Come Back to Me

“Harry, please, you said you’d be home tonight,” she cried out, tears pooling in her eyes.

“I made no promises. All I told you was that there was a slight chance of me being here for dinner. I’m sorry, Ginny, there’s nothing I can do,” Harry said, no emotion heard in his voice. His demeanor was monotone; nothing in his eyes stated an apology to her. Trying to force some feeling of regret into his eyes he turned and walked out the door.

Ginny slid down the wall, hitting the floor hard. The pain was almost welcome to the void of feelings that filled her life. She had married a ghost, a person that never made an appearance into her life except to let the small glowing hope that she still held of working things out, down. Her head fell back to be supported by the wall and she felt the tears cascade down her cheeks, there was nothing else left to do. All of her days in the three years of marriage looked like a rerun. She was tired of the redundancy of it all. Wake up in the morning, and cook his breakfast, watch him leave and not be noticed except for the chaste kiss received on her cheek. She then proceeded to her brother’s store to do the inventory for them, and was home by lunch. The fire then warmed her briskness that swirled in her body while she stared at the same page of a book. At first, thoughts had flown through her mind, was it her fault that he ignored her? Was there any way she could bring back the spark that manifested itself in them at Hogwarts? Over the three years she had found that there was no more spark there, not even a little glimmer of happiness, lust, and, of course, no love.

She was eleven again, in her own eyes. He walked past her and saw nothing but a shadow that bowed lovingly at his feet. The gifts she bought him were strewn haphazardly around the house, or even worse, given to someone else. One Christmas he had given her a book that she had given him the previous year, she knew because the letter to him was still in it, unread.

Her head hit the wall repeatedly as the tears drilled down her cheeks, staining the blouse she wore. The silk fabric was beginning to dull, like the light had from her eyes long ago. She laughed as she ran through their vows in her head, she always did when her hand was about to turn the handle to leave. It was a loveless marriage; her feelings that had survived years of persecution at Hogwarts were finally ebbed. A sigh escaped her lips, a sniffle swept her nose, and she wiped her nose on her sleeve. The blouse already reeked of depression; why not add a little snot to it, too?

“That was quite repulsive, Weasley,” a smooth voice disciplined from the couch.

Ginny jumped from shock at the voice emanating from her piece of furniture not three meters from where she sat. “Who is that? How did you get in here?” her voice had an edge of panic to it.

“Not that hard being that there are no wards around your house. Potter has no concern for your well-being against Death Eaters, then?”

Ginny’s eyebrows shot up into her hairline from the news that there was nothing keeping her safe from intruders like the one making himself at home on the couch. “Who are you?” she asked again more firmly.

“You hurt me, Weaselette. How do you not know a voice from your past? Maybe something else would help?” he asked sarcastically. “Oh, fuck me, Red!” he sighed dramatically.

Immediately her face fell more, if it was possible. “Malfoy,” she hissed.

“Don’t say my name so disrespectfully, like you would have said the Dark Lord’s. At least I have some emotion towards you, unlike Potter.”

Getting up the strength, she stood and walked around the couch to face him. He looked the same since she had last seen him four years prior. His blond looks were just as pale silver in the firelight. Grey eyes pierced her with a cool expression. “The only emotion you have for me is a stirring in your pants. What are you doing here anyway?”

“I was strolling through the neighborhood and decided to drop in to see an old friend,” Draco said, the words sounding bored.

Ginny snorted and turned towards the kitchen. “Right, you don’t consider anyone a friend. Do you want some dinner? It seems I’ve prepared too much for myself.”

She hadn’t heard him get off the couch, but he was there, spinning her around and gripping her arms tightly. “Why have you let him do this to you, Red? You’re not a welcome mat, why did you let him walk all over you and crush your fiery spirit?”

“You don’t care, why is it your business what I let him do?” A tear strayed down her cheek and she looked down to the wooden floor with a blank expression.

He grabbed her chin roughly and met her empty cinnamon eyes with stormy grey ones. “Many years ago you were there for me when no one else was. It’s about time I return the favor. Malfoys pay back debts.”

“No one can save me from the hole I’m now, Draco.”

“Has anyone tried to?” he asked, genuine concern lacing his normally blank face.

She closed her eyes slowly and gave a deep sigh. No one knew how deep her loneliness ran. She had learned at a young age to school her features to look content with life and anything bothering her. It was the only way to survive living in a house with six brothers. The man standing in front of her was the only one to see past the mask and dug her frazzled emotions out with his best weapon, manipulation. “I’m married to him. Everyone thinks we’re perfect together, and any problems we have are just because the marriage is still new.”

“He’s fucking Granger,” he spat at her. His arms caught her as her knees gave out at the news and he held her close to him. “For about two years now. I’ve seen them multiple times laughing at Muggle restaurants and canoodling in shady motels.”

She shook her head as she wept at the obvious truth. He was gone almost every night on “assignments” for the Aurors. What assignments could there be anymore? Most of the Death Eaters had been killed in the war or were in Azkaban. Ginny looked warily into Draco’s eyes and continued to shake her head at her blindness. How didn’t I know?, she thought.

“They say love is blind, I just think you wanted the marriage your family expected. That’s why you left me, right?”

“I’m stupid,” she cried, and slid down the wall, Draco let her.

“Damn Gryffindor people pleaser,” Draco muttered while walking to a kitchen chair.

“Why not let me keep thinking he was faithful, Draco? Wouldn’t that be the right way to get your Slytherin revenge?” she choked out between sobs.

He eyed her confused. Why not indeed? He hadn’t talked to her in four years, why was it his concern now? Because she’s the only person that you ever felt something for, his mind mocked.

“I left you for your nemesis, why save me from the hell I welcomed myself into?” she sobbed.

“I was tired of seeing your eyes cold in pictures in the Daily Prophet. While everyone stood around saying what a gorgeous couple you were, I saw that there was no fire in your eyes. Your picture begged me to save you. I ignored it for a long time, even unsubscribing for awhile, telling myself you deserved every bit of it. When I kept seeing Potter with Granger and him happy I couldn’t bare it any longer,” he spoke to the wall above her head.

Tears steadily fell down her face as she pictured the couple together and her alone most nights. Ginny stood up shakily and walked over to Draco. She looked into his stormy eyes. “I miss you, and your stupid Slytherin ways.”

“Almost civil, Weasley. You were almost … ” His words were cut off as her lips came crashing down on his. His fingers threaded through her thick fiery tresses and in one kiss four years were gone. They were the only people locked into Grimmauld Place while everyone else was gone on work for the Order. He spread her legs to straddle him and sat her on his lap.

Her shirt was strewn haphazardly across the room, his expensive trousers unzipped and his length was in her hand being stroked reverently.

“Bedroom,” he murmured against her lips. She pointed, generally, behind her. Draco picked her up easily and carried her to the bedroom never parting their lips.

He deposited her on the bed and shed his shirt. His long manicured fingers worked the buttons on her trousers. He pulled them off of her long slim legs and let them drop to the floor. Draco covered her body with his and kept kissing her eagerly. Tongue dancing over tongue, tasting years of stories untold to each other. He reached behind her to unclasp her bra her generous breasts falling to his hungry hands. Kneading them and sucking them, moans were elicited from Ginny’s mouth.

Her hands moved to his trousers and she pushed them down his hips. The silk boxers were next to fall to the floor and his moans joined hers as she took him in her hand again.

Draco looped his fingers into her knickers and drew them over her legs. He pulled out of her reach to taste her juices again. Her fingers grabbed his blond locks as he licked fervently at her wet slit. His tongue flicked her clit and a scream ripped through her at the sensation that had plagued her dreams for four years.

“Fuck me, Draco!”

No more words were passed as he stood up and plunged into her tight pussy. He hissed as she pulsed around him, as tight as she had been their first time together. A rhythm was set as he pounded into her fiercely. Moans, screams, and sweat soaked the air as they happily fucked, wanting nothing more than to feel the raw emotion that had survived years being apart.

She spasmed around him as she came and he followed her over the brink spilling his seed into her. Draco collapsed on top of her, his lips kissing every spot on her face.

“Sweet Circe, that was even better than I remembered,” Ginny sighed after catching her breath.

“I’ve dreamt of this happening again for so very long, Red,” he confessed, rolling off of her and situating himself more securely on the bed.

She scooted to lie next to him and draped her arm and leg over him. “Me too. Fag?”

Draco gave her an odd look at the question. “You smoke?”

She nodded as she moved to reach the nightstand that contained her pack and ashtray. “I started about three years ago. Harry was mental about it, of course. That just gave me more of an incentive to do it, on top of the ebbing of stress,” Ginny said, lighting a fag and offering it to the man next to her. He took the proffered cigarette and watched as she lit another.

“I didn’t come for this.”

Ginny lay back against the pillow and gave him a pointed look.

“Not that I didn’t enjoy it, or hadn’t hoped it would happen. I just came to warn you of his infidelity. I had no idea we’d do the same thing.”

“Honesty from a Malfoy, and genuine concern, the world is ending,” Ginny joked as she ashed her cigarette. “I went with Harry because I thought he’d treat me well and it would make my family happy. Now, I really don’t give a flying fuck what my family thinks because I feel like I haven’t genuinely smiled in forever, until tonight.”

Draco took a drag from his fag and sighed contently. He’d waited a long time to be next to Ginny again. Over the years he’d been with countless women trying to find the same thing he had with the fiery vixen. No girl melted his composure like she had. None of them made him want to be different from his father. Certainly, no one but Ginny had ever been able to melt his icy demeanor. Until he had been captured by the Order, much to his chagrin, he thought his father and all of his friends were right about the Muggle loving family. They hadn’t realized that the youngest Weasley had been affected by the Chamber to such an extreme.

Ginny had tasted Dark Magic and had been enchanted by it. Voldemort had penetrated more than her mind; he had also corrupted her spirit. She had started to believe the pureblooded pureness he had preached. Without pureblood breeding, wizards were to become extinct in just a few generations. It was one of the many reasons she had never had a child with Harry, besides the lack of love and sex in their relationship. Harry had been the man to take her virginity in her sixth year at Hogwarts. She just always figured sex was a chore, until Draco had come to Grimmauld to join her in the prison.

He had been placed as her watch, and it made her feel like she had a job in the Order. Over time they started talking out of pure boredom and loneliness. During their long talks Ginny had learned that he had not taken the Dark Mark yet and shared a lot of common beliefs. They both despised Voldemort for his being a half-blood, love of killing and torturing, and his possession of her. Draco was angry that his own father, and mentor, had almost killed her. The only good that had come out of the situation, in Draco’s opinion, were the beliefs she had acquired, and the fire it had sparked.

“How can he preach about pureblood power if he’s half-blooded? That’s very hypocritical. He would only be dirtying blood if he bred, especially if he impregnated one of the Muggles he rapes,” Ginny argued.

“I agree. I think there should be a law to have purebloods mate for a generation or two to get the wizarding line going strong again,” Draco suggested, eyes clouding over with the idea and a smirk pulled at his lips.

Ginny smirked back at him in a very Malfoy way. “That’s a fantastic idea. Maybe we should get a move on that.”

“Are you coming on to me, Red? I feel very violated that you only like me for my blood,” he stated, feigning a hurt expression.

She started crawling towards him on her hands and knees over the shab carpeting. “There are a few other things I can stand. For example, there’s your brilliance, and your sexy smirk.” She accentuated each trait with a kiss up his neck, eliciting a growl from him when she added teeth to nip his neck.

“My charming good looks seem to have been forgotten. Also my biting wit and great snide remarks were left from your little list.”

Ginny suckled his neck a little, leaving a mark. “And the fact that you’re a delicious forbidden fruit.”

Draco growled louder at her and grasped the back of her head to bring her in for a searing kiss.

“You showed me sex was fun, did you know that?” she asked, after a couple minutes sitting in comfortable silence.

“They didn’t call me the Slytherin Sex God for nothing,” he calmly stated, letting out a puff of smoke and snuffing the cigarette in the ashtray.

He pulled her close to him to give her a hungry kiss. His hand found her breast and teased her nipple to a hardened bud. Ginny gasped into his mouth at the heat pooling in her abdomen.

Someone cleared their throat from the doorway causing the couple to stop their activity to see who it was.

“It seems I’ve intruded on something here. My deepest apologies,” Harry said in a monotone voice.

“I’d say it’s not what it looks like, Potter, but that’d be a lie. I just ravished your wife, and was in the process of doing it again until you interrupted,” Draco said coldly, his hand never leaving Ginny’s excited nipple.

Harry ignored the remark and addressed Ginny instead. “I would expect better from you. It seems I put too much faith in you.”

“Don’t give me that rubush. You’ve been boning Hermione for the majority of our marriage, and this is the first I have strayed. Now, if you’d kindly leave.”

Harry gaped at her, his eyes giving more emotion to her than she had seen in years. “How … how could you … I don’t understand.”

“Which part, Harry? That I could possibly know you’ve been sleeping with someone else behind my back, let alone my best friend, or the fact that I’m kicking you out of my house?” Ginny asked confidently.

Harry looked taken aback at the spine Ginny had grown in just a few hours. “I’ll just get my things, then.”

“Do be quick about it. Don’t let my showing your wife a good time distract you,” Draco said with a cocky smirk.

Ginny laughed and climbed on top of him and kissed him deeply. She grounded herself against his hardened member. Her vagina gladly accepted him again, and she sank hard on to him taking his full length in. She groaned loudly at the amazing feeling of his girth. Ginny rocked her hips against him and sat up straight. She piled her hair on top of her head while her eyes drooped close. Her teeth bit her bottom lip as she rode him faster.

Draco had never seen a sexier sight than the one happening on top of him. His hand voyaged up her flat abdomen and paused at her breast to lave it none to gently. Leaving her breast his hand’s next stop was her neck where he gently choked her.

Ginny’s eyes snapped open with hot flames in them. She growled at him and closed her hand over his to support his ministrations.

“I’ll, um, be sending separation papers over then,” Harry said uncomfortably, as he exited the room, and, thus, her life.

Ginny rode Draco even harder as if her life depended on it. She squealed as his thumb began to work her sensitive bundles of nerves. His hand left her throat to grasp her hip hard, which would surely leave bruises in the morning, and pumped into her hard.

“Fuck, Draco!” she yelled, as she tumbled over the edge. Her walls clamped hard onto his cock, but that made him pump harder into her. Finally, he came, taking her over the brink one more time.

Ginny collapsed boneless on top of him breathing hard.

Draco didn’t realize she was crying until he felt his shoulder being drenched. “Ginny,” he whispered warily, touching her shoulder gently.

She shook her head as she got off of him to lay down with her back to him. Her shoulders shook with sobs, and Draco eyed her oddly.

“I’ve never had someone cry after having sex with me,” he tried to joke.

“It’s … not … you,” she tried to voice between sobs. “It’s really over. He’s gone.”

Draco’s face fell into a scowl as he watched her shake. He was instantly up getting dressed before she noticed he had left the bed.

“You’re leaving?” Ginny asked, with bloodshot eyes looking like someone had just kicked her kitten.

“Yes, I have certain matters to attend to.” He approached the bed once clothed and kissed her forehead. In a loud crack he was gone. It elicited new sobs from the broken Ginny.

“Then he just left after having amazing sex with me. I can’t figure out why though. Maybe seeing me cry freaked him out or all he wanted was just to fuck me again,” Ginny said after retelling the story of the night before to her blonde friend.

Luna eyed her thoughtfully. “Maybe his kneezle needed to be fed.”

Ginny laughed at Luna’s odd reasoning. “That is an idea I hadn’t thought of.”

Luna had become a good friend to Ginny since the Ministry fight. They had kept Dumbledore’s Army going their sixth year at Hogwarts when the trio had been out hunting Horcruxes. Luna’s outlook on life had always been able to cheer Ginny up during the roughest times. She had even been a bridesmaid in Ginny and Harry’s wedding. Soon after Luna returned the favor and Ginny was the Maid of Honor in her wedding to Neville.

“Do you still love him?” Luna asked, catching Ginny off guard. It was rare to have normal questions posed by the Ravenclaw.

“I don’t know,” Ginny answered, stirring her tea idly. “There’s definitely still something there. If it’s lasted for four years, that must mean something, right? I just don’t want to get into something deep if he has no intention to reciprocate the feelings. Plus, I’m getting divorced. His parents would surely frown on Draco with Harry’s ex-wife.”

The sun flowed in the kitchen window catching Luna’s blue eyes, making them seem more airy and surreal. They were having their usual Wednesday afternoon tea at Ginny’s to catch up on their lives.

Ginny had always loved her kitchen. It was cozy and large. The cabinets were white with grey countertops. Wood flooring was covered with homely blue carpets under the sink and refrigerator Harry had insisted on having.

“Maybe your planets are coming into line, finally,” Luna stated simply.

Ginny nodded. “That is also a possibility.”

“I thought Hermione was a better friend than to do something like that to you. She was your Maid of Honor, and now, she’s sleeping with the groom. It seems Harry has moved in with her after he left here.”

Ginny’s eyes snapped up to Luna’s. “I don’t know why that surprises me. They’ve had more of a relationship going on than Harry and I ever did. It still hurts, though.”

Luna reached her hand across the table to hold Ginny’s. “It’d be wrong for it not to hurt. You put a lot of time and effort into marriage to have it end up this way.” Luna jumped up suddenly dropping Ginny’s hand. “I forgot I told Neville I’d help him repot the Mandrakes. I’m so sorry, but goodbye. The stars will work things out for you, Ginny.”

“Thanks Luna,” she said, right before Luna disapparated. “People are really good at leaving fast recently,” she said to herself.

Ginny busied herself cleaning the cups by hand while looking through the window onto her garden. She must have zoned out because when she looked at her watch a half an hour had passed by. Shaking her head to clear it of her thoughts she turned around with the cups still in her hand and proceeded on dropping them.

“Well done, Red,” Draco purred from his spot at the table. With a quick flick of his wand the cups were repaired and levitated to the counter.

“Never heard of a door?” Ginny spat, walking from the room. She plopped down onto the couch rather ungracefully and hugged a pillow to her.

“I’ve always liked surprising people, actually,” he said, joining her on the couch. He sat to face her and studied her closely.

“I think the saying is, take a picture it will last longer.”

“Feisty one today, aren’t you? What’s got your water boiling?”

Ginny glared at the blond. “I don’t know, let’s see. My husband has been sleeping with my best friend, and now we’re getting a divorce. Then, you come out of nowhere. No contact at all for four years, might I add. You gloriously shag me, and then leave with no reason at all. I think that’s a pretty good summary.”

“You cried for him after that glorious shag. Why wouldn’t I have left?” Draco stated like it was obvious.

“I didn’t cry for him. In no way did I voice that I didn’t want him to leave, in fact I told him to leave. It just hit me that three years of excessive energy that I put into a dead-end marriage was wasted. I also cried because those wasted years could have been spent with you,” she answered, looking at the pillow, hands steadily picking fuzz balls off of it.

“I’d be a horrible husband. I work a lot of my life.”

“I bet you come home every night at a usual time. I’m also betting you work a lot of boredom and loneliness.”

He was on her in a blink of an eye, grabbing her wrists firmly. His face was a breath away from hers. “Don’t speak like you know me. You don’t know who I am at all!”

“I think I do, and that scares you shitless!” she yelled back.

Draco let go of her wrists and was up pacing her living room, eyes settling on anything but the redhead. “I’m not nice. I wouldn’t remember your birthday, or our anniversaries. My parents hate you.”

“I’m not a fan of them either, but I’m rather fond of you. You know I’m not nice either and I don’t care about stupid dates.”

“I’m a bachelor, I sleep around.”

“You’re lonely.”

“I have the Dark Mark.”

“Because of an undercover duty.”

“You scare me.”

“I still love you, too.”

He stopped pacing and let his grey eyes settle on her. “You mean it?”

“I don’t tend to lie, Draco. You should remember that about me.”

“That’s what I always liked. You always spoke your mind to me. There were no walls, you weren’t scared.”

Ginny stood up and discarded the pillow. She approached him to twine her fingers in his hair. “I always liked that you were a challenge and forbidden.”

“That is quite appealing, isn’t it?” he asked, lowering his head so their lips were barely touching.

“Mmhmm,” was all that escaped her before he assaulted her lips.

“You were supposed to be her best friend. I don’t understand how you did this to her. What about Ron? Does he know about you and Harry?” Luna threw at the brunette, while she paced around Hermione’s living room.

Tears fell down Hermione’s face and she buried herself further into the couch. “I don’t know Luna. It all just happened. I think that Harry and I always had something there from when we first met, but I never thought that he would go for someone like me.”

“What do you mean someone like you? You’re beautiful and smart, why wouldn’t someone like Harry want someone like you?” Luna stopped and looked at Hermione with a confused expression. “What am I doing? I shouldn’t be padding your ego; I’m here to berate you about what you have done to Ginny. She has always been there for you, and you let her down and hurt her in the worst possible way. For three years she was married to him, and for two you were having sex with him.”

Hermione’s sobs wracked her body and she pulled the pillow in closer to her body. “I’m the worst person in the world! Do you think she’ll ever forgive me?”

“The last time I spoke to her she didn’t seem like she would. I’d keep a careful distance from her if I was you, unless you want to be hexed into oblivion. Ginny knows Harry is staying with you now, and she was none too pleased.” Luna stated calmly, admiring a picture that was hanging on the wall. “Why doesn’t this move? That’s odd.”

“It’s Muggle. How does she know that Harry is staying here? What if I tell him to leave, will that make it any better?” Hermione asked, desperation threading through her voice.

Luna looked at Hermione blankly. She was trying to understand how Hermione could be feeling guilty about all of this now, when she had been sleeping with Harry for so long. “Why didn’t you think about the consequences when you first started dating Harry behind Ginny’s back?”

Hermione hesitated and wiped at the tears still falling down her cheeks. “When it first started happening, it was a drunken mishap at the Ministry ball. Ginny was sick and couldn’t attend, leaving Harry and I to go together, strictly platonic. We had one Firewhiskey too many, and one thing led to another. I woke up with Harry in my bed and I jumped up terrified about what was happening. Harry just stood up and soothed me, telling me that him and Ginny weren’t doing that well and he was probably going to leave her. Ginny always told me that she wanted me to be happy, even when Ron and I didn’t work out like everyone had hoped.”

“She didn’t mean, please be happy by taking my husband, Hermione. You have always been the logical person in the group. For seven years at Hogwarts you were annoying with your attention to details. Then, when you finally get into the real world you stop! You stop thinking rationally about your best friend! Hermione, you’ve lost it. I hope that you are happy with Harry because he’s probably going to be the only person to speak to you anymore!” Luna snapped, and quietly Disapparated out of Hermione’s flat.

Ginny yawned loudly and rolled over onto her side. Slowly she opened her eyes to see grey stormy ones watching her. “How long have you been staring at me?”

“Just a couple minutes,” Draco said, kissing her softly. His lips started trailing down her jaw to her neck.

“I don’t believe you. You had to have been up for a while to get worked up like this.” Ginny let a moan leak out when he sucked on her pulse point, marking her as his own.

Draco smirked against her neck, but continued his steady ministrations down her body. “I don’t need a long time to get worked up about you.”

“That has to be one of the corniest lines I have ever heard, Draco,” she said, turning onto her back to give him better access.

This time he genuinely smiled at her from his position at her stomach where he was kissing and licking her salty skin. His tongue traveled into her navel and he gently bit the skin by her hip bones causing her to buck. A low throaty laugh emanated from his throat at her wantonness. Draco looked up at her as he kissed her inner thighs, tongue moving softly over her bundle of nerves.

Ginny’s hands grabbed her hair roughly as she thrust her hips towards Draco’s pleasing mouth. All she wanted was the pressure building in her abdomen to be released. “Draco,” she moaned, thrashing her head around wildly on the pillow.

“Patience, vixen,” he reprimanded, sucking her outer lips. Draco rested his hands on her hips so she wouldn’t take out an eye with her wild movements. He licked his finger before entering one into her sopping vagina. Slowly, he lowered his head to her heat and lapped at it leisurely causing Ginny to cry out in angst. He curled his finger in her and started to stroke vigorously while his lapping quickened.

“Oh, sweet Merlin!” Ginny screamed, clutching the pillow behind her head.

Draco stopped as he felt her muscles starting to clench around his finger and sat up looking at Ginny sprawled out on the bed, spread eagle. Her hair was fanned out on the soft white pillows, and her skin held a pink glowing hue from the excitement coursing through her body. “Sit up.”

Ginny obeyed and sat up slowly as her muscles began to relax. Draco maneuvered her so that he was lying down on the bed, and she was kneeling beside him. She started to move to get on top of him, but he moved her up so that her heat was over his mouth.

“Hold on to something,” he stated. He didn’t wait for her to find something as he moved a finger up into her and started licking her clit roughly. His teeth caught the bundle and he nibbled on it a little before his tongue continued on with its actions.

Her nails grounded into the wall as she tried to hold on for dear life. Having no control over her body’s reaction she ground herself harder against his tongue, riding his finger faster. Screams littered the air as one orgasm after another hit her.

Draco withdrew his finger and gently coaxed her to lie down on the bed. He positioned himself at her opening and entered the head into it. Just as quickly as he entered it, he withdrew it causing Ginny to whine at the emptiness. He repeated the action and laughed at Ginny giving him the puppy dog face. “You are quite impatient, Ginevra.”

“Come on, Draco. I want you so bad, right now.”

“It’s unbefitting of you to beg, Ginevra. If you want to be a Malfoy you can’t beg and grovel like that.”

“Fine, we’ll do it your way. If you don’t fuck me right now, I’ll make you beg for it.”

Draco raised his eyebrow at her threat and seemed to ponder the pros and cons of whether making her wait was worth it. He took a hold of his penis and pushed it into her until she was taking in his entire length. His eyes rolled into the back of his head at the pleasure of being fully surrounded by her warmth.

“There you go, that’s a good boy,” Ginny coaxed, raising her hips up for him to go even deeper.

Draco sneered at her calling him a ‘boy’ and withdrew himself only to plunge himself into her harder. She gasped and threw her head back. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his hips as he ground against her, educing moans from each of the participants.

Ginny shifted more to her side, maneuvering so that her lower leg was between his legs and her other was resting on his shoulder. She moved against him, matching his steady tempo. A cry crept from her mouth as she tumbled over the edge, her muscles clenching around Draco’s penis summoning his orgasm.

Bracing himself over her with his arms, he tried to catch his breath. “I liked that position. Do I dare to ask where you learned it?”

“A Muggle tome that Hermione had, it’s called Kama Sutra. It has a lot more positions that are crazier than that, I’m sure we could learn them all.”

He embraced her and gently bit her neck. “I’d like that.”

“What do you have planned today?” Ginny asked, getting out of bed and putting on a dressing gown.

“I have to go into the office, there’s a lot of work that needs to get done,” Draco said, putting on his clothes and following her out of the bedroom.

Ginny pulled down a pan and put some eggs in it. She cast a spell to cook the food and toast the bread. “That doesn’t sound interesting at all. Can’t you skip out and do something with me, instead?”

He watched her actions and was surprised at her request. His mask was back on and he shook his head. “If I don’t go in it looks bad to my employees and I can’t have them slacking because I took a day off to gallivant around with you.”

She set plates down on the table that sat in the kitchen and placed silverware next to them. A hurt expression came across her face at the fact that spending time with her was called gallivanting.

“The puppy face won’t work on me, Ginevra. Don’t you work or do something during the day?” he asked, putting some eggs onto the toast and biting into it.

Ginny nodded her head as she put some eggs into her mouth, trying to make it look as seductive as one can with eggs. “I just have to go in and do the inventory for the twins. I’ve never done anything after that. Just sit around and read until . . . well, until someone would come along to entertain me.”

“You used to be independent, didn’t you? I remember something like that about you.”

“It’s very nice that you remember something about me except how flexible I am,” she snapped, shooting an angry look at him.

He raised an eyebrow at her, appraising her. “Another all I want from you is sex remark, how original of you. I told you I didn’t come here for sex, I came to warn you about your precious Scarhead that you think so much of. Maybe it was a mistake; I should’ve just let you become even more of a shadow of yourself. I’m sorry that, for once, I actually cared about someone. I didn’t know it’d come back to slap me in my face.”

Ginny pushed her eggs around on her plate and looked up at Draco innocently. “I’m sorry. I’ve never been too good at trusting people, and the two people I trusted with everything have just stabbed me in my back. Excuse me for not totally trusting your motives; just give me some time to get my faith back in you.”

Draco shook his head and peered at her over his fork. “Alright, no more sex remarks though.”

“Deal,” she agreed, leaning over the table to give him a peck on the cheek. “Now, off to work you go, darling.”

Later on in the day found Draco working in his luxurious office at Malfoy Industries. He was reclining in his chair eyeing the piles of parchment on his desk that he didn’t have the heart to work on.

“You can’t slack at your own company.”

“You’ve got that wrong, Zabini. I own it, so that means I can do whatever I want. I could probably burn the building down and everyone would clap me on the back telling me what a good choice it was,” Draco said sarcastically, giving Blaise a humorous look.

They had been friends since they were children, attending the obligatory tea parties, and balls that their mothers had planned. They were now, both, the proud owners of the most successful businesses in the wizarding world. Blaise was the dark handsome type with near black hair, and blue sparkling eyes. A smile always appeared on his face, which scared the few that knew him since it always meant that something was being planned in his mind.

“How is everything going with the little Weasel?” Blaise asked, positioning himself in the chair across from Draco. He grabbed the snow globe sitting on the desk in front of him and watched the white peacocks animatedly play in it.

“Just how we imagined it would, she is thoroughly heartbroken that Scarhead was cheating on her. Now, she’s upset that she spent all that time on him and not me. She is just as crazy in the sack as I remembered her to be. What I like the most, though, is that she has absolutely no idea what is going on.”

“Of course not. You are a changed person, Draco. The epitome of a bad boy that has been changed into a good one by a beautiful brainy witch,” Blaise stated, giving a Malfoyesque smirk. “I still can’t believe that she is thick enough to think that you would come back with no hurt feelings over her leaving.”

Draco sneered at Blaise. “My feelings are not hurt, my ego was. How dare she leave me for Potter! Women throw themselves at me daily and I could have anyone I want, why would a Weasley be special in my book?”

“You say that, my dear friend. Don’t you think you’re going through an awful lot of trouble just to get revenge on someone you have no feelings for?” Blaise shot back at him.

“She’s nothing; she’s the filth on the bottom of my shoes. Now, it’s just time for the next step in my plan,” he stated with a calm demeanor.

“When is she coming by your flat?” Blaise asked.

“Jaslene is coming by at six; Ginny is coming at six thirty. I think it’s good to have her see it right when things are getting interesting.”

Blaise threw his head back and laughed. “Revenge is sweet.”

“I always told everyone it was right that you were placed in Slytherin with me.”

Blaise stood and tossed the snow globe over to Draco. “I’m touched, Draco. As always, it’s been amusing talking to you.”

Draco smirked at Blaise’s retreating back and let himself smile after his friend had finally exited the office. He examined the snow globe and saw that Blaise had charmed it to not have the usual white peacocks, but the scene playing out that they had planned. A horrified Ginny walked in on Draco pounding into a svelte Puerto Rican. Tonight would be the night that the ferret would finally defeat the weasel.

Ginny examined herself for about the fiftieth time in the full length mirror that hung on the back of her door.

“You will make his jaw drop when he sees you, darling,” the mirror commented.

Ginny smiled and turned around to examine her bum like all women did before leaving their houses. She checked the clock on the wall and saw that it was six-fifteen. Tapping her foot, she sat down on her bed and grabbed the book from her nightstand. Flipping through the book rapidly she looked at the clock to see that only thirty seconds had gone by. Grumbling, she stood up and walked out of her bedroom to her entryway. She grabbed her cloak off the hook and then her purse. The mirror there showed her the same reflection she had seen in her bedroom, composed and confident. Six-twenty.

“It won’t hurt to be a little early, might not be able to find the place and I would need some time to wander around,” she told her reflection.

She took her wand out of her purse and Apparated to the alley he had told her to. It was the cleanest alley she had ever seen in her life. She walked out around the corner and looked up at the skyscraper apartment building. Biting the inside of her cheek nervously she walked to the glass entryway where a uniformed man opened the door. She nodded and smiled at him, walking to the lift. Another uniformed worker asked her what floor she needed and she informed him the twentieth. He smiled at her sweetly and pushed the button, closing the lift doors. Checking her reflection again in the doors, she fussed with her hair.

“I don’t mean to sound rude, it’s probably against our employee policy, but you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” the elevator attendant stated.

A blush came up over her cheeks as she bowed her head, flattered. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“You’re welcome; here we are the twentieth floor.”

She nodded and threw a sultry glance over her shoulder at the attendant and pulled a small piece of parchment out of her purse. 2010, was the flat she was looking for. The numbers on the wall informed her that she needed to go to her left, so she followed. It was at the end of the hallway. She raised her fist to knock on the door and caught the site of her watch on her wrist. Six twenty-eight. Two minutes to compose herself. Taking a deep breath she looked at her cloak and smoothed out the few wrinkles that were there. She closed her eyes briefly, and lifted her hand again to lay two quiet knocks on the door.

“Ms Weasley?” a butler opened the door and greeted her.

“Yes, I believe Draco is expecting me,” she stammered out.

“Do come in, he told me to let you back to the room. He is almost finished up with his business.”

Ginny handed the butler her cloak and walked in the direction he pointed her to. “Draco?” she asked, trying to guess which room he was in. Her hands smoothed out her short emerald green dress as she took in his flat. It was dark modern décor; obviously good Galleons were spent on decorating the place. The lights were on in a room to the right. With her process of elimination she guessed that was the direction she was supposed to go to. She walked into the room with dark green walls, and low lighting to a sight that left her absolutely speechless.

There, on the bed, was Draco and an olive skinned goddess of a woman. She was on all fours facing the doors and Draco was fucking her from the back. Sweat was glistening on their skin and the woman was moaning loudly. Draco looked in Ginny’s direction and smirked as he pounded the woman even harder, causing his conquest to scream out.

Ginny was motionless. A heat was pooling in her stomach. She couldn’t figure out if it was from anger at the obvious setup, or from desire at watching such an erotic action happening in front of her. She had heard of Muggle pornography from Seamus during her lonely days with Harry, but this was much more exciting. The door jamb supported her as she crossed her arms and leaned against it.

“Shouldn’t you pay for being a spectator to this?” a low sultry voice whispered in her ear.

She whirled around surprised at the interruption. The man was someone that she had recognized from Hogwarts, Slytherin she remembered. “Why would you be here? Are you paying to watch this?”

He chuckled deeply and offered his hand to her. “I am Draco’s best friend, Blaise Zabini. Don’t ask me how I’ve been able to stand him for so many years.”

“Ah, yes. The second most seductive boy at Hogwarts, if my memory serves me right. You’ve charmed the pants off many of my closest friends”

He raised an eyebrow at her, reminding Ginny very much of Draco. “You’re not disturbed by this at all?” he asked, waving his hand in the general direction of the bedroom.

Ginny shrugged and turned around to resume her action of watching. “I don’t expect anything less from him really. Never let your guard down around someone you’ve hurt in the past.”

“You’re not upset that he set it up for your schedules to overlap? I’ve heard of the rumored Weasley temper, and you’re seriously letting us down.”

“I’m not some crazy harpy; I got more of my father’s laid back attitude. In all honesty it’s sort of a turn on.”

Blaise let out a sigh against her neck and pushed himself up closer to her back, proving that she wasn’t the only one turned on by the display.

Draco looked confused at the couple standing in the doorway of his bedroom. He had expected Ginny to yell and scream and maybe even throw some hexes at them. There was no way that he could have predicted her standing there watching him have sex with another woman. She looked exquisite standing there with a blush rising up her neck, showing her obvious arousal. He pulled out of Joslene when he saw Blaise step up closer behind Ginny and her eyes widen in surprise. “I believe you’re getting too close to what is mine, Blaise.”

“You seem to be in the middle of something over there, and poor, dear Ginevra is standing over here all alone. Thank Merlin that I am here for her, though,” he stated leveling his eyes at Draco, seeming to be inviting some conflict.

Draco got off the bed gracefully and walked over to Ginny in all of his naked glory. The sweat seemed to roll over the lines of his cut muscles, causing Ginny’s mouth to water a little.

“I’m sorry that our plans seemed to overlap with my other obligation,” Draco said in a monotone voice.

Ginny shrugged. “I doubt that you meant for this to happen, Draco. No hard feelings.” She pulled her jumper over her head and tossed it to the floor while walking towards the bed. Turning around, she gave Draco a heated look.

Draco turned to Blaise and looked at him confused. Blaise just replied with a shooing gesture for Draco to go to bed with two beautiful women.

“Ginevra Molly Weasley! You’re mother would be appalled, a threesome with a Malfoy and a complete stranger,” Luna said, placing a cup of tea in front of Ginny and busying herself with the pastries.

“You should have seen his face; it was the funniest thing I have ever seen. I know that he and Blaise must have planned out the whole gimmick to get back at me for leaving him four years ago. They didn’t lie about Slytherins being able to hold a mean grudge.”

Luna laughed at Ginny’s evil streak. “Why do you think he had Blaise there?”

“I have no idea. I guess to state the fact that they had set it all up, and to take what I had coming to me. He came onto me, and Draco was very upset about that. I thought he was going to come running off of the bed and hex him, but he acted coolly and stated that I was his,” Ginny informed her friend, twirling the spoon in her cup.

“Yes, well, Malfoys aren’t very fond of people touching their possessions. I heard that a kid at Hogwarts touched his broom and he hexed him into the hospital wing for a week. What are you going to do next?”

Ginny smirked at her cup and looked gingerly up at Luna. “I could take the upper hand and chalk it up to even, but I want to make him suffer. Two can play this game.”

“You always liked playing manipulative games. Maybe some cat and mouse? Invite him over and have a nice little night and send him away claiming that you’re joining a Muggle convent.”

Ginny wrinkled her brow at the blonde. “What is a convent?”

“It’s some place Muggle women go to not have sex and have an excuse not to. Something about their God and how they’re married to him. Thus, they aren’t allowed to have sex with another man.” Luna shrugged.

“Muggles are quite odd aren’t they? Why would anyone want an excuse to not have sex? I always look for an excuse to have sex. Like, oh it’s eleven eleven let’s do it,” Ginny stated, causing Luna to laugh hysterically.

Luna came over to the table and joined Ginny at the table after she calmed herself down. She eyed Ginny appraisingly, seeming to see into her mind. “Are you really okay with what he did, Gin, or are you putting up a tough obverse. I haven’t seen you cry yet about any of it, not the Harry and Hermione thing, and not this whole Malfoy sleeping with another woman. You do have the well-known Weasley temper following you.”

Ginny sighed and laid her head down on her arms. “I’m trying to not follow the standard I’m supposed to live up to. I’m tired of everyone being cautious around me and hiding things because they don’t want to upset me. Now, when someone goes out to upset me I don’t want to rise to their bait,” she stated, looking up at Luna with sad eyes. “In a way, I’m tired of being a Weasley.”

The former Ravenclaw was taken aback by Ginny’s assertion. She never would’ve expected Ginny to not be a Weasley. For years she had stuck up for her family name and the prejudices that followed that it. “Don’t hold it all in so you just explode alright? The clabberfirths like to feed off of unexposed emotions. I don’t want to come to your house one day to see your head exploded off.”

The redhead laughed at Luna’s crazy animals and their horrible side-effects. “Alright Luna, I’ll be careful.”

“Malfoy.”

“Malfoy? Are you sure?” the green eyed man asked.

“Luna is a little off, but she knows Ginny the best. Ginny has definitely been seeing Malfoy,” Hermione told her boyfriend.

Harry laid his head back on the pillow and stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling. “She never stopped loving him.”

“What do you mean never stopped loving him? I didn’t even know that they could stand being around each other. They were just stuck in Grimmauld together, whenever I saw them they were bickering.”

“It was all a play to throw her family off. No one trusted him, but there wasn’t any harm he could do to anyone at Grimmauld. He basically had to stay there unless he wanted to be killed by Voldemort’s followers since he had been in our headquarters and could have released information. I know Ginny, probably better than she knows herself. Whenever someone mentioned Malfoy’s name she would react. She would bow her head and blush or quickly leave the room. There was something there, but I ignored it because she came to me after the war and accepted my proposal. She never stopped loving him,” Harry said quietly, looking at his hands with interest.

Hermione put her hand on his and looked at him inquiringly. They had sacrificed everything they had to be together, but it seemed like the fact that Ginny was with Malfoy was hurting him. “Alright?”

Harry looked up into her eyes and nodded, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Just tired is all.”

Hermione nodded and flicked her wand to lower the flames in the sconces on the walls. She watched him settle down into the bed and roll onto his side, facing away from her. She followed suit and laid facing away from him, thoughts jumbling her mind. Had it been right for her to sacrifice her best friend’s feelings to be with Harry? Did she muddle up and mistake his actions for requited love? Hermione sighed and closed her eyes to visions of Harry and Malfoy fighting over Ginny, while she sat speechless in the corner.

He ruffled his blond locks while looking in the mirror, trying to straighten himself out. He had been a mess since the day before, when he had walked Ginny to the door and given her a kiss goodnight. The redhead had taken a firm place in his mind and he couldn’t quite shake her out of there. His dreams were filled with pale skin and freckles and long red hair covering every spot on his body. Four years without her and after a week she had taken over his life again. The days at Grimmauld Place came flying back to his mind. Their first time of tangled limbs and tongues plagued his mind.

Groaning he gave up and slicked his long hair back into a ponytail, letting it brush loosely against his shoulders. His mother had been begging him to cut it short again, to not look so much like his father as he did. He always ended the argument saying that he was too busy at work to see to a trimming, when, in all actuality, he wanted to be reminded of his father when he looked into the mirror so he could be the exact opposite of him. Draco wanted to take a wife that he loved and paid attention to, not someone that could uphold a house well. If he had wanted that he would have followed his parent’s wishes and married Pansy.

Sighing at his reflection, he gave up and put on his velvet black robes. There wasn’t anything he could do about the dark circles under his eyes, or the unruly nature of his hair. Being as put together as he could manage at that point, he Apparated to his office.

His secretary gave him the owl messages that had arrived and reminded him of the meeting he was having with the Italian representatives in an hour. He nodded at her and walked into his office, throwing himself in his chair to look at the view of London he had. Time flew by with only thoughts of Ginny running through his mind when his secretary came in telling him he had five minutes until he had to be in the conference room.

“I can charm the circles under your eyes, Mr Malfoy, make it look like you’re sturdier than you are,” his secretary said, caution lacing her words.

He scowled at her and walked past, making his way to the meeting. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he walked in, shaking his head to rid the memories of Ginny.

She was nervous, that’s why the rug had a circle encroached into it, from her steady pacing. Was she going to be able to go through with their plan? But he deserved for her to go through with the plan. When she had walked into his bedroom to see him with another woman, her heart broke into a million pieces. Her heart had never hurt like that before, even with Harry. Draco was different though, at least to her. He was the man she was never supposed to be with, forbidden fruit as they always called it. Like a wild stallion needing to be trained to be faithful to one person, and to not be afraid to feel for someone.

Picking up a vase she threw it across the sitting room. She knocked over a chair and kicked a lamp so that it smashed against the wall. Falling onto the couch she put her face in her hands and cried. She hadn’t slept in the two days since she had slept with Draco and Joslene. She felt dirty and betrayed, and lost. Ginny Weasley had no idea who she was anymore. Her whole life she had been the youngest sibling and only girl of the Weasley clan. She was the twin’s sidekick, and Ron’s responsibility to look after. That’s who she was, a tag along, in everyone’s mind.

She stood up and brushed at her face to rid it of the tears, flicking her wand to repair the things she had broken. Attempting a smile she walked to the mirror to freshen up her face with some glamour charms. It was going to have to suffice for the time being, she had a door to answer.

“You learned how to use the front door. I’m impressed, Malfoy,” Ginny stated with a sly smile.

Draco walked into the entryway and gave her a genuine smile. “It was difficult to get, but I think I might have it down now. I do get it confused with the bedroom though.”

“I’ll draw you a map,” she said snidely, walking into the dining room.

“What is all of this?” Draco asked, waving to the formally set table.

Shrugging her shoulders she answered, “I thought it would be nice if we had a proper dinner.”

Draco eyed her oddly and walked over to help her bring the food from the kitchen to the table. He pulled out her chair and pushed it in after she sat, placing himself at the other end of the table. “It looks delicious, Ginevra.”

Ginny eyed him over the candles on the table and smiled warily. “My mum taught me how to cook. It’s always been something that relaxed me.”

He nodded and continued eating his dinner. It was awkward, an odd tension had settled over the room and they threw looks at each other. Ginny seemed to be thinking of all the ways to hurt the man sitting across from her, while Draco silently begged her to spare his life. He scolded himself for walking right into her trap, of course Ginny was upset, and she deserved to be. How thick was he to believe that she would brush it off and laugh at the fact that he had set her up to be hurt?

“You done?” she asked, standing up and taking her barely touched plate away. Draco nodded as he stared at his plate. When she grabbed it away from him he looked up at her with sad eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“What’s that? I couldn’t hear you,” she said, shaking her head at him.

“I said I’m sorry. It was supposed to be a little prank?” he said, but it sounded more like a question when his voice raised an octave on the last word.

Ginny set the plates back down on the table and placed her hands on her hips. She looked down at the floor to regain her composure. When she looked back up at him Draco thought his heart was sure to break at the feelings brewing in her eyes, the most obvious was hurt. “Great prank there, Malfoy! Fucking another woman and inviting me over to get a slap in the face. After I had just found out from you that my husband is sleeping with another woman. What the hell am I good for then? Just hang me up in the closet and pull me out whenever you want to use me. Apparently I’m no good for anyone!”

Draco stood up and reached out to touch her arm. She batted his hand away and stepped back into the wall. His eyes were filled with confusion and regret at what he had done to her. “You know I’m not a nice person, Ginny. Isn’t that one of the things you liked about me? That I didn’t treat you like a fragile little something like everyone else you know? I’m sorry, Ginny, you know I don’t apologize and here I am telling you how bad I feel about hurting you. Please, don’t throw it in my face. I just wanted you to hurt like I did when you left.” He stopped talking and looked deep into her eyes, stepping towards her so that their toes were touching. He reached out and put a strand of her long flaming mane behind her ear. “I was crazy about you.”

She took a deep breath in at the confession she had been waiting for. When she had left him for Harry she had told herself that it was because Draco could never love her like she loved him. Four years later, he stood in her dining room pretty much all out telling her he loved her. She looked up at the ceiling finding it quite intriguing as she tried to stifle the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. “I want to take a shower.”

“Alright,” he said, masking the smile he wanted to wear proudly on his face. Draco reached out his hand and followed her to the bathroom.

Ginny reached into the bathroom and flicked her wand to light the candles that had been placed meticulously around the bathroom. It was her favorite room in the entire house; she had decorated it and remodeled it herself. The walls were a light peaches and cream color that had been sponged over an off-white base. The white tiled floor was covered by a dark orange throw rug to prevent slippage. The vanilla scented candles gave off just the right atmospheric light as Ginny’s hands went to Draco’s crisp white button down shirt. Carefully, looking into his eyes, she unbuttoned it slowly, one button by one. She pushed it off his shoulders and closed her eyes as she leaned forward to kiss his chest.

He took her chin in his fingers and raised it up so that he could kiss her deeply, telling all of his feelings in the passion of the kiss. His hands worked the zipper on the back of her dress down, letting it pile at her feet. His fingers lightly trailed down her sides, causing her to shiver and her eyes to become heavy lidded as she stared at him. Reaching behind her he undid her bra and let it drop to the floor. Grabbing his wand from his pocket he flicked it towards the shower and let the water start running warm. He placed the wand on the counter and looked back into her eyes, watching them brim with tears.

Lowering himself so that he was level with her stomach he hooked his fingers into her pink lace knickers, pulling them slowly to the ground. She balanced herself with his shoulders as she stepped out of them one foot at a time. Draco trailed light kisses back up her body and stopped at the spot between her shoulder and neck and felt a moist trail drip down his cheek. He stopped his kisses and looked at her face again, catching a tear with his finger.

She softly smiled up at him and took a small breath in when she trailed her fingers down the light blond hair that poked out from above his trousers. Her fingers unfastened his trousers and she pushed them to the ground, reaching down to help his boxers follow suit. Ginny looked back up into Draco’s stormy grey eyes and moved her face closer into his palm as he rested it on her cheek.

Carefully he maneuvered her into the shower, standing her under the stream of water spouting out of the head. He watched her as she leaned her head back and let the water moisten her hair, her fingers threading through her long locks and washed away the tears that had plagued her cheeks. In his mind, she was the most beautiful woman to ever walk into his life. A smile twitched at the sides of his mouth as she looked at him with water dripping down her face.

Ginny reached up and put her arms around his neck, capturing his lips with hers she kissed him intensely. There was nothing but raw emotion between their lips and warring tongues. She opened her eyes to find him looking at her with desire written all over his face. His hand moved down to touch her most sensitive region and she let him.

His fingers moved against her bud while his arm wrapped around her back to support her. He lowered his head to rest against her neck, her deep breaths tickling his ear. Her fingers gripped his back as she reached her orgasm, his name spilling over her lips. He tried to move her so that her back was against the wall, but she held steady and wouldn’t let him. When he looked at her with furrowed brows a sneaky grin played on her lips at him.

She reached behind her to turn off the water and stepped out of the shower to grab a large fluffy towel sitting by the shower. She toweled off her hair and body, feeling his eyes roaming her body. Without looking at him she put her clothes back on and left him standing alone in the shower.

When he had gotten dried off and dressed he found her sitting on her bed, looking at another man standing in her room. “Potter,” he snarled.

“It’s true what they’re saying, then?” Harry asked, looking at Ginny.

She nodded and looked over at Draco standing in her doorway. “It wasn’t just that one night, Harry. I don’t know why you would assume that I was lying around pining about you running off with my best friend.”

“I didn’t run off with her, Gin. I . . .” he started, running a hand through his mussed hair. “I miss you.”

Ginny’s eyes widened as she looked between the two men standing before her. Draco was leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest. His hair was still wet from the shower and lightly swept his unbuttoned wrinkled white shirt. Harry was standing looking haggard in front of her. His arms reached out to her, his eyes begging her to take him back.

“Please, come back to me,” Harry mused.

She looked over at Draco, watching the mask slide on his face. He gave her one last glance and walked away from the room. “Draco,” she said, giving Harry a withering look and following Draco out of the room.

“You’re going to go back to him, right? Go back to the marriage everyone wanted you to be in. It didn’t make you happy, but it made everyone else ecstatic. I’m glad you got your revenge for the other night, it was nice seeing you again,” Draco said standing at the front door, as Ginny approached him.

She reached up and put a hand on his shoulder, gently asking him to turn around. “I’m not going back to him. My revenge for the other night was refusing your sex, and well, something you’ll find out later,” she added, smirking. “For my entire marriage I dreamed of you. I pretended that it was you I was making love to, which was hard since Harry has a little prick. I meant it when I said that I’m upset that I wasted those years on him and not you. I’m not going to make that mistake again.”

“I was dumb to ask you to come back,” Harry’s voice said sadly from behind her. “I thought I could count on you, Gin.”

Ginny stood and gawked at him for about one second, before she reached into the pocket on her dress and pulled out her wand casting the Bat Bogey Hex she was infamous for. She laughed and backed up into Draco’s chest, watching her husband run around trying to get the bats to stop attacking his face.

“You have an evil streak, Ginevra,” Draco whispered into her ear. “Are you going to tell me what else you did to me?”

She seemed to ponder it for a minute and turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck. “No, I really don’t think so. It’ll be more fun for you to find out later from someone else.”

He scrunched his face at her as she placed a kiss on his nose. “Evil, pure evil,” he hissed, looking up to watch Harry run around the house, wildly trying to stop the bats emanating from his nose.

“Good morning, Mr Malfoy,” Draco’s secretary greeted him. Her eyes flew open when she looked up and took in his appearance.

He glared at her horrible attempt at constraining her amusement. “What is everyone’s problem with my looks this morning?” he asked, dropping his arms at his side exasperatedly.

Melinda shook her head and quickly covered her enjoyment. “Nothing, Mr Malfoy. There are messages for you on your desk.”

Draco sneered at her and entered his office. He started flipping through his papers when he heard the door to his office open up. Blaise entered the room and stopped in midstride, gasping.

“What the hell happened to your hair?” Blaise asked, and then he stopped and shook his head. “She’s good, really good, that one.”

Draco stood and walked over to his mirror, trying to see what everyone’s problem was. “I don’t see anything wrong.”

“Really, really good. I think that owl at your window is the answer,” Blaise told him.

Opening the window, he grabbed the small owl fluttering around excitedly. He quickly read it and let out a large sigh. “Evil wench. I cannot believe that she did this to me,” Draco said walking over to the mirror again. “I don’t even see what she did.”

“What did the message say?” Blaise questioned between small giggles.

“It says, ‘everyone sees your true beauty, you see what you want.’ What the hell is she on about?”

“Your hair is red, and you are covered in freckles. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, she put a bat above your head. I’m assuming that’s warning whoever you see to not tell you about it. It’s very good.”

Draco looked into the mirror and muttered the incantation that would end the glamour charm she put on him. He was muttering something about stupid evil wenches when Blaise cleared his throat behind him.

“What are you going to do about it all? What’s the next step in the plan?”

“Nothing, I’m done playing this game. I see it going too far and me losing her completely this time,” Draco answered, sitting back down at his desk.

“I was right, then? You are bonkers for this one,” Blaise said smugly.

Draco lowered his eyes and when he looked back up at Blaise he had a genuine smile on his face. “She cast the Bat Bogey Hex on Potter, it was outright hilarious. She’s different than the rest, Blaise. I want to bring back the girl that I fell in love with when I met her at Grimmauld, the girl that wasn’t afraid of anything and didn’t second guess herself. Potter has bloody beaten that right out of her by doing absolutely nothing.”

Blaise’s face lit up sinisterly when an idea popped into his mind. “Granger.”

“What about the Mudblood?”

“We’ll get back at Potter and Granger for what they did to your Weasley,” Blaise hissed.

Draco pondered it for a moment and then looked oddly at Blaise. “You’ll just jump on whatever side will give you the most entertainment, won’t you?”

“Spot on, Mate.”

A/N- I’m so sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long. It’s just been crazy busy in my world for the past few weeks. So here’s the chapter you’ve been waiting for. Review about what you think, and I’ll start working on the next chapter for you.

He grabbed her hand and ran through the grounds. They passed the lake where the ducks were swimming tranquilly on the still pond with strategically placed flowers growing around the edge. Narcissa had made sure throughout her marriage to Lucius that their grounds were the most beautiful ones in Wiltshire. Ginny tried to catch a glimpse of the beautiful gardens that were strewn everywhere, but Draco just pulled her past them all quickly.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, giggles assaulting her voice.

“Stop asking. You are a petulant child sometimes,” Draco scolded, but his voice was joking.

She pursed her lips and continued to run, or rather, continued to be dragged across the lawn of Draco’s childhood home. Ginny had never pictured herself being allowed onto the grounds; surely the wards would be up against Weasley’s. Draco insisted that it was all right, that he didn’t care what his parents thought of her. A smile assaulted her lips as Draco slowed down their run to something that could be described as skipping, but Draco would have shot down the verb and called it strutting instead.

He brought his finger up to his lips to quiet any more questions she would have asked. Slowly, they walked up to the thick edge of trees right on the end of the property. Draco moved the branches out of their way and helped Ginny step gingerly into the forest. He hushed her again when he saw her mouth form the way it did before she asked a question.

Ginny watched as he pointed to something rustling around in front of them in the trees. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the sudden darkness that the canopy of trees produced. There, about five meters in front of where they stood, were four unicorns playing about.

The mother unicorn looked up at the snapping of twigs under the intruders’ feet, but looked down at her younger offspring when she saw Draco.

“This is amazing, Draco,” Ginny gasped in awe. “It’s almost like she knows you.”

He watched Ginny’s face closely as her eyes widened at the scene in front of them. “I would expect so, I practically raised her.”

She looked up at him in amazement, a smile tugging at her lips. Standing to her full height she kissed him sweetly. “Thank you.”

Draco didn’t have to ask why she was thanking him. She knew that he liked to cut off others from his more sensitive side. His reasoning in showing her the unicorns was that if he expected her to unlock herself to him, he needed to do the same thing for her. “I love you,” he whispered into her ear.

Ginny nodded, and continued to watch the unicorns play about in the woods. Then, she took in what he had said to her, and turned around. For the months they were together at Grimmauld Place, and the month that had passed since they had gotten back together; he had never told her outright that he loved her. Of course, she expected that he did with everything that he did for her, but the words had never passed his lips.

“Draco,” she breathed out. She was silenced with a finger pressed to her lips.

He turned her around to face the unicorns, wrapping his arms around her waist. Nuzzling her neck, he placed gentle kisses under her ear. “I want that to be us someday,” he said quietly.

Draco didn’t see her face as it construed into a scared expression. Suddenly, she was leaving the woods and running back towards the Manor.

He watched the unicorns scatter at her sudden leave, and eyed the heavens in a confused manner. Only needing to take a few seconds to compose himself he followed her path with a steady run. His longer legs helped him catch up to her quickly. Grabbing her around the waist he wrestled her to the ground, only to notice that there were tears running down her cheeks. “What is your problem?”

Ginny sniffled, turning her head so that she was looking at the lake and not the man planted firmly on top of her. “Let me go, Draco.”

“No, I will not let you leave me again. I was dumb the first time and let you walk away. Tell me what is wrong!” he stated forcefully, clutching her chin in his hand so she was looking at him.

A hint of fear flashed over her face, and the tears started falling heavier. She started struggling against him, but he wouldn’t relent. “I’m not going to talk about this in this position.”

He raised an eyebrow at her, giving her a suspicious look. “If I let you up do you promise not to run off?”

She nodded solemnly. When he let her up she moved away a little from him and sat with her legs crossed looking out onto the lake. Minutes passed making it seem like she was not going to talk. “You give me miles and miles of mountains, and I asked for the sea.*”

Draco stared at her perplexed. “What kind of rubbish is that? “

Ginny peered at him over her shoulder. “For what I give to you, it’s just what I’m going through. This is nothing new. It’s just another phase of what I really need.*”

He started nodding, but ended up just shaking his head at her. “I’m sorry. Can you at least hand me a map so I know where you’re going with all of this?”

“Luna and I are heading out of town. We’re leaving tonight; I’m already packed.”

Grabbing his hair in both hands he furrowed his brows at her trying to understand anything coming out of her mouth. He cleared his throat, coaxing himself to regain his composure. “Any chance you’ll let me know where you’re going? Just in case you don’t come back in a few days I’ll know where to look for the body.”

She looked at him like a scorned child would. “We’re going out of town, and I don’t know when we’ll be back.”

Forgetting everything he had learned about composure and hiding his feelings he yelled at the top of his lungs. “Do you think this is fun, Ginevra?! You asked me what you were to me, and I finally tell you. Then, you throw it in my face like it’s nothing! What the hell do I have to do to get you to finally stay with me?!”

The tears kept cascading down her cheeks as she shook her head at him. “It’s not you,” she repeated over, and over. Ginny stood up and looked at Draco with nothing but remorse on her face. Turning, she walked quickly away from him.

Draco stood stunned as he watched her walk away, for the second time, from him. “She’s still too young,*” he whispered to himself.

*****************

“I couldn’t have been wrong. I checked the stars and your planets were perfectly aligned.”

“I told you I don’t want to talk about it, Luna. Now, please, drop it,” Ginny begged her friend, putting another pair of slacks into her suitcase.

Luna looked at her friend oddly, noting that it was the first time she had ever been the one to give an odd look to someone. “How many days should I pack for?”

Ginny shrugged. “However much you can fit. I know you have a life here, but I sure as hell don’t.”

“Put down the blouse, Ginny. Now, come here,” Luna coaxed, patting the edge of the bed.

The redhead huffed, but followed the request and joined the blonde.

Luna put her arm around Ginny’s shoulders, while looking at the ceiling. “You have a bad aura around you. Are you sure this is what you want to do? I sense some hesitation around you.”

Ginny pushed Luna’s arm off of her when a memory from when she first saw Draco in a different light flashed in front of her. “Don’t come if you’ll be like this the whole time. I just want to get out of here. Why do I need to explain everything to everyone?”

“You two had a fight. You wanted something more, and he couldn’t give up his evil ways, is that it?”

Ginny took a deep breath in and eyed Luna in a dangerous way. “We had a fight. I won’t tell you what about, but I will tell you that I need to get off of this island!”

“No Ireland, then? I really wanted to go to the Circle of Kerry; it’s supposed to be beautiful.”

Slowly Ginny nodded and summoned a smile. “Ireland is good; it’s not on this island, Luna. It’s on a smaller one.”

Shrugging Luna stood up and shrunk her suitcase, placing it neatly in her pocket. “Let’s go get you a nice blue-eyed man with a Seamus accent.”

A laugh emitted from Ginny as she followed Luna’s actions. Putting their hands together they Apparated away from the mess that Ginny had made.

*****************

He stood in the same spot watching in the direction that Ginny had run off in. There was nothing he could do, but stand there hoping that he was having a nightmare. She couldn’t have fallen through his fingers that easily when things were looking up for them. Draco shook his head trying to rid himself of the deep cold loneliness already spreading through his body. His eyes wandered to the lake to see the sun setting. A mirthless laugh fell from his lips as he looked at the irony. The fire was leaving his world.

Getting his footing steady again he began walking back to the Manor. It felt to him like the house was moving further and further away from him, but he finally reached the garden entrance. He started walking past his mother’s parlor, but he heard her beckon him in to see her. His lips pursed and he took a deep breath before entering the room that seemed to be on fire in the setting sun.

Bright blue eyes settled on him, appraising the cool mask that had settled onto his face. She noticed that he had gotten the one trait from his father that she wished he hadn’t. Narcissa had wanted a son that could express his love and feelings to others; when his father couldn’t.

“Is everything alright, Draco?” she asked, raising an eyebrow to him.

“Fine, Mother. Ginevra had a family matter to attend to. I’m sorry that you couldn’t have met her personally,” he answered stoically.

Narcissa squinted a little at Draco; she could have sworn his voice had caught a little at the saying of Ginevra’s name. “That is fine. We will have to arrange another time to meet then.”

Draco nodded stiffly and asked if there was anything else that she needed.

“No, that will be all.”

Draco gave his mother a soft kiss on her cheek and walked towards his bedchamber. He didn’t notice the look of comprehension dawn on Narcissa’s face at Draco’s formality. Personally, he wouldn’t notice if someone jumped in front of him with a wand raised to his heart. Anger and hurt were blurring his vision and all he could see was red. Red of her hair spread over his pillow and of the setting sun when she left him, again. No matter how many times he blinked his eyes the vision of red would not leave.

Reaching his bed he fell onto it ungracefully. He tossed and turned on the bed he had slept on since he was a small child, but for the nights he spent at his flat. Giving up on understanding all of the feelings piling up in him he reached over for the vase sitting on his nightstand and threw it at the wall. Yelling, he kicked at a piece of pottery on the lower table in front of his settee. His fist ran into the glass covering the portrait on the wall of his great uncle, sending the occupant scurrying to another painting. No breakable was safe in his vicinity as one appendage after another slammed into the fragile decorations.

He didn’t notice when Blaise entered the room to see him throwing a bottle of potion that his great great grandfather had brewed. Draco fought against his friend as Blaise grabbed his arms and put them behind his back. Words flew out of his mouth cursing everything he could think of that had caused him harm. Slowly, he sank to the ground and started rocking back and forth. Tears that had not been shed since he had been a toddler were springing out of his eyes.

Blaise stepped back and watched his best friend completely melt down. In the near twenty years that they had been friends he had never seen Draco cry. Lucius had always told them that crying was a weakness that other people could use against you. Narcissa would then tell them that it was alright to cry sometimes; it took a heavy weight off of the heart. Blaise, at that moment, thought that Narcissa was the right one. His friend had a heavy heart at that moment and nothing could heal it better than melting down. He perched on the edge of the bed and watched Draco closely. As Draco’s best friend he knew he couldn’t leave him when he was vulnerable, the young Malfoy would eventually let him know what was wrong.

“Never letting anyone close again,” Draco bit out after shedding all of his tears.

Blaise nodded slowly and sucked through his teeth before answering. “That would be the safest thing to do. Being with someone isn’t for you. I expect that being like your father is best.”

Draco threw a dangerous look at the dark haired man. “I am not my father!”

“You would be if you don’t let anyone close to you. What happened? She left you again? That’s not the end of the world, Malfoy. Just one person leaving you isn’t going to kill you.”

“She’s not just any person, Zabini! She’s the only girl I’ve ever lo … let in my circle. Ginny’s just very good at leaving abruptly for the wrong reasons,” Draco said, lowering his head to his knees.

Blaise shook his head at Draco and kicked him lightly. “You did something. She looked at you like you were the only person in the world, mate. Ginny left a boy that she had idolized for years to come back to you. She wouldn’t leave for no reason this time.”

“She did, though. I took her into the forest to see the unicorns, and I told her I loved her. She was so happy that I finally told her. Then, the next thing I know she’s running away babbling about how she asked for mountains and I just gave her the sea.”

“You just told her that you loved her? Maybe she didn’t want that.”

“I sort of hinted at starting a family with her too.”

Blaise stood up and ran his hands through his hair. “You can’t just hint at something like that with someone that has been asked for years to start a family. Potter kept telling her that they would be happy if they had kids. Her family didn’t help with their harassing her start pushing some kids out. She wants real love from you. She wants things to just happen and fall in place with you. Her whole life has been planned out on a calendar by someone. She’s ready for chaos and recklessness.”

“That’s why she is leaving the country.”

“Leaving the country!” Blaise shouted, pulling Draco up from the floor. “You didn’t mention that she’s leaving the country. You need to do something, and fast to get that girl back or she’ll be gone forever. She’s looking for that happiness she’s been missing for the past four years.”

Draco rubbed his eyes and gave Blaise a pretentious look. “How the hell do you know all of this? You’ve never been in a real relationship.”

“Luna,” Blaise stated simply.

“Lovegood?” Draco breathed out in surprise. “I don’t know how to respond to that.”

The Slytherin just shrugged and smirked at Draco. “She was helping me with some details to torture Potter and Granger. We got a little sidetracked in talking and she put her otherworldy wisdom on me.”

“She’s married!”

“Not that kind of on me. We talked.”

“You’ve never just talked to a girl, Blaise,” Draco snapped.

Blaise gritted his teeth to stop himself from slapping Draco. “Look, if one of us didn’t look past Ginny’s wall you would still be crying on the floor.”

Draco glared at Blaise again and stomped his foot like a child. “I need her.”

“Let’s go find her then, mate.” Blaise said, clapping Draco on the back.

He hadn’t left the warmth of his bed yet. His blond locks were in a matted heap that caused his mother to blanch at the site of him. There just wasn’t any energy in him anymore. For the past week Blaise and he had been looking for Ginny. They had threatened Longbottom into putting him into the garden that he so beloved, but he hadn’t budged a bit in spilling the location of the girls.

She had made it so locator spells couldn’t find her, and no one knew where she and Luna were located. Instead of looking harder for her; Draco just chalked it up to the fact that she didn’t want to be found, and crawled into his bed. He never knew that losing someone you loved, or rather having them walk away again, could hurt so badly. It was like all of the muscles in his body were turning to slush, and his mind was completely blank but for her smile, and all of the memories of them together.

Rolling over to the other side of the bed he tried to find a cool spot on the pillow, but ended up finding a spot that smelled of Ginny. He put his nose into the spot harder and sniffed deeply. Without even realizing it a tear fell from his eye onto the pillow that was hers when she stayed with him at night. It was the same bed that he had tricked Ginny into seeing him with another woman. He wondered if there was anything that wouldn’t remind him of the girl. If he stayed at the Manor he had to put up with his mother’s questioning of what was wrong with him, but if he stayed at his flat he only thought of Ginny.

Taking a deep breath he rolled out of his bed and walked into the attached bathroom. Looking into the mirror he was met with the ghastly appearance of a man that only left his bed to go to the loo. His hair was sticking out at odd angles, and there were dark circles under his eyes from his lack of sleep. Draco pondered for a minute about the last time he had eaten anything. Three days. That explained the dull pounding in his head. Resting his head against the cool glass he tried to motivate himself into moving through his regular routine.

Draco had just finished getting himself properly groomed when his butler knocked at his door informing him that Blaise was there.

“This better be good, Blaise. I’m not up for any more bad news.”

“It doesn’t look like you are. I think death is knocking at your door. You want me to distract him while you make a run for it?”

Draco gave Blaise an annoyed look, motivating his fellow Slytherin to relinquish the news. “They’re in Ireland.”

Malfoy perked up at the mention that Ginny had been found. “How did you find this out?”

Blaise shook his head. “A good Slytherin doesn’t tell his ways of finding out information. My informant is on her way there now, though. Wants Ginny back in England just as much as you; I tell you the Weasleys are a very close family.”

“Her mother? You brought Ginny’s mother into all of this?” Draco asked bewildered.

“I had been talking to her about the precious Potter. She’s very upset about the whole situation, and wants to help you in any way that she can,” Blaise said, giving Draco a sly smile.

The blond bowed to his friend. “It seems that you have definitely been going through with your plans like you promised. Going through her mother is brilliant on so many levels.”

Blaise feigned a blush. “You flatter me, Malfoy. Never doubt my brilliance. I’m glad you’re finally out of bed, though. We’re set to meet Mrs Weasley at the Burrow at half past three.”

“Half past … that’s in fifteen minutes! At the Burrow? You’re trying to have me murdered aren’t you?”

“Not at all, I’m trying to fix the mess you seem to have stuck yourself in, as usual.”

************

She stood on the large pile of boulders overlooking the green expanse of the Circle of Kerry. Her hair whipped around her as she closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air of Ireland. Luna was brilliant for choosing this location, ran through her mind as she let the natural magic swim through her body.

Her blonde friend watched as Ginny teetered dangerously close to the edge of the rocks. The sky started to darken ominously as she looked on. It seemed like the storm was racing towards them, almost being summoned by someone. The sky tore open and rain started pouring down, soaking the girls thoroughly. A lightning bolt struck too close to Ginny for Luna’s comfort.

“Ginny, come on, let’s go! This storm is bad.”

“Where’s the adventure in you, Lovegood? A little rain never hurt anyone.”

“Rain hasn’t, but I’ve heard of some people getting fried by lighting before, especially redheads standing at a high height,” Luna tried to convince Ginny, climbing higher onto the rocks to reach the stupidly brave Gryffindor.

Ginny turned around to face Luna, a wicked look flashing across her eyes. The rain was coming down harder, drowning out any noise around them. “I can’t have children, Luna. I tried to have a child for Harry, but the mid-witch said that the chances of me spawning are very low. It would require some sort of miracle for me to have a child. I can’t face Draco. He wants to get married and have a pink-haired child, and I can’t do that for him. I can’t provide him an heir.”

Luna barely noticed the tears running down her friend’s cheeks with the way the rain was pelting their faces. The weather seemed like it was portraying the emotions of Ginny. She reached her hand out to help Ginny off the rocks, and pulled the redhead into her arms. “He loves you, Ginny. It would be wrong of him to not want you because you might not be able to have children.”

“He has to have an heir. His parents will not let us be together if I cannot give him a child. I’m sure they are going crazy knowing that he is dating a Weasley, but it looks good to society to be dating a Weasley nowadays. They will not stand and watch their son throw away good looking hussies for an infertile Weasel,” Ginny cried out, waving her arms around wildly.

Luna shook her head slowly as she studied her best friend. “How can you be infertile? The Weasleys are known for their child making abilities. Look at your brothers! They can’t seem to stop the children popping out.”

Ginny maneuvered herself to sit on a large rock at the bottom of the pile. She leaned back so the rain was slapping her in the face; she wanted to feel pain. “Something to do with the Chamber and Tom; when he possessed me it messed up a lot of things inside of me. My thoughts, my actions, and some things in my body,” she said loudly, refusing to look at Luna. “I’ve never told anyone before. Harry would’ve been so crushed. He would’ve insisted that it was his fault that we couldn’t have children. Draco would never have looked my way if he knew I couldn’t give him a baby.”

Climbing down the rocks Luna took a seat next to Ginny. “There are potions out there that can help with this sort of thing. You’ll never have the chance to have a baby if you run from the man that will try with you.”

An indignant huff issued from Ginny as she looked at Luna and opened her mouth to speak. She was interrupted by a voice she knew all too well.

“Ginevra Molly Weasley! How dare you leave without telling anyone! And Luna, I can’t believe that you wouldn’t tell her mother what was going on!” Mrs Weasley yelled, walking up to the two girls.

“Mum,” Ginny started, but just shook her head in protest. “I’m not leaving.”

“Yes, you are. You are coming back with us right now. And sitting out here in a storm! You two will catch your death,” the older woman scolded.

Ginny hadn’t noticed that there were two men there with her mother. But, when one stepped up and requested that they talk alone she saw that it was Draco and Blaise. She sighed and nodded sadly to Draco, getting off the pile of boulders and walking with him to the other side of the road. They sat down on a bench, and before she knew it she was being hugged tightly by her old enemy.

“I’m going to need a leash to keep you with me or something, aren’t I?” he asked once he pulled back from hugging her. “You can’t keep doing this to me, Ginny. You’re too much a part of me for me to survive you leaving again. Why did you go this time? Harry’s not here, so you’re not back with him.”

Ginny looked into the grey eyes currently evoking sadness and pain that were pleading with her. They were the same eyes that had shown hatred and loathing to her throughout their years at Hogwarts together. For all of the details they knew about each other’s lives there were two things that she hadn’t shared with her best friend and lover. “Once I tell you everything you won’t want to be near me.”

His finger hooked under her chin and he kissed her softly. When he pulled away from the kiss he nodded for her to tell the bad news.

She leaned her head back to let the rain fall down on her face again. Taking a deep breath she started to tell him her story. “In my first year I stumbled across a diary that inhabited the soul of Tom Riddle. You know him better as Voldemort. He was preserved as a sixteen year old boy that listened to my woes. Latching on to my vulnerable Harry loving state he manipulated me and possessed me to release the basilisk. Thus, I was the one who had a hand in petrifying my friends. While he possessed me something happened. He affected my mind and my beliefs; I blame him for my pureblooded viewpoints. There was a big side effect of him possessing me too,” Ginny spoke quickly, pausing to gauge his reaction. She mumbled out the biggest problem.

“I didn’t quite catch that last bit,” Draco said, bowing his head closer to her.

“I’m pretty much infertile,” she blurted, looking away from the Malfoy.

Draco looked at Ginny in disbelief. His mouth hung open in an unattractive manner, but he could honestly say he hadn’t seen this coming. When he suggested having a family with her he thought she ran because she was tired of the pressure. Instead, it was the fact that she couldn’t give him a family. “Do you remember the first day we became friends?”

Ginny lifted her head to eye him confusedly. “Which day would that be?”

“The day I accepted you as a real friend, Gin.”

“Yeah, you found me in the library at Grimmauld. It was right after the final battle and you had come back to the Order since the Death Eater’s knew you had a hand against them. You had just gotten out of the shower and your hair was wet. I thought you were the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.”

“Ginevra, are you all right?” Draco asked, moving a wet piece of hair from his face.

All Ginny did was nod at him. She was transfixed by how real he looked. He wasn’t the usual pompous prat with perfect hair and clothes. His hair hung long, brushing his shoulders and it was damp. She imagined running her fingers through the dampness, imagined how soft it was. Shaking her head to rid herself of the thought, she nodded again to him.

“Very chatty today, aren’t you? Did I interrupt something?”

“No, I was just trying to find somewhere quiet and alone,” she answered, finally getting her head back right on her shoulders.

“Oh, I’ll leave you alone then,” Draco said quietly, turning to leave.

“Wait,” Ginny said, reaching her hand out towards him. “I’d be alright to talk if you wanted.”

He looked around to see if there was anyone that she could be talking to instead of him. “You sure? You won’t be framing me for something will you?”

“No,” she said, a tear sliding down her cheek. “That’s more something that Fred would’ve done. Lure you into a room and act all sweet. Then he would’ve given you a Canary Cream or pulled another trick on you.”

Draco watched as tears slid down Ginny’s cheeks. “I can leave if you want. I’m not good at comforting people.”

“You lost one of your best friends, aren’t you upset?” she nosed into his business.

He looked down uncomfortably at his feet before answering. “Crabbe was a moron, but he was still one of my friends, I am upset on the inside. When Harry saved my life and not Crabbe’s I felt so guilty. I had grown up with him, and we had tortured other people for so long. He saved my arse many times when it came to other people wanting to hurt me. After my sixth year he and Goyle distanced themselves from me and I think it was for the best.”

“Why would you think that?” she sniffled.

“I never treated them as equals. Crabbe dying finally brought that to the forefront, I was a prick. Why am I telling you this?” he asked, trying to understand where all of these emotions were coming from. He never stated his emotions, much less to a Weasel.

Ginny just shrugged and wiped her nose ungracefully. “I guess because I asked how you were. Does anyone do that for you?”

“Well, no one but Blaise. In my family you don’t show your emotions, it’s weakness.”

“I’m apparently already lower than you on the food chain so you showing me weakness won’t change anything,” she said sweetly, shining a smile at him through her tears. “I lost a lot of people I was close to in the battle, and George’s ear. We grieved and buried them, and now we’re supposed to move on? I can’t do that. I lost my brother, one of my best friends, and my best friend Colin.”

Draco nodded at her, listening to every word that she said. “I can’t imagine how that could feel. I lost a bunch of people that I didn’t like in the first place, and only one person that I really will miss.”

Her eyes examined him thoroughly. She rose from her seat and walked over to Draco, wrapping her arms around him. She felt him tense under her affection, but just kept squeezing him until he started to loosen up. “I’ll gain a friend then?”

He tensed up again at her calling him a friend, but let loose and wrapped his arms around her. He nuzzled his nose into her hair and smelled her; it was like he had wandered into an orchid because she smelled of flowers. “You got me here for as long as you keep me, Ginny.”

Ginny pulled away slightly to look into his eyes. Blinking away tears, she nodded and smiled at him compassionately. She had broken the barrier.

“I gave you my everything, Ginny, and you still left me. After trusting you with my heart and secrets you crushed me. You scorned me, again. I want you to tell me if you’re going to live without me. Are you going to leave me forever this time? What do you have to say about me? Am I not good to you? Have I not proven that I will love you no matter what? I don’t care if you were possessed and can’t have children. It’s the fact that you ran and couldn’t face me just because things looked difficult that upsets me the most,” Draco stated calmly, someone slapping Ginny harder than if he had yelled. He took a deep breath and finally said what he needed to say. “This is not an ultimatum. You need to do this for us though, not just me and don’t think of yourself. I remember holding you when Fred died and being there for you. I will be there for you through every ordeal we face, but you need to decide if you can do it.”

Ginny watched in shock as Draco stood up and walked over to Blaise. He nodded to his friend and they Apparated away just as quickly as they showed up. She jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder.

“You can’t run anymore, Ginny. I know it’s easy to do, but if you want to be happy again like you were when you two were together, you have to go after him,” her mother stated from behind her.

The rain kept falling around her when she decided to go back to England. Being away from him for a week was wreaking havoc on her life, and Ginny knew she’d have to break down her own barrier for him.

They were one in the same. They were both thrown into situations that they had no control over. His father was evil, feeding him loathsome ideas at a young age. She was possessed by a creature just as wicked, because of his father. They had been put together in a dreary house, and were made to pass the time in the best of ways.

Ginny kept making these connections. She kept drawing the lines that put them together. If they hadn’t met at Hogwarts they met at Grimmauld, and if they hadn’t met at Grimmauld they would have met in Diagon Alley. There was no avoiding what fate had done to them.

She sniffled when she thought of the life without his pretentious thoughts, and snide remarks. That life was boring. It was the life of lying in bed utterly still while another man threw his arm over her and cuddled against her. Harry hadn’t even noticed that she became stiff against him, tense because she was uncomfortable. She would have mechanical sex with him, moaning when she knew he wanted to hear it, and yawning when she knew he couldn’t see. Without the blond in her life, it wasn’t worth living.

Her couch was the same. It wasn’t her couch, though; it was Harry’s. He had picked it out when they first moved into the house. She wanted this divine settee with oak wood armrests and fine beige material. He had wanted a piece of furniture that could have been found in the Burrow. It was old looking, although it was new. Mainly brown with other colors knitted into it. It was comfortable, if you liked sitting quite close to the floor.

Ginny bounded from the piece of furniture that symbolized her relationship with Harry exactly. It was comfortable if you wanted to settle for less. While she wanted the beautiful work of art that would have brightened the whole house, even if it would dampen her spirits when she thought of where else the money could have been spent.

She settled with sitting on the ground, leaning against the ottoman in front of another Burrow worthy chair. The thoughts running through her mind wouldn’t stop coming. She had a decision to make that would change her life, and she wouldn’t be able to protect herself from hurt anymore. There was the choice to stay where she was, sitting alone in a house that had been shared with a man that was more like an ignorant brother. On the other hand, she could leave and move in with Draco, and face the chance of being left because she couldn’t bear a child for him.

Thinking about all of the consequences was making her nauseous. Every time in her life that she felt that everything was about to change her stomach got rebellious. She got up, and ran to the loo in time to spill the lunch she had eaten. Standing up on shaky legs she approached the sink, and splashed cool water on her face. Looking up into the mirror she found her reflection staring back at her, asking her what she was going to do with her life. She was her main critic.

Walking back out into the living room she wasn’t eager to find the man she saw standing there. His hair was more unruly than usual, and the circles under his eyes stood out against his pale skin. Harry’s face lit up when he saw her walk in. He approached her with a begging look much like a puppy did for food.

“I told you no, Harry,” Ginny sighed, taking a detour around him to walk into the kitchen.

“I know what you said, Ginny, but things have changed. Hermione left me. She said she couldn’t deal with the fact that you were always on my mind.”

She whirled around and put her shaking finger into his face. “I guess, then, that you shouldn’t have fucked her if I was your all, Harry! Doesn’t that make sense? If you loved me so much, and wanted to be happily ever after, you shouldn’t have cheated on me!”

He collapsed at her feet and wrapped his arms around her legs. Looking pleadingly up into her face he started to cry. “Malfoy can’t make you happy. He will throw you out when he gets bored with you.”

“Don’t you dare, Harry Potter! He waited for four years while I was suffering through a marriage, with you, for me to come back to him. If he was going to get bored he would have done so when he wasn’t with me,” she spat, dislodging her legs from his firm grasp. “Now, get out of my house!”

Harry tried to plead with her. He even got down on his knees to propose a vow renewal.

Ginny laughed in his face the whole time. “Why would I renew the vows that have kept me locked in a prison with you? I didn’t want to do this to you. I wanted to let you down easily, but you haven’t made this easy for me. Draco is the man that I want, and what you say will not change a thing.”

His face fell as he stood up to give Ginny a pitiful look. Her hand twitched, wanting to make contact with his face, but held still as he walked towards the door. With one final look back Harry nodded curtly at his wife, and finally left.

She let the breath out that she hadn’t known she was holding, and slid down the wall. Her head dropped forward in exhaustion, chin hitting chest. One man down, one more to go, she thought.

Harry leaving didn’t help the situation, though. She was stuck in a choice between this house and someone else’s. Ginny never imagined getting back together with Harry, just staying in their house. She jumped when she heard a pop from her kitchen and told herself she had to fix the wards.

“Draco?” she asked, walking into the kitchen.

A smirk much like Draco’s greeted her, but it was surrounded by dark hair instead of near white. “Love, it’s touching you thought that I was your present shag, but I need to let you down. You may call me Blaise.”

“Shut up, Blaise, I know who you are,” Ginny hissed, plopping down into the chair sitting by her kitchen table. “We met at Draco’s place, and a few dates after that.”

He seemed to ponder her statement for a while until his face shown bright with realization. “Of course, love, I was just testing you. Now, I’ve been sent by someone to inform you of the situation.”

The redhead looked like she was about to pummel the man out of irritation. “What situation? I am quite prepared to make my own decisions, thank you very much.”

“There’s no doubt about that. It’s the other situation that will most likely look like it involved you. You see, I’ve been planning revenge against Potty and the Mudblood for quite a while now. Pranks are my specialty. I started by informing your mother of the situation, and getting to know my targets better through her knowledge,” Blaise lectured, while he paced the kitchen and ignored Ginny’s stunned expression. “Your mother is a wildcat, just to inform you. Brilliant mind too.

“We started the scheme by sending an unmarked owl to their residence with a blood red scroll that had a warning placed on it. After they got the parchment we did what the scroll embellished. This kept going on with plots that ruined Granger’s whole book collection, and we also trashed Potter’s broom. Eventually, they were so terrified when they got the last blank scroll that they practically pissed themselves. Let’s just say I think they’ve learned their lesson,” Blaise finished with a flourish of his hands, and joined Ginny at the table. “Any questions?”

Her jaw had practically dropped onto the table as Zabini had spoken. Mind spinning with the fact that her mother had helped plan the whole scheme without letting it on to anyone. She blinked her eyes before responding. “Harry was just here, why didn’t he mention anything?”

“Probably left Hermione to reach higher land, so to say, would be my guess.” Blaise shrugged. “What’d you do when he showed up?”

“I told him to leave, and that I didn’t want anything to do with him. He said he missed me, and I just said that he shouldn’t have cheated on me if he really loved me. He looked so miserable when I told him to leave, but if I keep letting people manipulate me I’ll never be happy.”

Blaise bowed his head to play with his fingernails, when he looked back up at her it looked like something was bothering him.

“What?” she asked, studying him precariously.

“What about Draco, you going to keep pushing him away too? I need to know so I can stock up on the handkerchiefs and Firewhiskey.”

The sun shone in through the window bouncing off Ginny’s long locks to create a halo of fire. Her cinnamon eyes glistened with unsure tears as she fiddled with her own hands. “I can’t give him what he wants. No matter what he tells me, I know that he wants a child, and I don’t want to get his hopes up,” she let the news fall slowly from her lips, steadily tasting the fact that she was breaking her own heart again.

Blaise nodded at Ginny and stood from his chair. Pushing it back under the table he looked at Ginny like one would to a stranger. “I thought you could face uncertainty better than this, Ginny. Staying with Potter all of those years, while staying uncertain of the fact of your happiness. Draco may not be perfect, in fact he’s anything but that, but he does love you. No matter what your pretty little head thinks.” With those words he popped out of the kitchen to leave Ginny alone.

*************

For the second time in his life he was standing in the rundown house called the Burrow. Throughout his childhood he had poked fun of the Weasleys for living in something that could have suited animals better. Now he understood what this house had that his hadn’t. It had warmth in it that only a large family could harness. His childhood had been lonely until he was old enough to attend parties with his parents. Draco knew that he not only needed a child, he wanted one very badly to give love to.

Taking a breath to steady himself he entered the living room that held all of the living males of the clan. The head of the house stood, and offered his hand to Draco. He shook it, and sat on the empty piece of furniture sitting in front of the fireplace. It was a mutilated ottoman that was a whole lot more comfortable than it looked.

Draco lifted his head, and nodded to the five other men sitting in the room. He noticed that all of them were giving him unforgiving looks, especially the youngest one. Ron seemed to still be harboring the childhood resentment that they had both practiced. The blond shook it off, and placed his eyes back on Arthur Weasley.

“As you have been informed by my best friend Blaise, Ginny and I have been dating for a month now. You might not know that we were together for a long time when we were at Grimmauld Place together. We kept the relationship under wraps for your family’s sanity,” Draco stated firmly, like one would in a business meeting. “She left me four years ago to return to Potter as you all wished that she would do. It tore me to pieces, and I ended up leaving the country to roam Eastern Europe to rid my mind and heart of her. It was a failed mission because one can never get Ginny out of their system.”

Draco paused and looked around at the men hesitantly.

“What are you getting at, Malfoy?” Charlie bit out.

Bill scooted forward in his seat and eyed Draco dangerously. “Yeah, we know you violated our baby sister. You are the reason she left Harry when it comes down to it. I don’t know what you could be asking that’d be so important.”

The young Malfoy coaxed himself into not getting angry at the remarks. “I don’t know what you define ‘violate’ as. We might have been inappropriate as children, but I assure you that I love her.”

This didn’t help to sooth the redheads as they all shifted uncomfortably in their seats, throwing daggers with their eyes.

“I’m not the reason that she left Potter. She was unhappy with him for many years, and I just helped her come back to life by informing her of his affair. I would think that as her family you would want to protect her from someone that would hurt her like that,” Draco reasoned, laying his hands flat in a surrending gesture.

“Oi, we are trying to do that,” George huffed. “You are known for being a playboy. We won’t let her be played around on.”

Draco jumped off of his seat, and stood shakily. “I wasn’t the one that fucked her best friend! I was the one that was trying to protect her!”

Ron stood up in front of Draco and squared his shoulders. “Do not speak about my best friend like that!”

“Your best friend is with your ex-girlfriend, and has been for two years. You cannot honestly tell me that doesn’t bother you. He’s still married to Ginny, and is living with Granger,” Draco spat in Ron’s face. He knew it was a bold thing to do with Ron looming a few inches and a good four stones heavier.

He stalled his answer, and looked around at his brothers before retorting. “They wouldn’t do that to me. Harry loves Ginny, he always has.”

“Ron,” Arthur stated forcefully, placing a consoling hand on his son’s shoulder. “It’s all true. Everything he has said. I’m not a fan of the Malfoys, especially not Lucius, but this boy has done nothing wrong since joining the Order four years ago. Your mother believes that he is true to Ginny, and I’m agreeing with her. Now, what is it that you came for?” Arthur finished, looking at Draco.

“I love your daughter Mr Weasley, and she has recently informed me that she cannot bear children. Ginny’s in a state of mind that I don’t want to be with her if she can’t give me an heir, but that’s not my thought at all,” Draco spoke emotionally, surprising the men around him. “I don’t care if she can’t have a child, though. What I came here to talk about is asking Ginny to marry me once her divorce has gone through.”

The silence in the room was thick as everyone let the words sink in. No one moved, afraid of doing something that would make the world explode. The Weasleys could think of nothing other than their little sister was in the midst of divorce from The Chosen One, and their old arch enemy was asking for her hand. They wouldn’t have been surprised if Voldemort strolled through the door asking for tea.

Bill cleared his throat first. His scars were shining brightly in the glow of the light, only reminding Draco that he was the cause of them. “Isn’t it a little soon to be asking this question?”

The blond shook his head vigorously, and surprised the bunch with a smile on his face. “Most of you have been married before, and understand that when you find that person you don’t care about time. You want them in your arms for the rest of your life. You want to be able to face challenges next to each other, and embrace the miracles together.” He let loose a sigh, and looked into the fireplace. “I’ve waited for four years to have the chance to have her again. This time, no matter what, I won’t let her go.”

Silence fell again as the men started to accept the fact that the young Malfoy was showing a true heart in his chest.

Charlie stood and walked to Draco, slapping a hand on his back, and shaking the younger man’s hand. “I think you marrying Ginny is the least of our worries right now. I, personally, want to teach Harry a lesson for hurting our baby sister.”

The other men laughed and started a vengeful conversation. Draco turned to Ginny’s father instead of doing a victory dance.

“It doesn’t mean anything unless I have your approval, Mr Weasley,” he said somberly.

Arthur chewed the inside of his cheek contemplating his response. He looked to the floor in disbelief of the answer he was going to give. “You have my permission, Draco,” he said his name slowly.

Draco didn’t think that he had ever smiled that big in his life. He embraced his future father-in-law awkwardly as he had never embraced any man, but Blaise. “You won’t regret your answer, sir. I will provide, and love her for the rest of my life.”

Mr Weasley nodded, and smiled sincerely at the young man, escorting him to the door. “You got over this challenge, but you still have my stubborn daughter to deal with.”

“I know. I have a plan just for her,” he whispered, and gave the Weasleys a last tilt of his head as he left the Burrow.

***********

He stood on her front door step, fiddling with the two packages in his pocket. His hand tentatively rose to knock on her front door. Shifting impatiently on his feet he waited for Ginny to answer the door. Draco’s breath caught when she opened the door.

Her eyes were red from crying, and a smile slightly tugged at her lips when she saw him. She motioned for him to enter, and followed him into the sitting room.

“What brings you here?” she asked, sitting down in a chair across from Draco.

“I had a whole speech planned, but it flew from my mind just know,” he said, fingering the packages again. He brought them out, and put them on the table. “Do you remember the last time we went to Diagon Alley together?”

“Yes,” she answered with a confused edge to her voice.

They had just left FloreanFortescue'sIceCreamParlour, and were walking along the cobbled road laughing about people that were walking past.

“I heard that he left his wife for a witch half his age,” Draco whispered to his companion, licking at his ice cream cone.

Ginny giggled, and looked at the topic of their conversation. “How did he manage that? He’s not good looking at all.”

Draco shrugged. “Apparently, he told her he’s loaded with Galleons, but it’s not true.”

She threw he head back, and laughed harder. Ginny didn’t notice the way Draco observed the way her hair spilled over her back, and how her petite throat elongated.

He looked at his ice cream again to shake the thought of lavishing her right there. Instead, he stopped when they approached Quality Quidditch Supplies to look at the display in the window. The new Firebolt gleamed back at them, signaling the continuing of life after the war.

“I’ve always wanted my own broom. I used to sneak my brother’s brooms out of the shed when I was younger, and have a go on them. It’s put a hindrance on getting onto a professional Quidditch team,” she said, looking shyly back up at Draco.

He placed his arm around her then. “I’ll get you one instead of properly proposing. How does that sound?”

Ginny laughed at him again, and playfully slapped his arm. “Don’t try to get out of giving me a proper ring.”

“Never would’ve thought such a thing,” he laughed back, pulling her back down the street.

She smiled at the memory, and a tear glistened in her eye at the fact that she ruined all of her dreams by accepting Harry’s proposal with a bland diamond ring.

“I never forgot a moment spent with you, Ginny. They’re all emblazoned into my mind. I’m not the sappy type, as you know, so here’s my proposal,” he said as he enlarged one of the packages.

Ginny inhaled as she saw the long brown package in front of her. “No, you didn’t,” she gasped as she pulled the strings apart. Out fell the newest model of the Nimbus. Her hands ran across the fine wood, and the engraved serial code.

“You like it?” Draco asked hopefully.

She was speechless, but just nodded her head in response.

“Open the other package.”

Her hands trembled as she pulled the silver bow off the little box. When she opened the green box she started to cry as she pulled a platinum ring with an emerald placed in between two sparkling diamonds. “Draco.”

His eyebrows were pushed together in a worrisome look as he watched her response. “I know you’re not properly divorced, but I wanted to show you that I don’t care about your past. We don’t have to have children; we can just grow old together. I have loved you for too long to wait any longer, Ginny.”

Her eyes moved from the ring to the broom and back to Draco’s face. His face was blank except for the small, eager flicker in his eyes. If she hadn’t known him so well, she might have missed the flash of hope.

“I don’t know,” she started as she fingered the ring. “I don’t think it’s right to be engaged while I’m still married. Isn’t it too soon?”

“No, it’s not too soon!” Draco huffed as he stood from the couch. His face hardened as he looked at her. “I’ve waited far too long to wait any longer. You’ve broken me repeatedly, and this is the last straw.”

His words stung her in all the right places. She played with the ring when she removed it from the box. Carefully, she slipped it onto her finger. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

“That’s why I picked it,” Draco stated coolly.

Ginny quivered as she twirled it around her finger and nodded. He was kissing her in a split second, pushing her hard into the couch. It felt like their hearts were exploding in rhythm at the chance to finally be shared by the right people.

They were rushing down the hall, neither one remembering how they got there, only what they were feeling at that precise moment. It was like a carefully composed orchestra with each person feeling emotions and passions flowing through them.

Then the spell was broken as Ginny stopped and turned to run into the bathroom.

Draco stood stunned as she slammed the door in his face, and moments later he could hear her retching. A shudder went through his body. “Ginny?” he asked, placing his ear against the door. He heard her drop to the floor with a thud, and her sobs coming through the door.

Slowly, he cracked the door open to stick his head in, and wrinkled his nose. “Not to be rude, but that’s disgusting,” he said, trying to bring some humor into the situation. It didn’t work as planned.

She lifted her head from where it had been resting on her arms, draped over her knees. Tears spilled down her cheeks in embarrassment and disgust. Seeing Draco keeping himself out of the room except for his head, she cried harder, letting herself fall over into a fetal position.

“Are you sick?” he asked quietly, only to receive an incredulous look as an answer.

“No, I enjoy lying on my bathroom floor,” Ginny bit out, hugging her knees closer to her.

Draco took a deep breath of hallway air and plunged into the bathroom. He went over and flushed the toilet before closing the lid and perching on it. “Thanks,” he said quietly.

She looked at him, confused, through tear-stained eyes, looking as though if he said the wrong thing she’d break out into fresh tears.

“For not retching in my mouth,” he said, looking at her with a twinkle in his eye.

Ginny let a bubbly chuckle out at his statement; she was lucky that they had been right by the bathroom. “I feel better now,” she squeaked.

Draco nodded as he stood and flushed the toilet once more before reaching down to pick Ginny up. He looked to see her raising a questioning eyebrow at him.

“Many Slytherin girls threw up a lot, whether for the sake of their looks or unwanted pregnancy. You learn to flush twice, once for the chunks, second for the remains,” he quipped as he carried her to the bed. When he looked back at her face she was greener. “Are you going to throw up again?”

“I’m not bulimic,” she said very quietly.

“I should hope not,” he answered as he put her in bed, and tucked the cover in around her. “The thought never crossed my mind.”

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the pillow, letting the coolness of the fabric calm her. “What if it’s the other one?” Ginny said even more quietly, making Draco have to lean in to understand her.

“Other one, what?”

Her eyes snapped open to see his true confusion. “Pregnancy.”

“But I thought you couldn’t? You said you were infertile,” he said as if to justify the reasoning.

Ginny looked down to pick at the quilt, memories rushing through her mind. “I said there’s a chance I’m infertile. My mid-witch said that Harry and I could probably never have children, except for a miracle,” she confessed. “We never asked who couldn’t have the children, I guess.” Her eyes slipped quickly up to his face to assess his expression, but looked down just as fast.

Draco looked at her oddly, trying to understand the words spilling from her mouth. “You and Potter couldn’t have children.”

She shook her head, and looked back up at him before repeating herself. “She never went into details about why we couldn’t have children.”

“So she could have meant that it was Potter’s blanks that were making your womb barren?”

“It’s a definite possibility.”

A smile crept across his face. “How could we find out?”

Ginny pointed at the bookcase in the corner of her room. “There’s a book over there for household healing spells.”

Draco walked over and scanned the shelves before finding the book she was talking about. He flipped to the index to look up pregnancy, and then turned to the page. It was a simple charm that couldn’t easily be mucked up. He walked back over to the bed and picked up his wand to wave it over her stomach with a flourish of his arm, while stating the charm clearly. A shot of silver sparks hovered over belly, before turning to a pink color.

“Pregnant,” he said.

They looked at each other for a few minutes while the news sunk in. It hadn’t been her that couldn’t have children; it had been the savior of the Wizarding world. Broad grins swept over their faces as they embraced.

*******

The wedding was simple but elegant, since it had been done quickly after Ginny’s divorce was final. She was four months pregnant as she walked down the aisle to the man she couldn’t take her eyes off of. His white-blond hair shone prominently against his tailored black dress robes as he watched her with yearning eyes. She couldn’t believe that it was all really happening. She was marrying the man she dreamt of for years, and carrying his child too. Her eyes sparkled as she kissed her dad before being let go to walk up to Draco.

She remembered the night they told her parents the news of their engagement and that they were to be grandparents, again. Her father had hidden the smile that broke onto his face by pulling the newspaper up higher, but she knew what was running through his mind. It was common knowledge that if a Weasley marriage was to prosper, they were usually expecting a child before their marriage was formally bound.

Everything seemed to be a blur to them after that. They did the binding spell that would keep them together for the rest of their lives, and danced delicately at their reception. There were only a few complications that were quickly snuffed by a boy named Blaise, and a brother named George. Harry and Hermione had decided to show their faces at the reception, but once Harry saw Ginny’s pregnant belly he threw a gigantic hissy fit.

Hexes were thrown around until George finally did a leg-bond to Harry and Blaise helped drag him out of the garden. They kept their mouths shut to Hermione about where they had put Harry.

“We’ll show you if you want,” Blaise said, with a smirk crossing his features.

George moved to stand next to Blaise with a smirk on his face too. “Oh yes, we’ll just need to leg-bond you, and we’ll be there in a jiffy.”

“No, no that’s all right,” Hermione stuttered as she backed away from the mischievous pranksters. The memory of threatening letters was still fresh in her mind. “He’ll show up at some point.” She wasn’t too confident about her last statement when the two boys starting cackling as they walked away from her.

Before they were aware of it, Draco and Ginny were being sent off on their honeymoon to the south of France. Draco had arranged for them to stay at a resort instead of at one of the manors his family owned. He wanted Ginny to be pampered and as comfortable as possible in a foreign country. His luck had never been too good and he didn’t want to take a chance of losing his child before they met.

Their bags were already placed in their room when they arrived. They decided to order room service instead of going to the dining room to eat so they could be on their own. They looked deeply into each other’s eyes for the entire meal, and when they were finished they were already stripping before they knew it.

Draco gently placed his hand on his wife’s protruding belly. His wife. He looked up at her with a smile gracing his face and captured her lips in a passionate kiss, and they made love until their bodies couldn’t take it anymore. With sweat dripping from their skin, they moved into each other’s comforting embrace and slept.

**********

He was six pounds, four ounces with eyes as blue as the clear sky, and hair as orange as a, well, orange. Draco held his son in his arms as he walked away from his slumbering wife. Their family was waiting in the hall to see the newest addition. The Malfoys tried hard to hide the cringe that tickled their faces at the very light orange hair matting the newborn’s head. The Weasleys cooed over how perfect he was with his nose so much like his father’s and his chin as strong as his mother’s.

The sun shone through the windows onto the large family crowded around the aristocrat father. Strong hands patted his back, congratulating the fact that he had managed to get even a barren woman pregnant – now a family joke amongst them. Draco looked around at everyone standing in the hallway and felt a warmth he normally saved only for Ginny, but as he looked at his new son and the people around him, he felt it then.

Back in the hospital room with his sleepy wife, they argued about names, but none seemed to fit the boy in his arms. He wished to carry on the Black tradition with a name of a constellation or star, but Ginny didn’t think any fit.

Her brown eyes flitted up to Draco’s face as the perfect name dawned in her mind. “The perfect name to match the chin so much like his uncle’s: Fred.”

Draco didn’t hide the fact that the name wasn’t one he would choose for an upper class child. “Fred? That’s a bit common.”

Ginny sat up straighter in the bed as she planted a scowl on her face, and moved to take the child from his father.

“It fit Fred fine, but our son needs something nobler,” Draco clarified as he eyed his son lovingly. He had to remember that his wife was still hormonal and he wanted to see his child. “How about Cetus?” he tried to joke.

Her scowl was still firmly in place. “Cetus the fetus.”

“Hercules?” Draco tried again.

Her eyebrow twitched a little at his joke.

A smile was creeping across his face. “Reticulum.”

Ginny couldn’t help as her eyes lit up. “Be serious now,” she quickly quipped.

“All right, I’m being serious now. You ready? I think I have the perfect one,” Draco stated as he sat on the edge of the bed facing his family.

“All right, go on.”

“Telescopium!”

Ginny started laughing as she put her finger on her son’s nose and quietly whispered. “That sound good, Tele?”

“All right, in all seriousness. How about Leo? Leo Fred Malfoy,” Draco tried, a crease pushing in between his eyebrows in hope.

She picked up her head to look adoringly at her husband. “I love it,” she said as she looked back down at her son. “You will be named Leo, my beautiful baby.”

Ginny felt in awe of the fact that she was happy in her marriage. After years of thinking she would never have a genuine smile grace her face again, she was ecstatic. With her son in her arms and her husband perched on the bed, her heart was bursting. She reached out her spare hand to hold her husband’s.

“I’m glad you came back to me, Ginny,” Draco said with a sparkle in his eyes.

“I’d never dream of leaving you again.”

---