A/N: I warned that things were getting less fluffy, and that remains true.
Draco and Ginny are growing up, and as much as I thought this piece would be more humorous, it's just not. I am trying to keep some comic relief, so I hope you enjoy.
Marry Me
The Ultimatum
The next few years brought great change to the secret pen pals. When Draco had sent his first letter to Ginny, his biggest concerns were beating Granger in class and keeping his father happy. Only a few months later, his family life would take a much darker turn, and within the next year, his father would be imprisoned after the Ministry Battle in which Ginny would take part. Draco would only come face to face with her once more, when she sent an impressive hex his way at the end of his fifth year. He still would find himself watching her, but he always kept his distance. He had never forgotten about the letters, and Blaise had never forgotten to remind him of their significance. Eventually his attentions were redirected, for Draco would also be faced with a task considered impossible by most and with stakes set too high for any young wizard or witch.
"I heard Potter broke up with her at his funeral." Blaise spoke quietly, under his voice, as he leaned over toward Draco at dinner. They had been back in school for about a week into their seventh year. Even the Slytherins were being careful with their words and actions, now that the Carrows had taken charge. Blaise glanced discreetly to his right noticing the twitch in Draco's set jaw.
The blond didn't even look towards his only real friend. Instead, he continued to stare at the redhead Gryffindor across the hall.
Blaise coughed slightly and then added, "Are you trying to get her in trouble again? Because if Pansy sees this, she'll tear her apart."
Draco slid his eyes to his left and said with a cold edge to his voice, "Pansy can go to hell. And she won't do a damned thing; she has her eyes set on someone else."
Blaise looked down the table to see Pansy sitting on the lap of Theodore Nott, laughing loudly as she swatted at his chest. The only sounds in the hall were coming from their table, the other houses choosing to stay quiet in order to avoid attention. "I see. I still think that she won't like you having moved on to anyone else, especially her."
"Since it is none of her or your bloody business what I do, than I will do whatever I want. If I want to fucking take her on the head table in front of the whole fucking hall, then I will." At this, Draco stood up and quietly left the hall. No one noticed his exit except for Blaise, who watched him leave with a scowl on his face.
Draco Malfoy, Prince of the Death Eaters, had become somewhat of an enigma at Hogwarts. It hadn't taken long for the children of the other Death Eaters to learn of Draco's failure to kill Albus Dumbledore, but they also knew that he did indeed bear the Mark of the Dark Lord. Even more, they knew that he had been able to get the Death Eaters into the school underneath their former Headmaster's watchful eye. His housemates had returned to school ready to taunt him, but they were also unsure how much sway he still had within the Dark Lord's inner circle. While most of the school simply avoided him altogether, his fellow seventh year Slytherins let him know on the first night back at school that they would not be serving the youngest Death Eater. He had lost his two sidekicks, which he didn't really mind, and he had lost his on-and-off again girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson. She had made it perfectly clear that she planned on being "royalty" once this war was over and that he and his family would never be good enough for her.
Several weeks went by without another word between the two handsome Slytherins regarding the youngest Weasley. Draco had stopped watching her at meals and seemed to have retreated even more into himself. He was Head Boy and had his own room, which afforded him all the privacy he could want. He rarely spoke to anyone, including Blaise, except for during classes.
It was late one night as he was doing his rounds that the near-silence between the two friends ended. Draco was wandering around the fifth floor, feeling as if it were a complete waste of his time to be on patrol, when he heard the telltale signs of students fooling around in a classroom.
"Listen, you both know that you are not supposed to be out past curfew, and if I were to call the Car – " Draco had stopped speaking when he realized who the two students were that had clearly been engaged in some heavy snogging.
"Draco, it's not what it looks like." Blaise had stood up in front of the girl as she buttoned up her blouse. He started walking towards his friend when Draco darted his cold gaze at him. He looked murderous, and for a moment, Blaise thought that he might actually call for the Carrows.
Draco was seeing red. Red hair and a red face peered out behind his former best mate. Her eyes narrowed at him for a moment and then softened as she tried to read his face. It was about that time that he realized Blaise was walking towards him. He looked to Blaise and spoke quietly, "It's fine. We could all use an easy distraction right now. Finish her and then come straight back to the dungeons. The Carrows have been aching for something like this." He turned quickly and stormed down the hall, his robes billowing behind him.
During her third year, Ginny Weasley's Secret Admirer had unknowingly brought her a new boyfriend, and she quickly forgot about the unknown person who had tried to embarrass her. As she was getting to know Michael better, she had also been able to forget about Harry. She had thought that her feelings for Harry were becoming completely platonic - until she saw him holding Cedric Diggory's lifeless body at the end of the Triwizard Tournament. She wanted nothing more than to be the one to comfort him. When she fought at the Ministry at the end of the next school year, her Bat-Bogey Hex on Draco Malfoy was of little concern to her, especially compared to being next to and helping Harry. As the grim reality of Voldemort's return settled in, she found herself becoming closer to Harry than she had ever been before, and when he finally kissed her, she promised herself that she would never let him go. When he left her to follow his destiny, she felt betrayed. She had been willing to give him everything, and he only wanted her to stay behind. She entered her sixth year feeling angry, hurt, and rejected, and she was more than ready to be a little rebellious.
Ginny sat back down on the desk she had been on a few minutes before. She hung her head down low and started to cry. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I love Harry. I shouldn't even be talking to you."
Blaise gave her a smirk and said, "Why, because I am going to snog you to death? Look Ginny, no Mark. I don't want to have anything to do with that mad man. But I am not going to continue this thing between us, either. I like you, I really do, but this isn't working."
She looked up at him suddenly, "You don't want me either! I thought we were becoming friends."
"We are friends. That is why when my friend is crying about her ex-boyfriend, just after she made out with the hottest guy in school, I know she's not over the ex and clearly not into the really sexy Slytherin she's been sneaking around with. Plus, the fact that you just asked if we were friends, not dating, or boyfriend/girlfriend, or anything more." He walked up to her and hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry, Blaise. I'm just so lonely. Luna's great and Neville too, but they just don't understand me. I don't want to talk about Harry all the time. He didn't tell me anything. He just left." She let out an exasperated breath and then looked him in the eyes. "I think I've been using you as a distraction, and I'm sorry. I really do like you, too, as a friend. I wish it were more because then I really could just forget about everything else for a while."
"How very Slytherin of you, Ginny. Using me for sex and a distraction from the rest of your life. I mean, we can use each other for sex. That's not off the table. I am open to any kind of friends with benefits relationship you have in mind." He had started to lean into her neck when she gently pushed him away.
"Yes, but I'm still a Gryffindor, and we don't do that." She smiled at him sweetly and then pecked him on the cheek. "You will still hang out with me sometimes, right?"
"Well, I think you may be the only person left in the entire school who will hang out with me, Red. After all, my best mate is never going to speak to me again."
She gave him a funny look to which he replied, "Come on, even you could see how jealous he was. Don't look so shocked - you're not that innocent. I know you have seen him watching you before, and I know you saw it just now. Speaking of which, we should get you back to the tower so I can go and beg forgiveness."
"You act like he's in love with me. He doesn't even know me. In fact, other than my brilliant hex on him and a few of his pathetic taunts, we've never even spoken to each other." With that, she hopped down, grabbed her robe from a nearby chair, and headed towards the door. Blaise watched her leaving and chose not to reveal any more than he already had about Draco's unrequited love.
After Blaise made sure Ginny was safely returned to Gryffindor, he proceeded to Draco's room. He had been knocking on the door for several minutes. "I know you are still up and pacing around your room, ready to kill me. Let me in, and let's have it over with already."
Draco wrenched the door open and had his wand drawn, pointing it into his housemate's eyes.
Blaise lifted his hands and said, "A bit dramatic, don't you think?" He then pushed past his friend and sat on the bed. "Draco? Do you want to know the truth or not?"
"Did you fuck the little whore?"
"You did tell me to go ahead, so yeah, I finished her." Blaise reclined comfortably on the bed and crossed his ankles.
Draco just stood still, breathing heavily, unsure of how to respond without killing his only friend.
Blaise laughed out loud and then sat up and said, "Are you so fucking blind with jealousy and dare I say it, love, that you honestly think that I, Blaise Zabini, would be done shagging that beautiful little redhead in under ten minutes?"
At that statement, Draco crossed the room quickly and plunged his wand into Blaise's throat. "I can't believe you! You know how…you know that…you kno – "
"Use your words, Draco." Thinking maybe he was pushing his friend too far, he quickly added, "Nothing happened after you left or has ever happened more than kissing… and… maybe a little fondling. I swear. And I gave you the chance to say something. I told you she was free. I tried to tell you that I had run into her, but you did not want to talk about it. That could have been you up there if you weren't so- "
"So what? So firmly planted in reality? It doesn't matter what I think I feel about her. The truth is that I don't really know her, and she does not want to know me."
"Yeah, well, she is lonely and confused. She just wants to feel wanted, and not left behind. Even you could work with that." He smirked at the tall blond and then got up and left the room.
Over the next few weeks, it became clear that Ginny Weasley and her band of do-gooders were out to get themselves killed. They were hell-bent on showing the Carrows and Headmaster Snape that Dumbledore's Army was alive and well. Unfortunately, Ginny seemed to be the only one cunning enough to not get caught. After giving out the third detention in one week, Amycus Carrow decided that punishment could be used as a means of instruction, and he requested the future Death Eaters to participate in his new program, Curse and Torture Training. Draco, being a branded member, was included in these lessons.
As luck would have it, he was called upon to participate in the detention for Neville Longbottom. Although Longbottom had always annoyed him, he was not ready to begin his torturing career on the helpless student. He also couldn't shake the thought of what it would mean to Ginny to know that he had tormented one of her friends. So he leaned over Neville and whispered "go with it" before standing up and loudly insulting him and aiming his wand at him. He said the curse, but he chose to think of kissing Ginny instead of hurting Neville. Thankfully, Neville caught on and acted the part of victim rather well. (Draco almost rolled his eyes at that thought, but caught himself.)
Three days later, a pale white arm reached out from behind a tapestry and yanked him behind, immediately casting a Silencing Charm on him. His eyes filled with rage until a wand was lit, and the soft glow revealed Ginny Weasley staring up at him, eyes wide and round.
"Thank you. Neville told me what you did," she whispered. "Blaise is going to help us so we – or they, don't keep getting caught. Do you want in?"
He looked at her strangely; shocked she would even ask him such a thing.
"Harry told me about… about last year. I know you didn't, couldn't do it. I know you don't want to be one of them. Help us." She looked at him imploringly and then with a small smile added, "Help me."
He closed his eyes. He knew manipulation when he saw it, and this little Weasley was working him. After taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and motioned to his throat.
She lifted the spell and smiled sweetly at him, "So?"
"Alright. I will help you, but -" And before he could continue with his thought, she reached up and hugged him and then slipped out from behind the tapestry.
Over the next two months, Ginny started meeting with Blaise more regularly. Eventually, he started bringing Draco with him, and Ginny started bringing Luna. Draco had then decided they should meet in his room so there would be no concerns over being caught together. The two boys were very entertained by the feisty redhead and the surprisingly funny Ravenclaw. Luna seemed to be thoroughly enjoying getting to know Blaise, and Ginny loved being able to show her "dark" side more freely. Harry had always treated her like a glass doll, and she was enjoying being treated as not only an equal to the two boys, but also as a leader when it came to planning the DA's missions.
Winter break was going to start the next week, and Blaise's mother had requested that he return home. She did not actually write that he would not be returning, but Blaise understood her hidden message and informed the new little group of her plans. He was pretty sure that she was taking him into hiding until the end of the war.
Luna was sitting very close to Blaise during his announcement. "Will you come back when it's over?" Her large blue eyes looked at him curiously.
"Of course, Luna. I couldn't leave jolly old England without having been in your knickers." He winked at Ginny as he threw his arm around Luna.
It had become a bit of a joke that Blaise would be getting into Luna's pants at some point. One night during a DA mission, Luna had spilt paint all over her school skirt, and Blaise had offered her his trousers in exchange for her some day returning the favour. Luna, being Luna, replied that she would gladly return the favour, as that was the kind thing to do. Of course, the boys thought that she was being clueless to his intent while she and Ginny spent many nights discussing exactly what would happen when she did repay him.
Blaise noticed Ginny looking pensive and asked, "Will you be going home, Red?"
"No, my mum and dad have enough to worry about right now. I would just be in their way." She looked down and then glanced over at Draco who had sat quietly throughout their discussion. "What about you, Draco? I suppose you're not needed at home either…are you?"
"What? Oh, no. Thank Merlin. That monster has taken over our home, and Mother has convinced Father that I should enjoy my last holiday at school. But I may be called away at any moment. I hate it. I hate all of it." His face had flushed with anger, and Ginny reached out to touch his arm and gave him a small smile of encouragement.
By the time school resumed, Draco knew that he was, without a doubt, completely in love with Ginny Weasley. Not a fantasy version of her, but the real girl. They had spent almost every day of the break together. Ginny had wisely decided to put the DA missions on hold whilst many students were missing for the holidays, realizing that it would only narrow down the Carrows' hit list. Instead, she had continued going to Draco's room at night, and a couple of times she even stayed over, with Draco sleeping on his sofa and giving Ginny his bed. The two had become much closer than Ginny ever would have thought. After Luna and Blaise had left, she wasn't sure if she would be spending as much time with Draco, but with Neville gone as well, she found herself lonely. It wasn't long before she realized that she enjoyed being with Draco, and that although she had thought they would need Blaise as a buffer, they did not. While Blaise was witty and charming, she found she actually preferred Draco's sarcasm and dry sense of humour. She had noticed, by the end of the break, that they were becoming much more intimate in their friendship, not just physically with more small touches and hugs, but even more so emotionally, talking about much more serious topics and sharing much more personal things. It scared her a little bit, the last night of the break, when she realized that she hadn't thought of Harry for the past couple of days. Draco found himself struggling several times to not grab her and kiss her while they were in his room, and he was surprised to be looking forward to Luna's return and subsequent disruption to his temptations.
By the second night after the break, Ginny was starting to panic. Luna had yet to show up to school, and that afternoon she had heard a couple of students murmuring about a possible kidnapping. She looked across the hall at Draco and gave him the sign that she wanted to meet with him later. He returned the go-ahead signal and dropped his head. He knew she was worrying about her friend because even he was starting to wonder what had happened to the quirky little Ravenclaw. There had been much talk amongst the Slytherins that she had been taken by Death Eaters.
That evening, Draco peered out of his door and motioned for Ginny to come into his room from her hiding place. "Pansy made an unexpected visit tonight. She just wanted me to know that she was completely over me." He smirked at her as she sat down on his bed.
"Well that's good since you have been madly in love with me all year," she teased. Ginny turned bright pink as soon as she said it, mentally cursing herself for being so stupid and tactless.
"Yeah, I don't think that she would want to hear that." He looked very uncomfortable, and he had stopped walking towards her when she had blurted out his deepest secret.
"Do you know anything about Luna?" she quickly started, trying to relieve him of his embarrassment, but also wanting to get to the point of this meeting.
"No, and I doubt I will hear anything from Blaise. He's probably not even been in Britain since the day we saw him. You think he took her with him?"
"As much as I'd love to believe that they finally admitted how much they like each other and ran off together," she sighed heavily, "Luna would never do that to her dad."
"Yeah, and Blaise isn't really the let's run away together type."
Unexpectedly, she started crying and pulled her knees up to her face, wrapping her arms around them. "What if they kill her?" She sobbed into her knees.
Before he could second-guess himself, he crossed to her and gathered her onto his lap. He started rocking her and rubbing her back, "They have no reason to do that. She will be fine. I promise you that if I can do anything to help her, I will."
She suddenly looked up at him and pleaded, "You can't go back to them, Draco! You can't be a part of his plans. Please, please don't go back there." She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him.
"Ginny, my mum is there. I can't leave her unprotected."
"You said your dad really loves her. He will protect her, Draco. Don't go. If you don't go back, then maybe they will come to our side, too." She was begging and tears were streaming down her cheeks.
He reached up and wiped her cheek and leaned his forehead against hers, "I don't think they can, Ginny. How could I even let them know what I was doing? You know the owls are being watched."
"We'll find a way." She had touched one of her hands to his cheek and then rested it against his chest.
"We?" He hated himself for sounding so desperate, so he poured all the love he felt for this girl into his eyes.
"Yes," and she kissed him. She kissed him hard, grabbing his head and holding him in place.
At first he was afraid to react, but then he pulled her closer and moved her legs so that she was straddling him. Their kisses grew more frenzied and soon became unsatisfying as their hands began to explore one another. After a few minutes, Draco had flipped her onto her back and was settled between her legs. The two were frantic in their touches, their hands ripping at each other's clothes. Draco grabbed his wand and performed the Contraceptive Charm with a shaky voice. He couldn't believe he was about to be with Ginny. He began kissing her again as he shrugged off his trousers and slowly worked the lacy knickers down her creamy legs. Ginny was on fire, and while a small voice in her head was screaming for her to slow down, a new and louder voice was begging for her to feel more and more and to get closer to Draco than she had ever been to another boy. She looked up into Draco's stormy eyes, and just as he was about to stop and say something, she interrupted him by shouting, "Please, Draco, now!"
Almost before he realized it, Draco was inside of her. He saw her eyes widen with surprise, and he forced himself to stop moving. He kissed her lips and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. I ..I…" his breathing was laboured as he was struggling to not follow his instincts.
"Draco, it's okay. Start moving again." She looked up in his eyes and smiled. Inside, her mind was outraged. This was supposed to have been Harry! How would she ever face him again? But as soon as she started to think about Harry, Draco had found his rhythm, and all thoughts were replaced by the blond boy above her.
After only a few more minutes, Draco had sped up his thrusting and placed his hand between the two of them, touching Ginny and causing her to almost bolt upright with the explosion of her orgasm. He followed almost immediately after and then collapsed on top of her. He sighed into her neck, "I love you."
They lay very still for quite a while. Ginny thought it was a strange kind of comfort, feeling his weight on her and him still inside of her. It made it more real. It made it more than the whirlwind of hormones and emotions that had just happened. She hadn't replied to his declaration of love, and her mind was racing with confusion. She had just lost her virginity to Draco Malfoy. She wasn't even sure how to define her feelings for him, but she knew he scared her in a way that Harry never had.
Draco slowly rolled away from her and rested on his back. "I, um, thought it would last longer than that." He had noticed her lack of response to his earlier confession, but he chose to just act like he hadn't said anything.
"Aren't you the Slytherin Sex God?" She made a small little laugh. "I thought you were fast on purpose, you know, since it was my first time." She rolled to her side to look at him, and he rolled to face her as well with a funny grin on his face.
"Um, yeah, about that. That's really Blaise. He likes that I get the bad rep while he keeps getting laid. I, uh," he rolled back on his back and stared at the ceiling, "I never did that before."
"What! You're a - were a virgin? Sweet Merlin, we just lost our virginities together, I can't freakin' believe it." She also rolled to her back and stared at the ceiling.
"I guess it's only fitting." He laughed to himself. "You were my first kiss, too."
"What? When on earth did that happen?"
He looked over at her and answered, "I think you were five, and I was six. We were with our dads at – "
"The Ministry of Magic! I remember. I kissed you, but you did not kiss me." At this, she had looked back at him and was smiling.
"Yeah, you ran away before I knew what had happened … Do you regret it? I swear I didn't plan this."
Her smile faded at his question. She knew immediately that he was not referring to the kiss. "Draco, I don't know what to think. I didn't really plan it, either. I think that I need to just kind of deal with it, okay? I better go." She sat up, and he mirrored her movement. They both sat awkwardly for a moment before she started to move.
Draco grabbed her hand, leaned forward, and kissed her briefly on the lips. "I don't regret it, Ginevra. We will do this however you want. I will always be your friend, but I don't regret this, and … I meant what I said." He did not break her gaze even when his pale face slightly coloured at the last part.
It was a week before Ginny returned to Draco's room. She had avoided him at all costs throughout the schooldays. She knew that she could easily fall in love with him, but she still refused to give up Harry. She had left his room in a daze, more confused than she had ever felt in her life. When she had been caught returning from Draco's room, Professor Snape marched her up to his office. It was whilst he was lecturing her on being careful with the decisions she was making that she saw the Sword of Gryffindor. Immediately, she thought of Harry, and after a moment of guilt, she determined to get the sword that Dumbledore had left to him. If she had thought that she could plan this next DA mission without Draco, she would have, but she knew his help would be invaluable. So she found herself knocking on his door late one night, hoping that he would forgive her for being such a coward.
A week of planning together did much to mend the strange relationship between them. Sometimes she would catch herself just watching him work, reliving their one time together, wondering if it would get better the next time. Then she would reprimand herself and refocus on the task of stealing Gryffindor's Sword for Harry. The night of the mission would have gone perfectly if it weren't for her being distracted by Draco. She knew that if he were caught, he would be sent straight home where Voldemort would be waiting to punish him. She had insisted that he stay behind, but he had refused, convinced that Longbottom would get her caught. Instead, she was the one who had delayed the plan with her arguing and had led them straight into Snape's hands. He had sent Draco back to his room, thanking him for following the suspect students. He had then sent Ginny and Neville to Hagrid to help find asphodel in the forest. Ginny was so relieved at not being tortured that she didn't question the easy punishment until she arrived at Draco's the next night.
Draco looked up at her as she entered his room, having given her his password when she had come to him the week before. "Are you okay? Has he punished you yet? I will go and talk to him right now. I will not let you be hurt." He had briskly walked over to her and seemed to be looking her over for injury.
She smiled at him and replied, "I am fine. He sent us to Hagrid, which is kind of strange since he would know that was not a big deal." She paused and scrunched up her face in confusion briefly before her eyes widened, and she said, "He's not really one of them, is he? He's still with us. Oh my goodness, Dumbledore ordered him to kill him, didn't he?"
"I don't know for sure, but yeah, I think there's a chance that it was part of a plan. I have no idea what he is going to do, but I wouldn't count him out yet as being in the Order. He had to kill him if I didn't, Ginny. He took the Unbreakable Vow with my mum. And … I think Dumbledore knew all about it." He sat down heavily on the sofa.
She joined him and bumped him with her shoulder, "He protected you, Draco, they all did. Don't you think your mum wants you to be free of this?" She picked up his left arm as she spoke.
"Are we back to that again?" He looked at her seriously. "I can't promise you anything, Ginny."
"That's okay. I can't promise you anything, either." And with that, she once again leaned forward and kissed him.
Over the next few months, Ginny practically moved into Draco's room. More and more of the DA had moved into the Room of Requirement, and she, with Draco's help, had become the liaison from the outside to her friends. They were partners in crime, and in the privacy of Draco's room, they were much more. They had an unspoken agreement to not discuss the future or their feelings, but they learned to express themselves in other, more intimate ways. They were trying to simply enjoy being together, but as news from the outside world grew direr, they grew closer and became more dependent upon one another.
Draco sighed as he was stroking her bare back. "I got an owl from my mum today. I am expected to go home for the Easter hols. She is getting worried, I think."
"Yeah, my mum told me to come home, too."
They were lounging in bed together, two nights before the Easter break. "Were you going to tell me?" He sounded calm, but she knew he was upset. It was getting harder and harder to not become more emotional with each other.
"Of course, but I wanted you to come with me. And I didn't know what to say to you."
"Ginny, I can't go home with you. My parents would be killed if I left here and didn't show up at the Manor. I have to-"
"No, you don't." She was holding on to him and speaking into his chest. "You could run away. Tonight. You could leave the letter unopened. He can't blame them if you had already run."
He moved her to look at his face. "I love you, Ginevra. I need you to know that. I love you, and if we get through this war, I want to be with you."
"I love you, too." Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears as she kissed him softly.
He cupped her face and said, "I will run if you come with me."
She started weeping and tried to duck her head, but he stopped her. "Ginny, run away with me. I have my own money. We can go anywhere. We can be together. I want to marry you."
She couldn't answer him. She couldn't bring herself to tell him no, but he could see it in her eyes.
After a few moments of silence, he finally was able to find the words to say to her. "It wouldn't matter if I hadn't opened it. They would die anyway. I have to go home, and so do you."
A/N: Beta'd by the amazing Selena!
Thanks for the positive feedback. As always, I do not threaten for reviews, but I do really like getting them.
