Draco pulled up to the rickety, patchwork house that was the Burrow. He put his car in park and looked over at Ginny, who had fallen asleep only twenty minutes after asking him millions of questions. He watched her sleep and enjoyed how peaceful she looked. He wondered if he too looked that calm while he was sleeping. "Ginny," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, hoping to rouse her from her sleep.
Her eyes opened slowly and a blush spread across her cheeks. "Oh, wow," she whispered, sitting up in the seat. "Sorry," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
"No, don't worry about it. You looked like you could use it," he said with a shrug and a warm smile. It was true. The speed at which the sleep had overcome her was astounding. He assumed she was not on any sort of normal sleeping schedule, which couldn't be healthy for the baby.
"I can't even stay awake for three hours!" she shook her head, gathering her bag from the floor of the car. She tried to tame her hair to no avail. Although it was neater than it would have been if Draco hadn't put up the top when she fell asleep. "I think this is the most refreshed I've felt after waking up in weeks. I've been taking dreamless sleeping draught every night and when I wake up I'm groggy and confused." She sighed and looked at her lap for a moment before meeting his eyes and smiling. "In fact, I think this is the first time I've slept without a potion in three weeks. So, thank you for that and the ride." She leaned forward to shake his hand, but seemed to regret her movement. "Erm, well, I suppose I'll see you soon. Maybe we can—"
"Ginevra Molly Weasley Potter," a voice shrieked from the steps of the red house in front of them. "Get out of that contraption this instant! What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing? We were expecting you over an hour ago!" Mrs. Weasley yelled as she was jumping down the steps and bustling over to the car. She pulled at the handle to Ginny's door a few times and let out a huff when it wouldn't budge.
Draco hit the button to unlock the doors and smiled up at the older woman. "Hello, Mrs. Weasley. I was just—"
"Don't you start!" she snapped, pulling at her daughter's arm roughly after opening the door. "I don't want to hear anything come out of your mouth. As for you, young lady," she started, finally removing Ginny from the car. "You can't just go about doing what ever you like. You aren't seventeen. You're responsible for yourself and you're responsible for Harry's baby." Mrs. Weasley laid a hand against her daughter's belly and shook her head in disappointment. "Go inside!"
Ginny hesitated, looking from her mother to Draco before she turned to the blond in the car and smiled stiffly. "I'll owl you," she promised quietly before backing up.
"No, you will not!" Mrs. Weasley barked, shoving her daughter's back so she would begin her walk to the house. Once Ginny was safely inside, Mrs. Weasley rounded on Draco. "You disgust me. This family is trying to find it's way back together after a tragedy and you have the gall to step in. Stay away from my daughter."
Draco clenched his jaw, keeping himself from wanting to say more than he should. "I was merely taking her home after her ride abandoned her at St. Mungo's," Draco explained in the nicest voice he could muster. "I didn't want to leave her there if I had a way to help her get home."
Mrs. Weasley shook her head and her upper lip curled in disgust. "I don't want you close enough to know if she needs anything. You stay the hell away from my daughter and that baby. Do you understand?"
Draco stared at her and quietly summoned the car door shut, before backing up and pulling out. He had planned on having Bibsy Apparate the car home from the Burrow, but a drive would probably do him well. There were a lot of things on his mind and many things that shouldn't be. He wanted to see Ginny again, and not just for the case. In fact, he had forgotten all about the case for most of the ride. He had nothing to go off of and no questions answered. He supposed he believed in his heart that it was impossible for Ginny to have killed Harry, but in his mind, he couldn't ignore all of the evidence that was piled up at his house.
However, he couldn't forget Nigel in all of this; Nigel, the Auror partner, the chivalrous administration member who had offered to tote Ginny Potter to her Healer's visit. What was this deal the two of them had made and why did he think Ginny had broken it? She lied to the Aurors, he claimed. Draco made a mental note to read the statements once again. Of course, Draco remembered, Aurors signed away their rights when they took their positions. He knew that if anyone suspected Nigel of knowing anything about Harry's death, which someone had, Nigel would have been asked questions under the influence of Grade A Veritiserum. So if anything had been suspicious, the Aurors questioning him would have already noticed and alerted Kingsley weeks ago.
There were no absolutes in Draco's mind. Even with all the reasons he felt to not believe Ginny was capable of murder, few things she said did stir up skepticism in him. While she was clearly sad, anyone who had spent any time with her could see that, she also seemed to be feeling something else. It was hard for Draco to pin point it, but if he had to use a word, he supposed guilt was the best match. Something about her longing stares and her stories showed she felt guilty. People can feel guilty for a number of reasons, he told himself.
Deep, deep in his gut he knew there was a chance she did it. Kingsley put her on the list for a reason, and he hadn't even watched the memories Draco had. Then the reality of everything hit him. It was Draco's choice if the case was taken in front of the Wizengamot. It was his choice who would be sitting on trial. He imagined Ginny in the grey robes of the prison sitting on the wooden bench, a hollow look in her eyes.
"Bibsy!" Draco yelled, pulling over onto the shoulder.
"Master Draco," Bibsy greeted, appearing in the passenger's seat in the car. "Are you wishing to come to the Manor?"
"No, not now, sorry. Could you take the car back to the garage? I need to clear my mind and a drive is not the answer."
"As you wish, sir," she smiled. She watched him get out of the car with her huge green eyes. Her head nodded to him before both she and the car disappeared.
Draco sighed and Apparated back to his flat. After running into Harry Potter's cement memory bath and cursing for a few moments, Draco entered his bedroom and collapsed on his bed. He felt more mentally tired than he had in years. Hoping a nap could cure his hazy brain, Draco closed his eyes to fall asleep. After what felt like only a minute of rest, a knock came at his bedroom door.
That's strange, Draco thought. He didn't remember closing his door. "Come in," he called, propping himself up on his forearms.
The door opened slowly and Ginny came in. "Draco," she breathed, her eyes staring into him. She was still wearing her knee length dress from earlier, but her hair was in perfect condition. Gone were the knots from the car ride, her loose curls fell all around her shoulders, reaching halfway down her chest.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her, his voice wavering.
"I just couldn't be away any longer. My family is awful, but you… you're just what I need," she told him, walking towards his bed.
"But…but I have work to do," he explained, hoping she would turn around and go. Her skin was practically glowing.
"You're always working," she laughed, sitting on the edge of his bed.
Draco sat up, not realizing how close to her he would be. Their faces were mere centimeters away from each other. She smelled of flowers and vanilla. He couldn't help but count the freckles on her cheeks and nose. "We barely know each other," he whispered, meeting her eyes.
"But you said yourself, we're in the process of connecting with new people. I need to connect with new people," she answered, inching closer to him, her eyes fluttering shut.
"But… I should really get back to work," Draco began before closing the gap between them. Her lips were softer than he had imagined, and her hair was silkier than it looked.
She pulled away, a small smile on her lips. Grabbing the hem of her dress, she pulled it up and over her head. "Work, work, work…" she shook her head, her curls dancing.
Draco's eyes widened, and his jaw went slack. He drank in her appearance, from her round hips to her flat stomach and up to her chest. "I…" he began, but he had nothing to say. He couldn't speak.
Ginny smirked at his reaction and bit her lip. "Mr. Malfoy," she giggled, pushing him back onto the bed and crawling on top of him. She began unbuttoning his shirt, placing kisses on his bare chest as she went. She had complete control over him, her touch lighting a fire on his skin.
All he could do was watch her and moan. He wanted to be in charge. As much as he was enjoying her hands on him, he needed to be the one touching her. Moving quickly, he rolled them over and stared at her for a moment, taking in her appearance beneath him.
Her hair was fanned out of his pillow and her lips were puckered. She ran her hands over herself, leaving a trail of red on top of her skin.
Draco leaned back, his eyebrows pushed together deeply. "Wha…" he gasped. It was as if she had dunked her palms in red paint, the liquid showing everywhere her hands touched. She wasn't injured though, he thought as he watched her continue to run her hands over herself and the sheets. She gripped his coverlet, marking it with the red paint. Draco grabbed her hands, turning them to look at the palms to make sure she wasn't injured. Her skin was intact, her hands were just stained red.
"What?" she asked, her tongue darting out to wet her lips.
Then Draco heard the ringing of his floo. He turned to look, not letting go of Ginny's hands, but he saw nothing. The ringing continued, but as far as Draco could tell, no one was on the other side of the floo.
"Hello?" a voice called.
Draco's eyes opened suddenly, his breath ragged. He looked around for Ginny, but she was gone. There was no red paint on his sheets or his hands. It was like she had never been there at all.
"Mr. Malfoy," Kingsley's voice called impatiently.
Draco hopped out of bed and kneeled on the hearth in front of his floo. He accepted the call and smiled at his boss. "Sorry, I was a bit out of it."
"I'll say. I was calling for five minutes before I decided I would ring. I hate the sound of that damn bell though," he shook his head and eyed Draco. "Mind if I come over for a quick chat about work?"
"Of course not," Draco insisted, standing up and readying himself for his boss's entry. He had to clear his mind before Kingsley came. The man was a gifted Legilimens and Draco had just had an extremely inappropriate dream about a murder suspect.
A/N: Hope you guys are still enjoying the story. I'm working through all of my stories in order but I'm extremely busy, so I'll probably only be updating on weekends from now on. (Liars may be updated more frequently because it is a completed story that I am just tweaking as I go). Thank you!