Unofficial Portkey Archive

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.

Author's Notes: Written for dgficexchange. Thanks to Rainpuddle13 for her awesome beta skills.

Torture and treason

Life doesn't always turn out quite the way you thought it might. It was something that Draco had learned only recently, but it was a lesson he would never forget. While the elderly man in front of him prattled on, he pondered what brought him to this point in his life.

He had fallen in love with the most unlikely woman, much to his parents' displeasure and that was saying nothing of her family's outright horror. Neither family was willing to accept their choice to be together, and while it might have torn others apart, Draco found strength in their resolve to remain a couple. At times it felt as though they had no one, but each other, on their side. It was that feeling that had forced them to where they were right now.

If blame were to be laid for his current situation, he'd have to go right back to the beginning and point the finger at his best friend, Blaise Zabini. After all, if it wasn't for Blaise's foolish dare one drunken night he would never had looked twice at the youngest Weasley, which would have been a terrible shame, in hindsight. He might have thanked Blaise for his foolishness, but that would have inflated the wizard's head, and he would never have heard the end of it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I dare you to snog the next witch who walks in the door," Blaise challenged, as he turned on his stool to look around the pub.

"The next witch under thirty who walks in the door," Draco qualified. You never you could tell who might walk into The Leaky Cauldron, and there was no way on magical earth he was snogging some three-hundred-year-old spinster.

"Fine," Blaise agreed begrudgingly.

"Look, if you want to snog some decrepit hag you're welcome to it, but I have some morals."

"Do you? They obviously don't extend to discounting married women," Blaise teased casually.

"I didn't know she was married," Draco growled tetchily.

"Her husband doesn't believe you," Blaise replied in a singsong teasing voice.

"That's not my problem," Draco snapped.

Blaise chuckled. "It will be if he catches up with you."

"He won't," Draco replied confidently.

"Not if we keep hanging out here anyway," Blaise added.

Draco rolled his eyes. Blaise had done nothing but rib him for days about having to change their drinking venue, because he'd accidentally snogged a married witch. "You think you're-"

"Ah, I think we have some snogging material!" Blaise interrupted. "Yes, I believe we do!"

Draco's eyes drifted over to the door and sure enough there were two women entering the pub. Both were definitely under thirty, so either would fulfill the challenge set by his friend. "Which one?"

"Take the redhead," Blaise answered. "I'm partial to blondes."

With one last questioning look at his mate, Draco slid off his stool and crossed the floor confidently. He knew the trick to this maneuver was to move quickly and smoothly, so he wasted no time. As he approached, he kept his head down and didn't make eye contact, as if he had other business he needed to attend and they were of no interest to him.

The women had barely taken two steps inside the establishment when Draco pounced, sliding one hand around the woman's face and the other around her back. Before she could protest or push him away, he captured her mouth intently.

Her lips were cold, as if she'd just eaten ice cream, and there was a faint hint of strawberries on her breath. She protested, of course, but his grip on her body was too firm for her efforts to be effective. When she opened her mouth, most likely to abuse him, he took the opportunity to do a little exploring with his tongue. It was a dangerous move, but one he was willing to take to taste more of the sweetness he'd found on her lips.

As he continued his assault on the stranger, he could feel his body temperature beginning to rise, and his stomach suddenly felt as though there was a loose Snitch flying around inside. Blaise had issued this challenge many times, but nothing like this had ever happened before. He didn't know whether it was her alluring scent or what she was doing with her mouth, now that she was trying to remove his tongue from her throat, but he knew he wanted more of her.

Somewhere in the back of his head he was reasoning that it was only a physical connection that they were sharing - she was a brilliant snog - and nothing more. Still, it was disturbing that he was continuing this union when he'd most definitely satisfied the dare. Again, that was something he hadn't done whenever the challenge had been issued before.

It wasn't until air became an issue that Draco slowly began to draw away. He didn't get more than a few inches from her mouth when his eyes connected with hers. They were a deep sparkling brown; the type that made you feel warm, but that you could drown in at the same time. Logical thought abandoned him as he dipped his head to capture her lips again.

In the deep recesses of his brain he registered the sharp crack that sounded close by, but it took another few seconds to realize that his cheek was stinging.

"If you ever try that again, Malfoy, I'll hex you clear into next week," Ginny hissed viciously.

At the sound of his name, Draco stepped back and took a good look at the woman he'd accosted. Somehow, he'd always avoided doing this to someone he knew, so this was a little uncomfortable. "Weasley?"

Ginny smirked. "You remember me."

He opened his mouth to respond, but she was pushing past him with more force than he would have suspected she was capable of, given her slim build. Unable to help himself, he watched her stride across the floor to the Diagon Alley exit and disappear from view. Thoughts began to form in his head that he knew would lead him into danger, but he wasn't strong enough to push them aside at the moment or discount them as sheer stupidity.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Do you, Draco, take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife?"

At the sound of his name, Draco was pulled from his musings. His eyes passed over the wrinkled old man asking the question and fell on the woman standing beside him. Her simple smile filled his heart with compelling love. If he ever had any doubts about what they were doing they dissolved with that one small gesture.

Before he uttered the two simple words that would bind them together for the rest of their lives he made a point of finding her eyes and, in doing so, found the courage to speak. "I do."

"Do you, Ginevra, take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I-" She paused, looking around the empty room anxiously.

The moment her eyes left his, Draco's breath caught in his throat and his heart seemed to stop beating. Her expression grew more distraught with the passing of each second. As the silence dragged on his ears began to ache. All he wanted to hear were two words - two small words - that would start his heart beating again.

"I-" Ginny whimpered a little. "I'm sorry- I can't- not like this- I-"

His world stopped instantly, and his heart shattered into tiny pieces. Far in the depths of his mind he could hear his mother telling him over and again that Ginny didn't love him, that she was only a gold digger with nothing more than the size his vaults in her greedy sights. He pushed the nagging voice aside, as it would kill him to admit his mother was right, even partially.

She reached for him, but just as her fingers brushed his hand Draco turned and strode from the room. It was more of a survival reflex than a deliberate decision, because he simply wasn't thinking. All the happiness that had made him feel as though he would burst earlier turned into humiliation and overwhelming hurt. He felt like he was suffocating. She was calling to him, and although he could hear her, the sound didn't truly register in his conscious thoughts. Put simply, he just didn't want to hear her say she didn't love him enough. All he could think of was escape before she destroyed him totally.

On the street, he turned blindly and kept walking. Although there appeared to be purpose in his stride, he had no idea where he was going or even why he was still fleeing, only that he needed to be away from her. Time didn't register in his brain as he continued trudging through the streets, and it was only when the sun began to sink below the horizon, cooling the air, that Draco found himself standing outside Blaise Zabini's flat.

"Malfoy, what are you doing here?"

"Got any Firewhisky?" Draco asked as he pushed past his friend.

"Yeah, but I'm sharing it with better looking company than you," Blaise answered awkwardly.

Draco looked around the room, and discovered that his friend was indeed telling the truth. There was a half naked brunette sprawled on Blaise's couch. "Don't mind me," he assured her as he dropped his tall frame onto the other end of the couch.

"Malfoy, what are you doing?" Blaise snarled in a low tone, as if the brunette couldn't possibly hear him.

Draco looked around. "Where's the Firewhisky? You know it's rude to offer and not produce-"

"I'm sorry, beautiful," Blaise said to the brunette, as he assisted her to stand up. "I don't think he's leaving any time soon, so we'll have to do this some other time."

Draco heard the woman mutter something to his friend as she righted her clothes, but he wasn't interested enough to be bothered trying to decipher what it was she was saying. He watched Blaise escort her to the door, apologize for the intrusion again and let her out. When the door closed, Blaise turned and glared at Draco.

"What the hell is going on?"

"I need a drink," Draco responded flatly.

"You should have gone to a pub then."

Draco shook his head. "I don't want her finding me."

"Who?"

"Who do you think?"

Blaise sighed dramatically. "Did you and Ginny have an argument? What was it this time? Did she use the wrong fork at dinner?"

"She couldn't say it," Draco uttered.

"Couldn't say what?"

"I do," Draco barely whispered.

A deep frown creased Blaise's forehead. "What?"

"She doesn't love me… She was pretending." Draco averted his gaze almost shamefully. "Where's that drink?"

"That's rubbish! Ginny loves you. Any fool can see that," Blaise argued on his way across the room. "Merlin only knows why, because you're a pretentious bastard."

"She's a good actress."

"What were you going on about saying `I do'?" Blaise asked as he put a bottle of Firewhisky and a glass in front of his friend.

Draco picked up the bottle, discarded the cork and took a long swig directly from the bottle. "We were getting married," he mumbled into the neck of the bottle.

Blaise's eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Married? Are you insane?"

"Apparently."

"What did your mother say?"

"She doesn't know, thankfully."

"You really have taken leave of your senses."

"Well, she… She couldn't go through with it… She couldn't say it, so..."

"So?"

"I don't know." Draco's head drooped miserably. "I just don't know. I thought she loved me. She said she did."

"She does love you," Blaise insisted. "Did she explain why?"

"I left," Draco responded flatly.

"You ran away." Blaise shook his head ruefully. "So bloody typical of you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Whenever something doesn't go your way you run away." Blaise sat down on the couch next to Draco.

"I do not."

"You do so," Blaise countered. "I can start listing examples, if you like."

Draco muttered something unintelligible.

"What are you going to do now?" Blaise asked.

"Get smashed."

"I meant about Ginny."

"Nothing." Draco sunk further into the couch. "I don't want to see her."

"I think you'd better tell me exactly what happened."

"It doesn't matter."

"Apparently, it does," Blaise uttered.

"It's all your fault," Draco snapped.

"How so?"

"If you hadn't dared me-"

"You didn't have to chase her," Blaise interrupted.

"As my friend, you should have stopped me. You should have seen her for what she is."

"I did see her for what she really is," Blaise answered evenly. "I saw a woman who was head over heals in love with my best friend and probably the best thing that was ever likely to happen to him."

"More like an actress who was only in it for what she could get."

"If that was her angle then she wouldn't have had any trouble saying `I do', would she?"

"Gutless," Draco snarled.

"Ginny?" Blaise laughed. "Come on, Draco, she's one of the most courageous people we know. Crabbe and Goyle are terrified of her."

Draco muttered a response under his breath. He was being untruthful and he knew it, but he felt compelled to make her look as bad as he could. It was probably the reason he'd found himself on Blaise's doorstep rather than one of his other friends - Blaise had an uncanny knack of keeping him truthful.

"You owe it to her to find out what happened," Blaise said calmly.

"Owe her? I owe her nothing," Draco spat viciously.

"All right, you owe it to yourself," Blaise corrected. "If you don't find out what happened, you'll always wonder about what might have been."

"No I won't," Draco snapped. "I'm grateful for the escape."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Then why are you sulking?"

"I'm not sulking," Draco countered quickly. "I'm celebrating."

"By getting smashed?"

"A few celebratory drinks aren't out of order."

"Drowning your sorrows more like it," Blaise muttered.

"I'm not… I-I-"

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, mate," Blaise said sympathetically.

He leaned his head back on the rear of the couch and stared at the ceiling. "Why did I chase her?"

"I think you know the answer to that question."

Draco took a large swig from the bottle while his mind wandered over the early days of his relationship with Ginny Weasley. She had sparked something in him that first night he approached her, and he had found it difficult to think of other women after that. At the time he reasoned that it was because she was somewhat of an enigma to him, and he thought if he unveiled the mystery that was Ginny Weasley he would be able to move on with his life Weasley free.

It had taken him weeks to get her to agree to have dinner with him, and it wasn't until he had sunk to undignified pleading, not to mention unhealthy stalking, that she agreed. Though it was likely she only agreed to stem the embarrassment of having him follow her around as she shopped in Diagon Alley one Saturday morning.

He'd been caught sitting outside of Florean Fortescue's, trying to look inconspicuous, as he watched her examining a robe in Madam Malkin's when she dropped the robe in her hand and strode across the street with a determined expression on her face. Draco had been stuck with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What are you doing?" Ginny demanded.

"I'm eating ice-cream," Draco replied, as if the answer were obvious.

"There's nothing in front of you," Ginny pointed out, looking at the empty table.

"I finished."

"Malfoy, you weren't sitting there when I went into Madam Malkin's, and I was only in there a few minutes before I felt you staring at me again. Not even Ron can inhale ice-cream that fast." Her hands landed on her hips and her eyes were boring into his. "I know you've been following me. What do you want? Another snog?"

"I-" Draco stopped his too eager response and composed himself. She'd pinpointed exactly what he wanted without even blinking an eyelid. "Actually, I'd like to take you to dinner."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"We've danced to this tune before. If you're not going to explain yourself…" Ginny turned and started heading back to the robe shop.

"Weasley, wait!" Draco caught up to her quickly. She'd caught him a few times, and he'd made up some pathetic excuses to explain his proximity to her, throwing in a dinner invitation as an afterthought each time, but he had a feeling that wasn't going to get him exonerated today. The situation was becoming ridiculous, and it was time to convince her that he might be worth the trouble or so he tried to convince himself. "I really would like to take you to dinner. You- You fascinate me, and I think we could have a pleasant evening."

"I'm not your type."

"You don't know what my type is."

"I read the social pages, you know."

Draco rolled his eyes comically. "And because we all know that salacious gossip should be held in the highest regard."

"Are you telling me that they make those photographs up somewhere and plant them in the papers?"

"No, but they make a bigger deal out of whoever I'm photographed with than is necessary. Half the time I don't even know the woman's name until it appears next to mine in the paper, and the other half I don't want to know."

"Nice," Ginny drawled. "One would think it would be polite to ask her name before you got into her knickers."

"That's not what I mean," Draco said exasperatedly. Frustration lifted his hand to his hair and forced his fingers through his blond locks. He knew he was making a mess of this, and Ginny Weasley wasn't about to tolerate some womanizing scoundrel. "Some women see a photographer and head for the wealthiest or best known person in the room just to get their photograph in the paper. It's rather pathetic."

"Oh," she uttered, sounding almost sympathetic.

Draco noticed the change in her demeanor almost immediately, but he didn't feel confident that it would see her at dinner anytime soon with him. He schooled his features very carefully to show what he thought was just the right amount of self-pity. "It's just one of the many hazards of being me."

"Dinner," Ginny muttered, as if she was considering the offer seriously. "I still don't understand why. I know you've been watching me, but-"

Draco took a deep breath. He still had no explanation for what he was doing, but he was helpless to stop himself from pursuing her. "To be truthful, I don't really know. What happened in the Leaky Cauldron that night was just a silly dare, but since then I've been thinking about you a lot. Something happened between the two us, and I'd really like the chance to get to know you better."

She giggled lightly. "Mmm… Begging is so attractive."

"You are welcome to say no, if you really don't want to be seen with me."

"And if I do?"

"I'll just keep stalking you until you say yes."

For just a moment she looked as if she didn't believe he'd do such a thing.

"Malfoys are accustomed to getting what they want," Draco told her smugly. "And I fully intend on getting to know you better."

"That still doesn't explain why," Ginny pointed out.

"Does it really matter why I'm doing this?"

"Yes, I think it does, given our history - our families."

Draco sighed heavily. "I've taken leave of my senses."

She quirked an eyebrow at him and a small smile tugged at her lips. "You have?"

"That's the only reasonable explanation I can come up with," Draco admitted with a shrug.

Ginny nodded thoughtfully. "At least you're being honest."

"You're too canny to swallow a mouthful of untruths," Draco said with just a hint of admiration. "So, how about dinner? My treat."

"All right, but if you think you can jerk me around I will make you pay for the rest of your life," Ginny warned.

"No jerking," Draco agreed. "Just a night of fun."

"Fine."

"Are you free this evening?" Draco asked hopefully.

"As it happens, I am."

"I'll pick you up at six-thirty then."

"What if I meet you at the restaurant?"

"Why would you want to do that?"

"I still live at home with my parents."

"The right thing for me to do is to pick you up."

"All right, but if you're interrogated-"

"I'll survive," Draco assured her. "Where do you live?"

Ginny dug around in her handbag for a little while and then produced an odd looking quill.

"What is that?" Draco asked as she grabbed his hand.

"It's a ballpoint. They're like a portable quill." She started to write on his hand. "Hermione gave it to me last Christmas. They're dead handy in situations like this."

"May I?" Draco held his hand out for the ballpoint when she'd finished inscribing her address on his pale flesh.

"Of course." Ginny handed the pen over.

Draco turned it over in his hand. "Ingenious," he muttered.

"I thought so too."

He passed the pen back to her. "Until this evening, Miss Weasley."

"Are you sure you don't want me to just meet you there?" Ginny checked.

"Positive," Draco answered strongly. He picked her hand up and kissed the back of it. "I'll see you later."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A small grin tugged at his lips as he remembered how light he felt as he walked away from her that day. It had taken some work to get her to agree, but his determination had paid off, and it had made him deliriously happy.

"What are you smiling about?" Blaise asked.

"I was just remembering the day she agreed to have dinner with me for the first time."

Blaise nodded. "You were a bit excitable that day."

"I'm never excitable!"

"No? Well, it must have been someone else who came bouncing up to me announcing that they couldn't come for drinks that night, because they had a date with a beautiful woman."

"Stop exaggerating," Draco growled.

"I thought I was playing it down," Blaise answered with a grin.

Draco muttered something very uncomplimentary into the Firewhisky bottle.

"I do remember how enchanted you were the day after you took her out," Blaise continued. "You couldn't stop talking about her."

"We had a good time," Draco answered simply. His mind was already traveling back to the night in question, remembering why he was even more enamored with her than before he spent the evening with her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco took a deep breath to settle his nerves before he knocked on the door of the ramshackle house. He was beginning to think he should have agreed to meet her at the restaurant when she suggested it. Never before had he felt this nervous when picking a woman up for a date. It wasn't like he hadn't done this hundreds of times before, but somewhere deep in his mind he knew this was different - it felt different.

He raised his hand once he thought he had himself under control and was poised to announce his arrival when the door suddenly swung open.

"Miss Weasley, you look-"

"There's no time for that rubbish! Let's go!" Ginny insisted hurriedly.

"Excuse-" Draco's words died in his mouth as a deep rumbling built up inside the house. It sounded like a herd of hippogriffs charging straight at them. "What on-"

Ginny tugged at his arm urgently. "Let's go!"

"All right… umm-" Draco stammered uncertainly.

"Don't let go," Ginny ordered.

Within seconds he found himself in Diagon Alley feeling very disorientated and more than a little nauseated.

"What on earth-"

"Sorry," Ginny cut him off. "My brothers found out I had a date, and they all decided to turn up at home."

"All of them?" Draco choked out. "How many exactly?"

"Six… seven if you count Harry."

"It could have gotten ugly," Draco uttered.

"It would have," Ginny assured him.

"Err-Thank you for-"

"Don't mention it," Ginny butted in. "Nothing that destroys my appetite faster than watching my brothers disembowel my date."

"It's happened before?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Ginny sighed dramatically. "I haven't had a lot of second dates, even if I do manage to salvage the first date."

"Oh…"

She cringed. "I'm putting you off, aren't I?"

"No, not at all," Draco replied unconvincingly.

"It's all right if you just want to go into hiding now," Ginny said regretfully.

"How about we eat first?" Draco suggested, recovering his confidence somewhat. "I wouldn't want to starve when I'm in hiding."

"That would be terrible."

Draco grinned self-assuredly and offered her his arm. "It would be a horrible tragedy, and it would be your fault."

"I did offer to meet you at the restaurant," Ginny reminded him as she took his arm.

"You did, and I might have taken you up on the offer if you'd have remembered to tell me about the danger my life would be in if I picked you up."

"Oh, your life would still have been in danger if I'd met you at the restaurant," Ginny said casually.

"Figures."

"So, where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise," Draco teased.

"I see," Ginny drawled. "And there's no way I can torture the answer out of you, I suppose."

"Absolutely not," Draco answered. "Your brothers… They won't follow us, will they?"

"No, they're not that foolish," Ginny replied with a smile.

"Good," Draco uttered.

"Are you worried?"

"No, of course not," Draco responded quickly.

"If you want to call it a night now I'll understand."

"I'm fine," Draco assured her. "I simply wanted to know if I should be on my guard for an attack or if I could relax and enjoy your company."

"Oh," Ginny whispered.

He sensed her doubt in his conviction. "You don't believe me."

"I've heard it all before."

"Heard what?"

"The `it's all good' line. Of course, the moment any bloke says that I know he's going to disappear the minute he gets an opportunity to escape." Ginny sighed. "If you want to go home now I really will understand."

Draco stopped walking and turned to face her, placing his hands on her shoulders. He almost forgot what he was going to say when their eyes met and had to shake himself mentally to focus again. "Will you stop trying to talk me out of taking you to dinner? I'm not leaving, even if your oafs for brothers turn up and threaten me with a painful death."

"All right, but if they do, and you die, you can't blame me," Ginny responded. "After all, I did give you an out."

"If I die, it will be my fault," Draco agreed. "Now, shall we?"

"No haunting me," Ginny warned.

"Well, not for that reason," Draco qualified.

"So you'd haunt me?"

"I see nothing wrong with enhancing my afterlife by haunting a beautiful woman," Draco explained charmingly.

Ginny frowned and half turned to him as they walked. "You really have taken leave of your senses."

"I did warn you."

"Yes, you did, and I'm starting to believe you now."

"Only just starting? I have work to do then!"

"If you keep going, you'll have no problem accomplishing that."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Blaise shoved Draco in the shoulder. "Oi, are you with me?"

"Yeah, I was just remembering our first date," Draco said. "You know, we talked effortlessly all night and we laughed so much my sides still hurt the next day."

"She was a bit of a change from your usual dates," Blaise acknowledged.

"She's smart," Draco whispered. "And beautiful."

"Blah, blah, blah," Blaise muttered with an expressive roll of his eyes.

"I didn't want to leave her that night," Draco continued, oblivious to his friend's rolling eyes. "I didn't want the fun to end."

Blaise nodded to acknowledge that he'd heard his friend's words.

"It took us ages to say goodnight," Draco said. "We were hiding behind this huge tree that stands just off her family's property, just in case her brothers were still hanging around."

"You nailed her behind a tree?" Blaise asked, clearly shocked.

"No!" Draco growled. "I was a gentleman."

"Impossible!" Blaise teased.

Draco didn't argue; his mind was already traipsing down memory lane again to the night in question.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"It's really dark out here," Draco murmured.

"You're not afraid of the dark are you?" Ginny teased.

"No, but it would be nice to be able to see you."

"There's enough moonlight to see what we have to see." Ginny stepped towards him. "I had a really good time tonight."

"So did I," Draco answered. "Thank you for coming."

"I should go in," Ginny said softly, glancing towards her family home. "Someone might come out."

Draco closed the small distance between them and allowed one of his hands to cup her face. "May I?"

"You're asking this time?"

"It's the polite thing to do." Draco smirked. "Besides, your right hook is deadly."

She smiled in a way that made his stomach take flight.

"I suppose it's only right that I reward your good manners," Ginny whispered, as she leaned into his chest.

As his free hand slid around her waist his head dipped, closing the distance between their mouths. At first, they met tentatively, as if sampling each other to see if they liked what they were tasting, then they slowly came together with more conviction.

Heat began to radiate from Draco's insides, filling his body with warmth that he didn't know he was missing until that moment. While his every male urge told him that he needed to take this to the next level - to feel her naked skin - his heart held him back, determining that this wasn't just another faceless woman he might call upon every so often to ease his tension. Rather than allow his hormones to rule his actions, Draco forced his mind to gather intelligence from his extremities.

The feel of her silky tresses between his fingers did nothing to avert his mind from imagining scenes his heart didn't want him to visit just yet. His other hand had wandered beneath her cloak, of its own volition, at some point and was sneaking down to fondle her backside. He pulled her hips into his body, ignoring the fact that she could probably feel the beginnings of his desire building. There was no doubt that he wanted her on a physical level, but it was an entirely different feeling to that of previous encounters he'd had with other women. No woman had ever had this affect upon him, and though he was confused as to what to do next, he wasn't afraid of making a mistake with her. In fact, there was no fear or urge to escape before she could sink her claws into him or his vaults.

Before his primal urges could take over his senses entirely, Draco began to draw away from her. It was a slow process, but that was testament of his desire to hold her for as long as he could. They were both panting slightly as they parted for the final time, and he noticed that her face was flushed with light pink.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" Draco whispered breathily.

"I'd like that," Ginny returned.

"Where would you like to meet?"

"Not game enough to try your luck twice?"

"I don't think it would be a good idea to tempt the fates."

"You're probably right," Ginny agreed. "How about outside the Apothecary in Diagon Alley?"

"Eleven o'clock?"

"Perfect."

"I'll see you then," Draco uttered.

"I'm looking forward to it," Ginny whispered as she stepped away from him.

Draco watched her walk all the way to her parents' home before he Disapparated.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Merlin, if love makes you look that goofy then I'm going to swear off women right now," Blaise announced disgustedly.

"What are you on about, Zabini?"

"I'm on about that stupid grin you've got plastered on your face. You look like an idiot."

"I do not look like an idiot," Draco argued.

"Want a mirror?" Blaise offered seriously.

Draco glared at his dark haired friend before upending the Firewhisky bottle again.

"I suppose I should be thankful the pout has gone," Blaise continued, ignoring Draco's sharp expression.

"You're not helping," Draco drawled irritably.

"What can I say to help?" Blaise pondered aloud. "Look at it this way: at least you don't have to deal with her family anymore."

"The pain was worth it," Draco mumbled.

"Maybe, but I really don't think your nerves could have handled it `until death do you part'."

"It wasn't that bad," Draco refuted.

"Of course not," Blaise agreed cheekily. "You're always pale and shaky."

"Once! Only once was I ever truly in fear of my life," Draco claimed vehemently.

"That would have been enough to send any sane bloke sprinting in the other direction," Blaise pointed out.

Draco snorted. Sanity was seriously overrated, most especially when you couldn't help but put yourself in life threatening situations time and again. It was the first time he'd come across the Weasley brothers as a whole unit that had scarred him for life. He was sure he pissed his pants several times that fateful day…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Are you all right?" Ginny asked.

Draco licked his lips nervously. "Yes, of course I am."

"You look like you're going to vomit."

"Don't be ridiculous," Draco snapped. He detested the way she could pinpoint things like that.

"All right, but if you vomit make sure you get yourself outside."

He tried to give her a withering glare of sorts, but it came off as a sickly grimace.

"I have to help Mum with the food," she said sympathetically. "Try to mingle a bit."

"I'll be fine," Draco uttered unconvincingly.

She smiled as she walked away from him, leaving him vulnerable to Merlin only knew what sort of attacks.

Draco did the only thing he could do - apart from run away - he braced himself for anything and kept his eyes wide open. The living room was packed to capacity with noisy redheads, so he slipped silently through the kitchen door and watched the women working; it seemed like a safer option, considering the men were gathered in the living room.

He sighed mentally and wondered why he was here at all. He'd only arrived fifteen minutes ago and already he was desperate to leave. It was far worse than he could have ever imagined. His hand was throbbing intensely from being squeezed to death by all the other men present and the veiled threats they were issuing discreetly were making him feel physically ill - just the thought of being considered dragon food was enough to set his heart pounding.

Of course, they were being very clever about being nasty to him. By all appearances, the men were cordial and welcoming him into the family with open arms - open arms that were determined to crush his ribs and squeeze the oxygen from his body. Ginny had no idea what was really going on and never would, because they'd threatened him with a most painful punishment if he ever opened his mouth about what they were doing to him.

Draco very quickly decided that he was right to question his reasons for coming and his sanity along with it. They'd been together for four months and while they'd never mentioned being exclusive, neither had sought the company of another nor had they gone a day without seeing each other for a substantial amount of time, so it was probably time they were open about their relationship, but when such meetings led to the demise of one it was probably best put off for as long as possible.

She had got to him in a weak moment, and he'd foolishly agreed to eat a meal with her entire family. The mental note he made to himself to never, ever make promises when all the blood in his body was lingering below his waist was a little late to save him this time. It didn't really matter that there was a family wedding approaching and she wanted him to be her `plus one'. He could have simply met the family at the wedding, in front of a lot of witnesses, rather than this family-only affair where anything could happen to him.

"There you are!"

Draco jumped as a large, heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He consciously schooled his features and tried to control his trembling muscles. His mind was searching for the man's name, but he was coming up blank and that was making him feel even more insecure.

"Come on, dragon food, you can't hang around in the kitchen with the women. What would people think?"

"I'm perfectly fine-"

"Sure you are," the burly redhead cut in. "Come on, we won't bite."

One of his eyebrows started to climb his forehead to convey his disbelief and there wasn't a thing he could do about it - the feeling was simply too strong to deny.

"Really," the redhead insisted earnestly. "I wouldn't do my girls out of a tasty snack."

Draco tried to hide the shudder that rippled through his muscles when the redhead grinned at him menacingly.

"Behave, Charlie," one of the women said with a giggle.

"Always." Charlie reasserted his feral grin as his arm went around Draco's shoulders.

Helpless to refuse, Draco had no choice but to let the man lead him into the overcrowded sitting room and, most likely, to his doom. The men were gathered in a corner of the small room.

"Look who I found lurking in the kitchen," Charlie announced as they approached.

"We can't have that!" the one with the ponytail declared loudly.

"Why not?" Ron demanded. "It's better than having him in here."

"Ron, we promised we'd behave," one of the twins said as he approached Draco's side.

"Have a drink, mate," the other twin insisted as he shoved a glass into Draco's hand.

"Hey, go easy on that stuff," Charlie advised. "Marinated meat gives Hilda the hiccups."

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask what Charlie was on about when one of the twins leaned in close to his ear.

"Hilda's his favorite dragon," he whispered.

"He hates seeing her distressed," the other twin added in a hushed voice.

Draco's eyes went wide and he swallowed hard. Whether or not they intended to really feed him to a dragon was irrelevant, because they were doing a very good job of convincing him they were serious and that was all that mattered at the moment. He lifted the glass in his hand to his mouth and drained it in one motion. When he lowered the glass all the men were smiling at him curiously.

`Staring… How uncouth,' Draco thought. He tried to open his mouth to voice the cutting remark that was sitting on the tip of his tongue, but something odd was happening to him. His head suddenly felt very foggy and the ground seemed to be moving under his feet.

"Too easy," a voice said.

"I told you he was stupid."

"Should we put him in a chair?"

"Nah, let him fall on his arse."

With the world melting around him, Draco began to panic. They had done something to the drink and now he was going to die. Try as he might, he couldn't fight the feeling of being dragged under a dark cloud. Blackness closed in on him slowly, coloring the edges of his perception first, then moving in until he knew nothing.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"You're not going to pass out or anything are you?"

Draco looked up; Blaise was peering at him with concern etched into his dark features. "No. I was just remembering the first time I met her family."

"Was that the Sleeping Potion or the Canary Cream?"

"Sleeping Potion," Draco confirmed. "They saved the Canary Cream for the wedding."

"That lot were needlessly cruel," Blaise uttered supportively.

"It only got really bad after they found out I was shagging their baby sister," Draco informed him with a small smirk. "Then they pulled out the really nasty stuff."

"Like what?"

"Let's see," Draco muttered. "Fainting Fancies, Puking Pastilles, Nosebleed Nougat, Ton-Tongue Toffees, Fever Fudge - I had a fever for a week the first time they slipped me that. It was anything to make me sick or disfigured, so I couldn't shag her."

"I remember now," Blaise said. "You ended up with a rash."

"Yeah, I'd been hot for too long." Draco frowned at the memory. "Bastards wouldn't sell me the antidote."

"You're better off without that mess," Blaise claimed heartily.

Draco nodded miserably. Her family was a veritable nightmare, but she owned his heart, and he was going to miss her.

"You can go back to playing the field," Blaise encouraged. "The ladies have missed you."

He grunted, not committing himself either way.

"You need a good shag to get your mind off things."

A snort escaped him. That was one thing he hadn't had to go looking for in a long time. Ginny was always willing and never disappointing. His mind drifted as he took a long drink from the almost empty Firewhisky bottle. The first time he touched her was pure bliss…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered the door closing behind them, but it seemed totally unimportant when Ginny was making a feast of his neck, and his body temperature was skyrocketing. Through the fog of many tumblers of Firewhisky, Draco did think about pulling away from her and returning to the party, but they'd waited so long already and it felt so good. He'd definitely played the gentleman for far too long already.

Their clothes were discarded without fanfare as they stumbled across the floor, and collapsed onto Blaise's enormous bed in a tangle of arms and legs. For a few minutes their actions were driven by pure unadulterated desire, then Draco paused and pulled back just a little. He desperately needed to catch his breath and calm himself down a bit, before he embarrassed himself or worse, damaged his reputation in the bedroom.

It had happened so fast. One minute they were drinking and laughing with his friends, and the next he had her pinned against a wall, and they were groping each other, as if they were depraved exhibitionists. It was a miracle they actually made it to a room that afforded them some privacy. He knew they wouldn't have long, because Blaise would disturb them when he got wind of where they'd gone and what they were likely to be doing, so they would have to make the most of what time they did have.

His hand moved gently to push her hair out of the way, and then he cupped her face with his hands. Her eyes caught his attention as he lowered his head. They were sparkling in a way he'd never seen before. He couldn't fathom what made them shine like that, but he made a note to himself to find out when he was less focused on an important goal. Draco continued to lower his head slowly, and he captured her lips with purpose. He caressed her lips unhurriedly, yet determinedly, feeling every inch of passion that she was willing to let escape from her body.

Draco could feel her fingernails digging into his back, and he knew he'd be marked, but he didn't care. All that mattered was the woman beneath him and what he wanted to do to her.

Very slowly he allowed his mouth to travel down her neck. His hands followed, taking the time to map her body for future dreams. She purred a little and arched into him when his fingers brushed over her nipples. Draco replaced his hand with his mouth, savoring her delightfully sweet flesh while she gasped beneath him. His hand roamed further south stopping only when it had sunk into the curls between her legs. By the time her hips were rising into his hand, his mouth had traveled to the other side of her chest. Her body felt so good under his and her moans of approval reassured him that she appreciated his attention.

All of a sudden there was a loud bang on the door. Draco's head popped straight up and he moved his body to ensure Ginny would be covered from view should an intruder enter the room.

"What?" Draco growled.

"Zabini knows you're in there," a male voice informed them.

"Fuck," Draco hissed. "Stall him for ten minutes."

"I'll try."

"We should probably go back to the party," Ginny whispered.

Draco looked into her eyes, and then down his body to where her hand was busy examining his length. "After," he grunted.

"What if someone-"

"Who cares," he uttered, as he moved in to capture her mouth passionately.

After a few seconds, his hand snaked down to her thigh and gently encouraged it to move, so he had room to sink between her legs. As they came together they both moaned in relief. They fitted together flawlessly, as though they were made for one another and when they started to move there was no fight for control or even a single mismatched movement. It was perfect, in Draco's very experienced opinion.

Draco willed himself to refrain from climaxing for as long as possible. He simply didn't want this feeling to end. It felt right. To distract himself, he lavished her face and neck with kisses while he whispered nonsense into her ear. There was no meaningful response, if you didn't count the moans she was releasing breathlessly, but he thought that was better anyway, because a single word of encouragement from her would most likely tip him over the precipice and into the world of euphoria.

Without warning, Ginny altered the tilt of her hips and any hope he had of holding off his orgasm was lost. He was sinking into her deeper than before now and new sensations were overwhelming him. She was doing something else, but he couldn't quite work out what or how. All he knew was that it was different and it felt incredible.

"Ginny, I-"

"Don't stop," she ground out. "Oh God, don't stop."

Whether it was her demands or simply his body refusing to be denied any longer, Draco didn't know, but he met her every thrust with purpose. As he suspected, his orgasm started to build in earnest, and it wasn't long before he was past the point of no return.

Ginny clung to him, digging her nails in as her hips bucked wildly. "Yes! Oh God, yes!"

Draco clenched his jaw as her muscles tightened around his length. There had been no warning, no small ripples to alert him to her impending orgasm, nothing. It was just suddenly there, squeezing him to death and taking with it the tiny amount of control he'd convinced himself he still had. With an almost silent groan and a shudder he emptied himself into her. She was still moving beneath him, trying to find the end of her own climax or so he thought. He tried to keep moving, but his rhythm had abandoned him as exhaustion started to creep into his bones. He became aware that Ginny was slowing the rock of her hips as well, so he felt safe to stop.

"You are amazing," Draco whispered as he kissed her nose.

"You weren't bad yourself," Ginny responded breathlessly.

He rolled off, collapsing on the bed beside her with a heavy sigh. Draco knew Blaise would be in here soon, demanding they vacate his bedroom and complaining about what they might have left on the covers, but he didn't really have the energy to move.

"We should get dressed," Ginny whispered.

"This isn't quite how I'd planned our first time," Draco said quietly.

"Oh? What plans had you made?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Nothing definite, but I did think we'd have time to lie in each other's arms for a few hours afterwards," Draco mumbled.

"Mmm… That would have been nice," Ginny agreed.

"We could-" Draco stopped speaking and leapt off the bed as the door burst open. He positioned himself between the door and Ginny, who had bounded off the bed as well.

"Malfoy! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing? That is my bed!" Blaise stood in the doorway, looking furious, but at the same time trying to look around his mate to see what Ginny looked like without her clothes on.

"We'll be out in a few minutes," Draco snarled. "Do you mind not ogling my girlfriend?"

"Well, if she kept her clothes on there'd be nothing to ogle," Blaise pointed out with a cheeky smirk. "Nice goodies, by the way."

"Zabini, I'm warning you," Draco said in a low voice. He could feel Ginny's naked body pressing into his back.

Blaise laughed humorously. "All right, I'm going, but you've got two minutes to vacate my room."

"Fine," Draco snapped. "Leave!"

He waited until the door closed again before he turned around. Ginny immediately started gathering her clothes.

"How embarrassing," she mumbled.

"Don't worry about it," Draco said. "Zabini and I are used to-to situations where we-err-"

Ginny stood up and stared at him with a curious grin on her face. "Are you telling me he's caught you in his room with a woman before?"

"Not in his room," Draco answered evasively.

"Draco, we both have a past," Ginny uttered as she dressed. "That was just our first time together, not our first time."

For a second, he wished desperately that he'd had the privilege of being her first, but the thought was pointless, so he dismissed it right away. He nodded and smiled at her. "You're right. There's no point in pretending we've never slept with other people."

"Where are my knickers?" Ginny asked looking around the room.

Draco thought for a moment. The first few minutes of their little escapade were a bit of a blur, but he did remember that they were both completely naked by the time they reached the bed. "They should be on the floor somewhere."

"They're not here," Ginny said, looking around again.

"I don't know." Draco frowned. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course."

"You know when you changed the position of your hips… What was that thing you were doing?"

"What thing?"

"You were sort of- it was like you were squeezing," Draco explained feeling a little uncomfortable.

Ginny giggled. "Did you like it?"

"Yeah." Draco blushed a little. "It felt great."

"Good."

"So what was it you were doing?"

"That's a secret." Ginny grinned cheekily. "Come on, I'll have to go without my knickers."

Draco smirked nefariously, as he pulled on his trousers. No knickers made for easy access later.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I don't want to shag anyone else," Draco said determinedly. "I want her."

"You need to get your mind off her," Blaise insisted.

Draco shook his head. "I was thinking about the first time we-"

"Yeah, you still owe me a new bed for that one," Blaise cut in. "I can't believe you did that at my party."

"You would have done the same, if the opportunity presented itself," Draco said.

Blaise grinned. "Come to think of it, I have."

"Why am I not surprised?" Draco shook his head. "I don't even want to know the details."

"It's a good story," Blaise responded.

"Maybe some other time."

"You need to remember that it wasn't all sunshine and roses," Blaise pointed out. "It'll help-"

"I know, but I can't help it," Draco growled, lifting the bottle to his mouth. "She's-"

"Perfect," Blaise finished for him. "I know, but you need to leave it alone, if you're going to move on."

Draco glared at the bottle of Firewhisky like it was his worst enemy, as if he could kill it with a mere look. He resented the fiery liquid, but at the same time he loved it - it muted the pain in his heart or at least he thought it was doing that. Right now, he should have been celebrating his marriage, not sitting in his friend's flat drinking himself into a stupor. But here he was, annoying the hell out of Blaise, while his fiancée - or ex-fiancée - was elsewhere, probably celebrating the fact that she'd escaped a life of being tied to him by the barest of margins.

A bubble of hatred gurgled inside him. Hatred for her and how she could make him feel. Hatred for himself and for how he treated her at times. Perhaps if he'd been more considerate of her she wouldn't have choked at the ceremony? Most of their arguments were his fault, though he was only willing to admit it to himself. He couldn't stand it when she put someone else before him, which is something that he could probably blame his parents for, because he'd always been the center of their world and nothing had come before him.

"What are you thinking about now?" Blaise inquired.

"Fights," Draco slurred. "We had some rip-roaring ones."

"I know," Blaise answered blandly.

A small smirk stretched Draco's lips. Blaise did know of just about every disagreement he'd ever had with Ginny, because he had to have somewhere to lick his wounds while he calmed down, not to mention someone to talk some sense into him.

"I knew the first time you turned up looking like someone had stolen your supply of sugar quills that I'd be seeing you a lot," Blaise replied tolerantly.

Draco took a swig from the bottle. The first time he locked horns with Ginny was terrifying. He didn't know whether he'd ever see her again or if she'd even if she'd talk to him again. It had taken Blaise hours to talk him down and to convince him to apologize.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Well, what do you think?" Draco asked a little nervously.

"It's perfect!" Ginny clapped her hands together excitedly as she looked around at the picnic lunch he'd painstakingly laid out. "I can't believe you went to all this trouble."

"It was no trouble," Draco assured her. "I just wanted it to be nice."

"How can-"

"Shh." Draco covered her lips with a finger. "I have servants to take care of this sort of thing."

"So I should be thanking your house elves?" Ginny inquired with a cheeky grin.

"I did give them the orders," Draco mumbled.

"In that case, you did a brilliant job."

"And I chose the location," he added importantly.

"You did exceptionally well," Ginny praised. "It's so beautiful here."

"Thank you," Draco replied with more than a hint of pride.

"Where are we exactly?" Ginny looked around curiously. "Is it a big park or something?"

"We're on Malfoy land," Draco answered. "This is part of our estate."

"Wow," Ginny breathed more than articulated. "This is amazing. To have this just outside your front door-"

"We're a considerable distance from the main house," Draco interrupted. "I didn't want any disturbances."

"Are your parents home?"

"Most likely," Draco responded thoughtfully. "They don't know we're here, so don't worry about them interrupting our picnic."

"Are you ever going to introduce me to them properly?"

"You can't be that eager to meet them," Draco said with a shake of his head.

"Not really, but I just feel-"

"I just want to have you all to myself," Draco cut in as his arms surrounded her. "My mother is going to be impossible when she knows I have an actual girlfriend, instead of an array of women I shag."

"I don't know whether to feel offended or not," Ginny replied dubiously.

"While you work it out, why don't you take a seat right here, and I'll see to some sustenance?"

Draco waited until she made herself comfortable, and then he picked the bottle of wine he'd selected from the family cellar. He passed her the glasses and began to pour the wine.

"I think you'll like this," Draco said as the glasses filled. "It's a light fruity white… perfect for lunch."

Ginny smiled as she passed one of the glasses to him. "I trust your choice."

"To us," Draco toasted just before he clinked the side of his glass against hers.

"To us," Ginny repeated.

He was about to tip his glass up and taste what he'd so carefully selected when a movement in the sky caught his attention. "What is that?"

She frowned as she peered into the distance. "It looks like an owl."

"Stupid thing is using twice as much energy as it needs to flying like that. It's all over the place," Draco scoffed, as the owl zigzagged towards them.

"Actually… I think it's Pig," Ginny uttered.

"Pig?"

"Ron's owl."

"It figures. His bird would fly like a fool," Draco mumbled.

"It is Pig," Ginny announced, as the bird got closer. "I hope nothing is wrong."

"He's probably checking up on you," Draco uttered tetchily.

"Don't be silly," Ginny ordered as she got to her feet. "He didn't even know I was meeting you today."

"Ginny, we see each other every day," Draco said impatiently. "Even your stupid brother could work out who you're with right now without too much trouble."

She shook her head impatiently and stepped forward to meet the excitable owl. "Come on, Pig," Ginny encouraged as she held her arm out.

Draco wanted to suggest that she just shoo the bird away, so they could go back to enjoying their lunch, but he had a feeling mentioning something like that would be a waste of his breath.

"Draco, can you pass me something to give Pig?" Ginny asked, holding her hand out.

"I don't have any owl treats on me," Draco responded crossly.

"Just a piece of bread or some meat… Pig's not fussy."

"Surprise, surprise," Draco mumbled acerbically.

He crawled over to one of the plates the house elves had supplied and uncovered it. Draco picked up a small piece of chicken and held it out for Ginny to take, but Pig swooped down and snatched the meat from his fingers.

"Oww! Bloody bird bit me!"

"Sorry, I should have warned you," Ginny said. "When Pig gets excited he gets a little clumsy."

"Clumsy?" Draco stared at her in disbelief. "That's an interesting way to describe a ferocious bird."

Ginny snorted in an unladylike manner as she opened the letter Pig had delivered.

"What is it?" Draco asked when Ginny's face lit up.

"My sister-in-law has gone into labor," Ginny replied delightedly.

Draco frowned. "What?"

"She's having her baby," Ginny clarified. "I'm going to be an aunty again."

"Oh… Well, umm- Congratulations," Draco uttered uncertainly.

"It's so exciting!" Ginny said as she picked up her handbag.

"What are you doing?" Draco inquired.

"I have to go to the hospital," Ginny answered excitedly. "Do you want to come?"

"Why do you need to go to the hospital?"

"I want to be there."

"For what?"

"For when the baby is born," Ginny clarified. "Everyone will be there."

"Who is everyone?"

"The whole family," Ginny responded patiently. "We always go to the hospital to wait."

Draco's brow creased deeply. "What for?"

"So we're there." Ginny sighed heavily.

"What about our picnic?"

"Draco, we can have a picnic anytime," Ginny replied. "It's not everyday I become an aunt again."

"Well, it's not like it's the first time," Draco pointed out sulkily.

"Excuse me?"

"You've already got a few babies in the family."

Ginny eyed him dangerously. "So, I should miss this baby's birth, because I already have a few nieces and nephews?"

"All I was saying is it's nothing new," Draco explained.

"It's a new life."

"I meant the birth," Draco snapped in frustration. "You don't have to be there the moment-"

"Yes, I do!"

"What about all the trouble I went to?" Draco bellowed childishly.

"You admitted to me, not ten minutes ago, that you had the house elves-"

"I planned this! It took a lot of-"

"This is far more important that eating some food outside," Ginny exclaimed loudly, shaking the parchment in his face.

"Running out on a meal is considered very rude," Draco pointed out.

"So is being an arrogant, self-absorbed prick, but I don't bring it to your attention every time you act like an arse," Ginny snarled.

"I never-"

"Of course not, if you don't count every time you don't get your own way," Ginny butted in caustically. "I'm going to the hospital to be with my family. You can join me if you want, or you can stay here and sulk. I don't care either way."

Draco opened his mouth to respond, but by the time the words reached his mouth she had Disapparated.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"She called me an arrogant, self-absorbed prick," Draco remembered as the memory of their first argument faded.

Blaise chuckled. "She's observant."

"Shut it," Draco snarled.

"You hate it when someone points out the obvious, don't you?" Blaise taunted.

"I'm warning you," Draco growled drunkenly.

"All right, I surrender." Blaise held his hands in the air. "Anyway, that was hardly the worst argument you two had."

Draco snorted. "That one doesn't even come close. The worst would have been when we almost broke up."

"Which time?"

"When I was photographed with that slag who followed me around at the Parkinson's ball."

"I thought Pansy was going to slap that tart," Blaise said.

"I wish she had," Draco slurred. "Bitch wouldn't leave me alone all night, and I almost lost Ginny over her."

The pain he thought had diminished by dousing in with enough Firewhisky to drown an army flared in his chest again. If today was the worst day of his life, then the time they almost broke up had to come a very close second.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco trudged up the street, trying not to let the sun or the noise the Muggles were making affect him too much. A hang over didn't seem enough reason for him to be feeling like this; it felt more like he was on the verge of death. He had courageously taken a little sustenance in before he left the house, but that was begging to evacuate his polluted body already, and his head felt like it was ready to roll off his shoulders. The fact that he'd agreed to join Ginny for brunch after a ball the night before was madness in itself and reason to severely, but quietly, berate himself.

Despite his pain, a small smile crept across his agonized expression when he spied her red hair dancing with the slight breeze in the alfresco area of the bakery they'd discovered the week before. It was a Muggle establishment, not far from Diagon Alley, and its fare was mouthwatering. More importantly, no one - especially her brothers - would think of looking for them there, so they could have all the privacy they craved in a public setting.

As he made his way between the tables his smile began to falter. There was something wrong with her expression. Rather than appearing happy to see him, she looked as though she'd like to inflict an excruciating death upon him.

"Ginny," he uttered as he leaned over to kiss her. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

She turned her head, so his lips landed on her cheek rather than her mouth.

"Is there something bothering you?" Draco asked as he lowered his body into the chair opposite hers.

"Why would there be anything bothering me?" Ginny snapped caustically.

"Are you still annoyed that I couldn't get out of the ball last night?" Draco inquired. "You know I didn't have a plus one, so I couldn't take you even though I wanted to, and to not make an appearance would have been considered the height of rudeness."

"You explained that before," Ginny responded flatly.

"Then what's the problem?" Draco uttered uncertainly.

He watched as she slowly unfolded a newspaper. The nausea he was experiencing was nothing in comparison to the dreadful feeling beginning to bloom in his stomach. There was something about the deliberate way she was exposing the newspaper that screamed danger to him.

"Did you have fun last night?" Ginny asked, suddenly pleasant.

"It was all right," Draco answered cautiously. Her sudden change of tone only added to his wariness.

"Just all right?" Ginny smiled predatorily at him. "I'm sure that description is going to disappoint her terribly."

"What are you on about?" Draco growled, as his patience grew short.

His world suddenly went dark as the newspaper flew into his face. Before he could clear his vision, he heard the scraping of a chair and the clack of heels hurrying away. Draco didn't need his sight to know Ginny had just abandoned him.

The newspaper seemed to be clinging to his face and his efforts to get rid of the obstruction were growing increasingly frustrated. With an impatient snarl, Draco ripped the paper off his head and forced it to the table with his hands. He was on his feet immediately, determined to chase Ginny down the street, but as his hands lifted from the paper he paused. The page that was exposed showed a large photograph of him being fawned over by a beautiful woman - a woman he easily recognized from the evening before.

Ginny's demeanor suddenly made sense. Whether he was innocent or not, she only knew what had been reported in the paper.

He considered not going after her, but a few seconds later he was sprinting down the street, desperate to catch up with her before she reached The Leaky Cauldron and passed through to their world, where anonymity was an issue.

"Ginny! Stop! Wait!" Draco bellowed as he ran towards the hint of red hair in the distance. "Ginny, please!"

Her gait faltered a little, as if she wanted to stop, but didn't dare.

"Ginny! It's not what you think."

Draco knew he was drawing the attention of the Muggles in the area, but he didn't care. Even though his lungs were starting to burn, he kept sprinting. All that mattered was making Ginny understand that he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Ginny," Draco panted out as he reached for her shoulder. "Stop, so I can explain."

"A picture is worth a thousand words, Malfoy," Ginny said frostily.

"Lies- a thousand lies," Draco insisted, as he tried desperately to catch his breath.

"Photographs don't lie," Ginny told him firmly.

"That one isn't showing you what happened after the photograph was taken," Draco said urgently. "It doesn't show me pushing her away and walking off."

"So you say," Ginny responded flippantly. "How do I know you didn't drag her off into a dark corner and shag her brains out?"

"Because I didn't," Draco replied weakly. "She was following me around all bloody night. I couldn't get rid of her."

"I only have your word for that," Ginny pointed out.

Draco straightened up. "My word isn't good enough for you, is it?"

"Not this time."

"I don't know what else to say," Draco admitted. "I didn't cheat. I didn't even look at another woman."

"If that's the best you can do-"

"What do you want from me?" Draco demanded, suddenly angry. "Do you have a Pensieve? I'll give you the whole bloody night!"

"Minus anything incriminating," Ginny retorted nastily as she turned away.

"If you go now don't expect me to chase you," Draco growled.

Ginny turned around to face him. She took a step closer and looked him in the eye. "If you follow me, I'll have the Aurors arrest you for harassment, and we all know that would mean Azkaban for you."

His breath caught in his throat. Never in his wildest imagination did he think she'd be that callous. The Wizengamot had kept him out of the wizarding prison for his involvement in the war, but he was all too aware of the ten year good behavior bond they'd left him with and what it would mean if he put so much as a toe out of line in the magical world.

Draco stood in the middle of the footpath for almost fifteen minutes. Muggles pushed past him, some throwing him curious glances as they went, but he didn't notice. His mind was battling to comprehend what had just happened and it had rendered him immobile for a time.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"You should have just let her go then," Blaise said.

"I didn't want to," Draco replied.

"And you still don't want to," Blaise added.

"No," Draco whispered.

"Sorry, mate, I can't fix it for you this time," Blaise uttered.

Draco sighed heavily. He had ended up getting Blaise to tell Ginny what had happened the night of the ball and even then she didn't believe he was innocent right away. "She took some convincing."

"She did," Blaise agreed. "Never met such a stubborn woman."

"She's not fazed by power or money." Draco's words were garbled, but still intelligible for those who knew him best.

"No," Blaise concurred. "Your money never impressed her. She was more about the sort of person you are."

"She's good," Draco whispered.

"She's good for you," Blaise expanded.

"Mmm," Draco uttered.

"She's like me - except she's got tits and I've got better hair - she doesn't tolerate any of your crap."

"She's beautiful," Draco added quietly.

"Are you saying I'm not beautiful?" Blaise asked with mock indignation.

Draco ignored his friend's question. "Lots of men think she's beautiful."

Blaise rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "Here we go again."

"I don't know why she stayed with me; she could have had anyone she wanted," Draco mumbled almost inaudibly.

"Is the green-eyed monster making a visit tonight? Because I really don't think I've got the strength to deal with him," Blaise said with obvious impatience.

"I couldn't stand to see another man touch her, no matter how innocent," Draco continued, oblivious to the strain he was placing on his friendship with Blaise.

"I know," Blaise responded flatly with a large sigh.

"Overreact… That's what I did," Draco muttered. "Maybe if I hadn't done that…" His voice trailed off as memories flooded into his mind.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco stopped in the doorway of the pub, unsure if Ginny was still waiting for him. He was supposed to have met her over an hour ago, so he wouldn't have blamed her if she'd given up and found something else to do tonight. His grey eyes scanned the room intently, looking for any sign of her telltale red hair.

The place was crowded, so finding her right away wasn't going to be easy. He moved into the establishment slowly, his eyes roaming around the room constantly. When he reached the small dance floor he turned and looked back along the length of the bar, eager to spy a familiar piece of clothing or something else to identify her. Draco was about to give up when the familiar sound of her giggling reached his ears. He spun around, his eyes darting over the dance floor, examining all the faces as he passed them over until he found her.

She was dancing - twirling around and giggling madly. A smile began to form on his face. For her to be acting like that she must have attacked something very inebriating, very quickly. As she began to slow, her body tilted dangerously to the side. Draco was already moving across the floor with his arms out ready to catch her.

To his surprise and relief, because he was never going to make it through the crowd, a pair of arms caught her before she could fall. Instead of righting her stance and letting her go, the pair of arms that saved her drew her into an embrace. As Draco drew nearer, he saw that the arms around his girlfriend were most definitely male. His eyes narrowed as they began the journey to the face of the man.

"Don't worry, precious, I'm not going to let you fall," the man said in a tone that suggested a little too much.

Draco could hear the unmistakable connotation in his tone and a snarl escaped his throat. It felt as though a giant snake was rising inside his body, desperate to strike and eliminate the enemy - anyone who dared to touch what was his. As he stepped forward, his lip curled cruelly. He was standing right behind Ginny when he stopped, but she failed to notice.

"What do you think you're doing?" Draco demanded in a low voice.

"Oh, you're here at last!" Ginny turned out of the man's arms. "Seamus asked me to dance."

"Finnigan? That's Finnigan?" Draco bellowed uncharacteristically. Now that she mentioned it, he could see the boy the man once was. He hadn't come across the Irishman since they'd left Hogwarts, but he was only too aware of the reputation that followed Seamus Finnigan around.

"Yes." A frown flitted across her forehead. "We were in Gryffindor together."

"What were you doing with him?" Draco hissed.

"Dancing," Ginny repeated with a shake of her head.

Her lack of reaction frustrated him to the point of insanity. "With him?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "I was just dancing, Draco. Nothing more."

"I did offer." Seamus smirked sleazily.

"You offered what exactly?" Draco asked in a low, dangerous tone.

"Whatever she des-"

"Enough!" Ginny yelled. "We were dancing. That's all. Seamus, thank you for the dance. I hope you manage to find yourself whatever it is you're looking for tonight."

Draco glared at him as long as he could, while Ginny was trying to turn him around.

"If you stayed my search would be over," Seamus answered cheekily.

He didn't quite know where his reaction came from, because he'd certainly never reacted like it before, but suddenly he was launching himself at the Irishman with only one thing in mind: to kill him.

When his hands were mere inches from the man's throat Ginny's face was suddenly in the way. She was glaring at him fiercely with no regard for her own safety.

"Stop it, Draco!"

"Get out of the way, Ginny," Draco demanded, as he tried to reach around her.

"No!" Ginny stood her ground, separating the two men. "Why are you doing this? We were only dancing."

"Dancing? You call him mauling you dancing?" Draco snarled. "Just step aside, so I can rip his head off, then we can leave."

"No!"

"It's all right, Ginny." Seamus laughed heartily. "If Malfoy thinks he's good enough to take a poke at me, let him, then when I'm done with him we can go somewhere a bit more civilized."

Something inside his head snapped, and the only thing that mattered was teaching this smart-mouthed womanizer a painful lesson. Rather than go straight for his target, Draco reached out and grabbed hold of Ginny's waist. Against her will, he picked her up, turned and placed her behind his body. He knew she wouldn't stay there for long, so before she could get in the way again, he clenched his fist and sent it flying into Finnigan's face.

First there was a very satisfying crunch as Finnigan's nose broke under the force of Draco's fist, then pain flared in his hand and radiated up his arm. Ginny was between them immediately, but it wasn't truly necessary, because Finnigan was more worried about the blood flowing heavily from his smashed nose and Draco was nursing his screaming hand.

"Enough!" Ginny demanded. "You're going to get us kicked out of here."

"Bastard broke my nose," Seamus claimed in a nasally voice.

"Seamus, you begged for it," Ginny replied intolerantly. "You should get yourself to St. Mungo's and get it fixed."

"Ginny, I think I need to go to the hospital too," Draco whispered agonizingly.

She turned once Seamus moved away and looked at him curiously. "Why would you need to go to the hospital?"

"I think my hand is broken," Draco admitted reluctantly. "Wanker has a hard head."

"Well, you hit him, so-"

"Ginny, I need a Healer now," Draco urged.

"Fine," Ginny snapped. "Let's get you to the hospital."

"It really hurts," Draco said in a small voice as she walked ahead of him.

"I'm sure it does," Ginny answered unsympathetically.

He pouted and stomped along behind her. A little sympathy wasn't too much to ask for after he'd defended her honor so valiantly, was it?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"More!" Draco held the empty Firewhisky bottle upside down to show it was empty.

"Sorry, mate, you've cleaned me out."

"I'll get some more." Draco tried to stand up, but only managed to get halfway to his feet before falling back to the couch.

"Why don't you sit there and I'll go?" Blaise suggested. "You've had a rough enough day as it is."

Draco made an odd sound as he settled back onto the couch, getting himself comfortable. "Bit chilly," he mumbled.

"Would you like a blanket?" Blaise offered.

"Mmm…"

A smirk tugged at Blaise's lips as he retrieved a large duvet and a pillow from his bedroom for his friend. Draco was almost drifting off when he returned. "Lift your head, mate, and we'll make you comfy."

"Where's the Firewhisky?" Draco slurred.

"Just as soon as I know you're not going to freeze to death while I'm gone, I'll go buy some more," Blaise promised.

"Good," Draco mumbled. "I'm thirsty."

"Sure you are," Blaise scoffed softly.

Draco snuggled into the blanket and sighed loudly as his eyes grew heavy. He tried to push aside his thoughts of Ginny, but her face floated in front of his closed eyes, taunting him - hurting him over and again.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Come on, sleepy head, time to wake up," Blaise said as he shook Draco's shoulder.

"No," Draco moaned. "Go away."

"You've had eight hours, and you've got a visitor," Blaise added persuasively.

"Leave me alone," Draco mumbled.

"No can do, mate," Blaise answered. "Open your eyes."

Draco muttered something unintelligible.

"It might be better if we give him a while," Blaise said. "Can I get you a cup of tea?"

"That would be nice."

"Come through to the kitchen," Blaise uttered. "It's more peaceful in there without his snoring."

"I didn't realize he snored."

"Only when he's passed out rather than sleeping."

"How much did he drink?"

"I think it'd be fair to say he made a valiant attempt to drown himself with Firewhisky."

"I looked for him for hours-"

"I know, you told me, and I believe you," Blaise said gently.

"This is all my fault."

"He'll understand once you explain," Blaise uttered as he poured two cups of tea. "Besides, if you'd gone through with it his mother would have killed him, so you saved his life."

"If he'll hear me out."

"He will," Blaise said reassuringly. "Not knowing why is killing him."

Ginny dropped her head into her hands and took a shaky breath.

"He'll be stubborn, and he'll tell you he doesn't want to talk to you, but he'll hear you out in the end," Blaise continued encouragingly. "You're not going to start crying or anything like that, are you?" he asked hesitantly.

She lifted her head, shaking it as she met his eyes. "No. I'm all cried out."

"Good," Blaise responded happily. "It's not that I don't sympathize; it's just that I'm not that good with waterworks."

"It's all right," Ginny assured him. "You couldn't possibly be any worse than Draco."

"He's made you cry?"

"Just once."

"He never told me."

"I don't think he's terribly proud of it, and he fumbled his way through in a very un-Draco-like way."

"He was shitting himself the entire time then?" Blaise chuckled.

"That about sums it up." She smiled warmly.

"So, how did he manage to upset you so much that you cried?" Blaise inquired curiously as he placed a mug of tea before her.

"You don't need to-"

"Yeah, I do," Blaise interrupted. "You see, I'm his best mate, and I have to make sure he never does something as stupid as make the love of his life cry again, and I can't do that if I'm not fully informed."

"You're full of it, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Now tell me how the unfeeling bastard made your eyes water."

Ginny sighed resignedly. "It was when he finally introduced me to his mother."

"He'd been putting that off for a while," Blaise commented.

"Well, he didn't count on running into his mother in Diagon Alley one day just after she'd witnessed him snog me senseless."

"Narcissa would have been furious!"

"She didn't show it," Ginny said softly as the memory of the afternoon came flooding back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Diagon Alley was bustling with shoppers, but it didn't matter to Draco and Ginny. It was as if they were in their own little world and nothing could touch them.

They were walking hand in hand when Draco suddenly pulled her against a wall.

"I have to touch you," he whispered. "I can't help myself."

Ginny opened her mouth to respond, but her words were smothered when his lips crashed down on hers. She could feel his hands creeping up her sides, brushing the edge of her breasts discreetly. An ache began to build in her immediately; she wanted to feel his hands on her naked flesh more than anything. When his tongue danced around hers, her toes curled in their shoes, and the only clear thought she could manage was to find some privacy before she demanded he take her against the wall in front of everyone.

"You are amazing," Draco whispered as their mouths parted.

"Thank you," Ginny returned breathlessly. "You're not so bad yourself."

His head started to dip towards hers again. "I might just have to-"

"Draco?"

He jumped away from her as if he'd been stung. For a few seconds his eyes held a wild look, akin to prey caught in the mouth of a predator, but then he appeared to gather himself and set his features to a pleasantly surprised expression.

"Draco, wh-" Ginny started.

"Mother, how delightful to see you here." Draco moved forward and brushed his lips over the cheek of an older blonde woman. "I thought you were shopping in Paris this afternoon."

"Paris bores me," Narcissa Malfoy said with an air of world-weariness and a wave of her manicured hand.

Draco smirked. "That is code for Father refused to go."

Narcissa looked Ginny up and down, scrutinizing everything about her before turning back to her son. "Who is this?"

"This is Ginevra… A friend of mine," Draco said with a smile.

"Lovely to meet you," Narcissa Malfoy intoned politely.

Ginny managed a tight smile, despite the questions popping up in her head demanding to be answered. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Are you shopping, Mother?"

"Just purchasing a few necessities," Narcissa answered.

"We won't hold you up then," Draco answered.

"I'm not in any hurry," Narcissa responded.

Ginny tried to smile pleasantly as Narcissa Malfoy's eyes swept over her again, but it looked as though she was trying to cover up some painful ailment. She could feel her skin crawling under the scrutiny of the woman who had raised the man she was in love with.

"I'm sure Father is awaiting your return," Draco pressed, obviously trying to get rid of his mother.

"Mmm," Narcissa muttered thoughtfully. "Do make sure you don't do anything to get tongues wagging, darling. You know how people like to gossip."

"Of course, Mother," Draco intoned, as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later this evening."

Ginny frowned a little at his expression. One side of his lips was trying to climb into a grin and the other was sucked into his mouth as if he was biting down hard to keep it in place.

"Yes… Do visit me before you retire this evening," Narcissa ordered gently. "Ginevra, it was lovely to meet you."

"Goodbye, Mrs. Malfoy," Ginny uttered through her distraction.

She watched as Narcissa Malfoy turned and almost floated down the street. People seemed to move aside to allow her a clear path to her next destination.

Draco suddenly expelled a large breath, as though he'd been holding it all this time. "I do believe I'm in trouble."

Ginny turned, narrowing her eyes at her boyfriend. "Really?"

"Mother is not pleased with what she saw," Draco answered, oblivious to the immediate danger he was in.

"Your mother is the least of your worries," Ginny hissed under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, frowning deeply.

"A friend? Is that all I am after a year?" Ginny exploded.

"Of course not."

"Then why did you introduce me to your mother as your friend?" Ginny demanded angrily. "You've met my entire family!"

"Under sufferance," Draco mumbled.

Ginny sharpened her glare.

"If I'd said you were my girlfriend, my mother would have had a fit," Draco tried reasonably.

"What? So I'm not good enough to be your girlfriend?"

"No… Yes!" Draco groaned. "Ginny, my mother would freak out if she knew I had a girlfriend, no matter who that woman was."

She turned away from him as her emotions reached boiling point. "I don't believe you."

"It's true. Mother never approves of anyone I'm seeing."

"Then there's-there's n-no reason to keep us a sec-ret."

"Are you crying?" He reached for her and tried to turn her around, but she stubbornly refused. "Don't cry," he mumbled uselessly.

Ginny shrugged away from him and took a few steps down the street. She tried to bring herself under control, but her emotions had the better of her.

"Ginny, please stop crying," Draco pleaded. "People are starting to stare."

"Do-don't worr-y, you c-can just t-tell them I'm y-your stup-pid fr-friend," Ginny stammered through her tears.

"You're not," Draco claimed. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to protect you from my mother. She's unconscionable when it comes to me and who I associate with."

Ginny turned, suddenly furious through her hurt. "So I'm not good enough!"

"No-Yes! Yes, you're good enough," Draco declared strongly. "Ginny, please stop this absurdity."

"I'm absurd now too." Ginny shook her head sadly. "I don't think we-"

"Ginevra Weasley, I love you," Draco said suddenly. "I love you more than- There are no words that can convey how much accurately."

"You do?" Ginny questioned quietly.

"Yes, I do," Draco confirmed. "I love you more than anything in the world."

"I love you too," Ginny whispered.

Draco took her in his arms. "I'm sorry about the mess with Mother, but I really was just protecting you from her. If I could trust her to react reasonably, I would have introduced you as the mother of her future grandchildren, but her history is quite frightening when it comes to me and women."

"The mother of her future grandchildren?"

"One day." Draco grinned just before his head lowered to capture her lips again.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Blaise laughed loudly. "He told you he loved you?"

"Yes."

"Oldest trick in the book," Blaise claimed.

"It's only a trick if it's a lie," Ginny pointed out.

Blaise stopped laughing. "Actually, you have a good point there."

"I know," Ginny replied smugly.

"It took him a year?"

Ginny nodded. "I think he was a little afraid to admit it openly."

"It makes one vulnerable," Blaise agreed. "So did he ever introduce you to his parents properly?"

"Yes, we had afternoon tea with them about two months after that. Narcissa had caught us together again, and she insisted he bring me to afternoon tea seeing as he was spending so much time with me."

"Did she behave?"

"She did," Ginny answered with a smile. "Draco had, apparently, read her the riot act before he agreed to invite me."

"He would have, but whether she heeded his words or not would have been a different matter."

"True," Ginny mused aloud. "She didn't seem like the type of woman to do as she was told without question."

"She's not," Blaise confirmed with conviction. "That's why he loves you."

Ginny snorted.

"I mean it," Blaise insisted. "You're the same type of woman as his mother."

"Don't be ridic-"

"I'm not being anything," Blaise cut in. "You and Narcissa Malfoy-"

"What about my mother?" Draco asked from the doorway with a rough voice.

"Blaise was just telling me that I'm just like your mother," Ginny responded cautiously.

"What are you doing here?" Draco rasped.

"I-err-"

"She came to visit me," Blaise answered arrogantly.

"I see," Draco uttered tightly. "You're finished with me, so you're moving on to my friends. Tell me, Ginevra, how long have you fancied Zabini?"

"What?" Ginny choked out as her face went from pale to magenta.

Blaise shook his head in disgusted and looked at his friend with pity. "You're a fool," he spat.

"That's uncalled for," Draco snapped.

"On the contrary, it's completely warranted. As a matter of fact, I think it's about time someone took the time to tell you what a prat you are," Blaise growled angrily as he stood up. "You don't deserve her, Malfoy. She's far too good for the likes of you."

"Blaise, it's all right," Ginny interrupted quietly. "This was a bad idea… I'll just go."

"No, it's not all right," Blaise retorted. He turned back to Draco with hard eyes. "Did you know that she wandered the streets for hours looking for you? God only knows why, because I sure as hell wouldn't have wasted my time or put myself in that danger, if I were her."

"I didn't-" Draco started.

"If you ask me, you were just looking for a way out. You were scared, and you found an excuse to run away," Blaise continued.

"I'd already said `I do'," Draco whispered painfully.

Blaise snorted disdainfully. "That means nothing. You were in too far to make your search for an escape clause look obvious. It's always so much better when you can blame someone else, isn't it?"

Draco glared at his friend with open hatred. "She was the-"

"But you ran," Blaise butted in. "You didn't even bother to ask her why. There's no excuse for that."

"I wasn't thinking," Draco admitted furiously.

"Well, best you start thinking now. If you don't try and work this out, I'm going to do my level best to make her a Zabini, because I think she's brilliant," Blaise threatened before softening his expression and turning to Ginny. "I'll leave you to it. If he gives you any crap just let me know, and I'll have Crabbe and Goyle beat some sense into him."

Draco stood in stunned silence as his long-time friend pushed past him. They'd been friends since before either of them could remember, and they'd always supported each other, right or wrong, so this was akin to treason, in his opinion.

His eyes strayed to the table where Ginny was sitting. Pain flared in his chest again, burning fiercely enough to cause him to wince.

She had become his whole life and he thought he was hers, but he had been wrong, apparently. Yesterday was supposed to be the start of everything - all his life plans - but it felt more like his life was over now. Without her, he realized he had no purpose, because she had been his future. They had vowed to stand by each other long before he proposed or marriage was ever really a consideration, and he'd always believed if they didn't work out romantically, they'd retain their friendship, because of that promise. Now it just seemed like foolish words uttered during a momentary crisis.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco's eyes flicked up as the door of the hospital room burst open. He was in agony, covered in boils and blisters from head to toe and everywhere in between. Even blinking sent bolts of pain through his head.

"Oh, Draco," Ginny breathed more than articulated. "I can't believe they did this."

"Shh," he managed softly. "I'm fine."

"No." She shook her head. "This isn't fine… This is-"

"Ginny, enough… please?" Draco grimaced in pain.

"Sorry," she whispered. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No," Draco responded softly. "Just sit with me."

She smiled awkwardly. "I can do that."

"Good." Draco tried to return the smile, but it came off as a pained expression. "When I'm healed, we'll think of something to repay their idiocy."

"O-" Her response died in her mouth as the door burst open.

"Oh, Draco, darling!" Narcissa exclaimed in a high pitch tone. "What have they done to you? You poor baby."

"Mother," Draco ground out. "Stop fussing, I'm fine."

"You are far from fine," Narcissa refuted. "This is all that woman's fault."

"What woman, Mother?"

"That woman you're seeing," Narcissa announced without regard for who might hear her. "You'll have to stop seeing her for your own safety."

Draco winced in pain, as if the thought burned him physically.

"You're hurting! What have they given you for the pain?" Narcissa inquired in a panic.

"Nothing yet," Draco whispered. "They're working on finding a cure and don't want anything to-"

"This is not good enough!" Narcissa declared. "You need something!"

"The Healer said-"

"Never mind what the Healer said," Narcissa interrupted. "I'll find someone who will give you something for the pain. You should be comfortable while you wait."

When the door closed behind his mother Draco released the breath he'd been holding for a few minutes. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't worry about it," Ginny butted in. "Everyone's against us."

"I'm not," Draco uttered.

A small smile made her lips twitch. "Neither am I."

"Promise me," Draco started. "Promise me, no matter what they try to do, we won't let them tear us apart. We'll stay strong and we'll lean on each other."

"I promise," Ginny responded sincerely. "We don't need their approval. Our love is enough."

"It's enough for me," Draco whispered emotionally.

She kissed the tip of her finger and blew it in his direction.

"I love you," Draco said thickly.

"I love you too," Ginny returned. "No matter what."

"No matter what," Draco uttered.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco swallowed hard as the memory faded. They had loved each other so much and so completely that it dwarfed the efforts of their families to break them up. At that time, it seemed as though no one could have ever broken their devotion to each other, but that had been proven incorrect now.

Their courtship had seen them take trips to hell and back again, but her deliberate denial was definitely the worst he'd ever felt. He hadn't seriously considered what he'd do if she was really determined not to be a part of his life, but now that she was in the same room the reality of the situation was looming before him like a black hole, void of warmth or love.

He mentally shook his head and focused. If he was going to get through this he had to remain astute. "I suppose Zabini went looking for you," he commented blandly.

Ginny nodded. "This morning… He said you were in a bad way last night."

"I was pissed," Draco corrected unconvincingly.

They stared at each other for several minutes. The silence started making Draco feel edgy right away. He began to wonder in earnest if they'd ever get through this or if it really was the end - that thought made the pain in his chest double.

"Why?" he uttered almost inaudibly.

Ginny looked down at her hands and released a large breath. "Do you remember the day you asked me to marry you?"

Draco schooled his features to show no emotion. He didn't want to remember that day, because if he did he might just go insane.

"I was so happy," she continued in a whisper when he didn't respond. "The only thing that could have topped it was actually marrying you, but I didn't feel happy yesterday. I felt as though something was missing, and it wasn't until I looked around that I realized what it was: my family. Draco, we need them to there for such an important occasion in our lives… I want to share our wedding with them… I want to share our happiness."

Draco snorted and rolled his eyes. It seemed like a poor excuse for her behavior, rather than a real issue.

"It had nothing to do with you," Ginny continued emotionally. "I want nothing more than to be your wife…"

"But?" Draco asked brusquely.

"But I want our families to be happy for us or at least be there to witness our love." Ginny sniffed as she finished.

"Well, it's not like that's going to happen anytime soon," Draco snapped, trying to ignore the fact that her heart was obviously breaking.

"We didn't really try," Ginny whispered. "We assumed they wouldn't accept us-"

"Your family didn't accept me, or have you forgotten the torture your brothers subject me to every time I go within a mile of one of them?"

A tear slid down her face.

"That's not assuming anything, Ginevra." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "They made their feelings crystal clear."

Ginny tried to swallow a sob unsuccessfully.

"It's the reason we decided to elope, remember?" Draco was looking in her direction, but his gaze was focused a little way above her head. Her tears were burning into his soul, and he couldn't handle any more pain. "How long did we talk about it for? Neither of us could bring ourselves to tell our families that we wanted to get married, could we? It was what was best for us, damn it!"

She shook her head miserably. "I thought so too, but when we were there, I felt hollow… I just wanted my family around me. We should have been sharing it with both our families."

"I obviously wasn't enough then," Draco snarled.

"It just wasn't the way I had envisioned. Why were we running away? Because we were afraid of what they'd say? Why? What does it matter as long as we're happy?"

"Precisely!" Draco met her desperate gaze. "That's precisely why we decided to elope. Our happiness, remember?"

"But I wasn't happy," Ginny uttered unevenly. "I thought I would be… I was wrong."

Draco dropped his gaze to the floor. A lump the size of a Quaffle was starting to form in his throat thanks to her emotions and his hurt.

"I'm sorry," Ginny whispered. "I wish I could have said something earlier, but it wasn't until that very moment that I realized how unhappy I was. I just couldn't-"

"You couldn't marry me," Draco finished for her, regaining the hardness in his voice.

"Not without our families there," Ginny clarified desperately. "We would have had to face them once we got back from our honeymoon anyway, so why did we decide to run in the first place?"

"We wanted to be together without any misery or fighting," Draco answered. "You know they would have given us grief."

"I know, and they would have if we'd gone through with it as well… Perhaps more grief."

"I can't see how it would differ," Draco drawled.

Ginny shook her head. "It would have a lot. We would have deprived my family of seeing their only daughter and sister get married, and your family of their only child. Everyone would have been hurt."

"Better them than me," Draco muttered.

"I don't know what else to say, Draco," Ginny admitted. "I made the right decision for me yesterday, and I'm sorry I hurt you. I was hoping you'd understand."

"I don't," Draco snapped angrily. "How can I understand? One minute you're telling me how much you love me, and the next you're saying that you can't do it."

"I think you need some time to think," Ginny said evenly as she stood up. "We're not getting anywhere here."

"You're leaving?" Draco asked incredulously.

"You know where to find me," she replied softly. "I hope I hear from you soon."

Draco watched in horrified silence as she squeezed past him and continued to the front door of the flat.

"You're a stupid bastard if you let her leave," Blaise said from the couch.

"It was her decision," Draco retorted petulantly, as he stepped into the room to defend himself.

"You're a bloody fool, Malfoy," Blaise muttered as he got to his feet. "Do you love her?"

"You know the answer to that question," Draco responded superciliously.

"Remind me," Blaise prompted. "Do you love her?"

Draco glanced across to the door, where Ginny had paused. Her back was to him, and she appeared to be holding herself very rigidly. There was no question that she was waiting to hear his answer. "More than anything," he managed emotionally.

"Don't tell me," Blaise said impetuously. "Tell her!"

Something in Blaise's tone got his feet moving, and before he realized what he was doing Draco was standing right behind her. "Don't leave," he whispered. "Please."

"I don't want to keep going around in circles trying to work this out," Ginny replied without turning around.

"We won't," Draco promised in desperation. "I love you. I-I don't want to lose you."

She turned slowly. "I don't want to lose you either."

"We can work this out," Draco assured her. "If you want a huge wedding with the entire wizarding world in attendance then that's fine or if you don't want to get married, then that's fine too."

"Living in sin, that'll please Narcissa," Blaise joked.

"I do want to get married," Ginny confirmed, ignoring Blaise's attempt at humor. "I just want to do it properly."

Draco dropped to one knee.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked.

"We're doing this properly, aren't we?"

She nodded as her frown turned into a giddy smile.

He took her hands in his. "Ginevra Weasley, will you marry me?"

"Yes," Ginny answered enthusiastically.

Draco was on his feet, gathering her into his arms in less than a second. He captured her lips in a passionate kiss, forgetting that Blaise was in the room as he tried to convey his feelings in one action.

"Hoo-fucking-rah," Blaise mumbled just before his delight turned to revulsion. "Get a room," he demanded, before retreating to the kitchen.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The End

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