I sat down in the office at the Auror office at the Ministry, my fingertips still gently brushed against my lips, totally unsure of what I was going to say to my brother when he came out of his meeting. Obviously I could not tell him that I'd had contact with Draco because that would not only be betrayal on my part, but it would also get me in serious trouble if anyone found out that he was staying with me. Add that to the fact that he had kissed me for seemingly no malicious reason – though it was possible I was just unable to see the malicious intent - maked me want to die a thousand happy deaths. Over Draco Malfoy, my arse.

"Did you get home all right?"

Glancing up, I noticed that Pansy had come back into the room, smartly dressed in a black pantsuit and black robes. She looked prettier today than normal, I thought. More confident perhaps.

"I thought about calling your Floo, but I thought you'd probably go to bed right away," she added when I did not answer.

I swallowed. I couldn't very well tell her that Draco had come over and cooked me an omelette, could I? Or maybe I could. After all, she already knew that I had been in contact with him, that he'd come to my flat when Marcus had stalked me. But I also didn't know if it was a good idea to bring her anymore into my situation than she needed to be. The last thing I wanted was to cause more trouble for her.

"Yeah, I just went straight to bed," I said, my throat dry. I immediately felt guilty for the lie.

She nodded and took a seat at her desk. "So did I." Her facial expression was brimming with relief, as though she half expected that she would not have been able to go home and go to bed.

We sat in silence for a moment. It was awkward for me, having lied to the girl who saved my life the night before. I thought about confessing that Draco had been there – telling her everything about the omelettes, the kisses, and Gregory Goyle's delivery service – but my voice seemed to disappear once the door to my brother's office finally opened.

"Well, I'm as anxious to catch the bastard as anyone, but she insists she's got it under control," Ron said as he entered the outer office.

Somehow, I just knew that he was talking about me, and I suddenly became very curious as to with whom he was having a meeting. But as soon as I looked up, I regretted it.

Harry.

His eyes locked with mine for a second before he looked back at Ron. Harry didn't look surprised to see me, but he did appear to be a bit hurt by the look on my face.

"Oh, Ginny!" Ron said excitedly – or perhaps anxiously. "I didn't realise you were here."

I cleared my throat. "Yes, well, I'm supposed to meet with you and give progress, aren't I?" I stared pointedly at my ex-husband. "Although, if this isn't a great time, I can go."

Harry cleared his throat. "Actually, Ginny, would you mind having a word with me?"

Somehow, I got the feeling that Ron was well aware of the fact that I was going to be there, and it wasn't coincidence at all that Harry was there at the same time.

"Well, I really ought to talk to Ron first, shouldn't I? I mean, he's probably got things to do."

"No, actually," Ron interjected rather cheerfully. "I have a pretty uneventful morning coming up. You two can use my office. I'm going to run to the loo."

I rolled my eyes as my brother ran off towards the toilets and grudgingly began walking into his office. So much for a progress report.

Harry followed me in and shut the door. I was reasonably sure that I heard him utter a locking charm, which frightened me for a moment, but then I remembered who I was talking to. It was just Harry. As much as I did not really want to talk to him, I could never feel unsafe around him. He'd die protecting me before he ever thought about laying an unwelcome hand on me.

"So, how are things going with your Malfoy investigation?" Harry asked after only a second of silence, immediately cutting to the chase.

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "I have a few ideas," I answered tartly, immediately feeling like this conversation had already gone stale.

He nodded, apparently not noticing my irritation. "Well, I just thought that maybe I could help." His body language was awkward as he began to fidget slightly, rocking from foot to foot. "I didn't know if you could use a partner… or backup. Anything you need, I can help."

With a sigh, I sat myself behind Ron's desk. "I really wish my brother would have just a little bit of faith in me, you know?"

Harry let out a large breath of obvious relief. He didn't want to have this conversation either.

"He means well," Harry offered.

"I know that. But really, Harry, I'm fine with this investigation. I have a lead on where Malfoy is." I fidgeted slightly, not really enjoying the lie. "But I still don't believe he's guilty of murder."

For a second, I thought he was going to scold me and tell me that it wasn't my place to investigate the case, but instead the corners of his lips turned up just a little bit. "You know, his permanent file is confidential. It's not really common practice to show those documents to anyone, least of all people who aren't technically in the department."

My cheeks pinked slightly as I remembered that Malfoy still had that file. I made a mental note to ask for it back as I nodded in response to Harry. "I figured as much. Too easy for it to get into the wrong hands."

"Right," he affirmed. "But I gave it to you because… well, because I know he's a git, but I also know that Draco isn't a killer, and I was hoping there was something in his past that I had overlooked that would make this nonsense make sense. I was really hoping that you would have critical eyes, or maybe just fresh ones, because frankly, I have nothing."

I blinked in surprise. Was he saying what I thought he was saying?

"Ginny…"

"Yes?" I answered tensely.

"You never really got over him, did you?"

I swallowed. This wasn't something I ever wanted to discuss with Harry. I had told him about losing my virginity to Draco when we had got back together, but I told him it was nothing more than a silly lapse in judgment. And it wasn't a lie; at the time, that was all I thought it was. I thought I hated Draco. It wasn't until recently that I finally realised that that wasn't true at all. But how could I tell Harry this? We were married for years, and to admit that all of that time I had been secretly longing for his schoolyard nemesis… that would be too cruel, even for me.

"I loved you, Harry," I whispered gently. "And I think a part of me always will. But, Draco has got a piece of me that nobody can touch… and I'm sorry that it took me all of these years to figure that out." I sighed, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off me. "I think I've always just needed, I dunno... closure."

He nodded slowly. "I think that I always knew that."

My heart constricted. He didn't deserve this, and I could see in his body language that this conversation was breaking him. It had only been a few days since he'd asked me to come back to him, and now I'd just told him that I has never really his to win back.

"You were my first, you know," he said. "My first everything. So maybe that's why I'm still clinging onto you even though… even though you're clearly not interested."

"Oh, Harry, please don't." I stepped nearer to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him into a fierce hug. "Don't ever feel like you didn't mean the world to me. You're always going to be important – always." I pulled away, eyeing him anxiously. "But you were right when you said that you and I could never really be friends. Too much has happened between us for that. Things will always be a bit tense, but know that I'm here for you no matter what. The way I feel about you... it's irreplaceable."

He smiled at me sadly. "Me too, Gin."

The finality of our marriage resonated between us, and I think we finally reached an understanding.

We hugged once more, and just like that, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off me. I knew in that moment that I needed to stop pretending, once and for all.

I pressed my knee into the small of his back and held tightly onto the length of his long, brown ponytail as Harry quickly put the magical restraints around his wrists. After he finished, I threw myself off the struggling body of the man that we had just taken down. Sweat was trickling down the back of my neck as I watched Harry page backup with my wand.

He looked at me, smiling wryly.

"What?" I asked, failing to restrain a small smile on my lips.

"It's nothing," Harry said, shaking his head. After a moment of pacing back and forth, he purposefully took his seat beside me on the sidewalk. "It's just - you took down a man twice your size with almost no help, Gin. I'm... impressed."

Smiling a satisfactory grin, I got to my feet and began to brush the dirt off my jeans and hands. "It was a bit of a rush, wasn't it?"

"Every time."

"Is this why you enjoy being an Auror?" I asked, curious.

After a few moments of thought, Harry shook his head. "I enjoy taking down criminals. Don't get me wrong. But it's almost depressing after a while. You start to feel like no matter how many felons you put away, there will always be more. I can't ever stop every evil person or save every good one because there will always be people like this who want to set fire to a school of Muggle children." He paused, biting at his bottom lip. "I suppose that's where my constant urge to protect you comes from. I've seen what's out there, and I know that I could keep you safe... as long as you're within reach."

I smiled sadly. "I get that."

"But you're obviously more than capable of taking care of yourself."

"This is true."

"And so I respect your decision to be more independent," he said with a grin. "You don't need a man to take care of you. You never have, and you never will."

"Right," I answered, forcing myself to smile brightly.

It was true. My capability to live without being taken care of was not the issue.

But as I looked to the man restrained on the ground - my first capture as a bounty hunter - I remembered the reason I was so adamant about keeping this job. It stemmed from a need for money, but it was so much bigger than that now. And every little bit of it was about one person.

"Well, I'd better get out of here before they name this a Ministry capture," Harry said, breaking the silence. "I wouldn't want to take the credit away from you. Enjoy your first pay!"

And with that, he Apparated away, leaving me behind with the Muggle-hating terrorist who was the reason I could afford to pay my rent this month.

After I had gone to Gringott's to deposit my first earnings as a bounty hunter, I began to walk home to my flat, just on the outskirts of London. I lived in a Wizarding building that was surrounded by several Muggle complexes. To them, the building appeared to be a shabby, broken down edifice with smashed windows that had not at all been properly maintained. But in truth, my building was quite nice. I was a relatively new tenant, having lived there only since my divorce, and I hadn't really made acquaintance to too many of my neighbours.

So naturally it came as a shock to me when I entered my unit to find Anabelle and Lucy - two barely legal girls who shared the apartment next door - sitting at my kitchen table with my blond roommate.

I cleared my throat and the two girls looked at me, the smiles on their made-up faces fading slowly at my glowering expression.

"Excuse me, ladies," Draco said smoothly, winking at the two tarts as he ambled my way. He had obviously deduced that I was unhappy.

Once we were out of earshot, I smacked him on the arm. "What do you think you're doing?" I asked, irritated.

He looked to the spot where he had hit me and then back up to my face, eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly. "I'm entertaining your neighbours," he told me, his voice quite patronising. "I can't believe you've lived here for this long without ever meeting these two lovelies."

"Well, to tell you the truth, meeting women was not my goal," I deadpanned. "But honestly, Draco, if you're trying to find some silly bints for a good shag, couldn't you go to their place? The last thing I need is your... your..." I flushed. "Not on my furniture!"

"Really, Weasley? That's what you think they're here for?"

"Well what else would you want from them?"

"To keep an eye on you."

I cocked my head to the side, doing a double take and wondering briefly if he was serious. "Am I grounded or something?" I asked sardonically.

Draco glared at me. "No, you twit." He grabbed my arm and pulled me back towards my bedroom. "The last time I checked, Marcus had your address, Ginny. Until everything about this case is settled and that bastard is locked up in Azkaban, I'm going to make damn sure that you're safe. I at least owe you that."

"Don't be ridiculous. You don't owe me anything."

He gripped my upper arms and forced me to look up at him. "Yes, I do. It's my fault that he's going after you, so it's my duty to make sure that you're being guarded. If nothing else, Anabelle and Lucy will at least know to alert me if they've seen him. I'm not going to let him put his hands on you for as long as there's something for me to do about it."

Before I could stop myself, the words were out of my mouth. "Can't you just stay with me?"

Draco looked vaguely surprised, as though that was something he hadn't considered, or perhaps even something he was afraid of. "Ginny... I don't know if that's a good idea."

And that hurt more than anything. "But you kissed me," I blurted, once more unable to filter what was going through my head before it came out of my mouth. "I thought that you... forget it. Please. Please just forget it." I turned toward the window, my face in my hands. I was certain that my cheeks must have been the colour of my hair.

His hands were on my shoulders then. He was so close to me that I could feel the gentle brush of his chest against my shoulder blades. It was intoxicating.

Draco exhaled. "It was stupid of me to kiss you."

And just like that, I turned back on him so fast that I barely had time to register anything else. "What is that supposed to mean?"

His grey eyes looked almost pleading at me as he breathed in deeply. "It means that it shouldn't have happened. I take it back. It's gone, all right?"

He went to turn away from me, but I grasped onto his shoulders. "No! No, you do not get to do that, Draco!" I cried loudly, uncaring of the company still in my dining room. "You don't bloody get to kiss me and then make me spend all day reeling about it only to tell me to just forget it. It doesn't work like that!"

"Well, it's going to have to."

"No! Why did you do it? At least tell me that."

Draco laughed out loud. "Because it seemed like a good idea at the time." He ran his hands through his shaggy blond hair that was desperately in need of cutting. "I felt bad. I wanted to thank you for putting me up for the night. One kiss does not equal a happily ever after, Ginny."

"I know that."

"So please don't get so caught up in it."

I bit my lip. "Do you at least care about me... at all?"

He looked at me for a moment, as though calculating his response, and then sighed. "The fact that you even have to ask me that tells me a lot about you, and that's just one of the many reasons why you and I could never be together."

I bit my lip as I watched him walk away, back into the kitchen. I remained in my bedroom, sitting on the bed with my head in my hands. Vaguely, I could register the sounds of the two girls being dismissed, giggling as they walked out the door, and I could also hear the sounds of the dishes being washed in the sink.

I wrapped my arms around myself, wanting to disappear as I sank to my side in my bed. I couldn't understand at all what Draco had said to me... what did that question say about me? That I can't read his bloody mood swings? That I care if he cares? I wasn't sure. All I knew was that I was much happier that afternoon when I had taken that man down with Harry at my side. I actually felt like I had a purpose, and I wasn't being tossed around like some ragdoll, wasn't being played with.

A sudden anger surged through me, and I quickly got up and put my brown leather jacket on. I tossed my hair up into a ponytail and exited my bedroom, not bothering to cast a glance at Draco as I headed for the front door. I wasn't sure where I was planning to go, but I couldn't be at home with someone who toyed with me so much.

"You can't leave," he said quietly.

I could sense him getting closer, and I felt my entire body tense at that.

"Am I a prisoner?" I asked, not looking at him.

"No, but we have work to do."

Once again, I felt anger pulse through my system. "We have work to do?" I repeated. "How about you give me the bloody file that you stole from me!"

"It's my file."

"It doesn't matter. It was given to me, and you obviously took it for a reason." I marched up to him, arms crossed over my chest as I peered into his eyes speculatively. "What are you hiding from me?"

Something briefly flashed in his expression. "I don't owe you any explanation."

"Then maybe we should nix this whole deal, and I can just turn you in right now."

"And get yourself in trouble for aiding and abetting? Not likely."

"I was just trying to make you feel comfortable so that I could turn you in. You know, make you think I'm on your side."

"Try it, love. See where that gets you."

"It will get me tens of thousands of galleons, Draco. Tell me what you're hiding right now, or I am walking out that door and you can forget about my help."

"You act like I am trying to hurt you, Weasley." He snorted. "You really ought to learn to trust people, you know?"

I narrowed my eyes. "So should you." With a softer voice, I added, "Just tell me what is in your record. Please."

Briefly, Draco appeared uncomfortable. His eyes shifted from mine as he furtively glanced around the room. "Telling you my secret was not really a part of our agreement, love. You said you would help me find someone, and I said that then - and only then - would I let you turn me in."

My heart felt heavy. "You really don't trust me at all, do you?"

Coldly, his grey eyes remained fixed on me. "I told you this morning that you're the only person I do trust. My hesitation has nothing to do with you."

Once again, I felt my heart sink into the pit of my stomach. "Fine," I said quietly. "I'll help you find whoever you're looking for, but then you're going to the Aurors. And once you're there, I never want to see you again. I can't do this anymore."

Vaguely, I noticed a flash in his expression - disappointment perhaps? But then I realised I was probably just seeing what I wanted to see. Draco Malfoy wouldn't have cared if he never saw me again. He'd have probably been glad. Once again the thought depressed me. Here I was, standing before the man I wanted the most in the world, and I was just going to tell him goodbye because he was afraid of something - someone, maybe. I had no idea, but I did know that there was something about his reaction that unnerved me. His sweet kiss from that morning and his cold reaction to me later didn't match up.

"You know what?" I said bravely. "No."

For a second, I remained still, my eyes tracing over his eyes and his lips and his utterly kissable features. I exhaled a breath I couldn't tell I was holding and took a few steps closer to him. I launched myself into his arms, my legs wrapping around his waist, instantly realising how embarrassed I'd be if he decided not to catch me. But he did. His hands were at my hips and on the small of my back, and mine were cupping his face. I couldn't remember a time when I had ever felt so close to him.

"See? I trust you, Draco," I whispered, caressing his cheek. "I trust you to catch me and I would trust you with my life. Why can't you trust me with whatever is in your past?"

His hands stilled, fingertips digging into my skin. I waited patiently for his response, knowing that he needed time to process what I said or calculate what he needed to say in return. Because that was just Draco; everything needed to be calculated. It used to bother me, but at some point during the nine years that I had been in love with him, I realised that I never wanted to change a single thing about him.

"I know why Flint is trying to hurt me."

"Tell me," I pleaded.

His hands pulled more tightly around me, pulling me closer. I released the lock of my legs on his waist and slid down his body. I was still so close to him that I could taste him, breathe him in. It still wasn't enough. My hands were gripping his upper arms, and I could feel the urgency in his touch.

"Obtaining his father was my first assignment," he said, his voice straining ever-so-slightly. "He - his father - put up a struggle. He came after me, threatened me. I had to use force. I - I killed him."

I gasped, my hand going to my mouth. Somehow, that was not something I had ever expected. I remained quiet. I could tell there was more that he wanted to say.

"When Marcus found out that it was me, I rubbed it in his face. It was stupid, but I hated Marcus so much. He told me that I would understand one day what it's like to have the most important person in my life taken from me. I guess he couldn't tell who was the most important, so he went after anyone and everyone who he thought mattered to me." He sighed. "I was an arse, Ginny, for leaving you after we slept together. I was young, and I thought I could get away with anything... I didn't think that you would feel so badly. But I'm glad that I did because now I know that he'd have come after you a hell of a lot sooner." He ran his fingertips over my cheek. "Merlin, if he had ever hurt you, I don't know what I'd have done."

My heart skipped a beat or five. Did he say what I thought he said?

"Those girls who were here... they weren't meant to be for me to have fun with. I really do think you need someone who isn't me to protect you. If Marcus sees us together it will just put you in more danger."

"But don't you understand that he already thinks that you care about me?" I said, finally breaking my silence. "You've saved me twice. It isn't going to matter if he sees us together again. He already thinks it, and that puts me in danger!"

Draco closed his eyes. "I know."

"So then why are you pushing me away?"

"Because I'm selfish, Ginny." He pushed away from me, running his hands through his hair again.

It was obvious that he was uncomfortable again, but I wasn't backing down. "I don't understand."

A half growl escaped from his throat as he pushed me hard into the wall. "When I'm this close to you, Ginny, all I want is to put my hands on you and do things to you that you could never even dream of. I want you with my entire being, and as much of a prick as I can be, I can also go the other way. I would worship you and take care of you, and a day would not go by that I wouldn't touch you. But if anything happened to you... if Marcus hurt you..."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Nothing is going to happen to me."

"It might! Don't you understand that? I can't lose you once I've had you. That day in your bedroom... it took everything I had not to sink into you and lose myself to you. I wanted you so badly."

"So then take me! Let me help you feel something again!"

"You have no idea what you're asking. If I lost you to him, I would fall apart. It's better for me to just keep my distance." His voice was suddenly so cold.

"No, I don't accept that."

And before I could think twice about what I was doing, my hands went to the buckle on his jeans. I unclasped them, freeing him from his restraints. He was already ready for me, and I was ready for him. I had been for nine years. I pulled his shirt over his head and pushed him firmly against the wall. My jeans were discarded in a second before I pressed my body into his again, my lips capturing his in a searing kiss. This time there was no restraint, no thought, no time to consider any other options. I needed to feel him, and he needed to be close to me.

He lifted me up again. Slowly he eased himself into me, pulling aside my knickers and pressing me against the wall as he moved inside me. I could see in his eyes that he was so torn between wanting to let go and to hold back, keep some kind of distance between us. But that was just his messed up way of protecting himself against getting hurt if anything ever happened to me. And I could understand that, but there was a time and a place for him to let go. And this was it.

"Draco," I cried, loving the fullness I felt with him wrapped up in me. "Draco, stop - trying - to protect - yourself - from me," I panted between thrusts, my voice breathy and almost unrecognisable.

His hips thrust into me deeply, and he held himself there for a second, gasping for air. "Ginny..."

"You can trust me," I whispered, placing my forehead against his.

He looked into my eyes before slipping out of me. In one quick motion - before I even had the chance to protest - he tugged my shirt over my head, leaving me only in my undergarments. I felt alive as he raked his eyes over me appreciatively. I'd never felt so wanted - not when I was with Harry and not the first time I had slept with Draco. Everything was a blur as he picked me up into his arms and carried me into the bedroom.

For hours, I was lost in him.