Fighting

by i-forgot-my-name

Ginny wished Draco would fight for her.

Title: Fighting

Disclaimer: obviously J.K. is the proud owner and creator of the HP-verse, I only borrow it for my story

Summary: Ginny wished Draco would fight for her.

Chapter One

No one had expected it, no one had suspected or even thought it possible. Ginny Weasley had shocked her family, at 18 years of age, when Draco Malfoy had asked Ginny for a dance at the boring Ministry function. Her brother looked like he was about to murder the blond Slytherin, if it wasn't for Hermione's stern glare. Her family was stunned, everyone was floored, a Malfoy and a Weasley dancing, it just wasn't done.

Ginny on the other hand, did not hold this opinion, when she had returned to Hogwarts for her final year with Hermione, who had decided to return to Hogwarts to complete her own final year she had missed. Ginny was not surprised when Hermione hadn't had time for her young friend and Ginny would find herself sitting in the library studying alone. She had been surprised when during her second week of term one Draco Malfoy had sat opposite her usual seat in the library, opened his textbook and started his Potions Homework for Professor Slughorn.

"Um… Sure, take a seat," Ginny had told him sarcastically. Looking at the boy in shock, her Transfiguration essay now forgotten. Ginny had noticed the boy had been skulking around the halls, students avoiding his gaze, walking around him in order to avoid his brooding.

Draco had missed his final year, him and his mother having gone into hiding when the Dark Lord decided to use their home as his headquarters. The rumour was that Voldemort had apparently not been pleased with Draco when he failed to complete the task that he gave him, but Lucius had made a deal with the Dark Lord to keep his family safe.

"Do you have a problem, Weaslette?" Malfoy asked, barely bothering to look up from his homework.

"Why are you sitting here, Malfoy?" Ginny asked scornfully as she looked around her secluded spot in the library, which she had chosen for the purpose of not being disturbed. It seemed that since returning she was bugged with constant questions about Harry, whether they were "back together", what it was like to kiss the saviour of the Wizarding World. "I'm sure there are plenty of free tables," Ginny added disdainfully.

Malfoy finally looked up at her, clearly agitated at having to explain himself. He was shocked that she was not whimpering in the corner as soon as he looked at her. What had changed in the young Weaslette?

He shook his head before returning to his homework, attempting to ignore the girl in front of him.

"Hey!" Ginny whispered loudly, not wanting to come under the wrath of Madam Pince if she spoke too loudly. "That was not an answer!" she told him, rolling up her parchment to hit him across the head with it, to get his attention.

Malfoy looked up again, hiding his shock with a signature mischievous Malfoy smirk and a raise of his eyebrow. "This seems to be the table I can sit at without being stared at," he explained simply, a flash of intrigue in his eyes. "Which could explain why you are here," he teased before returning to his homework.

Ginny had just nodded before continuing with her Transfiguration Essay.

The next day, as Ginny put the finishing touches on her essay, she heard the chair opposite her pull out and someone place a textbook on the table. She smiled and knew without looking up that that Draco Malfoy had joined her again.

"Couldn't stay away, could you, Malfoy?" Ginny asked teasingly as he opened his textbook, her smirk hidden by her spiralling locks falling over her face.

Draco smirked as he began his Defence Against the Dark Arts assignment.

They had not planned on being friends, though to Ginny and Draco, it had felt natural, like it was 'meant to be'. They would study together everyday after their final class; sometimes they would even smirk at each other in the hallway.

Their friendship did not develop past this until a few weeks before Christmas Vacation when Slytherin was playing Gryffindor in Quidditch when Ginny was hit by a bludger to the stomach, causing her to lose her balance and fall from her broom. She did not notice the gasps and whispers when Draco Malfoy had abandoned his dive for the Snitch to catch Ginny only a few feet from the ground.

He had landed and placed Ginny on the ground gently, kneeling beside her. She clutched her stomach in pain, groaning that it hurt. Draco placed one hand over her two on her stomach and used his other to sweep the hair from her eyes.

"Look at me, Ginny," he told her gently, his eyes filled with worry, not caring who noticed as the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams crowded around. "Look at me, Gin. Open your eyes," Draco asked her again.

Ginny was not sure if it was the fact that he was asking her, or the concern that was so clear in his voice, that made her open her eyes. She looked up at him, tears streaming down the side of her face as she bit her lip in order to stop the yelp of pain.

"It hurts," she whimpered, not breaking eye contact with the boy above her. She focused on those grey eyes, surprised to see emotion fill them.

"I know, you're going to be fine," he assured he before being pushed away by Professor McGonagall. He stood and let the Professor in, not breaking eye contact with the red head before him.

Ginny looked up, not noticing as McGonagall moved her hands out of the way to study her injury, judging the severity of it. She kept eye contact with the boy who had saved her, gaining strength from his grey eyes.

"We need to get her to the Hospital Wing," McGonagall told the other staff members who had gathered around without Ginny or Draco noticing.

McGonagall stood and whispered "Mobilicorpus" lifting the girl off the ground as if she were being carried by a stretcher. Hagrid walked ahead of the Professor and Ginny, telling everyone to "clear out" to let them through.

Draco watched carefully as Ginny was led past him, almost missing when she reached out and took his hand until she squeezed it. He ran to keep up, having fallen behind in his stupor. He looked down at the girl below him, ignoring the mud caked in her hair and Quidditch uniform, focusing instead on her brown eyes that were locked on him. They were searching, asking him to follow. He nodded, forgetting about his teammates and broom he left behind.

Ginny woke up two hours later in the hospital wing, the affects of the potion starting to wear off. She groaned in pain, clutching her stomach as she began to crawl into a ball. She almost jumped out of the bed in shock when she felt someone's hand gently brush back her hair. She opened her eyes and found a vial of pain relieving potion before them.

"Drink," a familiar voice ordered her, and Ginny was only too happy to oblige.

Draco gently tipped the vial, letting Ginny slowly drink the contents before placing it back on the bedside table next to her bed. He went to sit back down in the chair when Ginny death gripped his hand would not allow him to go the full distance. He had to use his free hand to pull the chair closer to the bed, right next to it, so he could sit but still allow her to hold onto him.

Ginny stretched out again, the potion taking affect. She looked up at the boy next to her, still in his dirty Quidditch uniform, looking quite worse for wear.

"What happened?" she asked, the afternoon seeming a blur except for some short snippets of memory.

"Your inferior Quidditch skills meant that you did not notice a Bludger aimed for you until it hit you in the stomach. You lost your balance and fell from your broom," he told her, smirking as she rolled her eyes at his first comment.

"You saved me didn't you?" Ginny asked, remembering how his arms had tenderly cradled her to his chest before placing her gently on the ground. "You were about to win," she added, clearly shocked as she started to remember to event that had led to her being in the hospital bed.

She watched as Draco shifted uncomfortably in his seat, refusing to make eye contact. She tugged at his hand, trying to get his attention. She reached out, trying to turn his face to her, but gasped when she felt a stab of pain from her abdomen, the potion having not taken its full affect yet.

This though had caused his grey eyes to look at her in anger. "Stop moving you little Weasel, you have to stay still," he told her angrily, giving her a stern look.

She smiled up at him, ignoring the current pain, knowing it would pass. "Thank you, Draco," she told him, squeezing his hand.

Draco shook his head, his eyes focusing on his hand that had been entwined with hers. "I couldn't let the one person who doesn't shrink at the sight of me, cover the Quidditch pitch, could I?" he told her carelessly, and Ginny rolled her eyes at his obvious avoidance.

Draco had watch dejectedly as Harry Potter hugged Ginny on Platform 9 and ¾ at the start of Christmas break. Draco had been surprised, however, when the red head had not hugged Potter back, only stood with her hands plastered to her side. He watched as boy wonder handed her a large bouquet of red roses, though Draco knew that Ginny hated them, preferring tulips instead. She didn't like the smell of them, she had made Draco dispose of all the roses that had surrounded her hospital bed only a few weeks earlier.

He chuckled as Ginny politely took the flowers, only to let them bang up against the bag that she was carrying, which she had refused to let Potter help her with. Draco smirked as he followed after his parents to the Apparition zone so they could return home for the holidays and enjoy their first real Christmas as a family, thanks to Potter, Draco thought, irritated that the boy seemed to be infecting all areas of his life.

Ginny was woken Christmas morning by her brother, Ronald, shaking her awake excitedly.

"What are you, Ron, three?" Ginny teased as he excitedly informed her that there were presents downstairs and their mother had made waffles for breakfast.

She started getting dressed, her eyes plastered on the wrapped present that sat on her desk. She had stayed up half the night to finish it, making sure the wrapping was absolutely perfect. She was now unsure whether to send it, wandering if it was 'proper'. The boy had saved her life though; the least she could do is send him a Christmas present.

Her decision was made, however, when there was a tapping on her window. She looked over to see a proud Eagle Owl hovering on the other side, carrying a wrapped package. She opened the window for it excitedly, a smile plastered to her face as she extracted the string holding the present from the owls beak. She gave the owl a treat before holding up the aforementioned present for it. The owl reached forward and took the ribbon in its beak before gracefully turning and flying out the window back to its owner.

Ginny closed the window before turning back to inspect the present on her bed. It had been wrapped to perfection, and Ginny wondered if he had done it himself or whether a House Elf had done it for him.

She opened the present eagerly, ripping the wrapping paper away, throwing it at her feet on the floor. Under the wrapping was a box, a rather nice box, with gold insignia indicating it came from the very expensive jeweller at Diagon Alley. She opened it carefully, not sure of what she would find inside, and suddenly her hand knitted grey and green scarf seemed petty in comparison.

She lifted the necklace, studying the simple delicate gold chain that held a scaled golden snitch. She carefully placed it around her neck, playing with the snitch fondly as she walked out of the room to join her family and Harry for Christmas breakfast.

When they had returned to school days later, Ginny sat after class in her usual spot in the library, her Potions homework before her, though unable to distract her as she waited for her normal study partner. She looked intently down at the textbook, but her mind was on other things apart from potions. She had hoped to get a glimpse of Draco between classes, but unfortunately their schedules did not mix well.

She tapped her foot impatiently on the ground until she heard familiar footsteps approaching. She smiled as the chair opposite her was pulled out and textbooks placed before her on the table. She was pleasantly surprised when she looked up to see Draco removing his coat and the hand knitted grey and green scarf she'd given him for Christmas.

"How were your holidays?" she asked, looking back down before he could catch her staring. She hid her smile behind her usual curtain of red locks.

"A little lonely," he told her pointedly, sitting down in his seat. "And yours?" he asked as he opened his Charms textbook.

"Interesting, Harry asked me to be his girlfriend again," Ginny said, glancing up to gauge his reaction. When she found none, she spoke again. "What do you think?" she asked him.

"Of Potter, not much," Draco said, not seeming to pay much attention to the question.

"What if I told you I'd agreed?" she asked, continuing to watch for his reaction.

She saw his calm façade drop for a few seconds, showing an emotion that Ginny was not sure of, but it was gone before she could place it.

Draco cleared his throat before speaking. "I would say you should not consider a man who does not realise that you prefer tulips to roses," Draco told her stiffly, his pen not moving on his page.

Ginny smiled, and returned her gaze to her parchment before her to hide her blush. "It's a good thing I refused him then," she told him, and did not miss the relief flash across his flawless features.

Much to Ginny's distaste, a year later their relationship had not progressed much further. Even though Draco was jealous of the boys who Ginny would date, usually only to get a reaction out of him, he had not done anything to win her over, to fight for her.

Ginny had even accepted Harry's invitation to the Ministry function, knowing that Draco would be there. Though Draco did ask her to dance, shocking all those around them, including their respective dates, but it had just been a dance.

When Ginny went on the road for the Holyhead Harpies, the person who would plague her thoughts, the one she longed to see, was always the blond Slytherin. Ginny's heart would always skip in hope when she spotted him at a game in the exclusive boxes, wanting to play better for him. She chose not to notice whichever woman he had bought with him, though always noted with pride, that he never paid them much attention much to their dislike, his eyes always on the game.

There was one game against the Chudley Cannons; she was so focused on dodging the Chasers coming at her and the Quaffle, that she did not notice the Bludger until it was too late. It hit her square in the abdomen, but luckily this time she did not fall; she refused to stop playing, as the game was too close for that.

Ginny landed at the final whistle from the umpire, signalling the conclusion of the game as her seeker caught the snitch. She had barely landed before she felt a set of strong hands lead her to the bench and sit her down. She sat and looked up to see a determined Draco Malfoy, who looked angry to say the least.

"What were you thinking, playing on with an injury like that?" he asked as he carefully prodded her abdomen to judge the affect of the injury. She watched as his trained fingers checked for broken ribs and internal bleeding. "You were seriously hit, you should have stopped playing," he scolded again before extracting his wand.

"It wasn't that bad," she winced as his fingers hit a particularly tender area.

"Not that bad?" he mocked, looking up at her, obviously vexed. "You have 3 broken ribs and internal bleeding," he told her matter-of-factly, as if proving his own point.

"Lucky I have you here, aren't I," Ginny smiled sweetly at him, reaching up and unconsciously playing with her snitch necklace. "It's good to have a friend who's a healer," she told him; sticking her tongue out at him, mature, she thought to herself.

Draco glared at her before performing some spells to heal her broken ribs. "Clearly your lucky charm is broken," he told her as he worked, indicating to the necklace she was playing with, his hair hiding his pleasure at the fact she still wore it.

"We won, didn't we?" she teased, but swore when she felt the shooting pain in her rib as he accidentally poked her with his wand.

"Sorry," Draco apologised mischievously as he continued to work.

Ginny gave him a little kick in the shins before looking up behind him, to see a very agitated but beautiful brunette standing a few feet away, glaring at the blond before her. What shocked Ginny is that she had seen her before, not just once, but a few times as Draco's date to Quidditch games and Ministry events. Ginny knew Draco usually only spent one or two dates with a witch, before moving on, so he must have been serious about this one.

Ginny felt quite insecure, looking at the beautiful witch, her outfit flawless and hair done to perfection. Ginny looked down at her mud covered uniform, and was sure her hair was a mess, and her face would probably be red and blotchy, covered in sweat.

"You're date's getting antsy," Ginny told him, trying to mask her jealousy with a teasing tone.

"Astoria?" Draco asked, looking around to the witch behind him before turning to continue working. "I suppose she is," Draco told Ginny with a smirk.

"I've seen this one before, it must be serious," Ginny tried to query lightly.

Draco finished his repair of Ginny's ribs, finally standing, holding out his hand to help her up. "You have. My mother likes her," he explained carelessly.

Ginny tried not to whimper as she stood, knowing the internal bleeding would need more than a few quick spells from Draco.

"I'll take you to St Mungo's, you're going to need further treatment for the internal bleeding," Draco told her simply, but Ginny shook her head. "Gin, this is not up for discussion, you need to go," Draco told her more firmly.

Ginny shook her head again. "I know, but your date already looks as if she could hex me at any moment," Ginny told him, glancing over at the witch who was now glaring at her.

Draco smirked, his eyes not leaving the red head. "She can wait, you can't," he told her simply, and Ginny hoped her blush was hidden by the red that was most likely in her face from the game.

"Won't she be angry?" Ginny enquired, not much caring about the woman glaring at her.

Draco chuckled at Ginny's question. "I'm sure she will, something that I'm sure to punished for later," he told her, winking, and Ginny winced, trying to hide it as one of physical pain.

"I can go myself," Ginny told him firmly, trying to pull her arm from his grip, but not succeeding, if anything it only made him grip harder.

"You won't be able to apparate in your condition, you'll most likely be splinched," he told her firmly, obviously not going to give up until her had deposited her in St Mungo's himself.

"Then I'll have Harry apparate me," she told him harshly, giving another tug at her arm, still unable to break free.

"Then you'll definitely be splinched!" he told her angrily before finally looking over at his date. "I'll be right back, don't move," he ordered her before disapparating with Ginny.

No more than 3 months later did Ginny receive her invitation to the Malfoy and Greengrass wedding, which was only a month away. She knew Draco was not one to waste time on meaningless things, but one month, and they had only been together for 5. Ginny told herself she'd stay strong, not showing any emotion when Hermione asked her if she was happy with the match, it being plastered on the front page of the Prophet. Though when she was alone in her flat, she would sit on her couch and cry, not just a dignified, quiet cry, but rather one that resembled that of a young child.

When he asked her, as they sat together in The Leaky Cauldron enjoying some beer, what she had thought of the match, she smiled politely and told him she thought it was a good one, though her heart was ripping in two as she spoke.

She sat next to Harry at the wedding, holding his hand, trying not to grip it for dear life. She did not know why she had invited him, maybe she'd hoped that it would annoy Draco, maybe make him fight for her.

Ginny had been glad to get back to Quidditch literally the day after the wedding. Draco had jokingly told her at the reception, not to injure herself in the next few games, as he would not be there to patch her up. She had laughed, trying to make it seem careless. Ginny's team was going on across the country over the next week, playing some showcase games against other teams before the actual competition started.

Ginny had been enjoying herself, finding herself not thinking about the blond man who had broken her heart, until a week after the wedding, when her teams star seeker, Eloise Plumpton, went for a Wronski Defensive Feint, diving towards the ground at a dangerous speed, only to have her broom malfunction. Ginny watched in horror, too far away to be of any use, as the girl tried and tried to pull her broom out of the dive. Ginny looked away, the girl's screams filling her ears as she neared the ground, until she heard a collective gasp from the people in the stadium. Ginny watched as people ran to the girl, seeing if she somehow could have survived the fall, but there was no way she could have.

All the players landed, in shock at what had just happened. It was only supposed to be a showcase game; there were fans of both teams, children there to watch on. Ginny saw the vast number of reporters when she landed, all around the field, some getting close to the hoard of healers and mourning players surrounding to seeker, others, like Rita Skeeter, standing at the door of the change rooms, ready to interview any player that walked passed.

Pictures were being snapped of all the people, the shocked looks, and the now empty sky. Ginny was taken aback when she was blinded by a flash and was not surprised when Rita Skeeter came bowling up to her, notebook at the ready. Ginny couldn't even comprehend the questions the woman was asking, her mind on the horrible event that had just taken place. Her teammate had just died, her friend. That was exactly what she told the reporter, before rushing off to the change rooms, wanting to get away from this place.

Draco Malfoy was on the other side of the country, enjoying his time off with his new and beautiful wife. He sat down at the start of the second week of his honeymoon, breakfast before him, ready to read the Daily Prophet. He was shocked when he unfolded the paper to find a picture of Ginny Weasley plastered on the front page, and next to it other pictures including the final shot of the seeker before she plummeted to her death. He read the Headline "Shock death at Quidditch Showcase of a 'teammate and friend'".

He scanned the article quickly, spotting Ginny's name.

Teammate of Eloise Plumpton, Ginevra Weasley star Chaser (pictured above), told us "my teammate and good friend had just died, of course I'm in shock!" before rushing off into the team's change rooms, tears brimming in her eyes.

Draco looked up and inspected the picture of Ginny again, he watched as tears welled up in her brown eyes, as she blinked from the flash, causing those tears to fall down her cheeks. His heart ached as he thought of her, his Ginny, in such pain. He stood instantly and went back into the bedroom to find some clothes.

"What's wrong?" Astoria asked groggily, having been woken up by her husband. Draco threw the newspaper on the bed for her to see. Astoria picked it up and glared at the picture of Ginny Weasley, quickly reading the article. She looked up to see that Draco had put on some pants and was now buttoning up his shirt. "You can't be serious? It's our honeymoon, Draco!" Astoria yelled angrily as she stood from the bed, walking over to her husband who was now putting on his robe.

"Her teammate just died, right in front of her," Draco told her matter-of-factly, fastening the cloak, not looking at his annoyed bride. "She's my friend," he added simply.

"And I'm your wife!" Astoria told him angrily, stepping in front of him and showing him her rather large wedding ring. "Or have you forgotten?"

"Don't be stupid, I haven't forgotten," he told her, turning to walk out the door,

Astoria followed angrily, not sure what to do, wondering if he would ever love her more. She knew that if he didn't at that moment, he never would.

"You have to make a choice, Draco," she told him simply as she followed him to the living room.

"I married you, didn't I?" Draco asked, rolling his eyes at his wife's uncertainty.

"If you leave now that won't matter. If you go to her, I'll be seeing my solicitor this afternoon," she told him threateningly.

"Please, don't make a threat you have no intention of keeping," Draco mocked as he picked up some floo powder from beside the fireplace.

Astoria shook her head angrily. "I'm not bluffing, leave now, and that's it," Astoria told him seriously, standing between him and the fireplace to make eye contact.

Draco met her eye, and then shook his head sadly. "Good thing we wrote up a pre-nuptial agreement then," he told her coldly, stepping around her. She watched sadly as he threw the powder into the fire, stepped in and clearly said "Ginevra Weasley's flat, London" before he disappeared.

Draco entered Ginny's living room, searching for the red head, but not finding her there. "Ginny!" he called as he turned to walk down the hall, checking each room he passed. He noted the closed door to her bedroom, knowing he'd found her. He opened the door softly, peaking inside to see the red head curled up on her bed, still in her uniform from the day before. From her even breathing Draco could tell she was sleeping.

He stepped over her Quidditch bag that looked as if it had been simply dropped on the floor as Ginny had entered the room the previous night, before curling up on her bed, not bothering to roll back the covers. Draco gently pulled up the Chudley Cannons rug from the foot of the bed and covered the woman before him, wanting nothing more than to lie down next to her, make her feel safe. Instead he opted for sitting next to her as he gently stroked her back comfortingly.

He watched as the girl stirred, awoken by the feeling on her back. She opened her eyes and looked up at the blond man above her in shock. "Draco?" she questioned groggily. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she sat up to study the man before her, almost not believing he was there, as if it were a really life like dream. He studied her, and noted her red blood shot eyes that told him she had most likely cried herself to sleep not too long ago.

He smiled soothingly at her. "Shh, it's okay, love," he told her softly. Ginny, realising he was actually there, took a deep shaky breath before lunging forward, enclosing her arms tightly around her friend.

Draco rubbed her back soothingly as ragged sobs started to escape her as she buried her face into his neck, gripping him tighter. She curled herself up against him, wanting to feel safe once again, wanting to forget the horrible events of the day before. Draco sat calmly, one arm snaked around her shoulders, soothing her hair, the other around her waist, returning to rubbing her back gently.

He wanted to take away her pain, take away her memory of the day before. He sat patiently with her, for almost an hour, as she cried into his shoulder, until her sobs calmed, and her breathing began to slow. He kissed her forehead, before pulling back slightly to study her.

"Would you like some breakfast?" he asked her, giving her an encouraging smile. He gently wiped the tears off of her cheeks before cupping her face with his hand so she would look at him. He noted the sadness and misery in her familiar brown eyes.

She nodded at the thought of food, and Draco smiled at her eagerness, thinking that she probably had not have eaten when she had gotten home, given her bag was haphazardly thrown on the floor on the path to the bed.

"Why don't you shower and get changed while I make some breakfast?" he suggested, standing her up and leading her to the bathroom. Ginny nodded, walking into the bathroom and closing the door.

Draco walked to the kitchen, depositing his cloak on the back of one of the dining chairs. He searched the kitchen and found the necessary ingredients for French Toast. He began his work as he heard the shower start to flow. He had made enough toast for five when he heard the water stop. He cut up some bananas and strawberries, placing them next to the toast on the table. He set the table, expecting Ginny to walk down the hall and join him any minute, but by the time he had finished, the red head had not emerged.

Draco walked up the hall and back into her bedroom, he saw that the bathroom door was still closed and light shone under the door. It wasn't like Ginny to take so long; she was not one to care so much about appearances. He walked to the door and knocked softly, listening carefully. He could faintly hear her sobs through the door.

"Gin?" he called as he slowly opened the door, hoping that she was halfway decent. He breathed a soft sigh of relief when he opened the door to see Ginny in a singlet and underwear, though he was not happy with how he saw her. She was curled up, her legs bent up against her chest, her head resting in them as her arms wrapped around herself. Draco could see her shoulders rise and fall with the sobs he had heard through the door.

Draco crossed the room, sat down next to Ginny and enveloped her in his arms. She leant into him willingly, wanting his strength. Draco kissed the top of her head, letting her cry. She cried for her friend and teammate and the tragedy that it was. She cried for Eloise's family, her husband, sister, and parents. She cried because the game she loved would never be the same again.

They went on living as they had before, Ginny and Draco, before the accident, before Draco's broken marriage. Draco still attended most of her Quidditch Games, scolding her when she got injured and continued to play. They continued to see each other at Ministry functions, to meet at the pub for the occasional drink.

They never spoke of Draco's divorce and what had caused it. Luckily the prenuptial agreement limited Astoria's ability to talk to the press, so all that had been printed in the Daily Prophet was they split due to "irreconcilable differences". There was no mention of Ginny or Draco's choice.

Ginny had lost her fire; she didn't seem to play with the same spirit as she had before. The Harpies were a shadow of the team they once were, none of the players fully accepting what had happened. Though, after a few months, Ginny and her team alike, begun playing as they used to, as if they had forgotten about the great tragedy, though none of them could forget.

When Ginny was offered a job as a Quidditch reporter in France, she jumped at the opportunity. She could get away from the ghost of her teammate that seemed to haunt her. She could take a year off from Quidditch, maybe longer; see if she missed it enough to return.

She told Draco when they were sitting in The Leaky Cauldron after one of her games, his date having given up on him.

She gauged for his reaction, and caught only a few seconds of any emotion.

"What do you think?" she asked him simply.

"If that's what you want," he told her, nodding, his face lacking emotion.

He left the pub soon after that, claiming to have work early the next morning. Ginny sat dejected in the pub, wondering why he wouldn't fight for her, ask her to stay at the very least.

Her mother threw her a party at the Burrow a week before she was due to leave. Her friends all told her they would miss her, but seemed to understand her need to leave. The whole night she searched the house for a certain blond, the only opinion she really cared about. As the party started to thin out, the night getting later, Ginny's heart began to drop, realising that she would not see him there.

At the end of the night she kissed her parents, promising to see them in a few days for dinner. She apparated back to her own apartment, feeling empty and alone, but mostly angry at her blond friend for neglecting to show up. She stood in the entryway of her flat, considering her options, before apparating to the man's apartment.

She knocked loudly on the door, getting angrier and angrier with him by the minute. Her banging continued for a matter of minutes until a tired looking shirtless Slytherin answered the door. Draco blinked at her in surprise, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Ginny?" he asked, shocked to see her outside his door at this hour.

"You didn't come!" Ginny yelled angrily, tears brimming in her eyes. "How could you not come?" she asked him, her volume only increasing.

Draco pulled her into the door, shutting it behind them. "Must you be so loud at this hour?" Draco asked her sarcastically, turning to walk into his flat. "I have neighbours," he added quietly.

Ginny followed him angrily, feeling like throwing something, anything, at his bare back. "Why weren't you there?" she asked, blinking profusely to stop the tears from pooling in her eyes. When he didn't answer her the picked up an apple from the fruit basket and threw it at his back.

He turned; shocked that she had actually thrown fruit at him.

"You didn't come!" she repeated again, wiping her eyes angrily as the tears continued. "I'm leaving Draco, the least you could do is say goodbye," she told him, trying to calm her breathing.

"Goodbye," the man before her said, his face set in its usual emotionless stone. Ginny looked at his familiar grey eyes, they were missing his usual spark. Turning again, not wanting to look at the witch that was causing all his pain.

"That's it?" she asked, shocked. How could he be so heartless while her heart was breaking? She stopped, standing a few feet from him, studying his back, his shoulders as they rose and fell calmly with his breathing.

"What do you expect Gin? You're leaving the country in a week, what do you expect me to say?" Draco asked her softly, turning to face her, but focused his eyes at the door behind her, haunted by the sight of her tears.

Ginny closed the distance between them, standing an arms length from him before she spoke. "I want you to tell me not to go," she told him. "To ask me to stay," she told him again, but he just shook his head. "Do you not care?" she asked hopelessly, not bothering to stop or hinder the new tears.

"Of course I care about you Gin, how could you say that?" he asked, shocked at her accusation, finally looking back down at her brown eyes, full of sadness and mixed with anger.

"Then act like it!" she yelled at him, taking a step closer. "Fight Draco, fight for me to stay! For once, actually fight for me!" she told him, angry at his attitude. He told her he cared, but she needed actions.

He just shook his head and walked further away from her into the living room. His head was spinning; he had not been able to think straight since she had told him she was leaving only a few weeks ago.

She followed him, watched as he stopped before the fire, staring into the flames.

"Why did you choose me, Draco? When Astoria gave you a choice, why did you choose me?" Ginny asked softly, standing only a few feet from the man, but feeling so separate from him.

He looked up at her, shocked and angry. "How can you ask me that?" anger clear in his words. "You know why," he told her with certainty before his eyes returned to rest on the fire.

Ginny shook her head at him, but kept her distance from him. "How can I? You never speak of it," Ginny told him softly. "Tell me why, Draco," she asked again, but was answered with silence.

Ginny watched as he just continued to stare into the fire, making no indication that he intended to answer her. Ginny waited for one very quiet minute, before shaking her head dejectedly and turning to walk out of the apartment, out of his life. She was at the door, reaching to open it while she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Ginny let out a gasp as she felt him firmly take hold of her arm, spinning her around and pinning her against the door. He had one hand at her waist and the other beside her head leaning flat against the wood. He had gently pushed apart her legs with his knee, which now resided there as he leant down and captured her mouth before she could speak.

It was the kiss that she had wanted for over 5 years since he first sat opposite her in the library, the kiss that she had dreamt about, but had given up on long ago. The kiss was gentle at first, as if he was gauging for her reaction, to see if she would pull away. Ginny reached up and entangled her hands in his soft blond hair, pulling him closer to her and Draco took this as his permission.

She tried to stop the moan that escaped as he deepened the kiss, her knees getting weak beneath her, now happy that she was being pushed up against the door, no way of falling.

She heard herself whimper slightly as he pulled away, but his head ducked to continue his assault on her neck, following her collarbone. His hand that had once been at her waste had now snaked its way under her top to rest flat just above her abdomen.

"Stay, Gin, don't go to France," she heard him say as he continued to leave a trail of kisses down her neck. "Stay here," he told her, but she was unable to stay standing with his lips on her. She pulled his head up, resting her head in his forehead, ignoring the mischievous smirk that played at his lips.

"Stay where?" she asked mischievously. "Here in England?" she smirked as he playfully nipped at her neck.

"Stay here, with me," he clarified and she could feel his smirk against her skin. She felt her stomach do flip-flops at his request, but normal brain function was out of the question when he kissed her like that.

She lifted his head, looking into his grey eyes that she knew so well, searching them. She saw a mixture of desperation and fear laced in them, with a touch of something she would try not to think about if she wanted to talk straight.

"Why? Why should I stay?" she asked him, smirking, not wanting to make this easy on him.

He shook his head, his smirk changing to a genuine smile. "Because I'm in love with you, you stupid witch," he told her, pulling her closer to him, something that Ginny did not think possible.

"Good," Ginny told him smirking, before pulling his head down to hers, kissing him again.

Authors Notes:

Huge thanks to my beta Krys A. Night!

ALSO I've been made aware that this story is very similar to one by Cinnamon Badge, I've contacted them, and they have said it's fine, so you don't have to point it out to me.