Disclaimer: I do know how to conjure cake out of thin air without using magic... though, I'm sure the owner of these characters would tell me it's impossible.

Warnings: language, (eventual sex... this is taking me too long isn't it?)

A/N: Try to enjoy what has taken me too long to write. Also, keep in mind that I don't use a beta... please excuse any mistakes you find!

Key: DM: Draco's POV, GW: Ginny's POV. I'll note it before the POV changes.

11. The Consequences of Exploding Cake

("Where are you going?"

"Breakfast. Do I have to inform you of every decision I'm going to make?" he spat the question out to counteract his previous behavior.

"I guess not." she shrank back into her covers as he walked downstairs cursing the whole way.)

'God dammit!' Draco's internal monologue switched between fantasies of the girl upstairs in bed, and profanities that would shock the most vulgar of sailors. He steadied himself by gripping the counter, breathing in and out very slowly. This was exactly the kind of thing he would not tolerate, no matter how tempted he felt. She's a Weasley for crying out loud!

A few minutes later, and with a clear mind, he walked over to the fridge and pulled two Mackerel fish out for dinner. He usually grilled his meals outside, but with He Who Must Not Be Named's other worldly ghost hovering over the white beaches, Draco thought better of the idea.

He preheated the oven to 400 degrees, and laid each fish on a piece of foil brushing them with butter and sprinkling salt on them. It wasn't a very interesting recipe, but there wasn't much else to use with limited resources.

GM

After Malfoy stomped down the stairs, Ginny figured the coast was clear. The salt and brine residue stuck to her skin, and made her itch like crazy. Red curls sat a top her head, a hat of knots, and there was no way they would ever come out without washing the sand out first. So, as quickly and quietly as she could, Ginny snuck a towel fro the linen closet and slipped into the bathroom to take a shower.

The warm water felt wonderful against her skin as it trickled in soft droplets down her arms and legs, massaging her sore body and rinsing the sticky salt out of her hair. She stretched her hands above her head, stretching tired muscles. She felt as though she could fly, like the world was suddenly perfect and she was living in a dream. It had been a long time since happiness had snuck up on her so suddenly and she gasped at its presence, feeling almost ashamed of being so at peace with herself.

She washed herself using Malfoy's shampoo and soap. It smelled absolutely divine, and made her wonder why she never noticed how wonderful he smelled. She instantly dismissed the idea, and began to comb the everlasting knots out of her thick, curly hair. After she felt sufficiently clean, she turned the water off and stepped out of the marble basin, drying herself off.

Looking up at the mirror she noticed her face looked less pale; her cheeks held a slight flush from the heat of the water, and she pinched them to intensify the color.

She was staring at herself when she heard him; his unmistakable gait up the stairs and down the hallway that stopped just before her door. He knocked, once… twice… and called her name,

"Weasley?"… Well, it was her last name.

She scurried to wrap the towel around her body and slowly opened the bathroom door, answering him quietly but not without confidence,

"Yes?"

DM

If he was expecting anything, it wasn't this. The small redhead, water glittering off her skin, sunlight from the window outlining her form like an angel sent to destroy him. It didn't help that she wasn't wearing any decent clothes. He wouldn't have to work very hard to have her naked in front of him, to touch her smooth skin, and do whatever he pleased to her small body. It took every ounce of his self-control and Malfoy coolness to ignore his instincts, which was quite a lot.

"Uughhmm…" he coughed, gaining more control, "dinner's set, when you're ready." He averted his eyes, praying she would answer sooner than later.

"Yes… well, I'll be down in just a bit." She fidgeted with a strand of her hair, staring straight at him with those fiery eyes of hers, and waited for him to move.

What was she thinking? Was she intentionally tempting him; trying to draw him in with her long lashed glances? Draco closed his eyes and turned around, taking a long, deep breath and digging his middle fingernail into the knuckle of his thumb, he forced himself to descend the stairs.

GW

Gin rushed into her room quicker than was necessary. 'What in the name of Dumbledore is going on?' she thought quietly to herself, 'he clearly hasn't seen a nearly-naked woman in quite some time, based on that reaction. But, honestly!'

She was terrified, and turned-on equally by the look she received from Malfoy. His eyes smoldered to deep silver, an internal storm visible in his irises. But, as he recessed within himself, and she saw the war he was fighting with his body she became alarmed. She almost wanted to run away, even though he drew her in with intense glare.

Hot and feverish, she cupped her face in her hands while walking over to the window to press her warm cheeks against the glass before getting dressed. Tom wasn't in sight, and it made her uneasy not knowing where he was or what he was doing. She pulled on jeans and a v-neck sweater and quickly brushed out her hair, stealing a quick glance in the mirror before steadying herself and going downstairs.

Turning the corner to the dining room, she spotted him setting the silverware. His stance was normal, posture straight, eyes clouded and mysterious. Not anything like the stormy mercury they had been a few minutes ago. But his careful movements and the fact that he wouldn't look her in the eye made her anxious. She wanted to grab his face and force him to stare at her, to make his eyes focus again.

It was a selfish impulse. She wanted to be looked at, wanted someone to want her. She was filling a hole left by someone else, and it was unfair.

(A/N: Omni 3rd person past POV)

Draco sat in his chair and waited for her to sit before starting his meal. So, she gracelessly slumped into position and unfolded a napkin across her lap, staring at the meat on her plate.

"It's Mackerel. They have a strong taste, so if you don't particularly enjoy fish, I'm sorry. But they're the most popular species this time of year." He wasn't really apologizing, but it's the thought that counts, right?

"I happen to really enjoy fish, so I guess you're lucky this time." She teased. She knew she shouldn't push his buttons, but it was so hard to stop being a flirt if you were born one. She smirked up at him, but he wasn't even looking in her direction. He was staring straight down at his own hands, and didn't move until she looked away from him to start eating.

They ate in silence, unless you count the sound of forks scraping against plates, and Draco tapping his foot, restlessly... with no tempo or rhythm. A habit.

"He's not outside anymore." Ginny dabbed her mouth with the napkin before looking at the boy across from her.

"What?" he looked up at her absentmindedly, lost in his own thoughts.

"You look upset. Is it because you don't know where he is?"

He took a second before answering, editing his answer before speaking, "No. I'm not upset, and I don't care where he is, unless he's found a way to knock on the front door." Draco chuckled, the idea was obviously ridiculous.

"Oh." she looked down at her plate, unable to enjoy the joke and subtly upset that he would address the matter so nonchalantly.

When dinner was over Ginny stood to collect their plates, and started doing the dishes. It was her chore back at the Burrow… before all of this.

"Well, at least you've found a use for yourself." Malfoy smirked, watching her dexterous hands scrub the plates and utensils. She fumbled a bit, realizing she hadn't set a towel aside to place them on after washing, but settled for temporarily putting them on the counter.

Noticing her dilemma Draco spoke up, "Here, I'll dry." He moved beside her, towel in hand and picked up a fork.

Ginny snorted something awful, which he supposed was a suppressed laugh and instead of commenting on how grotesque he found the noise, he focused on the task at hand.

"Oh. God." she stopped to stare at him, eyebrows raised, with a humorous glint in her eyes, "You were serious... Oh Kay." she blinked, and turned to finish what was left in the soapy sink.

"What do you think I've been doing here all by myself?" he scoffed, "eating off the table?" He paused to consider the next statement before allowing himself to risk being caught in an inevitable trap, "It's not like I've never done dishes before."

He waited for her to laugh, nothing. Surely, some comment about his hundreds of house elves was due. Ginny was silent.

Draco looked over at her. She wasn't even staring at him, her work seemed unaffected, and it was as if she didn't even hear what he said. Another fork was set on the counter, and she finally noticed his direct gawking.

"If you stop for a break after every dish, you'll never finish before bed." Her tone was enough to satisfy him. It was close enough to an insult, so similar to countering him about his dish washing experience that he was able to get back to work and forget about his almost freak-out.

"So, what's for dessert?" she was rinsing the last plate, inspecting it for stray food particles.

That caught him off guard, for sure. Stuttering at first, he regained composure enough to finish the sentence with most of his dignity in tact.

"I… um, I thought you would have realized that we don't have many resources here." He risked a side-glance at her, "If you know of a way to conjure a cake out of thin air without using magic, by all means, go right ahead."

She stood for a moment, perhaps thinking,

"Well, I did learn this trick from my mum. I've never tried before, be she explained it pretty well... I wonder if I... Do you have any bread?"

Draco dried his hands and walked over to the fridge, poking around at the items it contained before emerging with the stale end of a loaf in hand. It was immediately snatched from him in her haste and excitement, and placed down on the counter.

"Now, I have to concentrate very hard on the flavors..."

Draco watched as the crusty bread slowly changed texture and grew frosting, his mouth hanging open; this was magic he'd never seen before.

"Ok, now shape and size..." her eyes scrunched up as the cake grew, "almost perfect…" the cake was growing larger and larger, "oh no… stop!" but as she opened her eyes the cake exploded in a gooey mass of frosting and spongy pastry.

They both stood still, silent as kids caught doing something terribly wrong. Ginny was looking from where the cake used to be, to Draco. While, he was only looking at her, wide-eyed and stunned, his mouth still agape.

He finally broke the silence, "I'm covered in cake."

Ginny could not contain her laughter as it bubbled over her lips, and held on to the counter so she wouldn't slip. She was still looking between the mass of icing and Draco, laughing harder each time her eyes landed on him.

"You're covered too! What's so funny?"

"I… I know that I'm covered in… cake." She could barely breathe through her laughing.

He watched her. He studied her midsection as she laughed and her eyes as they began to tear from the effort. He fixed his eyes on her face, more calm by the second, recovering from her laugh attack.

"We better clean this up." He said. That seemed to sober her up, right quick.

"Yes. Hold on. I know a charm for that."

"No." he looked terrified of the idea, "No more wandless charms for you!"

"I've done this one hundreds of times…"

"I'm warning you Weasley…"

"Don't worry…"

"I already am."

She closed her eyes and concentrated for about ten seconds as the mess disappeared, piece by piece, as if it was being erased.

"There. See? No harm done." But it was his turn to laugh. Or, smirk, really. There was still a huge gob of frosting on her right cheek, "What?" she was confused by his rapid mood swings.

"You've still got a bit there." He pointed to her face and she swatted to get it off, only succeeding in spreading it more. He chuckled, "No, up a bit." And again, she wiped at her face, getting most of it.

"Did I get it?" she lifted her face towards the light so he could see.

"No, there's still some…"

"Where?"

"Here, I'll just…" he took three long strides across the kitchen to stand in front of her, and quickly wiped it off with his thumb, his long fingers pressing against her jaw line in front of her ear, thumb rubbing softly against her cheek. His sudden closeness wreaked havoc on her senses. She blushed and backed away from him, looking to the floor.

"Maybe you can try again tomorrow. It almost worked, you know." He was licking the frosting off his finger, and she couldn't help the images that played through her mind as she watched him.

"Yeah." She responded automatically. Her coherent brain was on autopilot, and she was a useless mass of bone and tissue. 'Well, not completely useless…' She looked down at her hands, bashful and blushing. 'I wouldn't be surprised if I'm red as a beat by now.'

They stood facing each other in silence, neither one meeting the other's glances, both not knowing what to do. The tension in the air was undeniable. Ginny felt the heat and energy radiating off his body, and the magnetic pull that wanted her to move closer to him.

When she finally blinked up at him, their eyes met. It was only for a brief second before he looked away again, clenching his fists at his sides. But it was enough time for her to see that his eyes had once again melted to deep metallic silver, enough for her hands to shake, and her breath to catch in her throat.

That caught his attention. His eyes flashed to her mouth, watching her breath. And suddenly, she almost couldn't. She was breathing in small, shallow tugs that barely satisfied her lungs, and now her entire body was quivering. But, suddenly, something was different. Why couldn't she feel? Defense kicked in as she thought of the first chapter of Hogwarts: A History.

It only took one step for Draco to reach her. He cupped her right cheek, not knowing that something was amiss, "It's ok if you're afraid of me." He whispered.

"Not you, him. He's here. Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago - the precise date is uncertain - by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age…" Was her response.

"Who…" But Draco found his answer quickly indeed. For just outside the window, looking towards the forest was The Dark Lord. Rumor has it, Tom had a 'special connection' with Ginny, so Draco figured he was trying to pick through her brain. 'Smart girl.' He thought, as she continued to recite Chapter One of the most boring text book he'd ever laid eyes on.

Not wanting to disrupt her train of thought, Draco grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him, up the stairs and into his room. Closing and locking the door behind them, he turned to close the blinds.

"You can stop doing that now. My room has extra spells built in for Occlumency."

She sighed, instantly gratified. "Thanks. I really need to find new material, Hogwarts: A History is getting really old."

"I'll bet" he smirked.

She realized that their hands were still clasped together, his thumb rubbing smoothly against her knuckles. She wiggled her fingers in reflex, and he let go.

"What are we going to do now?" she covered her embarrassment with inquiries.

"Sleep, I guess." He shrugged, "that's what I was planning on doing before he showed his sorry ass."

She moved towards the door, "Ok, I'll just go then…" But he caught her waist with his forearm and pulled her back.

"Oh no you won't. None of the other rooms in the house offer the kind of protection that mine does. You're staying right here." Her eyes widened a bit, but he spoke before she could even react.

"Oh, shut up! I'll sleep on the chair, and you can sleep in the bed. That's not what I was thinking. God, who do you think I am?" He walked to the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of green silk pants and a blanket from the top shelf. Turning around and gaping at her, he finally shook his head, "you can turn around now."

She realized what he was doing, and turned quicker than she thought possible.

"All clear." He signaled, and she slowly turned back around to a shirtless Draco Malfoy. However, she didn't have much time to react as he threw a t-shirt and a matching pair of pants at her, turning around as soon as he confirmed that she caught them.

Ginny hurried to change her clothes. She left her bra on, feeling uncomfortable without one in his presence. She folded her day clothes, and let him know she was done.

"Weasley?"

She looked back at him, but now he was only a foot away from her.

"What's going to happen to us? What does he want?" her mouth betrayed her mind.

"Everything's going to be ok." He reached down to brush a tendril of her hair out of her face, and tenderly pushed it behind her ear leaving a hot trail of goose bumps where he touched her. Holding her head in his hands, Draco bent down to press his lips against her feverish forehead. "Goodnight."

She climbed into his bed, and he climbed into the chair. But neither one of them found sleep easily.

A/N: So... what do you think? REVIEWW pleasee!! Praise and Flames are accepted equally, as long as the latter is justified. Thanks so much to my past reviewers (and yes, I got this idea from Wiccan98) AlyssaRaven, Peril Of Hope, BeachBummm227, jjp91, sing-me-this-lullaby, Eve Granger, darkroses2992,Fall-Child-08, springawakening1894, xxfire-feariexxx, Nimyune, Beastie, and snowfire81. You guys mean the world to me!!

Thank you hp-lexicon for the description of Hogwarts!

ps. I'm still sorry for killing Blaise. But, trust me, for this plot to work, it had to happen. I heart Blaise as much as the next girl. In fact, my next ff is Ginny/Blaise(/Draco... maybe?)