Regrets

Ginny had come to Hermione almost in tears, and begged her to leave. Hermione only took her friend into a hug, and nodded at Harry, and then poof! Ginny, Hermione, and Harry had apperated back to their flat at once, no questions asked. Ginny regretted it at once. She hadn't even given him a chance to vouch for himself, let alone tell him who she was. It was unfair. Hermione opened her mouth to speak to Ginny, but the girl had run to the fireplace, a mission formulating in her mind.

"Ginny!" Hermione almost shouted. "What are you doing? Let's talk about it love, I'm sure we can work this out… "

"No, you can't." Ginny smiled a bit. No one could but her. "I'll see you sometime. Love!" And with that, Ginny flooed herself to her own house. There was so much that she wanted to do, but she needed to be ready in order to do it. She raced up the stairs to her room and shut the door softly. Her parents wouldn't ever guess she was gone… the house was so big even her mother became lost now and then.

"Lights, lights, lights," Ginny mumbled as she fumbled for the switch. Ah, there it was. Her dark blue room reflected the pale light dimly. Ginny hastily reached behind her and unzipped her dress. She shimmied out of it and tossed it on her bed, which was proceeded by her mask. Ginny hadn't realized how painful the dress had really been; it cut off her circulation, constricted her movement, and for God's sake, the shoes were way too high. Gunny kicked off the heels and dug her bare toes into the carpet.

Ginny opened up her closet-wall and rummaged through her new clothes. If she was going back to see him, she wanted to be comfortable. There was a very pretty green shirt, studded with what looked like emeralds, and this Ginny picked out. There were thousands of pants to choose from, but Ginny picked a pair that she had recently acquired, and had worn once or twice. They were new, but broken in, and they held an "old" feel to them. Ginny quickly changed into a new pair of knickers and put her clothes on. Her hair was still up, so she tapped her wand to her head, and her hair fell around her shoulders. Then she was comfortable.

"What am I going to do?" she asked herself out loud. There had to have been something wrong with her falling for Draco, but there wasn't. She had heard so many things about him that sent her skin crawling, but when he touched her, it was so different. It felt so… so… good. She liked it. She loved it. She loved him, and she couldn't explain why. It just was.

Ginny sighed and reached for a pair of street shoes. She was going out, and she didn't care if anyone said no. She needed to talk to him, and she couldn't put it off any longer. It was now or never. With that, Ginny shoved her feet into socks and then into the shoes, and in less than a minute she had apperated to Malfoy Manor.

Draco stood by the exit as the guests left, as it was customary. His heart couldn't have been lower. He smiled and nodded as people wished him luck, but he wasn't really happy. He was miserable. She had waltzed into his life and stolen his heart, and she was a Weasley. His father's sworn enemy since the Dark Lord's defeat, and that animosity was as hot that night as it was the night it had begun. But how had he fallen in love with her? She wasn't a vile as Lucius had made the members of the family out to be; in fact, Ginny was much nicer than anyone he had ever known.

Ginny.

That name held things that his mind had only fathomed in his dreams. Her face, her body, her. She had walked right out of his slumber and into his arms. She was beautiful, intelligent, witty, charming. She was a Weasley, something his family or any of their friends would never be. It was almost as if… it was like she was meant to be there for him. Her timing was perfect; she fit.

"Draco!" Lucius' drunken call came from the silent room. "Come over here, boy."

Draco walked slowly toward his father. A bit of the old fear came creeping back into him, like his father was in one of his moods once more. It had been such a long time since… But who knew what his father was capable of when he was sloshed? "Yes?" Draco sighed slightly.

"Did you get a chance to meet your future wife?"

'Lie. Lie. Lie.' Draco told himself. Ginny. She was close enough. "Yes, I did." He lied outright to his father.

"Good." Hiccup. "Now, I want you to tell me all about her… " His father's eyes dropped and Draco stiffened. It usually proceeded violence, and Draco didn't want to fight, not right now, at least. "Her… " His father's words were heavier. "Zzz… "

"Father?" Draco asked quietly. There was no response. His father was asleep, which meant he could go to his room and finally shed his party wear. "Goodnight," he whispered as he tip-toed toward the door.

In a flash, Draco was in his room and half naked. It felt so good to finally be out of those chaffing clothes and tight shoes. Even though they looked soft, they weren't on the inside. God! It had to have been 100 wool on the inside of this thing. Draco scratched his shoulders and stomach and back and legs until all of the itching had gone. He pulled on a pair of real silk pajama pants and laid back on his sheets, the satin cooling against his bare chest. Now he was comfortable. But his mind was still very busy.

Ginny. Why had she left so soon? Did she return his feelings? What else was there? What else? Draco rose and padded over to his desk. There had to have been something that he could do to get her off of his mind. No. That would never happen, never in a million years. He pulled out his journal and quill and a bottle of ink. With these in hand, he walked outside and sat up on the ledge of the balcony. He set the journal down by his feet and set the ink bottle right above that. It was such a beautiful, clear night. The stars shone down bright and the moon filled the top part of the sky. It was breathtaking.

Ginny had hidden herself in the woods until all of the people had apperated out of the Manor. Maybe if she could sneak in… no. It was too risky. Ginny sighed and walked around the garden, which had taken on a new light. It was brighter somehow, and more cheery. She smiled. It was so beautiful.

Suddenly, a voice could be heard from above. There was someone outside, and they would see her for sure. Ginny ran and ducked under the cover of the gazebo, which was not far away. Her heart quickened with memory, but she bade it still while she listened to the voice.

"Today I met the most beautiful woman in the world. Her face I could not see, but what I saw in her heart more than made up for what I couldn't find with my eye. It is rather unfortunate that this sacred treasure belongs to a different family." The man sighed and there was a pause. "Ginny, if only you could hear me right now, I'd take you in my arms and explain everything. There is so much standing between us; it is much to difficult to say eloquently… My family hates yours, and your family hates mine."

Ginny's heart quickened and she walked to the door of the gazebo slowly. She leaned against the post and gazed through the leaves at the owner of the voice. There, above her, was Draco. He was leaning against the castle wall with his feet on the railing and dictating to a journal. He was barefoot, in black pants, no shirt. He was gorgeous. She opened her mouth to speak, but she held herself. She might learn of how he really felt about her, and then she would speak.

"If your name were anything but Weasley! A Weasley is not something tangible, like your beautiful face or your soft hair. It is only a name. What is in a name, anyhow?" Draco leaned over the side of his balcony, hungrily searching for something to illustrate his point. The sweet fragrance of flowers rose to him and he breathed deeply. "Take my roses: If they were called snarfblats, they would still be the sweetest smelling flower in the garden." Draco sighed, and Ginny felt a tear fall out of her eye. He was so romantic, even though he wasn't trying. "If your name weren't Ginny, I would still feel the same. I would still owe my heart to you – you – the goddess of perfection and love. I swear fidelity only to you, if you would have me." By this point, Draco had relieved Ginny's fear of rejection, and she was dying to talk to him.

"I will!" she shouted through the roses.

"Who's there?" Draco called to the gazebo. There was someone in there, and if they had overheard what he had said about Ginny, he was a cooked goose. "Show yourself!" he shouted.

There was a black rose right in front of Ginny, which she plucked off the stem and put it in her pocket. She hitched her sleeves and climbed the wood work of the gazebo, up, up, until she was on the roof. She reached over to the lattice and hauled herself up, until she was face to face with Draco. She took the rose out of her pocket and placed it in his hand. "Here I am."

Draco's face lit up into a huge smile and he pulled Ginny off of the lattice and onto the balcony. He ran his hands through her hair and kissed her softly without saying a word. She was caught off guard by this, but it didn't stop her from going along with it. Draco continued to walk back, until he tripped over a stone, which sent him flying to the ground. This took Ginny with him, and she landed with a thud on his soft body.

"You should pay attention to where you are going," she huffed as she lifted herself off of him.

"How can I," he began softly as she helped him up. "When I have your beautiful face distracting me?" At this, Ginny blushed.

"You're just saying that."

"Am I?" Draco took her hands in his and gazed into her eyes. He suddenly thought of how she arrived on the grounds. "Oh no," he breathed. "My father… How did you manage getting on the grounds? My father sets the security charms early… How?"

Ginny laughed a bit and brushed her pants off. She smiled and pulled her hair back with one hand. "Well, I left and came back within the span of maybe thirty minutes. People were still here when I stole into the woods and hid out till everyone left. Then… " She buzzed her lips and leaned against the wall casually as if sneaking around at midnight was nothing. "I caroused in your garden, till I heard your voice."

"So I guess you heard what I said… " Draco blushed a bit and turned his head away. "But tell me, are you lying about what you said? I know this is completely out of line, but," he broke off and gazed into her eyes again, which were merry and full of light. "Do you love me? Would you vow to be mine, forever and ever?"

It was Ginny's turn to blush. "Yes. I want nothing more than to have you hold me like you did in the gazebo for the rest of my life. I was so afraid… " Ginny broke off and her gaze fell from his.

"What?" He pressed closer to her. "What were you afraid of?" His actions were gentle, but his voice was not. His voice was cold, but not bitter.

"When I first saw you, I didn't know what to think. My heart fluttered around a bit and I couldn't help but smile, but then I didn't see you again, and when I did, you seemed angry at me… "

"But I wasn't!" Draco interrupted. "Oh, on my life I wasn't! Not you, but someone who I thought you were. See," Draco paused and looked at his naked chest. He looked back up at Ginny, who was smiling. He sighed. "I'm supposed to… I'm supposed to be getting married on Saturday."

"Saturday?" Ginny asked, her astonishment unconcealed. "Today is Wednesday! Saturday is in three days! How are you going to get married in three days? If you love me, then who? I don't understand," Ginny's voice was full of distress as she contemplated the possibilities.

"It's an arranged marriage," Draco said hurriedly. "Her father and my father sat down and decided to hook us up, like they did in the olden days of gag."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I haven't even met this girl. We were supposed to meet tonight, but I never saw her. That's why when I first saw you, I thought you were her, because you looked like what I had in mind. And I was angry, but not at you. I wanted to talk to this 'Callista' and try and coax her out of marriage, because I don't like people usually." Draco paused and took a breath, looking at the sky for encouragement. "But when you talked to me, everything was suddenly fine and, well, I liked the way you spoke to me as if I was just any man. Something about you just made me… fall in love with you." Ginny's face brightened and she smiled again. After a pause, she cleared her throat.

"I don't know what else to say," Ginny sighed. "I mean, there were some nasty times between us at Hogwarts… " Draco laughed.

"I never bothered to give you the time of day. I didn't even want to hear you say hello, let alone ask you how you were doing or what you like to do. Maybe it had something to do with your brother and Potter, but who knows."

"Yes," Ginny sighed and walked toward the railing. "I was crazy up until today. I chased after every boy there was, and there was an unexplainable force driving me from relationship to relationship. But it stopped with the dance."

"You mean," Draco walked closer to her and put his hands around her waist. "This dance?" He pulled her close to him slowly and swayed with her. She smiled and nodded, and traced a finger around his shoulder.

"This is the one," she sighed. "I just don't understand how or why. It makes my head spin when I think about it."

"So don't think about it. Just let it happen."

"I'm not sure if I can."

Draco stopped and pulled her away from him a bit. He looked her square in the eye. "You can. I know you can. If you can look at me in the eye and tell me that you take back your vow, then I know you can't. But if you can't say it, then you do love me."

Ginny looked him back in the eye and searched for the words, trying to say that she didn't love him, but nothing would come. She loved him, and it was as simple as that. "I do love you. I do." Ginny pulled him close and rested her head on his chest. "There's no rhyme or reason to it. I just do."

"And I will stake my life to say that you are the one I want to spend the rest of my days with. You are what I want, you are what I need." Draco pulled her back and kissed her softly. "I don't know what I would do without you." His pale blond hair was waving in the slight breeze and his cool grey eyes were shining.

"Draco?" A voice came from the door in his room. It was Snape's voice. He probably wanted to check in on him and see how he was doing and all that crap. Damn him.

"Shit." Draco unwrapped his arms from Ginny and gazed inside. A tall shadow lurked from the other side.

"Who is it?" Ginny asked.

"Snape."

"Oh. Him." Ginny remembered their brief contact at the party. "What's he doing here, anyway?"

"My father is paying him to teach me 'straight' magic, as it were."

"Oh. Well, go see what he wants."

Draco pulled away from Ginny, but she caught his arm and pulled him into a quick kiss. He held up a minute finger to Snape, who was still calling his name. He pulled away. "Have to… " Ginny pulled him back into a kiss. He pulled away. "See… " Ginny pulled him back into a kiss. He pulled away. "What… " Ginny pulled him back into a kiss. He pulled away, but paused. "Oh fuck him." Draco leaned into Ginny and kissed her feverishly, pressing his body against hers and running his hands through her hair. It sent shivers up her spine, and when he pulled away, she was speechless. "Stay here, I'll be right back."

With that, he walked through the doors and closed the curtains. "Just a minute," Draco called. Ginny pressed her ear close to the curtain. The sound of a door could be heard opening. "Yeah, what do you want?"

"I came to see if you were all right. You seemed rather upset today when I accidentally… "

"I know. It doesn't matter though."

"Oh really. Why not?" A pause.

"Because I'm fine with it. Now, if you'll excuse me… "

"No, I won't." A pause.

"You should. I was about to go to bed."

"How come I don't believe you?" No pause.

"Because I'm a Malfoy, and no one ever believes us."

"Good point. All right then, see you tomorrow." The sound of a door closing. Footsteps. The rustle of fabric. The touch of a warm hand over her eyes.

"Very funny," Ginny laughed as she pulled Draco's hand away.

"That was painful." Draco sighed as he leaned against the cool stones next to Ginny.

"He's like your nanny," Ginny pointed out. "A regular teacher wouldn't check in on you every five minutes."

"Well, he does. It's rather annoying. Then again, my father pays him handsomely to stand in for my father."

"Aren't you too old for a govern?"

"Yeah. My dad is really old fashioned."

"So is mine, but mine's worse. My dad is into all things Muggle. He brings home some really strange stuff."

"Mine collects large quantities of alcohol and then consumes it." Ginny laughed and then sighed sadly.

"It's funny, don't you think?" Ginny asked Draco as she leaned back into his warm, open embrace and gazed out at the stars.

"What?"

"How much our families are alike, and yet how they hate each other so much?" She turned her head to see his face, but he was behind her and gazing at the stars too.

"Yeah, I guess so. The Greater Being playing a huge practical joke on us all."

"Yes." A pause. "Say," Ginny's mind was whirling. "You have to get married… " she checked her watch. "Saturday. What are we going to do about that?"

"I don't know." Draco slumped his head against her warm shoulder and she touched his face.

"Wait!" She nearly shouted, scaring Draco off of her arm. "I know!" she added in a whisper. "If we get married, tomorrow, then you don't have to worry about her! My parents still own the Burrow, we could go there and hide away we are forgotten, then we can go to Paris. What do you say?"

Draco's mind obviously hadn't even wandered into that prospect yet. It did sound very tempting. Run away… with her… it was perfect. "Yes," he muttered as he leaned in to kiss her. "It's perfect."

"Draco!" Snape was back.

"Shit." Draco broke away from Ginny and peered around the frame into his room. "I'm going to have to deal with this. Will you talk to someone about marrying us?"

Ginny turned around to face him and smiled. "Yes. What time should we meet?" She placed her lips on his chin and he wrapped his arms around her arse.

"How is nine?"

"In the morning? Are you crazy?" Ginny laughed quietly and shook her head. "Let's say eleven, all right?"

"Deal." Draco leaned down to kiss Ginny and she pressed against him. After a rather deep kiss, he said, "Wait in the Hog's Head tomorrow and I'll send Snape for your word. He's the only one with clearance in and out of the place, and I have work tomorrow."

"I'll be there." Ginny kissed Draco again.

"Draco!"

"I have to go." They kissed again, but a little longer than before. Draco pulled away and touched her hand once before he turned into his room. Ginny was on the lattice when she called out to him.

"Hey!"

"What?" His head came out of the curtain and he came toward her a little.

"I love you. Just, you know, thought you should know that."

"I do." He leaned forward and kissed her again. "I love you." He kissed her quickly before answering Snape's calls. "Yes, just a minute!"

"Farewell," Ginny called as she disappeared under the gazebo.

"Farewell, love," Draco sighed as he turned back into his room.