Redemption
Emotions
I stared blankly at the dark water of the Thames, ignoring the icy wind that whipped at my face and the cold that seeped through my fingers as I gripped the frigid railing of the bridge. Blinking several times I tried to clear my mind. Block out the sound of her voice telling me what she felt, what everyone probably felt. Who was I kidding? I had ruined lives -I had changed families. Sure, I hadn't been the one to actually kill Dumbledore, but I was the reason Snape had to. I was so hell bent on killing Harry that I caused the death of Crabbe, and I was such a coward that I almost killed Katie Bell. I closed my eyes allowing the winds to whip through the thin barrier of my dark turtleneck, and the cold to seep into my bones.
She was right. I hadn't done anyone any favors by returning. All my presence did was stir up bad memories and angry thoughts. The guilt I had felt over the years intensified as I replayed Ginny Weasley's words in my mind. What she had said was true, I wasn't worth Dumbledore's sacrifice, yet he had given his life for me. Then on top of that, Harry saved me from my own stupidity yet again. Should either of them have bothered? I looked down at the murky water then jumped lithely onto the railing, grabbing onto one of the metal ropes and staring at the shadowy depths of the river. The wind picked up as if it understood my silent deliberations. `Would it be selfish to let go?' I wondered leaning forward, my right hand still griping the chord. `Or would it be selfish to hang on?'
I sighed and looked up at the night sky for a moment before closing my eyes. A little girl with a pink dress and white poka dots flashed before them, her tiny curls bouncing as she futilely grabbed for the string on her wayward balloon. A few moments later, it stopped under an awning and her mum retrieved it for her. As she clasped the string once more, the balloon popped. Suddenly the image changed, the little girl was gone and the noise wasn't a pop, but a bang as the cold lifeless body of a young Muggle Studies professor hit the hard dining room table. Her glassy eyes stared at me, accusing me of not helping, calling me a coward -I had no reply. She was right… another life… another life I helped to lose, another life I failed to save. My hand let go of the wire.
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I was a coward. That was my first thought as my body connected with the plush warm sofa in my flat instead of the icy waters of the Thames. I had let go, then chickened out, apparating at the last minute back to my luxurious abode. As I lay with my face in the forest green pillow, I idly wondered if I could mange to smother myself instead. While I contemplated my chances of successfully doing that, I was pulled out of my disturbed musings when a warm hand touched my arm.
"Draco?" A female voice whispered tentatively.
Don't tell me I apparated to the wrong bloody flat. Geez, was I capable of doing anything right?
"How does he feel?" the voice asked.
"Cold," replied another, this one closer belonging to the woman who was touching me. "Draco?"
I closed my eyes wishing that they would go away.
"Come on, you're freaking us out here," the second voice muttered. "Draco… Draco? Blondie?"
I stiffened. No, not her -anyone, but her. Her warm hands began to rub my arms.
"You feel like a block of ice," Weasley muttered.
"He didn't have his coat," the other voice that I now recognized due to association as Tiffany replied.
"Well that wasn't very well done of him," griped Weasley.
"Ginny-"
"I know, I know, old habits," she grumbled. "Help me turn him over before he smothers."
"So he has a pulse?" Tiffany asked sounding relieved.
I closed my eyes as two sets of hands applied themselves to my shoulders and waist, maneuvering me onto my side.
"He's practically frozen, and is it me or does he look a bit blue?" Tiffany inquired anxiously.
"Definitely blue," murmured Weasley. "I'll go make some tea."
"No I will," stated Tiffany.
"You don't have magic," Weasley replied.
"He has a muggle tea set, got it after the first night at the flat," the other woman replied sounding further away. "Besides, you have something you need to tell him."
I felt a warming charm slide over my body and fought an uncomfortable grimace at the tiny pinpricks that appeared when the numbness left me. When the couch shifted, my eyes snapped open. Ginny Weasley stared back at me wide eyed, her face inches from my own.
"The warming charm is-isn't quite enough," she stuttered blushing lightly.
"Ahh," I replied furrowing my brows when my voice came out rougher than I expected.
She rubbed my arms and placed a warm hand against my neck, my eyes momentarily fluttered closed "You'll probably want to take a potion for your throat," she whispered.
I opened my eyes and looked down at her once more giving a noncommittal grunt.
"No smarmy comeback?" she goaded with a smirk.
I just closed my eyes.
"Come on Malfoy," she sighed. "Draco," my eyes opened once more and I gave her a confused look. "I… well, that is to say… I… I owe you a bit of an apology, so I'm sorry."
"Why?" I whispered with a frown.
Her brows rose, "Why? I-I figured that you would have been expecting one, demanding it even."
"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do," I replied, wincing as the words scratched my throat and closing my eyes once more.
When her hand tentatively touched my cheek my eyes opened back of their own accord. Her cocoa colored orbs roamed my face and stared into my own as she silently studied them as though she were trying to see into my mind.
"Maybe I don't," she whispered after a moment.
My cold hand unconsciously came up touching her cheek and her long lashes fluttered for a second before her gaze fixed on mine again. My breathing sped up as warmth began to tingle from where her fingers still lightly caressed my cheek and pool in my stomach. My eyes widened and my mouth dropped a bit as I quickly realized that these were no normal feelings. I was actually feeling attracted to the Weaslette. And when her eyes flicked to my lips upon their movement, I quickly realized that I wasn't the only one suffering from this strange, and quite possibly dangerous, affliction.
"Draco," she whispered, I suppressed a groan at the breathy way my name rolled off her tongue.
"Ginny," I murmured back, her gaze flicked back to mine, her eyes now a deep chocolate instead of their previous lighter cocoa tint.
"This is -odd," she muttered, moving her face a fraction of an inch closer to my own.
"Not to mention disturbing," I added mimicking her action.
She moved closer still, "Disturbing doesn't even began to describe-"
"-yeah… perhaps it's more along the lines of," my lips grazed hers, "apocalyptic?"
When she gave a light nod, our lips went from grazing to fully connecting. The only way to describe it was like an explosion -our touches instantly changed from hesitant to demanding as her fingers left my cheek and grasped the nape of my neck. I moved my hand from her face to her waist pulling her soft warm body flush with my own. Her other hand fisted in my hair and I shifted causing my thigh to slip between her soft legs. When she let out a low moan against my lips, I almost came undone and my tongue delved swiftly into her sweet warm mouth. Shifting my leg, I rubbed intimately against her and one of her hands left my hair to grasp my shoulder as she moaned once again.
"Ginny, where does Draco keep the sugar?!!!"
When Tiffany yelled from the kitchen, the hold of whatever demonic force that had been influencing us was broken. Weasley flew away from me so quick that she landed with a jarring thud against my silver glass coffee table, and if I moved any further back on the couch, I would be one of the pillows.
"Oh. My. God." She hissed, wiping her soft lips.
`Ugh -soft lips? Shite- shake it off man,' I thought running a hand roughly over my face.
"Never mind, I found it," Tiffany said walking back into the room carrying a tray containing a teapot and three mugs. She froze when she saw Weasley on the ground. "Ginny? Are you alright?"
"What? Yeah, yeah of course," the red haired woman replied quickly standing up and straightening her clothes.
When the dark haired woman's gaze flicked to me I gave a weak smile and looked at the tea service. "Is one of those for me?" I inquired moving to sit up on the couch.
She gave a slow nod "Of course," her eyes shifted between Weasley and I, "looks like you have a bit of color back in your cheeks."
"Well Red did a great job of warming me up," I replied, smirking slightly when her startled gaze flew to me.
"Really?" Tiffany inquired suspiciously.
"Yeah," I nodded lightly, "warming charms, you know they're pretty handy." I stated taking the offered mug of tea and placing it against my now very warm lips. Weasley visibly relaxed at my explanation before glaring at me. I arched a brow at her to indicate that the game had not changed.
"It was still touch and go," she stated after a second, "seeing how he's made of ice anyway."
I rolled my eyes and mouthed the word `Weak' to her. She glared.
"Right… so did you two get a chance to talk?" Tiffany asked taking a sip of her tea.
"Yes," the redhead replied.
The brunette arched a brow, "Did you apologize?"
"Yes," clipped out Weasley as she picked up her mug.
I waited until she had taken a sip to respond, "She was practically kissing my feet she apologized so much," I grinned when she choked on her tea.
Tiffany gave her a look, "Are you okay Gin?"
Weasley nodded quickly, fanning her eyes to fight back the tears and glaring at me when I smirked. Tiff looked at her suspiciously for a minute longer before turning to me once more.
"I'm glad you're feeling better, you really had us worried for a minute there," she commented taking a sip of her drink.
"Sorry," I muttered looking down at mine.
"That's okay… so… what happened? I mean, I don't apparate much, or ever really, but even I know you're not supposed to fall from the ceiling like that," she said placing a hand lightly on my knee.
I shrugged and took a sip of my drink before standing. "I'm going to go change; these clothes still feel a bit damp from the snow."
"A quick drying charm could help with that," chimed Weasley giving me an uncomfortably assessing look.
Instead of replying I set down my cup, settled for a less than eloquent grunt, and turned away heading to my bedroom to change.
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I silently watched Malfoy, my natural curiosity piqued at his avoidance of Tiffany's question about where he had been. She was right; you don't just apparate in from that angle, not unless you were falling at the time. But how would that be possible? What could have happened? I was pulled out of my silent musings when a throat cleared. Turning my head, I saw Tiffany staring at me questioningly.
"What?" I inquired rising my brows.
"That was what I was going to ask you," she replied setting down her tea.
"I don't know what you mean," I frowned.
"I mean, what happened while I was gone? Something changed between the two of you and I want to know what it is," she answered.
"What? Nothing happened -nothing changed, you saw that, I mean," I mentally cursed myself when I felt my face began to heat up. "I got him warm that's all."
"How warm?" she asked with a wicked grin.
Images of cloudy gray eyes and soft lips entered my mind and I felt heat pool in my belly once more, "Not that warm," I muttered looking down at my tea.
"Oh come off it Gin," Tiffany said. "Are you going to go for it or not?"
"Go for it?! With Malfoy? -Never!" I exclaimed, ignoring the racing of my heart at the concept.
Tiffany rolled her eyes, "Suuure."
"I'm serious," I glared.
"So you have no interest in a relationship with Draco? Physical or otherwise?"
"No."
"None at all."
"None."
"And you're not going to go for it?"
"Of course not."
"Do you mind if I do?"
My eyes snapped back to hers and away from the bookshelf across the room "If you do what?"
"Go for it," she stated watching closely for my reaction.
"With Malfoy?"
"No, with Draco," she smirked.
"Same thing."
"Perhaps."
"Why would I mind if you went for it with the prat?" I asked rolling my eyes and studying an expensive looking painting located over the fireplace.
"I don't know. Why would you?" Tiffany countered.
I glowered at her "I don't. If you want to date a jerk who has no real sense for anyone, but himself, is vain, pompous, a smart arse and deceitful -then by all means," I made a brushing motion, "go for it."
She grinned, "Thanks, I will. However, I don't agree with everything that you believe that he is."
I rolled my eyes and then gave her a curious look, "What do you agree with?"
She laughed, "That's he's a bit vain, a bit pompous, and a smart arse of course. Though, I must admit those are all traits that I find incredibly attractive about him. Especially since he has every right to be."
"He has every right to be a vain, pompous, smart arse?"
She snorted, "Hell yeah. I mean, the guy is rich so, he's bound to be pompous. He's hot, so vanity is totally warranted and as for the smart arse part," she leaned forward and grinned. "It's so bloody sexy that I wouldn't want him without it."
"I wouldn't want him at all," I replied with a disgusted look.
Tiffany arched a brow, "Right."
"What the hell does that mean?"
She leaned back in her seat and smirked at me, "Nothing."
"No it meant something, what does it mean?"
"What does what mean?" a voice asked.
Both of our heads snapped in the direction of the hallway where Draco Malfoy was sauntering down the corridor. His gray eyes flicked between the two of us curiously and he bit lightly on his bottom lip. He had changed out of the black turtleneck and khaki slacks and was now dressed in loose fitting black sleep pants that pooled around white socks along with a gray t-shirt that hugged his upper torso and accentuated the muscles of his chest. I frowned; he looked annoyingly sexy. Exhaling at the thought, I swiftly looked back down at my mug of tea.
"Oh nothing," said Tiffany lightly. "You look good."
"Thanks," he replied resuming his seat on the couch once more.
"No, I mean really good," she pressed. I looked up at her and rolled my eyes.
Malfoy stared at her for a moment as though he were trying to decide if she were serious or not. When she gave him a flirtations smile, he chuckled, "Well in that case, really thanks."
When Tiffany giggled, I barely suppressed a snort and mimicked gagging. The brunette was so busy checking out Malfoy that she didn't notice. However, I wasn't so lucky with the blond.
"Feeling a bit ill there, Red?" he inquired in a lazy tone.
"I usually do when you're around," I retorted with a superior smirk.
He arched a brow, "Then perhaps my flat isn't the best place for you to be."
"I couldn't agree more," I replied standing. "You ready to go Tiff?"
Tiffany shot me a quick look, "Actually I want to stay," she turned back to Malfoy, "that is if you don't mind. I never did get to tell you about that Christmas party."
A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, "Of course I don't."
Tiffany grinned, "Great -I'll see you at the flat later, okay Gin?"
I scoffed and shook my head. "Whatever," I replied before disappearing with a `pop'.
Arriving home, I looked around the now empty flat for a moment trying to decide how to spend my night before my gaze stilled on the pad of interview questions.
"Of course I don't," I muttered mimicking Malfoy with a small smile as I bent down to retrieve the pad. Turning, I gathered the parchment that contained his answers before settling down at the table to write my article. "I don't mind one bit."
A.N. Please Review and let me know what you think!
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