Ginny hurried through the corridors of the Manor towards the parlor, hoping against hope that the house elf had been mistaken, and that her brother really wasn't there after all. Her feeble hopes dissipated when she opened the door and saw Ron sitting on the same opulent sofa that Daphne and Pansy had been on that morning. He stood when she entered, and watched her close the door.
"Great Gods, Ron, what in the bloody hell are you doing here?" she asked angrily. He ran his fingers through his hair, then sighed as he sat back down.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.
"I'm fine, I assure you. You can see for yourself exactly how well I am," she said, holding her arms out and twirling in a slow circle. He blanched at the sight of her new clothes.
"You're not… doing anything… to get the clothes, are you?" he asked haltingly. Her jaw dropped and her face turned crimson with rage.
"How dare you!" she hissed.
"I just wanted to make sure that my baby sister isn't being taken advantage of, is all," he said quickly, holding up his hands in surrender. She closed her mouth and sat down in the armchair, her back stiff. She folded her hands in her lap.
"I'm not. Was that all you wanted?"
"Damn it, Ginny!" he exclaimed, slapping his knee for emphasis. "I came here because I was worried about you! No one has seen you for days, and I was starting to be afraid that something bad had happened!" Her expression softened slightly.
"I'm fine, Ron. Thank you for your concern, though. Everything is fine, and I'm not being taken advantage of at all." They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a moment.
"Are you happy?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, I am."
"I don't understand why you're here," he said, looking around the room. "I just don't get it."
"I'm here because Draco is my friend, and his parents invited me to stay. I wanted to, so I did."
"Oh." More silence. Ginny sighed, frustrated.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"Aren't you going to give me the bit about Malfoy being a pillock and tell me that I should stay away from him and his evil family?"
"No," he said, looking down at his feet again. "I reckon you already got enough of that from Harry."
"Really?" her voice reflected her startled expression.
"Really. Look, Gin, I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you lately. I know I was wrapped up in the wedding, but I promise you, that's over. It won't happen again."
"What do you mean, that's over?" she asked cautiously. His ears turned scarlet as he withdrew the engagement ring from his pocket and held it out to her. Her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped. "Oh, Ron! What have you done?"
"I've done what needed to be done," he said, returning the ring to his pocket. His expression was closed off. Ron was calm, which was unnerving in and of itself; but now he was looking at her with a stony expression, and that frightened her. Ron was never this calm. He had always worn his heart on his sleeve and let everyone see how he was feeling.
"Why was it necessary?"
"It's not something that I'd like to go into with you, Gin, for my own personal reasons. Just know that I don't intend on marrying Hermione now."
"I hope you didn't do that just because you couldn't find me."
"No, that wasn't the only reason, but it was the thing that helped me see what kind of person Hermione really is."
"Which is?"
"Selfish."
"And Harry? Does he know about this?" Ron nodded mutely. "Was he there?" Again, Ron nodded. She chewed on her thumbnail.
"Gods, Ron. What are Mum and Dad going to say when they find out? Harry and Hermione are practically part of the family already."
"Practically doesn't cut it," he said coldly. She blinked. "They're not part of the family, and never will be."
"Ron, what's the matter with you? Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine, Ginny. For the first time in my life, it's like I'm seeing clearly. My family is what's important to me, and I've been neglecting them. I've been neglecting you. I came here tonight because I thought I'd lost you, and it would kill me if I did. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Ron," she said softly, giving him a tiny smile. "I'm fine. Draco's parents are lovely, and Draco is…" her voice trailed off, and Ron looked pained. "Draco is lovely, too. There's really nothing to worry about."
"I'm just happy that you're all right," he said, standing. "Thanks for not kicking me out, anyway." She smiled and stood to embrace him.
"I've missed you too, big brother. You're right; our family is falling apart. We need to stick together. Come and visit me again." His pained expression lifted and he grinned at her.
"I will." She walked him out of the parlor and to the great oak doors that led outside, giving him a final hug.
"I love you, Ron. Take care of yourself."
"You, too." She watched his retreating back until he was out of sight, then headed back towards the library to continue her chess game. When she got there, the door was closed, and she could hear muffled voices inside. She was sorely tempted to stand there and listen, but knowing it would be rude, she began to make her way down the corridor. Just then, the door opened, and Pansy emerged.
"Ginny!" She called. Ginny turned and stopped walking when Pansy motioned to her. She walked back to the library and went inside, and Pansy shut the door behind them. Draco's face was paler than usual, and as soon as Ginny entered the room, his eyes became locked on her. Pansy sat back down in her seat, and Ginny lowered herself slowly into her own seat.
"Why didn't you come back in here?" Pansy asked curiously.
"I heard voices and the door was closed, so I thought maybe you two didn't want to be disturbed." Draco's eyes flickered towards Pansy once, then focused back on Ginny.
"Oh, pish tush," Pansy said, waving her hand dismissively. "We were only discussing my nonexistent love life. How did your visit go?" Ginny sighed.
"It was fine," she said quietly. Draco frowned.
"Just fine?" She lifted her eyes to meet his.
"Just fine," she repeated. "Ron just wanted to check on me and make sure that I was doing all right."
"He didn't try to convince you to leave?" Pansy blurted. Draco shot her an angry glare, and she shrugged apologetically at Ginny. "I'm sorry to be so blunt, but with the history between Draco's family and yours… well, I just thought that perhaps he'd come here with that as his sole directive." Ginny offered her a weak smile.
"I don't think he's happy about me being here of all places, but he didn't try to get me to leave. He just wanted to check up on me." The wrinkles caused by Draco's frown disappeared as he relaxed.
"I'm surprised he didn't try and storm the library in an effort to hex me into oblivion," he mused, eyeing her thoughtfully. It was her turn to frown.
"Did you want me to leave?" she asked. Draco's face reflected his surprise.
"What? Where did you get that ludicrous idea from?"
"You just seem awfully surprised that I stayed. Did you want him to come and take me away?"
"I think perhaps it's time for me to be going," Pansy said, rising to her feet. Draco stood and started to escort her out, as was his habit to do in the past, but she shook her head. "You stay here. I know my way out well enough. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She squeezed his arm gently, then smiled at Ginny. "It was nice talking to you, Ginny. I hope to see more of you in the future." She turned and walked out of the library, making sure she closed the door behind her.
Draco turned back to Ginny, whose cheeks were pink. He sat back down slowly and met her gaze.
"Did you want me to leave?" she repeated. He rolled his eyes.
"Really, of all of the stupid things that I've ever heard you say, that has to be the stupidest." She glared at him for a moment, then rose to her feet. She had just touched her hand to the doorknob when he grabbed her arm. She spun around and looked at him angrily.
"If you think I'm just going to sit here and let you insult me, Draco Malfoy, then you've got one hell of a surprise coming to you." To her surprise, he chuckled.
"I wasn't trying to insult you. Honestly," he said, letting go of her arm. He shook his head and grinned at her. "I was just trying to say that it was a stupid thing to think." She folded her arms across her chest.
"And that's not insulting, to call me stupid?" she asked, her lips pursed. He rolled his eyes again.
"I wasn't calling you stupid! Damn it, I was trying to tell you that I didn't want you to leave."
"Then why didn't you just say that, instead of throwing a veiled statement at me?" she asked exasperatedly. He sighed.
"I don't know." She looked away, letting her eyes focus on anything in the room except him. "I suppose it was just difficult for me to believe that as much as your brother hates me, he would let you continue to stay here."
"Let me stay?" Her eyes flashed. "No one tells me where I can and can't go! He didn't let me stay, I chose to stay!"
"I didn't mean it that way," he said, sounding frustrated. "I just meant-" The words died on his lips as he realized how close they were standing to each other. He closed his eyes and sniffed gingerly, inhaling her clean scent. She smelled like a field of wildflowers. When he opened his eyes, she was looking at him breathlessly. Her lips were parted, and he could hear her breaths coming in short, ragged gasps.
He leaned closer. When their mouths were so close that their breathing was intermingled, he said, "I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay." His lips brushed lightly against hers as he spoke. She shivered from the contact.
"Then I'll stay," she whispered.
"Good." His whisper was barely audible before his lips touched hers. He rested his hands on her hips, sending waves of warmth cascading through her body. Her pulse was pounding wildly in her ears as his tongue touched her lips, seeking entrance. She opened herself to him and felt her knees becoming weak as his hands slid from her hips to her back, pulling her closer to him.
Her back was pressed against the door as he kissed her. The longer he kissed her, the more intense the contact became. His lips left hers, grazing her jawline, then coming to rest on her neck. She tilted her head back to allow him better access, and he groaned softly. He kissed down her neck, stopping when he reached the hollow at the base of her neck. When she moaned, he pulled away slightly and looked at her, taking in the deliciousness of her swollen lips and the flush of her cheeks. When she opened her eyes, they were glassy and unfocused.
"We should probably stop," he said, struggling to regain his composure. She blinked in surprise, then nodded and watched as he stepped backward and began smoothing out the front of his clothes. She looked down at her own rumpled clothes and struggled not to cry. Was she so undesirable that he had decided he didn't want to kiss her anymore?
Shame made her face burn as she realized that she probably would have let him do whatever he wanted to do, with little or no protesting. Had he stopped because she had been behaving too wantonly? She could feel her head beginning to throb painfully from the force of her confusion.
Draco looked up from his clothes just in time to see her press her hand to her forehead. Her eyes were closed and her cheeks were flushed. He frowned.
"Are you feeling all right?" he asked. She opened her eyes and forced a weak smile.
"Actually, I'm not. I've got a terrible headache. Would you mind terribly if I went to lie down for a while?"
"Of course not," he said. He watched as she turned and left the room without even another glance at him. When she was gone, he slumped down in a chair and covered his face with his hands, wondering if he'd scared her with his intense touches.