Author's Note: Now for a little heart-to-heart so we can all see the warm, gentle person Draco Malfoy really is. . . . Maybe. Sorry that I took so long to update, but I had serious writer's block.

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Ginny, still on her knees in the patch of toadstools, scooted closer to Draco until her knees were inches from his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into his kiss. She couldn't stop kissing him and couldn't escape the emotions now tumbling down inside of her. Harry's face suddenly flashed in her mind, and she pulled away from the kiss, though she kept her arms around his neck. She rested her forehead against his, noting how warm his usually cool skin was.

"I'm sorry," Draco whispered, tightening his arms, which were wrapped around her waist. "I'm so sorry."

Not sure what he was apologizing for, Ginny said, "It's okay, Draco. I know. I know."

Not sure what she knew, Draco asked, "Why were you kissing me?"

Not sure why he was asking, Ginny murmured, "Because - I wanted to." There really was no other reason she could think of.

He didn't say anything.

Ginny pulled him closer and put her head next to his. Her wispy hair tickled his ear. "You don't have to be that way," she whispered, looking up through a gap in the leaves to see a sliver of a golden moon. What am I doing . . . ?

He closed his eyes and inhaled the smell of her shampoo, knowing that this was the first time anyone had ever held him in their arms because they genuinely wanted to. It didn't matter if it was Ginny Weasley - in fact, he was glad it was Ginny, and felt something toward her he never had before. He held onto her even tighter, shelving his pride.

Ginny felt his arms tighten even more and her heart skipped about 12 beats. She closed her eyes and savored the moment, banishing all thoughts of Harry and what he would say if he came upon the scene.

Draco opened his eyes. "Ginny." It was the first time he'd ever said the name by which she went. He pulled away from her reluctantly and stared deeply into her endless eyes. "You can't do this."

"Why not?" Ginny asked softly with a small frown.

"Because of Harry," Draco said wearily, taking his arms off her waist and stood up. It physically hurt him to stop holding her.

She was quiet for a moment, amazed. "Can I ask you something?" Her eyes seemed bright in the darkness as she stood up as well.

"If I said no, would you still ask me?" he asked, making up for his last, broken-up sentence by being irresistibly witty. Well, he thought so, anyway.

Ginny ignored it. "Why were you kissing me?"

"I don't know," Draco said before he could stop himself. Ginny's lips began to look pursed and annoyed. "Really, I don't know what happened or how, but you're the only one who - who would - ever kiss me back." It came out horribly skewed. He didn't often share his feelings much and was dreadful at putting his emotions into words.

"Right," Ginny spat, suddenly realizing how stupid she was to let herself think there was more to Draco than he let on. "Well, if you don't mind--"

"No, that's not what I meant," Draco exclaimed hastily, grabbing her wrist as she began to turn away from him. "Well - it is - but what I meant was, you're the only one who's ever made me feel - uh - "

"Wanted?" Ginny finished quietly for him, wondering whether or not she should still be furious with him. She settled on being neutrally bland, as she was getting sick of the emotional roller coaster she'd found herself on. She was a bit amused that the normally smooth Draco was getting flustered.

"Yes, that," he agreed with a small half-smile. He wasn't sure what else to say. He mentally slapped himself for being so clumsy with his words, but he had never expressed anything besides hate and ridicule to anyone before.

"So I've seen the real 'you', have I?" she asked, meaning to be rhetorical. Draco answered anyway.

He nodded. "You're the only girl I've kissed who really wanted to kiss me."

"So you've been kissing dozens of girls, then?" Ginny's eyes flashed, deciding to be angry again. "Keeping count? I suppose you label females like Potions ingredients - bad kisser, good kisser, has halitosis--"

"No!" said Draco, reaching out to grab her shoulders with both of his hands. She looked mildly surprised. He had to make her see his point, even if she hated him for it. "Look, if you must know, I can count all the girls I've willingly kissed on one hand, all right? And all except one didn't like me as a real person, except maybe to laugh when I made fun of your family or something. Which I, you know, didn't really mean. That much."

Ginny heaved a large sigh. This was much too complicated. Deciding to simplify it, her lips met his again - though if only briefly. "Okay," she said. There, she'd accepted his apology, if that was indeed what it was. Now what?

"Now what?" he asked in a low voice, as if he were reading her mind.

Ginny's heart literally ached, and her throat tightened. She had just discovered that she, well. She didn't really mind Draco. In fact - maybe it was because they'd made out twice now - but she liked him. Or was it just physical? Maybe she just felt sorry for him.

But what about Harry? she asked herself, a frown descending upon her brow. He'd hate this. I'm his girlfriend, though. I like Harry. But I like Draco. But "like" isn't exactly strong enough . . .

"Draco?" Ginny asked softly, willing her eyes to stop tearing. "Can we - can we talk about this tomorrow? I have to sort some things out."

Draco nodded and hoped his disappointment didn't settle onto his face. He had half-hoped that she'd cry, "I'll leave Harry for you!" and throw her arms around him and smother him in kisses, but then he reminded himself that he was living in real life, not in some sappy Muggle movie. "All right," he murmured.

She smiled, but then remembered that she was the only one, according to him, who knew about this secret, soft side. His other side was rather unpleasant. Was it an act, or the real Draco? Maybe he was bipolar or something. No, that wasn't it.

Biting her lip, Ginny knew that his insults were a defense mechanism. She knew how he'd grown up and the kind of family life (or lack thereof) he had to endure. Plus, his jealousy of Harry (everyone knew about it but never mentioned it) might have driven him to say and do things he knew were wrong. Everyone was used to it by now, especially Draco. It would be nice to see the soft Draco more often, but it would be hard to let go of his king-of-the-mountain reputation - not to mention the ridicule he might have to bear from all of Hogwarts. She could hear them in her head - "What's the matter, Malfoy, have we gone soft? What, no insults today? Are you ill? Did Daddy make you be nice to us?" Ginny suddenly marveled at the fact that she had, perhaps, fallen for Draco Malfoy.

Ginny opened her mouth to voice her pity and confusion and sorrow, when a shrill giggle erupted somewhere in the distance. Draco's head snapped up - he knew that laugh. Their eyes squinted into the eerie darkness, and then they heard crunching leaves and giddy conversation.

"Oh, Harry, you're such a sweetie," Cho's voice lilted. Harry chuckled and he spoke in a voice about three octaves below his normal one.

"I'm not the sweet one here, love," he said, "Don't you remember last year?"

"Oh, but that was last year," said Cho.

"Still," said Harry, sounding a bit noble, "I really ought to apologize for any hurt I've caused you. I'm so sorry, Cho."

Ginny's ears strained to hear Cho's whisper. "I know one way you can make it up to me."

Two silhouettes in the near distance became one silhouette as Cho threw herself at Harry. Ginny expected Harry to hold her at arm's distance and sternly remind her that he had a girlfriend, but he didn't. In fact, he seemed to be kissing back. Hard. Deeply.

Draco looked down at Ginny and saw her usually smiling mouth open in disbelief, and her eyes wide and angry. She fingered her wand, debating whether or not to hex them, when she realized Draco's hand was holding hers. She looked up and knew exactly what his eyes were conveying - "We were doing the same thing not ten minutes ago."

Draco took matters into his own hands and slipped an arm around Ginny's waist. They began to stroll toward the kissing couple. "Well, well, well," he said triumphantly, "It seems we've had another little mix-up. What an unfortunate mistake. Or is it?"

Harry and Cho broke apart and gasped. "Malfoy?" Harry panted. "What are you doing here?"

"Serving detention, Potter," Draco answered. "And what, may I inquire, are you doing here? Besides, of course, what we've observed in the past few minutes. Isn't that right, Ginny love?" He kissed her forehead lightly.

Silence. Ginny was half proud of and half angry at Draco for confronting Harry and Cho. She'd hoped she could break up with Harry the next day, or at least ask him about Cho.

"What've you done to Ginny?" Harry asked meekly. Cho placed a hand on his shoulder and raised an unnaturally thin eyebrow at Ginny. Ginny smirked back, taking a page out of Draco's book.

"I believe that the real question," said the blonde, knowing he had the upper hand in the situation (or at least sounding like it), "is what you have done to Ginny. Your girlfriend?" If his words were text, 'girlfriend' would be underlined and capitalized and made to flash different colors. You could say it was emphasized.

Harry opened and closed his mouth, unable to think of a response. "G - Ginny," he said at last, "could I have a word with you?"

"Sure," said Ginny, not moving.

"Alone?"

"I'm fine just standing right here, thanks," she said defiantly.

"Well, I'm not," said Harry stupidly. "Alone, please?"

"No. What would you say to me, anyway? Break up with me? Apologize? Both?" Ginny scowled. "Invite me for a bit of tea at Hagrid's? Actions, Harry, speak louder than words, and I don't want to hear anything you have to say to me." She leaned her head on Draco's (broad and muscular) chest and blinked innocently.

Harry narrowed his eyes. What was his girlfriend doing with Malfoy? She looked rather stupid, really - probably just trying to spite him - he had, after all, kissed another girl. Fine, he thought furiously. I'll leave her with him and see how she likes it.

"I rather think we've collected enough toadstools, Cho," said Harry loudly, not taking his eyes off of Ginny's pretty but cruel face.

"I'm amazed," said Draco, "that you've found time to pick piddly mushrooms when you've obviously been sucking each others' face this whole time." He smiled to himself, pleased he'd been able to think of such wonderfully correct and scathing remarks.

"That's not true!" yelled Harry heatedly, his fists clenching. But his lipstick-smeared face gave him away, as well as Cho's triumphant silence. "For us, anyway!"

"Right," spat Ginny, annoyed with her boyfriend's disloyalty and her own hypocrisy. "Why don't we all yell at each other and see what Dark creatures hear and attack us?"

"Yes, why bother yelling?" agreed Harry, whipping out his wand and pointing it threateningly at Draco. "When curses are so much quicker?" He strode quickly toward Draco, aiming his wand threateningly at his heart.

"Curse me," said Draco softly, freezing Harry. "I doubt you would. How could Dumbledore's favorite boy curse another student? It's utterly unlike your noble, brave, Gryffindor character to curse someone who hasn't got his own wand out."

"Watch me," Harry hissed.