Okay it has been forever I know but I got writers block a while back and so wrote other stuff to hopefully change that but then I ended up getting too involved with those stories and exam prep etc and almost forgot about this story completely but then inspiration randomly came back during my geography exam (go figure) so I'm back to continue and finish this story although I don't know how often I can update but I'll let you know.
This was the third time she had kissed him and it was even better than the first, it was weird because the first time no feelings above indifference were felt and it was amazing and now that she felt so much more she couldn't describe it..except to say it was deep.
His tongue reached down into her mouth, down into the bottom of her stomach and into her soul warming her.
The only way she could describe it metaphorically was like the climax of the opera classic Nessun Dorma which Hermoine had lovingly played to her once, or the climax of any song really where the emotion, the tension and then the release came all at once.
Ginny was making out with Draco Malfoy. She said it to herself over and over as he worked his magic again. It was dirty behind the Hogwarts potting sheds, but it was privacy so she didn't care and something about it felt so pure that it hurt.
She loved someone and he loved her back. Life was crazy and beautiful.
He stopped for a moment to smile at her, to drink her in with a look that made her knees weak.
"I told you."
"Told me what?"
"That I'd have my way with you eventually."
Ginny smiled.
"I'm calling the shots here buddy so I wouldn't be planning anything ambitious anytime soon if I were you."
Draco sighed but didn't really mind.
"You're alright you know that?"
Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Is that some form of obscure compliment?"
"I love you."
He blurted it out so unexpectedly that if Ginny had been gulping down anything but euphoric bliss she would have spluttered it all over him.
"Do you mean it?"
He stroked her hair back behind her ear.
"I wouldn't say it if I didn't."
Ginny grinned, she didn't think her mouth could stretch so wide.
"I love you too."
Draco let a satisfied smile slip across his features: his lips and his eyes.
It was amazing how easy it was in the end to sort everything out and surprisingly how rapidly they made up for lost time and the two lonely months they were apart. They has suffered needlessly but it made their reunion even sweeter.
The day Hermoine discovered Draco's letter was the day Ginny lost ten years of her life, she felt like she was having a heart attack when Hermoine pulled her discreetly to the side and brandished the parchment accusingly. Everything around her went silent and she could see Hermoine mouthing words slowly but she couldn't understand, all she could hear was the blood pumping past her ears and around the rest of her body at lighting speed.
This was when she thought she was discovered, when she thought she had lost everyone around her for some stupid letters she wrote to a boy who didn't even want to be her friend. At least that's what she thought.
Nothing could have helped Ginny at that moment other than her reflexes and gift with words. The funny thing was she maybe would have told Hermoine about her and Draco and find some sort of ally in her, she was reasonable after all and was a girl so she hoped it would be okay but then she remembered the change between her and Ron and how her loyalty would always (and especially now) be to him.
So she turned the tables on Hermoine and accused her right back.
"What were you doing filing through my trash? That's a violation of my privacy in my own home, how could you?"
Hermoine swallowed and immediately dropped the harsh tone.
"It was an accident I was throwing a tissue in the bin and found it lying behind it."
Ginny laughed bitterly.
"So you felt it was your right to read every word of my personal correspondence? Who do you think you are?"
"I'm sorry okay? I really am it was rude and nosy of me and I am under no allusions that what I did wasn't wrong and -"
"-Despicable?"
"Yes that too but just tell me the truth, are you writing to Draco Malfoy?"
Hearing Hermoine spit out his name is such a disgusted tone made her want to slap her but she realised not everyone else was in love with him and knew him like she did.
"No."
Hermoine raised an eyebrow.
"Then who is D.M and why didn't they just write their name?"
"D.M is Dylan Mercer he's a year below us in Ravenclaw, we met at the book shop before school started and I had recommended a book to him and we just started talking and one thing led to another and why I have to justify who I talk with to you I don't know!"
"And that's the truth?"
"You don't believe me?"
"I want to but for the sake of my unhealthy paranoia just say it's the truth I need to hear it from you."
Ginny felt her insides churning making her feel sick with betrayal, it was a complete lie but the truth would have hurt too much.
"It is."
Hermoine relaxed.
"Okay well I am sorry again for being a horrible friend but I just worry about you."
"I know and that makes you a bloody good friend but pick through my trash again and I wont be feeling so forgiving."
"Understood."
Ginny nodded uncertainly.
"Do you wanna play football?"
Hermoine smiled.
"Is that what you call what you were playing?"
Ginny glared.
"It's one thing to violate my privacy, invade my room and then accuse me of a dreadful act but mock my skill at football and I don't think we can be friends anymore."
Hermoine's face dropped and Ginny quickly giggled to show her it was a joke.
Hermoine hugged Ginny.
"Thanks for putting up with me."
Ginny tapped her head patronisingly.
"What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment."
Present
Ginny looked at the time and groaned.
"I have herbology."
Draco threw his head back and sighed.
"When?"
"About five minutes ago."
"So?"
Ginny smiled.
"So I'd actually like to pass my OWLS!"
"When can I see you?"
She kissed him quickly and extracted herself from his grasp, it was surprisingly strong as if he was scared she'd slip away forever.
"You'll just have to wait and see."
She patted the dirt off her robes and ran to the next class.
Draco had a study period and wasn't keen on going back to the common room now that Jill was basically exiled and Pansy all over him like a rash again.
He went to sit under their fated willow tree and read his book instead.
Flashback
Draco had avoided seeing Ginny and by some miracle Jill all day the first day back after the Christmas holidays when he happened to see bright red hair coming around the corner. His heart skipped a beat but slowed when he realised Ron and Dean were pacing fast towards him obviously late for their classes.
Ron saw him and gave him a cautious glare as if both scared and angry with him.
Draco moved in front of him as if to talk but realised he really had nothing to say, he just wanted to inquire about Ginny but realised Ron was definitely not the right person to ask.
Dean saw an upcoming confrontation and mumbled a cowardly goodbye before shuffling with his head down past them.
Ron stared straight at Draco.
"What is it Malfoy? A dig about my robes? A jest about my family? Bring it on!"
"I just wanted to know how Ginny was."
His tone was reluctant but Ron almost choked on his own saliva at the question.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me Weasley."
"You leave my sister alone, call me names I don't care but come after Ginny and you'll be sorry!"
Draco let out an exasperated sigh at how much of an asshole he must have been to garner such suspicion and hatred at such a simple question.
"I don't want to harm her I just wanted to see if she is okay."
"Yeah right!"
Draco glared.
"What do you think I could possibly gain but humiliation for conversing with you? Just say if she is either okay or not it's not that hard, even for you."
Ron was silent for a long time even though he was already late for class, he was trying to stand in Draco's shoes and find some sort of angle or some sort of way Draco could benefit or hurt his sister from such a seemingly innocent answer. He found none.
"She's fine."
Draco smiled slightly and Ron thought he may have saw a genuine person under it but he dismissed the idea as quickly as he thought it.
"Thanks."
"Um no problem."
Ron walked past him sideways and then backed away as if sure he'd be egged from behind or a 'kick me' piece of parchment would be attached to his robes. He was trying to judge Draco's expression but it wasn't smug or malicious like it always had been, it was strangely different but you could never be sure with Malfoy.
Draco had Potions class next but he decided to skip it to see Pansy who had a study period and would be in the common room, he knew Snape would have a coronary at his absence this late in the year but he had more pressing matters to attend to and he knew his father's influence over his grumpy professor would get him off every time.
He had to take command again, he was sick of feeling like a fugitive in his own ruddy school and as a Malfoy he wouldn't stand for it any longer but if he learnt anything from Jill in the few torturous months he had spent with her it was that subtly is the key.
He sauntered to the common room and Pansy's head shot up at his entrance as though she knew those were the footsteps of the great Draco Malfoy.
"Hey Draco."
"Good morning Pansy, how's homework progressing?"
He didn't know why he always took a superior tone with her, he guessed it was because he wanted her to feel small when in fact, he was the diminished one having to ask Pansy for help.
"Oh you know how it is with potions, one step forward, two steps back."
Draco nodded pretending to care.
"Pansy we're good friends right?"
Pansy smiled.
"Always, I will forever be your devoted, loyal -"
"- Whatever, so as my friend if I had a problem would you be my sympathetic ear and tell no one else?"
Pansy had never had this from Draco before and put her hands on his bent knees in the chair opposite her for support.
He looked at his lap like something had stained him but tried to ignore them.
"Okay well me and Jill clearly aren't working out."
"Clearly, I knew that from the start."
"Well she sort of has me between a rock and a hard place."
Pansy screwed up her face.
"A hard place? Like another rock?"
Draco rolled his eyes but forced a smile.
"It's a saying."
"Ohh..for what?"
"I want to dump her but she says if I do in revenge she will spread a particularly nasty rumour that I would rather go bankrupt than have revealed."
Pansy gasped.
"It must be really serious then!"
"See I would have dumped her ages ago that's why I hurt you only because she would have hurt me otherwise."
"Of course, I completely understand I knew we were meant for -"
"- Anyway this rumour is about me and Ginny Weasley a.k.a the scum attached to that oaf Potter's shoes and that we kissed."
"Oh my god that's preposterous it's like sayinghe-who-must-not-be-named kissed..a mudblood."
"Um exactly and it was all based on seeing us together outside the library like you did, except she just saw us and didn't hear the accurate explanation about me criticizing her that you did."
"What a stupid-"
"- So can you help?"
"Anything for you Draky."
"Good, I need you to socially exclude Jill by planting counter rumours about her - something like she made it all up because of an obsessive interest in me, or it's her whose dating a ravenclaw and was covering for herself I don't know, anything. I know you have influence and when I spread the same thing to back up your claim we'll be invincible."
"We'll be like Bonnie and Clyde!"
"Who are they?"
"I don't know but I overheard a mudblood talking about them they are like romeo and -"
"-Okay well tell everyone to keep quiet under pain of wedgiesor something equally embarassingso that when I publicly drop her for everyone's amusement they will all know the lies she spreads are just that, lies. Everyone will know she's obsessed with me and did it for revenge."
Pansy licked her lips at the idea of her backstabbing best friend getting what was coming to her and having Draco back on the market.
"You're so sexy when you plot to cause other people suffering."
Draco's face dropped.
"It's what I'm good at."
Ginny sat on her four poster bed and read the latest Witch 17. She remembered it was her birthday present from her mother when she was thirteen that she had the subscription to the magazine as a guide to her teenage years. Her mother had rather tearfully told her that since she couldn't be around to help her all the time (to which Ginny was thankful) and that adolescence was a trying period of lifeshe thoughtthat Witch 17 could be her back up.
Molly Weasley obviously hadn't read an issue or if she had she would have burnt it let alone voluntarily given it to her only daughter. Ginny had cut off the subscription only recently because she realised what garbage it really was.
It told you how to get a young wizard, how to physically please him, keep him interested and attentive but nothing about your own happiness unless it involved dieting and make up. They categorized all men as the same and considering Ginny liked Draco who was definitely unique none of their 'advice' did anything but irritate her and try to persuade her that all relationships are as shallow as they make out.
Michelle came up the stairs to change her shoes before dinner.
"Are you okay?"
Ginny looked up.
"Yeah why? Do I look sick?"
"No of course not you've just been such a hermit since you returned to schoolI thought something might be up."
Ginny smiled gratefully.
"Thanks for asking but I'm fine really."
"It just seems like you're trying to avoid someone that's all."
"Sorry to give that impression but my life really isn't that complicated."
Michelle smiled almost knowingly.
"So you keep emphasising."
Ginny laughed.
"Do you want to read to read Witch 17 when I'm done?"
"Nah the only reading I'll be doing for the rest of this year is from text books otherwise I'll be reading big fat Fs on all my assignments."
"Well if you need any help I'll be up here."
"Thanks, so I suppose you've been out of the loop gossip wise since you've been busy not- hiding?"
"I'm getting some sort of withdrawal."
Michelle grinned, always happy to be the spreader of juicy rumours and hearsay. She sat on Ginny's bed and took a deep breath.
"Draco andJill had a huge public break up earlier in their common room."
Ginny felt her insides squirm and suddenly wanted to fist the air but restrained herself, she put on her calmly interested face instead.
"How do you know?"
Michelle rolled her eyes.
"Please, it's Draco after all, it's spread like wild fire since it happened."
"What happened?"
"Well I don't know everything yet but apparently she threatened to release some rather damaging information about him to everyone and he just smirked and Pansy told her with some venom apparently that she was a desperate schemer who no one would believe and apparently no one did when she told them."
Ginny felt herself begin to sweat.
"Didn't you find out what the damaging information was?"
"I will when I go down for dinner but I came up here to tell you what I knew so far."
Ginny laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and exhaled.
"You're a good friend."
"Tell me something I don't know."
Then suddenly three more gryffindor girls in her year burst through the door red faced looking like they had just won Merlin's Lottery.
"GOOD HEAVENS YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE!-"
"IT'S SO WEIRD GIN YOU'RE FAMOUS-"
"SO LUCKY!-"
They were all talking at once practically tripping over each other to get to her side.
Ginny had a sinking feeling in her stomach as Ron's disappointed face crept into her mind.
"What's going on?"
Michelle frowned.
"Stop speaking and start over again ONE at a time."
They nodded furiously and Amy began.
"The whole rumour was about Draco and you Ginny!"
Michelle laughed and turned to Ginny as she asked:
"What about me?"
"She made up that she saw you and Draco snogging on one of the beds at Padma and Pavati's birthday party! How weird is that?"
Ginny felt herself blushing.
"That's stupid but Ron is going to have a fit if he finds out he'll think it's Draco's fault."
Amy shook her head.
"He already knows but he's annoyed at Jill not Draco as everyone knows she made up the lie but cool huh?"
Ginny rolled her eyes.
"How is it cool?"
"It must mean you're popular to be part of the rumour, the whole of gryffindor hasn't stop buzzing about it in the great hall!"
"Oh right well I got in a bit of a fight withJill yesterday so it was probably her revenge."
Michelle smiled slyly at Ginny's lie.
"I wish I could pick fights with Jill."
"Why?"
"YOU GET POPULAR! Almost everyone knows your name now if not your face yet you realise."
Ginny was glad she was in her room.
"Just what I need."
Amy lay a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry you know Hogwarts it will blow over in a few days when a new scandal starts, I personally hope it's about Pansy she's so glamorous."
Ginny scoffed, who needed Witch 17 when she had all the teenage angst, drama and celebrity gossip right here in her own dorm.
Michelle shooed them all out of the dorm and faced Ginny seriously.
"It is a lie right?"
Ginny burst out laughing, Michelle assumed it was amused laughter at such a ridiculous question but it was more hysteria on Ginny's part.
"No of course not when would I even have seen Draco? Some people need more homework to occupy their time."
Michelle looked worried.
"Don't jinx it I'm snowed under as it is. Don't worry Jill is just pissed she got dumped and is lashing out no one believes a word that loon says."
"Is she okay?"
Michelle's eyes almost doubled in size.
"What? Why do you care?"
"Well I dunno it's just it must have been embarrassing for her."
"Yeah well it's her fault for making up malicious rumours isn't it? You're too nice for your own good Ginny, everyone hates her now anyway."
"Even Pansy?"
"Especially Pansy."
Ginny felt slightly bad that the one time Jill was telling the truth (she felt sick at the idea she saw them) everyone rallied against her.
"Okay well I may skip dinner now."
"You can't if you hide away people will think you are guilty, just face it."
Ginny nodded.
"You're right, I'll see you down there."
Michelle giggled.
"There's no way I'm letting you face the masses alone I'll come with you."
Ginny wanted to hug Michelle but she already had a rumour about her getting it on with Draco the last thing she needed was one spreading about her trying it on with Michelle.
"Did I mention that you're my best friend?"
Michelle grinned.
"Nope but ditto."
So dinner was better than she had anticipated, she didn't look in Draco's direction at all but could feel the unified death stares of the entire slytherin house. Ron more or less stayed out of it once he was convinced the rumour was nothing to do with Draco and Harry was in a bad mood the whole time but said little either.
The whole of her house was questioning her but Michelle fought them off verbally by saying it was all lies at the top of her lungs until people gave up trying to talk over her and ate. Ginny's imagination had Michelle and her invisible sword lunging and parrying around various questions and insults and shielding them from her with the swish of her sword.
At the end of dinner Professor McGonagall came over, her long velvet robes sweeping the floor behind her. Ginny didn't notice her behind her until she coughed politely.
"Miss Weasley."
Ginny turned around slightly embarrassed as the entire table feel silent.
"The headmaster would like to see you in his office in an hour."
Ginny nodded, too frightened to speak. She had never been on friendly terms with Dumbledore like Harry and Ron, it was a strictly student-headmaster relationship and she respected his authority too much for it to be anything else. Friendship required people be more or less equal and she did not know anyone who was equal or superior to him. She admired him but had never really found her tongue with him before and had never been alone with him before properly either.
"You'll need this Ginny."
Minerva's voice softened and handed Ginny a small piece of parchment and patted her on the shoulder before leaving, she didn't feel very comforted though.
Orange Jelly Sponge Cake
She had been up to Dumbledore's office enough howeverto know what the bizarre words were for and she quickly shoved it into her robes.
Michelle looked at her worriedly but gave her her best reassuring smile.
"It's probably nothing."
Ginny had lost her appetite.
An hour later and she bravely marched herself down the corridor outside Dumbledore's eagle staircase, Draco was also waiting there.
She stopped in her tracks but he turned and saw her so it was too late to run back.
"What are you doing here?"
Ginny's voice was scolding.
"Waiting for you."
"Why?"
"You have the password."
"Don't you?"
Draco rolled his eyes.
"Your ruddy professor didn't trust me with it so she asked me to wait for you."
Ginny laughed.
"Can you blame her?"
"Whatever just open the darn thing."
He was thrilled to see her, she smelled the same too but he was too annoyed at being summoned to see Dumbledore that he couldn't be nice or if he tried even charming.
Ginny felt stupid and self conscious saying Orange Jelly Sponge Cake in front of Draco but he didn't laugh or tease he just stood in silence which didn't really make her feel any better although she reasoned it didn't make her feel any worse either.
Dumbledore was standing bent over a book in what Ginny thought was an unusual and awkward way to read something when he had an expensive looking seat an inch from him.
Dumbledore smiled at them both warmly and Ginny felt herself ease, she forgot how he could instill a strong sense of faith and hope in someone with such a simple act of a smile.
"Good evening I hope I didn't put either of you out by asking you to come here."
"No we're fine."
Malfoy grumbled:
"Speak for yourself."
Dumbledore offered them both seats and sat himself.
"I don't want to take you away from time to do assignments when I know things tend to pile up this time of year, I remember myself becoming rather anxious in January when I was at school but that was about a young lady and many moons ago so it is rather irrelevant I should think."
He laughed jovially at his private memory.
Dumbledore didn't know how dead right he was, or maybe he did Draco didn't know but either way his words resonated meaningfully around the room.
"Anyway you're probably wondering why you are here."
Draco scoffed.
"Not really it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together."
Dumbledore smiled again and Ginny wanted to hit Malfoy for being so rude but she gave him a vicious look that she felt conveyed her feelings well and Draco soon changed his tune.
"Indeed it does not so lets get straight to the messy matter at hand but I must say it is not very often I have to deal with such -"
He pushed his spectacles slightly up his nose almost nervously.
"-delicate matters so this should be a most interesting exchange."
Draco wanted to roll his eyes but he kept them firmly fixed on his shoes, he made a mental note to have Crabbe shine them later.
"Headmaster I'm sorry you got dragged into this -"
"Dispense with the formalities my dear no one is in any trouble and don't be sorry I like a little social experiment from time to time."
They both wondered what he was talking about but Ginny assumed it was something too clever for them to understand.
"Word has reached me of a dispute going on in Slytherin Draco, and it is most surprising and disappointing that it mainly concerns our seniors and as you can guess will not set a good example for your younger peers."
"I know."
"But it is no longer a dispute but seems to have caused an actual rift not only in your own house but in Miss Weasley's too, I imagine as well as being the topic of interest for almost everyone in the school including some of the teachers."
Ginny looked down hopefully as if a black hole would appear at her feet and suck her in but she spoke when there was no suck luck.
"The teachers are talking? This is so embarrassing."
Dumbledore passed her a handful of jelly beans as if trying to appease a five year old but it did the trick.
"Don't be dismayed they were not aware of the content of the rumours but are more concerned over the affect it has had in their classes today and this is why I have called this meeting in order to rectify the situation that has made staff conferences much less fun for me and I am sure classes much less fun for you."
Draco felt the honourable thing to do was to confess although he hadn't had enough experience with nobility to be quite sure.
"Look sir Jill -"
Dumbledore raised his hand to quiet him as he sucked appreciatively on a jelly bean.
"Whether this rumour has any basis in the land of fact or fiction is not important I just wish to know how it got out of hand and who else it involves."
So Draco told the truth for once, he knew Dumbeldore distrusted him and he didn't blame him so maybe it was a combination of wanting to prove he was more than his father's son and finally getting everything out in the open but he told their story (briefly and not including the kiss) and his surprise suffering Ginny just found out about and his defence of the situation involving the rumour.
Ginny sat in stunned silence as he stopped and started, swallowed and spoke never looking at Ginny or Dumbledore but instead took particular interest in the colourful assortment of jelly beans in front of him.
Dumbledore let him speak and nodded with his hands together on the desk encouragingly. When he finished there was a tense silence.
"I see thank you for trusting me with this information I can promise it will not go any further."
"Thanks."
And for once Draco believed him.
"Well I emphasis with your plight, I have read Romeo and Juliet after all and understand your need for secrecy as I am also aware of your sincerity in this tale both to each other and friends involved but we can not have a student excluded from her friends no matter how misguided her actions have been."
Ginny nodded.
"He's right."
Draco sighed.
"But I can't undo anything, everything I did had to be done and she was never really liked in the first place so now it's just impossible to redeem her."
Dumbledore shook his head lightly.
"The complexities of teenager's actions still puzzle me but I wouldn't still be here I suppose if I had figured you all out."
Ginny looked sideways at Draco, he cared about her and everything he had done made her want him even more but she wasn't going to start anything in Dumbledore's office that was for sure so she fixed her attention back on Dumbledore.
"Have you talked to Jill about everything?"
"No not yet I wanted to hear your sides of the story and gauge from Draco whether it is possible to somehow re-sociaise Jill back into slytherin and get over all this fuss but obviously this is not likely so I will talk to Jill and see what she wants to do and has to say, and Ijust ask that you don't add any more fuel to the fire and encourage everyone to carry on with their lives despite this exciting event so that my teachers will start smiling again and wont have to give you all detentions tomorrow what do you say?"
"Sound's perfect."
"Definitely feasible."
"Good, I'll see you again tomorrow morning if you don't mind and let you know what will happen and tomorrow my password will be multicoloured sherbert and expect you both here ten minutes before class."
"Thanks sir."
Draco smiled at Dumbledore and left with Ginny not far behind him. The new Draco felt a surge of acceptance that made him want to be better. Dumbledore wasn't all bad after all despite his father's ravings.
Ginny stood two steps up from Draco as the staircase spiralled downward to the entrance, she was glad there was a rumbling noise otherwise it would have been another awkward silence, she just didn't know what to say or how to express what she felt especially after he had done so articulately to Dumbledore. It wasn't like he had told Dumbledore he was in love with her but his actions over the past few months spoke louder than words.
He stepped out and walked slowly away.
"Draco wait!"
He turned and looked incredibly embarrassed.
"You don't need to thank me okay it's what mates do right? We'll just leave it at -"
She had walked up to him while he was talking more to himself than anyone else and kissed him lightly on the lips. He automatically held her face and continued it. Ginny broke it off because she was laughing.
Draco frowned.
"What's so funny?"
Ginny put her arms around his neck and hugged him leaving her perfume clinging to his robes.
"It's just everything, how we got to this and how much I love you."
The last bit was what she assumed was staying as a thought in her head but toppled out of her mouth into a breathy few words that changed everything.
They kissed again and everything as they say was history. Except the kissing of course, that continued and increased in frequency as the days passed.
Ginny didn't mark time by her watch or dates anymore merely by how long she was apart from Draco.
She got up early in the morning and met him in a deserted corridor for some vertical making out against suits of armour or sleeping pictures or classroom doors, they tended to move blindly around the place too engrossed in each other to notice if a bomb had gone off let alone if they were about to fall down a stairwell or be discovered. In fact the thought of being discovered seemed to increase the urgency and passion in which they kissed each other.
Then there was lunch time where they'd sneak off into bushes at the end of the grounds and sit eating there like a picnic before rolling around in the grass together with their hands in each other's hair (well Ginny's anyway Draco's was sort of hard to grab) and his hands moving to places she didn't think she'd ever let him touch and her own seemed bewitched as they stroked and teased him.
They didn't get much time together in the evenings but they tended to resort to quiet kisses in unoccupied library aisles, Ginny pinned up against a pile of books as he kissed down her neckline or she dove her tongue inside his mouth.
It was the definition of passion in her opinion but she didn't know if he felt love. That was until the potting shed incident where she was so desperate to see him she skipped a class and was late to another just to have her feel his hands on her. That was when she knew it was more than just fooling around for him as well as for her.
Things hadn't just heated up for Ginny Weasley either, Ron was finding it increasingly difficult to resist flirting with Hermoine.
Harry wanted to slap them both over the head with a very large book and tell them to face the facts that if they didn't get together soon they'd both implode with tension.
At first they'd just fight and end up giggling about it afterwards but then it would be thinly veiled compliments about Hermoine's hair or her intellect or anything else Ron could say to induce her smile that made him want to leap up the library shelves.
He didn't want to hide it anymore as he was rubbish at it in the first place and they all knew how they both felt about each other. It was just the case ofone of them re-addressing the issue.
Hermoine was sitting in the common room doing her potions homework when Ron came in and asked her out.
"Have you seen Ginny lately?"
Hermoine shook her head.
"She's rarely around anymore I think she's studying hard but doesn't want anyone to know."
"Okay I was just checking."
Hermoine smiled.
"Your concern for her is touching."
"It's not concern really it's more curiosity."
"You can't lie to me Ron."
Ron laughed.
"Maybe I can't."
He stood on the spot and stared at the ceiling awkwardly for a moment.
"So you and me, how about it?"
Hermoine frowned.
"How about what?"
Ron rolled his eyes.
"Don't be daft you know what I mean."
Hermoine's eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh that I understand now."
Ron didn't think this was going very well.
"So?"
"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?"
Ron flinched for some reason when she said it.
"Well yeah."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"That's what I said."
"Good."
"Good."
Ron grinned and bent down to kiss her on the lips before going to find Harry.
It wasn't exactly a shock when Ron finally told him and he shook his head and congratulated him as they both knew it wasn't just a high school crush, this was a real relationship.
Love was in the air for everyone it seemed but Harry. He knew he wanted Ginny and he knew he was being a coward like Ron used to be but he had convinced himself it was the right thing to do.
The summer ball would be fast approaching so he guessed he could always ask her to that as some sort of consolation but he was worried he would start something he couldn't continue.
Flashback
The morning after Draco and Ginny had seen Dumbledore they were in his office again. This time it was more relaxed and Ginny couldn't stop smiling. She was happy and she couldn't seem to stop showing it.
"Good morning to you both I trust you slept well?"
They both nodded.
"Yes thankyou."
"Good well I wont keep you long I know you have classes but just so you know Jill plans to leave Hogwarts at the end of the week."
Ginny sighed.
"Is that really neccessary?"
"It's what Jill wants and I don't want to keep her here against her will. Don't feel responsible these things happen."
That didn't make Ginny feel any better.
"Okay you two havea good day."
They both left silently but took each others hands once they were out of Dumbledore's sight, no matter what happened from then on they'd always have each other
A/N: So this is extra long to make up for lost time but I can't promise an update this week or next week but I will definitely be writing in that time so it wont be too far off!
Thanks for your patience
