you doing?”

She scraped her teeth over her bottom lip. “Well, while Hermione was dying my hair she a—made me read a book. I-I want to thank you for what your doing.”

“What I’m doing?” Draco asked searching her face.

“Paying for the trip.”

Draco grunted and smirked, stroking his chin. “A ‘thank you’ would be just fine.”

“I know that’s all you expected, but you have no idea what this means to me,” she whispered leaning up on her elbows.

Draco walked around the bed and sat at her side, gazing down at her. “Ginny—”

Ginny sat up, nearly three inches away from his face. “Draco I—I want you to make love to me,” she whispered her lips grazing his with every word.

“Are you drunk?” Draco asked, so seriously that Ginny threw her head back against the bed, giggling hysterically.

Draco nodded curtly. “I take that as a no.”

She swiftly lifted herself up and gripped his shirt, pulling his body down to hers. Her breath caught in her throat and a blush filled her face as she realized her boldness. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. She dropped her hands and turned her face into the pillow, suddenly very shy with their intimate body contact. She shuddered as she felt sparks shoot through her. Draco’s body was heavy and warm making jolts whip through her. She gasped slightly as he shook a little, opening her legs, and resting in between her thighs.

He lifted his hands to her face and took a deep breath, smiling down at her. “I really do like your hair. It’s more you.”

“And here I thought you hated red-heads.”

Draco smirked and traced his thumb against her bottom lip. “Not my redhead.”

“That’s how you think of me?” Ginny whispered.

He frowned. “I’m not certain if I think that all the time. I do sometimes though.”

“Make love to me.”

“Are you sure?”

She gulped, but no hesitation was evident as she spoke. “Yes.”

His eyes darkened as he bent his forehead down to hers, gently sliding his lips along hers.

He reached for the hem of her shirt and started lifting, searching her eyes one more time before he fully pulled it off.

The cool breeze that whipped across her made Ginny shudder. She bit her lip as she watched Draco slip the remaining pieces of his clothes off. With in the matter of seconds they were naked and tightly pressed against each other.

It happened so fast. The gentle hand brushings, the hard gropes, the desperate kisses, before Ginny knew it she was panting heavily with want. How had their relationship, if you could call it that, bloom to this moment, this heat that was scorching between them, how?

“Draco please,” Ginny whimpered.

He smiled softly and kissed her neck. “Ready?”

Ginny cupped his cheek and nudged his hips with hers. “Yes.”

Draco groaned and bared his teeth as he felt Ginny’s questing hands become bolder as they gripped his hard throbbing shaft. “Ginny—don’t, please baby, don’t.”

Ginny lifted her eyes up to his. “Am-am I hurting you?”

“No.”

“Then why—”

Draco cut her off by kissing her gently on the lips and slowly taking her hands away from him. “I love how your fingers feel wrapped around me Ginny.”

She gave him a questioning look as he slowly began trailing kisses down her stomach. As he got lower Ginny’s hips gave a jerk and she tugged at his shoulders in virginal fear and frustration.

“What are you doing?”

Draco lifted his eyes and kissed the right side of her hipbone. Ginny’s breath caught as he watched her watching him seductively kissing her body.

“No, Draco! Not down there!” she cried out as he licked and bit the tender flesh of her inner thigh.

“You don’t ever have to be squeamish with me, ever, I do it all baby! Watch me Ginny, you’ll like it!” he grinned with an evil glint in his eye.

Never taking his eyes off of hers he pushed his tongue past the tender folds of her womanhood and slowly inside of her. Pleasure shot through her and Draco smiled in masculine pleasure as he watched Ginny’s expressions of surprise and awe cross her face.

Ginny watched in embarrassment as Draco’s head bobbed up and down between her legs, his tongue doing wondrous things to her as did so. She quickly averted her eyes and stared at the wall giving out tiny kittenish gasps.

“Ginny, watch me or I’ll stop!” Draco demanded his voice thick with something that was very unfamiliar to Ginny.

She turned her eyes back to his. “Draco?”

“Hmm?” he hummed into her causing Ginny to cry out.

“C-can I ask you-oh-ah…”

Draco paused and slowly lifted his head up, replacing his tongue with his finger. His eyes danced with amusement. “Can you ask me what?”

Ginny bit her lip as her hips lifted higher. She blushed as she felt herself gush around his hand. “A question?”

He snickered. “Of course you can.”

“Do I turn you on?”

Draco lifted his charcoal colored eyebrow. “Pardon?”

“I was wondering—“

“No I heard you. Of course you do. Why would you ask?”

“I just want to make sure it isn’t because I’m just, well—there.”

“I swear you do things too me. Can’t you hear it in my voice.”

She nodded.

“What do you hear in it?” He asked.

“It’s heavy and thick with something.”

Draco smirked his eyes twinkling. “I’m turned on Ginny. Pleasure and pain is coursing through my body with every expression that passes through your face, with every push of my finger inside of you. Oh Gin, you’re so wet,” he groaned softly with defeat, as he gave her a full caress and then slowly dropped himself on top of her.

“You very beautiful you know,” Ginny whispered softly as she felt him rubbing the tip of his erection up down her wet opening.

Draco took in a shuddering breath as he pushed himself fully into her. Ginny gasped in pain and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

“I won’t move until you’re ready.”

Still she refused to let go of his neck.

“Ginny, you’re choking me!” he whispered in her ear.

“I’m just waiting for more pain to come,” she gasped softly and bit his neck hard.

Draco smiled and unlatched her arms from around his neck. He petted her breast and took a nipple into his mouth, gently suckling it. Ginny’s body instantly reacted closing around him, forcing a low groan out of his mouth, his body begging for release.

“Wow,” Ginny whispered softly as she looked at Draco questioningly.

The pain was more than she expected, but the more Draco kissed and coaxed her the more her body adjusted to him. The pain was almost gone and was now washing over Ginny with a foreign pleasure. Ginny rolled her hips experimentally against Draco’s and grinned happily as the pleasure of it etched out on every inch of his handsome god-like face. He dropped his head into the curve of her shoulder and gently nipped as he pushed himself deeper into her, repeating the gentle yet thorough stroke that Ginny felt to her core.

Slightly breathless Draco’s pace started to pick up as he lifted his upper body up, resting his elbows on either side of Ginny’s head, looking down at her, their lips grazing with every pleasure filled stroke he gifted her with. “It isn’t always like this. I think it’s just for us.”

Draco gritted his teeth at the tightness of her. He was loosing control as her walls clutched him and his pace quickened. Ginny lifted her head up her lips seeking desperately for his kiss.

“You feel so strange inside of me.”

Draco groaned against her shoulder as his body began to shake with need. “How do I feel?”

“Wonderful, so strong—perfect,” she whispered.

Draco growled and reared up on his palms, the muscles in his arms bulging with power. Ginny gasped in shock.

“Wrap your legs around me,” Draco demanded.

Ginny did as she was told and grunted from his powerful thrusts. The new position allowed him to go deeper, causing Ginny’s mouth to drop in a silent scream.

Draco gasped and his body shook as he tried to ride out the orgasm that was threatening to erupt from her simple soft-gasped words. “G-Ginny, sh-shh,” Draco panted breathlessly as he pushed harder into her, the smell of sex and the sound of naked skin smacking together filling the air.

Draco bent his head trailing soft, intimate kisses along her chest and neck. Ginny reared up suddenly and screamed in pleasure as a clawing orgasm ripped through her body. The force of her cry took Draco by surprise for a fraction of a second and he glanced down quickly to see if he’d accidentally hurt her from the speed and strength of his thrusts, but when he saw the ecstasy filling her face it was his undoing. His eyes closed as he concentrated on his last three full strokes, he bent down and bit her shoulder, growling out his release.

Ginny stared up at the ceiling in awe as her pleasure subsided. Draco collapsed on top of her, spent and week. A soft humming sound could be heard as Ginny trailed her fingertips along his back.

He was still lying on her body, breathing heavily in her ear, resting his cheek on her neck, as minutes flew by. Draco lifted himself off and plopped down next to her, dangling his arm across his stomach. “It’s never been like that before,” he mumbled softly before shut his eyes.

Ginny smiled as she watched Draco slowly drift off to sleep. She felt the drowsiness slipping into her as well. Before she succumbed she reached down between the covers and held his hand as she joined him in sleep.

------------------------

Draco’s eyes slowly slid open and he sighed contentedly at the looseness in his body. He grinned to himself and slowly turned to wrap an arm around Ginny’s waist, only to find cool rumpled sheets.

“Ginny?” Draco called, lifting his head up and looking around.

He licked his lips in evil ambition as he heard a splash of water. He lifted himself up and walked into his hot tub room, instantly spotting the red headed mop of hair bobbing up from the water.

Stripping his clothes, Draco slowly walked up, and slid behind her, causing her to squeal in surprise.

“Draco! What are you doing?”

He moaned at the heavenly feel of her naked, slippery body sliding up his chest. He hummed into her neck and moved them to the other side.

“Draco, that thing that pushes water out like a turbo stream is right there. Come on move over a bit.”

He didn’t move, but rather pushed her legs apart allowing the water to propel into her.

“Malfoy! What are you doing?” Ginny cried out, “Come on, move over!”

“I think after what we just did we no longer have to refer to each other by our last names. Not that we did it much to begin with. Enjoy it,” he whispered watching her face as he massaged her breasts and stroked the lower half of her stomach, then sliding down to dip his fingers into her curls.

“Oh, OH, oh,” Ginny gasped and wrapped her hands around his thighs, squeezing, her eyes fluttering shut.

Her body was shuddering from the force of the water and the feel of Draco’s fingers pushing in and out of her.

“That’s it baby,” Draco murmured. “Come for me.”

She rolled her head onto Draco’s shoulders as the water pushed over and in her. She trembled and gasped, her body clenching. He molded her breasts to his hands, flicking the nipples as her back pushed into his chest for more leverage. She lifted her legs up to the side, adding more water pressure; she wrapped her arms around his neck and screamed in ecstasy, throwing her body hard into his.

She collapsed against him, gasping for breath. She closed her legs, wanting to turn away from the gushing water, and turned to her side to lie on Draco’s chest in the water. This time the water was pushing against one of her butt cheeks.

“Merlin,” she sighed.

Draco smirked and kissed the side of her neck, letting his hand trail down her side. “Liked that?”

Her eyes drooped lazily. “Hmm-huh,” she mumbled.

Draco grinned and licked the length of her ear. She gasped in pleasure and jerked so suddenly he almost lost his grip on her. “I guess elf ears are sensitive. Very sensitive.”

Ginny twirled her finger around his chest, giving him kisses and nudges that reminded him of a kitten. She grinned suddenly and lifted her face up to his.

“I think we forgot something,” Ginny grinned gripping his erection.

“I suppose we did,” he managed through a groan before resting his head on the edge of the tub.

“I guess the lure of the necklace is a lot stronger than we both thought,” she whispered against his neck as she lifted herself up and straddled his lap.

“Because you want me?” he smirked up at the ceiling.

“Because we both want each. You don’t think the Elf Curse has anything to do with this do you?”

“Ginny, talk about it later,” he growled.

He gritted his teeth, gripped her hips lifting her up, and pushed himself into her.

“Ah,” she gasped, moving her hips from the uncomfortable tightness.

“Sore?”

“Just a little,” she whispered.

“This should help,” he said as he dropped his head down to her chest.

Ginny closed her eyes and gasped in pleasure. He ground her hips down onto him, bending his face into her shoulders, gently nipping as pleasure coursed through his body.

“Oh, Ginny!” he cried out.

“Draco?” she gasped out. “You really do like my hair?”

Draco pulled her head to his, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. “You’re beautiful.”

Ginny gasped bending back, digging her hips deeper into his. She held her head, pulling her hair as pleasure filled her. She bared her teeth and braced herself on the rims of the tub on either side of him she started pushing harder onto him.

“Oh!” she bit her lip as Draco leaned up and sucked on her elongated ear. Ginny screamed as she climaxed. She squeezed her head and cried shaking and jerking.

Draco gritted his teeth and hissed out rapidly as her walls squeezed around him. “I guess elf ears are REALLY sensitive.”

He rammed up into her one more time and cried out in pleasure, hugging her tightly to his chest as he pulsed inside. He licked the lower column of her neck, sucking up the droplets of water that had gathered from the splashing of their movements.

She trailed her fingers down his back and sighed into his shoulder. “This is happening so fast,” she whispered huskily “but I-I feel like we’ve known each other forever.”

Draco’s nose gently nuzzled her neck causing warmth to pool into her stomach yet again.

“I know.”

“I’m so tired,” Ginny whispered.

Draco gave one last shudder before he pulled from her and slowly swung her legs over his arm. Cradling her body in his arms, her head snuggling into the side of his neck, as he walked through his room. The cold air sending shivers of coldness over their drippy bodies.

He stood her on her feet and dried her off with his black terry cloth towel, rubbing her in a way a towel should not be used, building a need for him inside of her.

“Draco,” she moaned. “Be good!”

He grinned up. “When have I ever been good?”

He swung her back up into his arms and laid her on the bed, tucking her in and kissing her cheek. He went to dry himself off and then joined her in the bed. The gentle blue lightening shocks jolting him as he curled her into his arms. She settled comfortably into his chest, closing her eyes, sighing, with a huge smile forming on her lips.

To Be Continued…

When I had first sent this part out (before all my revisions) people thought the sex part was a little too soon. I still feel it was a little too soon, but there was no other way around it. The scene formed perfectly into my plot. I hope everyone enjoyed it!

Dialogues:

“You don’t ever have to be squeamish with me, ever, I do it all baby!” ~Harlan from Texas Sage by Sandra Brown

Sorry this isn't a chapter, but I've been getting a lot of e-mails for me to hurry up and update this. I won't be able to for about another two months. I'm in the middle of a tiny family crisis and I don't have access to my writing files, which are on MY computer. I have most of the next chapter fixed up, but like I said I don't have it. So I apologize for the wait. Some other stories I may be able to update, but I haven't had a chance to look at them yet. I'll have it out as soon as possible! ~Aya

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Chapter Ten:

Draco jerked awake at the high-pitched squeal he heard from his bathroom.

“No! This cannot be happening!” Ginny screamed.

“Ginny, what’s wrong?”

A blonde haired flushed elf stormed out of the bathroom in a wild rage. “My hair! It turned blonde again!”

Draco bit his lip, held back a laugh, and pulled himself up from the bed, wrapping the sheet around his waist. “I think it’s trying to tell you something.”

Ginny glanced at him through strands of stray hair that had flipped into her face and glared, wrinkling her nose in distaste. “Don’t you say it Draco Malfoy!”

Draco smirked and sauntered lazily over to her. He cupped the side of her cheek and caressed gently. “Blondes are—”

Ginny pushed her finger over his mouth, stopping his words, and knew as soon as she did it that it was a mistake. They were so close that their noses were gently brushing. Ginny shuddered, dropping her eyes, and turning her face into Draco’s caress upon her cheek.

She gently kissed the palm of his hand and pulled away.

“I’m still a bit awkward,” Ginny giggled nervously.

Draco’s eyes had darkened and with each step Ginny took away, Draco retraced until she was pressed against the wall behind her. “There’s nothing awkward about you. I promise,” he whispered softly as he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her body into his.

Ginny grunted and rested her arms on his hips, lifting her head up smiling at him. “I meant awkward in the sense that ‘this’ happened too fast.”

Draco raised his eyebrow in question. “Having regrets?”

Ginny vehemently shook her head ‘no’. “Oh NO!”

She looked so serious about it that Draco dropped his head down into her shoulders and bit her neck to keep from laughing out. “So what then?” he whispered up in her ear.

“I just…like two days ago, even a day ago, we hated each other. Now we’re all hugs and kisses,” she spoke breathlessly turning her neck towards his mouth as he traced one of her blue veins with his tongue.

Draco grunted in understanding. “Anything I can do to make you not awkward about us?” His voice hoarse, yet soft and seductive as he lifted his face up to gaze into her eyes, and moved closer as if going to kiss her.

Ginny lifted her face in anticipation for the kiss, but when Draco made no attempt to kiss her she opened her eyes and her breath caught. She never really realized how beautiful his eyes were, how intense, focused, dangerously seductive those blue speckled gray orbs that twinkled when he was amused. Those very same eyes searched hers.

“Your eyes are so beautiful,” Ginny sighed and clutched both sides of his face with her hands, bringing his lips to hers.

It was a soft kiss, short, sweet, so much in fact that it made Ginny’s heart flutter in unison with Draco’s. Ginny pulled him closer to her, gently nudging her hips into his causing him to grunt with pleasure. Draco shoved his hands into her back pocket and clutched her bottom, pulling her up so that Ginny had no choice but to wrap her legs around his hips. Ginny cried out and her hips jerked into Draco’s so hard that he almost lost his balance. She dropped her head back as he trailed butterfly kisses down the column of her throat.

“Draco, we-um—” Ginny shook her head to clear it, damn her elf senses. Why did they have to be heightened? “We have to go! Today’s the day we leave to go to Elf Town.”

Draco pulled back slowly, his eyes holding an evil challenging glint. “They can wait,” he growled out as he, with one hand, pulled her shirt up over her head followed by her bra.

He dropped his head and sucked on the side of her breast. Biting her bottom lip to hold back her gasp, Ginny slid down his front and walked backwards, her body protesting every inch of the way. “No, they can’t.” she grinned and bent down pulling her bra and shirt back on.

Draco growled a dangerous, frustrated growl that sent shivers down Ginny’s back. He curled his fingers into the front of her jeans and tugged gently. “Ginny…”

She smiled, leaned forward, and bit his lip roughly. “Later! Let memories of our first time swamp my thoughts and make me giddy, then for sure I’ll want you all night and morning.”

He frowned and wrapped his hand around the back of her head, pulling her to him so that their noses brushed softly against each other. “Be ready for a long night then!”

Ginny pinched his arse cheek. “You better be ready. I’m gonna wear you out!”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Draco smirked as he watched her walk out of his room—no their room.

****

“We have to WALK?” Hermione screamed at the train conductor.

He sighed, irritated. “Yes, I’m sorry, but the rest of the way is enchanted and only living, breathing things can go through. We don’t have any horses or camels on board, so I’m afraid you’ll have to walk from here. The professor was kind enough to provide enchanted maps that will speak to you when you are lost. It can tell you exactly where you are at any time. Now, if you’ll excuse me—and you all get off—I have other passengers to take to their destinations. Have a good day,” he grinned and pushed them out the door.

“Of all the—” Hermione started.

Cela gritted her teeth. “Just don’t, it’s not going to help matters any.”

Ginny smiled. “Well it can’t be too far, I mean Professor Dumbledore wouldn’t have let us come had he known we would have had to walk very far. So really, how far can Elf Town be?”

“If you walk non-stop, day and night throughout the obstacles of the forever changing forest you will make it to Elf Town in a week,” the map jolted in Hermione’s hands.

Harry’s mouth dropped.

“A-a week?” Ron cried out in distress. “Day and night walking? We have to stop for sleep, food, and other things.”

Ginny nodded in agreement. “Yes, most definitely ‘other things’!”

As everyone turned to stare at her, Ginny realized what she’d said and her eyes widened. Slightly backing up she snuck a glance towards Draco who was licking his lips trying to hold back a laugh. She felt her face turn hot with embarrassment and she backed up fully behind Draco, his broad masculine shoulders sheltering her from the shocked, Harry and Hermione, and angry, Ron and Cela, gazes.

“Cela, why didn’t you tell us?” Hermione glared.

Cela lifted her eyebrow in irritation. “I thought you knew everything,” she scoffed.

Hermione growled. “I don’t know everything, I’m just studious.”

“I don’t travel this way. I travel between time and space, which only elves can do. So technically I only know about certain areas and have never been anywhere in these woods.”

“Okay map, so how long will it take for seven hours of sleep, plus an extra three for eating, resting, and freshening up?” Ron asked.

“If you were to take my first suggestion it would take one-hundred and sixty-eight hours however, with the new question and subtraction of ten hours a day it will take two-hundred and thirty-eight hours.”

“Wow, almost two weeks,” Hermione commented as she began pulling her bags off her shoulders.

“‘Mione, what are you doing?” Ron asked exasperatingly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Honestly Ron, weren’t you paying attention? Anything that isn’t living can not cross the border line.”

Draco’s eyebrows lifted suggestively as he glanced at Ginny then frowned as he shifted his eyes towards the others, mainly Cela. “Ginny has a beautiful body, but I’m not willing to let all of you see her,” he stated simply.

“No one said anything—” Cela started angrily.

Draco glared viciously. “Nothing living can go through that. Clothes are not living.”

Hermione’s face paled. “Oh dear Merlin,” she gasped, “he’s right.”

Ginny glanced back and forth between Hermione and Draco. “So what, are you saying we can’t wear clothes through that barrier?”

“Clothes are allowed, but nothing else, including jewelry, body markings, fake hair—”

“B-body markings?” Ginny asked hesitantly.

“Yes. If you have any body markings go to those two oak trees and scan yourself through. The marking will instantly be removed along with all the effects if it perhaps might be magically spelled to you. Three of us already need to do this.”

“Three? Who are the other two that have tattoos?” Ginny asked glancing around.

“I have a Tautha De Dannan information book inscribed on my ankle. It’s been quite useful these last couple of weeks actually. I enchanted it so that all I have to do is say what I’m looking for, under this topic of course, and the page will lift from my ankle in full reading material. When I’m finished I just simply say ‘back to the book’.”

“Can anyone do it?” Harry asked grinning at Hermione with pride.

Hermione bit her lip and bowed her head at his silent praising look. “Yea-huh.”

“We should start scanning,” Draco murmured under his breath as he walked towards the trees.

Ginny frowned and hobbled up to him, trying to get a piece of gravel that had made its way into her shoe. “I didn’t see any tattoos on you—and I saw A LOT of you.”

Ron gagged and bowed his head. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Cela ‘hmmed’ in agreement, “That makes two of us.”

“It’s invisible, one that I’d rather not talk about at the moment.”

Ginny slung her arm through his as they walked through the trees together, Hermione only a step behind them. She felt a slight sensation on her chest as she walked through the space between the two evergreen trees and whispered softly to him, “At the moment? So that means you will tell me when you’re ready?”

“Perhaps,” he spoke back, equally as soft as her whisper.

Ginny stood next to Draco in shock as they walked out from the trees and a huge emptiness engulfed her being. Her lower lip trembled into a pout. “I don’t want to walk,” her voice quavered.

Draco gasped softly as he clutched his head.

“What’s wrong?” Ginny asked as she lifted her fingertips to his forehead.

Sphuzzz.

Ginny jolted slightly as white blue hot lightening traveled from his forehead into her fingertips. It wasn’t like the last time when they had touched skin to skin, it was more powerful, more mind boggling, so much more intense that Ginny felt like she’d explode. Draco’s eyes lifted up in shock and wonderment. Ginny’s knees began to weaken and soon she found herself being cradled in Draco’s supportive arms…her knees had given out.

“What’s happening to them?” Ron whispered to Hermione.

“The body marking of the necklace on the young maidens chest dimmed the effect of the real life-mate principle, because the necklace was only meant to find a soul-mate. The young man was lucky to find a life within a soul,” the map informed.

“The marking dulled their responses to each other?” Harry asked softly.

“Yes.”

Cela bit her tongue. “Which means when we go through The Lusty Forest they’ll be going at it tripled H’s…the hard, hot, and heaviness of sex.”

“Precisely,” the map replied.

Harry took a deep breath. “So if it wasn’t for the necklace they’d be together no matter what because when they touch that happens?”

“No, because a supernatural happening must intervene in some way for the human or in your case Wizard, to feel the jolts. Connections are made, however, not as intensely if, lets say ones blood got mixed with a fairy, vampire, or werewolf.”

“Oh,” Harry replied, his voice filled with relief as he gave a glance towards Hermione.

Hermione shuffled her feet and frowned at Cela. “The Lusty Forest?”

Cela glanced up, her eyes flashing in amusement. “Yep, so I suggest baby-making activity protection!”

“And when do we go there?” Ron asked grinning evilly.

Cela snorted and rolled her eyes. “Don’t sound so excited—well maybe you should be a bit,” she added suddenly as a strange expression crossed her face. “Hmm, threesome,” she murmured.

Ron blinked his eyes. “What was that?”

“Nothing! Ginny-love, do you think you can manage to tear yourself away from him long enough t—”

Ginny pulled back slightly from her tight hold on Draco, her eyes casting down to stare intently at her hands. “Sorry.”

Draco shoved his hands into her hair and gave her a soft, yet intense kiss, forcing her to make eye contact. “Don’t be sorry.”

“I feel really strange,” Ginny whispered leaning her forehead against his.

Draco gritted his teeth as jolts shot through him. He brushed his thumbs along her temple soothingly.

“You guys heard what the map said right?” Hermione called over.

“I heard it,” Draco grunted.

“What did it say?” Ginny asked.

Draco was hurry to answer the question. “Nothing.”

Hermione squinted her eyes in disapproval, “Draco—”

“Oh Merlin, do not say my name,” he growled in disgust.

Ginny glared and smacked him in the head. He snapped at her fingers when she went to flick his lips in anger. Ginny pulled away, not as irritated as she’d been, and smiled gently before getting up. “We better get going,” she spoke softly sweeping the dirt from her bottom.

Draco licked his lips as he watched Ginny walk towards the silver-blue watered borderline. She, cautiously, stuck her hand through and grimaced.

“Ew, its jelly-ish,” she shivered in disgust.

She wasn’t too happy about going through a jelly wall borderline when she could just stay here, in the middle of a beautiful mountain area filled with evergreen trees and the beautiful colored sky. The borderline wasn’t see-through, so they could very well be going into hell.

“Nonsense love,” Cela smiled and patted Ginny on the back.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Cela, I wish you’d stop that.”

Cela grinned softly as she stepped closer to Ginny, letting her hand travel down Ginny’s black Shetland wool turtleneck sweater. She stiffened, then shook her head and laughed as she felt Cela’s hand insert into the back pocket of her low rise, waist hugging, flared jeans.

“It would do you good to remove your hand from her back pocket,” Draco spoke with a hint of maliciousness.

“Why does this irritate you so?” Cela questioned, her eyes slowly starting to show that she was getting angered. “Any normal man would be turned on by it.”

“He probably views you as a threat, after all Ginny, because she’s an elf has sexual emotions or feelings towards other elves. He’s not one to share,” Hermione commented, smiling at her.

“He can’t share something that doesn’t ‘belong’ to him,” Ginny sneered.

Draco gave her a pained look. “You are mine Ginny.”

Ginny stared at him in shock. Clicking her tongue she shook her head. “You don’t own me—and if I want to allow Cela’s hand into my back pocket then that’s my decision. If it doesn’t bug me in no way should it bug you!”

Draco gritted his teeth. “Whatever,” he said and walked through the jelly textured wall.

To Be Continued…

Sorry it took so long, but I did have a good excuse, you know with my house catching on fire and all! Anyhow thanks for being patient! ~Aya

I apologize for any mistakes ahead of time. If any are very noticeable please tell me and I’ll change it right away!

Chapter Eleven:

It seemed like they’d been walking for days, when in fact it had only been eight hours. Ginny’s feet ached with such a fierce pain she thought she might collapse from it. Her eyes burned from the very gusty wind, her heart hurt from Draco’s angry glares that directed her way throughout the day, and her nerves were getting the best of her. Within about ten minutes, if Hermione’s calculations were correct, they would enter The Lusty Forest.

If she could barely handle Draco’s mean glares without her stomach flipping, her legs becoming rubbery, and the area between her thighs dampening her knickers, then how in the hell would she be able to handle him in the forest? Better yet, how would she handle him when he wasn’t angry with her? When he would just stare at her in that brooding way, that way that said, begrudgingly, she was the only one for him?

Why me? Ginny asked herself, the voice in her head cracking with emotion. I knew I shouldn’t have made him angry. I feel like my heart’s breaking and I’ll never be able to clean up the mess—every time he glares at me. I don’t want him to be mad at me anymore. It really shouldn’t bug him that Cela is an affectionate elf.

“We should camp here for the night,” Hermione said, her voice drowsy with much needed sleep.

“That’s a good idea! Wait until we aren’t tired to enter the forest,” Ginny nodded her fingers twisting together next to her waist. “Since we couldn’t bring our stuff what do we sleep on?”

“Ginny-” Hermione started, right when Ron said “Ah, Gin.”

“Hmm?”

“We’re already in the forest,” Hermione said, going towards one of the healthy logs that Harry had stated situating around a miniature fire dug out that Ron had made.

“Didn’t you see that huge almost neon green and pink sign flashing ‘Welcome to The Lusty Forest’?”

Harry chuckled. “Yeah it was like a strip bar advertisement.”

“It wasn’t very tasteful,” Hermione said, very disapprovingly. “Harry, how would you know what a real strip bar advertisement looks like?”

Harry grinned and bowed his head, a piece of his wild hair dropping into his eyes. “That’s a story I’ll have to tell you later.”

Hermione’s eyes widened and she jerked her gaze up to Harry’s, but he had already started to gather more wood.

Cela actually smirked at Hermione. “I thought it was lovely. Bright, sexy, just as an advertisement to a forest all about sex should be.”

Ginny nibbled her bottom lip and a blush rose to her cheeks as Draco raised an eyebrow in her direction. His expression of interest quickly vanished as he glanced towards Cela, who was watching Ginny very carefully. Ginny could have sworn she heard him let out an animalistic growl, filled an anger so intense it could probably knock everyone on their arses.

“Draco—” Ginny started, but stopped as his flashing silver eyes returned to her.

“What?” He asked through gritted teeth.

“N-nothing.”

Hermione rubbed her sweaty neck, rolling it back and forth. It was hot, so hot that Ginny was extremely happy she had worn a pair of short, shorts, underneath her slacks. Harry and Ron had taken off their shirts revealing something Harry explained to be a ‘wifebeater’. Something Ginny was highly irritated with and exclaimed that she refused to wear something that involved beating of a wife. So Cela and Hermione gladly took them, leaving both boys bare backed and slightly sun burnt. Ginny had ripped the sleeves of her shirt off and tied the bottom around her waist. Cela and Hermione ripped their jeans up to their thighs as did Ron and Harry. Draco had refused to demolish his clothes, but then again he didn’t look like he was hot. He wasn’t even sweating.

What?

“Draco? Why aren’t you sweating?” Ginny asked softly, reaching out to touch his arm.

“What? Oh I did a cooling charm,” he muttered jerking slightly away from Ginny’s touch.

“A cooling charm? How the hell did you get a wand in here?” Hermione gasped.

“Better yet why didn’t you perform one for us?” Ginny cried out trying to not sound hurt but failing. “We’ve been frying out here you arsehole!”

“Hey, I hate your friends and I’m angry with you. Why would I help you?” He spoke angrily, trying to keep his voice down.

“Okay, just breathe you two. It’s not a big deal. I remember a few feet away there had been a lot of bugs, which means water is near by. I’m going to go look for it okay,” Hermione said cautiously.

Harry followed Hermione as she turned and started walking away, towards the direction she believed the water was located at.

Ginny glared and bashed away a tear that dripped down her cheek. “How could I have ever been soulmated to a bastard like you?”

Draco jerked forward and grabbed her arm in a bruising grip. “Lifemated!” He growled yanking her closer to him, his other fingers digging into her shoulder.

“Why do I have a feeling this isn’t going to be the heartbreaking break-up I want it to be?” Ron mumbled, moving aside more dirt.

“Ugh,” Cela grunted turning away.

“I’m going to make the tents. I can manage a little wandless magic as well, though I think Malfoy could do it more easily than I,” Harry said, speaking the last bit louder.

Draco lifted his eyes, glared, and then mumbled something under his breath. Two seconds later three tents appeared. “You’ll find them to your likings, with food, air conditioning, and water. My father taught be to not only do something, but to always do it right and better,” he smirked and pulled Ginny into the biggest one.

“Hey!” Ginny cried out.

“They better be sound proof damnit!” Ron hollered.

“I’m going to go see if I can help Hermione,” Harry muttered, going in the direction she’d disappeared in.

Ginny screamed angrily at Draco through the open door of the tent. “What are you doing? You don’t think that we’re just going to—”

“Shut up,” he growled, advancing on her like he was a predator and she was his prey.

“Don’t tell me to shut up you bloody-”

Draco closed the tent, silencing everything.

****

Ron rubbed his neck, grimacing at the dirt all over his hands. “Damn I’ve got a headache.”

Cela raised an eyebrow suggestively. “Something I can do to make it better?”

Ron lifted his eyes, surprised. Then he smiled and shook his head. “Cela, as beautiful as you are, you’re more into my sister than me. I’m not going to be your substitute. Thanks for the offer though,” he chuckled.

Cela grinned and quickly yanked Harry’s wifebeater off and sauntered seductively over to Ron, who’d turned his back to try starting the fire again. She swiftly turned him around, so quickly in fact he fell.

“What the he—Cela, whoa, um—” Ron grunted as she sat on his lap, her bare just square in his face. His eyes glazed over as jerked her hips against his rising erection. He groaned and dropped his head back. “Cela.”

“Sure I like Ginny, but I’m an elf with a healthy sexual appetite. We elves don’t care who we fuck and you just happened to be here. You don’t have to participate, but I’m sure you will,” she spoke seductively, leaning forward and sinking her teeth into the nape of his neck.

When Ron’s hips jerked in response Cela chuckled.

“That’s my boy.”

****

“Hermione?” Harry called softly.

He could hear water and he knew Hermione was no fool, she would have found it with ease. As the brush of the forest trees started to lessen Harry felt the gusty, slightly moisturized wind slow down. He heard waves crashing and he saw a beautiful waterfall sliding down a rocky, slightly marble colored mountain.

“Nice,” he whispered his eyes slowly registering a movement. He turned and froze, his breath catching in his throat.

She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Harry quickly averted his eyes, but couldn’t keep them off her for long.

“Hermione,” he whispered, he cut pants becoming tight.

They she was, gloriously naked, wet, and glistening underneath what looked to be a water shower in the middle of the forest. A flow of water was pouring out of a statue head of a man’s mouth, sliding on her hair, down her skin. Her breasts were full, her hair longer than he remembered it to be, and her beautiful toned body—the way it slanted to the side.

This is wrong I shouldn’t stare. She’s just so beautiful.

Harry stepped forward and cringed as a stick snapped beneath his foot. He leapt behind a bush just as Hermione jerked to a standing position, trembling from the cool air against her wet skin.

“Wh-who’s there?” Hermione called out.

Harry sighed, feeling like a dirty little boy getting his rocks off with voyeurism. He slowly stepped away from the shielding embraces of the bush and walked out with his head bowed in shame. He wouldn’t have been able to stay behind the bush if he wanted to. Hermione had fear in her voice and if anything she was his only weakness.

“H-Harry? Were you spying on me?” She gasped and quickly dropped to her knees, swimming towards a deeper section of the water.

Harry bit his lip, wanting to knock his head into that rocky marble wall. “I-I didn’t mean to!”

Hermione’s cheeks flushed a deep red. “Did you like what you saw?” She gasped, her eyes widening as if she were surprised by what she said.

“Very much so,” Harry sucked in his breath.

“Um, do you, um-want to join me?” She asked, her voice getting softer with every word.

Harry nodded and slowly started pulling his clothes off.

****

Her legs were draped over his shoulders, her ankles crossing tightly around his red head, her eyes shut tightly, waiting for him to do something. He slowly slid down until his head was deep between the apexes of her thighs, which instantly clenched around his neck.

“You are good at this Ron Weasley, very, very good,” Cela gasped her hips bucking, knocking him in his chin.

****

“Draco, stop it!”

Ginny glared and pushed him roughly away into a table of pots and pans. “We can’t just have make up sex without actually making up!”

“Ginny, I can’t think right now. All I see is red and you. It’s like if I can’t have you know I’ll stop breathing. You feel it don’t you?”

Ginny bowed her head. “I do.”

“Then why aren’t you jumping me right now?” Draco yelled, losing his patience and leaping forward to grab her arms.

She squeaked with fear and tried to pull herself away. “Because you really hurt my feelings!”

Draco frowned and searched her face. “I hurt your feelings? Gin—”

“I tried apologizing for yelling at you about Cela’s hand in my pocket and you literally pushed me out of your way. Do you remember what you said to me?”

Draco bowed his head, his eyes showing his regret. “I remember.”

“I believe it was ‘if you want to whore yourself to all the elves in the world be my bloody guest!’ That about covers it right?”

“Gin-I’m—” Draco started, but stopped and clenched his teeth.

“What?”

Draco clenched his fists together. “Ginny, just-please?” He looked desperate, as if he really couldn’t breath. His face was flushed with need and his palms had started to bleed from the half moon imprints of his fingernails.

I wish I could be stronger around him. She sighed heavily and walked towards him, enfolding him into her arms.

To Be Continued…

I was going to put the sex scenes into this chapter—3 sex scenes, but I got tired quicker than I expected. So chapter twelve will be those three sex scenes. Cela/Ron, Harry/Hermione, and Ginny/Draco—for those of you who ship Ron/Luna, I do to, but this was written before R/LL was even thought of. It will however end up R/LL suggestions (possibly) at the end. I hope you all enjoyed this. ~Aya

Some reviewers have complained that they don’t like the way I write Harry—if you are one of them you might want to skip the next couple of pages because I really don’t what to hear it again. I’m not trying to be mean, but I like the way I write him.

Warning: Another thing, I don’t think this chapter actually turned out the way I had anticipated. This chapter is just porn, I don’t know how else to say it. The sex needed to be slightly kinky and rough to show the difference that The Lusty Forest was doing to them, but I think I went a little far, if I even managed to be kinky. This is definitely not for younger people, hell I don’t even know if it’s for older people—I’m just that type of person I guess. I think I have a little ‘nympho’ in me, which is more than anyone wanted to know I’m sure. You’ve been warned.

Please be nice if you review! Sorry for mistakes a head of time!

Chapter Twelve:

Water splashed every which way as Harry dived in and started swimming towards Hermione.

“Ah-it’s cold,” Harry gasped, surfacing directly in front of her. His cheeks flushed as his eyes focused on her breasts.

Hermione sucked in a breath and her mouth moved up and down as if wanting to speak. “Maybe a little too-cold?” She stuttered.

Harry slowly stood up, making eye contact with Hermione. “I don’t think anything could be that cold.”

Hermione chuckled on a surprised cough. “I dare to wager on that! This forest is really doing a number on us isn’t it?”

“I don’t think it’s just the forest,” Harry whispered, sauntering, as much as he could, towards her, and biting his bottom lip. He lifted his hand out of the water and brushed a stray piece of wet hair off of Hermione’s cheek, causing her to shiver with anticipation.

“Harry?” Hermione asked, her voice going an octave higher.

Harry raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

“Touch me,” she practically sighed out, nibbling the corner of her lip, but she didn’t wait for him to move. She quickly grasped his hand and pulled his palm full on against her breast, over her puckered nipple. Her head dropped back and a guttural moan escaped her lips. “Oh yes,” she moaned. “It’s like I can’t wait. Like when you’re thirsty, but you just can’t get enough water in you.”

Harry’s jaw clicked and his eyes drastically shifted from desire to wild, animalistic need. He squeezed her breast, his fingers digging into each tender side. Hermione’s hips rolled against the water, making miniature waves around them, trying desperately to make contact with his, but they were too far apart. She licked her lips, her eyes begging for more contact. Harry took his free hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, picking her up slightly from the shell-covered ground, and pulling her front to his. Harry’s eyes closed at the sweet, intimate contact, and swore he had almost fainted from it.

With his eyes closed, he dropped his forehead against her wet shoulder, stray pieces of her hair draped over them. He gripped her arse, pushing her tightly to him.

Hermione’s voice cracked as she moaned aloud, her head dropping back once more. “This forest is most definitely heightening the pleasure,” she whispered, as she reached around him and slowly slid her nails down Harry’s back. “I’ve never-”

Harry frowned into her shoulder. “Whom did you have sex with? I thought you told me and Ron everything.”

“Well obvious not everything. I don’t tell you when I’m ovulating do I? I can’t believe we’re managing a conversation right,” she said, mumbling the last part more to herself.

Harry chuckled. “Thank Merlin for that. Who was it?” Harry asked, slipping his hand from her arse to her front, between her thighs.

“Mm, myself.” Hermione’s eyes drooped and her tongue darted out, licking her bottom lip.

Harry’s hand paused. “What?”

“Just because I like books doesn’t mean I’m a prude and I wasn’t ready to have sex yet. I just went for the next best thing.”

“A-are you now?” Harry whispered, pulling his head back, wanting to stare into her eyes when he pushed a finger inside her.

Hermione bared her teeth, her eyelashes fluttering. “Oh yes, yes-so much.”

“And it isn’t because of the forest right?”

“Oh Harry,” Hermione sighed her hands pulling away from his back to grip her curly wet hair, not caring if she pulled it to hard, a headache would be a welcome result for the tiny ounce of pleasure she was already getting. She slipped her fingers up her scalp and rested her hands at either side of her temple, her hips rolling against his finger, her lips glistening from her saliva. “I’ve been thinking about it since the moment you took your shirt off. That didn’t happen in The Lusty Forest, might I remind you. I realized then, that if I were to lose my virginity, there’s no one I’d like more than you to take it. My hero, my best friend, my crush—” she added the last part softly, tentatively, scared of what his reaction might be.

Harry just stared at her, her cheeks flushed with pleasure, her mouth slightly parted with tiny mewling gasps. “Here, wrap your legs around me.”

“Yes-oh yes, fuck me Harry,” Hermione groaned jumping as much as she could, the water pressure only stopping her a little. Her legs wrapped around his waist tightly, they locked together at the knees, trapping him between her thighs.

“Lets go to that cave. We’re too much in the open,” Harry panted, his hands cupping her arse to hold her up so that she wouldn’t slide down his slim waist.

“No, right here,” Hermione growled forcefully, knocking her forehead against his, her forearm keeping his head in place.

“Hermione, I don’t want to hurt you,” Harry shuddered against her, feeling her stomach wave back and forth with every movement of her thrusts against his erection, which rested against her abdomen.

“You won’t, I swear—haven’t you ever heard of dildos?” Hermione chuckled, out of breath. “I read a lot and that turned me into a kinky little girl. I’ve tried almost everything but the real thing. Trust me,” she growled the last part.

Harry slowly wrapped his hands around her hips and lifted her up. Hermione, squealing with delight, dropped a free hand down, and in between their bodies to grip his cock. She grunted as he swiftly pushed her down and she screamed. Harry dropped his head and bit down into her shoulder, gritting his teeth at the honey like warmth engulfing him. Hermione reared back, forcing his teeth to slide down to her collarbone, his forehead dropping above the crevice of her breasts. Hermione jerked her hips up roughly, forcing him to thrust his up.

“Oh God Hermione,” Harry grunted, his hand slid up her back, and tangled into her hair, pulling almost roughly, exposing her long, slender neck.

His hips curled up under her, forcing himself deeper into her, causing her eyes to widen. “What’s the matter?” Harry growled, withdrawing and then pushing up harder once more.

“Oh, ow—you’re bigger than my…” Hermione stopped, her left eye clenching shut, and her mouth dropping open. “Oh fuck me!” Hermione screamed her voice hitting a note that made Harry’s ears ring.

Harry took a few steps and shoved her up against the marble, rocky wall, thankful that they were closer than he thought they were to start with. He pulled his hand away from her hair and went to the front of her, squeezing her breast, then pinching her nipple. Hermione grunted as Harry’s pivoting hips started thrusting harder, pushing her back almost painfully into the rocks. He leaned forward, capturing her lips.

Hermione pulled her mouth away, darting her tongue out to lap up the perspiration that beaded at the top of his lip. “So, whom did you have sex with?” Hermione asked, each word beginning or ending with high gasp.

“Cho,” Harry growled as he felt the muscles in his lower back tightening and his toes curling into the sharp shells mixed with sand.

Hermione snorted, which was quickly followed by a hiccup of pleasure. “No surprise there.” She licked her lips and dropped her head a little harder than she anticipated against the wall behind her, water smacking into her chest with every movement. “Yes,” she cried out through gritted teeth. “Oh-I’m-COMing!” She screamed, her voice hitching on the last word.

Harry leaned his upper torso against her, “Ahhh,” he cried out, his face screwed up with pleasure.

“A-huh, a-huh---yes, yes,” Hermione laughed and gasped at the same time. Her hands, which had moved from her hair, to her breasts, and then to wrap her arms tightly around his back, started digging into his shoulders.

“Oh God,” Harry groaned thrusting again. He opened his eyes to watch as Hermione screamed, her orgasm just starting to fully rip through her.

Her mouth was wide open, but no sound came from her lips. Her eyes were tightly squeezed shut and her hips moved furiously as she rode it out. The look on her face, the feel of her wet body against his, and the sound of water sloshing around them, pushed Harry into the most intense orgasm of his life. He gasped for breath, aftershocks of his orgasm jolting his hips slightly forward.

Hermione legs slipped suddenly down Harry’s hips, her body crashing into his, his cock slipping out. “Argh,” Hermione grunted laughing breathlessly, dropping her wet hair against his chest. “Sorry.”

Harry smiled down at her head. “That was awesome.”

“Hmmm,” Hermione hummed, nuzzling her face into his chest. “Yes it was. Way better than just myself.”

Harry laughed and hugged her tightly to his chest.

****

Ginny was almost scared by the intense look Draco had on his face as he advanced on her. He had insisted that they take off their clothes themselves, said he was in no mood for fumbling with unknown devices. Ginny had just simply stated that she didn’t have anything on that was too complicated and Draco just raised an eyebrow, clearly saying he didn’t care and to just do it.

If only he didn’t have that demanding presence about him, maybe she could resist him a little more if he didn’t have that. If only.

He stopped inches in front of her, his panting breath brushing against her skin, sending shivers down her spin. “Draco?” Her voice wavered with tiny amounts of fear. “Are you going to hurt me?”

He bowed his head, still making eye contact with her, as he reached out and caressed her face. “I’m just not in the mood for sweet sex. I want it hard and fast. I don’t want to make love, I want to fuck…since we haven’t exactly done that yet, and I’m looking forward to it.”

“What do you mean we haven’t done it?”

“We’ve made love and we’ve had sex, but we never fucked,” Draco spoke softly; his voice had a hint of danger in it.

“I don’t under-understand,” she whispered, never taking her eyes off of him.

Draco cocked his head to the side. “Not really in the mood for a teaching lesson Gin.”

Ginny’s mouth dropped and tried to form words, but nothing came out. Draco’s shoulder moved, pushing his arm up, and his hand slowly made contact with her cheek. He slid his open palm down the side of her neck, his eyes flashing with desire as he wrapped his fingers around the base of her neck, and swiftly jerked her head to his. His lips crashed so hard against hers that she was surprised hers didn’t crack and start to bleed.

His tongue demanded, coaxed, seduced, his hands caressed, grabbed, squeezed, and his hips rocked against hers, not roughly, but just enough pressure to put some fizzling friction between them.

“Ginny?” He breathed against her lips. “I want to fuck you in your ass and not the way we did it in the hot tub.”

Ginny paused, startled at how forthright Draco was being. “Wh-what?”

“I hate repeating myself,” Draco said, his voice dangerous and low, but not low enough to be a whisper.

Ginny nodded, her mouth opening repeated, as if she were stretching her mouth out. “Anal sex-I read about it in that book Hermione made me read.”

“Well hooraw for fucking books,” Draco growled, his upper lip turning into a sneer.

“Would you stop it!?” Ginny snapped, wrapping her hand around his wrist and digging her nails deep into his skin.

He didn’t so much as flinch.

“If you don’t want to do it you don’t have to. I understand if you’re scared,” Draco said his tone slightly sarcastic.

Ginny raised a brown eyebrow. He was challenging her and who was she to back down. “Fine, I’ll do it, but you’ll owe me big for it. I won’t collect right away, so you must be ready for it when I call that favor in! And it’s not that I’m scared, jackarse. I’m just not found of pain.”

Draco smirked and pushed hand through her hair, clutching her head tightly, Ginny only slightly resisting. “That’s my girl,” he smirked and bent down, wrapping an arm beneath her legs.

She gasped as he tossed her onto the mattress, stomach first. “Guess we aren’t going to waste any time huh?”

He pushed her knees up a little, forcing her arse to stick out in the air. He kneeled behind her, his hips brushing her backside. “Merlin Gin, you have the sexiest arse I’ve ever seen in my life,” he spoke softly, his voice going an entirely different direction.

For a second there she thought this might go a little smoother. Her hope intensified as she felt his hands gently caressing her, but then crashed when one of his hands came down hard. Ginny squealed with surprise, her body jolting forward, and her chest falling onto the bed. She turned her face side ways into the sheets and glared at him. “Hey,” she said her breath catching.

Draco licked his lips as his handprint on her arse started to redden, then he repeated it on the other cheek. Wetness pooled into her, around her, her stomach burned with desire. “Draco, what are you doing?”

Draco yanked her hips back, pushing her arse against his erection. “Oh baby, you love it—I can smell you!”

Ginny’s hands fisted in the sheets, her teeth gritting, as he repeated the process a few more times, “What do you mean you can smell me? What are you an animal?”

“A dragon actually,” he whispered, bowing down over her and trailing kisses along the curve of her back.

“Are you kidding me?” She asked pushing herself up on her hands. She grunted as he smacked her again, a lot harder than the other times. “I can’t believe this turning me on?”

“I’m not kidding, I’m an animagus. I’ll show you later, but right now—” Ginny heard him whisper something and cringed as she felt wet, gooey like substance in her arsehole.

He leaned forward and yanked her hands out from under her, pulling them behind her back, and pushing her back into her original position. “Stay down.”

“I’m not a dog!”

“Didn’t say you were baby,” he whispered bending down and licking her palms. “God I’m going to fuck you hard.”

“Well here’s an idea-how about you actually do it instead of talking about it? Or are you just trying to bore me?”

Draco jerked his hips against her and laughed.

He spread her cheeks with one hand and with the other he gripped his cock, pushing the head through slowly. Ginny cringed, her teeth smacking together and then apart, her fingers turning white from how hard she was gripping the sheets. “OW,” she cried softly, her voice muffled from the sheets, as pain shot through her entire body.

God, she had to be bleeding, and he wasn’t even fully in yet. “Damnit—I’m not going to be able to sit right for the next month! Draco-ah—” Her breathing became choppy as pain vibrated her entire being. “Maybe we should stop.”

Draco growled. “Please no Gin! You have no idea how amazing this feels.”

It was then Ginny realized that he was shaking and not because of his choppy breathes or his occasional grunts of pleasure—he was having trouble restraining himself. “Bloody hell,” Ginny gritted through her teeth. “Just do it and get it over with!”

Draco gasped. “Oh Gin, yes. Thank you,” he panted and surged forward, pushing Ginny harder into the mattress.

She couldn’t even begin to describe how much it hurt; it was like she was apart of the pain. Tears streamed down her face and her shoulders started shaking as sobs racked through her. She was having trouble breathing; Draco wasn’t the lightest person in the universe. It was like she’d had bricks placed on top of her belly and every grunt sounded shallow, gutteral, like it was forced out against her will.

Her knees had collapsed under her, and the only thing that was holding her hips up was her arched back, with a little help from Draco’s hands. He had been so still for so long that Ginny had almost hopped that it was over, but when she felt a tiny movement she flinched. He pulled out of her, going in a downward motion, and then thrust straight up, his hips making a smacking noise against her arse.

Ginny’s mouth dropped open, more tears brimming the bottom of her eyes. “Ow Draco, God it hurts.”

“I’m sorry Gin,” his voice cracked. “It won’t be much longer I promise. You feel so good,” he panted, withdrawing and doing the same trusting action once again.

Ginny frowned suddenly as she felt the lifemate electric blue jolts shooting through. It almost felt as if it were dimming the pain. Draco’s thrusts become more erratic by second, her tiny forced grunts started coming out with every thrust, and as she felt him ejaculate into her, she gasped and bit her lip hard, a bead of blood forming underneath her tooth.

He collapsed against her; his damp chest plastered against her back, his cock still inside of her. Her back lost her arched and she felt her front middle drop to the cool sheets. He nuzzled the side of his face against hers, placing a kiss against her cheek. “Oh Gin, I love you so much,” he panted, darting a tongue out to lick the tip of her ear.

Ginny smiled, her lips damp with her tears, and she knew it was all worth it just for him to say that, just for him to wrap his arms around her belly, underneath her, and hug her tightly, just for him to—her heart filled with love. Draco was never overly affectionate with words and barely with actions. “I love you too,” she whispered, her voice catching on a sob, her lips slightly pouting as she spoke.

Fresh tears slid down her cheek as he pulled out and collapsed to the right of her. She curled her arm up and placed her hand, in a fist, underneath her chin, her feet turned towards each other, but still leaving a gap between her thighs, trying desperately to stop her lower lip from trembling.

Draco frowned and raised a hand to her face. He was on his side, she on her stomach, as he bent down and gently kissed her lips. He pulled back and swept away her tears. “Baby I’m sorry.”

Ginny glanced up and gave him a small smile. “Hey I said you could and I never told you to stop, so don’t be sorry.”

He caressed her cheek and actually smiled down at her. “It just shows how strong my girl is, how perfect you are for me---damn this forest knows its stuff!” He said suddenly.

Ginny laughed and leaned forward to give him a peck on the cheek, which he turned swiftly so that her lips landed on his mouth. She blushed and averted her eyes.

“It just amazes me, especially after what we just did, that you still blush with me.”

Ginny raised an eyebrow. “Really? It shouldn’t. Everything you do surprises me, I have a feeling I’ll never be bored with you.”

It was Draco’s turn to blush. He bowed his head and bit his lip, then replaced his teeth with his tongue. “That’s good to know.”

****

“Ron, put your hand inside me,” Cela gasped, her thighs tightening around his head.

For a moment her words didn’t registered, he was high from her taste, his mouth almost viciously sucking her. Her thighs had a death grip around his head and with every mewling noise that escaped her mouth Ron just went harder and faster.

“RON!”

“What?” Ron snapped looking up.

“I want you to fuck me with your fist!”

Ron looked started. “What?”

“Never heard of fisting?” Cela panted, her iris’s turning a cool blue. “Stick your whole fist inside me.”

Ron’s eyes widened and as Cela’s thighs loosened only a little, allowing him to pull back, he just stared at his hand. “Wow, I-a—”

“Do it,” she growled, reaching down to grip one of his hands, and pushing it towards her. “Make a fist-yes that’s it, now push it in me until all you can see is your wrist.”

Cela gripped his forearm, her tongue making an impression on her upper lip, as Ron pushed his fist inside of her. “This is amazing,” Ron whispered in awe as his fist became soaked with her cum.

Cela’s back arched off the dirt-covered ground, the crown of her head helping her arse to hold her up, as a silent scream of pleasure ripped through, and soon that silent scream was no longer silent. Ron honestly couldn’t remember how they got to the ground, but what he did remember was Cela tearing their clothes off and demanding things Ron had never heard of before.

“Okay,” she gasped, sounding almost innocent, but Ron knew better, elves didn’t really care whom they had sex with, just as long as they had it. “Now, mo-ve, your arm back and forth. Back and forth, back and forth,” Cela started chanting.

Ron pushed his fist forward, wetness coating his wrist as it gushed out. Squishing noises and grunts of pleasure clouded his mind.

“Bloody hell you’re beautiful,” Ron murmured.

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she said on a gasp that almost was a scream. “Faster. Oh yeah that’s good. I’m coming, oh yes, yes. I’m coming right now,” and then all Ron could her was her screaming.

His fist almost popped out at the height of her back arching up. When she started coming down from her high, Ron found it hard to tear his eyes away from heaving chest.

She smiled happily down at him. “I can honestly say that was the best sexual experience of my life!”

“And we haven’t even had intercourse yet,” Ron chuckled.

Cela snorted. “Intercourse? Just say fucked next time. You almost ruined this for me.”

Ron shrugged, “Sorry.”

She slowly sat up, her arse leaving an imprint in the dirt as she got to her knees, and advanced on him. Leaning back against one of the forests trees, he watched her every move. His hips jerked as he watched her bend down and breath against his cock.

And when he felt her mouth wrap around him and his eyes crossed, Ron knew he was in for the most fucking amazing blowjob of his life.

****

He was being so careful with her it almost brought tears to her eyes. Draco had turned her onto her back and when he saw her cringe, he lifted her hips up and placed a pillow beneath her. She’d smiled up at him, not having the heart to tell him that it didn’t really help.

He trailed kisses along her pert, not even close to being full, breasts, gently sucking on her nipples, and giving the same amount of time to each one. She gasped softly as his teeth bit down gently on the side of her right breast. One of his hands slid down the side of her belly, going between her thighs, and carefully inserted two fingers into her.

She moaned and bit her lip, her eyes shutting with anticipation, cringing, as her hips lifted against her will, wanting to get closer to his thrusting fingers. He leaned up and captured her lips, swallowing her gasp of surprise.

“Draco? Show me what you look like in your animagus form,” Ginny whispered suddenly.

“But I-” he started looking surprised, his fingers stopping their thrusts.

Ginny shook her head and pulled his fingers out. “I need to stand up,” she whispered turning her head to the side.

“God, Gin, did I hurt you that bad?” He asked, the horror evident in his voice.

“Draco, it’s fine. I promise. Now please show me. Oh and this isn’t that favor you know!”

“That’s fine—I’ll be at your beck and call for the rest of my life after knowing how much I hurt you.”

Ginny sighed and slowly pushed herself up off the bed. She rolled her eyes. “Draco!”

“Okay, fine,” he grinned up at her.

Ginny’s eyes widened as he morphed into an almost slender green dragon. It happened as if it was a second skin to him and he still lounged in his position that he’d been in. “Wow, you’re still the most breathtaking man I’ve ever seen.”

Draco dragon smiled, just as Ginny would imagine a dragon would smile-if she would imagine. He flew up to her and wrapped himself around her body, so that his face was resting on her shoulder. Ginny turned her head towards his, blushing and smiling shyly. He squeezed slightly, in a hugging gesture.

Ginny’s eyes widened and cried out as gentle waves of an orgasm swept through her. She dropped her head on top of Draco’s dragons’ head. Noting in the back of her head that he was softer than she’d anticipated.

‘When I’m in my animagus form, my magic is more powerful,’ his voice whispered through her head.

“Mm, thank you.”

‘Don’t mention it.’

Ginny jolted when she felt his human arms wrapped around her. “You do that like it’s natural. How long have you been—”

“Since I was ten.”

“Wow, seven years. I guess it would feel natural,” she chuckled and turned her head to kiss him on the lips. “Mm, that orgasm made me pleasantly numb.”

Draco smirked, pride very obvious in his face.

“Don’t look so smug. I just want to sleep,” she said and then as if a light bulb blinked into her head she popped out her bottom lip in a pleading gesture. “Snuggles.”

Draco actually snorted with laughter. Ginny’s eyes widened. “Please?”

“I told you, you can have anything you want.”

“You better be careful,” Ginny warned shaking her finger at him. “I might just remember that.”

Draco smiled at her and took her hand, walking them towards the bed.

To Be Continued…

I was really, really debating whether or not I should just delete this chapter and start a new because of how it is, but I can honestly say it has that effect that I wanted it to have (to me anyhow) on what The Lusty Forest can really do. I hope it wasn’t too shocking (don’t even know if I pulled it off well), and that everyone liked it! This will probably be the longest chapter of the whole story.

I’ve made an outline and based on that this story will most likely be twenty-four chapters—possibly more, but the outline was done very well. Hopefully this chapter doesn’t change your mind on reading it! Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Oh, and remember: Please be nice if you review! ~Aya

“Well hooraw for fucking books,” ~ Similar to Cameron Poe’s line in Con Air. What he actually said “Well hooraw for the sounds of fucking silence,” something like that anyhow.

Chapter Thirteen:

They were still in The Lusty Forest and Ginny had noticed the effect it was having on everyone. Harry seemed a little jumpy, Ron couldn't or wouldn't stop brushing against Cela, and every time someone said Harry's name Hermione would go into a complete head to toe blush. …And Draco well, he didn't change much except for the smug grin plastered to his face. If she weren't so turned on just by looking at him, she'd want to smack it right off!

Ginny shivered. She now understood what women meant when they said men could have hypnotizing eyes. Ginny also, finally, understood the forest, from experience. Its' pull was incredible. It seemed to take you in, first, with its beauty. The dark jungle green of the grass and leaves of the tree, the exotic flowers of multiple colors, the shimmer's of green, blue, pink, and white fairy dust flowing in the wind as if the fairy had just flown through. The second pull was the smell of wildness all around. Until Ginny had entered the forest she would have claimed wildness not to have a smell, but now, it was undeniable. The third part of it was the gut, the wild aspect of the forest stirred it, made it forbidden, made it desirable, and from there they'd all been lost. The lust was so thick you could slice it like a pumpkin.

“My feet hurt,” Ginny complained. “How much longer do we have to walk today?”

Hermione gave a disapproving hum as she glanced back at her. “We've barely walked for five hours, Ginny. If we want to cover some ground and manage to get to the edge of the forest, then we have to walk at least for another eight hours.”

“Eight hours?” she cried out unhappily. “Let see,” she whispered to herself, “ we started at six in the morning and we won't finish until…” she calculated quickly in her head, “Thirteen hours!!”

“Minus the hour we take for lunch, which will be in another two,” Hermione informed.

Draco grunted. Ginny had nearly forgotten about him. She picked her feet up a little more to try and catch up to him. “Would you slow down? Let me catch up with you? I swear my legs are throbbing.”

“Merlin, I expected the complaining to come from Malfoy not you Gin,” Ron growled. “You're giving me a headache.”

Ginny stopped and put her hands on her hips. “Well, excuse me all to hell, but if you'd been doing what I'd been doing last night you'd be a little tired too!”

“And what exactly were you doing?” Ron asked, eventually figuring it would remain an unanswered question.

“Weasel, just because I have money doesn't mean I don't know how to work hard, I have amazing endurance,” Malfoy added, seemingly ignoring his last question as well.

Ginny snorted. “Oh yeah,” she commented.

Draco smirked, and as if it had been the most normal thing in the world, slowed down, and slipped his hand into hers. Then he dropped his voice three octave's lower. “Slow down a little, let the others walk ahead…far ahead!”

Ginny slowed instantly, not even thinking to question him, which was a bit odd, considering she didn't always follow orders very well. It must have been another thing the forest made different; people were more prone to comply.

“How many more days until we get out of the forest?” Ginny had dimly heard Ron asking Cela.

“Tonight we will be pretty close to getting out, but I'd say today and another four hours of fast walking tomorrow and then we'll be entering The Mystical Mountains. Sorry Hermione, but I don't plan on doing all that walking tonight,” Cela said.

Hermione grunted in response, her eyes darting towards Harry before quickly returning in front of her.

Mountains were the last thing Ginny heard as the group ahead turned a corner. Now no longer in hearing range nor visible, she wondered what Draco wanted to talk about, if it was actually `talking' on the agenda.

Draco jerked Ginny's hand back and her eyes widened as she felt herself being lifted up and pushed up against one of the rough trees in the forest. Her mouth dropped and her eyelids shut as she felt Draco's hand rubbing over her shorts, between her thighs.

“Draco, we can't do this here! We'll get lost or they might catch-oh—my,” she gasped, quickly biting her lip as she felt her the material of her shorts sliding down and stopping at her thighs. He swiftly jerked her legs up and around his waist, pushing the front of her knickers aside with one hand, unbuttoning his pants with the other, all the while keeping her in place with his hips. He swiftly pushed himself into her; the fabric of each other's clothing heightening their pleasures as his movements quickly became frantic.

Ginny dropped her mouth onto his shoulder, muffling her screams at his fast-determined movements. This wouldn't be slow and pleasing, or long and playful, this was quick and hard, both seeking only the pleasure of an orgasm.

His thrusts were so powerful that it was causing her back to slam into the tree, she was sure she'd be a little bruised, or even bloodied when they were finished. Tears formed in her eyes, not sure if it was from the pleasure or the burning, almost wet pain in her back. There was no way she could handle this much longer.

She roughly clamped her teeth down into his shoulder. He gasped and his thrusting became more erratic, more determined to reach that pleasure point.

Ginny choked as she felt her orgasm rip through her. Her vision turned red, and for a second she thought she might black out from the force of it. She was dimly aware of Draco's fingernails biting into her slackening hips, making her movements for her so he could achieve his main goal.

Sex with Draco was addicting. A drug that I'll never get away from, she thought, wrapping her limp arms around his neck. The muscles in her body were on fire as she tried to help him keep her in position.

Ginny watched him. It had always taken him a little longer to get there, she smiled thoughtfully. Well, at least that's the conclusion she'd come to, since she'd actually known him. The sweat beading down the side of his face made him appear to be an untamed, wild man to onlookers. Ginny smiled and lifted her hand to his face, causing his eyes to open. Surprisingly it was the thing that'd set him off as they made eye contact. A long deep groan tore from his throat. He dropped his forehead to hers and placed a rough, opened mouth kiss against her lips, as his release ripped through him.

His right hand slid up into her hair, jerking a little too roughly, growling in triumph, his body jerking out the last of its pleasure.

“Ah-mm,” he panted, dropping his face to her shoulders, releasing his hold on her body so that her feet slid to the ground.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, his face still buried in her neck, holding her tightly to him.

“Wow,” Ginny whispered, lifting her arms up so that she could run her hands through his hair.

“We have got to get out of this forest,” he panted. “I'm understanding why some people never leave, why this forest can kill you. I don't want any nourishment I just want you. You can feel it right? Like you could care less about food, water, air?”

Ginny nodded, “I do, but how do you know about this forest killing you? I didn't know it could kill you.”

“Believe it or not, I do research on something before I do it. People either gets stuck, lost, or caught here. Pleasures of the flesh are sometimes too tempting; it's why lust is one of the seven deadly sins. This forest makes you forgot about everything else and all you want is that pleasure moment—I think because we're,” he paused, clearing his throat, obviously become slightly uneasy, “because we're lifemates it may have more of a permanent effect on us while we're here and possibly after. I could be wrong though, but I'm rarely wrong.”

Ginny smiled, shaking her head at his arrogance, “you're just full of surprises, aren't you?”

Ginny was dreaming of sex, with Draco. “Mm, Draco,” she gasped.

Dream Draco was pushing two fingers into her. It had started slowly in the dream, but then it got quicker and she felt like screaming, wanting him to just let her come. It seemed to go on forever that way, quick slow, slow quick.

Ginny fisted her hands in the sheets, her head thrashing around. Her eyes snapped open as she felt the wet lick of slithering tongue. A scream lodged in her throat. A dragon?

“Ginny wake up!” she dimly heard a voice, and then she felt shaking.

She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly as she looked up at Draco. She shifted her hips, blushing deeply as she realized part of her dream hadn't been a dream. His fingers were still lodged inside of her. Heat flooded down, and she felt herself gush around his fingers.

“Tell me you weren't screaming dragon,” he panted against her ear.

“You turned into a dragon Draco, in my dream. It was very strange,” she whispered.

He frowned as if he were thinking. “Did I now?”

“Yes and—don't stop,” she breathed as he had shifted his arm into a more comfortable position between her legs—as if he were going to rest. “Please don't.”

“Never,” he smiled, slowly starting his movements once more. “Ginny?”

“Hm?” she managed to moan out.

“Have you noticed that when we first got here we were a little rougher with each other than usual and now it seems like its -well like we're used to it?”

Ginny nodded. “Cela said—the effect of the forest—mmm,” she gasped, her hips arching off the sheets. It was sudden, she hadn't expected it to come so soon, but the intensity of it made her continue to shiver as she came down. “We weren't used to the effect of the forest so we did things that would perhaps take time to happen in a normal relationship. I didn't exactly tell her what we did, but I got the feeling that something happened between her and Ron.”

“It's about time he got laid,” Draco commented evilly before biting down into her neck, containing a moan that was threatening to take over. Her gyrating hips bumping into his were likely going to be enough to make him go over. “Oh Ginny, stop, stop moving your hips…oh sweet-” The long deep groan he'd been trying to contain erupted, his hips instinctively grinding against hers as he began to orgasm. “Oh yes,” he moaned, his hips pounding between her legs so hard that he pushed her up the sheets of the bed.

Ginny, grunting with the friction, managed a heated smile before lifting her hand and caressing his cheek. He was so gorgeous, why did you have to be so gorgeous?

“Ginny,” he cried out as the last spurts of his orgasm dripped onto her leg, before he collapsed on top of her.

A few minutes later, laying there beneath him she slowly felt herself falling asleep, not caring that she hadn't got the mind blowing orgasm she usually gets, knowing that he was sated was enough for her. How odd.

“Hermione, can we talk?” Harry called, emerging from behind a passage of trees and bushes.

Taking two deep breaths, adjusting her hair, and licking her lips, she swiftly turned around, walking towards him briskly. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. “No we can't talk,” she whispered against his lips before pulling him into a deep kiss.

If Harry could have chosen a moment to die it would have been then. This kiss was everything a kiss should be and more. Kiss that wasn't just hot, but electrifying and made even more erotic when Hermione pulled away starting to tug at the buttons of her shirt.

“I don't know what's wrong with me! I don't act this way, I'm—”

Harry leaned forward and gave her mouth a quick peck, “sexy, gorgeous, and so bloody fucking hot.”

Hermione moaned a laughed before averting her eyes to the ground and biting her lip. “See, normally I'd scold you for cursing, but all I can think about is how much that turned me on…touch me Harry, touch me all over!”

Harry blew a gust of air out, not realizing he'd been holding his breath. Lifting his hand to the side of her face he pulled her flush against him. “I love this place,” Harry breathed against her lips. “But let's not do this—”

Hermione snorted, cutting him off. “Are you kidding me?”

Harry held up a finger. “Let me finish! Let's not do this here, let's go back to the tent because I happen to know for a fact that Ron and Cela won't be there, apparently this forest isn't just pinpointing us.”

Hermione carefully slipped her hand into Harry's and then gently tugged him forward. “Okay. So is this where we try to take it slow?”

“I hope not!”

Snorting with laughter she slapped his shoulder. “Harry!”

“I'm serious; I don't think I have the stamina to take it slow. It's this forest, I feel like I'm losing my mind when I'm not with you, inside you—at least, I think it's the forest,” Harry chuckled sheepishly.

Hermione gave a small smile. “Yeah-“

“Do you think it'll change how we feel for each other when we leave? I mean when we reach the mountains and leave here, do you think we'll feel stupid for the way we acted.”

“I don't know, but I don't believe I will. I have to tell you Harry I always kind of thought you were on the rumbled sexy side.”

Harry's eyes rolled in the back of his head as he lay against the magically enhanced tent with solid golden walls and bit his slightly chapped bottom lip. Hermione was on her knees pumping him with her hands, only allowing the tip of his cock between her tight lips.

He shook his head, trying to clear the encompassing amounts of pleasure out. “Hermione I can't—” Harry paused, quickly shaking his head once more, his messy brown hair falling over his emerald green eyes. His fingers went into her hair, jerking more roughly than he anticipated as he forced her mouth to open wider and take more of him in. “Oh, I'm gonna come,” he whispered biting his bottom lip.

She pulled away, or at least she tried to. The warmth of her mouth, the sturdy grip of her hands…everything she had surrounding him was being taken away. He was frantic with need, beyond the option of fucking her right and proper.

“No…no,” he cried out with desperation, one hand pulling her head forward, while the other took over the pumping. He tried coaxing her mouth open, but she wasn't having it and he was too far gone to try any harder, to even stop. So he bumped and grinded against the seam of her closed lips, a few quick thrusts then spurts of liquid splattered her face.

Her eyes slammed shut as she felt the wetness. She tried once more to pull away. It was evidently not an option with Harrys' hand gripping her hair, keeping her head firmly in place. His deep grunts of pleasure and appreciation causing a deep blush to blossom in her cheeks.

When he was finished and his knees finally gave out from under him as he slid down the wall Hermione spoke face to face with him.

“Harry,” she wiped her face off with her white tee, “I wanted that orgasm going some place else, you know-more importantly I wanted to join that orgasm. Must be nice,” she mumbled, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice as she stared at his collapsed form leaning heavily against the wall, the rumpled look, she decided looking delicious on him, even with his beautiful eyes shut.

He grunted.

Hermione gave a satisfied `cat at the canary' smile. “I fried your brain didn't I?”

He tiredly ran a hand up his shadow darkened chest, his eyes still closed, seemingly ignoring her. Her mouth watered as his roughened fingers slipped through the droplets of sweat that formed on his upper body. She felt the wetness that had already been there, seep through her cotton knickers. Hermione groaned and pushed at his side, which only managed to cause him to pop one beautiful green eye open.

“Hermione, I need a chance to breath.”

She smiled and changed her kneeled position to one on her back, directly beside him where he'd collapsed, her feet pointing towards the wall. “Okay, you breathe and let your very talented fingers do the work,” she smirked up at him, gently taking his hand and putting it in between her dampened thighs. “Mm. That is just perfect—just move your thumb a little higher—oh fuck,” she let out a strangled cry.

Harry smiled smugly, staring up at the roof of the tent. Not only was Hermione cursing, but he never thought he'd get to have her again…and he would definitely have her again this night. And again, and again, after all what else to life was there?

It was the incessant knocking that started to grate his nerves and once he'd realized someone was trying to come in it was like a veil lifted over his eyes. Trying to remove his fingers from inside Hermione's gripping wet and warm walls didn't seem like an option once he performed the action three times and failed.

“Don't you dare move, I will kill you, just please don't stop, oh my god-faster,” she whimpered.

Her thoughts jumbled and running together, her passion filled eyes pleading with him, and her cheeks rosy from exertion almost had Harry ignoring the now pounding against the door. With a little more effort he started to pull his hand away, feeling dreadful that he couldn't reciprocate at the moment, but Hermione's slammed on his, pushing his fingers further into her, her thighs clamped shut as her hips gyrated upwards, taking her pleasure from his fingers.

“I know what you're doing in there and I'll be more than happy to explain how I know if you'll just come out!” Malfoy hollered.

“What the fuck?” Hermione growled.

Harry jerked at the language that was coming out of her mouth. “Hermione -”

“No, please don't, I'm almost there—not yet, not yet.” It was a mantra she repeated at least five more times before her eyes shut, her back arched, and she gave a deep, close mouthed grunt, her hips pumping restlessly to prolong the orgasm. She collapsed on the floor, her lips forming a sloppily satisfied grin. “It'll do for now.”

---

They gathered outside of the tent, some in preparation of leaving, and others under the assumption they would crash in this particular spot for the night.

“I don't see why we have to leave,” Ron mumbled eyeing Cela's backside, as the white blonde, cerulean eyed elf bent to retrieve something that had fallen on the floor.

“We need to get out of this forest quicker than I initially expected,” Hermione commented calmly, gathering her unruly brown hair into a ponytail.

“As much as I hate to agree with Granger we are going to walk the full amount of time to the Mystical Mountains. We need to get out of this forest now,” Draco spoke calmly before chugging back some water from the stainless steel canteen he held in his hands.

Ginny had to take a breath as she watched a stream of glistening clear water slide down his jaw. Containing a shiver she moved closer, bumping her hand against his arm. Pulling the canteen from his lips, Draco cocked his head in her direction and raised an eyebrow before slipping his hand into hers. What made Ginny love it even more was that his response was more of a reflex than anything.

“What makes you have the final say?” Ron snapped, his red brows snapping together and his mouth pursing with defiance.

Draco growled lifting his aristocratic nose in the air so that he was just high enough to still talk with Ron and look down on him. “Listen weasel bastard, if you weren't so daft maybe you'd have noticed the increase in everyone's libido or the fact that you haven't had a sip of water in eight hours. I had to force myself to drink that bit of water I just had.”

“I have my water here,” Ron informed, waving it obnoxiously in front of his face.

“And it's full isn't it? As full as it was since you filled it up this morning with the rest of us. Just like I'm assuming everyone's canteen is, aside from Ginny and of course my own.”

Ron, who'd opened his canteen to see the sloshing water at the top frowned. “I'll be bloody damned.” He scratched his head. “I'm always thirsty. Why not Gin?”

“Because I've been reminding her to drink it, there are reasons ladies and gentlemen that the human body is made up of two thirds of water. We don't have water, we don't have circulation and there goes the heart. Forget that we haven't eaten anything in almost two days. Our weather conditions aren't helping either. Exceedingly hot with humid fog and then freezing at night. We are dying!”

“Of dehydration, I don't thinks so,” Hermione scoffed. “It takes longer than a mere eight hours to dehydrate.”

“Not if the conditions are right. You can dehydrate within the day if they are and I don't know about you, but Ginny and I have been fucking like rabbits.”

Ginny's face flamed with embarrassment. “Draco.”

His fingers tightened around hers. “We don't have time. I can tell you this. I don't tend on being dinner for those creatures that have been following us the past day. We're in bad shape and I wouldn't put it past them to attack when we collapse with exhaustion tomorrow if we stay.”

Harry, who'd been sitting on a rotted log that had green moss growing on it, frowned. “Creatures?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “You survived death encounters with one of the most dangerous wizards in the world. Are you telling me you can't tell when you're in danger? Or maybe your thoughts are too clouded with pumping your prick into Granger?”

Instantly angry, his eyes filled with furry, Harry's fist clenched as he leapt up and marched towards Malfoy, preparing to deliver a blow he felt was deserved when Hermione's slender hand disrupted his line of vision.

“Stop-Malfoy, explain without insulting us,” Hermione requested.

“These creatures are ugly little buggers that have been following us. I wasn't sure at first what they wanted when I noticed them this morning. At first they were calm and almost sluggish as they trailed us. It was when Gin and I had a rather steamy encounter against a tree that I noticed the change in their behavior. I confirmed it again when I went down on her about twenty minutes ago. They became erratic, excited even, with visible salivating mouths. I've seen that wild look in a person's eye. It's not a look of desire so much as pure hunger.”

“He's right.”

All eyes turned to Cela.

“I was hoping we would avoid this. It's one of those things where I didn't think it could happen to me, but I've fallen victim to this forest just as the rest of us have. I hadn't mentioned it because I thought I'd be above it and we'd be out by now. A trek through the Lusty Forest without being influenced is maybe five hours at the most and we've been here at least two days. The minute we stepped foot here it started working, but our conditions are worsening. We're becoming more and more animalistic.”

“Let's get back to the creatures that want to eat us,” Ron demanded, folding his arms across his chest.

Cela turned her eyes towards him looking as if she wasn't sure she should answer as she measured the question. Finally she spoke. “The Lust Creatures are carnivorous. Their choice in meat is human and elf. They eat the meat on our bodies, the meat is the main course, but it's the juices from our orgasms which are considered a delicacy. It's their desert. It can also be accredited for the name, The Lusty Forest. The creatures give off pheromones when it wants to mate with a female, like any other beast, but that particular chemical effects human and elf. They keep themselves well hidden. They would have to when an elf is on the menu. I find myself wondering how you noticed them Draco when I didn't?”

Malfoy raised a beautiful arched eyebrow. “My father is a very paranoid man,” he responded with a tone that simply said `that should explain it sufficiently'. “Look to your left.”

Human like if they'd been a little taller than a foot, with a black and white striped body, was a creature with beady black eyes bulging out of a head that would normally be considered too large for the beasts size with slimy webbed like twigs for fingers and feet.

“They usually use a camouflage that makes them virtually invisible, apparently they don't deem us worthy of that ability anymore,” Cela whispered. “Don't worry though, they prefer dead meat.”

“Prefer it, doesn't mean it's necessary. They'll attack once we've collapsed from exhaustion, guaranteed,” Draco added, before again taking a drink of his water then quick coaxing Ginny to take some of hers.

“Ron you should drink some too,” Ginny added before taking a gulp of the cool water.

Ron nodded his agreement. “We all should. It just never crossed my mind to drink or eat. All I can think about is getting-” he paused, glancing at his sister, and leaving the sentence unfinished.

“I clearly remember that in the beginning our magic didn't work here-that we didn't have much of anything but look at all this stuff,” Hermione commented. “It's like we wanted to stay here, to live here. It's insane,” she shook her head as she released the magic of the tent, and then gathered a pack of food and water. “Grab necessities. Who knows where this stuff came from! Food, water that's it! Since apparently our magic does work here we'll use it to speed our travel to the Mystical Mountains. Cela is there anything we need to know of the mountains. Maybe something you though wouldn't effect you?”

“Human do I detect-”

“Tell us, please Cela. I'm sorry my tone was offensive, but you said it yourself. You don't trek through all of these places to get home.”

Cela nodded. “To show up in Elf Town, the way an elf travels, with strangers would be offensive and you'd all be executed without trial. These obstacles show worthiness of the species that come to get council from us.”

There was silence before anyone responded. “Thank you once again for taking us this way. I'm also not fully human, none of us are. We're wizards and we need to know,” Hermione finally spoke.

“There are human like vultures with long black wings that inhabit the mountains.”

Ron interrupted. “And they eat people!”

Cela growled, her eyes glowing slightly. “Do not interrupt me! The males have nothing to worry about. These creatures, though both male and female, enjoy the female internal organs far more than the males. The heart in particular in a female is more tender, juicier, and sweeter than males, especially the heart of a female elf.”

“Bloody hell,” Ginny groaned.

To be continued…

Yay, I'm happy I got this out! I'm not going to promise a quick update, but I can promise I'll try!

Sorry if continuity is off, it's been so long and I can't bring myself to go through the previous chapters.

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Chapter Fourteen A:

Ginny straddled the line between the Lusty Forest and the Mystical Mountains, making sure everyone got through. At one point she had to even push a few, Ron specifically, and the minute they all had crossed the border the reality of their actions weighed on them. It was suffocated.

Flashes of skin on skin, cries of pleasure, red, white, pink, against a tree, on her stomach, the images came like a strobe light, completely incapacitating her for a full five minutes before she glanced up to gaze at the man that had kept her at 100 degrees for most of the trip.

Draco clearly comprehended the situation as he shifted his weight and nervously cleared his throat. His sexy silver blue eyes darkened as he examined her and she knew exactly what he was thinking. She knew because she wanted it too.

Was this the backlash? An after effect? Because really, how was it possible to want someone so much that you completely forget their past, who they are, what they've done to you—how?

Ginny was panting as she stared hungrily at his toned chest and full lips, wanting desperately to forget her conscious gnawing at the back of her mind and throw herself at him. If there was ever a time she wanted to surrender it was now. Hell she was close to begging him.

She whimpered, licked her bottom lip, and quickly averted her gaze. How she'd gotten the strength was a mystery. Her body was on fire like hot lava spilling everywhere and it hurt. The difference was they weren't in that forest and her actions now mattered.

Ginny managed to lift her eyes and focus on everyone else.

If the moment wasn't so viscerally damaging it would have been comical, the awkward exchange between Hermione and Harry, Ron's utter embarrassment, Cela's aloofness. In a different situation Ginny would have cracked a joke and made light of the situation.

“Let's take a moment,” Hermione whispered, her chocolate brown eyes never leaving Harry's green ones.

They went in one direction, not overly far away, but enough so that they wouldn't be overheard. Ron and Cela followed the example going in the opposite direction, leaving Ginny awkwardly standing ten feet away from Draco, not willing to turn and face the music.

“Ginny-”

“How could I let you do that to me?” she gasped suddenly and she cringed at the accusatory tone in her voice. She didn't mean it the way it came out; she was just as much at fault as he was. She shook her head in disbelief as more of the sex crazed memories started to fill her, her eyes were brimming with unshed tears.

“I recall you doing some rather,” she heard him pause and take a shaky breath before continuing his sentence, “unsavory things as well to me.”

“I-I'm sorry,” her voice cracked.

“You shouldn't be.”

“I know I should be,” she continued to ramble to the tree in front of her, still refusing to turn around. “I can't believe the-I-what?”

She flinched as she felt his hand land on her shoulder and swiftly jerked away finally facing him only to see his hands raised in a calming surrender pose.

“Don't be sorry because I'm not. I recognize it was too much too fast, but I'm anything but sorry,” he spoke softly, before coming within inches of her face to reach out and clutch either side of her shoulders. “We work well together Ginny, the necklace, that bloody curse, this journey, it's like -”

“I'll just have to punch you if you say fate,” Ginny mumbled, “and you're clearly still overcome with the after results of leaving the forest.”

“We had sex before we left for this journey and I don't know about you but it was just as good as those mind blowing times in that hellish forest. Don't regret that we were together.”

Ginny shook her head a tear finally slipping free. “I'm not like that. I'm not dirty-“

He pulled her closer dropping his forehead to hers. “None of what we did was dirty. Do you understand? It was so fucking brilliant that I'm still shaking from it. Do you feel me shaking? Do you feel me?” he whispered the last part.

She watched as his eyes dropped down to her lips, as he leaned forward to gently brush his against hers. She shivered at the sweet perfection of the moment. He didn't think she was a slag, he didn't think she was dirty.

He said it was brilliant.

A strangled sob escaped her and she immediately plastered herself to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. She grimaced as teeth clashed from the hard kiss and managed to pull away enough so that it didn't hurt, just enough pressure to be perfect, but it was then that she felt a sharp, gut wrenching pain in her back, the fire from before was nothing compared to this, and the wetness that surround the burn seeped into her back.

“Draco,” she whispered, her mouth dropping open from an agonizing pain.

Darkness, a shadow, it was too bad that wasn't just her passing out either. Whatever grabbed her, whatever was clutching claws into her back was huge, at least seven feet tall, with a jagged, almost a white leathery string like wing span. Ginny turned her head slightly, seeing blue skin wrapped around bloody flesh covered teeth grinning in her face before she felt the ground slip from her feet and the air rushed in around her.

“GINNY!!”

He couldn't speak, he couldn't blink, all he could do was blink as he looked at the bluish purple horned demon, it's large white, tattered wings flapping, pulling Ginny from his arms. The wind was so strong as it flapped away that he'd almost fallen on his bum. And he screamed; screamed from fear, from the panic welling in his chest as he watched Ginny's pain filled eyes look up at him in desperation just before the beast snatched her.

“GINNY!!” He remembered screaming.

“Ginny,” he whispered.

His voice was raw now because it was all he could do, scream. He couldn't fly, couldn't the irony just slap him in the face any harder, because he could fly back home with his broom, but here in this nightmarish place it wasn't allowed. Here all he could do was cry out for her, he was nothing here. He wasn't Draco Malfoy son of one of the most powerful death eaters and richest man of the wizarding world, Lucius Malfoy. His genius in Potions and Dark Arts were worthless. He was just a boy watching someone he wanted, needed, someone he cared about get taken from him.

He couldn't even manage to hold on to her. She literally slipped from his grasp.

“They must've been watching the entrance,” Cela spoke so calmly Draco found himself gritting his teeth with anger.

“What the hell was that thing?” Ron demanded.

Cela sighed, tossing her hair behind her shoulders. “I told you before entering, the vulture humanoids.”

“You said they had black wings!” Draco growled.

Cela nodded. “The young ones do. It's very rare for an old one to be out hunting like that. The good news is that you said she had a bloody mouth.”

Draco nodded. “Yes though I fail to see any good news coming from this situation.”

“It's eaten already. When these creatures eat, they consume enough for two days. That's our time window if we plan to save Ginny.”

“I'm sure there's bad news,” Harry commented.

Hermione nodded, quickly pulling her unruly hair back into a pony tail. “Isn't there always?”

Ron nodded.

“How are your mountain climbing skills?”

“Brilliant,” Draco spoke sarcastically. “Let me guess the highest point of the highest, rockiest mountain.”

Cela's eyes twinkled. “In one, I'm rather excited for this adventure.”

“And I'm sure Ginny's just thrilled. They're probably sprinkling her with salt and pepper,” Ron grumbled.

Cela didn't answer immediately, rather just went to grab Ginny's clothing bag. “It's not `they're'.”

“What?” Hermione asked, catching the tone in Cela's voice.

“I said—”

Hermione clucked her tongue and shook her head, stopping the elf from continuing. “I heard what you said, what do you mean? We really don't have time for these riddles.”

Cela's eyes flashed red before she coolly answered. “Speak that way to me again and I'll leave you to rot. These creatures do not hunt in packs and share. They are ravenous carnivorous beasts that don't have a sharing bone in their body and there are thousands in the Mystical Mountains. So though they prefer female elf's, food is still few and far between because of their appetites. Anyone of us will do. We need to keep our wits because I guarantee you I won't go after any of you, only Ginny.”

Draco spoke before Ron could manage a rude retort. “Understood! Now let's stop fiddling around and start looking. That window of time is not enough.”

“Agreed,” Cela nodded and started left towards the rockiest path.

“That goes straight up,” Ron complained.

“Soon there will not be a path and then you will know the meaning of `straight up,'” Cela called. “Let's move!”

“Hang on Gin, we're coming,” Draco whispered, following at a gallop after Cela.

“Cahn't `ave ya rottin',” the bird like lady screeched.

Her voice was like nails on a chalk board, poorly accented, like the lady purposely chose to speak with a fake English accent, and the high nasally tone, with every word raising on octave.

“What are you?”

“I do not speak nor play with my food,” the voice boomed, deep, strong, almost like a girlish man.

The sudden change in tone was so quick that Ginny did a double take; just to be sure it wasn't two different birds. The first voice was playful, happy even regardless of how irritating Ginny found it was so, but this voice was offended.

Ginny gasped as she felt a quick slash of the razor sharp nails slice down the back of what was left of her shirt and when a wet liquid ooze spilled over the fingernail cuts in her back she had to keep herself from gagging at the rotten smell of vomit and dirt. The bird packed it in to the wound none too gently.

“Vomity, vomity, pour vous, my vomity vomity pour vous, my healing wonder,” she sang horribly as she danced around Ginny who was lying on a cold rocky ground in a dark cave that was most definitely on top of a very high mountain.

Was that French? Ginny wondered silently watching the female bird closely, noting that if it weren't for the horns, wings, and skin color, she would be a normal woman, well a naked woman at least.

“Please,” Ginny started.

The female looked more like a bird when angry; her movements were jerky, her eyes wide and bulging, and her nose pointing straight, her wings even ruffled. “If you insist on talking I'll not give you my bites anesthesia when I eat you. We Mountain Raptors like to keep the prey alive when eating them. Fresh is best I always say.”

Oh Merlin, Draco, please save me, Ginny thought. Harry, it would really be great if you could pull off the impossible again too.

To be continued…

Snippet of Part B:

This was the first time Draco actually understood the meaning of `afraid of heights'. As a Quidditch player, he'd sometimes go five hundred feet in the air on his broom, if not more, but without that broom, with just his hands and feet gripping jagged edges of mountain, the fear was setting in. His body was trembling, shaking with that dread that any minute he'd slip, though if anyone asked he could blame it on exertion. After all this was no easy task.

As they had started climbing the foot holes and places to grab onto had been close together, but when the ground started to lose its visibility he found himself having to practically leap to get to the other footing. He couldn't see how the girls were doing it, but both Granger and the elf seem to be fairing better than the men.

Though he was extremely fit, mountain climbing was a whole other sport that under better circumstances should have required training. This was not a mountain any beginner should take on, especially without the proper tools.

Want to see what this monster looks like? Go here: geocities (dot) ws/gypsybaby21 / baddieone(dot)html

I wanted to have this out yesterday at ten pages, it just didn't happen. So I decided to break it up into two different parts. I want to add a lot more to this chapter, so until further notice consider it a rough draft. Thanks to everyone for sticking with the story for so long and please point out inconsistencies!

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Chapter Fourteen Part B:

This was the first time Draco actually understood the meaning of `afraid of heights'. As a Quidditch player, he'd sometimes go five hundred feet in the air on his broom, if not more, but without that broom, with just his hands gripping jagged edges of rough mountain, the fear was setting in. His body was trembling from exertion, but he was also shaking with that dread that any minute he'd slip, plummeting to a bloody death. Not to mention his worry for Ginny was distracting him from keeping a fully level head.

This was no easy task, especially without his broom as back up, and the thought of Ginny being hurt, or worse, was almost crippling. He needed to compartmentalize his thoughts and just think about the task at hand so that he wouldn't die in his pursuit to save the girl.

Though he was extremely fit, mountain climbing was a whole other sport that, under better circumstances, should have required extensive training; this was not a mountain any beginner should take on, especially without the proper tools.

As they had started climbing the foot holes and places to grab onto had been close together, but when the ground started to lose its visibility, he found himself having to practically leap to get to the other footing and unfortunately, that didn't allow for any testing to see if it was sturdy.

They were all leaping blind. Unfamiliar territory, no rock climbing ability, no rock climbing gear, honestly it was amazing they'd gotten as far up on the mountain as they had.

To make it worse, to him at least, both Granger and the elf seemed to be better than the men were at the task. They almost looked graceful in the leaps and bounds up the mountain and if one thing pissed him off more it was that a mudblood was better at him than something.

“I'm gonna die,” Ron grunted in between gasps for breath, his red purplish face clashing with his carrot top head.

It seemed as if they'd all die.

Draco gritted his teeth as his fingers slipped on the loose rubble of one of the cracks in the rock that he'd shoved his hand into. He could feel the wetness as the blood welled from the stinging cuts. He paused, for only a minute, to wipe the red liquid off and the sediment that clung with it. His miniscule injuries were nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing compared to what Ginny's probably going through right now. His thoughts whispered his anxiety and fear. And he slipped again.

“Shit,” he gritted out, struggling to keep himself in place, his rubbery feeling arms trembling as he pulled himself closer to the reddish brown stone.

“How much farther?” Harry questioned, surprisingly not as out of breath as Ron.

“Let's take a break, Ron sounds like he really is going to die,” Hermione commented, ignoring Harry's question purposely, like she didn't want to think of how much longer they could last.

Draco knew. If a miracle didn't happen Ginny would die, because the only people to save her fell to their deaths trying rock climb without experience and gear. He knew with finality that they weren't going to make it on time. Ginny was as good as dead.

He clenched his teeth, shaking the thoughts away, and managing to turn his attention to the others. Though it appeared slightly easier for the girls than the guys they were both still panting, trying to catch a good breath. It made Draco somewhat more satisfied to know that she was struggling just as much as he was.

Stupid mudblood.

He ignored the twinge of guilt as the relief spilled into him. He wasn't going to give up. They would do this, they'd all get it done.

“So we just hang here?” Ron asked in disbelief, his eyes widening with fear.

Draco leapt to a promising edge where he pushed his knees in between the bigger and smaller rocks. The tops of his thighs pressed against the smooth underside of it and he leaned back as if he were sitting in a chair. “Like this,” he supplied

“Well not all of us are that lucky to find something like that,” Ron grumbled, shifting his grip clumsily.

“Please stop complaining, none of us enjoy this Ronald. Just keep thinking that Ginny is probably worse off,” Hermione snapped, her eyes flashing with anger as she gritted her teeth.

Though he hated to agree with her, he couldn't help but think the same thing, and as the red head continued to complain another thought came to mind.

It was going to be a long day.

_____

She'd been given a hot bath with sweet aromatic oils and given the circumstances she shouldn't have enjoyed the hot liquid that had surrounded her. She shouldn't have fallen asleep when her life was hanging by a thread.

The demon bird had mentioned something about smooth skin of an Elf was a delicacy. Ginny tried to hold it in after her description of slicing the skin in strips to get the full taste, but the vomit from fear curdled up into her throat, and the chunks blew. That was when the bird decided it was time for her to have a bath.

She'd flown Ginny down to a crack with a waterfall and cliff on the side of the mountain and just below that was a cave that had a circular, steaming hot spring. Ginny had watched the demon bird pour in the jasmine and grapefruit scented oils before it gestured for Ginny to go in.

And here she was, just waking, feeling the oil, slick on her skin, seeping through, softening her skin so that it would taste sweeter to this thing that was going to eventually devour her because she'd been cursed an elf and had bad luck.

Why couldn't anything ever go right?

All she wanted was to fall in love and live happily ever after. She'd fallen in love now she wanted that happy ever after with him.

Ginny paused in running her hands through the water, slicing through the tiny waves she'd made with her movements. She really had fallen in love with Draco in such a short time. She thought it had been something to do with that forest and the things they'd done, that it had just been the influence of it.

Just thinking about him made her heart ache. If it wasn't love then what else could it be? Need, definitely, want, for sure, but love? Ginny was sure that if he came to save her she would be able to fully decide on loving him wholly and if he would accept her because she really didn't know how he felt either. That stupid forest had influenced their actions too much and they'd been forced into an adventurous sexual relationship more quickly than anticipated without real time to talk about it.

They'd been so busy, all of them really, trying to help lift this curse that may or may not have consequences. Draco was paying for it for Merlin sake.

“And now look what's happening,” she whimpered to the water, sloshing it back and forth against her bare breasts. “I'll be eaten.”

It was a bad time to feel sorry for herself, she wasn't the only one going through these things, but she couldn't help it.

“I wouldn't have any luck if it weren't for bad luck,” she grumbled, gently slapping her hand, palm down, against the water.

The tiny light peaking through the opening of the cave allowed the water to glistening enough for Ginny to see shadows, but not clearly know what was happening around her. She could probably see a foot in front of her. For all she knew there could be huge spiders like in the Forbidden Forest waiting to inject her with a venom that liquefied her insides.

Ginny noticed then that though the water she was immersed in was somehow pleasantly hot, she was shivering. No. Shaking, trembling so hard that her chattering teeth was the only sound she could hear. She could feel the sweat dripping down the side of her face, the heat coaxing her muscles to relax, and still she couldn't stop the shaking from the fear of her fate.

Why couldn't she fight? Why couldn't she? Should she give up before even trying?

“How in the hell?” Ginny asked, gasping for breath she hadn't known she needed.

`How' was right. This bird was clearly a supernatural being from another part of the world and she knew nothing of it.

Clearly, she was doomed.

Or so she thought, until she saw something that looked like a silver weapon with jade colored emeralds lining the visible side, lodged in the cracks of stone beneath the water. It was shiny and the light from the cave opening was just barely reaching it.

Her eyes widened and her heart beat quickened, amazed at what the thought of having a weapon could do to her as she felt the adrenaline hit her like a spiked drink.

She could do this.

She was a powerful witch for bloody hell.

She'd had a hand in defeating Tom Riddle.

She could definitely do this.

Ginny licked her bottom lip and slowly reached down, then stopped herself, remembering where she was and what could be watching her. Now was not a time to be stupid. It would appear odd if the horned demon bird saw her reaching for something. It would definitely say something; it would stop her, and then bite into her for her actions. So, instead of reaching, she slipped her body down, until the water lapped at her lips and she inhaled, taking a deep breath through her nose before fully going under the water. Closer to the ground she managed to see just enough to shift the jagged rocks around the weapon away, then she reached for it…and screamed.

To be continued…

I know you all waited so long and it was so short, but it is progressing at least. This chapter I'm not so happy with, it's short and choppy, but it wasn't bad enough for me to not post. Enjoy!

Want to see what this monster looks like? Go to my Yahoogroups Writing on the Clouds, link is in my profile.

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