"Charlotte!" Draco's calls echoed off the wall of his expensive flat. That was nothing new, as the place was huge. But she usually answered him. "Or come out in some lingerie, at least," he thought to himself, setting his things down. Practice had run over today and he was looking forward to a massage. "Charlotte?" he called again, still getting no answer. His heart sank as he realized that it had happened again.
He made his way to the bedroom, knowing that she wouldn't be there, and that he would find her things all gone. This wasn't the first time this had happened. He would get involved with a woman who would be young, very attractive, and never Virginia Weasley like in the least. But as much as he made sure that they weren't her at all he wanted them all to be. He remembered what his last girlfriend, Samantha, had done when he had said Ginny's name in the heat of the moment one night. He had had to buy all new furniture after that escapade.
He was lucky that he could afford to do that, but he had been able to get a good amount for Malfoy Manor, which he had sold after his father had died at the hands of his "master". Just before Dumbledore killed Voldemort, Draco had watched his father die and he still felt no sorrow for it. Unfortunately Lucius had spent almost all of their money on what he had dubbed "The Cause."
If Draco had been forced to chose any of the girls he had been with since Ginny he would have chosen Charlotte. She reminded him a lot of Ginny at times, so much that it hurt. He saw immediately that she had taken her things and left him a note and the necklace he had given her for their anniversary just last week on the dark blue satin pillow case.
Draco sat heavily on the bed, picking up the note. He read it carefully and found himself agreeing with most of the points that she made. He didn't love her. Not like he should. He stopped breathing when he saw her name on the paper. "Ginny".
…I went down to the pub and told Ginny about all of this. I thought maybe she should know that you still love her, and that she can still have you. I do love you, Draco, but I also understand that your heart is no longer yours to give. It has never been. Go after her Draco and make yourself happy. Farewell, Draco, and good luck.
Love Always, Charlotte.
Draco read and reread the part about Ginny, taking in every detail. He regretted that Charlotte had left, but he knew she was right. He would never really be happy with anyone but Ginny and it would be selfish of him to make any girl stay. He sighed as he stared at the wall, remembering how he had first fallen for Virginia Weasley.
* * *
She was, by far, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. Her flaming locks of auburn hair exuded a passion that he longed to explore, while her soft freckle covered face shone with an innocence he longed to protect. And her eyes held a laughter that he had never seen in anyone before. He had only seen her in passing for most of the year, frustrating him to no end. Finally, one afternoon as he was walking around the lake alone, to think, he saw her walking to the Quidditch pitch.
He couldn't move as soon as he saw her. When he would remember it in years to come he would be surprised to find that he survived those few minutes, as he forgot to breath for several of them. He could have sworn he was looking at an angel as she walked across the grounds. He saw her eyes on him, questioning and curious, but he didn't care.
At that moment he would have done anything, and felt as he could have done anything. But he just stood and watched her.
He watched the entrance to the pitch for several minutes, before getting a hold of himself and going back inside.
Over the next week he found himself watching her more and more. She often tried to make her way to him, but he would always slip away in the crowd before she reached him. He didn't know what he would say or do if she were that close.
He never planned out how they would meet, that day in the room, it just sort of happened. He had ducked into the classroom to get away from Crabbe and Goyle. They were handy to have in a fight, but sometimes he got tired of them following him around, especially after almost seven years of it. He hoped the quietness would help him think, as it was something that he rarely found.
Just then he saw her walking by and acted without thinking. He reached out of the room and pulled her in quickly. He silenced her with a hard kiss. He had never felt closer to heaven as he did at that moment. She struggled at first, but then she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he could think no more.
It took great effort, but he finally broke the kiss and smirked at her. He fished around in his mind for something to say and said the first complete sentence that came to him. "I didn't know you had it in you, Weasley."
The next moment his world was fire as she slapped him, hard on the cheek. He barely heard her talking over the ringing in his ears. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Malfoy. Now, I want to know why the hell you have been watching me."
He looked up to find her glaring at him. He raised his hand to his cheek and felt gingerly at the area on his cheek that felt as if it had been branded with fire. He was pissed, and he was sure his look showed it. But he couldn't keep the feelings that he had been having towards her out of his eyes either, making her look at him strangely. As soon as he trusted himself to speak he asked, "What the bloody hell did I do to deserve that, Weasley?" spitting her name as if it were vile.
She looked indignant and rather angry herself. "You've been watching me for a week! And now, you pull me into a classroom and molest me, and you want to know what you did?"
Draco thought about it for a moment, smirking. "I didn't see you complaining about the 'molestation', Weasley. "
She was quick in her response. "And I notice you're avoiding my question. Why the hell have you been watching me?"
He couldn't tell her, he wouldn't. What she would think of him if he told her the reason he was watching her, was something that he couldn't fathom. He decided that the best thing for him to do would be to leave, and to do so quickly. But somehow she was faster than he and the door was locked before he reached it. "Oh, no you don't. I'm tired of you running away, Malfoy. I want some answers and neither of us are going anywhere until I get them."
He knew that no simple "Alohomora" would open this lock and turned on his heel, angry again. He gave her his most withering look and she simply smiled at him. "You aren't serious," he said, narrowing his eyes even further. In his experience people ran from this look, but it seemed to have no effect on the girl.
"Of course I am!" she said with a grin. He simply watched as she found a desk and sat on it, very primly of course. She looked as though she were ready for a long wait, and he glared at her. No one had ever treated Draco Malfoy with such disrespect. Then she said something that caught him off guard. "You are aware that I am not afraid of you?"
He'd never heard that before and he took a deep breath before speaking, cocking his eyebrow. "And what does scare you, Weasley? Money?"
She gave him a scathing look. "Ha-ha. Very funny. Nothing scares me. Not since…" her voice trailed off as she looked through Draco, obviously remembering something that haunted her past.
He strode toward her, and didn't stop until he was mere centimeters from her face. She didn't seem to notice until he got right there. "Since what, Weasley?" He looked at her eyes as they trailed down his face to his lips. He almost smirked, but held it back.
She looked him in the eye and answered, "Since it's none of your damn business, Malfoy." She looked at him, defiance in her eyes.
He wanted nothing more than to kiss her at that moment and he did, after saying, "Well, we'll see about that." She wrapped her arms around him more willingly this time and he almost lost it as he heard her moan. He grabbed her waist and pulled her to him, forcing her legs apart. He heard her groan and broke the kiss. He trailed them down her face, to her neck, and throat. He grinned as he heard her gasp when he kissed a certain spot on her throat and decided to have a bit of fun. He lightly ran his tongue over the spot, eliciting another moan from her. He knew that if he didn't end it soon he wouldn't be able to end it at all, and he doubted that she would want that. He kissed his way up to her ear and gave it a nip before whispering, "I'll know all of your secrets soon enough, Virginia." He gave her a final kiss on the lips before turning to the door, having every intention of leaving and taking the coldest shower he could conjure. He had forgotten about her lock until she spoke behind him.
"You still haven't answered my question, so I don't know where you think you're going."
Draco groaned inwardly and turned to face Ginny again. When he saw her, his breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened. She was beautiful and welcoming and he knew right then that he had to have her. She looked down at herself for a moment before looking up and giving him a very sexy smile. "Oh, shit. What the hell are you doing, Draco?" he thought to himself as he began walking towards her. His mind raced as he tried to think of something to say. "So, little Weasley likes to be kissed." He reminded himself to slap himself for that later. Until he heard her response.
"So, little Malfoy likes kissing me."
He stopped just before her, putting his lips only centimeters from hers. "And what gives you that idea?" he asked her, cocking his eyebrow.
Time stopped as he heard her laugh before putting her hands on either side of his waist and pulling their pelvis' together. He almost died as she ground hers against his, still smiling as she said, "That's usually a dead giveaway."
He knew at that point that there was no turning back and he knew just how this would end. "Well, we do have a whole classroom to ourselves," he said, pulling her into another kiss. She broke it and uttered what sounded like a silencing charm before kissing him again.
* * *
Draco sighed as he climbed out of the past. So she knew. He remembered briefly the last time he had seen her. It had been a few years ago, at a Quidditch match he was playing in. He had nearly fallen off of his broom when he saw her, but he had made sure to catch the snitch that day. He had written her a letter not long afterwards thanking her for coming to the match. Her reply had come shortly and he had never even opened it. There was so much that one letter could contain and he didn't believe he wanted to handle what was in the letter. He often looked at it when he missed her the most, usually in times like now, just after another girl had left him because he was calling out Ginny's name in his sleep, or at other inopportune moments. He took it out now, pausing in the closet to marvel at how little space Charlotte had taken up.
He studied the envelope again, as he had so many times before. Her handwriting was so delicate and Virginia like. He turned it over and saw the Weasley seal. The seal that said they could never be. A Malfoy and a Weasley. There were so many things that simply could not be fixed, too many damages done that could not be undone. And though he was not his father, he still felt resentment towards the Weasleys. Perhaps it had been that they were so poor and yet so much happier than he had ever been with his millions of Galleons. Weasley's didn't care about what society would think, they acted as if they were the ones who lived their lives and that was something that Draco envied, though he would never admit it to anyone, even himself.
He thought again about what Charlotte had written in her letter. "Go after her Draco and make yourself happy." He smiled bittersweetly to himself. "Make myself happy." He hadn't been happy since Ginny and he doubted that he would ever be truly happy with anyone else, but he couldn't just go and find her and expect her to welcome him back. Why bloody not? I'm Draco fucking Malfoy.
At that one thought he made up his mind. He got quickly off the bed and headed for the door, and, not really knowing where he was going, he set off to find happiness.