Chapter 8

Ginevra checked her watch, smiling slightly when she realized that it was late enough that she could start wandering. She returned all of her books to her bag and propped it up against the corner of the alcove. 'I'm going to invite Ron to come along tomorrow night,' she thought, as she passed a tapestry that depicted the escapades of Barnabas the Barmy.

Ginevra felt a tinge of guilt at the thought of Ron. He'd stuck up for her against Harry, even though what he'd done had been rather drastic. But regardless of what she felt for her brother, she'd been rather wary of being around men. Ever since the incident with Harry, she'd been avoiding them like the plague. It wasn't rational, she knew, but she had only just begun to shake the feeling.

… … …

Draco sat awake that night, as per usual. Blaise was off with one of his recent conquests, and Pansy was asleep. Then he felt as if he was being called again, but this time it was more urgent. It was her; it had to be. Standing silently and casting a Disillusionment charm on himself, Draco slipped out of the Slytherin dormitory and began to walk quickly towards the place from where he felt the pulling coming.

It wasn't long before he reached a relatively unused, fifth floor corridor. He crept along the hallway, listening intently, and peaking into the windows of the old classrooms, as he passed. Halfway down, he looked through one of the windows and saw her. She was standing in the front of the classroom, looking out the window. He noticed, absentmindedly, that the window gave a perfect view of the lake.

Draco entered silently, but Ginevra seemed to sense him, turning around immediately. "Who's there?" she called, only a small tinge of fear entering her voice. Draco murmured the words to lift the spell. Ginevra gasped when she saw him, but he saw something else flash across her face as well. Before he could try to decipher what it meant, it was gone.

"Hello, Ginevra," he whispered, trying for all the world to sound cheerful and nonchalant.

"Draco," she responded, nodding ever so slightly. Draco expected her to ask what he was doing there, but she didn't. She simply turned around and continued to look out at the lake.

Stepping up beside her, Draco watched looked at her instead of the lake. He drank in the sight of her, from her curling hair, which had darkened to a deep, blood red and her warm brown eyes, now intent on ignoring his gaze. "Ginevra," he whispered, gently taking her face and turning it to his.

Ginevra turned, albeit reluctantly, to face him. She'd been ignoring him, just as she'd been ignoring and avoiding all of the men she'd come in contact with in the past week. Harry's behaviour had truly disturbed her. But, as she studied his face, she realized that she didn't feel the expected unease that she'd felt around all other males. Instead she just felt ... she couldn't quite put her finger on what the feeling was.

Draco seemed to lean in closer, and Ginevra inwardly panicked. "Uh," she said moving quickly away. "Draco, I don't know..." It never occurred to her that she was using his first name.

"Ginevra," Draco said seriously, moving forward again so that she was pressed against the wall. He leaned forward until his lips were almost brushing her ear and whispered lightly, "I do know."

Ginevra looked up into Draco's gray eyes, dark with desire. Suddenly, she felt the most alarming need to possess him, to be possessed by him, and all rational thought fled as she lunged forward and captured his lips with her own. He groaned, kissing her back just as fiercely, forcing her to wrap her legs around him or lose her balance. Her body was crushed to his, and anticipation had made every area where they touched seem full of electricity. Ginevra felt his tongue brush against the seam of her lips, and she opened for him willingly, and then moaned in ecstasy. Overcome by her senses, she bit down lightly and the coppery taste of blood filled her mouth. His blood. Ginevra froze upon tasting Draco's blood, but it only seemed to ignite him further, and now he deepened the kiss, tilting her head with his hand to give himself fuller access. Ginevra couldn't think anymore, she could only feel, and she began to slide his Slytherin robes off of his muscled shoulders. Desperate to feel more of him, she pulled his shirt up from the waistband of his pants and ran her hands over his flat stomach. Just as Draco's hands slid underneath Ginevra's shirt, making both of them moan at the contact, a loud crash sounded from somewhere down the corridor. They both froze, pulling away, and tried not to breathe.

"Ickle students out of bed!" came the unmistakable voice of Peeves the Poltergeist. Ginevra opened her mouth to say something, but Draco pressed a finger to her lips, shaking his head slightly. Letting her legs drop from around his waist, Draco pulled her over to the front corner of the room. He positioned her in the corner before standing directly in front of her, his entire body covering hers. Then, just as Peeves floated into the room, having noticed the open door, Draco used his powers to melt into the shadows, making Ginevra just as invisible as he was. Peeves looked around for a moment, upended a few desks, before flying back out of the room, looking rather miffed that he hadn't caught anyone.

Draco and Ginevra were still face-to-face, breathing heavily from excitement and anxiousness. Ginevra looked up at Draco expectantly, her eyes bright, but he only shook his head. "We were almost caught," he murmured, not moving away from her. "And I won't have you hurt in any way." Ginevra shivered agreeably at the fierce protection in his voice, not stopping to wonder from where it had spawned. "Tomorrow, Ginevra," Draco whispered. He pushed away as if to leave, then looked as if he just remembered something. "And if Potter bothers you-"

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that anymore, after what Ron did," Ginevra said lightly.

"Even so," Draco responded evenly. "If he touches you at all again, and I find out, he will die." Ginevra was unsurprised by this; for some reason, she had expected no less. One question still niggled at the back of her mind, however.

"Why, Draco?"

"Because," he said before crushing his lips to hers in a quick movement, swallowing her gasp of surprise. He didn't let it go on, only lifted his head and smiled down at her swollen lips. "You're mine, Ginevra."

… … …

"Ron! Wait up!" Ron whirled around to see Ginny running down the girls' dormitory stairs. He was happily surprised to note that she was smiling. He hadn't seen much of her the past week; apparently, the incident with Harry had shaken her more than anyone wanted to admit. But then, all of the Gryffindors had refused to talk to him, so he didn't really know how they were reacting to Ginny's sudden scarcity.

"Hey, Gin! I was just about to go down to breakfast."

"I know, can I talk to you first?"

"Yeah, sure. How about we take the long way downstairs?" Ginny smiled again and nodded, before leading Ron out of the portrait hole.

Ginevra took a deep breath, surreptitiously checking to be sure no one else was around. "Ron, I'm really sorry about this past week. I know it must seem like I've been avoiding you, and that's not completely true... What Harry did just really shook me up, you know?"

"Has he been bothering you again?" Ron asked darkly.

"Of course not, Ron," Ginevra replied absently. "He's still in the hospital wing, even though I overheard Hermione mention he'd be getting out this morning." Ron still looked worried, and Ginevra tried to explain her reasoning further, in order to placate him. "Ron, you have to understand how it feels to have a man actually try to hurt you," Ginevra stopped as she saw the quizzical look on his face. "Well, not a man for you..."

Ron looked at her, clearly trying to understand what she was trying to say. "I ... you're just not making sense, Gin."

"I know, I ..." Ginny sighed heavily. "Just suffice it to say that I've been avoiding anything with a dick as if it were the plague. I don't know how to explain why ... but it's got nothing to do with you, I promise."

Ron chuckled slightly and looked satisfied with Ginny's answer. "Good to know, Gin. I'm just glad you're not avoiding me anymore." He smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Suddenly, he stopped walking and his expression turned dark.

"Ron?"

"I'm sorry I let that happen, Ginny ... it never should have."

"Ron," Ginny said, walking over to him. "You can't protect me all the time." She had to bite back the thought that bubbled to the front of her mind about Draco. Who knew if he was even being truthful? Deep down, though, she knew she was just lying to herself to postpone the inevitable.

"I should have protected you, Gin. I should be able to protect you all the time..." Ron sighed and raked his hands through his crimson hair. He looked rather old, all of a sudden. His face seemed much too careworn to belong to a seventeen year-old boy, but then, with everything that had happened during the war, Ginny couldn't say she was surprised. Ginny shook her head as they started walking again. The two walked in silence for a long while, and Ginny knew Ron was still beating himself up for not stopping Harry. She just couldn't get through to him! Suddenly a thought crossed her mind. Maybe, if he wouldn't listen to her, he would listen to...

… … …

"So, Draco," Pansy chirped pleasantly as the three Slytherins made their way to breakfast. "How did you sleep last night?" She smiled knowingly at Draco, from behind Blaise's back.

Draco was a bit taken aback. "Er... yes... well... uneventfully?"

Blaise cast him an odd look. "Obviously not too well there, mate. I, on the other hand, had a great time with Stacey. I didn't even think it was physically possible to-" Here Draco quickly covered his ears, while Pansy grimaced and did the same. Sometimes, Blaise went into a bit too much detail.

… … …

Ron managed to keep sulking through all of breakfast, where Hermione was thankfully not present. Ginevra was a bit miffed that he was taking all the blame when it didn't even concern him, and she hoped he would snap out of it soon.

On the way back from breakfast, they headed back to the common room, Ron trudging along beside her. Suddenly, Ginevra heard voices coming from around the corner. "Hermione, I can walk, it's fine."

"Harry, just lean on me, I don't want you to get hurt more." Ginevra panicked, looking around for a place to hide while Ron bristled. She slid behind the corner they had just come from just as Hermione and Harry turned the corner and saw Ron.

Harry and Hermione only hesitated a moment before marching straight up to Ron, both looking murderous. Ron couldn't help but find Harry's appearance amusing; he was still looking a bit worse for the wear, but was trying his best to seem intimidating, not an easy task when you're practically being carried by a girl. Nonetheless, Ron contained his amused smirk and regarded both of his 'friends' with cold looks.

"Ronald," Hermione said in an icy, clipped tone.

"Hermione, Harry." Ron's voice was devoid of any emotion.

"Let's go back to the Common Room and discuss things."

"We've nothing to discuss, Hermione."

Hermione scowled, gesturing to Harry. "You call this nothing?"

"As a matter of fact," Ron leered, "I call it less than nothing."

"Ron! You beat up your best friend!"

"No," Ron said, his voice sending involuntary shivers of fear up Hermione's spine. "I kicked the shit out of the man who dared lay his hands on my sister." Hermione gaped, while Harry looked slightly sheepish.

Hermione wheeled around to face Harry. "Why were you going after Ginny?"

"Err... Mione, you know how it is..."

"No, as a matter a fact I don't!" Ron smirked to himself, thanking Merlin for their frequent arguments.

Slipping away, he turned to get Ginevra. "C'mon, Gin, while they're still at it," Ron whispered out of the corner of his mouth as he passed Ginevra's hiding spot. He didn't fail to notice the satisfied smirk that overcame her delicate features. Nor did he fail to notice the twinge of fear still present in her big brown eyes.

… … …

"Today would have been the perfect day for a Quidditch match ... I don't suppose you'd like to go flying?" Ron gave Pansy a hopeful smile, but she just laughed.

"Ron, you know I don't fly. I'm afraid of heights." They were walking around the lake, at a leisurely pace, enjoying one of the last warm days of fall.

"Well, we'll have to change that, won't we?" Pansy giggled when Ron pulled her close, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Sure Ron, whatever you say ... hey, I'll make you a deal. If we just stick to a nice walk about the grounds, today, we can go flying next weekend."

"Sounds lovely, m'dear."

Pansy twined her fingers with his, trying to decide best how to approach the subject. Ginevra had come to her just after breakfast that day and told her about Ron's unnecessarily guilty conscience. To Ron's credit, he was hiding it fairly well, but Pansy could still see the troubled tinge in his eyes.

Pansy chose a grassy spot near the lake, sitting down and pulling Ron. "Ron, c'mere." He obliged, and she moved behind him, gently massaging his neck and shoulders. When she felt him begin to relax, she carefully asked, "Ron, what's wrong? You seem tense." Ron murmured something incomprehensible, and Pansy applied a bit more pressure, eliciting a moan. "What was that?" she whispered, leaning close.

Ron sighed, and then stilled her hands. "You know what happened to Gin, right?" Pansy nodded as he continued his explanation. So Ginevra was right, Ron did feel guilty. "I'm just ... do you know what I was doing? When Potter went after her?" Before Pansy could get a word in, Ron continued, "I was playing Exploding Snap with Dean and Seamus! A game, Pansy! While my baby sister was being fucking assaulted, I was playing a god damned game!"

"Ronald Billius Weasley!" Ron whirled around to face Pansy at hearing the affronted tone in her voice. "How dare you even consider blaming yourself for this! The only person who is at fault in this entire situation is Harry bloody Potter! And he's just an ass, so what can we expect from him?"

"Pansy, I--"

"No! I don't want your excuses, Ronald! You will stop blaming yourself for what happened right this instant! I won't tolerate your sulking for another moment!" Ron gave her a look that clearly said he wasn't planning on arguing with her, and Pansy calmed down considerably. Moments later, a smile reappeared on her face. "You know, regardless of my feelings for you, you really can be a great prat, sometimes. Do you know that?"

"Humpf! So Ginny tells me."

Pansy laughed. "And so she was right." Ron pouted, and Pansy was overcome with how young he looked when he did that. With another laugh, she leaned forward to kiss the frown off his lips, and then yelped in playful surprise as he quickly grabbed her around the waist and flipped her over so he rested on his arms above her.

"I'm not really a prat, you know," Ron said seriously, then ruined the effect by blowing lightly in her ear, making her giggle and squirm. "I think you should take that back."

Pansy grinned up at him. "And if I don't?" Ron leaned down, kissing her with a passion that he'd never used before. It was as if he were pouring his heart into that one kiss, and when he drew away, she was left breathless. "I take it back," she whispered.

"I thought you might," said Ron with a small smile.

… … …

"Hello, Draco. Fancy meeting you here," Ginevra said with a small smile as she entered the room.

"Indeed," Draco said, standing and wrapping his arms around her.

"Ah, ah, ah," she wagged her finger at him, pulling away. "Haven't you learned your lesson? We almost got caught last night."

Draco pouted a bit, causing Ginevra to smile. "What if I'd rather just risk it again?"

"I'd rather you risk it when we were a bit more ... comfortable? Abandoned classrooms and dusty desks aren't really my style."

Draco stepped away. "What's really wrong, Ginevra?"

"I thought you might be able to tell me that," she responded, almost timidly.

Draco looked at Ginevra curiously. "Are you talking about," he gestured between them, "us?"

"No, Draco. I'm talking about the strange solar patterns of Mars. Yes, I'm talking about us, you nitwit!"

Far from being offended, Draco thought it was almost cute how irate she was. Nuzzling up to her neck, he whispered softly, "I see no problem."

"You mean, besides the fact that I have the unnatural urge to shag you completely senseless? Oh no, besides that, there's no problem." Ginevra tried to sound annoyed and harsh, but Draco's attention to her neck seemed to be preventing this.

"Do you now?" he asked with a wicked smile. "Then why are we talking?" With that, he crushed his lips to hers, preventing any further speech on her part. When Ginevra's muffled protests seemed to be getting ignored, she turned and slipped out of Draco's grasp before he could react. Draco frowned, moving forward again to grab for Ginevra.

"Draco, stop." Ginevra took a deep breath; it was taking every ounce of will power she had not to let him ravish her, right then and there. A fact that, admittedly, frightened her just a bit.

Draco reluctantly moved back, eyeing Ginevra warily. "You know this must be."

"But why! Where did all of this come from!" Ginevra turned away from him, crossing her arms across her chest as she tried to even out her breathing.

Draco walked behind Ginevra, wrapping his arms around her waist. She trembled in the circle of his hands as Draco whispered, "We may not know what this is, but don't you think we should just go with where it's leading us now?"

"Will you do something for me?" Ginevra asked as she turned around in Draco's arms to face him, wrapping her own arms around his neck. Draco looked down at her curiously, raising an eyebrow. "Ask Pansy. She doesn't seem to be alarmed by this, like Blaise was. Maybe she'll know what it is?" Ginevra started to run her hands through his hair.

"Sure," Draco muttered, leaning forward to capture her lips again. "Later."

A/N: Hello! I hope all you DG shippers are happy with this chapter and Draco finally getting the action he so deserves! You will notice that the rating has gone up, specifically for this chapter and some following chapters that really do push the limit as far as "T" goes. Anywho, Jess is on vacation, so I'll be answering reviews myself this time. The next chapter will be up around Wednesday, depending on how much homework I have. Yes, that's right, I'm back in school. :cries: So make us both very happy by dropping a review!

The-Dark-Rose-of-Insanity – lol. Well I suppose that's an interesting idea (the garlic making them high, I mean). But no, they were just … acting strangely. It will make more sense later. Are you happy! Draco finally got some action:sulks: And like I told you before, the thing with Pansy is SUPPOSED to be unclear. It will come out more in later chapters. Thanks a bunch!

Meadow B – I hope this update was fast enough for you! And thanks! I'm glad to be back, even if it does mean starting school! No, Harry's definitely not cool and he's going to get a lot less cool as this goes on. But don't worry; he'll get what's coming to him. Hehe. Ouch! I'm sorry to hear about the wisdom teeth, but I think Draco and Blaise just make you drool, regardless. lol. I hope you liked the DG crispy marshmallows in this chapter!

Babykelyse – Mwahahahaha! The plan is working! lol. But in all seriousness, thanks a bunch! I hope you liked this chapter!

Dana6 – I agree; the good DG fics are in short supply. I'm flattered that you've put our story into that category!

Girl Without a Life – Awe, we could never kill our Slytherin boys (as we've taken to calling them). But the garlic wouldn't have killed them anyways, like we said. Regardless, thanks for the review!

BlueBerriRain – It's exactly like that. I've likened the garlic to 120 degree weather; I live in AZ, so it's definitely the bane of my existence at this point. Yes, and Ginny's not the kind to be all fluffy bunnies and daisies anyways … well, not OUR Ginny at least. Thanks!

IssaLee – lol. Well we did promise a cool Ron. :-) And credit for the Slytherin gift goes entirely to Jess! But don't worry; they're not going to be all fluffy bunnies and daisies after this chapter. Draco and Ginny still have a lot of issues to work out, so look forward to a lot more fluff-filled animosity. Or rather, crispy marshmallows.

SilverandSilent – Thank you so much!

Bungle-in-the-Jungle – Oui, Draco is definitely obsessed. That's going to become a bit clearer in coming chapters. Blaise isn't … shady, per se. All I can really do is promise that he gets better, gets his own sub-plot, and absolutely does have reasons for acting the way he is. We'll get a good look at his psyche in chapter 10, so hopefully it will be clearer then. Yes, Pansy is what keeps them grounded, so to speak. And Ron doesn't have respect so much as tolerance, but he'll get the former eventually. Thanks a bunch!

Padfoot 4 Life – lol! Yes, we had LOTS of fun deciding what Ron was going to do to Harry. And, trust me, that is NOT the end of Harry's pain, by any means. Yes, poor Ron and Pansy; they keep getting interrupted. As for things "heating up" … well, Ron and Pansy are definitely going to get some more fluff and even a bit of M stuff as we go further (that's a few chapters away, btw). But most of the stuff on them will be looking at their relationship from a less physical level. Draco and Ginny, on the other hand … well, once all their issues get worked out, you can be sure that we'll have some marshmallow-y goodness for you! Yes, Blaise is rather annoying in that he keeps interrupting, but I think you'll start to like his character more in coming chapters. He'll get his own sub-plot eventually, but right now, there's just too much going on for us to add more stuff to the pile. Thanks!

Yay! 59 reviews! Thanks to everyone! Even you ghost readers:-)