Hello! First of all, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback on the last chapter. I'm glad you're enjoying this story so far. Please do let me know what you think of this chapter.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his amazing world is J.K Rowling's of course. This fanfic is mine.

WILFULLY: CHAPTER 18

Ginny Weasley had always believed that the truth could not remain hidden for long.

Which is why, she should have known that this would happen sooner or later. Damn it.

xx

It was the night of Arthur and Molly Weasley's thirty-fifth wedding anniversary and the Burrow was a hubbub of preparations, laughter, chatter and music.

Fleur was in charge of catering and while she decorated the three-tiered cake with purple icing, she barked orders at her minions: Charlie and Audrey, who bustled about the kitchen, chopping vegetables and stirring the steaming pots on the stove. Angelina sat at the table, watching their mild panic attacks with amusement, and often plopped a bite or two of the prepared dishes into her mouth. No one stopped her because she and Ron had very eagerly volunteered to be the official tasters, to 'make sure the food is up to par', or so Ron had said in an attempt to justify his role.

"You know, I miss my fellow taster," Angelina said through a mouthful of sausage. "Where is Ron?"

"Not here yet," Audrey replied. "Thank Merlin, or there would be no food left for the actual dinner!"

Molly Weasley, who had been kicked out of the kitchen because this was supposed to be her day off, kept on hovering by the doorway and giving pointless advice on the right way to marinate the meat. So, Bill had been tasked to keep her away. He had attempted to distract her by starting a conversation about his hair, which reached below his shoulders now, and it worked – only too well. Now, she was trailing after him through the living room with a pair of scissors in hand and he looked utterly terrified. No one came to his aid, of course, because he had brought it upon himself... And also because the only two remaining people in the living room, Arthur and Percy, were far too engrossed in their game of wizarding chess to much care about Bill's hairy plight.

It was Ginny's job to keep Victorie and Fred occupied, which was why she had just run down the stairs, looking around frantically for a good place to hide. They were playing hide-n-seek, it was Victorie's turn and Fred had already scurried off upstairs to hide in Percy's old room. The living room was too obvious, the kitchen was out of bounds – so Ginny ran out to the backyard.

The snow had been cleared and a large table set up for dinner. The air was crisp but also surprisingly bearable because of the small bonfires of blue flames that had been set about the perimeter. Countless candles floated above the table, bathing the backyard in warm light; they reminded Ginny of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Bright gold streamers spelled things like 'Happy 35th Anniversary!', 'World's Best Parents' and 'The Hottest Couple in the Family!' – but then there were a few that also spelled out famous but hilarious incidents like 'Remember the time dad tried to get stitches?', 'Mum sat on her father-in-law's lap accidentally one time' or 'Dad's Ford Anglia: Lost but Never Forgotten'.

Hermione and George, who had taken up the responsibility of managing the decoration, were discussing whether these embarrassing reminders were tasteful.

"Wait till it reads about that one time when dad decided to see what happens when you touch a live wire with wet hands," George told a horrified Hermione. "Lucky Harry was here to stop him. Mum went bonkers!"

Ginny bit back a laugh at the memory and hurried towards the shed to hide. Just as she was about to get in, she saw a figure slowly coming towards the house from behind the bushes. She watched warily, until a streak of very familiar pale blonde hair caught her eye. She waited until the person was close enough, then said, "Why are you trying to sneak in like a thief?"

"Hello to you too, darling," Draco greeted her sarcastically. "I had an average day, by the way. Thank you for asking."

"Alright, alright," she rolled her eyes. His impeccable manners and his expectation that she should behave properly was rather annoying. "I get it."

"And to answer your question, I was about to go round to the front door when I saw you." He glanced at the shed dubiously, as if he did not think the structure would hold for very long. "What are you doing?"

Oh. Hide-n-seek. Right! She grabbed his arm and dragged him inside as well. Flicking her wand, she lit the lantern that hung on a pillar in the middle.

"What the–?!" Draco started as he eyed her father's incredible collection of muggle objects with wide eyes. "This looks like… like a muggle scrapyard."

"I'm impressed that you know what they are," she commented. That's when she noticed that there was a small, rectangular box in his hand, wrapped in bright coral paper and black ribbon. "You brought a present?"

"For your parents," he grumbled. "I've wasted enough money on you."

"And they say romance is dead," she said dryly. "What's with the glaring gift wrap?"

He shot her a bewildered look, as if he was not sure if she was playing at being dumb or was actually dumb. "Well, you said it's your parent's thirty-fifth wedding anniversary. So, thirty-five is coral."

Ginny bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. He really ought to be a woman in the seventeenth century. "You believe in all that?"

"It's tradition." Which meant that of course he believed in it. He studied her for a moment, then looked down at the box. His expression flickered momentarily before he hid it behind a perfectly composed mask, but she had seen enough to know that he had realised his mistake. Not that it was a mistake. It was just… silly, is all. "This looks pathetic. I'm just going to hand it to them and leave."

"What, no–"

"I don't even want to be here."

"You're being silly," she told him. "What did you get them?"

"A pair of special Fwooper feather quills," He answered, but instead of explaining why the quills were special, he looked straight into her eyes and said, "I'm still leaving early. I haven't the slightest interest in dining with your gazillion brothers."

"I suffered through that horrid breakfast with your mother on New Year's," she could not help but point out.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "So, you're trying to get back at me?"

"If the shoe fits."

"Well, in that case, I've already dined with your parents once, and I had tea with your mother that day when I visited to show you the Nimbus Prime."

Damn. He was right about that. "I met your mother at the hospital–"

"That doesn't count. I didn't ask you to come."

"I was there for you!" Ginny exclaimed, wide-eyed. Instead of appreciating her loyalty, he was making technicalities out of it. Ponced up prat!

"I appreciate that," he said. "But it still doesn't count."

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him, even though she knew that he did have a point. Her encounter with Narcissa Malfoy at St. Mungo's was neither expected nor planned. It was just a bad time – well, bad was an understatement. Thinking of the condition Draco had been in at the time sent shivers down her spine. "Fine," she conceded, out of a desperate need to bring her thoughts to the present. Taking a step closer to him, she placed her hand on his shoulder and slid it lower until her palm lay flat over his chest. "Stay for me, handsome."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Are you trying to seduce me into staying?"

"Maybe." She took another step forward and pressed herself against him. "Is it working?"

"Maybe," he admitted as he lowered his head to place a slow, sultry kiss on her lips that made her weak in the knees. "Alright, I'll endeavour to endure the company of your annoying brothers," he said once they parted. "You don't have to whore yourself."

"Call me a whore again and I'll blast off your balls, Malfoy!"

His arms wrapped around her waist possessively and he pulled her closer. "You look so sexy when you threaten me."

"I bet you won't be saying that when there's a hole in your pants," she shot back, but found herself distracted by his lips hovering inches from hers. Oh, who was she kidding? No way she was not going to snog the hell out of this man – so she abandoned all thought of banter and claimed his mouth, her tongue dancing against his.

It was interesting how they knew each other's tactics now, she mused. She knew exactly how to seduce him into agreeing with her, and he knew how to seduce her into forgetting her irritation towards him. Well, she could still punish him. And she did by biting her lip, not hard enough to draw blood but enough so that he let out a grunt.

In response, Draco moved until she was pinned between a table laden with a vast collection of electric plugs and him. His hand slipped underneath her sweater dress, his fingers so cold on her skin that she let out a startled gasp, and he moved it up her abdomen. "If this place wasn't so filthy, I'd have bent you over and taken you right now," he rasped against her lips.

Oh, Merlin. His words shot straight into her until heat and anticipation pooled between her legs. She wanted him like a starving man wanted food. "After this dinner is over, I'm going to hold you to that."

"We could just skip it," he suggested as he cupped her breast through her bra. "Go straight for the dessert."

"No," she breathed. There was no way she was missing her parent's anniversary. But it wouldn't hurt to kiss him a bit more, would it? So, she captured his lips once again and let out a moan at how hungry his response was.

"Aunt Ginny!"

They wrenched apart in surprise to find Victorie staring at them with wide eyes. Draco had the good sense to act quickly and he slipped his hand from her breast round to her back so that it looked like he simply had an arm around her. His movement helped Ginny snap out of her shock.

"Victorie," she breathed. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I found you, Auntie. I win the game!" Victorie exclaimed proudly, then her eyes moved from her to Draco and back. "What are you doing?"

Merlin. Ginny could feel her cheeks getting warm. "I, um," she cleared her throat. "Victorie, this is–"

"Mr. Malfoy," Victorie replied as she eyed him dubiously. "Papa says you're a bad man."

"Does he?" Draco asked coolly as he slipped his hand out of Ginny's dress with slow grace, so as not to make the movement obvious.

The six-year-old nodded. "He says you've seduced Aunt Ginny." A pause. "What does 'seduced' mean?"

"Never mind that," Ginny said, fully aware that she must have resembled a tomato by now. "Did you find Fred? You only win the game if you did."

"He was hiding under the bed in Uncle Percy's old room."

Which meant that she had won fair and square. Ginny congratulated her, then suggested going to see if the food was finally prepared. Victorie led the way, happily chatting about the hiding places she had checked before finding her, and Ginny and Draco followed after sharing a look of relief. They had dodged a big Bludger just now.

The backyard was more crowded now. George and Hermione were listening to Arthur boast about his chess win, while Percy loudly stated that he had let him win. Nearby, Bill was heatedly arguing with his mother, who had apparently managed to cut an inch of hair from a lock or two and looked very pleased with herself.

"Grandpa!" Victorie hurried over to Arthur and jumped into his arms. "I won! I found Aunt Ginny."

"Did you now?" Arthur asked proudly.

The six-year-old nodded happily. "She was with Mr. Malfoy in the shed, kissing!"

Almost everyone stilled and stared at them. Ginny closed her eyes and prayed for the ground to somehow open up and swallow her whole. Maybe she should have bribed Victorie to keep her mouth shut. Or maybe she should have chosen a better spot to snog her boyfriend. Either way, the evening was off to a great start - not!

"You were right. This is fun," Draco muttered dryly. There was no embarrassment in his voice. In fact, he stepped forward and greeted Arthur and Molly politely as if everything in the world was in its perfect place. "Congratulations on your anniversary. This is for you."

"Thank you," Arthur said tightly. Molly, on the other hand, accepted the gift with a smile.

Hoping to keep the politeness going, Ginny took Draco's arm and started introducing him to others. She noted how her brothers shook his hand in a rather tense manner, as if each of them was trying to crush his hand. Draco remained perfectly composed, though; he was quite good at hiding his feelings, as she knew all too well.

"New deal," he whispered to her after the forcibly cordial introductions. "You owe me a blowjob for every time a Weasley tries to break my fingers. We're up to 3 so far, one for each brother."

Ginny made a face. "Now, you're not getting any for months!"

"Why not?"

"Because you just mentioned blowjobs and my brothers in the same sentence, you git!"

Their completely inappropriate discussion was interrupted when the back door of the Burrow opened. Charlie stepped out, levitating platters and steaming bowls towards the table. Audrey, who had worked particularly hard on the grilled fish, was carrying the large tray in her hands like one would a baby. Fleur was at the end of the line, carefully levitating the now-ready cake. As they walked out, a gnome popped out from behind the garden pots and, for whatever insane reason, decided to rush inside the house. Ginny had already pulled out her wand to deal with it when little Fred hurried over to help.

"Fred, no!" George shouted and hurried towards the boy, only he was too late.

It was as if everything happened in slow motion. Fred kicked the gnome hard and it flew in the direction of an unsuspecting Audrey. It hit her leg and she stumbled, the tray of fish flying out of her hand. Draco held out his arm and caught the it. Much of the garnishes fell to the ground, but the fish landed on the tray with a thump. He stood frozen, his eyes wide, as if he had not expected to reach out, much less catch it.

Ginny hid a smile. She knew what it was like to have Quidditch instincts take over. He had played as a Seeker once and now he had caught the tray. Malfoy: one hundred and fifty points. Gnome: zero points.

"Merci, Monsieur Malfoy!" Fleur hurried over once she had safely deposited the cake on the table. She grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him on both cheeks. "You saved my fish! Merci!"

"De rien," Draco mumbled uneasily, his cheeks slightly pink. Of course the part-Veela charm would work on him too. Men. "C'est bon de te revoir."

Fleur beamed. "Vous aussi."

Ginny had almost forgotten that Draco had been a client of Fleur's at Gringotts for a brief time. As far as she knew, they had only interacted a few times but were on polite terms. One less person who would be hostile to him, she thought with relief.

And just like that, some of the tension evaporated, mainly because the aroma of fresh food had provided a very welcome distraction. Almost everyone was appreciating the assortment of dishes – Caesar salad, fruit salad, finger sandwiches, potato wedges, grilled fish, sausage casserole and Shepherd's pie. The only problem was that Ron and Harry had still not returned from work, which meant that no one could dig in. Ten minutes passed and the resentment for the two-thirds of the Golden Trio was running high; no one kept the Weasleys away from their food for long, after all.

"They just don't love you, mum, or they'd have been on time," George said. "I think we should just eat without them."

"Oi!" Ron burst through the door of the house and into the backyard. It was as if the suggestion of starting without him had acted as a sort of Taboo, and here he was. "Nobody touch the food without me!"

Harry walked after him with a sheepish smile. "Happy anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley!" He kissed Molly's cheek and shook Arthur's hand. "Sorry we're late. We got held up at the office."

"Everything alright?" Molly asked.

Ron was practically bouncing on his feet. "Old Savage announced he's retiring, and guess who's the new Head of the Auror Office?" He did not wait for anyone to answer, not that it was a particularly difficult guess to make. "Harry!"

There was a loud cheer from all the Weasleys at the news. Molly exclaimed how the evening had become doubly special now, while Charlie summoned a couple of bottles of wine. But just as almost everyone started crowding around Harry, Ron grumbled that food came first, so everyone sat down at the table.

"Of course, the Great Potter can't even come to a regular dinner party without stealing the limelight," Draco muttered in Ginny's ear as he slipped into the chair next to her.

Ginny rolled her eyes. Even after all these years, neither Draco nor Harry wanted to let go of their old feuds, despite owing each other a lot. Draco would have been in Azkaban had it not been for Harry. And Harry would have been killed by Voldemort had Draco not lied that day at the Manor – something for which he had been terribly punished, as she had found out quite recently. Still, if they were not willing to let go of this childish pettiness and behave like adults, then it was their problem. It was not her duty to make them see sense, after all.

The food was absolutely delicious and almost everyone was wolfing it down around the table. Well, except Draco. He had placed a napkin in his lap, picked up his fork and knife and was eating his meal as if he was dining in some haute restaurant. "C'est délicieux," He said to Fleur across the table after a couple of bites. "Mes félicitations au chef."

Fleur looked very pleased, but next to her, Bill made a face. "How come your accent is better than mine?" he demanded. "I've been practicing French for almost seven years now."

Draco looked taken aback at being addressed directly, then shrugged. "I learned from a professional."

"Fleur is French!"

"No offense. I only meant I had a proper linguistic tutor to teach me languages."

"Languages? Plural?" Percy asked. He had ended up sitting next to him, because no one else wanted to be close to a Malfoy. "How many do you speak?"

"Other than English?" Draco paused in thought. "French, Italian, Spanish, Latin and a little bit of German."

Ginny had been listening to the conversation silently, but found herself turning to her boyfriend in shock, mouth hanging open. "You speak six languages?" Holy Merlin. No wonder he pranced around like he was superior than others. Elitist brat. "What else can you do that I don't know about?"

"Well, I can play a total of three classic compositions on the piano."

"It's like I don't even know you." She frowned. "Why only three?"

"Because I lost interest," Draco replied sheepishly. "Mister Balderston was very disappointed when my mother told him I did not wish to continue the classes."

"Balderston?" Percy spoke up. "You learnt piano from Samuel Balderston, the current Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation?"

"No, his brother," Draco replied. "Though I know him too."

"What an intelligent man he is."

"Yes. I immensely respect the disciplined approach he has towards his profession."

If there was ever such an obvious moment where sparks flew between two people, it was this: Percy eyed Draco with something akin to approval and then launched into a story about his time in the Department of International Magical Cooperation and how he had to collaborate with Mr. Balderston for a report and how inspiring the experience had been. Ginny watched them with bewilderment, though the fact that they were getting along should not have been too surprising. Out of all her brothers, Percy was the one who was similar to Draco in some ways – they were both control freaks, overly disciplined and were fueled by ambition.

It made her happy to see Draco connecting with at least one of her brothers, and relieved, she turned her attention to others at the table; she did not need to pay extra attention to Draco to make sure he felt welcome anymore. Charlie was vividly narrating a dangerous dragon incident to George, Angelina and the two children, all of whom were holding on to each of his word. Audrey, who was expecting another niece or nephew in a few months, wanted to knit something for the baby and was taking tips from Molly.

Across from Ginny, Ron was telling Hermione about the promotion announcement. "The entire department is overjoyed. Everybody loves Harry, especially now that they've been promised drinks in the pub tomorrow night. Nigel insisted we should celebrate."

"Understandable," Hermione said. "I mean, from what I've heard, many people felt that the department needed a firmer direction."

"Yep. And life's going to be brilliant now that my best mate is in charge. Think of all the things I can do–"

"Seriously, Ronald. You shouldn't be expecting special treatment."

"I don't, but I won't say no if I get it."

Next to them, Harry was listening to their conversation with amusement. He caught Ginny looking and winked at her. "I don't know about special treatment, Ron, but you should be expecting a lot of extra work. I mean, who else am I gonna trust with the most dangerous missions but my best mate?"

The grin wiped off Ron's face instantly. "I miss Savage already."

"And now you're definitely getting extra work," Harry retorted.

Ron looked utterly bummed for about twenty seconds before he realised that Harry was indeed joking. Then, he grinned again and reached for the casserole with renewed spirits.

"Any ideas what direction the Aurors will be taking now that you're in change?" Arthur asked.

"I've a few ideas," Harry replied. "For one, I want more resources to hunt down Dolohov. Some sources tell me that he's up to something, though I can't tell what. Knowing him, it won't be anything good."

Ginny observed Harry as he talked. He looked really happy about the promotion, and she was so proud of him. She had seen him work incredibly hard over the years. His determination, compassion and instincts made him the perfect candidate to lead the country's Aurors, not to mention the fact that he was in it for the right reasons; he did not want the glory or the fame, he just wanted to bring those who had done wrong to justice. It was a surprise that no one at the Ministry had had the common sense to appoint him as the Head before today. "Hey, Harry," she called, and he looked at her. "Congratulations! You deserve it."

"Thanks, Gin," Harry replied. He seemed even happier now that she had congratulated him.

"I think you've been cheated, Potter." Draco spoke up coolly. "Head of the Auror Department seems too tiny a title for your greatness. They should have appointed you King of the World."

Harry did not seem perturbed by the comment. "Sod off, Malfoy."

Draco tutted. "Such horrible table manners, Pot–"

His words were cut off by a loud cry of "Fred, no!", followed by what seemed like a small pink ball falling into the large bowl of gravy in front of them.

"Everybody, get down!" Ron shouted.

Ginny instinctively reached for Draco as she dived under the table, pulling him with her as she went. Just as they landed roughly on the ground, there was a loud explosion above followed by loud shrieks. She grasped Draco's hand, stopping him from reaching for his wand. "It's alright," she laughed. "A dinner without at least one explosion is considered a dull affair in my family."

He looked at her with disbelief. "You Weasleys are insane."

"I won't deny that." She found his bewilderment to be incredibly cute. He looked so out of place and pitiful that she leaned forward and placed a kiss on the tip of his nose before sitting up. "Come on."

Everyone except Bill had managed to evade the onslaught of gravy. Face dripping, he stomped back inside the house, grumbling about how this was clearly not his day, while most of his siblings howled with laughter. Percy found the situation less amusing and recommended that George control his child a little bit – advice that went unheard and very much ignored, obviously, though Ginny noticed that Draco seemed to silently agree with him.

Once Bill returned, George entertained everyone with a brilliant show of fireworks from the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes upcoming line of Exploding Enterprises. As the sky lit up with countless colours dancing together to form various magical creatures, Ginny felt Draco wrap an arm around her waist. She leaned against him with a happy sigh. "You're being so nice today," she murmured. "I'm very impressed."

"You know how you can thank me?" he whispered cheekily. "Bl–"

"Don't say it!" She rolled her eyes. Honestly, did men think of nothing else but oral sex?

His lips twitched as he tried, and failed, to look cross. "Why not?"

"Because you're not getting one, you horny bastard. Quit badgering me!"

"I think you should take my constant badgering as a compliment to your talented mouth. Why else would I continuously request for an act if I did not find it to be so very exhilarating?" he said matter-of-factly. "Besides, it's not as if I'm unwilling to put in some hard work. I can come up with quite a few ideas of repaying you that I am certain you will find most interesting."

She raised an eyebrow. "Can you, now?" He shot her such a raw, sultry look that she knew that he did indeed have a few creative ideas of what he would like to do to her. "Tell you what," she said as her cheeks warmed considerably. "You keep on behaving well and I will think of considering your request."

He looked like he'd been hit with a Bludger. "You mean there's more I have to endure?"

"Lots more," she assured him.

"The things I do for you, Ginevra," he sighed dejectedly as he returned his gaze back towards the sky, where the fireworks were slowly coming to an end. "You better realise how blessed you are to have a boyfriend such as me."

Ginny chuckled. Blessed, indeed!

Afterwards, the cake was cut, and everyone dispersed into small groups, chatting happily as they enjoyed the dessert. Ginny saw Draco standing with Percy and Audrey, engaged in a deep discussion about some law that had been recently proposed by the International Magical Trading Standards Body and how it would impact the Wizarding businesses in Britain. They ought to start a new club: Weird Workaholic Witches and Wizards of the World.

She caught his eye and flashed him a huge smile before picking up a stack of used plates and carrying it to the kitchen. It was either that or looking after the children again, and she did not want to face any more of Victorie's questions about how it was possible for two unmarried people to kiss and not burst into flames; it seemed that Bill had started scaring his exceptionally beautiful daughter off men a bit too early than necessary.

Inside the kitchen, Fleur was packing the leftovers into boxes, while Harry and Ron washed the dishes, a punishment of sorts for coming late and not doing any other chore. Well, Harry had initially been excused on account of his promotion, but Ron whined so much about how unfair it was that he volunteered anyway. They were chatting merrily when Ginny came in and handed Harry the stack of plates.

"Some more work for you, Head Auror," she said cheekily.

"Cheers," Harry mumbled as he quickly levitated the plates and enchanted the washing liquid and brushes to start scrubbing them neatly. Next to him, Ron picked up a rag, ready to dry them.

"It is going good outside, non?" Fleur asked her.

"Yeah," Ginny replied, hopping onto the table. "Surprisingly." Which was true. Knowing Draco's history with her brothers, she had expected at least an argument or two to break out by now, if not an outright duel.

"I like Draco. 'e is ze saviour of my fish!" she said jokingly as she packed up the final box and put it aside. "I'm glad you met 'im at zat party in France."

"Well actually," Ginny pursed her lips in thought. Though she had been reacquainted with Draco at the party, it was not the first time they had met. "I first met him at Flourish and Blotts right before I started Hogwarts." Merlin, that was a long, long time ago. So much had happened since then and so much had changed.

"Where Lucius Malfoy slipped Tom Riddle's diary into your belongings, which nearly got you killed," Ron spoke up scathingly. "But I suppose we're conveniently ignoring that."

Ginny shot him a glare. "Shut up, Ron."

"What's this, now?" asked a cool voice.

Alarmed, Ginny whirled around and saw Draco standing in the doorway, inspecting Ron as if he were something filthy on the tip of his shoe. Shit. The last thing she wanted was for Draco to find out about her part in the Chamber of Secrets and how it had been his father who had been the root of that fiasco.

"As if you don't know," Ron spat.

Draco walked inside and crossed his arms over his chest. "As a matter of fact, I don't. Why don't you enlighten me as to why you're slandering my father's name?"

"Your father's name is slander in itself, Malfoy."

Ginny saw a muscle twitch in Draco's cheek. From what she had learned over the months, his anger was very much unlike the Weasley temper. It was not the usual shouts and fiery blaze, but rather precision and iciness – and sometimes, she felt that he deliberately hid what he was truly capable of. She looked to the others, hoping someone would see sense and put an end to this conversation before it led to an altercation, but Fleur simply looked shocked and Harry calm.

Ron, however, was staring at Draco in wonder. "Blimey, you really don't know?" His tone was a mixture of disbelief and ridicule. "I thought your daddy dearest told you everything. Surely he would've sat you down and told you about the time he nearly got Ginny killed just to sabotage dad's reputation?"

"Alright, that's enough," Ginny warned, hopping off the table. An image of a tattered diary flashed before her eyes, followed by that of a handsome teenager who had been so willing to be her friend when she had none.

"Your dad's reputation didn't need any sabotaging, Weaselbee," Draco sneered. "Honestly, if you're going to whip up stories, at least make Potter the target so they seem believable."

"It's true," Harry spoke up. "Lucius Malfoy was the reason the Chamber of Secrets was opened–"

For a moment, Draco looked bewildered as if he could now imagine how the Chamber of Secrets had anything to do with the current quarrel. "The Dark Lord did that," he pointed out.

"Using a diary that your father slipped into Ginny's belongings at Flourish and Blotts."

"Stop. Please." Ginny said lightly, but her plea went unnoticed. Tom used to listen to her. He was very patient with her, taking his time to understand all of her little worries and fears. His responses were always so kind. She remembered feeling so lucky, so grateful to have him. 'No one's ever understood me like you, Tom… I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in… It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket.'

"D'you have any idea what it did to her?" Ron demanded. "Voldemort possessed her, made her open the Chamber of Secrets and set the Basilisk on the muggle-borns. And then, he made her write her own death note before taking her into the Chamber to die."

Merlin. How she had thought she was going mad! One moment she would be learning about Puffapods in Herbology and next she would be on the marble staircase, only hours would have passed in between the two instances and she had no idea whatsoever of how she had spent that time. She remembered pondering for hours and hours about where she had been when Colin Creevey had been petrified and not being able to come up with an answer. She had told Tom that too, that she was going mad, that she thought she was the one behind the attacks.

"When I reached there, she was nearly dead. Voldemort was draining her life to get stronger himself, " said Harry solemnly. "Had he succeeded we'd have seen his return much sooner."

"Yeah, and if Harry hadn't destroyed the diary, Ginny would be dead," Ron shouted. "And her blood would be on your father's hand!"

The sheer terror of not being able to remember how her days went by had been suffocating. She couldn't eat, she couldn't sleep, she couldn't focus on her lessons. Tom had not been able to give her a sufficient answer. 'Everything is going to be fine, Ginny. Trust me.' Trust me, he had asked over and over again. 'Tell me more. I can help. Let me in.' Let me in. And by Merlin, she had.

"Stop it!" Ginny cried. All she could see was the handsome face of Tom Riddle, smiling at her as she cried and begged him to let her go, to leave her be. But he would not. And she was weak, so weak. She took a shaky step backwards and hit the table – wait, was she not in the Chamber of Secrets just now?

A firm hand grasped her by the arm, and she looked up to realise that it was Harry who had reached out to steady her. If there was anyone who truly knew how badly Tom Riddle's memories haunted her, it was him. They had spent many nights holding each other, talking about their demons. That is probably why he shot Ron a warning look. Neither he nor Ron would continue to talk about the Chamber. But the damage had already been done.

"Is it true?" Draco asked her, his voice low.

"Of course, it's true!" Ron snapped. "The Malfoys have tried to ruin my family over and over again. Ginny may be stupid enough to forget that, but I can't."

His words seemed to have no effect on Draco. His steely eyes remained fixed on her. "Is it true?" he repeated.

"Yes," she replied.

Everyone was silent for a few moments, then Draco said, "I believe I've overstayed my welcome. Goodnight." Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heels and walked out.

Shrugging off Harry's grip, Ginny ran after him. She could not let him leave, not like this. If things were left unsaid, now, then they would never be able to get over this. And after everything that they had been through these past few months, she could not let their relationship end. Not like this. Not because of this.

"Draco, wait!" She called out as she followed him out the front door, through the gardens and into the cornfield that lay to the right of the Burrow. He did not falter at the sound of her voice and she hurried to catch up with him, her breath rising in a vapour as she panted. "Draco Malfoy, don't you leave me!"

He stopped abruptly and turned to glare at her. "Why, are there more insults your brother wishes to hurl at me?"

"Ron's an idiot." In her haste, she had forgotten to put on a coat or a cloak. Without the warmth of Hermione's conjured bonfires, she was already chilled to the bone. "He never should have opened his big mouth–"

"And then I'd have stayed in the dark. I bared to you my deepest, darkest secret because I felt you deserved to know. In return, you couldn't even put a little trust in me."

"It's not like that, Draco. The topic never came up."

"If it had, would you have told me?" he demanded, and she did not know what to say. Truth was, she had never considered telling him because things would be so much more complicated if he knew. Something must have shown on her face, for he stiffened. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Probably not," she admitted.

"You're a hypocrite, Ginevra," he snapped. "On one hand you demanded honest answers from me, and on the other you were going to continue this ruse, this lie–"

"I didn't lie to you. I just didn't tell you the truth."

Disbelief crossed his face for a moment, as if he could not quite believe what she had said. Then, an ugly sneer curled on his lips, one that reminded her of the condescending bully he had been back at Hogwarts. "Finding convenient loopholes is a Slytherin trait, darling. Did you learn it from the Dark Lord?"

How dare he taunt her about this, of all things? Raw fury coursed through her veins and she raised her hand to strike him – but he must have anticipated her move, for his fingers closed around her wrist, stopping it inches away from his cheek. "Don't you dare try and raise a hand to me," he warned as he roughly jerked her hand aside, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I will have no qualms about returning the blow. I am not Saint Potter."

The bastard. The arrogant, two-faced bastard! Rubbing her wrist lightly, Ginny glared murderously at him. "Who is it that you are actually angry at: Me, for not telling you, or your father, for endangering the life of an eleven-year-old pureblood girl out of spite?" Her words must have hit a nerve, for he pressed his lips together and turned to leave. But she was not going to let him get away so easily. "Don't you walk away from me, you coward!"

"Do not call me a coward!" Draco growled as he whirled around and grabbed her by the arm once again.

His anger did not scare her in the least. "Then don't act like one," she shot back. "You are more sensible than that."

"Don't patronise me."

"I'm not." She took a deep breath to calm herself down. It worked, only a bit. "I am sorry that you found out like this, and I know it must be difficult for you to digest this, but what do you want from me?"

"You should have told me."

"Perhaps."

"Why didn't you?" Draco asked. "I told you about the Curse, I've been fighting my mother for you, and you can't even be bothered to show me the same decency." He paused and looked at her as if waiting for a response, but she remained stubbornly silent; his accusations were unfair. Of course she had been fighting to be with him and if he could not see that, then there was no point in giving any explanations. Her silence only seemed to irk him, for he tightened his grip on her arm and shook her lightly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

If he thought that she would have no objection to being manhandled, he had another thing coming. Placing her free hand on his chest, Ginny shoved him with all her might. He stumbled a step back, shocked. "Because I didn't want our relationship tainted because of Lucius Malfoy!" she cried. "That wretched man has ruined enough of my life already!"

"That man is my father," Draco warned coolly.

"Yes, and I knew you'd react like this." Which was one of the reasons why she had decided not to tell him about this in the first place. It was a precarious balance – her relationship with Draco on one side and his family on the other; it felt cruel to tell him something that would shake the scales so violently, to put to question his loyalty to either her or his father. "I couldn't tell you what he had done to me. And I can't say to you that whenever I wake up from my nightmares, it is not Tom Riddle that I curse, but your father."

He looked like he had been slapped. "You don't mean that."

"Don't I?" Ginny reached out and pulled him to her until their faces were inches apart. "Listen to me: I like being with you and I don't want this to end." Their relationship had reached to this point because she had very conveniently ignored the fact that he was Lucius' son, or at least convinced herself that he was so very different from his father, which he had become after the war. Pretending this had been easy because his father was in Azkaban. But by no means had she forgotten how the man had ruined her childhood. "That being said, I do wish Lucius Malfoy a most painful death."

Her words were followed by complete silence, save for the occasional movement of the tall strappy green leaves in the night air. The boggy water had seeped into her boots and wet her socks, the cold of which caused her to shiver. Refusing to appear weak, even if it was due to the weather, she wrapped her arms around her herself and raised an eyebrow at him, as if to ask if he had appreciated her honesty now.

Draco was staring at her, his face composed to give away none of what he felt, which was infuriating. Slowly, he took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders, engulfing her in its very welcome warmth.

And then he disapparated, leaving her alone.

xx

Ginny Weasley had always believed that the truth could not remain hidden for long.

It was foolish of her to think that Draco would never find out about her role in opening the Chamber of Secrets. He had found out the worst way possible - damn Ron for it - but he had found out. And then he had left.

Maybe he wanted to process this shocking revelation. Or maybe he was done with her. She could not tell. What she did know for certain was that this time, she would not go to him. No, if he wanted to be with her, then he would have to come to her.

I rewrote the Draco/Ginny argument twice because I wanted them to act differently, but somehow I ended up writing different versions of the same quarrel. Then it occurred to me that Draco and Ginny would behave like this in the situation. Whether it was wise of them to do so is another matter entirely.

Now then. What did you think of this chapter, and what do you think will happen next? Please leave a review and let me know!

Until next time!