Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the reviews on the last chapter! They were so encouraging! I would like to apologize, however, for the typos and for not making it clearer that I jumped ahead a year. I will definitely be more careful about that in the future.
Speaking of which, after much thought and consideration, I have decided not to skip ahead in this chapter to Ginny's 18th birthday. Instead, I'm only skipping ahead about two months, so you'll get to see a little more of how Draco and Ginny's relationship develops. Additionally, I'm adding an extra two chapters (so two more after this one) before the trio's return. There's too much stuff that needs to happen beforehand, so I'm changing my original structure.
Oh, and there's a whole segment of italics in the middle of this chapter. It's a flashback, and I think it's something quite a few of you have been looking forward to :)
Aaaand, after that long author's note, my lovely readers, here is Chapter 7 – enjoy!
Chapter 7: Keeping Silent
Ginny sighed deeply, shifting her head against Draco's shoulder. They had been together for two months now, and a cool October wind was whistling against the skylight above. Dark clouds had blotted out the nighttime stars, and they lay in bed in the soft light of Draco's wand.
"Hmm?" he said, moving his arm around her to stroke her hair.
"Nothing," she said, "I'm just comfortable, that's all."
Draco turned to look at her curiously. "Nah," he said, "I know that look. You want to say something, but you're trying to decide whether or not it's a good idea."
"I have no such look!" Ginny insisted, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Of course you do," he replied easily, "You try to hide it, of course, but your lips purse a little," he explained, tracing his fingertip lightly along the curve of her mouth, "and your forehead creases right by your hairline." He leaned over a little to kiss her lightly on the top of her forehead.
"You think you've got me all figured out, don't you, Malfoy?" Ginny countered, but she couldn't help smiling.
"I do have you all figured out, Weasley. You're like an open book," he said, grinning.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Anyway, you told me last week that I don't know when to keep my mouth shut."
"Also true," he snorted, "This current expression is rare. Which is why I'm so curious about what you want to say."
"Well if you must know," Ginny said, shooting him a mock glare. "I was just musing that you're much more of a gentleman than I ever gave you credit for."
"And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?" he asked.
Ginny shrugged. "We've been snogging pretty regularly for more than two months now," she said.
Draco chuckled. "That was direct," he muttered, but Ginny pressed on.
"And I've been sneaking in here and sleeping in your bed nearly every night since then. But you never try anything more. You're strictly above board," she said. "It's just very…gentlemanly of you, that's all, and rather surprising."
"Well," Draco said, eyebrows raised, "I'm glad you have such a high regard for my self-control."
"Oh, you know what I mean," Ginny said, prodding him teasingly. "I always heard that back at Hogwarts you…how shall I put this delicately?"
"Got around?"
"Were the male version of a slag, yes."
Draco laughed. "I'm glad I'm preceded by such a glowing reputation."
"I'm serious!"
"Why haven't you asked about this before, then?"
Ginny shrugged. "Rather awkward, isn't it? And I don't really care, of course," she said, trying for nonchalance, "I was just expecting you to, er, want more, I guess. So I'm surprised."
"Look, do you want the honest truth?" Draco said, turning to meet her eyes.
"No, I want to live in the dark forever."
Draco made a face at her. "Parkinson and I slept together for about a month during Fifth Year…before she and Pucey started up," he told her matter-of-factly. "And then there was a night with an Italian witch I met in Barcelona that summer. And that's it."
"That's it?"
"That's it," he nodded.
"Well, the rumor-mill proves its inaccuracy once again," Ginny commented.
"Indeed. Slytherins are very selective," he added. "The rest of you don't know us at all."
"Hey!" Ginny said defensively. "It's not like we thought you were having orgies in the dungeons or anything!"
Draco looked at her skeptically. "I thought I was the male version of a slag."
"You were," Ginny admitted. "Just not as slag-like as we all believed."
"Well, it's not for lack of offers," Draco said, running his fingers through his hair ostentatiously, "I mean, look at me."
Ginny laughed aloud. "And if you do have any fault, it's modesty."
Draco grinned widely. "So does that satisfy your curiousity?"
"No," Ginny said, "I still don't know why you haven't, you know…tried anything…with me."
His expression sobered and he thought for a moment. "It's not that I don't want to," he said, looking at her earnestly. "Believe me, I do. I just don't want to rush it. You said you and Potter never…." He looked to Ginny for confirmation, and she nodded. "So it can wait."
Ginny eyed him suspiciously. "You're sure this doesn't have anything to do with my gits of brothers? Dean had a real complex about that, and it got really old."
"Nah," Draco insisted, "I've dealt with actual frightening families…your brothers are all bark and no bite. Although," he considered, "they were less than enthused when we told them, weren't they?"
Ginny laughed at the memory. It had been easy to keep their relationship under wraps for about a week after the shed. The family was used to them spending so much time together. But Ginny had long since learned that keeping a secret in her family was a near impossibility, so at the Weasley Sunday brunch that week, she'd broken the news.
"So," Ginny started nonchalantly. She had learned from experience that it was better to face incredibly awkward situations head-on.
"Hey, Gin, can you pass the eggs?" Charlie cut in. She nudged the bowl over to him and continued unfazed.
"So. Draco and I are dating now."
The clattering of plates and buzz of conversation stopped short. Ginny forced herself to keep eating her breakfast into the dead silence as if nothing whatsoever had happened. Beside her, Draco was doing a frankly impressive job of continuing with his breakfast as well. Ginny had a feeling he had had his fair share of awkward family meals.
"Er, Ginny," Fred said finally, "Would you mind repeating that?"
"We're dating now," Draco said for her. Ginny looked up, affixed Fred with her most warning glare, and nodded confirmation.
"Well, wait a second," Charlie said, and from the tone of his voice Ginny knew this was going to be a problem. "How long has this been going on?"
"About a week," Ginny said, speaking softly to try to diffuse the situation. "And it's really not that big of a deal."
"No, Ginny, it actually is a big deal," Bill said. "Being friends is one thing, and we all held our tongues about that because we knew you were cooped up in here…."
"But this is another thing entirely," George cut in loudly. "His family's all mixed up with You-Know-Who. And he doesn't exactly have the best track record either. No offense, Malfoy," he said, glancing almost apologetically at Draco, who waved it off.
"Look, we know he's been an okay bloke since he's been here, but you can't actually be serious about dating him!" Bill said.
"Hey, wait just a minute," Ginny said, temper rising, "I'm perfectly serious, and last time I checked, none of you have any say in my love life. How many times do we have to have this conversation, anyway?"
"Mum, Dad," Charlie cut in, appealing to his parents, "Aren't you going to do something?"
"Charlie Weasley, they don't have anything to do with this either!" Ginny said angrily, pushing away her plate and glaring at him.
"Well if you're not going to make the responsible decision," Charlie countered, standing angrily, "It's their job to make it for you."
Ginny opened her mouth to retort, but Mr. Weasley spoke over her. "All right, all right, calm down."
"And you," Mrs. Weasley said, glaring at Charlie, "Sit down right now. What kind of children have I raised…yelling at each other over the breakfast table…." She shook her head, and Charlie sat down, cowed.
"The fact of the matter is, boys," Mr. Weasley said, "You're all adults now, including Ginny, and you make your own decisions. And the best we can do is support her and be there for her no matter what happens as a result."
Ginny sat back and crossed her arms contentedly.
"So we're just supposed to sit around and wait for this," Fred gestured between Ginny and Draco, "to end badly?"
"Yes," Ginny said warningly.
Draco looked at Fred curiously before he spoke. "What makes you think it's going to end?"
Ten minutes later, Ginny and Draco left the table and headed outside to the pond. The weather was getting cooler, and Draco put his arm around her shoulder for warmth. "Now what?" he said finally.
"Now," Ginny replied knowingly, "We wait."
"For what?"
"For the apologies."
Draco laughed. "You seem awfully sure your brothers are going to come around."
"They always do," Ginny said. "It's a pattern, see? For example, once in Fifth Year, Ron caught me snogging Dean Thomas behind a tapestry…."
"Classy, Weasley," Draco snorted, and Ginny shoved him before continuing.
"And he wrote to all of my brothers, and they all went caveman on me and lectured me about bad decisions and responsibility and whatnot. Within a week, I had apologies from all of them. They know they have to let me make my own choices," she said, "They just can't help being colossal prats sometimes. It's a knee-jerk reaction." Draco laughed. "Granted, it's a little different this time, so it might take a few extra days. But they'll definitely come around sooner rather than later."
"I'm glad you're so confident."
"Stick with me, Malfoy," Ginny teased, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll show you the ropes."
Draco whistled appreciatively. "You were right about those apologies, too," he said.
"Yeah," Ginny reflected. "I got a letter from Bill that Tuesday, and Fred and George apologized on Thursday…and Charlie floo'd the next Saturday. See? I told you."
Draco grinned. "But like I said, I'm not afraid of your brothers. They're too…good…to ever do me serious harm, I think."
"Well, I'm glad to know it's just chivalrous impulse after all," Ginny said, shifting to kiss his neck.
"Not too chivalrous for this, though," Draco said, turning to tickle her and kiss her full on the mouth. Ginny shrieked with laughter as they wrestled across the bed. Outside, the wind whipped harder across the window panes.
Ginny woke with a start. Beside her, his arm thrown across her body, Draco was sound asleep, his chest rising and falling slowly beneath his white sleeping shirt. She sat up slowly so as not to wake him and rubbed her eyes. It was still dark out, but the clock on the bedside table showed three a.m.
She caught the sounds of quiet conversation downstairs, and realized that someone's voice must have woken her. Grabbing her wand, she slipped out of bed and tip-toed to the door, opening it slowly to avoid creaking and closing it behind her. The talking got louder as she walked down the stairs, and she discerned from the hum of familiar voices that a late-night Order meeting was being held in her living room. Ginny stopped on the stairs to listen.
"He's getting more and more desperate with each passing day," she heard Tonks say. Ginny had no doubt who 'he' was – Voldemort.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Bill answered. "It means Harry must be close to succeeding."
"Do we have any intelligence about Harry, Ron, and Hermione at all?" Mrs. Weasley said, and Ginny's breath hitched.
"No, but they've done the right thing going completely silent on this mission," Kingsley Shacklebolt replied. "It's a good sign that they were smart enough to know that getting in touch is too much of a risk. Too much is riding on their success. And Bill's right," he sighed, "You-Know-Who's desperation does mean that they are close."
"Yes," Mr. Weasley cut in, "but it also means that it's become incredibly dangerous for our agents on the inside. Like you, Remus. You took a great risk coming away from Greyback's pack tonight."
"It had to be done," Lupin replied. "I needed to be here to report. You-Know-Who has become unpredictable. He's lashing out at his own followers, and it's making them restless. Three days ago he murdered the entire Yaxley family."
There was a sharp intake of breath from the assembled Order members.
"But Yaxley was one of his favorites," Fleur said slowly.
"Apparently not. The Death Eaters are all scared," Lupin continued. "There are rumors that Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy might be next." Ginny froze.
"Because of Draco?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
There was silence, but Ginny knew Lupin must be nodding. He spoke more quietly as he said, "Anyone who has ever displeased him is fearful for their lives, and the fact that Draco is missing…it doesn't bode well for the Malfoys."
As she strained to make out Lupin's words, Ginny accidentally dropped her wand. "Bollocks!" she whispered. It fell down the remaining stairs with sharp cracks, and in a moment, her father and brother rounded the corner and were upon her, wands raised. They visibly relaxed at the sight of her.
"Come on, Ginny," Bill said, gesturing for her to join them in the living room.
"You really shouldn't be spying, Ginny," Tonks said as Ginny entered the room, but she grinned widely and her eyes sparkled.
"Hi," Ginny muttered rather sheepishly, settling herself beside Bill on the arm of the sofa. Mrs. Weasley gave Ginny a disapproving look, but the other Order members merely carried on the meeting as if nothing had happened.
"Is there anything we can do to help Harry?" Bill said.
Shacklebolt sighed. "We can't. We don't even know where he is, let alone what he needs right now. And if we fumbled around in the dark trying to figure it out, we could easily be helping You-Know-Who as much as ourselves."
"So we just wait," Lupin confirmed. "We wait until he contacts us."
"But he may never do that!" Ginny couldn't help it. The words sprung from her lips in protest.
"Then we just wait and see what happens," Lupin said. "It's hard, but it's the best we can do for him right now."
"And what about the Malfoys…what can we do for them?" Ginny said. She knew she wasn't supposed to be here, let alone participating, but she couldn't help it.
"We can't do anything for them," Shacklebolt said with heavy finality. "If we try to warn them, we'll reveal that we have spies inside You-Know-Who's network. No, they picked their side, now they're dealing with the consequences."
"But Draco…."
"Cannot be told," Kingsley insisted. "He might do something rash, and then your entire family would be in danger. And he knows too much…who knows how many Order meetings the two of you have spied on." Ginny flushed. "No, we can't risk him being captured on some suicide mission."
Ginny was at a loss for words. Lupin, noticing her hesitation, spoke up. "It's important, Ginny," he said. "Draco can't know about this. Lucius and Narcissa can take care of themselves…they have thus far."
The meeting continued for half an hour longer, but Ginny couldn't keep her mind on it. All she could think about was Draco saying that his mother was one of the most important people in his life. He would want to do something to help her! How could she keep this from him!
When the meeting adjourned and the various Order members Floo'd back to their homes, Ginny crept back up to Draco's room.
"Mmm…where'd you go?" Draco mumbled, still half-asleep, as she slipped back under the covers.
Ginny braced herself to tell him what had happened, but the words died in her mouth. He would probably leave the Burrow this instant to warn his parents, and then he would be captured, and then her whole family would probably be killed for hiding him. She thought of all of the times she and Draco had sat on the stairs listening to the Order talk about Harry and the Horcruxes. If they tortured him, Draco would hold out as long as he could…she knew that. But he couldn't hold out forever, and then Harry and Ron and Hermione would probably be found and killed too. Shacklebolt had been right: it would be a suicide mission, and everyone she loved would be the collateral damage. No, Lucius and Narcissa had survived for this long…they would be all right.
"Ginny?" Draco mumbled again, turning toward her. His eyes opened every so slightly, and she forced herself to smile.
"It was nothing," she said softly, "I just went down to make myself a snack. Go back to sleep."
"Come here," Draco said, and Ginny crawled into the warmth of his arms, the guilt heavy in her stomach. She didn't fall asleep again that night.
Ginny didn't breathe a word of the Order meeting to Draco. She continued with her Seventh Year material, joining Draco for flying breaks in between chapters. It wasn't until a lazy Saturday afternoon three weeks later that Ginny's silence caught up with her.
Author's Note: Ack – sorry about the cliffie! But, I think you will all be proud to know that I have already written the next chapter and will post it in a few days. Yay for reforming my updating habits! Please review – I'm going to start responding to any questions that you ask in reviews (finally figured out how to do that, haha). Much love, mugglehugger.