Hey guys! I know this one has taken a little while and for the most part, it will be awhile between my updates, especially with the holidays coming up. I hope you enjoy this update and hopefully I'll get another update soon. I have a lot of ideas for this story, but my problem is trying to figure out what comes next. So, be patient with me like you always do! Love you guys!
~HM
Chapter 8
Ginny woke up surprisingly early the next morning and found her self rolling out of bed, instead of throwing the covers back over her head like she normally would. She yawned, stretched and then padded her way to her balcony, flipping back the curtains to let the soft morning sun shine through the glass windows.
A sleepy smile spread across her face as she stepped out and took in the magical world around her. The sunrise, the light wind and the lazy sounds of the surf…she wanted to be a part of it and not just from a balcony. She looked over to her left and could see the stretch of beach curve and mold with the island until it disappeared around the bend and out of sight.
She'd go for a walk on the beach, she decided as she ran inside to throw on some clothes. She kept it simple with a pair of gray cotton shorts and a green t-shirt, and then shuffled her feet into a pair of black flip-flops. She pulled back her hair in a sleek tail as she made her way to her door and quietly snuck out of her room, not wanting to wake any body up that might still be sleeping.
She was halfway down the stairs when an intoxicating aroma lingering in the air. "What is that?" she murmured to herself as she followed the alluring scent down the hallway.
She stopped at the open doorway that led to a very large living room with high ceilings and a wide glass wall on the far side to show off the incredible view of the ocean. She lingered there a moment, admiring the ridiculously oversized telly perched arrogantly on a high piece of dark wooded furniture. "That's impressive," she said with a shake of her head, before continuing down the hallway.
The scent was getting stronger and came from what she assumed was the kitchen. She pushed through the swinging door with her nose tilted up, but stopped almost immediately when she saw Claudia stationed in front of the stove. Since she didn't move far enough into the room, the swinging door came back and hit her from behind, causing her to yelp.
Claudia looked up from the sizzling bacon and smiled warmly at her. "Good morning, Miss Weasley," she greeted with her thick, Hispanic accent.
"Good morning, Claudia," she said stepping hesitantly into the kitchen. Harry had given a quick introduction to everyone last night at dinner, and from what Ginny could tell, she was a sweet woman. And one fantastic cook. She was short, pleasantly plump…possibly in her mid fifties. Her long black hair was pulled back into a braid, like it was last night, and her rich brown eyes twinkled warmly her. "I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you."
"No, no," she said and gestured her in with her spatula. "Come…would you like some coffee?"
"Is that what smells so good?"
"Yes," she said with a smile. "You…never had?"
"No," she said with shaking her head. "But I would sure like to change that."
Claudia set down her spatula and went over to the cabinet, and stepped on a stool to reach for a cup. "Milk and sugar?" she asked as she poured the dark, steamy liquid into a short, wide glass.
"I guess," she said with a laugh. "I don't know."
Claudia doctored it up and handed it to her. "You tell me if you like. Blow…it's hot."
Ginny smiled softly. "You sound like my mum," she said but gave a few cooling, puffs, before taking a tentative sip. "Mmm." Ginny's brows lifted, pleasantly surprised. "That's fantastic."
"Good," Claudia said with a firm nod as she turned her attention back to the bacon. "You enjoy."
"I will," she said and took another sip. "I was thinking of taking a walk on the beach."
"Yes, good idea," she said and glanced out at the windows above the sink. "Beautiful morning. Mister Malfoy is already down there."
Ginny choked slightly on her coffee. "Oh." She gave a little cough as she set down her mug. "Well…maybe I shouldn't…"
"No, no," Claudia said setting down her spatula again and went to her and gave her a nudge. "Beach is big enough for two of you. You go."
"Well…all right," she said and couldn't help but laugh when she gave her another reassuring push towards the small door leading to the veranda. "How do I get down there?"
Claudia opened the door for her and pointed ahead. "Follow those stairs down and at bottom is small trail that leads to beach."
"Thanks, Claudia," she said with a smile. "And for the coffee."
"You're welcome. Enjoy your walk. Breakfast will be ready soon."
"Sounds good," she said as she felt her tummy start to growl. "I'm hungry."
"Don't worry, I feed you," she said with a laugh before disappearing back inside the kitchen.
Ginny walked over to the curvy stone steps and slowly made her way down before stepping on the cool sand at the bottom. The trail wasn't thick, only a few palm trees outlined a narrow path that shot out to the beach. She could see the ocean between the trees before she even reached the end but a smile bloomed on her face when she popped out on the other side. It was just as beautiful from down here then it was from her balcony. Possibly more.
The sand was still slightly cool since the sun had yet to fully rise and it kicked up from her shoes as she made her way to the surf. As soon as the sand turned wet and firm, she kicked of her flip-flops and enjoyed the way her bare feet sunk gently into the sand. She strolled to the surf and let out a breathless laugh when the cool waters rushed up to meet her. She danced a bit, since it was a bit chilly, but eventually she got use to it and continued to walk aimlessly along the surf.
She hadn't gotten far when she first noticed the pile of clothes half buried in the sand. With a slight frown she went over to see a pair of jeans and a gray cotton t-shirt, and then remembered that Claudia had told her Draco was already at the beach. She heard a rhythmic splash behind her and turned on her heels to see Draco swimming towards her parallel to the shoreline a few yards out.
He had his head face down in the water as his muscular arms rotated in and out of the water and although she sure the process was tiring-he seemed to make it look effortless. He stopped suddenly almost right in front of her and sunk beneath the surface only to come right back up. His back was to her-an extremely hot back, she thought as she practically drooled over the way his muscles moved when he flicked back his wet, tangled hair with his fingers.
When he started to turn around and walk to shore, she let out a little shriek as she spun around. Due to the pile of clothes at her feet, Draco was probably naked and although a part of her was tempted to sneak a peak, she made herself keep her back to him. She heard him walking in the surf, closer and closer to her and then gulped when she felt his presence behind her.
"Morning, Red."
The corner of her lips tugged up in amusement. She was starting to like it when he called her that. "Malfoy."
"What are you doing out here?"
"Oh, you know," she said with a slight shrug. "Just thought I'd take a quick walk on the beach."
"I see. You know, usually, when two people are having a conversation, they're actually looking at each other. That's usually how it works."
"I…I turned around because I thought you might be…"
"Be?" He asked when she hesitated, dragging out the word.
"Well…you know…naked."
"Really?"
She could almost hear the mischievous grin in his voice. "Well, there's a pile of clothes here…what did you want me to think?"
"Why don't you turn around and see for yourself?"
She couldn't help the blush that erupted all over her face. "I'd rather not." She squatted down and picked up the pile of clothes and handed it to him without turning around. "Just put those on."
"I'm all wet. I need to air dry first."
She barely managed to fight back a groan by disguising it as a frustrated growl. "Fine…stay here naked, I'll just…no don't!"
He grabbed her arm and spun around and couldn't stop the laughter when she slapped a hand over her eyes. "I didn't realize you were such a prude."
Her back immediately went up as she flew her hand away and narrowed her eyes. "I am not a prude and…you're wearing your boxers."
A chuckle rumbled out of his chest. "Jeez, Red…you almost sound disappointed."
"Hardly," she scoffed as she crossed an arm over her chest. A part of her-a very small, teensy-weensy part of her-had been curious to find out what he had looked like naked. So, even though she'd never admit to him, she was slightly disappointed. "So…what are you doing up so early?"
"Didn't sleep well last night," he said as they both turned in unison and began to slowly walk along the surf together. "First night at a strange place always makes me edgy."
"I can understand that. As for me?...As long as there's a comfortable bed, I can sleep just about anywhere."
"You're lucky. I'll probably sleep a little better tonight."
She just nodded as they kept the slow, lazy pace, with the endless shoreline in front of them and the distant house at their backs. "Can I ask you a personal question?"
"You can ask…I might not answer."
"Fair enough." She stopped long enough to bend down and picked up a small shell peaking out of the sand, then continued her stride. "What have you been doing the past year?"
"Traveling mostly," he said as he watched her reach down for another shell. "Here." He held out his shirt to her. "You can use it as a pouch if you want."
"Oh…thanks." She accepted it with a pleasing smile and then fiddled with the shirt so it made a nice little bag for her shells. "Did you travel alone?"
"Sometimes…but mostly with my mother."
"Really?" she asked looking up at him from her squatting position. She plopped the shell in his shirt as she stood up. "That's sweet."
Draco shrugged, a bit embarrassed. "Not really…we just…never had a chance to spend time with each other. Now with my father and Voldemort out of the way, we can finally spend normal time together. And stop looking at me like that…it's not a big deal."
"Be embarrassed all you want, Malfoy…but it is a big deal." She rummaged through her shells until she found the one she wanted. "Here."
Draco looked down at the pink, swirled shell she had plopped in his hand. "Uh…thanks, Red…but I'm not really into shells."
"It's not for you," she said and pushed back his hand when he held it back to her. "It's for you to give to your mother."
"Why?"
She let out an exasperated breath. "Why not? Doesn't she like gifts?"
"Well, yeah…what woman doesn't? But…what is she going to do with some dinky little shell?"
"It's not dinky," she said insulted. "It's the prettiest one I've found so far. And it doesn't matter what she's going to do with it Malfoy…if it comes from you, she'll cherish it till the day she dies. But fine, if you don't like that one…we'll find a better one."
"It's fine," he said lifting his hand when she tried to take it back. "You're right…I'm sure she'll love it." He lifted his jeans so he could tuck it away in his pocket. "So, what about you? How was Hogwarts, post war?"
"Wonderfully normal," she said as she kept her gaze low to look out for shells.
"That sounds almost boring."
"Not at all," she said as she retrieved another shell, brushing off the sand before adding to her collection. "It was nice to have a normal, carefree year where the only thing I had to stress about was Quidditch and homework."
"I guess. I don't particularly know what that's like."
"No, I imagine not," Ginny said and felt incredibly sad for him. "What was it like? Being a Death Eater?"
He stiffened. "You don't know want to know."
"But-"
"Drop it, Ginny," he snapped as he whipped his head towards her and glared.
She immediately retreated a step back at the tone. "I…sorry, I didn't mean…"
"No," he said as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He saw the flicker of fear in her eyes and he hated himself for putting it there. He didn't want to be that person anymore. He took a deep calming breath as he opened his eyes to her. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"That's okay," she said as she stepped back towards him.
"No, it's not," he said running his fingers through his hair. "Look…that part of my life…it's in the past and I don't much like bringing it up."
"I can understand that, Draco," she said reaching out to him and placed a hand on his arm. "But maybe talking about it would help, instead of burying it."
"Burying it is the only way I know how to get over it," he said and then gripped her hand on his arm when he saw her open her mouth to argue. "Leave it alone, Red. Please," he added when his voice had hardened slightly.
Ginny sighed in defeat. "All right. I'll drop it." For now. "We should probably head back. Breakfast should be ready by now."
"Okay," he said but didn't make any action to move, nor did he remove his hand that was covering hers.
Ginny felt a certain tingle in her belly at the way he was staring at her and how did he get so close? Did he move or did she? "Ah…I need my hand back," she finally managed to say as she tried to tug her hand away.
"Oh." He slid his hand away from hers. "Sorry."
"No problem." She barely resisted the urge to snap back her hand and managed to lift it off slowly and smoothly. "Well, we should probably-"
"Right. Let me just-" Draco flicked out his jeans and quickly tugged them on over his hips. "Wouldn't be a good idea to stroll in the kitchen with you in just my boxers."
Ginny turned her head slightly to hide her blush. "I suppose not."
"Wouldn't want your brother to get the wrong idea. Or Potter"
She spun her head immediately back around. "Or Potter? What's that suppose to mean?"
Draco's brows lifted. "What do you mean? You're with Potter, right?"
Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know, am I?"
"Don't do that," Draco said waving his hands. "I hate it when you girls do that. When you repeat the question we just asked you in that snooty tone. We really hate that."
"We really don't care," she answered back.
"Look," he said calmly with a sigh. "I had just assumed that you two patched things up after I walked in on you two last night. You guys looked pretty cozy if you asked me."
"Well I didn't ask you," she said as she drilled a finger in his chest. "And it's none of your business."
"I'm not saying it is," he said and when she didn't move her finger, he gripped it gently between his index finger and thumb and casually moved it aside. "Now, if we're done here…let's go…I'm hungry."
Ginny watched him walk off for a few moments, before letting out a frustrating sigh as she caught up with him. "Harry and I aren't together…technically…yet."
Draco didn't miss a beat as he kept on walking, but couldn't help but notice the feel of something loosen in his belly. "Whatever," he finally said shrugging it off.
"No…honest."
"I believe you."
"We're just…seeing how things goes during the next few weeks."
"Okay."
"Because we don't want to rush things."
"Sounds reasonable. Don't forget your shoes."
"What?" she asked, getting slightly annoyed by his dry, nonchalant answers. "Oh," she said when he pointed to her black flip-flops she had kicked off earlier. She trotted over to them and quickly slipped them on and huffed when she realized he didn't wait for her.
She finally caught up with him at the bottom of the stairs. "You asked, you know."
He paused at the first step and turned, towering over her since she was still on the sand. "Asked what?"
She had to crane her neck to look at him. "Whether Harry and I were together."
"Technically…I didn't. I assumed you two were together and didn't ask until you went all…weird on me."
"I didn't go all weird on you," she balked.
"Please," he said dryly. "You're back went up so fast, I thought someone shoved a rod through it."
"No it didn't…you just…caught me off guard."
He gave her a slow grin. "Okay."
Ginny let out a growl as she actually stamped a foot frustratingly to the ground as he walked. "You are so…infuriating."
"Did you just stamp your feet?" he asked in slight amusement. "What are you, six?"
"No, I'm annoyed." She then waved a hand as she nudged him aside. "Oh, forget it…let's go."
He grabbed her arm as she started to past and now their faces were even since she was a few steps above them. "You know, Red…you Weasleys have quite the temper."
Her lips curved. "We sure do."
"It looks good on you."
She couldn't help the pleasure that bloomed inside her. "You're just trying to be charming so I won't be annoyed with you anymore."
"Maybe….is it working?"
"Surprisingly, yes." When he just grinned, she let out a laugh and playfully slapped his chest with the back of his hand. "Come on, you idiot."
Draco just continued to grin as he followed her up the stairs and-since he was a typical guy-enjoyed the view along the way.
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