Narcissa wouldn't even listen to what Lucius wanted to say next. She stood right up and let his head hit the floor, and slammed the bedroom door. He lay there for a while longer, thinking how wonderful it would be to go to Chile for a nice, long vacation, and then found the strength to go after her.

She had flung a bag on the bed and was packing feverishly. In fact, she was most of the way finished, and was down to her underwear, getting dressed.

"Don't look at me," she snapped.

"Narcissa, where are you going? You're not well enough to travel."

"But I'm well enough for you to treat me this way? After all these years, Lucius, really. After everything I suffered, all the terrible things I watched you do, the things I let you do to Draco."

"I never –"

"No, you never did anything, did you?"

"Please tell me where you're going."

"I'll go to Andromeda's. Or to Draco's. They'll have me, they're my real family. Blood family."

"Let me go, Narcissa. They can come to you. I don't want this to disrupt you."

"I have two bad pieces of news for you then, Lucius Malfoy. You can't go anywhere. You're under house arrest. And you've already disrupted me, so there's no use pretending you haven't."

She slammed the valise shut, and stormed away.

She was right about that. There was nowhere Lucius could go, other than into the hedge maze. So he went, following every turn to the center with ease. He had mastered the thing as a child, and hadn't been lost since his memorable 9th birthday party. When he arrived at his destination, he didn't know what to do.

Ginny was still on the couch in her underwear, asleep, when the doorbell rang. That was a strange occurrence; the Muggles who lived around her thought her apartment vacant, and her friends usually used the fireplace. She got up and peered through the crack in the curtain. Draco Malfoy was standing outside, and not considering anything, she tossed the door open.

"It's late," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. When she focused on him, she read shock in his face.

"Jesus, Weasley, don't you own a bathrobe?"

Ginny glanced down, gasped, and ran away, calling for him to come in.

When she returned in a thrown together outfit, he had already made himself comfortable with a jelly doughnut and a glass of milk on her couch.

"You can have something to eat," she said dryly.

"Do you know where my mother is right now, Ginny?"

"Um…no, I don't think so. Home, probably."

"Home, yes. My home. Crying in my bed, because I only have one bed at the moment."

"Draco, this doesn't concern me, does it?"

"Father told her he's leaving her, which is very rich because he's under house arrest and can't go anywhere at all."

Ginny's heart leapt straight into her throat, but she tried to keep her face relaxed. Evidently, it didn't work.

"You look pleased. I thought you were on my side now."

"You don't own me, Draco. I did what I said I would. I was even back with Harry for a while. I tried. But at the end of the day, what's the use in trying if it can never work?"

Draco finished his doughnut and his milk before answering.

"I'm still mad as hell at my father."

"I don't see why you shouldn't be."

They stared at one another, contemplating the future.

"I'll be going," he said.

"Yes."

"What are you going to do?"

"Pray he sends me an owl, frankly."

"He will. He's never been alone there before."

"Goodbye, Draco."

He did write, of course. The owl came only minutes after Draco left. His note was short, but got his point across quite well, she found. In no time at all she was back in her sundress, makeup touched up, going back to where she might finally have a home.

Lucius was already in bed when she got there, and when she approached him she found that he was down to his underwear.

"Waiting for me, are you?"

"I'm so tired, Ginevra. I hope you won't mind if we just sleep."

"I don't mind." She was already stepping out of her clothes. "My day has been hard too."

"How hard?"

"'Break up with your boyfriend, quit your job' hard."

"Oh. Mine was only 'leave your wife' hard."

"Well, in the morning we can hash out who is indebted to who."

"And what will the debtor owe?"

"Services."

"Let's go to sleep then. It'll make the morning come faster, like Christmas."

The morning did come quickly, although they woke very late. It was discussed, and decided, that they were both in the other's debt, and payment went on for at least an hour.

"I love you," he breathed when they were finished, lying on top of her, face buried in her neck.

"I love you too, but you're crushing me." Ginny put her hands delicately on Lucius's shoulders and pushed, rolling him off to his side of the bed. He left a sheen of sweat across her chest, and she ran her fingers dreamily through it, eyes half closed.

"You know we're going to have to start doing things," she said, lifting up on her elbow to look at him. He was looking, without shame, at her breasts.

"What kinds of things?" Lucius asked without moving his eyes.

Ginny pulled the sheets up and put her head on his chest.

"Adult things, I guess. Divorce. Moving. Explanations."

"We don't have to explain anything to anyone."

"That's very funny. You suppose you won't ever speak to Narcissa again?"

"I suppose I'd like not to."

"You love her. She deserves a talk."

"Yes, I love her, but that doesn't mean I want to explain loving a new, wonderful woman more to her."

"I'm wonderful?"

"More wonderful than anything I've ever seen."

They were quiet, and outside she heard birds calling to one another.

"Tell me what you told Harry," he said. "What do you say to the person you love when you're…"

"Ready to stop loving?"

"Yes."

"I told him I wanted to want him, but I can't. My heart just won't let me."

"The heart. A troublesome organ."

"Not if you give in to its wishes."

"No, my dear, then it's worse."

Ok sorry this is a little short and obtuse but I was taking forever with it and then decided y'all would probably rather get an update than keep waiting for me to make this longer...hopefully I'm right!

xoxo