Unofficial Portkey Archive

Before I begin, please let me extend my deepest apologies to all those who have been anticipating the latest chapter of 'Four Seasons' for the past twelve months. As some of you may know, I didn't have time to complete this chapter last year because I moved to England last autumn and since then, I had been busy with university assignments. However, I managed to finish this chapter now, and my apologies if it isn't quite up to my usual standards.

Here, this chapter is dedicated to Jay Moon, whose generosity has given me the chance to own a copy of OotP. Also, this chapter is dedicated to those who have put up with my barely-alive Muse. In short, this story is written in tribute to those who unconditionally share their joy and passion for Harry Potter with other fans.

Title: Four Seasons (3/4)

Author: Rhea Summers

E-mail: rheasummers@yahoo.com

Rating: NC-17 (uncensored version)

Genre: Romance

Pairing: Draco/Ginny

Summary:

Four Seasons is a tale chronicling the ups and downs in a lifelong romance. Set in 1998, 7th year Draco Malfoy and 6th year Ginny Weasley cross paths in the summer festival of Beltane in Hogsmeade. Years later, they meet again. This time, things get more complicated as they struggle to sort out tangled emotions.

Disclaimer:

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

~*~*~*~*~

Feathery white snowflakes floated gently in the dimming winter light. Christmas was just around the corner, and the Burrow was bustling with activity and people. The Second War had ended two years ago, and the Wizarding Britain had returned close to normal.

Or, at least as close as it could get after enduring the cold-blooded slayings of thousands of innocent magical folk.

The fire in the hearth crackled merrily as orange tongues licked at the dry logs. The usual din in her home had lowered to occasional laughter and soft chatter. Her mother and sister-in-laws were busy cleaning up the remnants of the Christmas Eve dinner whereas the rest of her brothers were talking merrily or having a game of wizard's chess. Hermione, Fleur and Luna made their appearances with their respective spouses too, this year.

*Leaves me with no partner again,* she sighed inwardly. *I wonder where he is now…* In her mind's eye, sensual grey eyes stared back at her, challenging her to look back. With another sigh, Ginny pushed the mental image away. It had been hard enough trying to pierce her life back together, and she did not need a git like Draco to turn her life upside-down again.

It was a family tradition to have dinner together at Christmas Eve. Bill and Charlie had returned from their taxing jobs to come home. Fred and George were at home too, but they were probably too busy with their latest joke inventions.

*Ron…* she thought wryly as she glanced at the gangly young man playing a game of chess by himself.

Where was Harry?

Ginny smiled pensively. Barely a month ago, Harry was promoted to Moody's former position, after the old Auror left the ministry's service for good. A busy man these days, Harry could only return home at the earliest by midnight on Christmas Eve.

Playing with a lock of her hair, she smiled pensively. Draco Malfoy had always liked playing with those silky strands. Five years had passed since their last encounter, and Ginny had not received any personal correspondence from him. After the war ended, he simply disappeared. On the other hand, Ginny had not contemplated about finding herself a partner. After all, she felt that she could not fall in love without thinking about her past with Draco Malfoy.

Ginny's chest tightened considerably. Was he still alive, or had the remaining Death Eaters murdered him? Since Harry was the last one to see Draco Malfoy well and alive, he should know; however, her childhood friend had often played dumb at the subtle hints she dropped to ask about Malfoy's whereabouts.

Suddenly, Hermione came bustling through the kitchen door along with old Mrs. Weasley. Her face was creased with worry and anxiety as she strode across the room to dump a black-haired toddler in Ginny's lap.

"Hermione, wha…" Ginny started, but her childhood friend cut her off.

"Oh gosh, Ginny! Can you look after Lily for a moment?" Hermione shrieked, her untamed bushy hair flaying in all conceivable directions. "Hedwig has just arrived with a letter from Harry. He's bringing someone wounded here!"

Ginny looked up at Hermione, her eyebrows knitted in a frown. "Why doesn't Harry send the injured to St. Mungo's?"

"Christmas holiday. Besides, you and I are both Healers now. We can handle sick people here," Hermione answered curtly and walked towards the front door, her hands shaking as she reached for the doorknob in anticipation. Just as her hand touched the cool brass handle, the doorbell rang urgently. Pulling open the heavy door, Hermione was nearly knocked over when Harry staggered in heavily with a strong gust of cold winter wind, his arms around a figure hidden beneath a cloak. With every step they took, bloody footprints were left on the clean rugs.

"Close the door quick!" Ginny shouted as she jumped up and shoved the children in Ron's arms. "Ron, take Lily upstairs!" Navigating her way through various Christmas trinkets, she grabbed hold of the man's arm and help Harry to move the half-conscious man along.

Mrs. Weasley, who had come bustling out of the kitchen upon hearing Ginny's voice, quickly laid out a grass mat by the fireplace. With her and Hermione's help, they managed to get the bedraggled man onto the mat. As Ginny removed her hands from his chest, she fought an urge to scream out loud. Viscous red liquid dripped from her fingers, the man's laboured breathing filling her ears.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, her fingers worked nimbly to undo the tie of the cloak he was wearing.

"Ginny, I think you better let Hermione do this," Harry reached down to hold her hand. Seeing Harry's cue, the Muggle-born witch took over Ginny's task.

Slightly insulted, Ginny shot him a questioning look. "Why?" the youngest Weasley asked as she shoved Harry's hands away. "I'm a trainee Healer with proper qualifications," she continued, her eyebrows furrowing at Harry's sympathetic look. *Sympathy? Why sympathy?* she thought in surprise. "I can help," she continued in a stubborn voice.

She did not need to ask any further questions.

The man suddenly moaned in pain and the hood of the cloak fell away to reveal a lock of silver-blond hair. Her hands jerked back in shock as she took a closer look at his face. Blood trickled down slowly from his thin lips, and his complexion was even paler in contrast to the flickering fire. His eyes were closed and his hair was mussed, unlike the sleek and well-groomed young man she used to know.

"Draco Malfoy…" she whispered, her voice cracking from years of suppressed emotions. "Why is he with you?" she questioned Harry softly, though her eyes remained fixed on the wounded form of her old accidental lover.

"Because of the witness protection sche…" Harry began.

"It's not the time to ask questions," Hermione cut in briskly, and shot Ginny a suspicious look. "Ginny, I'll fix his wounds. You go make a fresh batch of Blood Replenishing Potion. Molly, please get me a cauldron of hot water" she ordered as she began magically cutting open Malfoy's robe with her wand.

"A typical case of being hit by a strong Lacera jinx," Hermione's voice drifted into her ears as Ginny got up and walked weakly towards the kitchen. Leaning against the wooden kitchen counter, she pressed her face into her palms. Innumerable thoughts were spinning in her mind, confusing and suffocating her. Her legs felt weak, and she struggled to stop herself from sinking onto the cold floor.

*He came without any warning! Dear Merlin, why didn't you give me some sort of mental preparation?* Ginny thought miserably and sat down on a kitchen chair lifelessly. *He can't walk back into my life just like that!*

A sudden rush of anger surged through her veins as a new revelation dawned upon her. "Of course Dumbledore and Harry must have known that he was alive all these years…" she shouted as the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fell into place. "Why didn't they tell me sooner?!"

With her lips set in a determined line, she got up stiffly and began pulling jars of dry herbs and potion-making materials out of drawers and cabinets. To find out the answers to the questions that had plagued her existence for years, Draco Malfoy must survive.

He must not die.

Ginny Weasley had a mission to complete tonight -- she must save Draco Malfoy's life, what ever the consequences may be.

~*~*~*~*~

A barn owl hooted softly in the dimly lit room. The candle burned low in the dark winter night, casting soft orange and yellow rays onto the four corners of the small space, the space which she had called her room since she was a little girl.

Staring at his bandaged torso with anxiety, Ginny remembered how she and Hermione had kept the bleeding under control, by wrapping a few rolls of clean bandages around his chest charmed with complicated healing spells. A small ruby-red stain was all that betrayed the long slash wound beneath all the dressing. "How did you get into such a fix?" she asked in a soft whisper, not expecting the unconscious man to give her an answer. "At least Hermione said you'll be fine."

Stroking his cheek, she wiped away the smudge on his face, like how he touched her in their first time together. *This is it. He's back, and he isn't going to make you a blushing virgin, or bride, for that matter.*

Suddenly, a hand closed over her arm and pulled it away.

"Draco!" Ginny gasped as she stared back into those sensual grey eyes that had captivated her so many years ago.

"Who are you?!" Draco growled softly, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. Upon seeing her, the hard expression on his face softened a little. "Oh, you. Are you going to rape me again?" he said with a smirk as he released her hand, and took a playful swipe at her cheek after letting go.

"Yes, me," Ginny snapped and stood up quickly, a blush colouring her cheeks as memories of their last encounter flashed past her mind's eye. "Never thought that the last person you see before you die would be me, do you?"

Draco merely narrowed his eyes and sat up. "Only in your dreams, Weasley. I have many years ahead," he drawled, but Ginny did not miss his grimace when he shifted his chest. "Where am I?"

"My home, and this room belongs to Ron now, Malfoy, and we saved you from a certain ugly death" she said irritably and folded her arms. "Now, I believe you owe me an explanation."

"For?"

"For walking out on me, you git," she gave a frustrated sigh as she watched Draco shrug on his mended robe.

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who walked out on me without clothes while Potter was busying ogling my naked body," Draco said nonchalantly, raking his eyes over her devilishly. Stepping forward, he caught hold of her arm and pressed his torso against her back. Ginny gave an unconscious shiver and wrapped her arms tighter around her body.

"Let go of me, Malfoy," she growled softly, but the sexual tension between them was reaching new heights. The words coming out of her throat were oddly familiar. The sceptical part of her could not resist giving a tiny mental smirk. Some things had managed to withstand the test of time.

"Not until we sort this out," he answered coolly. A shiver ran down her spine as he leaned closer to speak into her ear. The fresh apple scent was still permeated his hair, exactly like how she remembered. She shifted uncomfortably; the close proximity between his warm torso and her chest was sending jolts of unwanted excitement throughout her body.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she bit out, struggling to ignore the mounting physical attraction between them. "You're not tearing off my clothes this time," she said dryly.

"Nothing of that sort yet. We just need to have nice long chat," he drawled and dragged a finger across her flushed cheek.

Closing the distance between them rapidly, he captured her lips in a searing kiss. She struggled weakly, but gradually, she began to drown in the passion that was threatening to overwhelm her. *Dear Merlin, he's still amazing when it comes to making a woman feel sexy…*

Just as Ginny thought everything was going to be fine, Draco jerked back suddenly and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. "You're not going to shag me again, Weasley. I'm not going to risk being stalked by you after this."

"Stalk?! What do you mean, stalk?!" Ginny cried out incredulously. *Why… that git!*

"A snog or two is fine by me, but I don't want you to shag me. Not after you showed me that you have a penchant for forcing me to have sex with you," Draco coughed sarcastically and took a step back.

Taking a deep breath, Ginny forced herself to remain cool and calm. "Are you saying that you didn't enjoy our last shag?" She nearly choked on the last word. All her life, she had viewed having sex as an act that should only be shared between two individuals who are deeply in love, but on both counts, she ended up sleeping with the largest git in the entire universe.

Staring at her in an unperturbed manner, Draco relaxed his posture and folded his arms. "Do you think I'd enjoy your sadistic form of beating me into submission, Ginny? Or… do you want me to be the dominant partner this time?" he ended with a sly smile.

Ginny blushed wildly. Their last encounter was one of the best moments of her life; it was that encounter which she taught Draco Malfoy a lesson in not to sleep with any girl who caught his fancy.

"Why? Speechless?" he teased and twirled a lock of her fiery red hair before letting it bounce on her chin. "I can teach you the finer details of a wizard's carnal desire. Interested?"

'You're such a git!" Ginny squealed and gave him a hard shove, but Draco caught her wrists deftly and pulled her closer.

"Can't wait to touch me?" he whispered into ear and grinded his hips onto her belly. Ginny swallowed a throaty moan and threw her head back as he bent down to suck a soft patch of skin on her neck. "My turn to assert my talents, vixen."

Putting an arm beneath her knees while clutching her shoulders, he lifted her up and dumped her on the worn out bed. "Malfoy!" Ginny squealed as her back hit the limp mattress.

Before she could get another word out, Draco lifted a leg over the bed and hoisted himself up to lie on top of Ginny. Using his elbows as leverage, he pinned her under his weight and rubbed his hip against the valley between her thighs slow erotic circles. Toying with the topmost button of her shirt, he pressed his lips along her collarbone. "Still as smooth and pale as I remembered," he moaned against her neck as Ginny's hands sneaked beneath his robes and ran over his taunt back muscles desperately.

"Git. Idiot," she muttered under her breath. No matter how romantic her memories of him were, the real Draco Malfoy was not her knight in shining armour. Before Draco could answer, a pair of voices talking rapidly floated through the closed door. The sound of footsteps drew nearer and nearer.

"Harry and Hermione!" she half-shouted, but clamped her mouth shut with her hand. "They're coming in here!" Draco said nothing, only narrowed his eyes and stared at the door fixedly.

"So?" he started to retort. Before he could say anything else, Ginny took him by the arms and steered him toward an old closet at the opposite end of the room. Shoving him into the cramped space, she squeezed in after him and shut the closet panels with a wave of her wand, leaving only a crack for her to peer into the room.

"I forgot to tell you. Ron's old room is a guest room now, like mine," she said sheepishly, and shifted a little on his lap. "Quietus!" she chanted, soundproofing the small space. Surprisingly, she could still hear the sounds coming in from beyond the room.

Just then, the doorknob gave a click, and Harry walked in first, followed closely by Hermione.

"Potter? Mudblood?" Draco asked, yawning. "I'm getting out of here."

"Shhhhh!" Ginny warned him and held him back with her hands. "I want to know why Harry has been hiding your existence from me. I'll know if you've spent all these years looking for prostitutes."

"As if I would," Draco replied and rolled his eyes. "Go on. Eavesdrop all you want."

Ginny did not answer him. She was trying to concentrate on the scene unfolding before her. Turning her attention towards the on-going conversation between her two friends, she ignored Draco's warm chest pressing against her back.

"Look, Hermione, where do you suppose I should bring him to? Going to St. Mungo's will only expose him to more assassination ploys!" Harry's impatient voice floated through the crack between the closet doors. "I can't cast another glamour charm on him. He's already injured!"

Draco breathed in sharply. Ginny gave a soft gasp of surprise. "Assassination?" she whispered in disbelief. "Malfoy, am I missing someth…?" she began, but was rapidly cut off my Hermione's retort.

"But you know Ginny's here. Malfoy has been nothing but a source of heartbreaks for her," her bushy-haired friend reasoned with her husband. "Look at what happened to her after the last time she met Malfoy. She disappeared for four years!"

"And she did earned herself a Russian healing degree after four years, didn't she?" Harry answered keenly.

Suddenly, Ginny could feel Draco's arms snaking around her waist and pulling her closer to him. Too absorbed with the on-going conversation, she did not bother to pry his touch away from her.

"Oh Harry, I know you want the best for Ginny… but don't you think Malfoy's a bad influence on her?" Hermione gave a tired sigh and clasped her arms around Harry's shoulders. "I wish Malfoy would know how much Ginny went through. I wish you and Ron would tell Ginny the truth about Malfoy."

"Me, a bad influence? Look who's talking," Draco drawled, even though Hermione could not hear him. But his hold around Ginny's waist grew tighter, crushing her against his chest possessively. As he dragged a lazy finger across beneath her shirt, she felt a sudden jolt of excitement coursing through her veins.

Trying hard to ignore Draco's ministrations, Ginny's eyes grew wider when Harry lifted Hermione's chin and bent down to give her a gentle kiss. "Ginny's a big girl now. She knows what she's doing…" she heard him speaking softly. Ginny gave another gasp when Harry kissed his wife again. This time, it was a kiss full of passion and love clearly not meant for the eyes of outsiders.

"I want the best for all of us," Hermione's voice floated through the crack. Totally unaware of the uninvited visitors, Harry undid Hermione's robe as she spoke and traced the smooth span of the delicate skin there with his little finger. At the same time, she removed his glasses before kissing him deeply with a guttural moan.

"You missed me, don't you?" Draco whispered into Ginny's ear huskily, his hand brushing the undersides of her breasts, distracting her from the sight of her friends in the bedroom. "Hmmm… Braless, you naughty girl." Ginny gave a shiver; she knew Draco was seducing her, but she was too preoccupied by the sight of her friends lying on the battered bed. In spite of herself, she let out a soft groan when Draco gave the hardened tip under her shirt a suggestive flick.

"Oh…" she breathed out suddenly, wonder and amazement evident in her tone. Moments before, both of her best friends had already divested each other of clothing, and Harry was getting ready to enter Hermione. Sucking in copious amounts of the stale air, Ginny blushed at the sight and turned to face Draco. "Get your hands off me," she snapped, her cheeks flushed and her voice trembling.

Furrowing his eyebrows, he shot her a sceptical look. "You seemed to be enjoying yourself a moment ago. Why the sudden change of attitude?" he asked. Ginny glared at him, keeping her back close to the crack. The redhead gave a gasp when Draco sat up and peered through the uncovered portion of the crack at the top of her head.

"Hey!" Ginny shouted and scrambled up to push Draco away. "We can't intrude on their private moment!"

"I'm going blind." Draco groaned, his eyes still fixed on the crack. "Potter must have used an Engorgement Charm. And a damn good too."

"Why, finally realised that you're puny compared to Harry?" Ginny commented sarcastically, a wide grin spreading across her lips. It was the perfect moment to use Draco's own words against him.

However, Draco merely coughed and poked her in the ribs. "You should know better, Ginny Weasley, than to say that I'm punier than Potter," he said with a smirk and drew closer until she barely had space to move without crushing her chest on him. "Shall I remind you?"

Ginny blushed furiously again. Her face must be scarlet with all that blood rushing up to her cheeks, she thought. Before she could give him a proper answer, she felt a pair of lips close over her own, drawing her into a passionate kiss. Being kissed by Draco was like intoxication by the finest wine in the world, and she was drunk in the ardour flowing from him to her.

Thrusting his tongue into her mouth, Draco teased her playfully, drawing muffled moans from the young woman within his embrace. Suddenly, Ginny gave his tongue a sharp nip, and he drew back quickly. "That's to teach you not to kiss girls at your whim," she told him smugly as he swiped at the narrow trickle of blood.

"Now you're asking for trouble," Draco said huskily and pushed her against the back of the closet. Their chests pressed close together and their faces were now only millimetres apart. Straddling her hips, Draco kept her pinned under him as he grounded his arousal into her belly.

"You're wearing too much clothes," he whispered into her ear. Ginny panted breathlessly when he gave her earlobe a suggestive lick. "I'll have to take some off," he continued as his fingers circled the topmost button of her blouse.

Ginny closed her eyes, her hands reaching up to pull Draco's face towards her for another kiss. She could not seem to get enough of his drugging kisses. As his fingers worked their way nimbly down her blouse, the friction between his expensive robe and her bare chest became strangely provoking. Releasing her hold on his neck, she started to tug at the catch on his robe collar, willing the fastening to give way. Grunting throatily, he undid his collar with a free hand, and Ginny continued to pull the rest the ties and buttons open.

Pulling away from her lips, Draco trailed kisses from her forehead to the valley between her breasts. Inserting a few fingers between the elastic band of her trousers and her bare skin, he tore off the offending garment along with her knickers. Drawing back to survey her, Draco gazed at her lush curves appreciatively.

"Sexy vixen," he growled softly when she finally ripped away his robe, leaving him in a pair of black silk boxers. Even in the dim light, she could see only a very thin band of grey around his dilated pupils, and she knew from experience that it was a sure sign of Draco's excitement.

"Not bad yourself," Ginny commented offhandedly as her eyes roamed over his well-formed chest and tight stomach. Reaching forward, she pushed down his boxers past his hips, freeing his hardened length from its confines. Running her fingers up and down the length, she smiled to herself when Draco drew in urgent gasps of air. As she toyed with him, his hands began mauling her breasts, eliciting husky moans from her.

"Want to try something different this time?" he asked in a low tone. Ginny merely smiled. Taking her smile as a 'yes', Draco slid off her and clutched her waist. Lifting her slightly off the messy bottom of the closet, he placed her securely on his lap while pulling her back to lean against his chest. Arching forward to blow butterfly kisses on her neck, he grazed his teeth on the delicate skin and listened to the soft sounds she was making behind her throat.

"Draco, what are you planning to do?" she asked breathlessly, acutely aware of his erection poking at her lower back.

At that moment, loud moans floated to their ears. Stealing a peek through the crack, Ginny's eyes widened as she watched Harry and Hermione screamed and thrashed on the bed in their frenzied lovemaking.

"Do I need to explain further? They aren't going to be the only ones having fun," a velvety male voice whispered behind her, as oddly familiar hands gathered her fiery red hair at the nape and carefully set it over her left shoulder.

"Wha…"

Before she could finish her question, Draco leaned forward suddenly, forcing her to kneel beneath him. Keeping their two bodies in spoon-fashion, he carefully rested his weight on her. Bracing herself with her palms on the closet wall for balance, she let Draco wrap an arm around his waist while he dragged a playful finger down every nook and ridge of her spine, drawing irresistible jolts of pleasure in every single nerve in her body.

Not a moment too soon, Ginny felt his hardened length brushing against her moist nether lips as his fingers danced along her curves, causing her to draws a sharp breath. Tantalizingly, a long digit began to rub her little pleasure nub, eliciting short pants from her. As he slipped a finger into her, she heard him chuckle in self-satisfaction.

"Admit it, Weasley. You can't resist me," he drawled with mock seriousness. A thicker part of him replaced the finger. Slowly, almost gently, he entered her inch by inch. Ginny gave a surprised gasp -- the feeling of him inside her was so much more magnified than before as he stretched her inner muscles even beyond the other two times they had been together. She could feel each and every inch of him in magnificent detail, and the aching feeling that was simmering in her lower belly was threatening to boil over.

Finally, his familiar hardness was fully buried within her. Withdrawing quickly, he slammed into her again, drawing a soft scream from her. Bucking his hips, he repeated the same action several times with rigorous tenacity, each time with motion as fluid as the flow of pure water. Spreading her legs to give him better access to her depths, Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, savouring the intensity of his strokes. As he gained momentum, the Ginny had to grit her teeth to stop herself from crying out loud as her shoulders banged repeatedly against the wooden panels in the cramped space. It would be a miracle if even the very distracted Harry and Hermione didn't hear them-should they still be in the bedroom outside.

"Harder…! Faster…!" she cried out before she could stop herself, but there was no time to think of how those words would sound to Draco's ears. She could feel their climaxes approach as her inner muscles clenched tightly around him, increasing the delicious friction between his strokes and her slick passage.

Suddenly, he stilled his hips and hovered above her, his actions frozen in mid-air. A colossal wave of pleasure washed over him, drowning them in its unmeasured depths. Completely losing awareness of their surroundings, the reunited lovers cried together, achieving their release in each other's embrace. Hot, fiery heat filled her belly while her muscles ripped rhythmically around him, milking his very heart and soul into her.

As fatigue overwhelmed them, Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley collapsed onto each other, both sucking in copious amounts of air to satiate their oxygen-starved lungs. Pulling a pillow out to rest underneath her head, Draco shifted to let her lie on top of him and nestled his head in the crook of her neck. Ginny snuggled closer to him, and the two of them basked together in the afterglow of their passionate lovemaking.

It was silent again, as Harry and Hermione had long left the room outside the closet doors. Engrossed in a world of their own, the most unlikely of couples lay quietly in the worn closet. Drawing imaginary circles on Draco's chest, Ginny stared at the locks of silver blonde hair tickling her chin and shoulder as she pondered their future together, if indeed there would be one.

"Draco?" she asked softly. "So, where have you been all these years?" she tried again in an offhand voice, hoping that Draco would eventually catch her drift that she was not looking for another aimless shag with him. "You know, this Weasley is not that vulnerable seventeen-year-old girl you picked up at a dance some seven years ago."

"I'm not telling you, Weasley," he sneered as he buttoned the collar of his robe. "You'd have to break into my mind get anything out of me. As if you're capable of that anyway."

"Oh, shut it, Malfoy. You don't know what I'm capable of," Ginny growled and narrowed her eyes. "Are you telling me or not?"

"I told you. You'd have to break into my mind to squeeze anything out of me, Red. Explanations are boring, however I promise we'll have a fun time together if we forgo it," he said with a smirk and pointed at the bed. "We never fail to live up to each other's expectations so far."

"Are you challenging me?" she lowered her voice to a deathly whisper. Her stomach was twisted in a coil. How could Draco challenge her and not expect her to do anything about it? *Your birthday has arrived early, Malfoy. You're in for a nasty surprise.*

"Only if you are up for a challenge."

That was it.

"Be careful of what you wish for, Malfoy," she said evenly. Before he had the time to react, she whipped out her wand and pointed the narrow strip of wood at him. "Legillimens!"

Ginny barely had time to smile smugly when she looked into those grey eyes that had widened in shock. *Thought I won't do that, don't you? Now, I'll get watch all of your most significant memories. Serves you right, Malfoy.*

A montage of colours and pictures flew past her vision field. Bracing herself, she cleared her mind to view his memories more clearly. Gradually, a scene came into focus. Now, she was standing in the Great Hall. Her eyes soon found Draco Malfoy's pale face among the mass of Slytherins sitting at their House table. Oddly, he had not changed out of his Slytherin Quidditch uniform, and she could see a large tear in his cloak.

Ginny gave a gasp. It was her first time playing a Gryffindor chaser, and it was an ugly match between her house and the Slytherins. Barely hours before this scene, Crabbe has purposely knocked Ron off his broom with a Bludger, splintering both Ron's beloved Cleansweep and fracturing his arm. Then, Draco flew very close to her, nearly causing her to slam into the stands.

He was staring at someone.

Ginny followed his line of vision, and gave a gasp as she found herself looking at her sixteen-year-old self among the Gryffindors. She too, was wearing the Gryffindor red-gold Quidditch uniform, and she was nursing a badly bruised forearm. She looked back at Draco quickly, noticing that his face was devoid of any emotion as his steel grey eyes stayed fixed at her face. He did not wear a smirk or a sneer, and Ginny was frankly surprised at his lack of reaction.

"But you noticed me?" she whispered inwardly, her heart beating wildly at this new revelation. Walking over to Slytherin table, she saw the Valentine card that he was clutching beneath the table. With a clench of his fist, he crumpled the card into a tiny wad before stuffing it into his robe. "Stupid Weasley," she heard him mutter.

As astonishing as this new discovery was, Ginny did not get to watch further as the scene began to distort into another memory. This time, she was staring at a horrifying sight. A teenage Draco Malfoy was pointing his wand at a cowering figure of an old Muggle. *"Torture her! Kill her!"* a high-pitched screech commanded.

Her eyes moved to a figure dressed in black behind the boy. "Lord Voldemort!" she mouthed in a frightened whisper. She trembled unwittingly, although she knew it was only Draco's memory she was seeing. Averting her gaze from Voldemort, she focused on Draco and was struck by the expression on his face. His eyes were reflecting apprehension and terror as he struggled to maintain a cool composure.

She watched as he gritted his teeth and aimed his wand at the old woman's chest. *"Crucio!"* he shouted weakly, his wand hand trembling with fear. The Muggle gave an agonized shriek and fell backward. However, the curse he cast was not very powerful because the woman stopped screaming after a moment, and only heavy panting filled the air.

*"Useless fool. Lucius, your son doesn't deserve to be in the ranks of my Death Eaters. Punish him,"* the Voldemort in Draco's memory sneered mockingly. A hooded man with cold grey eyes peering through the holes in his mask stepped in front of Draco. *Lucius Malfoy again,* Ginny thought angrily.

*"Lacera!"* Lucius Malfoy shouted. With a pained gasp, Draco fell to his knees, his face pale with agony as the lightning-fast slash cut deep into his body. Advancing on him, Lucius took another aim with his wand, his mouth opening to shout another curse….

Suddenly, she found herself staring at a seventeen-year-old Draco Malfoy, his hands shaking as he read the letter spread before him. Pale with anxiety, he was wiping his hands repeatedly on a silk handkerchief. Peering just over his shoulder, she began to read line after line of the spidery writing.

"Kill a Weasley to prove your allegiance. Do the deed tonight and bring the Dark Lord a token of your loyalty," she read, her throat dry with horror. Shooting a look at Draco Malfoy, she had to restrain herself from crying out loud when she watched him tie the knots of his mask securely behind his head.

Watching Draco's every movement as he approached her in the heat of the Beltane celebrations was like a dream. His first words and his first touches had long been deeply imprinted in her memory, but to watch the events from his perspective was oddly different. Before she knew it, she was already standing in the middle of a dark field under starry skies. A blush coloured her cheeks when she stared at her seventeen-year-old self kissing Draco Malfoy passionately.

It was their first encounter, and her most heart-breaking one.

"I don't want to relive this," Ginny whimpered as she saw her younger self sobbing in grief as Draco strode away from her. Just then, Ginny caught sight of the boy staring back at the girl longingly.

"You looked back?" she asked, her voice oddly detached. She could not believe what she was seeing, but memories would not lie.

The next scene in the Hogwarts Headmaster's Office pacified her greatly. Draco was talking to Dumbledore in hushed tones. Harry stood next to Draco, guarding the pair as the duo spoke hurriedly.

Just as unexpectedly as before, Ginny found herself peering at yet another facet of Draco Malfoy's mysterious life. This time, he was kneeling in the middle of a circle formed by Death Eaters. He had not changed out of his Beltane costume, and the sleeve on his left arm was rolled up.

Before she could decipher what was happening, a cruel voice rang out, *"Are you ready to serve the Dark Lord and dedicate your life to him?"*

*"Yes, my Lord,"* she heard him answer quietly. A distinct smell of cooked flesh filled the air. Ginny stared in horror as burning insignia of a skull appeared on the near-translucent skin on his forearm. *The Dark Mark,* Ginny thought in shock. *He really is a Death Eater!*

*It's true… But he doesn't serve the Dark Lord,* a voice whispered in her mind. *He left you ten years ago because it was also his initiation night…He didn't murder me, although it would have been as easy as killing an ant…*

As Ginny walked through his memories, various random memories flew past her, including those that she had never expected to see. In one particular scene, Draco had rescued Harry from an unsuccessful mission from Death Eaters by freeing him from a curse which kept him locked in the Lestrange ancestral mansion. Several times too, she watched Draco gazing at her during her field missions from afar, yet he never took the initiative to approach her. *"I must not expose her to more danger… I want her to be… safe, even if it means watching her from afar,"* Draco's disembodied voice floated in overlapping intervals.

More and more memories flashed past her. Draco had always worn that vacant and blank expression. Harry had once said to her, if you could not show others the feelings that you were experiencing, it was best to keep your face carefully devoid of any emotion.

*Perhaps this is why Draco survived to this very day,* a tiny voice whispered in her heart. *He would not, or rather, could not tell anyone he wants about his job and double life…*

Suddenly, without any warning, everything around her erupted into pure darkness. An unknown surge of energy threw her backwards, and her back crashed onto the carpeted floor of her room as her own memories started to flash past her eyes.

The first memory to surface was the one that was made directly after their first encounter. As overwhelming as the torrents of the heaviest rainstorm, the misery and grief that wracked her heart and soul choked her as she watched her younger self cry softly in the safe confines of her bed hangings in Gryffindor Tower.

"Stop it!" Ginny screamed and resisted the unexpected backlash with all her might, squeezing her eyelids shut in the process.

However, her will was not strong enough to prevent her memories from flowing out. Before she could stop what she considered her most embarrassing thought about Draco Malfoy, it was already displayed in vibrant detail for him to watch.

There she was, looking wistfully and flipping the scrapbook filled with newspaper cuttings that had mentioned Draco Malfoy. Hours of painstaking labour had been poured into assembling the articles and photographs according to date. Touching the animated wizard picture of the handsome young man, she brought the album to her lips, kissing it tenderly.

*Draco, where are you? Don't you know that I'm hurting for every second I live?"* her voice cried out in the same disembodied way, carrying her most private and intimate wish -- a wish that she would never admit even to herself.

"No! Stop!' she willed again with all her might.

This time it worked. Soft light filled the room as dawn broke through the dark wintry skies. A pair of arms closed around her shoulders as she tried to stop her body from trembling and shaking.

"Ginny, listen to me," a low voice whispered in her ear. "Listen to me." She merely nodded and gazed into his mysterious grey eyes. Lifting up her chin, he looked into her deep amber brown eyes. "Don't try anything stupid next time. There are… things that you won't want to know."

Throwing her arms around him, Ginny pulled him into a tight embrace, feeling his heart beat against his chest. *Draco, you have no idea how glad I am that you're alive… I'm so desperately in love with you all these years, yet I was too blind to see it. Please don't leave me…. Don't ever leave me again…* she thought furiously as tears started to leak from the corners of her eyes. .

Then, a few seconds of awkward silence followed.

"I…" both of them started together.

"You first," Ginny mumbled wearily.

"I just want to say that I didn't avoid you on purpose," Draco began with a shrug.

"Don't say anything, Draco, I understand," she whispered. "I understand, I understand."

"You do?" he asked in surprise. "I thought explaining everything to a stubborn girl like you is impossible," he laughed and stroked her hair, letting the silky red strands fall from his fingers.

"Who was being stubborn just now?" Ginny glared at him and slapped his arm playfully. "A picture is worth a thousand words," she grinned. *And a kiss is worth a thousand Valentine cards,* she thought as she pulled him towards her for a deep kiss. Parting her lips slightly below his mouth, she began sucking on his lower lip passionately, letting the frustration and anger in her dissipate.

Everything would be fine. Everything.

~*~*~*~*~

1. Sorry it took so long. I deleted half of my first draft and rewrote the rest from scratch. The first draft simply didn't match my expectations and I wish I had started work on part 3 much earlier. However, Real Life bogged me down and I didn't have time to work on this piece.

2. I hope I've explained Draco's motivations well enough. It wasn't easy writing smut with plot.

3. Still, there are some unanswered questions, and I want to tie up loose ends in the mini-series. Stay tuned for the final chapter!

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