A/N: I own nothing but the plot and make no profit.

Thank you to all of you who have let me know that you're reading. I'm sorry for the delay in updating.

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Ginny found herself pressed up against the door of her flat, sandwiched tightly between the wood and the hard warm body of someone she had long considered an enemy. She was dwarfed by his height; standing so close together he could rest his chin on the top of her head. Looking up to his face, she could have drowned in his eyes, turned on like she hadn't been in years, consumed by the lust she saw in the silver depths. She raised a hand to run it through his silky pale hair, and suddenly felt him shift down to devour her mouth. Gasping at the pressure of his lips, the languid way he drew his tongue across her lips, she crooked a leg up around him, unable to control herself. He must have taken her action as a further invitation, as he reached down and lifted her up, two hands on her rear, holding her bottom while she wrapped her legs around his hips. He pressed himself into her, so that she could feel intimately how large his arousal was, and she found herself shifting first to find a sturdier position but then again to repeat the mind-blowing friction of him rubbing up against her. Using the pressure between the wall and his chest to hold her up, he let his hands roam all over her body, one tangling through the hair at the back of her neck, forcing the kiss to deepen, their tongues battling for dominance.

Her heart was racing, she hadn't been this close, this intimate with a man since Harry had left her, and she knew that the adrenaline rushing through her system was equal parts lust and fear. He gyrated his hips again, grinding into her and moaning into her mouth, and the percentage lust won out. Then there was a loud pop of someone apparating close by, and the percentage fear battled back to the forefront and she scrambled off of him, shoving him away from her with two hands to his chest.

"Master, Zippy is sorry to bother Master, but an emergency, the wizards at St. Mungos won't stop flooing. Master must go now to the hospital." The little house elf shook with fear, used to the reactions of the elder Malfoy wizard when delivering bad news.

Draco sighed and pressed his head against the wall; frustrated that despite being on his deathbed, his father had managed to interrupt. It was like he was a teenager trying to grope Pansy during his parents' dinner parties, even unconscious Lucius must have had a sixth sense about when his son was trying to get laid. Ginny tried to regain her composure, relieved that the interruption was just one of the Malfoy elves and not one of her neighbors (or worse, one of her brothers).

Straightening up, Draco sighed again and turned to Zippy. "Zippy, thank you for the message. I will say goodbye to Miss Weasley and apparate to St. Mungos directly. Then I will return to the manor to let the staff know what has happened. You may go."

A brief glimmer of relief and surprise passed the elf's face, who then simply nodded and with a *pop* was gone.

Draco then turned to Ginny and reached for her. He saw that the moment of passion was over, as a flicker of trepidation passed across her eyes as he held out his hand to her. Sighing, he thought to himself, for every step forward with her, it feels like we take two steps back.

"It's ok Draco, we needed to stop anyway. We need to just be friends. Just friends, remember?"

It killed him to hear the pleading in her voice, and how it contrasted with the need he knew she felt a mere few seconds ago. That bastard Potter, I could wring his neck with my bare hands, no magic, no wand, just my hands, he fumed. Counting to ten silently, trying to calm himself down, he paced the hallway outside of her flat. Muttering aloud he came up with a plan, "Ok, I have to go to the hospital and see what is wrong with my father." He paced back past her, "Saturday morning I will be here at nine with a portkey." He paced back the other direction, "We'll go to Hogwarts and I'll meet with the headmistress." Pacing the back again, Ginny watched his progress like a spectator at a tennis match, "After I meet with her we can celebrate, and then go to the quidditch match." Stomping past again, "After the match you'll want to spend some time with your brother," and she smiled as she noticed the grimace pass his face when he mentioned Charlie. "And then when we're finally alone we'll have this foolish talk you keep insisting upon about friends," he waved his fingers around, making quotes in the air around the word friends, causing her to giggle. He was the most out of control she'd ever seen him, and it humanized him, making her warm to him even more. "Ok then, that's the plan, done and done" he stomped past again, while she covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh in his face when he was so clearly full of anxiety. He stopped directly in front of her, pulled her quickly against his body and planted a hot wet kiss on her lips. "As much as I want to follow this through to fruition, Ginevra" drawling out her name deliciously, "I have to leave you. Saturday morning at nine, be ready for me," he demanded, and then apparated away with a wink.

After he was gone, she slid down the wall and clutched her knees to her chest, resting her forehead on her bent legs. Mumbling into herself she said, "Oh I'm ready for you Draco, that's the problem. I'm all too ready for parts of you. But the rest of you may just be the end of me."

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Late on Thursday afternoon, Draco and Theo were finishing up some final touches on the proposal for Headmistress McGonagall. Looking at his watch, Draco realize how late it had become, and suggested to Theo that they enjoy a drink at the weekly firm happy hour.

"I can't mate, I skipped out on dinner with the Parkinson's last week – Pansy's mum gets suspicious if I miss out too often." Theo knew the real reason Draco wanted to go out, and encouraged his friend, "Why don't you go on over without me? We both know I'm not the company you want to keep tonight."

Draco had the good grace to be embarrassed, and grinned at Theo, waving goodbye as he made his way off to find Ginny.

Walking into the pub, he noticed the trio of legal wizards swarming around the beautiful redhead like moths to a flame. He hated the jealousy that flared in the pit of his stomach, seeing those "friends" leering at her beauty, hating that they couldn't see, didn't see, that she belonged with him. This weekend, he swore to himself, we're going to get this cleared up, no matter what she says otherwise. His stomach lurched sideways when she turned her head and caught sight of him. Grinning broadly, she waved to him, quickly saying goodbye to her companions (who glowered at him across the room) and came to his side.

"I didn't expect to see you until Saturday morning!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "How is your father doing?" she lowered her voice to a whisper and asked more seriously.

He sighed in the contentment of having her near, of the comforting smell of vanilla and cinnamon that enveloped him when she came close, and it took all that he had to not sweep her up in his arms and devour her rosy lips. "Thank you for asking. He's been moved to the hospice ward. He has stabilized, but the healers say that it is only a matter of time." He paused and smiled for the first time since he had left her outside her flat, "Have you eaten? Would you care to join me?"

"I had a quick snack so that I wasn't drinking on an empty stomach, but I'll sit with you. And have some dessert," she shot him her lopsided grin, a twinkle in her eye as she thought of a sugary treat. As the hostess led them to a table upstairs, Draco rested his hand in the small of her back, guiding her forward. He turned back to the trio of her buddies, making eye contact with them, silently claiming her as he consoled himself enjoying the warmth that radiated off of her.

Draco ordered just a salad and a bowl of soup, while Ginny ordered something called Death by Chocolate. As their food was served, Ginny teased him, "Is eating light the way you keep fit? You should live a little, and have dessert first."

"Not all of us are blessed with your apparent magical metabolism, Miss Weasley. Don't tell me that just your yoga class is what keeps you in such good shape." And my, what a shape it is, he thought to himself.

Ginny giggled at his teasing, while savoring the chocolate over her tongue. Draco noticed her movements and conversation stalled to silence as they stared in each other's eyes. Shaking his head, Draco started the conversation back up with the favor he had been meaning to ask of her. "Speaking of your yoga class, what would it take for me to convince you to skip it next week? I need the help of a witch, and was hoping that if you were interested, you might want to bring a few of your girlfriends along."

"Now Draco, that sounds like the kind of offer Blaise might make, before he decided to settle down with Luna!" she exclaimed sharply.

"No, no, you're putting words in my mouth, Ginverva. And get your mind out of the gutter!" he shook his head, laughing with her. "I have been cleaning out the Manor, and was hoping that you, and perhaps a few of your girlfriends, might help me with my mother's wardrobe. I have been told that the resale on her clothing won't be that profitable, but I truly would hate to see it simply go to waste. How would you and Luna and Granger like to come over on Tuesday night and see if there are any robes or gowns that might suit you? I should invite Pansy too, but you could have a girls' night together. I promise, I won't disturb you once you're in the suite."

"Well," Ginny drew out the word thoughtfully, "I'll have to check with 'Mione and Luna. I'm sure you will understand that they might not be keen to spend time at your house, given the way your father has always treated them. But it sounds like it would be fun. And Luna speaks well of Pansy these days."

Draco drew in a breath sharply, "The Manor is not my house, it was my parents' estate. I have not called that place my home in years, decades even. I would hope that you could explain that to them. And tell them that through their aid, we will be closing a chapter on that part of the world forever." His cheeks were flushed and his eyes flashed with fire behind the ice of the grey.

Ginny reached over and put her hand over his. "Draco, calm down. Believe me, Hermione and I both know well that people aren't what they seem. I just want to discuss this with them before I say yes to you."

Draco and Ginny continued to hold hands across the table, looking into each other's eyes. Draco felt as if he could stare into her eyes for days, falling into their dark depths, finding comfort and warmth there forever. Ginny chewed her bottom lip and thought about the predicament she was in, how she was drawn into the silvery pools while she knew she shouldn't be falling for him so quickly. It wasn't rational, it wasn't the way she had led her life since Harry had left her. The server tried to be discrete as he left the check, but the spell was broken and they both glanced away flushed.

Rising from the table, having left a generous pile of galleons behind to pay, Draco offered Ginny his hand and helped her up. "Shall I escort you back to our building? I haven't moved into my flat yet, but I can floo over to the manor from the lobby. I'd like to see you home safely."

Ginny nodded, "It's a beautiful night, I think I'll enjoy the walk." She smiled at him as he held the restaurant door open for her, and took her hand. Walking hand in hand in companionable silence, the pair both kept to their own thoughts while enjoying the contentment of being together.

As they entered the lobby, Ginny turned to him and said, "I think we should say goodnight here. Our last trip in the lift together was a little, ahem, shall we say, more than friendly?"

Draco sighed and leaned in, hoping and then surprised that she allowed him to kiss her gently on the cheek. "Fine then, though I don't agree with you. Our last ride in the lift was perfect." He changed the subject when he saw her wrinkle her nose at him, "I should have the floo connected to my flat by Saturday – why don't you meet me up there that morning and we'll portkey from there?"

"That sounds perfect. Thank you Draco, it this has been lovely. Have a nice evening, and I'll see you Saturday," Ginny waved to him and threw him a smile as she made her way into the lift.

Draco stood in the middle of the lobby, watching her walk away. The witch leaving him had taken his heart, and he had no idea how it had happened so fast. Whistling, he made his way to the floo to head back to the manor. Saturday morning could not come fast enough, for either of them.

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Friday afternoon an owl tapped on the window near Ginny's desk. She put down the parchment she had been reading over and walked to meet the majestic beast that was waiting for her. Rolling her eyes, she knew that a creature of such elegance and beauty could only belong to one person, and as she took the package from it's leg, she knew she was right. Giving the owl a treat from the jar she kept handy for such purposes, the bird stared at her for a moment as if it was confirming that she would open the delivery and then soared away. His owl is a far cry from my dear little Pigwidgeon, she thought to herself.

Picking the package back up from her desk, she unwrapped it to find a small box of exquisite dark chocolates formed in the shape of little hearts and flowers. They were beautiful and delicate and perhaps one of the most expensive gifts she had ever been given, outside of any of the jewelry Harry had given her. She thought it was absurd that he would spend so many galleons on something so fleeting, so consumable, but the smell wafting off of the box was luring her in.

Being the sister of the mad genius behind some of the more dastardly boxes of trick candies in the wizarding world, Ginny was wise enough to not bite into the candy without reading the note first. Unrolling the attached parchment, she found an elegant script with each letter almost drawn on as if in a piece of art.

Ginevra,

I saw these and thought of you. I am very much looking forward to spending tomorrow with you.

Draco

She didn't know that he had agonized over the words for hours, crumbling up piece of parchment after parchment, finally deciding on something simple and straightforward and honest. He was not a man for cheesy poems; he was not a man of elegant comparisons.

What he didn't know was that all of the men who had courted her before, from the childhood romances at school, to her relationship with Potter, and all of the wizards who had failed since, thought that fancy poems were the way to her heart. After all, what witch wouldn't be moved by a love poem? At the heart of things, Ginny was a practical woman, and what she needed, especially after the silly rhymes Harry would come up with (once pairing 'red' with 'bed head') was someone to just tell her the truth. Also, she knew that all of the poems had been written by someone else, and what she really wanted was to someone to tell her how they felt with their own words.

She clutched the note to her chest briefly, catching a whiff of his cologne, and smiled. There was a tickle in her stomach, butterflies dancing, where there had been nothing but a dull ache for so long. Could he be right? she thought. Could this actually work? Could the chemistry they so obviously had actually be more than just lust? Could Draco Malfoy actually be the wizard to make her happy, a wizard to trust?

The simple words on the parchment had done so much for her, two simple sentences that set him apart from all of her previous suitors. She hadn't even tasted the chocolate yet, but she had made a decision. She would listen to him tomorrow with an open mind. She would be honest with him and see where their relationship could go from there. Then she slipped one of the decadent chocolates into her mouth, savoring the way it melted over her tongue and she rolled the flavor around in her mouth. There was something rich there, something smoky and warm, that reminded her of him. Could she try a relationship, her first real relationship since Harry had left her, with Draco Malfoy? With the Slytherin Prince? she pondered. Reaching for a second chocolate, thinking back to the way he felt pressed against her in the hallway, how warm he was, she made the decision and said aloud to herself – "Oh hell yes."

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A/N: Thanks for reading. I'm truly hoping to get back to my twice a week updates until this is finished. It's driving me crazy to have the epilogue bouncing around in my head already and not be there yet. Thanks for your patience. (Home ownership is a nightmare sometimes. Blech!)

Coming up - I know I promised this update would be the return to campus, but really, next chapter. I swear.