Disclaimer. I don't own it, JK does, I just love to play around with it!
A/N Hey all thanks so much for all the reviews and comments, I love to know that the story is appreciated!
I'm so sorry that my chappie's tend to be shortish, but that is just the way I write, sometimes they are longer than others and this is one of those times! (wahoo!)
please keep reviewing, I love you're wonderful comments and ideas
so here's chapter 7....
Chapter 7
Draco was in a positively foul mood. He had stormed in earlier in the evening and had disappeared into his room refusing to eat with his mother. He now sat staring at the glowing embers of the fire swirling a glass of firewhisky and feeling depressed. He didn't know why he had been so surprised that she had run from him, but that didn't make it hurt any less. All the emails they had exchanged had convinced him that maybe, just maybe, she could be convinced that leopards could change their spots. However she wouldn't even let him explain and now he was alone by his dying fire reminiscing on all of his failed relationships.
Contrary to popular opinion Draco had had little luck with women. During the war years all the girls he'd dated had been selected from the daughters of other death eaters by his father. His only long term girlfriend had been Pansy Parkinson, she was a nightmare. He could remember her simpering at him, he could never stand it.
"Oh Draco!" Pansy cried throwing herself at him, "maybe we should go upstairs, you must have had a really long day, maybe I can help you... unwind?" she winked at him suggestively.
Draco having just returned from a particularly nasty Transfiguration detention was no way in the mood for Pansy's advances this evening and was so stressed that he snapped. "For God's sake Pansy do you think of nothing but sex?!"
Pansy's eyes narrowed. "You have no right to speak to me like that." she hissed. Draco shrugged and started to walk around her, her arm snaked out preventing him from leaving. "and where do you think you're going? We're not done here." Draco stared at her. She was such a first class bitch, he couldn't stand her, so why was he with her?
"I say we are finished here," he answered quietly, before firmly removing her arm from his path and continuing to his room.
Draco sighed. The following day was the first day he'd ever dared defy his father and he'd dumped Pansy. She hadn't been happy, she'd spread all kinds of poisonous rumours that he'd done his best to ignore. Eventually she gave up on him and the last he heard she was happily engaged to Theodore Nott. "He's welcome to her," Draco mused silently still staring into the flames.
OoOoO
Elsewhere a contemplative Ginny Weasley was sitting in her favourite spot in her flat, her bedroom windowsill. It was one of those old fashioned bench like sills that was big enough to sit on and lean against the window frame. It was here she sat staring into the night, her mind trying to wrap itself around what Hermione had said earlier that evening. She knew Hermione had been right, she had been too hasty, too mistrustful. She had thrown her guard up before thinking about it.
However that wasn't what bothered her. What bothered her was that she thought she's felt betrayed when she'd found out Dragon was Draco, but in fact as she thought about it, she didn't. She'd automatically assumed he was teasing her, treating her like dirt to give himself a laugh. Only now when she thought about it did she see that she could have been horribly wrong.
She remembered the look on his face when she had touched his shoulder that afternoon. He'd looked scared, but very different from the Draco she used to know. His eyes, those piercing blue orbs, were different, less guarded. Until he'd revealed it to her in his emails she'd always believed he was just like his father because he wanted to be like him. She'd only truly realised today that all of the hardness and cruelty she had once seen in those eyes had vanished. She also couldn't deny that she'd felt the electricity when he'd grabbed her and had wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around his neck.
She turned her face away from the window and moved from the sill towards the counter where her laptop sat. "I can't believe I am going to do this," she muttered, "I must be totally mad."
She grabbed the mouse and clicked on the new message icon, then began to type feverishly. When she was totally sure she'd finished she didn't let herself hesitate and hit 'send'.
As she finally walked back to her bedroom she said to herself quietly, "totally insane."
OoOoO
Malf...I mean Draco,
One chance to explain, thats all you get, so don't fuck it up.
Fortescue's, tomorrow, 2.30.
Ginny
Draco stared at the screen and slowly his face lifted into a radiant smile. She had given him another chance. He let out an utterly undignified whoop and punched the air in delight.
"I suppose you are in a better mood," came a voice from the doorway. Draco's head whirlde around. Narcissa stood against the doorframe with a tray in her hands. "I thought you might be hungry, seeing as you refused dinner." She walked to his desk and gently laid the tray beside him.
As she turned to leave he said quietly, "Thank you." She smiled at him and left, pausing at the doorway to say "I'm glad she gave you a chance Draco."
Draco sat there astonished, how had his mother known? Then he let out a small laugh, of course she knew, not only was she an accomplished occlumens (and he hadn't exactly been keeping his thoughts quiet) she was also one of the most informed women in wizarding society. He grinned to himself, secretly glad she knew and approved.
His thoughts turned to tomorrow as he headed to bed. It was going to be interesting, that was for sure but he was determined to get her to listen to him and believe what he had to say. With the happy thought of forgiveness he finally drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.
OoOoO
Draco drummed his fingers loudly on the table, it was just past 2.30 and Ginny was late. He was beginning to think that she wasn't coming, that she'd changed her mind and he wouldn't blame her if she had. He was just about sinking into a state of depression when he heard the distinctive tinkling of the bell on the door signalling the entrance of a customer. He turned and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
She stood just inside the door, hair loose down her back and slightly wind ruffled. He thought she looked nervous as she looked around the parlour, looking for him. When, a few moments later, her eyes locked with his he gestured to the seat in front of him and gave her a nervous smile.
She dropped into the seat he'd proffered and smiled at him tentatively. "Hi."
"Hi," he replied.
"I'm sorry about yesterday," she said quietly after a few moments of silence, "I shouldn't have run away like that."
"It's okay," he replied and she could see in his eyes he was sincere, "I expected it, to be honest, given who I am and our history." Ginny shook her head,
"It wasn't that," she admitted. "It was the fact that I never suspected it was you and it threw me off guard, but I should have let you explain, so here I am." She smiled at him and he felt his stomach flutter.
"I'm sorry too," he stated, "I shouldn't have lied to you about who I was, but I knew you'd never listen to me if I'd told you the truth from the beginning." Ginny stared at him,
"You don't know that!!" she replied indignantly. Draco raised an eyebrow in a questioning look at her. She conceded, "Okay, you're probably right." He let out a small laugh before saying, "so I suppose I should make with my explanation." Ginny nodded.
"Please," she almost whispered.
So Draco began from the beginning, telling her everything, the invitiation and why he'd sent it. How confused he'd been when he'd realised he wanted to see her. How much he'd wanted to tell her who he was while they were dancing and subsequently in every single email he'd sent her. Ginny just stared at him, spellbound until he finished before finally choking out, "When did you notice me?"
"During your last year at hogwarts, when I returned to finish my NEWTs. After my father died."
Ginny smiled at that, "I remember," she said.
"You were the only person who seemed to care about how I was feeling and I never thanked you for that." Ginny shook her head.
"I never did anything," she insisted stubbornly. Draco just grinned,
"Do you honestly think I never knew that it was you looking out for me. Making sure I was eating right and checking I was never feeling alone?" Ginny stayed silent, her face beginning to go the same colour as her hair. Draco laid his hand on the table so their fingers touched.
"It meant a lot to me when I found out," he said quietly.
Ginny smiled, she'd never meant for him, the enemy, to know how sorry she had felt for him. She remembered the day he'd found out about Lucius's death. He'd seemed to shatter inside, though he still maintained his unruffled facade. During that year she'd realised he wasn't as vile as she'd once thought, though it killed her to admit it. So she didn't, she refused to see him as a changing man, was determined to view him as the enemy, like always. Until she'd spoken to Hermione last night and she had finally admitted to herself that people could change. That Draco had changed. She looked up at him and returned his smile tentatively.
The next three hours flew by and when Draco insisted on paying the bill she replied that they would have to do it again, just so she could pay. So she returned to her flat happy, and with a date for the following evening. However there was one big question on her mind, what to wear?!
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