"Ow!"

Ginny could not help but laugh madly at the spectacular look of indignation completed with a pout on Draco Malfoy's face as he brushed off the snow on his face. She felt a sense of pride, knowing that she was responsible for it. His expression was so endearing that she found her laughter softened into a smile. Who would have guessed that Draco Malfoy was capable of delivering an expression that was not hateful or haughty?

"Aw come on, don't be a wuss. It can't be that painful."

"It was not painful but I have to say, I just love having my nose freeze off my face!" He tried to warm his face with his hands and muttered under his breath, "bloody chasers and their impeccable aim."

The comment made her grin wider. Closing the distance between them, she brushed her fingers over his cheeks without thinking. Draco grew still at the contact before relaxing into her touch. As their eyes met, she said Tergeo softly. Instantly, all the snow and ice from his face and hair was siphoned off. Upon examining her handiwork, Ginny was pleased to find that she had managed to do wandless magic. The indignation on Draco's face slipped off and was replaced with a serious look of contemplation.

"Oh come on, that was just simple magic and I am not the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter for nothing."

Ginny joked, trying to lighten the mood. She knew that look on Draco's face very well: the clear, sharp, piercing grey eyes of his become stormy whenever he was in deep contemplation about a difficult decision. She remembered that look when he first decided to share about himself honestly; that look transpired into a great friendship between them. To be honest, she had never thought they could be friends, good friends even, but there was just something about his dry humour and no-nonsense honesty that she appreciated. If she needed someone to tell her the truth without frills and give it to her, he would be the person she goes to.

Finally, he opened his mouth, "Ginevra-"

"Ginny?"

A familiar warm voice from behind her called for her attention away from Draco. She turned and there he was in an olive-green coat that complimented his eyes. His black hair was in that characteristic unruly mess.

"Harry? What brings you here?"

Harry stood there in the snow, shifting his weight from foot to foot, looking uncertain. "I thought I would visit you, give you a surprise, see how you are doing...Could we have a word?"

Ginny found herself hesitating, knowing that Draco had something important to say to her whenever he started off his sentence with her 'Ginevra'. Looking up, she wordlessly searched his eyes for assent. There was a brief look of surprise that passed in his eyes before he nodded. Ginny gave him a bright smile and squeezed of his arm gently.

"Later," a word filled with promise.

With her back against Draco, she missed the look of regret that passed through his features as he watched her go.

They walked in companionable silence as they always had. With Harry, not much words seemed to be needed. He was familiar, predictable and constant in her life...She knew him like she knew the back of her hand. For that reason, she knew exactly why he was here and that he was bothered by how close she was to Draco. Ginny had little doubt that it was Hermione who wrote to him and updated him about her newly formed friendship with Draco. What really amused her was that it took this for him to finally come running to her.

They had reached the dining hall and sat at the Gryffindor table like old times. Only now he sat across from her and not next to her with her hand laced in his. If anyone walked in, they would have assumed they were friends, acquaintances and not lovers. She waited patiently for what he had to say as he cut out a piece of the treacle pie her mother made for her. Her brows raised, "you are not having any?"

"Molly fed me incredibly well before I got here." They exchanged a knowing look as Ginny picked up a fork and bit into it. Definitely made by her mother. The corner of her lips twitched as she savoured her mother's wonderful cooking, making a vague reminder to have Draco try one at the back of her mind.

"Ginny, I missed you."

Looking up from her pie, she saw a despondent look in those startling green eyes of his. Ginny felt a tinge of guilt for bring him pain but the guilt came mostly from not sharing what he feels for her.

When the war ended and her beloved Fred was gone, she was devastated. Ginny had always been the closest to the twins. With six brothers, she learnt quickly that being devious was the only way to get ahead of the boys who were much stronger and bigger than she was. The twins had always appreciated her inclination towards mischief, particularly her lack of reservation when it came to tricks and pranks. She was an extension of them and they acknowledged it by including her in their schemes. Together, they wrecked such havoc mercilessly upon people they disliked or just for the heck of it. Though this was not to say that she had never been at the end of the twins' prank. In fact, she was often the first they tried on. She always took the pranks with grace and even provided them with suggestions on making them "better" or simply outdid them on their prank. Ginny always reckoned that that was the reason why they loved her: she never whined like Ron or Percy but she always took what they did and outdone them. She was quick to catch on and if they tricked her, they could trick anyone. They loved and adored her and so did she in return.

So naturally, Fred's death hit her hard. She always knew the war could take someone close but to take Fred from George...from her family...Her heart ached at the thought of George, the gentler of the two. Fred's death took such a toll on the family, it was as if all the laughter and smiles were sucked right out of the family. Everyone dealt with their grief in their own ways; most of them busied themselves with something, pretending that all was well. George and Ginny withdrew to be on their own. Sometimes, Ginny and George sat silently together mourning their loss - loss of their brother, companion, conspirator, accomplice and friend. Fred had always been the instigator out of the twins, being the more assertive, daring and confident one. Ginny knew George felt lost and directionless but she also knew that he would survive - they all would but it would just take some time and adjustment.

With Fred gone, Ginny suddenly understood, with painful clarity, why Blaise Zabini chose to be neutral. She had never lost anyone important and now that she had, she could see perspectives that she had never considered before. Though she had no regrets about picking a side, she saw the farce in reckless bravery and courage. She thanked her lucky stars that most of her family was still alive and shuddered at the thought of losing more. Her perception of the world altered and it no longer existed in just the black and white that Ginny had previously known - there were now shades of grey. This had made it easier to accept Draco when they met again in Hogwarts. The shift in perception from the loss of Fred brought about an identity crisis. She needed some time to find herself and to figure out her plans alone.

That was why she decided to come back to Hogwarts. The place where many ghosts of those who died in the war still haunts. She needed to find herself at the place she lost the most. Even though the Ministry of Magic decreed that she had not needed to take N.E.W.T.S given her participation in the war but she found it to be a neat excuse for some time alone and some soul-searching. Harry had argued that they could soul-search together now that he too felt lost that his 'life mission' was over. But Ginny wanted to do this on her own, to be independent.

During the war, there were many a times she had dreamed of him coming back to bring her along with him. She could not wait to be in his arms and had thought that was all she wanted. Years of being excluded from any activity in the house for simply being a girl made her more bitter than she thought she would be when she was excluded from her boyfriend's life and his little adventures. She often wondered if subconsciously this was revenge for leaving her alone when she desperately wanted to be with him during the war. Truth was, he had been gone for too long. As much as she understood his noble reasons, she wanted to go with him and could not see why her brother and Hermione could go with him but she could not.

He chose to go without her.

In his absence, she had learned to be on her own, to fight on her own. His return messed up her routine and invaded her personal space. It was as if she had spent so much time filling up the space he left that she, ironically, had no space left for him now. They were both unsure of who they were and needed time apart to find themselves before starting over. He had accepted her reasons without a fight, perhaps to show her the consideration she gave him but she had at least expected some sort of fight.

There was none.

Fast forward to a year later, she had just finished her N.E.W.T.S while he had spent the year being an Auror with her brother. Nothing had changed much; they were still in different places. Ginny had not known she was disappointed in him till now. Here is Harry sitting in front of her, pleadingly, only when it looked as if she would be moving on without him. He had been so accepting of everything because he had thought they were a foregone conclusion - that she was a foregone conclusion. The deep-seated anger, resentment and disgruntlement bubbled up to the surface like a cauldron on high fire, threatening to spill over. For the first time, she began to wonder if their relationship was the way it was simply because they were just wrong for each other and not because they understood each other or it was the way they loved each other.

"Hermione owled you, hadn't she?"

The startled look in his eyes betrayed him and Ginny could hear her sharp bitter laughter ringing in her ears.

"What took you so long, Harry? Why now, in particular? Why have you decided to come here and tell me that you miss me today when I have not heard from you for months? Why did it take an owl from Hermione instead of your feelings and initiative?"

By the time she had returned to the common room, she was exhausted - mentally and emotionally. It was late and past curfew so she had not expected anyone to be up in the common room. Imagine her surprise when she found Draco sitting on one of the fluffy warm red couch, fully decked in Slytherin colours as if in outright rebellion of the room he was in. With so much red, you would think that the Malfoy heir would be overwhelmed but if anything, his all-green-black outfit stood out and made him look like the centerpiece of the room. Along with his pale pallor and fine platinum angel hair, he outshone his surrounding with a confident, haughty grace that only a Malfoy could achieve. The sight made her smile despite her painfully long day. He should look ridiculous, only he doesn't - he never does. If anything, he looked even more like himself: a picture of poise, elegance, self-assurance, control and privilege.

"Well, I am surprise you haven't fainted from the amount of Gryffindor red that surrounds you. Has it made you bolder?"

Draco tsk-ed at her as he put down the book he was reading, "A Malfoy never faints."

With a snot, she replied dryly as she settled on the couch opposite him, "sure, they don't. Neither do they do anything remotely humane. God forbid that they so much as sneeze!"

His eyes sparkled in amusement, "let's hope that God would not let slip and be too permissive for the sake of mankind."

Ginny felt a grin stretching across her mouth. Trust Draco and his witty mouth to coax a smile out of her. She had thought that she would want to be alone after what transpired with Harry but his solid, calm and comforting presence was what she needed.

"How did you even get in with your Slytherin get-up?"

"I have my ways, I am a Slytherin, remember? Cunning and scheming are both my middle names."

"You forgot narcissistic, you always forget that."

"Self-confidence, you mean. Goes without saying."

"And delusional."

"Not as much as you Gryffindor lot who deny our clever and charm."

"I am making you an appointment at St. Mungos."

"Great, I have made one for you too. We can go hand in hand and hope for the best."

They sat there smiling at each other like idiots as Ginny fought the urge to climb into his arms for comfort and warmth. She had such a long day which, of course, he picked out instantly.

"You all right, Ginevra?'

The mood shifted from light to serious. Draco watched her carefully, assessing her reaction as he would whenever he brought up a sensitive topic. The smile slipped off her face and she groaned as she rested her head on the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

"It was awful. He wanted us to get back together."

"And you said yes."

It was not so much of a question as it was a statement - an assumption. With a frown, she snapped her head forward so she was glaring straight at him. His eyes were cold and distance with that blasted wall of ice that acted as his emotional shield. She had seen that look countless of times and it still manages to enrage, infuriate and upset her whenever he is in this state.

"Are you even listening to what I am saying? Do you not understand what the word 'awful' means? Why does everyone think I am a foregone conclusion?"

"Because most of the time you are."

Her cheeks flushed in anger and hurt at his bitingly candid remark. How could a person induce such an emotional rollercoaster in just split seconds? How was it that he could make her smile and feel happiness as quickly as he could anger and hurt her? It had to be illegal for someone to be so good at making her go from one extreme end of emotions to another within minutes, seconds even. There was a bitterness in his tone that upset her. Enraged, she threw a cushion at him which he caught with his seeker's reflexes.

She knew he was trying make her stomp out of the room but she held her ground, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of winding her up. Somehow, she knew he said that to hurt her.

Merlin knew why.

Ginny stared at him with her chin set in defiance, her deep mahogany eyes shone brightly with indignation. Draco sighed and ran his fingers through his hair - a habit that he reverted to whenever he feels like he was losing control and frustrated. It was a feeling that he rarely felt, in general, but all too often when he was with Ginny. There was something about her that always made him feel vulnerable and at her mercy. She frustrated and befuddled him, frequently made him lose the steel-like control he perfected over the years.

When Draco returned to Hogwarts, he was expecting a dull and mundane year. His parents had decided that it would be best for him to return and get his N.E.W.T.S, to show the society that they are starting afresh and on the right foot. All this to restore the Malfoys to their original status in society. Draco was not keen and uncertain about going back to school; he was unsure of how people would respond to him. He was right to be uncertain for it was a nightmare. No Slytherins wanted to be associated with a family that had fallen from grace and were not incarcerated unlike the rest of the death eaters while no other students wanted anything to do with an ex-death eater.

So Draco tried as best as he could to blend in with the shadows. There was only one person who had without fail, acknowledged his presence: Ginny. She was the only one who would greet him or even nod at him. He appreciated it, even if it startled and confused him. It never went beyond that since she spent most of her time with Granger and there was no reason for him to have a conversation with her.

Fate had something else in store for them when Granger fell sick and did not attend class for a week. Transfiguration, potions, defense against the dark, charms...all the classes required them to be in partner up. Nobody wanted to group with Draco while Ginny did not have a partner. He hesitated about asking but she read his mind and startled him when she suggested they partner up. Towards the end of the week, whenever they had to partner up, it became an unspoken agreement. Very quickly, he found himself enjoying her company, particularly her little snide remarks that were always comically timed. Before he knew it, they were hanging out whenever she was not with Granger whom he was now, shockingly, on speaking terms with.

His parents would probably froth if they knew he was friends with Ginny and acquaintances with Granger. Well, he never imagined himself friends with a Weasley. Particularly the youngest Weasley, who had always been feisty, brilliant and gutsy. Every time he looks at her, he would wonder how he even managed to become friends with this wonderfully loving, bright, courageous and strong woman. She might be smaller than he but she had more strength and courage in her than he would ever have. She lived her life with a ferocity that was as impressive as it was intimidating. If she believes in something, she would not be shaken. It was a quality that was so admirable and resplendent that he could not help but be drawn towards her. Her unshakable faith in those she befriended is what made him feel like he is capable of being a better man. Everything seemed so easy with her: nothing is complicated, everything is as bright and simplistic as day.

He had meant what he said: on most things, she was a foregone conclusion because she was always transparent in what she thought and felt. Ginny Weasley was as easy to read as an open book with flashing neon lights. Her heart was sewn on her sleeve, hiding nothing. It was refreshing for Draco who grew up with people who considered any kind of expression a weakness. In Slytherin, if anyone was such an open book, they would be exploited to tatters in less than half a second. He could always trust her to be honest and not scheming or manipulative. She was predictable, safe and he knew exactly which buttons of hers to push to set her off.

And yet, somehow, she still manages to surprise him, to throw him off-guard from time to time. It made him feel very unsettled.

Only Merlin would know how she does it.

Draco had meant to push her away with that comment because he was afraid to know what her response to Potter was. But here she still was, livid and glaring but holding her ground against him fiercely. She was distractingly beautiful with her cheeks in a blazing shade of red that were brighter than the glorious wine-red hair that framed her heart-shaped face. While her usually warm mahogany brown eyes were hard and glinting with fury and her rosy full lips pressed into a thin line. Even in anger, she was breath-taking which frustrated him even more because he cannot even think straight nor could he regain his self-possession with her looking this bewitching. Draco could feel that that self-control he prided himself in slipping away. Matters regarding Ginny always brought out this petulant, selfish and overzealous child in him. The idea that she could be with anyone else other than him was becoming increasingly difficult for him to stomach. He wanted her to himself, all of her. What scared him the most was that she might not feel the same way as he does for her. The Ginny he had come to know was strong and independent - she does not need a man to make her happy. But Potter and her had a long history; history that he could never compete with. The idea that her future might not include him, terrified him. In the next few seconds, he knew that he was going to say something he would regret but he could not stop himself.

"Go fulfil that naive fairy tale that you've had since second year with Potter as your bloody knight-in-shining-armor. It was all you wanted, wasn't it? Marry the hero of your dreams who saved you from the Chamber of Secrets that my father had put you in. Well, congratulations on your dream come true."

Ginny launched herself at him, attacking him with her fists. Her fists were, unfortunately for him, not as ineffectual as they looked. They packed a heck of a punch and he was certain that there would be bruises tomorrow but he let her plummet him.

"I thoroughly ended things with him, you arse. Who are you to raise me up and put me down in a matter of seconds? Who are you to make me so happy one moment and so damn angry the next? What do you want from me, Draco Lucius Malfoy?"

Demandingly, she grabbed his collar, eyes brimming with unshed angry tears. He matched her stare, scrutinizing her for a moment before sighing helplessly and revealing what he had wanted to say this morning before Potter interrupted them, "Ginevra, I..." Draco ran his hand through his hair, making it messier. His hair mirrored the whirlwind of emotions in him.

"I want to try things with you. Not just the dating and the sex but the whole damn thing for a lifetime which is crazy because look at us now: we would be laughing one minute and at each other's throat the next. Every damn day is going to be like an emotional rollercoaster but here I am," he waved his hand to make his point, "proposing this to you because I can't imagine what life without you would be like anymore. It would be dull and boring, I don't want that. With you, everything is exciting and alive. You make me feel alive. And frustrated, angry, out of control but so darn happy." He paused, searching Ginny's eyes, "Ginevra, I want to be more than just your friend. I want to be all and more."

"All and more..." She repeated softly in a daze as her grip around his collar loosened. Waves of shock passed over her, her hands slid off and rested somewhere near his heart. Ginny was suddenly conscious of how fast his heart was beating, the intensity of his usually clear piercing grey eyes that were now cloudy with various emotions and trained on her as well as how close they were with her on his lap.

She thought about what he was proposing to her. All and more with Draco Malfoy sounded scary. Their friendship was somewhat a scandal already and yet, he is suggesting they go further. If as a friend, he has the ability to stir such emotions in her, what more if she allowed herself to love him?

Ginny drew her attention back to Draco who was staring at her expectantly and patiently. Amidst the varied emotions in his eyes, she saw, most predominantly, his affections for her as well as fear and anxiety.

'Fear that I would say yes or fear that I would say no?' Ginny mused in her head.

Now that the shock was wearing off, she began to feel her anger fade into apprehension. She stared at the man before her: his platinum blonde fine hair was all mussed up and messy from him running his fingers repeatedly through it. His hair fell into his now stormy grey eyes that often had a silver glint in them especially whenever he was laughing. His eyes always had a crystal-like quality that were piercing and telling. Whenever he was being difficult, his eyes gave her hints though they were often like a one-way mirror that sees through you but never revealed much to anyone else. But Ginny knew just how to make him lose control over his emotions so he could not fool her even if he wanted to. All of Draco's features were sharp in an aristocratic and elegant way. His nose, lip and jaw were all almost right angles on its edges, they were sharp like him. Yet, there was a sort of fragile beauty in all that sharpness and acuteness. In a way, his features complimented his brutal honesty that cuts through lies and falsity of others but, ironically, not of himself.

In the past few months, she had gotten to know him rather well. Draco was always honest and direct in a way that was sometimes off-putting. Yet, she appreciated the genuineness that he displayed, seemingly only to her, out of trust. They trusted each other - implicitly. Somewhere along the way, he had become important and dear to her. He was so different from Harry; he was a man of dubious morals and his world was not as simple as just black or white, right or wrong. There were dimensions and levels of greys that have to be given considerations whenever a decision was made, in order to maximize the value of the outcome. Harry, on the other hand, was kind and morally upright. For he had lived his life doing the right and only best thing for everyone. There was something about Draco that she found herself drawn to. His complexities made him an enigma to her but it was what endeared him to her too. She respected his ability to see things from perspectives that she could not. It would be easy to dismiss him and pick a safer option but Ginny had chosen to accept them all of Draco's flaws even the ones that hurt and annoy her the most. Such as his tendency to hurt those he cared about the most, a warped defense mechanism that kicks in more often than she liked.

All and more.

Could they be 'all and more'? Would they be able to endure what 'all and more' comprised of?

Ginny had always been a curious one who rarely steps away from a challenge. She looked hard at the infuriating, challenging, intelligent and gorgeous man before her whom she had grown very fond of and attached to. A Weasley and a Malfoy...Oh, the amount of havoc they would cause. He was right though, she too could not imagine what life would be like without him. Every day with him was challenging. Nothing was easy with Draco but every victory made her ecstatic. If there was anything that she could count on him for, aside from harsh truths, it was his love and loyalty. Once he offers it, it would take a lot for him to rescind it.

All and more.

Subconsciously, her hand had moved to his left cheek, gently caressing it. Her eyes met his and she felt the corners of her lips moving upwards. Yes, she could love him and his multi-layered complexity. Ginny broke into a wide smile causing Draco's mesmerising grey eyes lit up with a flicker of hope.

"Fine."

"Fine?" He repeated with one of his eyebrows raised.

"Let's do it. All and more."

Draco searched her face, assessing the sincerity in her reply. Satisfied, his eyes ignited with merriment as an incredibly sexy smirk found its way to his lips. Learning forward, he swopped her idiotic grin into a kiss. Ginny let out a throaty moan as he sucked on her lower lip and granted him access. His tongue explored her month in his persistent and assured way that was very Draco Malfoy like. Her right hand found its way to his hair and she ran her hand through it, gently tugging his soft platinum blonde hair. While her left hand drew lazy circles on his chest, eliciting a resonant groan from Draco. His kisses went from gentle and exploratory to passionate and fervent. He was relentless in his conquest. Desire pooled in her gut and she knew Draco felt the same for the lack of distance between them left little to the imagination.

Surrounded by his warmth and his heady signature amber wood and parchment scent, Ginny allowed herself to melt completely into the kiss, feeling intoxicated and whole in his arms - a promise and ongoing realisation of all and more.