Draco's visit: Part 1
Ginny was so nervous, she could hardly contain it. She hadn't eaten any breakfast; she spent a good 45 minutes trying on outfit after outfit and finally decided that a green long sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans would work. She kept her hair down, pulling her bangs back into a barrette and had been pacing downstairs for the past 15 minutes.
"GINNY!" Ron yelled at her, causing her to stop for a moment. "You are making me crazy so just stop ok?" he was trying to eat his breakfast.
Ginny walked over to the stairs and sat down, thinking about a hundred things at once. What time would he show up? What should she say? What would her brothers and parents do? She vaguely felt Ron walk by her on the stairs. Minutes later her mother walked over and Ginny looked up at her, her anxiety very apparent over her face. Her mother smiled reassuringly and crouched down in front of her.
"I have to go out and get some food for dinner tonight. Are you going to be ok?" Molly tilted her daughter's chin up so she could see Ginny's face.
"Look honey, I know you are nervous and maybe scared as to how he will be treated, but you convinced us to give him a chance and we're doing that for you. We will not be anything but our usual crazy, funny selves, especially with most of your brothers here. HE is the one who should be nervous and I'm sure he is pacing his place like you are."
"He's nervous?" Ginny retorted laughingly…but… she had been so busy thinking about herself, she didn't give thought to what he must be thinking. He was always so calm, cool and collected she couldn't fathom what he would be like if he was nervous.
"Think about it…think about how he acted, things his father said about your father; he has to live with those in his past and now he is facing a family that he was taught to treat differently than other families. He has no idea what your brothers will say or do how your dad and I will greet him. He has never even been to this house and has no idea what to expect," Molly straightened up and adjusted her robes as Ginny let the thoughts muster some strength in her brain.
"True, I guess," Ginny agreed, a rarity for her and her mother to agree on anything.
"I suggest you go out and shovel; we got a few more inches of snow last night."
"Shovel? The Muggle way?" Ginny looked surprised and stared at her mother like she was crazy.
"Yes. You need to work off some of this energy and Ron's in the shower," Molly went to the door and looked outside next to the house.
"There is a shovel against the house, you can use that one."
Ginny sighed but decided it would help pass the time, and it was the least she could do after her parents agreed to have a Malfoy in their home, so she put on her winter cloak, hat and gloves and followed her mother outside into the cold, crisp air.
"Remember what we talked about last night with Hermione," Molly stopped at the stairs and put a hand on her daughters arm.
"I know. Someone has to be in the house with us if you aren't there. And to tell him NOT to try anything Fred and George might offer him," Ginny reiterated that last part with a small smile as she grabbed the shovel.
"I'm going to apparate over to your father's work for a bit; he forgot his lunch again," she held up a paper bag, "Then I will get everything we need for the shepherd's pie this evening. I should be back around lunch, ok?"
"Are Bill and Charlie coming?"
"Bill is; Charlie and Katharine have their doctor's appointment this afternoon so they might be late. Last I heard Fred and George will be here too. And, Percy…," Molly sighed and shrugged a shoulder. She headed towards the gate.
"Deep breath dear and try to relax a bit."
Ginny nodded and fiddled with the shovel, trying to get down the motion of moving the snow off the steps.
It wasn't long until Ginny got the hang of it, shove, lift and throw to the side. Now, she understood why Harry did this; it really did work your upper body. She had worked up a steady rhythm working her way off the steps and backwards down the sidewalk, a million thoughts running through her head.
Ron had told her that once Draco was here, he would stay out of her way. He was still alternating between sleeping at Grimmauld and back at his own house, feeling the need to give Harry and Hermione privacy being newly engaged. She wondered if part of it was because Hermione reminded him of Samantha. They looked similar: same eyes, same mouth, but Samantha's hair was almost black and shorter; her face a bit more angled; she was taller and was built differently.
Draco appeared at the entrance to their yard and saw the back of Ginny, steadily shoveling snow and he could hear, in between the scrapes of the shovel, that she was humming an unfamiliar tune. For a moment he stood, pulling on his gloves watching her in what looked like a new winter cloak.
It had been almost ten days since he had seen her, not that he was counting of course, but it had felt like a long time. His mother immediately had noticed a change in his personality and attributed most of it to being out from under his father's watchful eye.
She had him confirm that he indeed had broke up with Pansy and actually seemed relieved after he told her the reasons why. He knew all she wanted was for him to be happy; she had told him so many times that he didn't need to follow in his father's footsteps, but he really didn't have a choice.
She had asked who he went to the Yule Ball with and when he said "Ginny Weasley" her blue eyes had widened and she had asked him what was going on for him to all of a sudden do an about face when it came to the Weasley's. He remembered trying to explain and failing, which little did he know told his mother everything she needed to know. He had said that she was one of the first people to accept his father's death and talk about it; then he said something about how Potter was so laid back and relaxed there was nothing for him (Draco) to rail on him about; then he bounced back to Ginny saying that she had helped him out of a bind with Pansy by dancing with him…in truth he had no idea how to verbalize what he was feeling inside.
He just knew as he stood there for a moment, hands in his pockets that he could watch her do just about anything and never get bored by doing it. Realizing that he had been doing just that and someone else might be home, he walked up behind her.
"There's magic for that you know," he said and saw her jump and drop the shovel, throwing a gloved hand to her chest.
"OH…Merlin…you scared me to death!" Ginny took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her thumping heart, all the while staring at Draco Malfoy standing inside the gate in a long dark grey wool coat.
"When did you get here? I didn't hear you apparate." Ginny bent down and picked up the shovel, using it to steady herself.
'He's here, oh Merlin, he's here; I can't believe this is happening', she thought to herself.
"You were making a lot of noise so you probably didn't hear me. I just arrived," Draco walked over to her looking up at their tall, awkward looking house. Ginny gripped the shovel hard, knowing that her house wasn't anything like Malfoy Manor and she was totally unsure as to how he was going to react.
"So, this is where you live," he said softly, tearing his eyes away from the top most room (Ron's bedroom and the attic) and meeting her nervous gaze. She nodded and was relieved he didn't say anything else. He stood there for a moment looking at her.
"Why are you shoveling the Muggle way?" he asked, putting a hand on the shovel, very close to hers. She looked at his black gloves then at the path she shoveled.
"My mother told me it would make me less nervous," Ginny explained shyly, not sure why she admitted she was nervous. He had a way of making her say things she wouldn't normally voice out loud. Maybe it was the fact that he could do Legilimens and she thought he could read what she was thinking.
"Nervous? You?" His hand slid down a bit and covered hers, feeling the need to touch her. Ginny tried to slow her racing heart by concentrating on Ron being in the house, maybe looking out his window…anything to take her mind off him touching her hand.
"Why?" he asked softly. Ginny sighed and looked pointedly at him and she saw him nod in understanding, realizing what she meant.
"Is your family home?" Draco asked his eyes not leaving her face which was determinedly looking at him.
"Just Ron right now. Dad is working and mum ran some errands to get stuff for dinner tonight," Ginny saw something in his clear blue eyes just for a second as he asked his question. She wondered if he was nervous, or if he was trying to just make conversation. She felt awkward, standing out there with him with no one else around. It was a totally different setting from school, her safe haven, and here he was at HER house, acting like he wasn't nervous at all…but then again he was so good at masking his emotions, she was having a hard time reading him.
"So, if I give you a hug then no one will run out and break my nose?" he asked with a smile at the corner of his mouth taking a step closer as she shook her head no.
Gently prying the shovel from her grip, he set it down in the snow and straightened up.
Ginny took a step towards him and he did the same, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and hers around his waist. Closing her eyes for a moment to try and quell the rising tide of emotions in her, she concentrated on the feel of the wool against her cheek, the sound of birds in the apple orchard.
'He gives the best hugs', Ginny thought to herself, feeling him hold her tight then and as if it was planned, they stepped away at the same time, her hands still on his waist and his on her upper arms. For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her…which she had mixed feelings about with Ron being inside. Draco slowly let his hands drop to his sides and Ginny's did the same.
She decided to take him on a tour of the grounds first, since they were dressed for it. As they walked towards the apple orchard where she and her brothers used to play Quidditch, she rattled on about how they used apples for balls and how they couldn't go very high because the Muggles in town might see them.
Their boots made similar crunching noises as they walked through the line of trees and came upon a clearing. Standing next to Draco, she remembered the times she and her brothers would come out and play…back when things were so much easier. At the same time, the other half of her was screaming for him to kiss her, to hold her hand or something. She just had this need to touch him and she wasn't sure why that feeling was so strong. He asked her a few questions about their home made pitch and seemed to really enjoy it.
Turning around they made their way back and Ginny decided to try and get him to talk about himself.
"So, how was your Christmas?" Ginny asked quietly. Draco was quiet for a moment and kicked at some snow.
"Fine mostly."
"Mostly?"
She was met with another moment of silence and she slowed down her pace so she could look at him.
"My mother and father's friends weren't too happy when they learned that Pansy and I weren't together which subsequently led to some pretty intense discussions on what I should and should not be doing with my time."
"What did they want you to do? Follow in your father's footsteps?" Ginny made sure to keep her voice even, not trying to let any trace of anger about what his father did enter into her voice.
"Yes, they do. They were pretty upset that I disobeyed my parents and the Parkinson's as well for not staying with Pansy, but they really can't do anything about it. I just got an earful about everything, that's all. I am sure you aren't interested in most of it."
This time Ginny paused, thinking she was and wasn't. He was a few feet ahead of her now, following their footprints back through the trees.
"How did your mum take everything?" she decided this was a safe question to ask. This time he suddenly stopped in front of her…she skidded to a stop and took a step back as he turned around.
"My mother was upset at first, mostly about Pansy and what her parents would think. She asked me for a specific reason as to why we broke up."
He had his hands in his pockets now and was staring over her head at something and seemed as if he was almost talking to himself.
Ginny wasn't sure if she should ask what the reason was or to just be quiet…so she compromised with herself and just let out a quiet "oh."
"I told her that after about a month of being with Pansy at school this year, I didn't want to be with her. I didn't love her. But I had promised my father so I stuck it out. Pansy wasn't too happy about the arrangement after a few months either, so I think once Pansy got over the initial shock of being dumped she recovered quite nicely," he said sarcastically, then glanced down at her. Ginny was staring at him wide eyed, not expecting the small tirade from him.
"Well," Ginny took her hands out of her pockets and went to button the top of her cloak. She wanted to say something supportive and pretended to fumble with her button to buy herself some more time.
"I guess the Pansy part worked out for the best for you and her then. You not loving her and all." She saw his hands move to her button and in one deft movement he buttoned it for her, then let his hand drop to his side.
"Not everyone understands that; but I am tired of pleasing everyone but myself, so now my mother's friends will just have to accept it."
Ginny detected a note of anger in his voice, but as quick as it entered it was gone.
"How was your Christmas? Probably a bit more relaxed than mine." Draco held out his arm and Ginny slowly tucked her hand in as they started walking.
"It was great; got to meet my new sister in law, Charlie's wife who is pregnant; Saw Fleur again; had a great dinner, so all in all it was pretty nice." Ginny was a bit disappointed that they reached the edge of the orchard so quickly, so she steered him around back to show him their garden gnomes. They were funny to watch in the snow because they knew no one came out to de-gnome the garden in the winter.
"Aunt Ginny," Draco said smiling. Ginny smiled at the sound of it, the sound of HER name falling off HIS lips and nodded.
"I will be in April. I'm starting to feel old now," she stopped at the stone wall and watched a gnome run around in circles, trying to chase another one in the snow. Draco watched with interest as they dove in and out of holes, popping up feet away from where they had entered.
"My mother wants to meet you," Draco said suddenly. Ginny looked at him, surprise on her face.
"Me? Why?" Ginny pulled her hand out of Draco's arm and shoved her hands back into her pockets as he turned slightly to look at her.
"Does she even know me?" Ginny was trying to think of anytime she might have met her or seen her.
"She knows of your family and I mentioned your name," Ginny stared at him, and swore he looked nervous that he was telling her this. She felt like her chest had been hit by a ton of bricks because for Draco Malfoy to mention her, to his mother, meant that he was thinking of her enough to talk about her.
"What did you say?" Ginny whispered reaching out and tentatively touching his wool overcoat. The need to touch him physically was almost overwhelming; she sensed something was going on with him too. She could not believe they were having this conversation, she felt giddy and scared at the same time with a mixture of extreme nervousness playing at the edges.
"She asked me who I went to the dance with and I said you. She then gave me the typical parent interrogation about how I got to know you and such," Draco looked down at her hand flicking off snow from his jacket. "So now she wants to meet you."
"Erm, okay and when does she want to do this? We leave for school on Saturday." Ginny let her hand drop, realizing that she was starting to make excuses for touching him and she wasn't entirely sure as to WHY she wanted to.
"She is going with me to get some supplies in Diagon Alley on Friday. Maybe we can meet up then," he saw the clouded look come over Ginny's face. "Don't worry my mother doesn't bite."
"I'll have to clear it with my parents."
She took her hand out of her pocket to touch his overcoat again, but realized she was probably looking stupid so she shoved it back in her pocket.
Her name rang through the air as Ron yelled at her from the window, saying he was going to Harry's for a few minutes. Ginny nodded and noticed that Ron actually gave Draco a raised hand in greeting, which he returned. Not a second later they heard the distinctive loud POP of Ron apparating.
Turning back to Draco, she realized that they were both truly alone, he made a comment about her brother trusting them enough to be left alone. Ginny smiled and gave a small shrug.
"He is the only one of my brothers that knows I can take care of myself," she looked up him and saw him observing her…and then it happened.
One minute he was standing with his hands in his pockets, the next his arms were around her and his lips on hers, actually kissing her, finally. She struggled to remove her gloved hands from her pockets as they were trapped between his arms. He felt her move and took a half a step back not moving his lips from hers. She pulled them out and circled them around his neck, letting one hand rest on the back of his head.
This wasn't like any of the other kisses he had given her, the slow, careful almost timid ones. She felt him drawing her closer, her mouth being crushed by his, their tongues exploring each others mouths, their teeth, flicking along each others lips; she pulled herself up to get closer, standing on her toes, feeling his arms tightening around her, almost lifting her off the ground. She could feel his strength as he stood there, supporting both of them, holding her so tightly she could barely breath…although that was underrated for the moment. His tongue touching hers made her feel pleasure so intense it became feathery pain that spread across her shoulders and chest.
His mouth; her mouth; pushing; tugging; filling her with small shockwaves as she kissed him back as hard and fast as he was. Then with a slow sliding motion, his mouth moved from her lips and glided down her cheek, her jaw, her neck all the while leaving small little flicks with his tongue. Ginny instantly arched back accepting his soft kisses. She felt one hand slide up her back, supporting her and the other found its way under her cloak and wrapped around her waist. At the moment her neck tilted back, he kissed a spot right under her ear which brought out an unexpected moan-she was pretty sure it came from her. She felt that she had left her body and was spinning aimlessly in space. Working his way to the other side she buried her hands in his hair while flashes, filled with a spectrum of colors, swirled behind her closed eyes, as his tongue ran lazy circles under her ear. Taking the small noises he couldn't help but make as a positive noise (which it oh so was!), he kissed her there again and she clutched his shoulders, moving her head to reclaim his lips.
She needed to feel him under her finger tips and the gloves were just in the way. She quickly ripped them off and shoved them into her pockets then softly touched the only part of his neck left exposed by his overcoat. Her cold fingers and his warm neck made him falter for a moment, pausing in his movements to give Ginny the knowledge that she had broken through yet another barrier of Draco's. Her cool fingers explored his neck, his jaw bone, and his ears which extracted the most interesting reaction from him in the time she had known him like this. He loosened his grip on her, so she fell back to her heels, making her grab onto his jacket for support, not wanting to separate her mouth from his. His hands came up and cupped her along her cheeks, the heels of his hands under her jawbone and he moved forward a touch so one leg was next to hers and she could feel his hip pushing into her stomach. Regaining her balance, she brought her hands down his shoulders and ran them down his arms and up to his hands, placing hers over his, wondering when his gloves had been discarded. Too many winter items on them, yet again!
She wasn't sure when she started feeling him lighten the pressure on her lips ever so slightly, so slowly that eventually she realized her eyes were still closed and they weren't kissing anymore.
It was right at that moment she heard Ron's distinctive POP into their kitchen and Draco lowered his hands held by hers to their sides. She felt her chest heaving under her cloak and opened her eyes to find him looking at her, his eyes very bright and the look on his face so precious; for a few stolen moments she saw his chest heaving, his lips parted and his eyes searching her face, his hands tight around hers. Just that look alone made her feel flutterings in places no other boy had accomplished.
"Maybe," Draco said in a shaky voice, still showing the raw emotion that he felt from their kiss, if you could even give it such a simple word, "We should head inside."
Ginny nodded dumbly and they slowly made their way to the back door, hand in hand. Ginny glanced at the garden and it was then she noticed not one single gnome was left. She saw one run away outside the stone wall and realized that they had just de-gnomed the garden, in the middle of winter, with pure, raw emotion.