Disclaimer: We own nothing except for the made up characters.
A/N: Yeah, sorry for the extremely long delay in updating this story. A lot has been going on and I've just recently finished this chapter. Hermisia Draco has been on me about this and I am grateful for her patience. LOL. I hope this makes up for all the waiting. Please, read and review so we know that we still have readers. Again, thanks for everyone's patience. Now, onto the story…
Chapter 24
PAPARATZI
Draco and Ginny lay in a tangled mess of limbs, both panting for breath. She had wordlessly begged him to love her and he had wordlessly begged her to be his salvation. "Never doubt my love for you," he whispered as he kissed her forehead.
She pulled back in confusion. "What?" She noticed him staring at her with his storm cloud colored eyes. The silver had diminished a little since his last year at Hogwarts.
"I know what you were thinking just now," he stated matter-of-factly.
"Don't give me that. You can't just 'know' what I'm thinking." She looked at him, realization dawning on her. "Did you ease drop on my conversation with Hermione?"
He brushed back her fringe. "If you mean stopping when I heard your voice and listening to you claim you didn't know if I loved you or not," he said, raising an eyebrow, "then, yes, I ease dropped."
"That was a private conversation, Draco."
"Then you should have shut the door."
"Draco, you're impossible." Ginny sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest.
He snorted and poked her side. "I do love you, woman."
She didn't say anything. Instead, she snuggled back down next to him. She already felt in her heart that he loved her; she just needed to hear him say it. Draco also knew that she loved him and would go to Hell and back for him.
"Anything new to report on the Dark Front?" she asked, playing with the muscles on his chest.
"My father wants to know what is taking me so long to win over a girl from the Order," he answered.
Ginny raised her head a little and looked at him. She hoped he would elaborate so she wouldn't have to ask. After a few minutes of silence, she knew he wasn't going to say anymore than what was already said. "When were you going to mention this to me?" she asked, annoyed.
"I just did."
"Draco Malfoy, you can be utterly annoying at times," she nearly growled. She turned around and hit him with a pillow.
He laughed at her anger. She was cute when her face was red, to match her silky hair, and her eyes narrowed. He loved to get her riled up. She was more passionate afterwards. He loved to bring her to orgasm as her body moved upwards toward heaven. He groaned at that thought and wanted to push her back against the mattress. He wanted to kiss her from head to toe until she forgot her anger at him. He wanted only thoughts of lust coming from her very essence. She had a way of creating happy feelings deep within his darkened soul.
Her voice brought him from his thoughts. "When do you tell him about us?" she asked, looking down at her laced fingers.
Had she lost her mind? All happy thoughts fled with that innocent statement. Did she really think he would expose her to more danger then she was already in? It was bad enough that she saw so much evil at such a young age. If he had his way, he would hide her away from all of this until he could assure her safety and happiness.
"You got that look on your face again," she said, pulling his face to look into his eyes.
"What look?" he asked, grateful for the change of subject.
"The look of where you are contemplating on the best place to hide me from harm," she said, moving away from him. "Harry tried that before and it didn't work for him either."
Draco kept his anger in check at the mention of Potter's name. He calmed down enough to ask her, "You know about that?"
"You talk in your sleep."
Draco ran a hand through his hair. "I most certainly do not."
"How would you know? You're asleep!"
"Ginny," he started.
"Draco," she answered.
He sighed and pulled her back to his chest. She sighed and mimicked his earlier movement by running her hand through his hair. She noticed that it was getting longer and he was starting to look more and more like his father. She wanted her Draco back. His hair needed to be cut but she was taking it one argument at a time.
"When are you going to tell him, Draco?" she asked again.
"Never," he whispered. He couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes. He knew he sounded mean but he wasn't going to put her on the front lines. He would never harm her himself and he didn't want anyone else to either.
"Is that even an option?" she asked. "What if someone sees us together? What if a Snake Charmer overhears an Order member and runs off to tell Lucius before you tell him?"
"I will NOT tell him." This time, Draco turned from her. He didn't want to her to see the tears that were threatening to fall.
"Draco, stop being so ridiculous. This is serious," she said, annoyance in her voice.
"I will talk to McGonagall about getting another girl to pretend to be with me," he stated.
Ginny stiffened next to him. Another girl? What was he talking about? Did he think that she wasn't good enough? Did he think that she couldn't take care of herself? Was this goodbye for them because he cared? Or was it that he didn't love her anymore?
Draco turned around and noticed the confused look on her face. He didn't understand what was wrong. It sounded like a great plan to him. Ginny would be safe and his father would be pleased he had infiltrated the Order. He stiffened when he heard her next question.
"Someone else?" she asked, her voice catching in her throat.
"I won't risk you, Ginny," he said, grabbing onto her hands. "Please, don't ask me to do that."
"You think I'll let you parade around with some other- hussy?" she nearly screeched.
"Let me?" he responded with a quiet voice and narrowed eyes.
"You heard me, damn it," she cried.
"You do not own me," Draco sneered.
"Nor do you own me. Don't presume you can make decisions for me."
They turned away from each other. Neither one could make sense of what the other was trying to convey. He hunched his shoulders and shook his head. He looked like a defeated man. Ginny, on the other hand, stood up from the bed, her back to him. Tears filled her eyes, thoughts of the war loudly echoing through her mind. It was tearing them apart.
She heard Draco sigh. "Ginny, what would you have me do?" he asked her softly.
"I only want you to tell your father about us before someone else does."
"No."
Ginny sighed in frustration. "Why the Hell not?" She was tired of this argument. He was being impossible.
"You know why not," he answered. When he didn't get a response he stood up and made his way over to her. He grabbed her by her shoulders and turned her around to face him. "It's too dangerous."
"But you using another Order member is ok?" Ginny glared at him as she broke away from his grip.
"Yes. Anyone but you," he said. He then noticed the tears in Ginny's eyes and it finally dawned on him how she felt about what he was saying. "Ginny, I didn't mean it like that."
"Didn't mean it like what?" she asked, her voice sounding like ice in his veins.
Draco sighed. "For the love of Merlin, I only meant that I would use someone else to fool my father. I didn't mean that I didn't love you anymore. Do you honestly believe that of me?"
"I know what I heard," she sneered, shaking with anger. She thought that he was trying to leave her in a nice way. She wasn't going to let him go without a fight.
His shoulders slumped in defeat. "I can't fight this anymore," he sighed. "I don't have much more to give."
"What are you saying?" Ginny whispered. Tears started to flow freely from her eyes. She knew she felt the same way. She didn't know how much more she had to give either or how much more of herself she was willing to compromise.
"Ginny, I'm not the same person I was at Hogwarts," he said as he cupped her face in one hand and stared into her eyes. "I have had too much happen to me to ever be the same again. I've DONE things that no ordinary person would ever even think of doing."
"But, you are a man now," Ginny began.
"And you are a woman." Draco kissed her forehead tenderly. "We can't keep going on like this. We are too old to play games."
"Do you want to end this?" she asked, fear filling her very being. The thought of living without him was unbearable. She felt that a world without him didn't make sense.
His eyes widened in shock. "What? No! Gin, I can't live without you."
"Then why won't you let the world know about us?" she asked, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
"They will use you against me, that is my reason," he responded gravely.
Ginny nodded because it was a possibility she had already considered. She knew what she would have to do in order to stay with him. She knew the price she would pay. But to her, all the risks were worth it. "My family will never understand any of this," she chuckled weakly.
She moved toward him. She traced the contours of his face, memorizing every detail. The sunken cheeks, the dark circles under his eyes, the slight wrinkles creasing his brow- they were all things that would be etched into her painful memories.
Draco watched her as she studied him. He took in her features: every dimple, every freckle, the child in her was slowly fading away. He was brought back from his musings when he heard her speak.
"Think about it, ok?" Ginny whispered before kissing him.
He let himself get lost in her warm embrace. He let her comfort wash over him. He didn't have to think about it for his mind was already made up. "It's hard to think when you're standing before me naked," he growled. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
"Then don't think," she whispered back as she shifted enough for him to enter her.
Draco froze.
His heart was pounding in his chest as he flexed his fingers in anxiousness. He knew his father was in his private room. He couldn't believe his father had the nerve to enter his domain. Draco gripped his wand as anger rushed through his veins. Draco waved his wand, causing the door to slam open.
"It is about time you returned, Son," Lucius all but purred at the sight of a seething Draco. He was casually draped in the chair at the desk.
"What are you doing in here?" Draco growled through clenched teeth. He walked into the room, his wand still pointing out.
Lucius studied his son's outstretched wand and the anger on his face. He would have laughed for he knew that behind Draco's tough exterior, his son was internally shaken. He knew that he had crossed the line by entering Draco's private chambers, but he was searching for anything to use against the boy. He would never tell him that, but what was even more interesting than anything found in the room was the look Draco was currently throwing in his direction.
Lucius put his hands in the air. "Do you plan on killing me?" he asked, mockingly.
"What?" Draco started to ask as he noticed his father put a hand down and secured it on his cane. "Not today," Draco responded, lowering his own wand. He didn't put it away because he knew his father all too well. He wouldn't put it past his father to take out his wand and teach his son a lesson. "Now, I'm going to ask again… what the fuck are you doing in my room?"
This time, Lucius laughed. "Nice choice of words." He stood up and straightened out his robe. "Interesting set up you have in here," he said, surveying the damage in the room. "I personally prefer order and intact things in my own rooms." He walked over to the seething younger man and smiled at him, condescendingly. "Did you get one of the females to fall in love with you yet or are you wasting my time?" he asked.
"Get out," Draco seethed, not daring himself to look at his father.
Lucius grabbed Draco's arm and squeezed. "Do NOT tell me what to do, Boy," he sneered back. "You will obey me or face the consequences. You have until the end of the week. If you have not found someone by then, I will pull you out of this. Do you understand me?" He waited for Draco to nod before striding out of the room. He had done what he set out to do. Draco would think twice before disobeying his orders again. Before he walked any further, he turned back around. "By the way, I have a little gift waiting for you. The crowd has missed you."
Draco gritted his teeth against the retort he was about to make and sat down on the edge of the bed. His father's message was clear; find someone to fall for him or he would have to leave the Order. He couldn't afford that. He couldn't afford to lose Ginny when he finally got her back. He groaned as he rubbed his temples. He could feel the tension ache surfacing to the top of his head. He was tired of the war. He was tired of the killing. He would kill all of London if it meant keeping Ginny safe, even if it meant damning his soul to the darkest pit of Hell.
He stood up and surveyed his room. He knew that his father had gone through his stuff and he hoped to Merlin that Lucius hadn't found out about Ginny. He sighed. He felt empty and defeated. It was almost as if he couldn't get a grip on his life. If he couldn't protect the ones he loved, then what was his purpose in life? It felt as if he was becoming useless, just another pawn in his father's game.
He knew the truth of what needed to be done before he left Ginny back at the house. As much as he didn't want to get her involved, it seemed as if he had no choice. Lucius had tightened his hold around Draco's neck. There was no way out of it. He was going to have to introduce Ginny to the very life he vowed to protect her from.
Warily, he changed his robes. He had to come up with a reason- a convincing reason to tell Ginny's family why they should take the relationship public. The walk to the hall seemed longer today… or was it that he was just walking slower? Draco wasn't sure but the excitement that fluttered in the pit of his stomach at the thought of what he was about to do was still the same. His fingers lightly brushed against the knife he was going to use and a small smirk played at the corners of his lips. He could hear the cheers of the crowd and it somehow seemed different. He couldn't pin point what it was but he could sense it. Through the crack in the door, he could see the man tied to the chair. He watched as the man struggled to free himself. He watched as the man's flesh bulged against the rope. Draco took in the sight of sweat on the man's forehead and breathed a small sigh of relief as he didn't recognize the man.
Draco pulled the mask over his face and took a deep breath. He prepared himself for the show he was about to give to his father and the rest of the Snake Charmers. And, as was custom for him before he began, he sent a silent prayer to Ginny for forgiveness.
"I think maybe if we took you somewhere you visited as a witch that maybe we could jog your memory," Ginny stated as she sat with Hermione.
"Do you think so?" Hermione asked, her face brightened with the prospect. Ginny tapped her lips with the tip of her wand as she thought it over some more. It was certainly worth a try. "But, wasn't I a witch in this house?" Hermione asked after Ginny's pause. "I don't remember any of this."
"I was thinking of a more public place," Ginny said taking in Hermione's point. "A place like Diagon Alley."
Hermione looked at Ginny like she was crazy. "Dragon what?"
Ginny laughed. "No, not Dragon, I said, Diagon Alley."
Hermione huffed. "Oh, for goodness sake, I'm trying here. If you would explain yourself a little," she began.
"Your right, how silly of me… of course you wouldn't remember the name. But, maybe you'll remember the place if you visit it," Ginny grabbed Hermione's hand, a large smile on her face.
"I guess," Hermione stated a little unsure.
"It's decided then. We are going to Diagon Alley."
Hermione watched as Ginny all but danced out of the room. One thing she could say about that girl was that she did have a spark to her.
"Did I miss something?" Lily asked as she was nearly run over by the retreating Ginny. "I think that was the most excited I've seen her in a while."
"She is taking me to some place to try and jog my memory," Hermione replied picking up the book she had placed down on the bed when Ginny had first come into the room.
"Oh?" Lily said.
"Yeah, someplace called Dragon… no, that's not right. What was the name of that place?" she pondered as she pushed her hair behind her ears. "Oh, yeah, Diagon Alley. Have you ever heard of the place?"
Lily giggled. "What witch or wizard of Great Britain hasn't heard of the place. It's got everything we need there."
Hermione fiddled with the pages of her book. "Do you think it will work?" she asked.
Lily shrugged and sat down on a chair next to the bed. "It wouldn't hurt to try," she answered. "When are you two going to do this outing?"
Hermione shrugged. "She forgot to mention that part." Hermione giggled when she realized what she had just said.
Lily smiled at Hermione's choice of words and picked up her own book. She enjoyed sharing a few silent moments even if it was with a witch who didn't remember her.
"Diagon Alley," Ginny said when Draco had returned.
"What about it?" Draco responded.
"That's the place where we will go public," she explained.
Draco groaned and put his head onto his arm that was resting on a table. "This again? Can't we just drop it?"
Ginny lightly slapped the back of his head. "No, Draco, darling, we can't just drop it." When she got no response, she continued. "Diagon Alley is the perfect place to go public."
"Ginny," he started as he raised his head. He pulled her over to him, she fit so perfectly in between his legs while he sat and she stood. She lovingly ran her hands through his hair. Growling at the touch, he quickly stood up and moved them over to the bed. He lay back and brought her to rest on top of him. He savored the feeling of his witch on top of him, almost as if she commanded every part of his being and he could just let go. He kissed her lightly, letting their lips linger against each other.
After they parted, Ginny was breathless. "Draco, please," she started, a little out of breath. "Please, don't try to distract me." She wanted this not to save him from his father's wrath but so that the world could see how much in love they were.
"Fine, we can go to Diagon Alley," Draco gave in.
The words were barely out of his mouth when she started to squeal with happiness. She leaned forward and kissed him passionately, making sure he knew just how much she loved him. "I knew you would see it my way," she stated. She kissed him again. "Oh, and we're going to take Hermione with us."
"What?" he asked, confusion settling in across his face.
"Hermione... you remember her, right? She's going to come with us."
"Of course I remember her, Ginny, but she is not coming with us," Draco nearly growled. Did she not see the danger in that request? He was already going out into public with one member of the Order but to be seen with two? No, he wouldn't risk more lives than was absolutely necessary.
"Draco," Ginny began but he cut her off.
"I said no. It will be too much because it will look like I support the Order. There are too many Snake Charmers walking around out there," he tried to explain.
Ginny thought it over. She wanted to help Hermione get her mind back but maybe Draco was right. "Maybe I could get Snape to take her," she suggested instead.
Snape take Hermione to Diagon Alley? Draco had to laugh at the thought. He agreed with Ginny if only to see the look on his godfather's face when the suggestion was made. "Get up," he said, startling her. "You are going to tell him now."
She rolled her eyes but got up anyway. She was also thinking about the look Snape would give when she told him. Draco grabbed her hand and they made their way out of the room. They stumbled upon Snape and Hermione, alone in her room. When she peered inside, she could see Sevilen playing quietly in the corner.
"How's the happy family?" Draco mocked, causing both Hermione and Snape to jump. He ignored Snape's glare and looked directly at Hermione. "Did you get your memory back yet?"
Hermione shook her head. She was trying to figure out why they were in her room in the first place. And what did the blonde mean "happy family"? Oh yeah, the kid in the corner was supposed to be hers. But, did that mean that this dark-haired man was the father?
"Ginny told me about her plan for trying to jog your memory," Draco continued. "I think it's a good idea except for one small problem."
"What would be the problem, Mr. Malfoy?" Snape sneered, embarrassed that they had found him in Hermione's room. He was only trying to hand the insufferable child off to his mother.
"Ginny can't take her to Diagon Alley," Draco stated.
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"Draco can't be seen with you," Ginny answered before Draco could say anything.
"Why not?" she asked.
"Because my father is the leader of the Snake Charmers," Draco said.
"Snake Charmers?" Hermione giggled a little. She stopped when no one else seemed to think it was funny. "By the looks on your faces, I take it that the Snake Charmers aren't a laughing matter?"
"Hardly," Snape groaned. "They are a group of dark wizards who bring nothing but pain and misery for the rest of us," he explained.
Hermione gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. She looked at Ginny. "And you're with him?" she asked, unbelievingly.
"Well, he's sort of a spy for us," Ginny answered.
"We're going to announce to the wizarding world that we are together and we're going to do it in Diagon Alley," Draco announced.
"Are you insane?" Snape demanded.
"It is my father's wishes," Draco sneered back.
"Fine, have it your way. As long as Ms. Weasley is taken care of and is kept safe. So, you're obviously in here for a reason and I can only guess as to why. Who do you suggest take Hermione to Diagon Alley?" Snape asked as an uneasy feeling grew in the deepest pit of his being.
"Well…," Ginny began.
Snape noticed the looks on Draco's and Ginny's faces. "No! Absolutely not!" he nearly screeched, causing Sevilen to look up from his blocks.
Hermione looked over at Snape. "Why not?" she asked, slightly confused by his refusal. She was somewhat excited about the prospect of spending some time with this man.
Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. Sevilen mimicked his movement, something he had been prone to do. "Will the child be coming as well?"
"Of course," Ginny answered, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. She looked over at a smirking Draco and knew he was enjoying watching his godfather squirm with each suggestion. She was enjoying herself as well. She had never seen anyone turn that red since her brother, Ron.
"When are we doing this outing?" Snape asked in a strained voice.
"No time like the present," Ginny said with a smirk that made Draco proud. "But you need to go and change."
"What's the matter with the robes I have on?" he queried.
"You look like an old man," she responded, rolling her eyes. "Oh, and you'll need to shave as well."
Snape walked away mumbling something about women and their high expectations of the male gender. Draco just shook his head, silently laughing about the situation his godfather was in. He knew the old man was all talk.
Ginny and Draco left Snape to mull over what was just said and made their way back to Ginny's room. Draco surveyed her and noticed what she was wearing. "Well, you need a new robe," he commented. He left her no room for argument.
"Then we will go straight to a place where I can purchase a new one," she responded before he could change his mind and back out of the plan.
Draco sighed and nodded his head. He knew he wouldn't win the argument that was already playing in his head. That was when he found himself in front of the fireplace, floo powder in hand. They were going to floo to an exclusive robe shop that his mother used to visit on a regular basis. He told Ginny what to say to the sales lady and told her that he would follow shortly after. Ginny was reluctant but once Draco had reassured her that dropping his name she would get immediate service and be well-taken care of. After Ginny left, he sighed as he pulled money out of his pocket, making sure he had enough for new robes and a decent dinner. He had plenty of money, having grabbed some before he went back to Ginny after he was finished with the Snake Charmers. He was trying to gather up enough nerves to go through with the plan when he grabbed some of the powder, threw it into the fire, stepped in, and stated his destination. But before he went to the shop, he had one more stop to make.
Ginny was being fitted for a robe when she saw Draco stride into the shop. As Draco had stated, there was a flurry of movement that came when the Malfoy name was dropped. Draco had expected no less. He asked to see the robe that Ginny had picked out. They showed him a lovely burgundy one with gold threading. He laughed as he realized that Ginny stuck true to her Hogwart's roots. Draco knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that his father would see this as Draco being whipped so he knew that he was going to pick out something completely different.
"Change it to emerald, black, and silver," he ordered. "No future wife of mine will be seen in Gryffindor colors."
Her eyes snapped when she heard Draco's statement. She was about to rebut them but thought better of it. He was saving face, she knew that. She didn't like it, but she understood why he had done it. Going public with Draco today wasn't just about his father. It was about the world seeing them as a united front and if wearing his colors would make it better for him then she would do it.
He watched wordlessly as they dressed her in his approved of robes. Draco was asked what they should do with her old robes and he told them to discard them. He also ordered her twenty more robes just like it in various shades to match her eyes and complexion, with the exception of Gryffindor colors. He told the store clerk that he would be back later in the week to pick them up.
Ginny was too engrossed with what was going on around her to notice that he was essentially ordering her a whole new wardrobe. She admired herself in the mirror and noticed how the new robe made her look amazing. She followed the seamstress wordlessly as she was led off the platform and into a back room. She was then delicately made up and her hair was done in an elaborate bun. She looked like money. Never before, in her entire life, had she been pampered like this. She was utterly speechless.
"You look amazing," Draco whispered to her when she came out. His eyes flowed over her body, taking in every inch. She looked like a goddess. It was then that she noticed he had changed. His normal all black robed was replaced with another black one with silver threading that spread out into an intricate design that was neither simple or over the top. His long hair was combed into a style similar to the way his father wore his.
He took her hand and slipped something onto her ring finger of her left hand. She glanced down and fought back tears when she saw the ring that he had given to her near the end of his last year of school.
"Ready to go, my love," he purred into her ear as he placed his arm around her waist.
She nodded her head, her eyes bright with excitement. He led her to the door. By now, news that Draco had brought his fiancée out into public had spread. She could see the rustle of movement just outside the shop. Ginny took a deep breath to steady her nerves.
"Here goes nothing," she said, pulling his head down for a quick kiss.
"My sentiments exactly," he chuckled and opened the door, stepping out.
Together they stepped out and a million lights flashed before them. She could hear the reporters shouting out their names but all that faded as Draco clutched onto her hand and led her through the crowd. Yes, today was a good idea. By five pm tonight, news of their engagement would be all over the wizarding world and it didn't seem to matter at the present time.
A/N: Again, please read and review. Also, I'm sorry it took so long to get this uploaded. I hope 13 pages will make up for it.