Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little.
THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
TOO MUCH INFORMATION
The moment they turned away from the table Draco dropped back into his chair, relieved to have the cover of the solid table again. His hands were still clutching the tablecloth to his exposed member when Weasley's head popped up beside him.
"Get back down," Draco growled, placing his large hand on her head. "They're not outside yet."
"For goodness sakes, tell them to hurry up," Ginny retorted. "My legs have gone to sleep, and I'm starving."
"Just stay down until-" A movement on the other side of the table made Draco's eyes snap up and panic flood his system again.
"Don't let me interrupt," Lucius said with an all too amused grin.
"Father, I-err didn't see you approach," Draco stammered.
"Obviously," Lucius drawled.
Draco cleared his throat and gathered his thoughts quickly. He couldn't allow his father to see how shaken he was. "Was there something you wanted?"
"I merely wanted to ensure you would take care of the bill," Lucius responded.
"Of course."
"Good. Well, enjoy your evening then," Lucius intoned, nodding towards the table.
"I had intended to," Draco answered dryly.
"A redhead… How interesting," Lucius mused as he strode away.
Draco allowed his head to drop into his hands. He should have known better than to take his eyes off his father when Lucius was suspicious. The fact that his father had noticed the color of her hair wasn't all that important, because if he'd seen exactly who was hiding beneath the table he'd have certainly made it known.
"Is it safe?"
"No," Draco snapped.
"Just asking," Ginny muttered unhappily.
His eyes followed his parents out of the door and out of sight. Several minutes after they'd disappeared he finally lifted the tablecloth. "It's safe."
"About bloody time," Ginny complained. "I don't think I can move."
"Just get up here and don't make a scene," Draco instructed.
"Easier said than done," Ginny grumbled.
"What is the problem?"
"I can't feel my legs at all."
"Fuck," he hissed. "This is not my night."
"Bugger your night! What about mine?" Ginny rejoined. "At least you've eaten."
"I could say the same for you," Draco answered acerbically.
"Didn't hear you complaining," Ginny shot back smartly.
Draco snorted indignantly. "What was I supposed to do? Tell you not to suck my cock while I'm trying to eat my veal? That would have gone down a treat with my mother sitting two feet away from me."
"So you're telling me you didn't enjoy it?"
"I didn't say that," Draco mumbled. He didn't want to give her the wrong idea and have her refuse to visit the idea later in the evening, preferably in a more private setting, so she can finish what she'd started.
Ginny smiled cheekily up at him. "I knew you were enjoying it."
An acidic response was on the tip of his tongue, but he bit it back. There was no point in ruining the rest of the night, and if he played nicely he might just still be in with a chance. "Let me help you up."
"Thank you." Ginny started to giggle the moment he tried to stand up. "You might want to put something away first before you scare the rest of the diners."
His mind had been so distracted with what he was looking forward to that he'd forgotten his fly was still very open and certain body parts were still rather obvious. With little finesse, Draco tucked himself in and fastened his fly; he was quite beyond worrying what others thought at this point. "I'll lift you into a chair."
"Okay, but I feel completely dead below the waist, so don't expect me to be able to take any of my own weight," Ginny warned.
"I think I can manage to lift you without assistance, Weasley," Draco told her confidently as he placed his hands under her arms. "Here we go."
Draco lifted her effortlessly and placed her in a chair, where she immediately started rubbing her numb limbs. His tongue flicked out unconsciously to wet his lips. Her legs were some of the shapeliest he'd ever had the pleasure to come across.
"Disgusting!"
Draco clenched his jaw and sighed mentally. He knew it was inevitable that they would eventually attract some attention from the other diners, but he had hoped no one would be crass enough to comment. The old woman who had dared to voice her opinion earned herself an icy glare from him, but it didn't disturb the old hag, who had to be at least a hundred, if she was a day, and appeared haughty enough to make his mother look meek. Fearful of creating a larger, more unforgettable scene Draco turned his gaze back to Weasley. The last thing he needed was for one of the ancient witches or wizards who were in the restaurant to actually have a memorable evening because of him, just in case one of them decided to tell someone who might know one of them.
"I think we should get out of here, Weasley," Draco said quietly.
"I haven't eaten."
"Nor have I really," Draco countered. "We'll get something elsewhere. I just want to get out of here before one of these fossils realizes who we are."
"Why would they know who we are?"
"Weasley, we are both from rather prominent families in the community," Draco hissed.
"No, I'm from a prominent, well known family. Your family is simply notorious these days."
"It doesn't matter," Draco growled. "We need to move before someone recognizes us, if they haven't already."
"Fine, but you'll have to wait until the feeling returns to my legs, unless you want to carry me."
The idea was strangely appealing, even though it would attract more attention, it would allow them to escape sooner. "I'll go and take care of the bill. It would be nice if you could be ready to leave by the time I get back."
Ginny snorted in an unladylike fashion as he walked off. If the circumstances had been different he might have reacted, but as it was he ignored her for the time being. It wasn't an unreasonable request, in his opinion, despite her seeming to think so, and if need be he would explain the danger of the situation to her later, once they were clear of the restaurant and in a very private setting.
It only took a few minutes to settle the bill and return to the table. Draco knew before he even got there that she wouldn't be ready to leave yet and he prepared himself to do battle. "Weasley, are you ready?"
"No, I'm still trying to get the feeling back in my legs."
"We can't stay here," Draco hissed, glancing around at the nearby diners. They were attracting more than a few curious stares. "I'll assist you. Try to walk as normally as possible."
"Easier said than done," Ginny muttered.
He cursed himself all the way to the door for requesting a table at the back of the restaurant. Their ungainly progress attracted a lot of attention, and he could hear people whispering as they passed. By the time they'd reached the street, he was almost ready to put an end to the whole evening, and he most likely would have if it weren't for the fact that she'd worked him into a state of frustration that he meant to have sorted before he left her company this evening.
Once their feet were safely on the cobblestone street, he moved them away from the restaurant windows and propped her up against the wall of a neighboring establishment. "Do you have any preferences of where you'd like to go?"
"Right now, I'd like to feel my toes again and have my legs stop aching," Ginny retorted.
"So another restaurant is out of the question until your legs feel better?"
"Unless you're going to carry me," Ginny responded tartly. "I just want to go home."
"Where's home?"
"Above my brothers' store."
"And where is your brothers' store?" Draco asked patiently.
"Down the street."
"Fine, we'll go back to your place then."
"You'll have to carry me," she pointed out. "I really can't walk right now."
"Fine," Draco ground out. At this point he'd agree to anything as long as he was getting out of the public eye.
She squealed loud enough to wake the dead when he slung her across his shoulder. If they didn't attract even more attention now it would be a miracle. He could see tomorrow's 'Daily Prophet' headlines already: Malfoy Heir Kidnaps Weasley Witch. Just the thought was giving him second thoughts about his actions, but then a possible headline for the day after entered his head: Malfoy Heir Murdered By Rabid Redheads. Now he just wanted to drop her in the street and run away.
He was wondering exactly how far this store was when Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes came into view and everything dropped into place for him. "How do we get into your flat?"
"There's a rear entrance down the side of the building."
"Right." As he entered the laneway running down the side of the building he drew his wand and muttered Lumos, so he could see where he was going.
"The door is almost all the way down," Ginny informed him.
"Your brothers won't be there will they?" Draco asked, suddenly realizing that all he knew was that she didn't live with her parents.
"Of course not. They'll be at their own homes, unless they're working late."
Draco stopped dead. After the day he'd had the last thing he needed to do was run into her twin brothers. "What do you mean?"
"Sometimes they work late," Ginny said. "I think we're safe though."
"How do you know?"
"They need light to work by and the shop was in blackness, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, it was," Draco responded uncertainly. Had the store been in darkness? He couldn't recall for certain.
When he finally reached a doorway, Draco placed her on her feet and she unlocked the door. At first glance there appeared to be a steep staircase on the other side of the door, but a second peek informed him that there was also a narrow corridor.
"Tell me your legs are enough to walk on your own now."
"I think I'll manage."
"Thank Merlin," Draco muttered under his breath. It wasn't that she was heavy or anything like that, but negotiating that staircase with a woman in his arms could have been disastrous.
"Come on." Ginny beckoned him as she mounted the stairs. "I thought you wanted to get out of sight."
The trip upstairs was slow as she practically pulled herself up using the banister. He heard her groan a couple of times, but he didn't comment, because the last thing he wanted to do was get into a longwinded conversation about how much her legs hurt when they could be enjoying other activities. Besides the view of her arse moving under her clothing was more than appreciated for the time being. When she reached the landing, Ginny unlocked the door using her wand.
"If I don't keep the flat locked I'm likely to come home and find one of the twins sleeping on my couch," Ginny informed him, as she discarded her cloak.
"Why would they-"
"Mine is more comfortable than either of theirs, apparently." Ginny laughed lightly. "If you ask me, it's because mine is further away from their respective wives' glare."
"Makes sense," Draco mumbled as he looked around the modest flat for somewhere to hang his cloak. With no obvious rack for the garment, he carefully laid it across the back of a chair. The room they'd stepped into appeared to be a living room with a small kitchen in the corner. There was only one door, aside from the front door, leading from the room and he presumed that was the bedroom. "Where's the bathroom?"
"Through there." Ginny pointed to the door. "Excuse the mess in the bedroom."
"I didn't need-I was wondering- should I-err-" Draco stammered.
"Okay, well it's through the bedroom," Ginny cut in.
Draco nodded as he took in more of the small flat. It was cozy, he supposed, with its old, mismatched furnishings.
"I think I have some crumpets around here somewhere," Ginny called from the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"
"Starving," Draco responded in a low predatory tone as his eyes followed her voice to the kitchen. The view of her stretching up to reach a high shelf in the overhead cupboard caused his mind to wander down his favorite path. When his hands began to warm, as if they were already experiencing the wonders of her naked flesh beneath them, he knew it was time to act. A few long strides were all he needed to close the distance between them and gather her in his arms. "Sod the crumpets."
"But-"
She only had time to utter one word before his mouth crashed down on hers. He wasn't prepared to allow her any argument, and the easiest way to deny her was to keep her mouth busy. They were finally alone and wasting time eating seemed sinful, in his opinion. With the luck they'd been having, her entire family would be banging down the door in about two seconds, so he had to make the most of the time they had.
To say she reacted favorably was an understatement. Draco was pleased to feel her fingers clawing at his clothes and delighted when one of his buttons popped from the force she had applied, and then even more so when he realized her actions gave him permission to discard her clothing. Without losing contact with her mouth, his hands found their way to her bodice. As his shirt was tugged unceremoniously out of his trousers her top slipped off her shoulders. One quick glance down at what he'd exposed and his mouth was watering profusely. All he wanted to do was rid her of the rest of her garments and sink into her.
In an effort to close the distance between his mouth and her tasty looking breasts, Draco pressed a series of kisses down the column of her neck while his hands busied themselves with releasing her skirt. She tasted as sweet as fine chocolate, and if given the opportunity he'd feast upon her all night long.
"Bedroom," she uttered breathlessly into his ear.
"Here will do," Draco responded, his breath on her now wet neck, sending gooseflesh crawling over the immediate area and down her chest pleasingly.
"Open Floo… anyone could…"
Draco got the message through her panted words and decided that a move to the bedroom might be a good idea, because if they were disturbed again he might have to do something drastic, like kidnap her. Without losing contact with her, he began to slowly walk them in the direction of the bedroom door. Somewhere around the halfway mark he paused to toe his shoes off, so he could step out of his trousers before he tripped over them. While they were still, he divested her of her skirt and coaxed her to step out of her shoes; all he needed was for her to fall and hurt herself after he'd waited so long. Before they resumed their travels, her mouth had found his chest and exploring every inch of it with ardor.
It seemed almost ludicrous that he was so worked up already. She hadn't touched him since before they'd left the restaurant and he'd had a strenuous walk in the cold night air, which had seemingly settled him down. Yet, here he was with his cock straining to escape his boxers after only a few minutes of snogging and a glimpse of a little more flesh. It was a little perturbing, not that he could spend any time considering the implications right now.
Just as they reached the bedroom door, she forced his boxers down over his hips. With the bed now in view he didn't want to stop, but not to would have seen him sprawled on the wooden floorboards as his boxers fell around his ankles. He had a little difficulty shaking the silk undergarment off his feet, due to it getting caught on his socks - which would have to come off soon, because he couldn't abide shagging in his socks unless his shoes were on and he had a woman pressed up against a wall - but eventually he kicked it clear.
They fell onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs. His hands came around to cup her breasts, massaging them firmly through the lace of her bra. From the moans she was involuntarily releasing, he could tell she approved of his attention. Her nipples were like two little rocks threatening to tear through the fine lace of the under garment. One of her hands was on his balls, caressing them with a touch that was all too capable of driving him to the very edge of his control. He could feel gooseflesh creeping up his body as little bolts of pure pleasure shot to his extremities. Tired of the barrier covering her body, he slipped one hand around to her back and deftly unhooked her brassiere. Impatient to taste her again, Draco nosed her loose bra upwards, his mouth at the ready to catch her unfettered breasts.
Bang… Bang… Bang…
Startled by the sudden intrusion of noise, Draco jerked away from Ginny.
"Shit," Ginny expressed as she scrambled away from him with wide eyes.
"Who is it?" Draco hissed.
"How should I know?" Ginny retorted, pulling her bathrobe around her almost naked body.
"Ignore it," Draco urged, trying to pull her back to him, but another insistent knock on the door echoed through the small flat.
"I can't," Ginny whispered. "Just stay in here."
"Like I have a choice," Draco muttered discontentedly as the bedroom door closed. If he didn't get some relief soon he was going to have to resort to helping himself.
He moved to the door, so he could hear what was going on. Another knock sounded before Ginny reached the front door.
"Hermione," Ginny said as the door opened.
"Sorry for bursting in like this, Ginny. Have you seen Harry?"
"Not since lunchtime."
"Damn! We had the most awful row."
"Did you?"
"He stormed out, and now I can't find him."
"He's probably with Ron or at the pub."
"I checked the pub and Ron's not home."
"Oh- Well, if I see him I'll send him home."
"Sorry, I wasn't disturbing anything, was I?"
"No… No, of course not. I was just about to have a shower and go to bed."
"Are you really tired?"
"Well, I-"
"It's just that I'd love a cup of tea and a chat."
Draco groaned.
"Sure, I'll put the water on."
As Ginny's affirmative response floated under the door Draco's head dropped into his hands. He was in hell, but there was no sign of frost.
"I'll just go to the loo first."
"Oh-umm- it's a real mess in there!"
"Ginny, when is your room not a mess? Honestly, your mother would have a fit if she saw how you live."
Panic flooded Draco's body when he realized that Granger was going to enter the bedroom. A quick inspection of the darkened room revealed no obvious place to hide. He could already hear her hand on the door, so with no other option Draco threw himself under the bed. His bits instantly tried to disappear the minute they came in contact with the cold wood floor. From his position, he watched Granger's feet move across the floor and into the bathroom. The moment the bathroom door closed he was going to make a run for it.
Draco waited. He knew she'd entered the bathroom, but the door hadn't closed yet. After several long seconds he chanced a glance in the direction of the small room. The bathroom door was wide open and he could see directly in the doorway, and Granger was sitting on the toilet. Disbelief clouded his thoughts. She was sitting there with her knickers around her ankles using the lavatory only meters away from him. He turned his head in disgust as she reached for the toilet roll. There really were some things a single bloke shouldn't know about.
He couldn't believe what he'd just witnessed. Potter would have a conniption if he knew Draco had been watching his girlfriend use the bathroom. This thought helped him get over the initial horror, though he wasn't sure it was going to be enough to keep the nightmares at bay.
He was trapped, and no amount of amusement or horror over what had just happened changed that fact. Disgruntled with the situation, Draco started to carefully slide out from under the bed, but stopped suddenly when he realized Granger had failed to close the bedroom door, and he could see the women sitting at Ginny's small kitchen table, which meant they could see him if they looked hard enough. It wasn't as if he could escape or anything, but it was damned uncomfortable under the bed; the floor was freezing, hard and dusty - not his idea of the best position to spend the evening in.
After five minutes of listening to Granger bemoan her problems with Potter, he thought he might just go insane, but when she started talking about problems in the bedroom he actually began to wish for a swift death. He knew that women often had more open relationships than men did, it wasn't a national secret or anything, but he had no idea they talked in such depth about subjects of such a private nature.
"His obsession with modesty is driving me nutters."
"Harry's always been a bit shy," Ginny responded.
A trait not shared by ex-girlfriend, Draco thought wickedly.
"Ginny, he won't even get changed in front of me, and if I accidentally walk in while he's changing he covers up like some frightened schoolboy."
Draco sniggered to himself.
"I'm sure it's just-"
"We've been together for years." Hermione sighed heavily enough for Draco to hear her desperation. "You'd think he'd be able to drop his pants in front of me by now."
"It's just not how he is," Ginny answered weakly.
"And if I even suggest that we leave the light on while we make love… Well, it ends any chance I have of getting a decent shag."
There's something I didn't want to know, Draco mused.
"Hermione, he's-"
"You know, I don't think we've ever had sex in daylight hours."
"Maybe you should-"
"Are any of your brothers funny about their partners seeing them naked?"
Please, don't answer that, Draco begged silently.
"I wouldn't know."
Thank Merlin, Draco responded in his head.
"It's not like he doesn't let me touch him or- well, you know. He really enjoys that, but I feel like I should be doing it with my eyes closed."
Draco cringed. Did Granger not realize there was such a thing as too much information? Given Ginny's uncomfortable responses and the look on her face, he was sure she didn't want to know this information about her brother's best friend either.
"Did you make a pot of tea?" Hermione asked.
"No, just the two cups," Ginny answered. "I have to use the loo, so why don't you make some more tea? You remember where I keep everything, don't you?"
"Of course."
He lay perfectly still as Ginny's feet approached the door. She closed the bedroom door quietly and then peered around in the darkness.
"Malfoy?"
"Under the bed," Draco replied.
Ginny illuminated the room with a flick of her wand. "You can come out, but be quiet. Hermione's in the kitchen."
Draco carefully moved out from under the bed and lifted himself off the floor. "How long are you going to be?"
"I don't know. Hermione's really upset."
"I'm not too happy either."
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect-"
"To be hearing about the problems with your friend's sex life tonight?"
"No."
"Well, it wasn't on my agenda either," Draco snapped.
"Do you want to leave?"
"If you're not going to come back in here and fuck me, yes! But I fail to see how I'm going to get past Granger without her noticing that you weren't getting ready to have a shower when she arrived."
Ginny sighed and looked around her bedroom. "Take my broom. You can fly out the window."
"Can't you lift the Anti-Apparition wards?"
"No, only Fred and George can do that."
"Fuck."
"Just take the broom, you can return it to me later."
"Fine," Draco ground out. "Where are my clothes?"
"Oh, they're all out there," Ginny said, looking toward the door leading to the sitting room and kitchen.
"So you expect me to fly out your window, completely naked, on a freezing cold night?"
"I'm sure there's something-" Ginny cocked her head towards the door. "Shh! Quick in the bathroom."
They'd just closed the bathroom door behind them when Draco heard the bedroom door open. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or not. Again, the thought that discovery by another would bring this torture to an end entered his head.
"Ginny, are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Hermione," Ginny called through the bathroom door.
"I was starting to worry, because you're taking an awfully long time."
"I-err-just started my period. I'll be out in a couple of minutes."
Draco didn't know where to look or what to think. Again, his poor ears were being burned with too much information.
"Okay, I'll keep the tea hot."
"Thanks."
"That was close," Ginny whispered.
"Why did you tell her- you know-that?"
"If I didn't say something she'd have come in here and guess what she'd have found?"
He didn't like the way she was looking him up and down.
"Oh, you've got a dust bunny on your-"
As her hand reached for his groin he slapped it away. The last thing he needed was her touching him again and then leaving him all worked up. He glanced down at his member and discovered that he did have something clinging to it. With a disgusted snarl, he removed the thick ball of dust and hair. "You need to clean under your bed."
"Don't you start!"
"I need my clothes and my wand," Draco said grumpily.
"And I can't get any of it right now without arousing Hermione's suspicions. Just rummage through my wardrobe and see if you can get something to cover you. Either come back later or in the morning and I'll have your wand for you."
"Nothing of yours is going to fit me and, besides, if Granger sees my wand she'll know you've got a man in here."
"She won't see your wand. My place is always a mess, so having clothes laying all over the place is nothing new to her."
"I don't believe this," Draco snarled.
"My broom is beside the wardrobe. Just don't make too much noise getting out the window."
"You're going?"
"If I don't go back out there she'll wonder why and come back in," Ginny explained.
"Fine, go!"
"I'll see you later or in the morning?"
"I don't know," Draco answered sulkily.
"I really am sorry."
As her hand stretched out to caress his chest, Draco caught it in his hand. "Don't, I'm in a bad enough state as it is."
Ginny nodded. "I'll see you later."
"Yeah," Draco mumbled.
"Can you just flush the loo for me?" she asked before opening the door.
"What?"
"I'm supposed to be using the loo… It needs to flush."
Draco rolled his eyes and turned to push the button on top of the cistern. The whole day had been a debacle and it was all her fault. If she wasn't so damned good in bed, then he wouldn't feel as though he needed to have her again. By the time he turned back she was gone. This had to end, because to continue would send him insane. From the bathroom he could hear the muffled conversation coming from the kitchen table and he cursed under his breath before moving over to her wardrobe.
Girlie clothes, he growled to himself as he rifled through her wardrobe.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Thanks to Rainpuddle13 for her wonderful beta skills!