Chapter 10- Draco the Flustered

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Here's an Easter present for you all, hope you have a wonderful day! You should all enjoy this one because…well …um cough yes... you'll see what I mean.

Disclaimer: Oh there is no way JK would ever want this attributed to her. Believe me it is about as far away from her writing as you can get!

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The shout was anguished and the voice ever so familiar. With the sort of surety of their prediction that Professor Trelawney had never had they looked up towards the castle and saw Harry racing down the lawns towards them.

"Oh just great." Ginny heard Draco moan beside her but a subtle elbow to his ribcage shushed him successfully and allowed her time to arrange her face into as pleased an expression as she could muster. Harry looked frantic and yet relieved at the same time and, when he reached them, he grabbed Ginny by the shoulders and studied her face as if reassuring himself that it was really her then he wrapped his arms, unabashedly, around her. Ginny was taken aback by this sudden contact and looked in surprise over at Draco to see his reaction. He was standing absolutely frozen except for a rhythmic clenching and unclenching of his jaw his expression was terribly grim and Ginny had a foreboding sense that something in Draco land was about to explode.

Eventually Harry pulled away and, holding her at arms length, regarded Ginny intently.

"Where have you been?!" he asked again, "We've been searching everywhere for you, we were so worried."

"We?" Ginny was a little bit dazed by this sudden confrontation.

"Yes, Colin, Hermione, Ron, me and just about all of Gryffindor besides. You didn't turn up for breakfast, you weren't in the hospital wing, or anywhere in the castle for that matter. We were worried sick!"

"Oh." Was all that Ginny could think of to reply.

"Oh?!" Harry shouted, "That's it? That's all I get? Oh? Do you have any idea how frantic we all were? And the fact that Malfoy was gone too well, can't you imagine what we thought might have happened to you?"

"I was wondering how long it would take before I was blamed for this." Draco said coldly stepping closer to Harry. "Well as you can see she's fine so we're going to go now." he took Ginny by the elbow, preparing to lead her away but Harry grabbed the arm which had a hold on Ginny.

"You let her go." He said menacingly.

Draco looked at Ginny for her support but she shook her head slightly at him and, with a further furious look at Harry to show that he wasn't obeying the Gryffindor's order by choice, he removed his hand.

"Harry," Ginny began gently hoping to divert his attention from the malevolent Slytherin, "Draco's right, I'm fine, honestly."

"Are you sure?" he asked drawing her away from Draco slightly although, obviously, he couldn't take her far, "You don't have to be afraid to tell me you know."

Ginny shook her head fiercely, "I wouldn't lie to you Harry, you know that."

Draco coughed something which sounded a lot like, "Really?"

But Ginny saw that, thankfully, Harry hadn't picked up on it. Indeed he seemed mollified by her words and his expression softened.

"You're right Gin, I'm sorry. It's just that I was so worried about you."

Ginny smiled sweetly at him.

"You know that means a lot to me." She sighed happily.

Draco made gagging noises in the background effectively ruining the moment. Harry shot him a fuming look then leant down close to Ginny.

"Gin I know things haven't been brilliant recently," he said softly trying to make sure Draco couldn't hear him, "but don't worry. Hermione, Ron, Colin and I have been scouring the library to find some clue as to what spell he used and how to reverse it."

Ginny closed her eyes as the guilt overwhelmed her and Draco chuckled.

"Well that's great, isn't it Virginia." He said with a wicked grin, "Maybe they'll find out why we're joined together, wouldn't that be fantastic?!"

"What does he mean?" Harry asked Ginny jerking his head to indicate Draco, "Is there something going on that I don't know about?"

"Oh no." Draco said sincerely, "After all she did say she would never lie to you."

Harry ignored Draco and continued to look at Ginny.

"Gin please." He begged her, "Tell me what's going on."

"I can't." she whimpered.

"You can." He said fiercely, "Whatever it is we can fix it, you and me."

"No." she said softly then, more strongly she said it again, "No, it doesn't matter. Thanks for your concern Harry but Draco and I have to go now."

"Wait." Harry caught her and pulled her close. She looked at him in surprise as he wrapped his arms once more about her. "I've missed you." He confessed.

"Oh I've missed you too." she replied resting her head on his shoulder.

"Things have changed since you've been gone. I've changed." He seemed to draw strength from the fact that she couldn't see his face and continued, "My feelings for you have become stronger since I wasn't able to see you every day and, even though with him tagging along it would be very awkward, I wondered if maybe…"

Draco panicked. He knew what was coming next and he couldn't let it happen. He jumped forward and wrenched Ginny from Harry's arms.

"Anymore of that kind of talk and I'll vomit all over your snazzy Gryffindor scarf. Would be an improvement from where I'm standing but who am I to cause the house elves any more work? We're leaving." He said coldly sending Harry a warning not to follow them. Then he grabbed Ginny by the hand and dragged her back up towards the castle.

"Sorry, Harry." Ginny called back to the forlorn figure standing abandoned on the edge of the forbidden forest. "We can talk more when Draco's stomach has settled."

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Ginny was tired. She had been working hard all day, even though it was a Sunday as the teachers had been piling on the work, but she had run into a wall. Draco seemed to be suffering no such problems and was scribbling away on his parchment without any trouble at all. Ginny sighed and closed her eyes wearily. She hadn't slept well the night before. The days events had kept running over and over in her mind. The forbidden forest and Draco saving her not once but twice, his body against hers as she had hugged him, the way he had kept her safe and was constantly worrying about her. Usually she found protectiveness annoying and had had more than her fair share of it from her six brothers but this was different, certainly not brotherly concern. His reaction to Harry, now that had been the strangest thing of all. And Harry himself. He'd said his feelings towards her had changed but did he mean for the better or for the worse? A voice at the back of her head tutted and gave her a mental slap. 'He was trying to ask you out!' it screamed. Shying away from that answer she had tried to put Harry out of her mind and get some rest but then she fell to thinking about Draco. Something was going on. She didn't know what it was and she didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing but something had happened between them. It was more than the imposed friendship and it was more then simply being in each others company nearly 24 hours a day.  She was sure she wasn't the only one feeling the change. There had been times when she'd looked up and seen Draco staring at her and she knew he knew things were somehow different.

"Virginia, stop staring at me, I can't concentrate."

Ginny blinked confusedly and then realised she had been looking at Draco during her ponderings.

"Oh sorry." She mumbled bowing her head and staring with glazed eyes at her work.

Draco put his quill down and leant back observing the girl in front of him. The sun glinted off her red hair making it glow and her petite features were lit up in all their glory. He was confused. These thoughts were not him. The comment 'petite features' had definitely not cropped up in any of his inner monologues before, and especially not in relation to Virginia. He wasn't feeling the sort of emotions a Malfoy should when in the company of a Weasley. What had overcome him in the forest? For the first time in his life he had put the wellbeing of someone else before himself and a Weasley at that. His thoughts ran to the meeting with Harry. The stupid git had been about to ask her out, Draco had known that and he had stopped it. He had had a chance to be free from their curse and he had deliberately ruined it. What was wrong with him?

"What's wrong with me?" Ginny's question, so similar to his own internal one, startled him but he didn't let his surprise show. Instead he lifted one eyebrow inquisitively. "I mean," She continued, "I've been thinking it through and Harry is such a great guy that there must be something really wrong with me if I freak out when he confesses he likes me. I ran away from him! I virtually sprinted and poor Harry just stood there as I left!" Ginny knew that perhaps this wasn't the best subject to talk over with Draco but nobody else was around and…well it could do no harm to see if she could provoke a reaction out of him, could it? Just to confirm the feeling she had that something was going on between them. "I've been friends with Harry for something like five years and I thought we were pretty close." She continued, "I got over my crush on him ages ago because it seemed he wasn't interested but then he…" she trailed off but, as she had hoped, Draco had already noticed the significance of the last couple of words she had spoken.

"Oh so there is hope?" he asked his voice mocking, auto-pilot nasty Malfoy taking over his mouth "Has the famous Harry Potter deemed to bestow upon you a smile perhaps? Or maybe he brushed against you while you were walking along together?"

"A kiss actually!" she said irked by his response. Draco was supposed to tell her that there was nothing wrong with her and that he had been the one to ruin Harry's moment, which of course he had.

"A kiss actually!" he parroted, "A passionate kiss? Do tell Virginia." Draco was simply being facetious out of habit but something inside of him had given a distinctive twinge at the knowledge that Ginny and Harry had been together romantically. To reinforce his nonchalance he levitated the black Raven's feather that Ginny had given him on his birthday. He was planning on turning the feather into a quill and the card was kept securely hidden at the bottom of his trunk. He made the feather zoom lazily around the room but kept his eyes firmly on her. She flushed a little but then she raised her chin up slightly, a sure sign of defiance and said loudly and clearly.

"Yes, if you must know it was a passionate kiss, a deeply passionate kiss and I have never felt so alive before or since."

Draco stared at her slack-jawed and the feather began to plummet in a tight spiral towards the ground. He soon recovered himself, however, and he saved the feather from being broken on the floor.

"I…I see." He said in an astonished tone. There seemed to be nothing else to say after this so he looked up at the feather and began to make it perform several acrobatic stunts in the air. He heard Ginny get up from her seat but he kept his eyes fixed on the feather so when she spoke again he was surprised to find that she was standing close beside him.

"Draco?" she asked timidly, Draco, feeling more in control but unwilling to take his eyes from their safe position on neutral ground answered,

"Yes?"

"You're a guy, right?"

"So I've been led to believe." His voice was cocky but he was curious to see where the conversation was headed.

"Well what do you think?" she asked, she was very close now, he could feel her beside him but he still refused to look at her.

"About what?" he asked coolly.

One of her small, pale hands shot out and gripped his chin, forcing his gaze onto her.

"Me." She said seriously

His eyes widened at her answer and very nearly bugged completely out of his head when she stood back biting her lip anxiously and looking down at herself.

"I don't think I have a bad body." She said quietly to herself. Her eyes were still cast down so she didn't see Draco gawking at her for which he was very thankful. "But maybe Harry doesn't like my shape or maybe I'm not big enough," here she blushed furiously, "in some departments." Ginny sighed, "It could be my legs." She said conversationally lifting up her skirt to mid-thigh and examining the length of exposed skin. The feather which had begun to drift downwards suddenly burst into flames and the ashes floated down around them. Ginny didn't seem to have noticed but Draco didn't like the way she was manipulating him and decided to stop her before she made him do anything stupid.

"Believe me," he croaked out making Ginny look up at him in surprise as if she had forgotten he was there, "it's not your body."

She blinked in astonishment then her cheeks stained a deep crimson. She had become absorbed in her self-examination and had forgotten her purpose of getting him to pay attention to her. It seemed to have worked. Ginny's mouth and lips became very dry and she flicked her red tongue out onto her lips to wet them then she froze.

"Maybe it's my lips!" she exclaimed. Draco groaned and rolled his eyes but she nodded her head. "Perhaps they're too small, or maybe too big. When he kissed me they could have been dry and cracked or too wet. I could have been a bad kisser," she was rambling now but seemed unable to stop herself now she had got going, "maybe I pout too much or my lips don't make the right shape…" she was cut off as Draco suddenly reared out of his seat and, placing one hand on her waist and another cupping the back of her head, engulfed her mouth in his own.

Ginny squeaked in amazement but her eyes soon fluttered closed and she gave herself over to the tingles spreading all over her body. His grip on her was strong and warm and his lips on hers were hard and demanding. It was nothing like the soft, sweet kiss she had shared with Harry. There was a raw and physical quality to her embrace with Draco and it sent her veins coursing with liquid fire. Draco seemed in no hurry to put an end to these sensations either. He moved his hand from the back of her head to cup her cheek and he ran his thumb gently across her soft skin the gesture contrasting vividly with his hot, harsh kissing. He pulled her more tightly against him with his other arm and Ginny found her arms lifting of their own accord and twining themselves behind his neck. His tongue demanded entrance to her mouth and she willingly gave it, allowing him to deepen the kiss even further. She gave a little gasp as heat seared through her body and felt him smile against her lips at her reaction. After several long minutes entwined together Draco broke away and regarded Ginny seriously. Her hair was slightly mussed, her lips darkened a ruby red from the pressure of his kiss and her chest was rising and falling rapidly, her breath coming out in small pants. She looked utterly and totally desirable, so much so that Draco had to turn away to prevent himself from grabbing her again.

"Virginia." His voice was deep and the mere sound of it made her shiver anew.

"Yes Malfoy?" she asked softly

"It's not your lips." He said fervently.

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TA DA!!! Well what did you think? Too much? Not enough? Badly written? Well that last one is a given but still I gave it a go. For a romance writer I sure do hate to write those scenes. We all know that the feeling you get when you kiss is just that, a feeling and it's hard to put it into words. Thank you so much to all of my wonderful reviewers:

bigreader: Ah I got all happy when I read your review and I must say that I do know what it's like to want to read a good story and being prevented from doing it. I never thought people would have those feelings about my story thought :) Sorry no Ron but I assure you he's on his way into the picture and Ginny won't be the only doing the arse kicking around here! Thank you so much for reviewing so wonderfully!

SarkLover: Ah but have you ever been to the Mardi Gras in Sydney? I have an overdrive of national pride and must say that the Sydney one is the best although, as you quite rightly point out, I have never been to another one! Well they've kind of come to their senses but I doubt it will last! I enjoyed writing the crypticness between Draco and Esmerelda but, let's face it, Ginny must be pretty dense not to get what they're talking about! Here's more for you, thanks for being such a faithful reader, lots of pie for you.

MelissaAdams: I really liked the idea of Ginny as a lion cub, trying to be fierce but ultimately so cute! Yeah I think they work well together, thanks for agreeing. And of course thanks for always reviewing, you are one of my most loyal followers…blimey don't I sound like the dark lord?!

dracomio: are you kidding? Of course he'll fight! Thank you for saying you'll wait, I hope it was worth it.

NiteStar: Yeah I must say I'm a bit of a fan of Esmerelda…geez and I'm so modest too! Ergh trying to make Draco a hero yet still pretty mean was hard, I hope it worked okay. The answer to your question was at the top of this page…but you already know that so I'll shut up now. Thank you for reviewing, I more than appreciate it!

The Heir of Slytherin: Oh no I'm using an overused plot?! Oh well at least you think I make it more interesting. I think the whole "stuck together" genre needed another go! Um I'm not sure if Draco and Ginny are totally in character but they're not suddenly throwing themselves into each other's arms if that's what you mean. I tried to hold off on the romance as long as I could but it had to come out! I worry that its to early but who says the road'll be easy from here? There might not be much romance in chapters to come…hey I should stop giving stuff away! Thanks for reviewing, I love it when people make comments on my style so thank you a lot for that.

writerofthefuture: Thank you for saying you love my story, I do strive to make it funny but sometimes I think I lose track of it, keep me on the right track, please?! Well the kiss just happened, hope it was all that you thought it would be. Thanks for reviewing.

LovingFanFics: Wow, I foreshadowed? Excellent, it makes it sound like I actually know where the story's going! Okay I'm just being facetious I know what's going to happen, well most of it anyway! I seriously had to jump around the room for a full 10 minutes after reading your review because you were so nice. You think my Ginny and Draco are having a relationship built around them and that is ever so important to me. I hope you don't think the "making-out" scene came too soon. Believe me this is not the end of the tension! Thank you and thank you again.

Sazzy7: Ergh tell me about it! Why Ginny was being so ditzy? Well it made it look like Draco was being a big tough man in contrast, lol! She is more than a little airheaded in this one too but never fear, psycho Ginny will be back with a vengeance in later chapters! Hope this chapter has planted you firmly back at the back of your seat, or at least in the middle! Thanks for reviewing as always :)

Anuri-Chan: Cute?! Yay one of the best compliments I could have. I've tried to shy away from the overly dramatic with this story and cute is what I'm after. Wow I'm writing about the Draco in your mind? I mean cough of course I can read minds. You're thinking: "I would love a big bowl of spaghetti" No hang on I think I've got my wires crossed, I'm thinking that! Sorry, ignore me it's been a long night! I love being on authors alerts list. I send you an email without even trying and you all come running to read my story…I hope anyway! Thank you so much for reading my story and being so lovely about it, I hope my ramblings haven't bored you too much.

Bean: Yay I made you cry….tears of joy that is! You think my fic is adorable that makes me grin like a mad thing. Yeah I thought it would be kind of cool if Slytherin's had their own sort of club thing where once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin rules kind of applied. Arrrrr I made you talk baby talk! That is an achievement and a half if I die tomorrow, I die happy…but you don't because you'll never know the end of the story. Perhaps I should write a will saying someone must continue my legacy, lol! Hope your curiousitis is a bit better, no cliffhanger here so it shouldn't be inflamed. Thank you for reviewing and making me so happy, you know what I want out of a review!

Julia: yes I do think it is a good word. There is nothing more absolute then absolutely! I'm glad you thought the chapter was great, how about this one?! Ta :)

DracosFavourite: Will do. Oh and can I congratulate you on putting a 'u' in favourite- proper English spelling forever I say! Thanks a lot for encouraging me.

Ash Night: Um okay I will! Sorry this chapter isn't a cliffie but I hope you come back for more anyway. Yay oh devoted one for liking the comforting scene, I must confess I did too. Thank you again and again, you know you keep me going.

lilblondeiy214: Well I'm more than a little glad that you are. Thanks for the giggles :)

pottyandweasel: Well it was Harry! Okay so that isn't very interesting now that you already know, huh. No cliffie in this one so you should be happy. Thank you for reviewing.

Mrs H: Thank you, I was rather fond of them myself, lol!

LiTtLe-bLaCk-sTaR: Wow, I guess I have to believe that you do indeed love my story! But you know that isn't enough, I could never have enough of someone saying that…I guess you're going to have to keep doing it, jk! I'm so glad your hair got through the whole experience okay. I like Esmerelda too, she is kinda cool…and I can take all the credit for her, she's mine all mine mwahahaha! Okay, glad I got that out of the way. Here is another chapter for you, hope you enjoyed it, thank you as always for your most excellent reviews.

seven years: Some of the best things in life can never be pin pointed…not that I'm saying my Draco is one of the best things in life but you get what I mean. Thank you for saying my story is engaging, that is all I want…well that and a BMW but don't worry I'm not expecting you to give me one of those!

rutupatel: Yeah good old Esmerelda and her evil Slytherin ways, I must confess I'm quite partial to her myself. Oh yay, I'm so glad you picked up on the whole "you rarely receive what you deserve" statement. That was my lame attempt at being philosophical! Here is the update for you, thank you for reviewing and making me smile.

Crystal Moon Magic: yeah readers prerogative we always know a lot more than the stupid characters! Yes I think Draco will start fighting. No Ginny isn't still doing seventh year classes. She gathers her homework from her teachers and then works up in the small room on the tenth floor. Sorry if I didn't make that very clear. Thank you for reviewing.

Noire1: Bowing thank you, thank you, I'd like to thank my mum and dad and of course Noire1 for achieving this applause! Wow I could so accept an Oscar. Ha so much for avoiding the vicious thank you circle, you thanked me again and the whole thing has fallen apart. I THANK YOU!!! Oh and I liked the little lion cub idea too, seemed fitting to Ginny somehow.

Riotgirl-gc: why did someone interrupt them? Because I wanted them to and it's my story so there! Sorry had a brief childish moment there (brief?!). I hope you kept up the dancing, like a rain dance but a chapter dance. Cool! Oh yes slow and steady wins the race especially with Ginny/Draco stories. Yes Ginny is very dense and didn't get what they were talking about. Never mind, she'll learn! Thanks for reviewing, KEEP DANCING!

bambooanime: hope you're still on your break, this one's for you! I hope you liked this chapter nudge, nudge lol! Thank you for reviewing.

Red-Ruby-Slippers: There's no place like home, there's no place like home! Sorry just had a Judy Garland moment there! Thank you for saying you like my plot, here's an update just for you!

Can you believe today's thank yous were almost 1600 words long?! I know some people get annoyed and think thank yous are a waste of time but I do really like letting reviewers know how much they mean to me, I hope it doesn't annoy you, my readers too much!

Man it is late now, I can barely keep my eyes open, I'll post this then of to Bedfordshire with me.

Goodnight all and Happy Easter once again!

Jess/star123

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