Summary: Draco Malfoy is London's most irresistible bachelor. And the time has come for him to marry. There is only one problem: he's in love with his best friend's wife.

A/U.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who took their time to review. :D

In Flagrante Delicto

Chapter Fourteen

Like every other girl in the whole world, Ginny Weasley had been dreaming of a true love's kiss. She was lucky. She had two.

The first one had been with Harry Potter. It was beyond sweet and what made it that way was the innocence that bordered both their lips, leaving a feather-light feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was like experiencing total weightlessness. Defying gravity. Like surging through the air on a broom. It was a feeling like no other.

Or so she thought.

And then there was Blaise Zabini. His kisses had been intoxicating. Sensuous and alluring, making her beg for more. It had felt so right back then. Like they were two pieces of the same puzzle. Their bodies had fit perfectly together. It was almost as if they were made to be molded as one. Ginny had never felt so convinced that she was in the midst of true love.

It turned out that she was wrong.

The chances that she would get a third true love's kiss was slim to none.

Looks like she was wrong about that as well.

Her third was electrifying. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. The world seemed to disappear before her. She had given in to pure feeling, to total need. It was as if she had been stranded in the desert for days and had finally found water. Her thirst was being satiated. Her hunger being fed.

And she felt…free.

There was no looking back now.

…

Draco Malfoy had several memorable birthdays. There was his sixth birthday where he received his first broom (it had been custom-made just for him), his thirteenth birthday where he had been given a pet snake, his sixteenth birthday wherein he had gotten supremely wasted, and his twenty-first birthday where he had fallen in love at first sight and had gotten his heart broken – all in one night.

But one does not dwell on the past.

"Any plans for your birthday, dear?" Narcissa asked over dinner one night.

Draco sighed and shook his head. "You can skip with the asking, mother. I know you have everything planned already."

"You're right," Narcissa said with a shrug. "But who knows, you might have a suggestion for a theme."

"Theme?" Draco asked in horror. "Anything but a theme, mother. I'm not seven."

"Oh alright." She said, rather grudgingly. She brightened seconds after. "You shall have Ginevra on your arm of course?"

Draco paused mid-chew. "Wuff?" He asked through a mouthful of pasta.

"To make your official debut as a couple."

Draco thanked his mother for instilling such excellent manners in her son, else he would have spewed everything in his mouth onto the table. He coughed and swallowed. Dabbing at the edge of his lips with a napkin, he stared at his mother in alarm. "Do we really need to do that?"

Narcissa gave him one of those looks. The ones that brooked no argument. "Are you really asking me that question?"

"But on my birthday? With all the people you have on your guest list?" Draco asked dubiously.

"You've seen my guest list?" Narcissa asked with wide eyes.

"Of course not!" Draco said in exasperation. "I was merely guessing. And besides, I doubt you've changed it, considering you've been inviting the same three hundred people every single year."

"I add a few more, every now and then and delete some that I've come to dislike." Narcissa said haughtily.

"That is beside the point!" Draco said, barely unable to contain himself. "Presenting ourselves as a couple is practically the same as declaring our engagement. Do you realize how humiliated I shall be when Ginny decides that I'm not simply good enough for her?"

Narcissa glowered at him. "Draco Malfoy. You shall not speak to me in that tone." Draco glared back. "I have several reasons. First off, the two of you have already been seen around town together. Alone. Second, Ginny would never think that you are not good enough. And third, the first reason alone would be enough to grant you total humiliation if reason number two would not suffice."

Draco hated it when his mother made such good points.

"There is still the fact that she might not agree to this." Draco grumbled.

"And deny me of my happiness?" Narcissa asked, raising a finely-manicured eyebrow. "I think not."

Draco also hated it when his mother always, always, got her way.

…

"Someone's making my little sister happy."

Ginny looked up from the novel she was reading to see her brother Charlie walk into the room carrying his luggage. She squealed and jumped into his arms. Out of all her brothers, Charlie had been the most supportive with her relationship with Draco. It had been a grand total of three weeks since that fateful Sunday and a mere two weeks since she realized that she was dangerously falling in love with him.

"What makes you think that?" She asked him as Charlie plopped onto the vacant spot next to her.

"You are positively blooming." Charlie said with a knowing smile.

"Aside from Mum and Hermione, you are the only one who keeps telling me that I'm going in the right direction." Ginny confided. "Everyone else seems to think that I'm making the wrong choice."

"They're just being protective of you, Gin." Charlie said wrapping an arm around her shoulder and giving her a gentle squeeze. "When you get hurt, they get hurt too."

"And you don't?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I do!"

"Then how come you keep pushing me in this direction?"

"Because I have this niggling feeling that I'm right. And that he's right for you." Charlie said tapping her nose.

"That sounds remarkable corny, Charlie. You can never tell when a person is right for you. Look what happened with Blaise."

"I never liked him in the first place." Charlie retorted. "Don't you remember?"

Ginny shook her head. Everyone had seemed quite taken with Blaise. Even Ron. The two of them had gotten along quite well. He had that deadly charm…

Ugh. Stop.

"I kept reminding you to make the right decision. To think carefully. If only I were here during that time." He stated wistfully. "I was so busy back then." Indeed he had been. He spent an entire year at Romania without a peep at the Burrow.

"To be honest, Charlie. I'm still quite frightened." She said, burrowing her head into his chest.

"What's life without risks?" Charlie said, kissing her on the forehead. "We Weasleys don't live sedentary lives." He ruffled her hair.

She laughed. "And what about you brother dear? Are you certain that you're going to spend the rest of your life alone?"

"I'm not alone." Charlie said with a shrug. "I have my dragons. I have my friends. I have my family."

"It's not too late yet Charlie."

He grinned. "You know what you're right. I just hope you all stop with the assumptions that I don't have a girl." He winked at her and left, leaving Ginny utterly mystified.

Before she could catch up with him, however, an owl swooped into the open window, dropping a letter onto her lap. She had gotten used to receiving them lately that the envelope was no awfully familiar to her, as well as the handwriting.

Dear Ginny,

I'm not sure if you remembered, but my birthday is this impending Friday. My mother (as usual) has already prepared a party for me and had gotten this idea in her head that it would be an opportune time for the both of us to make our debut as an official couple. I know it's a big step but she made some good points. I, for one, wasn't too keen on it, especially since I have no clue whether or not you would be comfortable with the thought. I hope you would send a reply soon. Mother is getting impatient with my decision. I wouldn't make it until I've gotten your opinion.

Love,

Draco

Ginny dropped the letter onto the floor. She was, to say the least, stunned. And not because of Narcissa's proposal. Oh no, she had long since welcomed the thought of falling in love with Draco Malfoy. Going to a party together barely made any waves with her. She would enjoy the night, without a doubt.

No, that wasn't it.

What had gotten her so floored was the fact that she completely forgotten Draco's birthday. It was currently Wednesday. His birthday was on Friday.

And she did not have a present.

"Crap." She swore, thundering up the steps to her bedroom. She grabbed several blank parchments from her desk drawer and inked her quill.

Dear Draco,

It sounds like a splendid idea. Tell your mother that I am willing to help out with the preparations for your birthday party. It would be the least that I could do.

Yours,

Ginny

She sealed it.

Next.

Hermione,

I need your help ASAP.

Ginny

She thundered back downstairs, tied the letters to their respective owls and sent them off, hoping Hermione would come quickly.

…

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