Chapter 19: Last Dance
"Are you almost ready, Draco?" Ginny called from the bedroom. She turned back to the mirror and twisted her hair into a knot at the back of her head. She secured it with one of the gilt hairclips that Bill and Fleur had given her for her seventeenth birthday and reached for her wand to magic the tendrils into soft curls around her face.
"Yeah, just about!" Draco called from the bathroom. She heard him turn off the spray of the shower.
Ginny went to the closet and pulled out her dress, still wrapped in plastic from when she'd bought it a few days ago. Hermione had taken her to some Muggle shops that stocked racks upon racks of gowns. Ginny had gotten the distinct feeling that Hermione was doing some preliminary scouting for wedding dresses. The thought made her smile.
"So that's the dress, is it?" Ginny turned to see Draco, towel wrapped around his waist, in the doorway. He moved to the closet and began putting on his dress robes.
"It is, indeed," she replied, pulling it from the plastic and stepping into it. She admired the cut and color in the mirror as she pulled it over her shoulders. It was probably her favorite of all the dresses she'd ever purchased – a beautiful emerald green satin, it hung from her shoulders by thin ribbon straps, hugged her torso tightly, and fell straight to the floor. It was very flattering on her body, and the color contrasted strikingly with her hair. The sight of the extremely low cut of the back made her gulp a little, but just as the thought entered her mind that maybe she ought to wear a shrug or cardigan or something, Draco came up behind her and ran his hand all the way down her exposed spine. She shivered at his touch and looked up to see him fully dressed behind her.
"Mmm, I like it on you. Very sexy," he whispered in her ear. "And my favorite color." Ginny suppressed an ironic chuckle. Draco had always had a thing for green – Slytherin colors, she supposed, but Hermione had said the dress was the exact color of Harry's eyes. "Though," he said speculatively, "Isn't it a little scandalous for an official Ministry function?"
"Only the back," she said, smiling wryly and shrugging. "And anyway," she added sarcastically, "I have no doubt that our picture will be plastered across every gossip magazine in the country tomorrow. I might as well look good."
"That you do," Draco agreed, reaching around her to smooth the satin down around her hips and nodding appreciatively.
"It's really too bad we couldn't bar the press from this thing," Ginny grumbled, slipping on her heels and tossing her keys, wand, and lipstick into a thin black clutch.
Draco laughed. "What's the point of giving out awards if nobody knows about it?"
Ginny scowled. They heard a honk from below. "That must be the Ministry car," she said. "Are you ready?" She looked him over and grinned widely. "Impeccable, as always," she said, patting his lapel.
"That's why you love me," Draco quipped cheekily, leaning down to kiss her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, but pulled away a little when his hand traveled down her back and kept going. "Whoa there, Malfoy, don't you think that's a little far south?" she teased.
"You're right," he smirked, "I should save it for the dance floor."
Ginny chuckled. "Now that would be too scandalous for an official Ministry event."
The sleek, black Ministry car whirled them through the streets at a near-impossible speed and they arrived at their destination within minutes. The ball was being held at some sort of art gallery, and as they pulled up right in front of a long red carpet that led to the entrance, Ginny wondered at the number of concealment charms that must have gone into making the event invisible to the Muggle eye. The path to the entrance was lined with photographers and reporters (the unfortunate ones who hadn't been invited to cover the event itself), and there was a frenzied clamor as Ginny and Draco got out of the car and followed the trail of other guests into the building.
"Draco! Ginny! How is Harry going to feel about you being here together!"
"Ginny! Don't you think you should be less blatant about your cheating?"
"Ginny! Whose baby is it!"
Ginny set her facial expression into a stiff smile and gripped Draco's hand tightly, practically dragging him along the red carpet.
"Hey, hey, hey," Draco said, brow furrowed with concern. "Is this bothering you?"
Ginny scowled. "Isn't it bothering you?" she grumbled, "Let's go."
"No," Draco said firmly, "If it's bothering you, then enough is enough." He pulled them to an abrupt stop and turned to face the reporters and their frantically snapping and flashing cameras head-on. "To answer your questions," he said easily, looking for all the world as if he issued statements to the press all the time, "Ginny Weasley is not pregnant with anyone's baby. She and Harry Potter are close friends, nothing more. She is in an exclusive romantic relationship with me, and has been for years. Now please allow us to celebrate the contributions that Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger have made to the wizarding world. Thank you very much."
And with that, he put his arm nonchalantly around Ginny's waist and turned away.
Ginny grinned up at him. "Bold, Malfoy." He smiled and gave her a cheeky wink.
The press erupted behind them.
"How does the Weasley family feel about your family background!"
"How do you explain the incriminating photographs of Ginny with Mr. Potter!"
"Draco, are you and Ginny engaged!" one reporter yelled over the fray.
Draco paused at that. He turned and shot them one of his trademark smirks. "Not yet."
Inside, the ballroom was brimming with people, all dressed in their finest gowns and dress robes. Waiters were circulating the room carrying silver trays of hors d'oeuvres and long-stemmed glasses of champagne. Dozens of round tables ringed the dance floor, and there was a stage and podium at the very front of the room.
"Ginny! Draco!" Ginny turned to see Hermione waving to them from the center-front table. She was wearing a pale pink dress and had managed to tame her hair into smooth ringlets. Harry and Ron were standing nearby, talking to a small group of Ministry officials, but they turned and excused themselves when they saw Ginny and Draco coming toward them.
"Hermione, you look beautiful, as always" Ginny said, giving her a quick hug. Hermione and Draco shook hands.
"So do you!" Hermione beamed. "I knew we picked the right dress."
"Harry, Ron," Draco was saying, nodding to them. "This is quite an event."
"Yeah," Ron said, grinning broadly. "The appetizers are fantastic, by the way. Especially the shrimp cocktail thingies."
"As Ron knows, the real measure of an event's success is its food options," Harry said good-naturedly.
"Do you have to give speeches?" Ginny asked.
"Just a few words when we accept the award," Hermione said.
"And where are we sitting?" Draco said, his quick eyes tracking Kingsley Shacklebolt moving toward the front of the room.
As if on cue, the Minister of Magic reached the podium, cast a quick spell, and his magically-enhanced voice filled the room. "Thank you all for being here tonight. We would like to start the ceremony shortly, so if you would please begin moving to your seats."
"Right next to us, at that table," Ron said, gesturing to the next table. Bill and Fleur were already seated at the far end with Victoire. Andromeda Tonks, who was obviously here with Remus, Tonks, and Teddy, was cooing over the baby.
"Sorry we couldn't get you at our table," Harry said quickly from beside her, and Ginny cocked her head confusedly at him. She hadn't been expecting to sit with them in any case. "But we've got your parents, Hermione's parents, Remus, Tonks, and a few other Ministry people with us. The rest of your brothers are with you, though."
"That's great, Harry," Ginny replied, "I'm sure it'll be lovely."
As they all started moving to their seats, Harry put a hand on Ginny's shoulder to hold her back for a moment. "I'm glad you're here," he said quietly.
Ginny smiled. "I'm glad to be here too." As she went to take her place beside Draco at the next table, Ginny saw Ron narrow his eyes at her and she frowned.
"Thank you again for your presence this evening," Minister Shacklebolt said, his deep voice booming. "First and foremost, I would like to introduce the distinguished individuals who will be helping me bestow the Order of Merlin, First Class, tonight. Would those people please come up to the stage?" Ginny watched as three elderly Ministry officials took their places on stage, and as Kingsley introduced them, she let her eyes wander around the ballroom.
All of the usual suspects were here – Ministry officials, important bankers that Ginny recognized from the papers, the entirety of the Order of the Pheonix. But there were also quite a few old Slytherin families here. Ginny's eyes landed on Lucius Malfoy. He looked rather pale and drawn, and Ginny was surprised that Draco hadn't mentioned his father would be here. She also noticed Pansy Parkinson sitting at a table near the back with an older man and woman that Ginny could only assume were her parents.
Ginny nudged Draco, who leaned down so she could whisper quietly in his ear. "I didn't know your father was coming."
Draco looked over her shoulder to where Lucius was sitting. "Yeah," he said back in an undertone, "A lot of the old Pureblood families came. They want to be seen supporting what Potter, Granger, and your brother did and the new regime. It's a smart move, actually."
"Mmm," Ginny said thoughtfully, turning back to the stage.
Minister Shacklebolt made a rousing speech about the importance of the Order of Merlin, First Class, and about the lifelong battle that the Trio had waged against the evils of Voldemort's regime. Ginny smiled widely and stood with the rest of the attendees as Harry, Ron, and Hermione were invited amidst loud cheers, hollers, and camera flashes to the stage. The three of them were grinning, and Ron clapped Harry on the back and ushered him forward to say the first words.
"Thank you," Harry said awkwardly, and Ginny felt a surge of affection for the boy who was still embarrassed by attention. "This is an incredible honor, but I can't in good conscious accept it without acknowledging the contributions and sacrifices that so many others have made in the course of this war. To all of you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. This is your honor as much as mine." He smiled crookedly and backed away from the podium.
The room erupted in cheers, and Ginny clapped just as vigorously as everyone else, happy tears filling her eyes. She felt, more than ever, the significance of what had been accomplished in the past few years.
Several minutes later, after the concluding speeches had been made, the Minister announced the beginning of dinner and dancing. Immediately, a dozen or so platters heaping with food appeared on each table, and a live band took their places on stage. As music filled the room, Ginny turned back to the group before her. Lupin and Tonks had brought Teddy over to his grandmother so that they could circulate the room, and the little boy was busy poking and prodding baby Victoire.
"Gentle, Teddy, gentle," Fleur was saying, laughing a tinkling laugh as Teddy pinched Victoire's cheeks.
"She's so boooring," Teddy huffed. "Why won't she do anything fun?"
"She will," Bill soothed, "You just have to give her time to get bigger."
"So booooring," Teddy mumbled again, and Ginny laughed, starting in on some of the food.
"So, Draco," Bill said, "Congratulations on your promotion! How's it going?"
Draco smiled. "Really well, actually."
"Wow, you're moving up pretty quickly," Charlie said.
"He's got a real sense for investments, this one," Bill said. Draco bowed his head to the praise.
"Speaking of successful investments," Draco said, turning to the twins, "I heard the shop's up and running again?"
"Yeah, we opened it up again two weeks ago, and we've been selling practically non-stop since then. We're thinking about hiring some house elves to help us with the stocking – we hardly have enough product to satisfy demand!" George said excitedly.
"You two better keep me up to date on your latest stuff," Ginny said, narrowing her eyes at them. "I need to know what I'm up against at school."
"Never, my dear Ginniekins," Fred said, patting her sympathetically on the back, "You're the enemy now. We can never share our trade secrets with you again."
Ginny sighed theatrically. "I guess that's what I get for going over to the other side."
"You've put us in the horrible position of providing our customers with the means to bring down our own sister," Fred agreed laughingly.
Soon the tables were cleared and couples began drifting out onto the dance floor. The bar opened on the far side of the room. Ginny sat back in her chair, sipping the remainder of her glass of champagne and chatting easily with her brothers. After a few minutes, Draco squeezed her hand.
"Shall we dance?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Lead the way," she quipped, letting him pull her out of her chair and onto the dance floor.
Draco was an exceptionally good ballroom dancer – he hadn't been lying about his mum converting their indoor swimming pool into a dancing floor. He pulled her close and set them swaying to the beat of the music.
"You do realize I'm rubbish at this, right?" Ginny laughed, trying to match his steps.
"Yes, I can see that," Draco replied teasingly, "Here, one arm around my neck, and the other here in my hand. Perfect, now I'm going to put my hand on the small of your back…."
"Keep it on my back, Malfoy," Ginny chuckled.
"No promises," he smirked. "Now, just mirror what I'm doing and try not to step on my feet."
"Okay," Ginny said slowly, stepping forward and back with him, her eyes fixed on his feet.
"Ow, Gin!" Draco said sharply when she stomped quite hard on his foot.
She laughed aloud, "Whoops!"
"And to think, you're so graceful in the air," he said, grinning cheekily.
"Be nice," she giggled, slapping his arm.
"All right, now I'm going to spin you. This is the part where I'm supposed to look suave and you're supposed to look desperately sexy. So it would be best if we didn't both fall flat," he said, grinning. She twirled on his hand, throwing her head back and laughing.
"There, was it desperately sexy?"
He smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Close enough."
They whirled around the room, teasing and laughing throughout the song. As the music tapered off, Ginny pulled away. "Shall we go get drinks?" she said.
"Mmm, sounds like a good idea," Draco said, "Let's go."
They crossed the dancefloor to the bar, where Ginny picked up another glass of champagne and Draco ordered a glass of red wine. Ginny saw Lucius Malfoy disengaging himself from a group a few feet away and make his way toward them.
She nudged Draco. "Your dad," she said quietly, and he straightened to meet his father head-on.
"Draco," Lucius said in greeting, and Ginny was once again struck by how weary the older man looked.
"Father, you know Ginny Weasley," Draco said, putting his arm deliberately around Ginny's waist. Ginny saw a ripple of annoyance cross Lucius's face as he turned to her. She didn't bother concealing her own dislike. She would never forget that Lucius Malfoy had given her Tom Riddle's diary all those years ago.
"Good evening, Miss Weasley," Lucius said, and Ginny nodded back curtly.
"Can I help you with something, Father?" Draco said stiffly.
"I just thought I would come pay my respects," Lucius answered cooly. "It's quite ironic to see you up there at the head table with the new ascendant family when your own as fallen from grace. It would seem your mother knew just where to place you."
"Indeed," Draco answered shortly.
"I'll be sending you an Owl in a few days," Lucius continued. "We need to meet and discuss the state of the family finances."
Draco nodded.
Lucius pursed his lips at Draco's cold attitude. "All right, well we'll speak then." And with that, he swept away.
Ginny rubbed Draco's arm soothingly, and as his father moved away, he visibly relaxed. "No chance of reconciliation between the two of you, then?" she said quietly.
"Doubtful," Draco answered. "We were never close, and after everything that's happened…what he did to my mother, what he did to you…."
Ginny nodded and took another sip of champagne. When she looked up, Pansy Parkinson was coming toward them. "You're quite popular tonight," she said under her breath. Draco looked at her strangely, and she realized that her comment had come out more annoyed than she had intended. He opened his mouth to speak, but Pansy's voice cut in.
"Hello," the dark-haired girl said smoothly. "Draco, I seem to remember you being quite the dancer. Care to refresh my memory?" She held out her hand to Draco, who turned to Ginny, eyebrows raised.
She raised her glass to him, nodding and swallowing her gulp of champagne with some effort. "Go ahead," she managed. He smiled, and Pansy nodded to her stiffly. He took her hand and went back out to the dance floor.
Ginny leaned back against the bar, sipping her drink. She watched Draco hold Pansy closely and whisper something in her ear that made her smile broadly. Pansy seemed to know her way around the dance floor just as well as Draco did, and they spun expertly to the music, looking for all the world like they were made to dance together. Ginny looked away. She knocked back the rest of her champagne and turned to order another.
The song ended, but Draco and Pansy continued dancing for the next song.
"Ginny!" She turned gratefully to whoever had spoken.
"Neville!" she exclaimed, giving him a big hug. "I didn't know you were coming! Wow, I haven't seen you in ages!"
"I know," Neville said, grinning widely. "I was disappointed you didn't come back to Hogwarts for Sixth Year. Would've been nice to have a friendly face around. But I hear you're back there, teaching?"
"Yeah, Charms," Ginny said, smiling. "What are you up to?"
"Well, I'm working in the medical greenhouse for St. Mungo's right now."
"That's amazing, Neville! I always knew you'd do something Herbology-related."
Neville shrugged modestly. "And I'm helping Hannah – you remember Hannah Abbott from school?" Ginny nodded. "Well I'm helping her get started at the Leaky Cauldron; she bought it from old Tom."
"Hannah Abbott! Are you together?" Ginny asked, "That's wonderful, Nev!" She nudged him good-naturedly.
"Speaking of which, I better get back to her," the tall boy said, looking over his shoulder to where the blonde girl was waving him back over. "But I just wanted to say hello. Let's get coffee sometime, yeah?"
"Of course, Neville, that would be lovely," Ginny said, smiling as he walked away. She waved to Hannah who waved back brightly.
On the dancefloor, Draco and Pansy were still dancing, their bodies extremely close, and Ginny pushed down the feeling of jealousy that she felt rise in her stomach. It didn't mean anything. She knew that. He and Pansy had known each other for ages. It was perfectly reasonable for them to re-kindle their friendship now that the war was over.
"Are you all right?" She turned to see Harry standing beside her.
"Of course," she said, forcing a smile onto her face. "Congratulations, by the way."
He grinned sheepishly. "Thanks."
He followed her gaze to Draco, who had just dipped Pansy elegantly. "You're not worried about that, are you?"
Ginny frowned. "What makes you think so?"
"Your face," Harry said, smiling wryly. "I can read you like an open book, Weasley."
Ginny raised her eyebrows at him. "You think you're so smart, don't you, Potter?"
"I'm sure it's nothing," Harry said seriously.
"I know," Ginny agreed.
"Then why are you still brooding? This is supposed to be a celebration, remember? Here, down that glass – we're going to dance," he said firmly, holding out his hand and grinning winningly at her.
Ginny laughed and swallowed the last of her third drink. Now that she thought of it, she could feel the first effects of the alcohol in her system. She felt a little warm and heady. "All right, Potter, let's go."
Harry spun her around as they reached the center of the dance floor, and she laughed as he pulled her against him with a comically superior expression on his face. "I bet you didn't know I'm a champion ballroom dancer," he quipped.
"No, I had no idea. Have you won many awards?" she laughed.
"All of them," he grinned. He took one of her hands in his and slid the other one down to the small of her back. He sucked in a breath when his fingers encountered her bare skin instead of fabric, and Ginny smiled mischevously as he blushed.
"Scandalous, I know," she teased.
"Yeah, that's quite something," Harry stuttered. But he recovered himself quickly, and began to sway back and forth.
"So are you going to show me your award-winning dancing skills?" Ginny challenged.
"Of course," he said. "Here, spin me."
"Me spin you?" Ginny said incredulously. "Isn't the man supposed to spin the woman?"
Harry shot her an offended look. "Are you questioning my moves?"
"I wouldn't dare," Ginny teased. She stood on her tiptoes to let him spin and shook with laughter as he twirled around. They slowed to a gentle sway as the song changed to one of the Weird Sisters' romantic ballads. In her heels, Ginny could just rest her chin on Harry's shoulder. "I'm so proud of you, Harry," she said softly. "I knew you could do it."
She felt him smile against her cheek.
"Is Helena not here?" Ginny asked, realizing that she hadn't seen Harry's girlfriend the entire night.
She felt Harry stiffen a little, but he answered quickly. "She couldn't make it," he replied.
"Ah."
"Do you remember the Yule Ball?" he asked suddenly.
"Of course I do. I seem to remember you demonstrating your award-winning dance moves then, too," she chuckled.
Harry snorted. "Why didn't I ask you to dance?"
"Because you were a right prat," Ginny said immediately. He laughed. "No, it was because you were there with Parvati and you wanted to be there with Cho. I could not have been less on your radar."
"What an idiot," Harry sighed, and Ginny pulled away to smirk at him.
"I'm glad you've realized the error of your ways after all these years."
Over Harry's shoulder, Ginny saw Draco and Pansy swaying slowly to the beat. She bit her lip. Harry looked down at her, noticing the sudden change in her expression. "Hey, hey, what's that?" He chucked her under the chin and smiled. Following her gaze, he glanced over his shoulder, nodding sympathetically. "Hey, why don't we go outside for a minute? You don't need to watch them if it bothers you."
Ginny sighed. "All right," she said, "I guess I could use a little fresh air."
She followed Harry out of the ballroom and through a set of double doors onto one of the gallery's wide balconies. She breathed in the fresh air and leaned her elbows on the stone balcony rail. The champagne and dancing had made her cheeks flush, and she shut her eyes, savoring the feeling of the cool breeze against her skin. She felt Harry lean against the rail next to her. Somewhere along the way he'd shed his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. The fabric of the shirt was warm against her shoulder.
"You look really beautiful tonight, Gin," Harry said suddenly.
Ginny smiled and met his eyes. "Why thank you. You don't look half bad yourself, Mr. Potter. Although," she added teasingly, nudging his shoulder, "you could have put a little more effort into taming your hair."
She reached over and brushed a stray piece of messy black hair off his forehead.
Harry laughed. "Oh, well don't be too flattering," he said, rolling his eyes.
"I don't patronize you, Harry. You know that," she grinned, echoing his words from several weeks before.
He smiled at that. "I really don't think you should be worried," he said softly, "About Malfoy, that is."
Ginny sighed and turned to look out at the city below them. "I just wish he would let me in. He's being so secretive about their friendship, that's all."
"I don't think he'll cheat on you," Harry said, and Ginny looked at him. He smiled a little wryly and turned away so that she was watching his profile as he spoke. "He loves you. Anyone can see it."
Ginny smiled, and they lapsed into silence for a moment. "You're a good friend, Harry," she said finally, leaning over to give him a hug. They stood there for a moment in the embrace, the cool breeze brushing against their skin. Then suddenly they heard someone clearing his throat loudly from the balcony doorway.
Ginny pulled away and turned to see Ron standing there, arms crossed. Ginny was taken aback by the angry look on his face. "Ginny, can I speak with you? Alone?" he said, tone harsh.
"Ron, what's this about?" Harry said guardedly from beside her.
"Nothing," Ron said sternly, "I just need to speak with my sister."
"All right, let's -," Ginny said, moving to follow Ron back into the ballroom.
"No, you two can stay here. I'll go," Harry said, patting Ginny's arm. He fixed Ron with an unfathomably hard look as he brushed past him off the balcony. Ron shut the double doors tight behind him, and Ginny crossed her arms to match her brother's stance.
"So, what's this about?" she said.
"What do you think you're playing at, Ginny!" he said accusingly, his expression hard.
Ginny hedged. "Ron, I have no idea what you're going on about," she snapped.
"You can't keep leading him on like this! It's not fair to him and I hate to say this, but it's really not fair to Malfoy either and -."
"Wait just a second, Ron!" Ginny cut in harshly. "Who are you talking about? Harry?" She barked a laugh. "Don't be ridiculous!"
"Ridiculous? Don't play stupid with me, Ginny! I've stood by long enough," Ron snapped back, "Hermione told me not to meddle, but I can't just sit back and let you…," he broke off.
"Let me what, Ron? Harry and I are just friends!" She snorted, "Don't tell me you believe what they've been writing in those bloody gossip magazines."
"That's not what I'm talking about, Gin," Ron said sharply. "It's the hugging and the holding hands and the dancing and the flirting…don't pretend you don't know what you've been doing. I know you're not that naïve."
Ginny rolled her eyes, "That's harmless, Ron. We're not twelve years old."
"It's not harmless, Ginny!" Ron said, voice rising in frustration. "You can't keep being that way with him!"
"Being what way, Ron!" Ginny challenged, matching his tone.
"The way you were when you two were together! You're with another guy now, Gin, and you have to stop dragging Harry along on a bloody string…."
"Ron!" Ginny said angrily, "I'm not leading him on! He has a bloody girlfriend, for Merlin's sake!"
"No, he doesn't, Ginny!" Ron yelled. "He broke up with her a week ago!"
This stunned Ginny into silence. "He broke up with Helena?" she said slowly, "He didn't tell me…."
"No, he wouldn't, would he?" Ron retorted, running an agitated hand across the back of his neck.
His tone grated. "What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.
"He wouldn't tell you, Ginny, because he's too damn noble, and you're just walking all over him!"
"Why wouldn't he tell me? Harry and I are friends, Ron, really good friends, so why wouldn't he tell me!"
"BECAUSE HE'S STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU!" Ron roared.
Ginny froze, and the words hung in the air around them. Ron sighed heavily and rubbed a hand over his face. "He's still in love with you," he repeated quietly. "He won't tell you because you're with Malfoy, and he won't date anyone else because he can't honestly commit to them. He's being his usual noble, do-gooding, suffer-in-silence self, and you're just leading him on. He can't get over you when you're like this, Ginny."
"No," Ginny said softly, "He's not in love with me. He can't be…." But even as she said the words, a dozen images flashed through her mind. Harry telling her that cutting her out of his life hadn't been working anyway. Harry's hand hesitating at the zipper of her dress. Harry looking at her in the Astronomy Tower. Harry, just moments before, telling her she looked beautiful.
Ginny felt her heart pounding hard and loud in her chest. Harry was still in love with her. Ron seemed to notice the shell-shocked look on her face, and he lowered his voice sympathetically.
"I always worried that he'd break your heart, Gin," he said slowly, "But now you're breaking his."
Author's Note: Hehe, sorry for the semi-cliffhanger :) I hope the extra-lengthiness of this chapter makes up for it. It was very fun to write! I was going to include the next thing that happens, but I think it might fit better with the next chapter, and anyway, this one was getting a little unwieldy. That being said, I will definitely endeavor to have the next chapter up asap!
However, I would like to share an important piece of information with you: this story is going to have two endings. It's not going to diverge for several more chapters and the two endings will only be about three chapters long each, but when we get to the part where it diverges, I'll be posting two chapters at a time until the end. Does that make sense? Feel free to PM me or ask questions in reviews! But I hope that's okay with all of you - I decided quite a while ago to make this story have two endings, and I'm very excited about it! Anyway, I'm not going to share any more information about what those two endings might contain, but do with this info what you will...