A/N: thanks for the reviews, they were highly amusing and probably the best i've gotten for this story :)

- chapter 1 - chapter 5.2 - chapter 4.1 - chapter 3.1 - chapter 6.1 - chapter 5.1 - chapter 10 - chapter 11.2 - chaper 13.2 - chapter 2 - chapter 4.2 - chapter 3.2 - chapter 4.3 - chapter 7 - chapter 9.1 - chapter 6.2 - chapter 9.3 - chapter 11.1 - chapter 8.2 - chapter 12.2 - chapter 9.2 - chapter 12.1 - chapter 13.3 - chapter 8.1 - chapter 13.1 - chapter 8.3 -

- June - 2000 -

Anger is a brilliant motivator, especially when you're a scorned lover. Once my time of grieving for my own stupidity had ended, I set to work. I joined Harry at the ministry in Auror training. I worked harder than I had ever worked at school, learned more, did better, than I would have had I not had the image of his cruel smirk haunting my every moment. I was determined to see him in as much anguish as I was in, and with the knowledge I had of his work with the Death Eaters, I had a good chance of success. I worked diligently, stayed late nights, plotted carefully.

It was a two years before I saw him again, sitting in a café with his wife and what appeared to be their daughter. He was taller than before, his hair longer, and his features hardened. He looked arrestingly like his father. I was meeting with Hermione and Neville for lunch and passed him on the way to their table. I ignored him as I passed, but I could sense his eyes on me and cursed the warmth that spread throughout my body at his glance. My heart was racing and I could feel my fingers shaking slightly, but I straightened my shoulders and tried to ignore it as I sat with my friends. Hermione noticed my stiff posture and raised an eyebrow at me before noticing Malfoy and his family behind us. "Ron.."

"Don't. I don't want to talk about it. As far as I'm concerned, he does not exist."

She looked as though she wanted to say more, but one look closed her mouth. Neville had seen what we were talking about and had the good grace to change the subject. "Ginny says hello."

"Really? When did you talk to her?"

He avoided my eyes and his voice cracked a little, "Last night. We um… we went to dinner."

The prospect of Neville dating my sister took my mind momentarily off of Malfoy and I relaxed just a bit, "You did, did you? And did she stay over?"

His eyes went wide and Hermione and I shared a smirk. "She um… well, um… not exactly…"

"Neville, relax. I know you are sleeping with my sister. She told me last week."

His eyes remained the size of saucers, "And you don't hate me?"

"No, not entirely, although if you hurt her in any way you will die," I stated threateningly. Neville cowered in fear and took a drink of his water to settle himself. I let him squirm for a minute more before nudging him with a smirk, "I'm only joking.Other thanHarry, you're the best person I could think of to be with Gin. I'll leave you to it as long as you don't shamelessly break her heart, which I don't think you're capable of."

He slouched in relief and grinned at me, "Good, I'm glad, because I really like your sister, a lot."

"I know you do. And I'm glad that you do. You both deserve some happiness after this bloody war…" We all looked at our plates, but then Hermione perked up a bit and grinned. "What is it?"

"You know that guy I told you about that I met at the hospital?"

"Yes…" Not another boyfriend, please no. I was not in the mood to hear about another female close to me becoming attached to a man that potentially had a death warrant.

"Well, we were talking yesterday, and… he asked me to go to the Puddlemere game with him next Thursday. He's got box seats!"

"Brilliant, you can see Oliver." I forced a smile, mentally grimacing at the prospect of her dating another healer. The last bastard had apparently been sleeping with another medi-witch as well, and Harry and I had had to be physically restrained from putting our Auror training to use and killing the slimy git.

Neville seemed less apprehensive about her dating someone new and began to ask her questions about him. I sat back and half-listened, paying more attention to my food as my mind wandered to the man sitting three tables behind me. Our lunch went by peacefully, and before I knew it, Hermione had to get back to St. Mungo's. We said goodbye to her and Neville and I headed down the street to waste the extra half an hour we had before heading back to the Ministry. Five minutes into our stroll, he clamped a hand to his head and muttered a frantic exclamation that he had forgotten about paperwork that needed to be done. He was suddenly gone with a loud pop and I found myself alone in Diagon Alley, mind wandering back to a certain blonde wizard whose demise I was slowly developing.

I turned into a smaller alley somewhere between Diagon and Knockturn Alley and found myself in a hidden potions shop that specialized in darker ingredients than anything you'd find on a Hogwarts list. The shop was dimly lit and filled with shelf after shelf of peculiar objects in jars. I had wandered to the back of the shop and was perusing an isle of pickled animal claws when I sensed a presence near me and suddenly a familiar form was pressed against my back and lips curled around my ear. "I hope you weren't thinking that I was going to pretend not to see you in the café, Weasley, because you'll be sorely disappointed."

I stepped away from him and turned to face that calculating gaze that held something so familiar to me and yet so foreign, lust. I scowled at him in response, "I never even gave you a second thought, Malfoy."

He stepped closer, his smirk turning predatory, and I tried to step back again, but only met with the shelf. "You've always been a horrid liar, Weasley. You haven't been able to get me out of your head since you saw me."

I tried to scoff and turned to feign interest in a jar filled with badger paws, "I see you've produced an heir; your life's purpose should be about complete, shouldn't it?" "Nice subject change, there, Weasley." He was pressed up against me again and my skin was tingling in anticipation of the lascivious activity his proximity always seemed to promise. I fought my body's urge to turn and ravish him, strip the expensive velvet from his body and shag him right on the shop floor with the owner hovering over the counter up front.

"How is Daddy doing, by the way? I imagine he's a bit antsy with the upcoming execution and all. Are you going to see him off to hell or stay home and count your money? Me, I'm planning on going. I can't wait to watch him writhe in agony."

His fingers slid up and around my waist, fiddling with the lowest button to hold my robes closed, his lips hot against my ear again, "As much as I can't wait to see the bastard die, I'll be in Italy seeing to the comfort of little Amelia and my wife. They'll be moving into the family villa on the coast. Pansy finds the Mediterranean more to her liking and I couldn't possibly leave England with my financial obligations…" He had managed to slide his hand into my loose trousers and was languidly stroking me through my under shorts. As soon as his voice stopped its husky massage of my earlobe, I snapped back into reality and took a hold of his wrist, pulling his hand from my pants.

"That's lovely, Malfoy, good to know your marriage is going so well that your wife finds it necessary to leave the country. I can certainly sympathize with her desire to be rid of you." I pulled myself from him and stepped away, reaching into my pocket for my wand.

"Now, now, Weasel, I seem to remember a time when you were begging me to stay with you. It's hard to believe your sentiment could change so quickly."

"So quickly? It's been over two years, Malfoy. I don't consider that quickly by any means. I hope you don't think that anything between us is going to be rekindled just because your bloody wife is on the Continent. I meant what I said at graduation and I'm certainly not going to back down now." Before he could respond, I apparrated to the Leaky Cauldron and disappeared inside to Floo back to work.

- May 5 - 1997 - Sixth Year -

I was walking to Muggle Studies alone, my mind wandering to the muggle concept of ekletrixity and my dad's collection of plugs. There was a test coming and I still had no idea what the basic concept was and how magic was not involved. My name was called down the hallway, but it was his voice so I did not look up or pause in my progress, only stiffened slightly. The confrontation with Harry had made me not only weary of him, but very angry. I'd had to endure two days of Harry's indignation that Malfoy would even joke about something like he and I being together and it was more conversation involving Malfoy than I liked to participate in. My name was called again, closer, and I noticed that there was a different tone to his speech. I ignored it and continued on my way.

The third time he said my name was with a hand placed on my shoulder. He stopped me and turned me to look at him with a noted lack of force. His eyes were searching and a bit worried, but there was no malice within them. Something different, very different, and yet my heart still fluttered fearfully. "Ron… are you alright?"

I snatched my arm away from him and glared, "Don't touch me."

His brow furrowed, "Why not? You haven't responded to me in over a week. I thought after that thing with Potter, you'd have at least come to yell at me." He tried for a smile, but it quickly turned back into a frown.

Not amused, I took a step away from him and met with the wall, "You went too far this time. You really hurt me. I can't let that happen again." My voice was shaking and his eyes went dark, but still held no anger.

He closed the gap between us and wrapped his arms around me, kissing my bangs as he pulled me to him, before resting his chin atop my head. I was terrified and never hated more the fact that he'd come back from the previous summer several inches taller than me. I was fighting the sensation of being home that always came over me when I was enveloped in his arms. "You scared me. You know how I feel about that word. I had to prove to you that it doesn't exist. I didn't mean to be as rough as I was." His voice was low and whispered into my hair as he pressed his cheek to my forehead, kissing it once more. Half my body wanted to shove him away while the other half wanted to wrap my arms around his waist and bury my nose in his neck. I settled for standing motionless, my heart relaxing its frantic beating a little as the fear began to dissipate.

"Is this some kind of apology?"

"Malfoy's don't apologize, but if we did… this might qualify."

"Who says I'll accept it?"

"You haven't pulled away yet." I didn't answer, but remained tucked away in the folds of his arms. I never made it to Muggle Studies.

- June 7 - 1998 - Seventh Year -

It was just after finishing ceremony and Draco and I were standing in a corner of the Entrance Hall, quietly discussing whether it was a good idea to properly introduce him to my family. "I don't know, Love, your family hates me. I don't see how a proper introduction could relax that situation."

"Draco, you don't know my family. If I tell them that I care for you, they will accept you. They might not like you, but they'll give you a chance."

He seemed skeptical and began twirling a lock of my hair between his fingers, "I'm not sure I'm ready for that, Love…"

"Please?" My hands were resting on his forearms and I gave them a small squeeze of encouragement.

He smiled softly, but there was still a bit of skepticism in his eyes as he opened his mouth to respond. I never got to hear it because an icy voice behind him split the quiet cocoon we'd been wrapped in, "Draco."

Draco looked up, shock resonating in his face for only a moment before his whole body stiffened and his expression turned to stone, "Father." Confused, I turned to face Lucius Malfoy in regal robes of dark velvet, starring down his son.

"Hello, Mr. Malfoy." I think my voice squeaked, but I was an adult now and I was not going to let fear get in the way of speaking cordially to my boyfriend's father, no matter how much his presence sent me into chills to counter walking through Sir Nicolas.

Lucius acted as though I did not exist, "We are leaving. Your mother is waiting in the carriage."

I turned to Draco, expecting a reaction, some kind of explanation as to what the bloody hell his father was doing, not only out of Azkaban, but at Hogwarts, or at least an indication that I was alive and standing there with my hands curled around his arms. Draco was like a suit of armor. "Yes, Father." His father never looked at me as he turned to leave, something I guess I should have expected, and Draco brushed by me with the same air, but I grabbed his wrist. He paused and glanced at me with that cruelty that I had almost forgotten in the time after the Battle. "May I help you with something, Weasel?"

I momentarily lost the ability to speak. In the meantime, Draco tried to pull his hand away, giving me a glare that told me I had no right to touch him, and in that moment, the anger snapped back into me with such force that I growled, "What are you doing, Malfoy? Your father mysteriously shows up out of nowhere and you turn to stone? I did not go through all the rubbish I did with you to let you do this."

His father was standing within my range of vision, waiting expectantly, and Draco's nose was in the air in a manner that mimicked him, "I've not the slightest idea what you're speaking of. Let go of my arm." I am not entirely sure, but I believe it was the cold grey of his eyes that set my anger into a ferocity all too familiar, but that had not surfaced for quite longer than recent memory afforded me. I lunged at him, shoving him to the ground, and began to throw blow after blow without pause or thought. I was screaming at him, but I do not know what I said. It only took him a few minutes to take control and I found myself on my back with my hands pinned above my head and his wand at my throat. His voice was cold, calculated, and low enough to be a mumble to our audience, including his father who seemed only mildly interested in our fray. "Weasley, if you don't stop this right now, I will kill you. I don't know why he is here or how he got out, but it doesn't matter now. This must happen. You were entertaining, and yes, I may have developed an affection for you. However, I am betrothed to Pansy and have been since birth. An heir must be produced. There is no alternative. You will accept this and you will leave me be or I will make you beg for death. Understand?"

My skin was on fire and my chest was heaving in furious breaths. My teeth clenched to the point of pain as I spoke, "Produce your heir, enjoy your money, but know that this ends here. You will never touch me again if you leave me today. Never."

The cruel smile I had grown to detest oozed onto his lips, "Whether I walk out today or not, you will always be mine. Always." He let me go, stood up, brushed himself off in an attempt to look dignified, and followed his father out without a glance or a word more.

I was not going to cry. Even as Harry pulled me up from the ground, I refused to allow moisture to my eyes. He did not deserve the privilege. Harry straightened my robes and my hair for me and took me to my family, our family, which he had shuffled into the Great Hall at the beginning of Malfoy's and my confrontation. I mentally thanked him, and I think he understood. I did not speak though, even days later, not a word.


A/N: thanks goes out to my lovely beta - cassie. all bow down to her greatness