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DISCLAIMER: None of this belongs to me, as always- it all belongs to the goddess JK Rowling, and whomever she chooses to publish it- NOT MINE!
A/N: Well, here it is... the story finally gets good, or at least a bit. Hope you all will like it! BTW, Madame Malkin is 158-ish, Ginny is 171-ish and Draco is about 180 cm for all my U.K. friends (if you use centimeters... I wouldn't know, and I'm not sure I converted quite right but I think you get the picture?)
Flames are welcome, but warning- I have a terrible temper and this is my first fic! Don't be surprised if I start raving if you flame... but all the same I want to know what all readers think. So please review!!
Review thank-yous are at the bottom, but they're only for Fanfiction.net... so sorry all Portkey reviewers I'll be sure to add you in next chappie!!!
Again, thanks to my wonderful betas Aubrey and Lorna! GO READ THEIR STUFF!!
One Kiss
Memories Unearthed
It was nearly dusk when Draco reached Madame Malkin's. She was about to leave when he politely, albeit a bit arrogantly, stopped her.
"Excuse me, Madame Malkin? I was sent here by Albus Dumbledore, looking for Virginia Weasley?"
Madame Malkin turned and faced the stranger. He had nice, fine, pale blond hair and towered over her 5'1" self. Yet she eyed this man suspiciously.
"Miss Weasley has left for the day, how may I help you sir?"
Draco felt a slight prickle of irritation creep up. He had told this woman what he'd wanted! But he repeated it again, with a bit of annoyance in his voice.
"I'm instructed to see Miss Virginia Weasley. Could I please have her address?"
Madame Malkin grew even more wary. However, she trusted Dumbledore and told Draco the address. She mentally thought, 'Oh, this one sure is tough- he could whip Ginny's temper into shape. He might actually be the one for the poor young woman!' She waved Draco away and mused to herself how perfect these two impatient, fiery people were. Oh, she knew what was going on through Draco's head as he was talking to her. His tight-lipped mouth told her all. She thought of how interesting this pair would be.
~*~*~
Appearing in a dark alley, Ginny rearranged herself and walked out stylishly, amid a few low whistles from guys across
the street. She flashed them a smile and stalked happily up the steps into the building. Closing the door behind her,
she fumbled for her key, silently wondering how Muggles got along without magic. She held it up triumphantly and made
her way up the stairs, glad that she had gotten to see her family once again.
Her flat was the fourth floor up- by the time she reached it she had begun to think about Harry. She didn't lust for him anymore- she loved him as a brother, truly. She had known it since their meeting at the Three Broomsticks, but had only now begun to feel the emotions that were associated with this new thinking- she started seeing the implications. Feeling normal when she was near him was a definite improvement. His touch didn't send shivers down her spine, and she knew she would never feel them again.
Before turning out of the stairway, she took off her sandals and held them, since her feet were getting sore. The flat's worn carpet muffled her footsteps, and so the stranger in a black cloak standing before the door looked started as Ginny walked straight up to him, pepper-spray in hand. But then her hand, half-raised, dropped the bottle…
For she could see under the cloak the faint strands of pale blond hair lightly sweeping across a pale face, one she knew all too well… Her heart wrenched painfully at the sight of him standing in front of her yet again…
She had been on her way to Transfiguration, already late because that old git Snape had given her a detention for
spilling bicorn horn powder on the floor. Now this corridor and that, racing through and not even noticing where she
was going until her petite form crashed into the lean, muscular form of Draco Malfoy. She felt herself pressed to him
as he caught her by her forearms. Her books and ink were about to spill when she heard him chuckle and mutter a quick
levitation spell, gathering her things.
She was astonished, and about to say thanks when he sneered coldly and said, "You should be careful, Weasley. Some day you're going to hurt someone if you continually run at that pace. You might even hurt Potter." He laughed and walked away.
Ginny stood there gaping. She'd been quite humiliated, but glad to run into Draco, which stunned her greatly. She could feel his wonderful stomach and chest muscles as she ran into him and then the quick and strong arms used to steady her before gathering her books. She never thought she'd feel that way about a Malfoy.
Over his shoulder, Draco said, "Oh, and I think a sixth year would know a levitation spell by now. But I guess you were too busy gawking to remember. Hurry along now before you bump into anymore last minute stragglers- they might not be as… nice as me." He gave her a cruel, mocking wink and rounded the corner.
Ginny stood there, shocked for two seconds before turning red in the face, and fuming, remembered Transfiguration and ran to the room. She wasn't usually late, so Professor McGonagall let her get away with it this time. She sat in class, not paying attention to the transfiguring of a bird into a chair.
She was furious, and there was no way Malfoy was going to get away with this. She was already plotting her revenge.
The next time she saw him he was walking up behind her in the hallway, casually gathering speed. She walked down an unused hallway, preparing, for now Draco Malfoy was following her and she knew it. She'd had this plan worked out for a week.
Ginny turned a corner and spun around to face her predator. Draco turned in and before he'd had a chance to react, she'd put a silencing spell on him. Then she had started raging.
"Malfoy, who the hell do you think you are? Did you have to get in my way? No, of course not, but you did!" Ginny knew she couldn't exactly blame him for all of it, but she didn't care. "You know, when you helped me with my stuff, I was about to thank you, because I thought you'd actually developed some kind of decency, but then you had to prove me wrong, didn't you? You HA-"
She didn't finish her raging because at that moment Malfoy kissed her. She forgot her whole being.
She was surprised at first, not expecting this sudden outburst, but soon she could feel heat radiate from his body and she pressed herself closer to him. But before she could get much further he broke away, malicious eyes glinting, laughing silently at her. Then, he remembered the silencing spell and pointed to his mouth. Ginny was still shocked and therefore did the countercurse without thinking.
He looked at her, and she thought she saw a flicker of doubt before a leering gaze and a wicked grin replaced it. Then, a cruel, hard sneer planted itself on his face and he spoke nastily, "All it took was one kiss."
He'd twisted on his heel and left. Ginny had been even more furious this time. She also was torn.
He was right- it had taken only one kiss for her to be at his mercy. And by the looks of it, he didn't have mercy on anyone. It made her mad to feel so weak against him. Yet she loved the feel of his kiss.
Some guys, more than she knew, thought that she was attractive. Actually, more than half the male population did, although all she saw was a short adolescent with too many freckles and abnormally long legs for her size. She didn't feel that self-conscious about her body, but she thought it was un-proportional and she didn't like it.
She had to admire his build. He was lean and tall, about 6', with a muscular back and broad shoulders. She could feel his well-toned body, and his very defined stomach muscles and his arms that were just strong enough, not too much so. Oh, how she would drool over a body like that. Now, she was sure to think of him more than once.
She vowed then and there to never think of him in that way ever again. To do so would only bring her pain, and she couldn't deal with any more pain. She had built herself to be strong, and she would remain so no matter what.
~*~*~
Draco had then Apparated right to her flat. He looked warily around, and made sure there was no one around who could
have seen him come. Thankfully, everyone was at dinner. He had used a bit of magic to get himself through the doors,
and walked the stairs to her flat.
It was there that he waited, remembering, in front of her door, leaning against the doorframe. He had knocked twice, waited, and then knocked a couple more times. No one answered, so he figured she'd be out somewhere. He fell into a deep stupor thinking of when he'd seen the little girl last.
She'd been pretty then, and he'd only just noticed in her sixth year. She had a figure to die for, with
very nice legs and a great, curvy body. She had been a lot smaller- one of the shortest in her year- but that
didn't stop his noticing. Before that time, she'd always been Ron's little sister, an annoying brat who
followed Harry Potter like a lovesick puppy.
But that year had been different. He noticed she stopped following Potter, and thought back even to the year before, and remembered that he didn't see her following Potter around then either. She had a new, confident air about her. She attracted quite a lot of attention from the men, more than half the population in her year and his, since Ron was in his year and therefore many of the guys knew about little Weasley.
However, Draco hadn't quite fallen for the charm, he believed. The first time he'd seen her was just before class was due to start. He'd been walking idly, taking his time, seeing as how the Charms corridor was up ahead and he had already deposited his books there, telling Professor Flitwick that he'd needed to go to the bathroom.
He was about to turn the corner when a flying, small redheaded body crashed into him, sending shocks throughout his whole body. He caught her by her forearms and looked down. He was about to tell off this inconsiderate little brat when he noticed that it was Ginny Weasley. He fleetingly thought, 'Speak of the devil,' and, seeing her horrified expression, did a quick levitation spell before her books could hit the ground. He'd gathered up his books, wondering what had compelled him to do that. He concluded that he had just been distracted.
Looking at her again, he saw her kind, shining face. He did a double take, and then mentally smacked himself. He did NOT think of the little Weasel that way- there was just no way!
He sneered and hid his emotions neatly while saying, "You should be careful, Weasley. Some day you're going to hurt someone if you continually run at that pace. You might even hurt Potter." He'd laughed evilly for good measure, wondering why he all of a sudden felt so hesitant about insulting her. He couldn't bring himself to make a joke about her clothes, or her family.
He really thought about it. Each time he'd been making fun of her, she'd just stood there and taken it. She never ran away crying, never cringed away from him. She just made him seem invisible, and he didn't like it. He wanted to intimidate, damn it! He was a Malfoy, and he was better, and he wanted her to see that.
Then he was not so gently brought back to reality as he saw her staring at him, and turned, walking away. She was gaping at him. Over his shoulder he said, "Oh, and I think a sixth year would know a levitation spell by now. But I guess you were too busy gawking to remember. Hurry along now, before you bump into any last minute stragglers- they might not be as… nice as me."
He gave her a cruel wink, since all she could do was stare. It was driving him insane! She could at least say something! Finally giving up on it, he turned around the corner, not even bothering to look back. He already knew what her reaction would be, having that temper of hers. He didn't want to stick around to see the effects of taunting her. Plus, she'd probably just walk off anyway- it's what she normally did.
The next time he'd seen her she'd been alone. He thought it'd be interesting just to watch her and see what she'd do…
It was late, very far past the end of dinner. He saw her in a semi-deserted corridor and decided to follow her, gathering speed before seeing her enter an unused hallway.
But she'd been ready, wand raised, and immediately put a silencing spell on him before starting to shout furiously. Luckily it wasn't after hours yet, but he had to shut her up.
He was only half-listening to her before he couldn't resist and just covered her mouth completely. She'd been so shocked and hadn't expected it. Then she eagerly returned his kiss.
He didn't know what had gotten into him, and made himself break away and smile maliciously, trying to hide the fact that he was as disappointed to stop as she was. He laughed and, remembering the silencing spell, pointed to his mouth and looked at her questioningly.
She was still shocked and amazed at how fast it had happened that she simply did the countercurse without thinking, or at least that was what he'd thought. Just to make her certain that it was just a cruel joke, he grinned leeringly at her.
But doubt crossed his mind. Had he really wanted to break the kiss? He saw Ginny staring at him, and fixed a sneer on his face, getting in the last word.
"All it took was one kiss."
He turned on his heel and walked away. He had meant it as a scalding comment to Weasley, but found out that it'd taken only one kiss for him to lose control. He promised himself then that he would never again lose control.
Draco shook himself awake. He had tried not to even think about her since leaving Hogwarts- every time
something reminded him of her, like the light lavender scent she wore, or whenever he saw a swish of flaming red hair
he'd walked the other way, and drove her from his mind.
He actually succeeded, until now. Right now, thinking about it, he really thought that she was different. She was a different person than he'd thought she'd be. She had the temper that he thought she'd have, but she still surprised him in the fact that she'd never been scared of him, not once.
She probably hated him though. He'd bet all of his money on that- she might even still be in love with Potter. He smirked at that thought, but unbeknownst to him, the smirk had become less arrogant, and happier, however it was still not as carefree as most peoples' were. Of course, since he didn't know of this change in his personality, he kept pondering.
He thought that if she still did love Potter, he could use that information very wisely and have some fun with her. Not mere teasing- that was for when they were younger. No, he'd have something better planned, just light, but still fun. He didn't want that temper focused on him too much. She'd rip his head off if it were too harsh. Draco smiled at the thought, thinking about that quick mouth.
But right now, he had to plan out how to approach her after all these years…
It was dark, but this was a quiet flat, with no one passing in the night. He liked the quiet calm, especially after the busy street of Diagon Alley at almost closing time. It was nice to be in a residential flat, calm and quiet during the night, or at least calmer than the big cities he was used to. He enjoyed it here.
He was deep in thought when he was startled out of his calm daydreaming by his senses. He smelled that distinct sent of lavender and looked onto Ginny Weasley.
~*~*~
Ginny came out of her dreamlike state, composing herself so that Draco would not see that she had just thought about
him. No matter what she willed herself to think, she'd always wondered what had provoked the kiss, and where
he'd gone. She'd especially questioned what he'd done after that year- her 6th year...
She glanced up at the form of Draco Malfoy, now about 6'2" or 6'3". His shoulders and chest had filled out a bit more, but otherwise he looked like the same, dead-sexy Malfoy she'd bumped into that year. Even after all these years, she felt an attraction to him- she felt lured to the dangerous way he smiled and the lovely way he leaned...
She stopped her daydreaming before it got too carried away and then rose to her full 5'7" tall self.
"Hey Malfoy, long time no see. Tell me, what makes you come to my humble flat in the middle of a Muggle neighborhood? I think that deserted corridors aren't quite our cup o' tea, so out with it- how did you find me? Why? And don't you dare try another stunt," she added as he looked startled yet again, and then started smirking quite broadly, "I won't fall for your tricks again."
He smirked even more and then put on a face of mock admonition. "Tsk, tsk, Weasley, have you forgotten your manners? I would have thought your mother would have taught you to let guests in, seeing as how I'm no stranger." He towered over her, but never seemed to affect her with his height.
"Oh, is that what you want? You should have asked sooner, seeing as how I'm in no mood to let you in and you could have saved me the time. It would be unseemly, having an unknown man in my room. The neighbors would start talking. I wouldn't want quite the reputation."
Draco smiled. She was still the little flame with her comebacks and temper. But suddenly he turned serious.
"Weasley, I was sent here by Dumbledore- the Dark Lord wants to capture you, and it's not safe. I have to protect you- it's my duty. The best way would be to be with you at all times, but since your 'reputation' would be tarnished, I've taken a room at the Leaky Cauldron until you can sort it out or whatever you need to do to make sure it's not 'suspicious'."
Ginny stood there gaping, not even daring to let herself understand what he'd just suggested. He was going to move in with her! To protect her?! She tried to cover her amazement by imitating his drawl the best she could.
"Why, Malfoy, I always thought you were cunning and sly. I didn't expect you to be so blunt about coming on to young women. But, since I'm in such a good mood, I won't deck you. Believe me- I would if I really wanted to." Draco raised his eyebrows but she just ignored it.
She stood thoughtfully, before seeming to make a decision and saying, "All right then. I need to check with Dumbledore first. You will wait here. And may the gods help you if you're lying."
Now it was Draco's turn to show amazement, thought it wasn't as pronounced or obvious. A small flicker of his eyes showed his astonishment- he remembered her having a temper, but he didn't remember her ever being this bold, nor did he remember her ever daring enough to command a person.
He was so shocked that he couldn't even protest when she slipped through the door and locked it. Only when he'd registered that she'd indeed left him out in the hall did he even think again, and then he thought subconsciously about how great she looked in gold and silver. He crossed his arms and waited.
~*~*~
Ginny shut the door, locked it, and spun around to lean on it. She heaved a great sigh and just stood there for a few
seconds collecting her thoughts.
Could it be true? She wasn't sure of the rumors from her 7th year, but everyone talked about how Malfoy had become a Death Eater. It wasn't a surprise, but to see him standing there telling her that he had become a spy was just absurd. There was no way it was true. She had to know right away if it was.
She dropped her sandals right beside the door and went around closing all her windows. No Muggle could peek in and see the floating head that would be present in a few minutes.
After double-checking all the windows were covered securely, and that no one but Malfoy, Dumbledore, and herself would know of the little conversation that would take place, Ginny took some powder off of the mantle and threw it in, saying, "Albus Dumbledore." She sat comfortably on the couch in front of the fireplace.
Soon, a face popped out of nowhere, floating in the middle of the fireplace. Ginny sat down, and then faced her old Headmaster, getting right to the point.
"Hello, Dumbledore, I'm sorry to disturb you, but Draco Malfoy is currently waiting outside my flat door, and he's told me that you sent him to protect me. Is he lying? If he's not, then why did you send him? And what does this have to do with me? WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME?" Ginny had started out calmly speaking, but then raised her voice with anger at being the middle of something she knew nothing of.
"Ms. Weasley, please, I will answer all of your questions. Just let me speak undisturbed for a few minutes. Do you remember when you came to me? A few years ago?" He waited for Ginny to nod her head. "Well, we have reason to believe that what you told me at the meeting is the reason why you are wanted by Voldemort. He suspects that you are a Seer, a true one. Draco has been spying for us, and it is true that Voldemort feels that you are necessary for his plan to work. I cannot tell you the exact reason, just know that Draco hasn't been lying and he's there to guard you from Voldemort. I suggest you listen to him and watch yourself."
Ginny stared at the fire, speechless. So now she was wanted by the most evil wizard in her world? Why her? What had she done?? There had only been that particular recurring dream. The one with the cliff. In her normal life, she only had short daydreams that were dominated by white laced with black lightning. There wasn't anything else that would suggest her Gift.
She couldn't for the life of her think of why the Dark Lord wanted her in his plans. She'd bug Draco about the plan later.
Ginny's heart suddenly sank. That meant the mean, arrogant git would be sharing an apartment with her! In fact, he'd be following her everywhere, discreetly of course, but still following her! What would her parents say? They certainly couldn't know the truth as that would put them in danger, but then that would mean they'd take it the wrong way? Oh gods, and what would her brothers do to her? She couldn't care less about what they did to him- all the better for her- but she couldn't let others know that she would be living with Draco!
"Dumbledore," she began slowly, "I will agree to this only if you tell no one. I don't want my parents and brothers to worry- I can take care of myself." This was at least partly true- she didn't want them to worry because she could take care of herself, but she still didn't want them to know of Draco, at least not yet.
Dumbledore sighed. At least it'd increase her protection, having less people know, but surely her family... well, it was her choice.
"If you insist, Miss Weasley, I will not speak of this, not to a soul. Is that all?"
Ginny wanted to add that Draco was a git and she'd rather stay in a pit full of basilisks than stay in the same building as Draco, but she didn't. Instead, she just shook her head. (A/N: I thought of the pit full of basilisks before reading any story that had them, I really didn't know what else to put! Sorry if I stole that from an author!! REALLY DIDN'T MEAN TO!)
"No, thanks sir. I'd better be going to... er... consult with Malfoy."
"That would be wise. Be careful, Miss Weasley."
Dumbledore's head vanished and Ginny heaved a great sigh. Now she had to face Malfoy. She got up and smoothed her dress which she'd forgotten about in her shock. Then she slowly walked to the door.
Pausing, she took a deep breath and opened the door, walking out. Right as she was about to open her mouth to speak to him across the hall she slipped on a silvery can. Draco, surprised yet again, nevertheless acted with Seeker-like reflexes, grabbed her arm and waist before she could fall down. Ginny, also very shocked at the sudden loss of balance, tripped and fell straight into Draco's arms.
The can, moved by the sudden impact, rolled to hit the wall and bounced back through their legs into the room.
Draco smirked at her whole body leaning against his, drawling, "My, my, Weasel, this seems very familiar." His smirked widened when she cursed at him, quite colorfully.
"Draco you mother fucking damned bastard with a bloody-"
Draco smirked and put his hand over her mouth to silence her. Ginny grew even more furious and bit the inside of his palm. He jumped and pulled back his hand, staring at her wondrously.
Ginny's smirk would have given the Malfoy smirk a run for its money, as she said, "I wake up at 8:30 sharp on Sundays. Be here with your luggage then," as she walked past him, picking up the can and walking through the door with her head held up and slammed the door.
Draco's incredulity was brought back to reality by that nice view of her arse and her shapely legs. She had even agreed to him staying there. He grinned wickedly and set off back to the Leaky Cauldron, thinking about how to use this to his advantage...
MORE A/N (as always): Okay so this chapter was a bit shorter, hope you liked it! It was more of a setting, and this'll get fluffier before it gets angsty so hold on if you like the sad stuff! Oh, and I know it's very plotless right now but I swear I have one... somewhere... I just need to find it again... And about the rating... um I'm working up to it, right now it's PG-13 for language but just to let readers know I'll be making it more... racy... later.
BTW I think that'll be all for memories, at least for now. There's more action later, and it's very dramatic and I really hope it's original or at least a bit- I know there are some clichéd parts, but forgive me please! I really tried for a new flavor, and I think I have a new story idea that I think hasn't been used, so please be nice!
Well then thanks to reviewers-
Aubs, Lorna- thank you so much for reviewing and, as always, for beta-ing!
sweetchild- so sorry about the length, but I'm afraid many of them are going to be that long!
simona- Aww you flatter me hun!! LOVE YA CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YA AGAIN IN SEPT!! And you know the good stuffs coming... the stuff that'll be why this story is R-rated.
Spaced Out Space Cadet- Thank you so much and I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long!
xangelcrisisx- I'm very glad you like it, it's my best writing so far (even though I know I could do better... these are written when I'm spacing out in class or at home right before I need to study for a test)
dragonsprincess- Hope I lived up to her famous temper. You'll see that she has more than one way of reacting to anything Draco says... coming up next chappie!! BTW are you English? Like British English??
Lady Rex- You don't know how nice it is to come home and see encouragement! THANK YOU!
December's Girl- I hope I didn't disappoint with a slightly shorter chapter! I really did try to make it longer, but I thought a bit of suspense wouldn't kill you- the next chapter will be longer, and it's funny so I hope you'll read!!
Crica- That's so cool that you're from Brazil!! Yeah, they didn't meet yet but you saw up there! And I hope you liked it!
d[n-n]b- First, cool name its like mirror-imaged! But anyway thank you!
THANKS TO YOU ALL!! You're reviews make my day and I hope you'll all click that little button down there and submit another one! I was expecting about 3 before I would post this chappie- thank you all sooooo much!
~Trin M.