He hadn't owled in days, and she didn't want to send him another message. It would give her hope that he would reply. It would just make her feel even more pathetic when he ignored it like the last three messages she had sent. She picked up a quill from the desk and poised it over the scrap of parchment in front of her.
iNo, Ginny. You will not send him another message. It is his turn to reply to you.i/ She put the quill down.
Harry had been ignoring her more and more recently. He was always working, or too tired to do anything. Ginny tried to accept his answers, but after a few weeks it got old. She had seen him, at most, once a week for the past month. She thought she deserved to see her boyfriend more often than that.
When she did see him, it was never enough. He never seemed to be there. Ginny wanted to go on dates and just spend time with him, but Harry was content to just meet up late at night to watch Muggle moves. She never did get to stay for the whole movie. He would make up some excuse about having to work early and shoo her out of his flat within the first half.
She was beginning to think he was cheating on her, or at least not interested anymore. The only reason she had to think he was still in love with her was that he was still sleeping with her. But, then again, he was a man, and men like to have sex.
Ginny sighed to herself. She stood up from her desk and headed for the kitchen. The whole situation with Harry made her want comfort food. A few minutes later she sat at the table with a big slice of cake and a tall glass of chocolate milk.
She finished eating and glanced at the clock. It was late enough to go to bed, but she didn't want to. She was secretly hoping Harry would owl her tonight. Instead of going to sleep, she decided to clean. Ginny spent the next hour or so scrubbing the kitchen, tiding the bedroom, and dusting the living room. Eventually she went to bed, trying not to feel disappointed that he still hadn't owled her.
~*~*~
Two days later the snowy, white owl was at her window, waiting for entry.
iIt's about timei/, she thought as she let Hedwig in. She opened the note and was not surprised to find it short and simple. They always were. He said he missed her and that she should come over to watch some new Muggle movie. As much as she wanted to decline his offer, she missed him. She spent a few moments debating it with herself, but in the end her emotions won. They always did. She was mad at him for taking forever to owl her back, but she desperately wanted to see him. She knew what would happen and she knew she would feel like shit the next day. That didn't stop her.
Ginny put on her coat and shoes before Apparating straight to his apartment.
~*~*~
The next day Ginny awoke feeling fatigued from getting to bed so late. Lucky for her she didn't have to work for another two hours. She dragged herself out of bed and walked, still half asleep, to the shower. She wanted to wash the unclean feeling off her body.
She always felt guilty and stupid after a night with Harry. Not that the sex was bad. It was never bad, but sometimes she wished it felt more meaningful. She loved Harry, but she wondered if he loved her back. He said he did, but it didn't show like it did in the beginning of their relationship. It seemed like they were slowly falling apart and she couldn't stop it.
The hot shower relaxed her muscles and she sighed in relief. She scrubbed off her memories of the night before, or at least tried to. It was hard to forget his touch, but after awhile the feeling would fade.
She turned off the shower and proceeded to get ready for the day ahead of her. Her shoes clicked out the door (with her in them), leaving just enough time for her to get to work.
~*~*~*~
b6 Months Laterb/
The lights at the Muggle club were dimmed so low it was almost as if there were no lights at all. Ginny pushed her way into the crowd and instantly started sweating. The sea of people moved to the pounding bass line coming from an unknown source. She finally made her way to the middle of the pack and lost herself in the music. She didn't have a partner, but her that didn't matter. You danced with everyone all at once. This was a place where individuals didn't exist. Everyone was one body, one movement, one person.
The club made her feel less lonely. Dancing with the mass of people, not knowing any of their names, it somehow made her feel wanted. After she broke up with Harry, Ginny was the most avoided witch in the Wizarding World. Guys were afraid of pissing off The Boy Who Lived by taking his former girl. He hadn't given up her yet, although she had been very clear that they were over. He was too busy being a hero to be a good boyfriend. She could only take so much of his crap.
Being shunned by the male population of the Wizarding world was a very bad thing on nights like tonight. It was not a good night emotionally for her. She was feeling extremely lonely and it was just getting worse and worse. She even tried having relationships with Muggles, but they had just gotten too complicated. Being a witch was not an easy thing to hide.
Tonight she lost herself in the crowd. She danced up against many people; none of them knew her and she had no idea who any of them were. But they made her less lonely. It was the closest thing she could find to feeling loved by someone other than her family. Tonight was no different.
Ginny decided to take a much needed water break and made her way to bar. She got a large glass of water and was gulping it down when she saw him. It was just a flash of blond to her left, but somehow it seemed familiar. She brushed the feeling of recognition away. Ginny had never run into anyone she knew here, Wizard or Muggle.
She finished off her water, put the glass back on the counter, and headed to the dance floor. This time she couldn't resist the urge to look to her left when the flash of blond caught her eye. She had to know who it was, although she was sure it couldn't be him.
Except there he was. She never would have guessed she would see him here. Draco was standing on the other side of the room and he was looking for someone. Ginny was about to look away when he caught her eye. He had been looking for her. He smiled when he saw her and began walking towards her.
Ginny stood there stunned. She hadn't heard from Draco since Hogwarts. Sure he was in the tabloids, but so were she and Harry. She tended to avoid those types of magazines and newspaper articles. She had pushed Draco Malfoy out of her mind and had no intention of letting him back in, but she couldn't turn away. He was getting closer and closer now.
It was him, it was really him. She walked slowly over to him, unsure of what to do. She had thought about this day for years, but she had never actually considered it would happen. Yet, here he was. Draco was standing mere feet away from her and all she had to do was go up to him.
He was within arm's reach when his scent hit her nose. Instantly the feelings for him came back. She knew she still loved him; she had never stopped. She had ignored it and tried to find love elsewhere. Obviously that hadn't worked out so well.
Ginny looked up into his face and saw the roller coaster of emotion in his eyes. She had no idea what to say to him. What do you say to the man you left years and years ago? Was there really anything to say? She couldn't think of anything. Just being able to see him and breathe him in made her slightly dizzy.
She opened her mouth to say something to him, but he beat her to the punch.
"You're beautiful." Then he kissed her.
Ginny made a noise close to a whimper at the feeling of his lips on hers. It had been so long, but it still felt natural to kiss him. His hands grabbed her waist and her need for him increased. She grabbed at his hair, pulling him as close to her as possible. He pushed her up against the wall.
She moaned when his body came into full contact with hers. He broke the kiss for only a moment to look her in the eyes. That one look told her that he still wanted her; that he still cared. He kissed her gently on the lips (quite opposite of his earlier actions) before turning his attention to her neck. She heard a rumble from deep in his throat as he attacked her neck with small bites and kisses. Ginny closed her eyes in pleasure at the contact, but soon pulled his head back up to hers. She needed to feel his lips on hers.
His hands started to creep up her shirt, and she had to gather the strength to push him away. He gave her a confused look and she knew she should explain.
"What about Pansy?" she asked after a moment, still breathing heavily.
"She up and left with some guy to America right before the wedding. My parents weren't happy, but they have no one else to force me to be with. There isn't a reason I can't be with you now and even my parents won't be able to stop me this time." He leaned in to kiss her again. She let him because as soon as his lips reached hers, her mind went blank.
When the kiss began escalating again, Draco broke away and silently asked for permission. She smiled and nodded. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the club. They Apparated together back to his apartment.
She kissed him hungrily as soon as they landed in his bedroom. This time there was no restraint and it wasn't long before they ended up in the bed.
When their need for each other was satisfied (quite a bit later), they cuddled together just like they had in Hogwarts times. Ginny laid her head on Draco's chest and they both just stayed that way until their breathing slowed. After a few moments Ginny sighed happily and burrowed closer to his body.
"I missed you," she said.
"I missed you too. I thought you would have forgotten me. I figured you would be married to Potter by now," he replied.
She tilted her head up to look at him. He was starting up the ceiling, an unreadable expression on his face. Instead of answering she reached up and turned his face toward her, kissing him gently on the lips. When they finally pulled away from each other Ginny looked him in the eyes.
"I could never forget you Draco, and trust me I tried. I could never fill empty space in my heart with Harry, but it's gone now. You are definitely the better kisser too." She smiled up at him.
"Good to know, I guess," he said before kissing her again. He meant it to be a short chaste kiss, but somehow it turned into a full on make out session. It was beginning to turn into more than kissing, when she pulled away.
"Haven't you had enough for one night?" she said jokingly.
He rolled so he was on top of her, pinning her to the bed. "It hasn't been one night yet," he replied before kissing her once more.