Chapter 14

Draco's POV

Two days later, I sat Ginny down. In a few minutes we would hopefully be heading to Malfoy Manor, but there was a hurdle to cross first. I had to tell her who it was she would be meeting with. Snape had told me that if she was suffering from PTSD, she should not be taken by surprise.

We were sitting in her yard, just the two of us. She was wearing one of those damn tank tops again. I swear she wears them because she knows they drive me nuts. They're so sexy, hugging her body so tightly. I fought to stay focused on what she was about to do, instead of focusing on what it would be like to make love to her.

"Ginny, your father is going to come out here in a minute and you're going to make a Wizard'sVow with him to not reveal what I'm about to tell you. Are you okay with that?"

She looked both concerned and worried. "Why with him and not you? It's your information you're giving me."

"There are still a few rules about what I can and can't do," I explained. I saw Mr. Weasley walking towards us.

"Are we ready Draco?" he asked.

"I think so. Ginny, are you willing?"

She nodded. "Daddy, do you know what he's about to say?"

Mr. Weasley reached out and hugged her. "Gin-bug, of course I do. Are you comfortable with this?"

She nodded. "I am. I trust both of you."

"Good. We both need to hand our wands to Draco once we kneel down."

Once down on their knees as they handed me their wands, I was hit with the fact that this man truly trusted me! I had owled him about this request of Snape's, but I felt it would be better if Ginny made the vow with her father instead of myself.

"Will you never reveal the identity of the person who will be helping you?" Arthur asked.

"I will," Ginny replied.

"Will you protect their secret, no matter what happens?"

"I will."

Twenty minutes later, I watched the door close behind her.

Ginny's POV

Of all the people in the whole world, I never expected to see Professor Snape! He was sitting at a desk. The hair I had known growing up as always being greasy actually wasn't. In fact, it looked quite clean. Gone were the stuffy robes he wore at Hogwarts, although his clothing was still black. I stood still next to the closed door. Part of me was scared to move. "Professor Snape?"

"More and more, every time," he said before looking at me. "Miss Weasley, you are not dealing with things well?"

"That's- that's correct, Professor." I understood that before he became a teacher, he had to have studied and had some type of job. I never got the feeling that being a Death Eater was a paid profession.

"Ginevra, if Draco is correct about what's wrong with you, we will be spending a lot of time working through your issues. It would be best if you did not fear me giving you detention. You may use my given name, Severus, and I will use yours."

"Yes sir, Severus."

"Take a seat."

I spent three hours with Professor Snape. I wasn't cured, but I had a far better understanding of what was happening to me. Snape had asked questions I would never have dreamed him capable of asking. And I answered them! We even spoke about McCoy. Most of the time I spent with him, he was professional, but at times it was also like he was talking to someone else and I couldn't hear what they were saying to him. For the next while, we would be meeting with each other twice a week.

*Author's note: I do not have any personal experience with PTSD and am unwilling to describe what treatment or therapy could be like, so this is as far as I will go. There may be more Snape, but any treatments or therapy will be left out.*

Draco met me back at the door to the room I met Snape in."Are you alright?" he asked. His concern was clear.

I looked back at the door. "I thought he was killed by Voldemort."

He smiled at me. "He was a Potions master and a very smart man. I can't say more than that about it."

"He's a bit odd," I stated.

"Mother explains it as it's like he's stuck between the living and the dead." Draco paused, "Would you like something to drink?"

I knew we were at Malfoy Manor, so I was a bit worried about seeing Lucius Malfoy and how he would react to a Weasley being in his family's home.

He seemed to sense my nervousness. "I promise, it's just us here. Let's have some tea."

He led me out to a lovely garden and summoned tea. "So, what did he say?" Draco asked hungrily.

"For now, I will meet with him twice a week and adjust as needed."

"Did you and him talk about returning to Hogwarts?" he asked as the tea appeared and magically served itself.

"We did," I paused.

"Why do I sense a 'but' coming?" he asked, looking worried.

"I worry. I'm sort of scared to go back."

He re positioned us both and leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knees as he took my hands in his. Gently squeezing my hand, he looked up at me. "I'll be there for you every step of the way."

"So much happened there. When I think of Fred..."

"Ginny, love, I think he would want you to finish school."

I laughed. "Draco, you never knew him."

"Hogwarts is not that big, and your twin brothers were businessmen. They crossed house lines more that you think. Once, before a Quidditch practice, I had come early to spy on the Gryffindor team and I heard them talking. I truthfully only listened to see if I could hear anything that would get the trio in trouble, but they were talking about how good you were at Quidditch. They were agreeing you could play professionally."

I was surprised he was still holding my hands. "Really?"

He gave me a little smirk; somehow now I found it sexy. He nodded. "Yes. And Ginny, school is so very important."

I looked down at my hands in his. "I just got you back. I won't get to spend time with you," I confessed my other concern.

He chuckled softly at me. "You never lost me; you were the one who wouldn't talk to me," he took joy in pointing out.

"I know, but you know what I mean."

"Are you taking Potions?" he asked as he straightened up.

"No, I want to focus on Charms and Transfiguration, more out of interest than anything. I somehow don't see myself using magic to make money. If I don't make it at Quidditch, then I might like to be a reporter or a writer."

"Well then, there's no reason our friendship can't continue while you're at Hogwarts." He paused; it seemed there was more he wanted to say.

"What is it, Draco?" I asked.

He surprised me when he turned away. "Do you ever think back on our trip to Jasper?" he questioned.

"Yes, quite often," I admitted.

He spun around so fast it surprised me. "Ginny, I, we - never spoke of the kiss we shared."

I didn't know what to say, so I waited for him to continue.

"Once you've finished school, I would like to explore what the kiss meant." In that moment, I saw a bit of insecurity in Draco; it was a bit surprising to see, but in some way it made him more human.

I was unsure of what to say or how to react. I finally chose to be honest. "Today has been a lot. I don't want to comment on that because, its- I'm a bit messed up and I don't want to-"

"It's alright Ginny," Draco rushed to say, looking disappointed. "I understand."

"No, Draco, I'm just a bit raw right now. The stuff with Snape was a lot for me; it's not the time for me to decide on anything." I was stumbling over my own words. I took a deep breath. "Draco, I don't want anything I say or do to anyone be decided on in a quick second."

He still looked a little hurt and he moved away from me. It felt so final, which was not what I wanted. I knew in that second what I wanted; I wanted what I had wanted from the minute he kissed me at that lake. I wanted him to be my first kiss every day. I wanted a life with him; the life we had in Edmonton, where we were each other's world. In one split second, everything changed for me. I wanted a life with Draco Malfoy! I wanted it so bad, the idea of not having it was worse than any idea ever!

I scrambled to react and rushed towards him. "Draco," I said, reaching for him. He turned towards me and I, without even thinking, went in for a kiss of my own. This was a bit of a feat due to Draco being taller than me by nearly a foot.

Draco willingly accepted the kiss, kissing me back as if his life depended on it! He, while kissing me, backed me up to a tree and took total control of the kiss. It was hot and heavy. I felt his hand slide down to my backside and he squeezed my ass. I reacted by raising that leg, and with his help hooked it over his hip. I could feel his manhood as he ground himself against me. It was so hot and heavy! I couldn't believe how turned on I was! This went on for a long minute until Draco pulled away far too soon. "I have never dreamed of wanting someone as much as I want you! But we can't; not now."

"I should be getting home," I almost whispered. He had confused me; one second he is implying one thing and then the next, something else.

"I'll take you back," he offered.

"No, it's fine. I'm a big girl," I insisted.

He smiled at me. "I want to see you home. You said it yourself; today was a lot."

Draco's POV

She drives me nutters! All the time! She doesn't want to talk about it, and the next second she's kissing me like it was a matter of life or death! And sweet Merlin, I wanted to do so much more than kiss her! In the past few days, I realized just what I wanted from Ginny. I knew I couldn't risk rushing this. There can be no room for error. Mr. Weasley was right; I couldn't take the chance and not let Ginny know just what she meant to me.

"Besides, I want to know you're safe at home."

"Fine," she replied. Her voice seemed cold.

As we walked down to the Apparition point, Ginny was quiet. I thought she was maybe reflecting on what had happened with Severus. I hoped he had been gentle with her. When we arrived at her home, she walked straight for the house, not saying a word.

"So will you? You only have a few days left til the deadline to return to Hogwarts to finish this year." She nodded. "Did you want to see the Headmistress tomorrow?"

"Fine."

"I'll tell her to expect you."

She only nodded. We were near the door to her house and Ginny wouldn't even look at me when she replied to me. I realized she was mad. She was now a step or two ahead of me. I reached out and grabbed her hand, causing her to turn towards me. "Hey, stop. You're upset. What's wrong?"

She stared blankly at me for a few seconds and as she ripped her arm from me I saw it; she definitely was mad. I quickly reviewed in my mind what could have triggered this, but I couldn't pin down any one thing.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Am I a head game for you?" She was yelling at me now.

I was still trying to understand why she was upset. "Of course not... never, but why would you think that?"

"One second you're saying you want to explore what that kiss in Jasper was, and the next you're stopping that."

"What the bloody hell?" I heard the voice of Potter and looked over to see him coming at me with his wand drawn and pointed at me.

I knew he beat me before, but 1. I wasn't going to have him upset Ginny, and 2. this was about Ginny, not him. I couldn't let him win.

"Go away, Potter. This has nothing to do with you," I tried to dismiss him.

He was still advancing on me. "I don't think so. You have upset my girlfriend; you're the one who needs to leave."

Out of the corner of my eye I caught Ginny's reaction to Potter calling her his girlfriend. "I don't think she likes you calling her that," I stated, using my calmest voice.

"That's between her and I and none of you business. Leave now," Harry ordered.

I took a risk on how mad Ginny was, and if she wanted to talk it out of not. "I'll leave when Ginny tells me to leave."

"She doesn't have to. I am." The anger in his voice was very clear.

I glanced at her and she seemed to have an 'I'm going to watch this play out' attitude about her.

Potter's wand was still pointed at my heart. "Lower your wand," I ordered.

He tightened his grip and reinforced his position. I hit him with a left hook while he was busy watching my wand hand. I swear, when my fist hit his cheek, I heard bones cracking! Not sure if they were his or mine, or both. He stumbled back and looked shocked.

"Harry, leave. I don't need or want your help," Ginny threatened.

I glanced over and saw Mr. Weasley in the doorway, watching. Then, so low we could hardly hear it, Mr. Weasley said, "Harry, in the house, now."

I could see this was in no way done, but Potter obeyed.

"Let me see your hand," Ginny said, reaching out for it as Potter stalked back to the house. She checked it out and then took out her wand. "Really? Muggle duelling?" she muttered.

"It was all about the element of surprise," I explained as she performed spells on my hand. "He never saw it coming."

She smirked. "You did very well." She looked up at me from under her eyelashes.

I debated bringing up what we were talking about before Potter or not. He may have actually helped me out, not that I would ever admit it to him.

I didn't want Ginny's feelings getting the better of her later. "This next while is going to be a lot for you. I don't want to complicate it for you. Finish school and see if Severus can help you a bit more. Trust me, I'll wait," I assured her.

She smiled at me, then let out a big sigh.

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