+*+*+*+*+*+
Scarlet Woman
Prologue
+*+*+*+*+*+
She walked down the street, her stiletto heels clicking a steady beat that echoed in the empty road. She shivered in the street as a cold wind swept the first leaves of fall into the sky, streetlight making their vibrant hues beautiful in the pitch black night. Leaning, slowly, against a streetlight, she waited for her first customer of the night.
+*+*+*+*+*+
Draco was tired, he was angry, and he was alone. The main problems with his current state of mind were revolved around a lingering memory, one he couldn't shake. So what if it'd happened almost five years ago? The damned thing wouldn't leave him alone.
So, he was going to do what he always did in this situation: get himself a cheap "date," release this horrible tension that was threatening to overtake him, and get on with his life.
That is, until you need to do it again. And again. He thought sardonically. Glancing towards the corners, he checked out the merchandise in the area. Draco usually looked for red heads, a trait that wasn't common on the street. So, when he saw a flash of red moving under a streetlight, he immediately went towards it.
As he got closer, the characteristics of the prostitute became more apparent. She wasn't tall, only about 165 centimeters tall, and she had a slender look about her. Her hair was long, wavy, and sent light refracting in hues of gold and fire-red. Draco couldn't help but think she was a perfect match.
+*+*+*+*+*+
She'd seen him from a mile away. He was, of course, the reason she was on the streets now, but she had never thought that they would run into each other again. Fate had it out for her, though, ever since her first year at school. There was no way to escape the fact that Life wanted her to suffer. That was why, when he walked over, she decided to let him know the truth, if he asked. And, of course, he did.
+*+*+*+*+*+
+*+*+*+*+*+
Scarlet Woman
Part One
+*+*+*+*+*+
Draco walked faster towards the woman beneath the light. He couldn't believe it; he didn't want to. How could she be a prostitute? How had she escaped their world, only to become a Muggle whore?
But when he reached the pool of light, he had no choice but to face up to the truth.
"Virginia Weasley."
She looked up at him, her face made up in vibrant colors that were supposed to make her look more attractive, but they only seemed to hide her natural beauty.
"Draco Malfoy. It's been a long time."
Her calm response unsettled him. He suddenly decided to get her away, get her off the streets. She didn't belong here.
Hastily grabbing her, he Apparated off the street.
+*+*+*+*+*+
When they appeared in his apartment, Ginny looked pissed.
"What the hell was that, Malfoy?" She tore herself away from him, nervous irritation radiating from her.
"What the hell was that?! What do you mean, what the hell was that?!" Draco, incredulous, ran a hand through his short blond hair.
"I didn't need you whisking me off like some defenseless girl! I was fine!" She furiously moved towards the door.
Oh, no, you don't, he thought. He walked swiftly into her path, placing his hands on her shoulders to stop her.
"You are not leaving this apartment until you tell me why you're selling yourself on the streets." He looked into her eyes, trying to make her realize the situation she was in.
"If I owe anyone an explanation, it is definitely not you! Now, let go of me."
"No. I'm not letting you go until you explain, to my satisfaction, what the fuck you're doing as a prostitute!" He turned her quickly into his kitchen, frustration fueling his movements. Pushing her down into a seat at the table, he glared at a cup as he filled it with the steaming tea he's prepared with a flick of his wand. Ginny hadn't even noticed him doing it. Thrusting the cup into her hands, he headed towards the cabinets that lined the kitchen walls.
Ginny stared down into her tea cup, cradling it in her hands. She was silent. Draco was moving about the kitchen, furiously slamming drawers and clanking dishes. He turned toward her, slamming his mug onto the kitchen counter.
"What the hell are you doing, Ginny?" His eyes flashed as his lips twisted in fury.
"Don't call me that." Ginny's eyes rose from her cup, her expression unreadable. "You lost the right to call me that when you left."
"Fine then, Virginia." Her name rolled slickly off his tongue. "But you still haven't answered my question. What were you doing out there?" He gestured at the window over the counter, and at the street beyond it.
She laughed mirthlessly. "You know what I'm doing, Draco." She glared at him. "How often do you bring home a whore, once a month? Every night? I bet you know exactly what I was doing out there."
"This isn't about me, Virginia. You know how I am. You shouldn't be surprised at my habits." He angrily leaned against the counter and rested his weight on his hands. Ginny looked back in her tea.
"You wouldn't understand, Draco," she whispered, feeling the slowly rising hopelessness that haunted the back of her mind.
"Then make me understand." Draco's voice was calmer, defeated. Ginny heard him pour tea into his mug and sit down at the table. She felt closed in, trapped. Quickly, she stood up.
"Why should I tell you anything?" she snapped. "It's your fault I'm out there!"
"My fault?" His eyebrows rose, disbelieving.
"Yes, your fault!" She could feel the hopelessness swelling, pushing against her careful walls. "You left me, you bastard! I needed you and you tossed me out and left. I was lost - I didn't know what to do! Ron was barely talking to me, everyone avoided me like the plague…"
Tears streamed down her face. Seeing her final chance to escape, Ginny ran for the door, her coat still wrapped around her shoulders. Draco grabbed her arm. Ginny's momentum swung her into his chest and he grabbed her other arm, holding her immobile.
"Virginia! Stop it!"
But she was trapped, and years on the street had taught her if she was trapped, she could be dead. She started to thrash, to try to get away.
"Ginny! It's me, for God's sake. I'm not going to hurt you!"
She stopped moving, her breath coming in pants and chocked sobs. She buried her head into his chest.
Draco carefully wrapped his arms around her. "It'll be okay," he whispered.
"Nothing will be okay again," Ginny sobbed against him, her hands grasping helplessly at his robes.
Draco did the only thing he could do. He held her.
+*+*+*+*+*+
It was her first night on the streets. For the most part, she'd been able to find a shelter to take her in, but tonight was different. It was Christmas Eve. Even the shelters she'd frequented had been closed. It was also the first Christmas she'd spent away from her family.
Shivering as an icy wind bit through her, Ginny looked around for a place to hide from the cold. Seeing an alleyway that was fairly deserted, she headed into darkness. Looking carefully around her, she pulled her tattered coat tightly around her shoulders, leaned against a wall near a Dumpster, and slowly fell asleep to the sound of the howling wind.
Her restless sleep was broken abruptly when a gravely voice spoke up at her side.
"First night on the street, huh?"
Ginny opened her eyes and fought the urge to scream. The man who was talking to her was dirty, his hair hanging limply in his face in clumps. His breath was rancid and smelt of some sort of strong alcohol.
He saw the terror in her eyes and laughed. "Don't you worry, Red. I'm not going to hurt you. Just looking for a place to lie for the night."
He leaned against the wall next to her. Looking at her, he gave a small smile. "Yup, you're new to the streets. I can tell, been here so long it's like I can smell the new ones. My name's Wallace." He put out a hand covered with a worn, fingerless glove. Hiding her revulsion, she shook it.
"My name's Ginny."
He smiled. "Had a daughter by that name. Sweet little thing, she was."
He seemed to go off into an old, painful memory for a minute. Ginny let him; she knew about memories. He shook himself and looked back at her. "So, why don't you tell me your story and I'll tell you mine."
He smiled again, and Ginny noticed the genuine warmth in his face. She leaned against the Dumpster again and began telling him what had sent her here in the first place.
+*+*+*+*+*+
Draco waited for Ginny to calm down. Her hands finally loosened their death grip on his robes. He rested his head in her hair, whispering calming words into her ear. She laughed softly.
"Why are you being so nice?" She chuckled again and a sob wrenched out of her throat. "I mean, you were a bastard the last time I saw you."
"I was not a bastard," he protested through her curls. She shook a final time and stepped back.
"Yes, you were." She shot him a look of old pain, then sighed deeply and wiped at her eyes. She cast a glance at the door and gave a small smirk. "I guess you're not going to let me leave now."
His irate expression was all the answer she needed.
Ginny looked around the apartment, her eyes landing on the leather couch and lounge chair in Draco's sparse living room. There was a table covered with magazines and that morning's newspaper. Along with the radio on a small table near one of the windows, they were the only things in the room besides the furniture. The floor was a honey-toned wood and a white rug sat underneath the coffee table.
Ginny walked slowly towards the couch, eyeing the expensive black leather and running a hand over the surface. Draco watched her as she continued to stroke the couch. She sighed and turned to him.
"It's been a long time since I've been invited into a man's apartment for something other than sex." She smiled and scanned the magazines. Faces smiled back at her and waved. She caught sight of a picture of Harry, who looked shocked to see her.
Quickly, she flipped the magazine over.
"You can sit down, you know."
Ginny glanced over at Draco, who had a strange look on his face. She sat down and rested her arms in her lap. Draco moved towards the lounge chair and sat down, leaning towards her.
"You have two choices," he said. "You can stay here and tell me why you're doing this, or you can leave. And since I don't plan on letting you make the second choice, you're going to have a lot of talking to do."
She sighed. "I don't know if I could tell you in one night." She looked at him through her mussed hair. "And I don't trust you." Her eyes were dark orbs in her pale face, and the make-up that he couldn't help but grimace at was smeared hopelessly.
He leaned back into the chair, his arms long on the armrests. "I can understand that." He met her eyes firmly. "But I'm not letting you leave."
She leaned into the couch, moving her hand over it again. "Okay. But you're going to have to tell me your story in exchange."
He smirked. "My home isn't enough?" She glared at him, making to stand up and head to the door. He held up a hand, stopping her. "It's a deal. I'm going to go get you some blankets and a pillow. The couch folds out." He stood and left the room.
Ginny watched his tall form go into another part of the apartment. He'd changed, she realized, just like she had. Five years had made him older, wiser, and definitely more handsome. The attraction she still felt for him battled with the hatred, anger, and resentment that resided deep within her heart and soul. But tonight wasn't for the past, it was for moving forward. She wiped at her eyes again.
If Draco "Ferret" Malfoy could be civil, she could be too. She'd prove to him that, although she'd been shattered when he left, she was stronger for it. She could, and would, face whatever life threw at her now.
With her resolve mustered, Ginny waited for Draco to come back.
+*+*+*+*+*+
Draco sighed as he searched through his meager selection of sheets. He couldn't believe that Ginny Weasley had come back into his life. He'd made sure that she'd never want to see him again when he'd left school.
And it had seemed that his plan had worked, but here she was. It was almost like something kept drawing them together, no matter how hard they tried to pull apart. If Draco believed in fate, he might add it to that.
Finding a set of sheets that were the right size for the couch, he walked back into the main room. Ginny was still sitting where he'd left her, only her face was determined. She looked up when he came in.
"All right, these sheets are pretty clean. If you want to go take a shower or something, I'll get the couch made up."
She nodded, looking grateful. "Thank you. It's been a while since I've had a nice shower." She stood and held her coat out. "Where should I put this?
"Just throw it anywhere. I'll hang it up later. The bathroom's just down the hall, towels are in the closet next to it."
She smiled again and walked off. Draco watched her leave.
Ginny Weasley, you are such a conundrum to me. He sighed again and started to pull the couch out.
+*+*+*+*+*+