Hermione looked up to the sound of the door opening to see her husband entering with a look that could only be described as a man in misery. Despite her anger at him, a pang of sympathy shot through her heart.

"Was it bad, then, dear?"

Ron sunk into a chair and put his head in his hands. "You've no idea Hermione. I couldn't think of any way to tell her gently, so I just came out with it. The whole sordid tale."

"What did she say, Ron?" Hermione asked quietly.

"She didn't say anything. Nothing at all. The look on her face though, Hermione. She looked as if I had Adavra Kedavraed her. I couldn't bear it." Ron said, his broad shoulders trembling. "What have I done? I've hurt someone I loved, when I only meant to protect them. She'll probably never speak to me again, and how could I blame her? I don't know how I'll ever make it up to her."

"You've done the right thing Ron. It's up to her now. Ginny loves you. Eventually she will forgive you." Hermione said.

"And what about you, Hermione?" he asked, raising his head to look at her. "Will you forgive me? Are you going to leave me?"

Hermione rose from her seat and settled herself on the arm of the chair Ron was sitting in. She put her arms around his neck and he pressed his head into her stomach. "No, Ron. I was angry, but I know you. I know you wouldn't ever be deliberately cruel, especially to Ginny. You just don't think things out properly. You have to promise me to try to do that from now on before you go off with another half baked scheme like this."

"I will. I promise." Ron said. He pulled his wife down into his lap and held her tightly. "I guess we'll be having dinner at home this Sunday."

"Why is that?" asked Hermione. "We always have Sunday dinner at your mums."

"Because when Mum heard what I'd done, she had quite a few things to say to me. One of them was that I was not to come back to the burrow until she'd had time to cool down, or else she'd let me know how the frying pan felt on the back of my head." Ron said ruefully. "She was tossing kitchen utensils at me on my way out, as it was."

Hermione laughed. "She'll cool down. But we'll stay home this weekend, just in case."

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Draco looked up from his guitar when the faint knock on the door came. He wasn't sure he'd actually heard it. It was the middle of the night and surely no one would be visiting at that hour. But then it came again.

Putting the guitar down, he went over to it and opened it.

All the breath left his lungs with a whoosh as he saw Ginny standing there before him.

"Ginny-"he started but she silenced him by stepping into the apartment and reaching up to pull his blond head down, kissed him.

Draco groaned into her mouth and digging one hand into the red hair at the back of her head, snatched her to him. He wondered if he was sleeping, he'd dreamed of her coming to him like this so many times.

Breaking off the kiss, he tried again to speak. "Ginny what-"

"Don't." she said, interrupting his questions. "Just love me Draco. Love me."

The request was more than he could bear. Sweeping her off her feet, he carried her to his bedroom. He pushed the cloak she was wearing off her shoulders to reveal the soft flannel gown underneath. After fumbling for a few moments with the tiny buttons down the front, he growled and grasped the neck of the gown. With one swift snatch, the buttons popped off and he pushed the gown off her shoulders and into a puddle at her feet. He gazed at her, standing before him, her chocolate eyes almost black with desire, in only a pair of plain cotton underwear. His mouth twitched as his eyes drifted to the small swell of her stomach but despite the pain it brought him to think that she carried another man's child, he had to admit Ginny was lovely pregnant. She noticed where he was looking and put a protective arm across her abdomen.

"No, no don't. " he said, dropping to his knees before her. He moved her arm away and kissed her stomach. "It's beautiful. You're beautiful."

He moved his mouth lower still, to rain kisses over her underwear. As he inched the cotton down, she wove her hands into his hair and gasped "Draco!"

He pushed her backwards onto the bed and pulled her knees apart. Diving into the deepest part of her, he felt her tremble as she flooded him with her essence. Not being able to stand it any longer, Draco rose and quickly shed his clothes.

Settling between her legs, he hesitated saying "Ginny. I don't want to hurt you."

She smiled and reached up to pull him closer. "You won't hurt me Draco."

He felt her hips arch towards him and he couldn't hold back any longer. He plunged into her and when he felt the warm enveloping velvet that he knew as Ginny, he nearly came right then.

After stilling for a moment to collect himself, he began to move slowly. With each rhythmic movement, Ginny met him halfway with her hips. Her gasps were soft but music to his ears, and then she cried, "Oh Draco, I can't hold on any longer!"

When Draco felt her muscles contract around him, he exploded. Calling out her name, his release came rushing from him. Afterward, he rolled over to her side and pulled her close to him. For a while, they laid together, her head on his shoulder, him stroking her hair. He could have almost cried with relief. She was here. In his arms.

Ginny drifted off and Draco gazed at her sleeping face for quite a while. He didn't understand what had happened, but he didn't dare question it, for fear he might wake up and it had all been a dream.

After a while, he eased out of the bed, pulled on the wrinkled pants he'd abandoned earlier on the floor, and returned to the living room. A couple of hours later, Ginny found him there, with his guitar, strumming softly and humming.

Coming up behind him, she put a hand on his shoulder. He smiled and leaned back into her standing form. "Hello love. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, " said Ginny, leaning forward to wrap her arms around his neck from behind. "I woke up and you weren't there so I came looking for you. I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your shirt. My nightgown is wrecked."

"I think my shirts never looked so good on me." He said, nuzzling her neck.

"What's that you were playing? A new song?" she asked.

"Just a tune that came to me. I can't seem to get it out of my head but I can't seem to quite finish it either. It'll come I guess." Draco put the guitar down and reached around to pull Ginny into his lap. "Ginny. We should talk."

Ginny sighed and looked down into her lap." I guess your right. I just don't know where to start."

"Well, I'm just going to put this out there, on the table, so you know. I love you. I want you. I need you. "Draco said, tightening his hold around her momentarily.

"I love you too Draco." Ginny said, "But it's not so simple anymore."

"But why not? Why isn't it that simple? If we love each other…." Draco watched Ginny's hand go to her stomach. "Is it because of the baby? Ginny, I don't care about that. I'll take care of you both. I'll love it like its mine, because it's yours, and anything that is a part of you I have to love. And if you think Finnigan will kick up a fuss, I'll go to him myself and tell him we won't keep him from his child. I would never do that. If there was one bright spot for me during this whole fiasco, it was the baby Isolde was carrying when I thought it was mine. I was really excited. I think it'd be wonderful to have one in the house."

Ginny saw her chance. She opened her mouth to tell him that the baby was his, to tell him the whole sordid truth but Draco kept talking.

"I mean, what sort of a woman does that? She lied to me, but worse than that, she's lied to some man out there. He's got a kid coming into the world and he didn't even know. It's the most despicable thing I could even imagine. I told her she needed to go find the father. If I were the guy, when I found out, I'd take the baby and toss her into the streets where she belongs."

"I don't know Draco. There is going to be a baby. Maybe he'll forgive her. Give her a second chance, you know?" she said, gazing at him.

"There is no second chance for someone who tries to hide a child from a parent." The look in Draco's eyes was chilling. Ginny was sure she'd seen it only one other time in her life. That was the night he had dragged Blaise Zabini off of her at the dance so many years ago. There was no room for forgiveness in his heart.

Ginny bit her lip. Obviously, telling Draco would only make the situation worse. She didn't think she could live with him hating her, and she certainly couldn't let him take her baby away when it was born as he had just said he would do if he found out she'd lied to him. She also couldn't marry Draco and allow him to continue to believe that the child was Seamus'. She didn't think it was a lie she could tell everyday for the rest of her life. And yet she didn't want to raise her baby without a father. Ginny realized suddenly that she hadn't thought things through enough before she'd come running over here. She'd only made the situation worse, because she understood now that she couldn't stay. She had to go back home and back to Seamus.

Draco noticed that Ginny had gotten very quiet. Putting a hand under her chin and lifting her face to look into his he asked, "What are you thinking love? It's ok. You can tell me."

If only I could, Ginny thought, then said, tears beginning to spill, "I can't stay Draco."

His face fell and he searched her eyes. "Why not?"

"Because it wouldn't be fair. Not to Seamus, not to you, not to the baby. I'm sorry. I wanted to, I came here thinking I could, but now I realize that I can't. It would be wrong." She said, wiping tears away.

"Ginny." He ground out, trying to keep his composure. "You have to stay. I can't stand for you not to. I love you Ginny. And you love me. We have to be together."

She rose from his lap and walked to the other side of the room, eyes blurry with tears, and just shook her head.

Desperate now, he followed her, gripping her upper arms tightly, and spun her around to face him. "Don't you understand?" he spat at her, his fear and anger all mixed together. "I can't live like this. I can't live each day wondering if I might see you on the street, or we might run into each other. I die inside every time. I can't move on, I don't want to. Ginny, PLEASE…" he begged, hating himself for sounding so desperate, hating the tears that were beginning to fall from his eyes as well.

"OH!" Ginny cried, seeing his tears and throwing her arms around him. He smashed his mouth down on hers with a force that threatened to bruise. They made love on the floor of his living room, tears mixing with sweat, desperation mixing with desire, love mixing with misery and pain. When it was over, Draco moved them back to the bed and clung to Ginny as if his very life depended on never letting her go. He tried to force himself to stay awake, so he would not waste the time they had left before she left him again but eventually his eyes refused to stay open any longer.

Ginny gazed at the beautiful sleeping man beside her and reached a hand out to stroke his hair. "I love you so much Draco Malfoy. I'm so sorry." She whispered. Then, shedding more silent tears, she slipped from the bed and was gone.