Chapter 4: The Reunion

"You know, that's basically cheating." Ginny looked up from her textbook, and over to where Hermione was working. Combined, the two had taken up half the table. It was Friday night so the library was practically deserted, giving them plenty of space.

Ginny answered back in exasperation, this not being the first time she had made her opinions about this known. "Merlin's sake, Hermione. He's not sending me essays to copy word for word. It's literally just a list of which books and what pages I need for all these blasted essays." And it was. Having written to him about how overwhelmed she was with Quidditch Captain duties along with a full NEWT course load, Draco had skimmed through his schoolwork from last year and given her some hints of where to look for information.

Of course, her flippant response did nothing but incense Hermione. Hermione's hair, puffed out and tangled from their late night of working, did nothing to dispel Ginny's impression of her as deranged. "That's half of the work! Most of what I learn is from reading while hunting for relevant information."

Ignoring her, Ginny began to scribble down what she had just read into her Transfiguration essay. But Hermione wasn't done. "I can't believe you've allowed Malfoy to corrupt you like this." Ginny's grip on her quill nearly snapped it in half. For the past two weeks, she had done her best to try and tune out any comments regarding Draco. She did still want Hermione as a friend. And Hermione was trying to be a friend, despite it all.

"Well maybe I should just owl him my finished essays instead. Have him edit and add any information I might have missed. Would that be less like cheating?" Hermione sniffed, knowing full well how often she had helped Harry and Ron over the years by doing just that. Ginny's point seemed to have done the trick. Hermione stopped her snippy comments, and Ginny continued to use Draco's letter as a guide for research as she cranked out two more essays before Madame Pince threw them out at closing time.

Ginny went to bed that night thinking sleep would come easily. After all, there was nothing to worry her. Instead, she spent half the night tossing and turning, unable to dampen her excitement about tomorrow. She was exceptionally proud of herself for having managed to keep her focus on school and Quidditch these past few weeks. Now though, she could only obsess over the fact that in less than twelve hours, she would finally see him in person.

"Is that my eyeliner?" Instead of feeling any guilt at having been caught, Ginny whipped around and stared at Lizzie with wide eyes. "Yes! Now help me use the blasted thing! I look like a bloody raccoon!" At the noise, Antigone and Hermione yanked back their bed curtains and gasped. Ginny had trashed their room. Outfits were strewn all over the floor, and opened things of makeup littered all four of their dressers.

As for Ginny herself, Hermione couldn't help but think unflattering thoughts. The right side of her hair had been French braided, but the left side of her hair was still pulled up in a sloppy bun. She had obviously been experimenting with makeup, as there were at least three distinct colors of eyeshadow and two shades of lipstick open in front of her. As for her outfit, Hermione thought her skirt looked as if she had outgrown it sometime back in fourth year, but decided to squeeze into it anyhow.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" Though it had been Lizzie that had asked the question, all three girls were in complete agreement that she most definitely had.

In fact, it turned out to be universal agreement. "Isn't that obvious! Now help me fix this! I thought makeup was supposed to make you look good, but I look like a bloody ape!" Antigone sighed, and went to get her makeup remover, while Lizzie squinted at her suspiciously.

"You never wear makeup. What's this all about?" Hermione couldn't help but twist her mouth in disgust. "Isn't it obvious? She's dressing up for Malfoy. Though that skirt has got to go. You look, well, a bit indecent to be honest." Lizzie sputtered in astonishment. "Malfoy! Don't tell me you're still letting yourself be used by that prick! Ginny! You are a war hero. Have some dignity. If anyone catches wind of this, you'll be back to being the school whore faster than you can blink!"

Ginny just rolled her eyes. "So what? They can't call me anything worse than they did last year." While Ginny and Lizzie continued to speak, Hermione sat on her bed and tried to analyze what Lizzie had said. Ginny had said it was physical at first. But Hermione was beginning to realize that must have only been Ginny's way of coloring the truth. The entire school had thought her a whore last year. Malfoy's whore. The bastard had used her. They hadn't been in a relationship. She had been used for sex, and the only one who didn't realize it was her.

Of course. None of Ginny's talk about feelings for him had made any sense. As if Malfoy would ever do anything but look down on a Weasely. But this, this made a terrible sort of sense. He had used her. Humiliated her in the most personal way possible. Made the entire school think of her as nothing but a slag, and no doubt gloated about it to his little cronies. Desperate to justify her actions to herself, Ginny had convinced herself it was more. That they actually felt something for each other. Ginny had deluded herself. Hermione felt her resolve strengthen as she realized what she had to do. Somehow, someway, she needed to save Ginny. To make her understand the truth; that Malfoy was nothing but a cruel, manipulative bastard. But how?

Ginny nearly tripped in her rush to leave the carriage, her eyes scanning the area for him. She had been very specific, informing him that she planned to be on the very first carriage out of Hogwarts. And there he was. Her stomach did a flip, a smile stretched across her face. She raced towards him, tackling him with enough force that he stumbled back a few steps before being able to regain his balance. Her face was buried in his neck, arms squeezing him much too tightly, but he didn't complain. Instead, she felt his arms go around her waist and his body relax into the embrace.

"Oi Malfoy! Thought we'd seen the last of you. Any chance you'd be willing to polyjuice as Rettler for our opening match? " Ginny managed to release her grip as Draco bantered back with his former housemate about Quidditch, and took the opportunity to really look at him. He seemed too thin, and he had let his hair grow a bit too long. Overall though, the ravages of Azkaban seem to have been minimal. Thank Merlin the Dementors had been swept out.

"So, where did you have in mind for this date of ours?" Ginny blinked as she realized he was now looking at her, and brought herself back to the moment. "Me? Oh no. This is our first official date. You're the man, which means you do the planning. So, where are you taking me?" Draco smirked, and leaned down to kiss her. And then suddenly, his hands had roamed down to grab her arse and he was whispering in her ear. "If I get to make the plans, we're heading to the Three Broomsticks immediately, and we are not leaving until you've sucked me dry and I've fucked you good and proper." Ginny's knees were suddenly as stable as jelly, and her lungs were short of air.

He had never spoken to her in public like that before. It was alarmingly sexy. But as much as she wanted to be in bed with him, she also wanted a proper date. She swallowed, and pushed any feelings of lust back. "Well then, I…I'll make the plans. We'll start with a morning walk, and then head to Madame Puddifoot's for lunch. After that, we'll head to Honeydukes and I can point out all my favourite sweets. The candy you gave me for Valentine's was for the most part fine, although I did have to give away the licorice wands. Those are absolutely disgusting." Draco's face had scrunched up as she talked, and she glared at him challengingly. "What?"

"I'm not stepping foot into that insipid tea shop."

"What? But you went with Pansy!"

"Well I was fifteen and didn't know better, did I?"

"Did you just ignore me that night that I explained why it's romantic?"

"Have you ever seen adults in there? No. It's for bumbling teenagers."

"So what? You're too mature now to do anything romantic?"

Fed up, Draco didn't even respond. Instead, he grabbed her hand and yanked her behind him as he started walking down the street. Stubbornly, Ginny dug her heels in and yanked back. "Where are you taking me?"

"On a date! Now pick your feet up and start walking or I'll throw you over my shoulder and carry you there." Ginny stared at him for a moment, and then broke into laughter. "We're not very good at this are we?" He ran his hand through his hair, and then grinned back at her. "Guess not. Think we scared that lot over there." Ginny followed his gaze to a group of what looked to be fourth or fifth years, hastening away at an impressive clip. Ginny broke into renewed laughter. Draco waited until she had collected herself, and then held her hand, much more gently this time. "Come on then. I really do have an idea for a walk. You ready?" Nodding, Ginny let him lead them through the village and realized this was the first time they had held hands in public. Grinning at him, she squeezed his hand. He squeezed back, neither of them needing any words to know just how happy the other was in that moment. How content.

Nearly an hour later, the contentment was beginning to wear thin. "Are you sure we should be going this far? The village must be miles behind us by now." Draco only continued to go forward, taking them up a rocky hill with nothing other than the occasional tuft of grass to look at. "Don't you trust me?"

Somebody else might have paused at his tone. Ginny did not. "Should I? Is navigation one of your hidden talents? And just how often have you plodded through the wilderness may I ask? You've likely gotten us lost. Thank Merlin it's not winter yet or we'd freeze up here long before a rescue party could save us." He rolled his eyes. "Just give it ten more minutes. Next time I bring you up here, I promise we'll apparate. Honestly, I thought you'd like the adventure of it all. Guess you're not as fearless as I thought."

That shut her up. She ignored his smirk, and might have been mad, but for the hand he suddenly extended towards her. A quick squeeze of his hand immediately reassured her there were no hard feelings on his end, and she grinned. Well, she supposed she had been a bit snappy. Once they crested the hill, Draco pulled them to a stop and Ginny looked down in awe. It was smaller than the lake near their school, but it was even more beautiful. An enormous blue tail broke through the water's surface, and Ginny gasped. "What was that?"

"A hippocampus. There was a fad to domesticate them in the 1950s and 60s. Someone must have gotten tired of their pets though and released them into this lake. Look, there's another one." Ginny's eyes shone. "Let's go down."

Draco went stiff and tightened his grip on her hand. "Absolutely not. Those are fanged geraniums growing wild down there, and the water is infested with kelpies and sprites." Ginny looked down the slope and tried to calculate a way through the brightly colored plants spotting the area.

"What if I promise to be careful?"

"Gin!"

"Fine, just halfway then. Please?" Kelpies and sprites were capable of coming out of the water and attacking if they felt their victim was close enough. If they only went halfway down though, surely that would still be far enough away. "You stop when I tell you. Deal?" Ginny nodded distractedly, and she heard Draco sigh before releasing her hand so they could each balance better as they made their way slowly down the rocky slope.

"Alright, that's far enough." Ginny fought with herself as every part of her wanted to go just a bit further. But in the end, she stayed put and waited for Draco to come up behind her. His arms went around her waist, and his chin rested on her shoulder. "My parents brought me here when I was nine. I had been begging to go to the lake the entire time we were in Hogsmeade, meaning of course the lake by Hogwarts. I was determined to see the castle ahead of time, but knew my parents would never take me if I said Hogwarts. I thought I was being clever by insisting on the lake. Anyways, I suppose they had gotten so annoyed with me, that they thought they would teach me a lesson. They told me that getting to the lake was a very hard and long walk, but I was insistent. I don't know if they actually knew about this lake, or if they had been planning to walk me up and down the hills until I got so tired I gave up. Either way, it worked out."

Ginny found she could imagine it perfectly. The harried and exasperated state his parents must have been in after a full day of being subjugated to a young Draco's whinging. "You were quite a little shite weren't you?" She could feel Draco smiling, and turned her head to kiss his cheek. He hummed contentedly, and kissed her neck. Ginny closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side to give him more access. Merlin, he felt good.

"Your turn. Tell me a story about the perfect little angel you absolutely weren't." It was silent for a while as Ginny tried to sort through her childhood stories. "Alright, I suppose fair is fair. When I was six, the village near our house had one of those traveling carnivals come through. My mum had us all put on muggle clothing and we snuck in, not knowing how to get tickets without muggle money. My dad must have confounded every ride operator there by the end of the night. When it was time to go though, I didn't want to leave. The swinging ship I was on only swung higher and higher, until it broke off the stand it was on and flew through the air. It landed on top of the stall selling fairy floss, but really that was probably just a coincidence. Apparently though, instead of feeling bad about any of the people I had injured, I jumped right out of the ship and starting stuffing my face. Ron mostly tells that story because he ended up with a broken wrist, but Fred always liked telling it too since Percy was sick all over some poor muggle couple he was sitting near."

Draco remained very quiet, and then he squeezed her tightly. "Sorry I couldn't make the funeral. How is your family doing?" They stayed out by the lake for hours, as Ginny told him all about the funerals and the Memorial Stone and the rest of her summer. In return, he opened up about how bleak it had been to stay in Azkaban. How time quickly lost meaning and dozing on and off was the most exciting part of the day. He had often found himself half asleep, having vivid dreams, wondering if he was losing his mind. They hadn't starved him, but his appetite was so small, that he often had no motivation to eat. "Even without dementors, I have no idea how anyone can stay there without going completely mad. It might almost be worse now. At least when you were being tortured by your worst fears, you weren't bored to death."

Eventually Ginny's stomach growled, and they headed back to the village for a late lunch. Once again, they held hands, still thrilled by the small act of affection. "Think you can get by with some pasties and a mug of cider? Three Broomsticks is bound to be stuffed to the rafters." Ginny refrained from mentioning the option of heading to Madame Puddifoot's, and nodded. "Should be fine. Candy for dessert though?"

Knowing that it would be impossible to move through the inn together, they dropped hands and opened the door, skirting around classmates all the way to the bar. "Four pasties and two mugs of cider." Madame Rosmerta immediately stilled, her eyes going wide as she realized just who had spoken to her. "You. How dare you show your face here." Ginny stood frozen to the spot.

Draco's back stiffened, and then he was bending down into a short bow. "I cannot apologize enough for what happened during that terrible year. It was a desperate decision on my part. If there is ever anything in the future that you find yourself needing, that proves difficult to acquire, I would be more than happy to help. Perhaps a word with Dougal?"

Madame Rosemerta had perked right up at that name, and then squinted suspiciously. "Have his ear, do you?" Draco leaned in and gave a conspiratorial smirk. "Madame, no one has that man's ear. His purse strings however, are another matter entirely." Ginny could only look on in bewilderment, as Rosmerta's entire demeanor warmed.

Ginny waited until they had brought their lunch to a table outside, and then let her curiosity explode. "What the bloody hell was that!" Draco looked incredibly pleased with himself. "That was the successful completion of hours of research. Last year, I avoided that place like the plague. Sent other people in to order for me, or simply walked past it altogether. So I started sniffing around, trying to figure out who I could make friends with to smooth all this over. Turns out the pub in Rosmerta's home village is run by some brute. He's tough as bricks and nearly sent her to St Mungos when she tried to buy the pub off him a few years back. But he also has an outstanding loan, a debt I could easily pay off for him, if he agreed to negotiate with Rosmerta over leaving his pub to her."

Ginny shook her head in bewilderment, and he knocked feet with her lightly under the table. "Glad it worked though. Was sort of hoping to get that squared away. You know. Before I try and get her to rent a room to me later." Ginny stared at him as he looked away and began digging into his pasty, suddenly realizing the pressure she had put on him with her letter. He must have been nervous all morning, not knowing what Rosmerta would do when they went in to rent a room. He could have been refused service, something which would have been publically humiliating. Worse, he could have been accused of something nefarious and threatened to be reported.

He had not only been willing to brave the Three Broomsticks for her, he had worked to find a way to make Rosmerta forgive him. Well, it was definitely going to be worth it. She had every intention of making him see stars later.

"So have you thought about what classes to drop yet?" Ginny purposefully bit into her own lunch giving herself time to think. When she had first read his letter telling her to drop classes, she had been indignant. Did he not think she could handle her schedule? That she wasn't smart enough to succeed if she put her mind to it? Since then, she had come to the unfortunate realization that he might be right. She couldn't do it all. She had to prioritize.

"Potions and maybe Ancient Runes. I do like it, but I guess I can always study runes later from books if I want." Draco sipped his cider, and then shook his head. "Not Potions. Slughorn likes you, and for all his bluster, he really does have a lot of connections. Staying in Potions will keep you in his good graces. You might be able to use him to connect with Gwenog Jones after graduation."

Ginny's mouth dropped open, pieces of beef falling out, before she closed it and wiped off the mess. Gwenog Jones. Could Slughorn really do that for her? As they ate, Draco went through all her classes with her, helping her create a pro-con list for dropping them. He had almost agreed with her that she should drop Transfiguration, until he discovered it was her only class with Pucey. He was annoyed to learn Ginny hadn't asked the Slytherin to start up their scrimmages yet, and told her to fix that as soon as possible.

Ginny sighed, and couldn't help but feel dread at having to approach Pucey. She knew Draco was right, but that didn't mean she wanted to do it. "Why don't I just ask Dean? He's a chaser. And more importantly, he's a friend." Draco choked slightly on his last gulp of cider, and then slammed the mug back down. "Thomas? He's back at Hogwarts?"

Ginny shrugged. "Yeah. Him and Hermione. Which honestly, makes my year a whole lot better than I thought it'd be. Other than Luna, I hadn't known if I was going to have any real friends at Hogwarts this year." He looked slightly out of sorts at that news, and Ginny reached over to grab his hand. "Alright then?"

He nodded distractedly and then flicked a glance down at their table. "Ready for Honeydukes?" Ginny nodded and gulped the last of her cider before standing up and looping her arm through his. Then lifting her heels off the ground, she planted a firm kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for lunch." He looked down at her, and leaned down for a proper kiss. "Anytime."

To her surprise, it turned out that Honeydukes was by far Draco's favorite shop. Saying he had a sweet tooth was an understatement. They spent nearly an hour in there, making fun of each other's favorites, and daring each other to try some of the more disgusting ones. They left with a bag each, Ginny still giggling over Draco's expression from when he stuck a magma mint into his mouth at her prodding.

"That was positively disgusting." Ginny looked up at him, eyes gleaming. "Charcoal's supposed to be good for your teeth you know. Really, you should be thanking me."

"Oh I'll thank you alright. Come here." Ginny's eyes closed and her free hand grabbed onto his cloak as he began thoroughly snogging her. A wolf whistle caused her eyes to flash open, and her body to retract from his. He was looking at her with blatant want, and didn't seem at all bothered by the idea others might be watching. To be fair, they had spent all of last year snogging in front of their classmates. No doubt he had gotten used to it. And honestly? She had too. Ignoring the people around them, her tongue was soon entangled with his. Her hands itched to make their way under his shirt, and she knew he was fighting the same impulse. She pulled back, and rested one hand on his waistband. "It's time for that room."

He nodded, and the two of them soon found themselves back at the bar in the Three Broomsticks. Rosmerta raised an eyebrow as Draco asked for a room, and then slid her gaze to Ginny. "I'll need to confirm you're of age. Even so, does your mother know about this?" Ginny squeezed Draco's arm in warning. This was only going to work if Rosmerta felt sure that Ginny was making her own decision about this.

"She does actually. And so does my father if that helps set your mind at ease." Frowning in disapproval, Madame Rosmerta pulled a vial out from under the bar and Ginny leaned over to spit in it. The potion glowed yellow, and Rosmerta sighed before handing Draco the key. "It's two sickles for every hour. I charge extra if you leave a mess."

Draco had barely opened the door before Ginny was on him, shoving his cloak off, and undoing shirt buttons. He slammed the door closed, let the key drop to the floor, and picked her up, a hand under each of her thighs. Her legs secured themselves around his waist and her arms clung to his neck, peppering kisses from his jaw down to his collarbone as he carried her over to the bed.

She dropped down onto the mattress and stared up at him. He threw his shirt onto the chair and kicked off his boots before crawling on top of her. Ginny groaned as his mouth descended onto her neck. Her hands roamed up and down his bare torso, reacquainting herself with the feel of every one of his muscles. She gasped, her nails digging into his back, as he sucked harshly at her skin. And then he did it again. Ginny couldn't help but whimper in pain, arching her body to try and distance her neck from him. "Draco-"

He didn't need for her to say it. He stopped and moved on to snogging her, holding himself up with one arm while the other hand unclasped her cloak before reaching around to caress her back. Ginny arched into his touch, and began slowly moving her hips against his. It felt fantastic. And then suddenly, it stopped. Ginny opened her eyes as she felt him pull away. He was staring at her chest with a furrowed brow, clearly irritated. "How the hell do you get this off?"

"What are you doing?" He was sitting up on his knees, perfectly calm at her question. "It's something I heard about." Ginny's thighs had closed, her confusion making her uncomfortable. Keeping his gaze on her, he started rubbing circles on her thighs. "Gin, trust me." She wasn't too sure about any of this, but seeing how certain he looked gave her enough confidence to open her legs and lie still as his head dipped down again.

Her trepidation was soon forgotten. "Yes! Do that again. Right there. Merlin, you feel so good!" It was a new, strange experience. Ginny found herself much more vocal than she had ever been during sex before. Her body was trying to twist and flail in response to all the sensations he was making her feel, forcing him to hold her thighs to keep her still.

Ginny sighed, sinking into the pillow as her body came down from its high. Draco came up the bed to lie next to her, tracing his fingers lazily over her body. Ginny watched his arm, still a bit embarrassed. He had wiped his face with his forearm, and she could still see her juices glistening on his skin. She felt a niggling guilt over him having done all the work so far, and not having gotten anything in return.

It was time to fix that. While she could easily have stayed lying down, even nodded off, she forced herself up and over so that she had a knee on either side of him. He went to sit up, but she shoved his shoulders back down. His brow furrowed, not quite understanding. But then he sighed and relaxed as Ginny slowly kissed her way down his torso. Glancing up from where she was kissing his abdomen, she saw he had his eyes closed. They popped open as Ginny launched her attack on his neck, intent on leaving her own marks on him.

His arms came around to hold her, no doubt getting ready to roll them over, but Ginny grabbed at his wrists and pinned them to the bed, whispering in his ear. "Your turn isn't over yet. I told you I missed every inch of you, and I did. Now I am going to kiss, lick, and suck every one of those inches, and you are going to lay back and enjoy it. Got it?"

"Got it." And he did. Even when she came to his left forearm, he did no more than flinch before Ginny determinedly kissed around his dark mark, proving to herself she loved him more than she hated the mark. He groaned in anticipation after she had shucked his bottoms off, and was kissing along his inner thighs. But meaning what she had said about kissing all of him, she continued down his legs all the way to his feet. He was nearly at the end of his rope before she finally came back up and paid attention to the last part of him. She fondled his balls, smirking up at his expression, which at this point screamed impatience. It was too much for him. "If that mouth is not on my cock in the next five seconds, I will wrestle you down onto the bed and force feed it to you."

Her hand stilled. She had been just about to go down on him, but his threat had done something to her. She found herself physically throbbing at what he had just described. "Would you?" His eyebrows shot up as he took in her expression, not at all having anticipated this reaction. "Yeah?" Ginny nodded and swallowed, taking her hand off of him, nervous but excited at what she had just asked him to do. They stared at each other, and then Draco sat up and launched himself at her.

He backed off almost immediately when Ginny let out a yell, but as he looked into her eyes, he realized it was fine. That she wanted this. He went back to trying to pin her down, having to use a lot more strength than he had anticipated as she twisted under him and fought back. In the end though, it wasn't really a contest. Draco had his hands wrapped firmly around her upper arms, pinning them to the mattress while he straddled her face. Her legs were still free, and if she had really wanted to, she could have kept fighting. But she didn't. Instead, she found her heart racing as he shoved his cock into her mouth, pounding into her from above. His hips jerked up and down, leaving Ginny helpless in terms of controlling the pace or how much of him to take in at a time. Still, she did her best to suck, and used her tongue to try and draw him in deeper.

Eventually, his hips stilled as he simply let his cock sink deep into her throat. Draco had let go of her arms by this point and Ginny lifted her hand to try and tell him to pull out; that it was too much. But she stopped her hand at the last second, hearing him moan in near ecstasy. A new wave of determination overcame her, and she managed to suppress her gag reflex in favor of working her throat muscles to squeeze him tightly. She wasn't sure if she could do it for much longer. She was breathing heavily through her nose, yet she still felt short of breath. There was a continuous sensation of nearly choking. And then suddenly, he let out a long stream of curse words and jerked his hips one last time. Ginny couldn't help but gasp and cough. As soon as he was off her, Ginny sat up with her head between her knees, taking deep breaths.

"Gin? You okay love?" Ginny's head snapped around to stare at him in shock. Had he actually just called her that? She felt a warm glow as she realized that yes, he had. And why wouldn't he? They were really doing this. A full blown relationship, complete with going on dates and calling each other pet names. There was no more hiding or lying. He really was her boyfriend. Her heart felt close to bursting. "Yeah, fine. That was good, huh?" He smirked and yanked her down to lie on top of him.

His head nuzzled into the space between her shoulder and neck, while his hands roamed her backside. "It wasn't good. It was brilliant. That was the best blowjob you've ever given me, bar none. Any other ideas you wanted to try out?" Ginny honestly wasn't sure. It seemed like there was suddenly a world of possibilities, all mysteriously lurking out of reach. But for now, she didn't want anything other than to cuddle. "Mmm, maybe next time."

"Well of course you have to know the law Ron. You didn't think they'd just have you blasting away did you?" Ron's response was lost on Hermione who had suddenly gone still. Her gaze had drifted past Ron's shoulder and over to the staircase. Walking down the stairs was Ginny. Hermione stared as Ginny looked back over her shoulder, and gave a wide smile to the man descending right behind her. They looked suspiciously flushed and sickenly happy. Oh God. Hermione thought she might be sick.

Ron was still blathering away, and Hermione found herself at a loss. Under no circumstances could she let Ron notice his sister like this. It would be a complete disaster. It would either end with a duel or a fist fight. Why hadn't Ginny seen them yet? Panicked, Hermione watched as Ginny walked obliviously through the pub. There was no way to get her attention. The girl was moon-eyed, clinging to that prat's arm and staring at him like he was her whole world. If Hermione hadn't had ample evidence of Ginny being her normal, fiery self these past weeks, she would have suspected some sort of love potion.

What was even stranger to see though, was Malfoy. He was grinning down at Ginny and if Hermione was honest with herself, he looked very much like he was just as wrapped up in Ginny as Ginny was in him. Still, Malfoy did have a past of being able to act when he wanted to.

"Mione?" Hermione jerked at the sound of her name and stared at Ron blankly. What had he been talking about again? "What are you looking at?" He went to turn around, and unable to think of anything else, Hermione knocked over her mug of butterbeer with a violent jab of her elbow. A good portion of it splashed over Ron, who stood up with a shout. Hermione reached over immediately, apologizing and getting her wand out to dry his robes. In the corner of her eye, she saw the distraction had done its job, and breathed a sigh of relief. Ginny had noticed them and was now cautiously making her way out of the pub, leaving Malfoy alone at the bar.

"It's fine, really. D'you want to order another?" Hermione beamed at Ron, and his cheeks flushed. "What?" Hermione just shook her head. "Nothing." The truth was, it had been very nice indeed to see Ron forgive her so quickly and think only to ask if she wanted another. No comment on her clumsiness or anything.

"Thank you Ron, but I probably need to get going. The last carriages are leaving in about twenty minutes. I should make the rounds and check no one is left behind."

"I'll go with you then." Hermione found a smile impossible to contain as Ron took her hand in his, put the money for their meal on the table, and went to walk her out. It was nearly perfect, but for Ron spotting Malfoy. Ron immediately froze and hissed down at her. "What the bloody hell is that prick doing here?"

Hermione paused, not wanting to lie. Ginny definitely owed her for this. "Actually, I think he might be here for the same reason as you. Heard he's dating a seventh year. Now come on. If you really mean to go round with me, we need to hurry. I really should have started ten minutes ago. This is the first trip of the year after all, and the third years might easily have gotten lost."

"Dating? The girl must be completely daft. What would anyone see in Malfoy?" Hermione could have sworn she saw Malfoy smirk, having overheard Ron's question. He had said it rather loudly. But miraculously, for once in his life, Malfoy seemed content to not cause a scene. He didn't so much as turn around, and Ron let himself be dragged out with nothing but a backwards glare at his old school rival.

A quarter on an hour later, Hermione had finished saying goodbye to Ron, and was making her way to the carriages. She caught sight of a cloak in the nearest side street and was just about to yell get a move on, when she realized who it was. Hermione managed to hold back her disgust, but just barely. "Ginny! The last carriage is ready. Say goodbye and let's go!" Ginny disentangled herself long enough to look back at Hermione and nod, before turning to face Malfoy again. "Good luck at the Ministry with Mulligan. I'll see you at my opening match?"

Hermione stood there, impatient and uncomfortable, as Malfoy muttered his assent. And then just when Hermione was ready to call Ginny's name again, he said something that made Hermione's spine stiffen. "Don't forget. Train with Pucey, drop Runes and Herbology, and for the love of Merlin Gin, buy yourself some new boots." After, they both kissed and exchanged words Hermione made no effort to overhear, having no desire to ride back with a queasy stomach. As soon as Ginny was within reach, Hermione snatched her hand and dragged her to the carriage, completely ignoring Malfoy's sarcastic call of "Nice to see you too Granger!"

The carriage door shut, and Hermione could no longer contain herself. "And what was all that about?"

Ginny stared at her blankly, and then rolled her eyes. "Well Hermione, when a man and a woman love each other, see sometimes they snog."

Hermione snapped. "Not that! I am well aware now of how you lack all physical control around him, thank you. Really Ginny, a pay by the hour room in a pub? No. I'm talking about something far more serious. You letting him order you around. Drop classes? Are you mental?"

Ginny was taken aback for only a moment, and then she was indignant. "Not that you've noticed, but I've been drowning in work ever since the year began. I'm only taking one less NEWT than you, and I can't handle it! Not everyone is as smart as you. He just wants me to be happy. I'm still making my own choices, thank you very much."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Oh really? Making your own choices are you? Isn't Pucey that odious Slytherin? Training with him, that was your idea was it? Not Malfoy's?"

Ginny's anger flared. "Oh let me guess. I should listen to you instead? And how would you have me hone my Quidditch skills since you're such an expert on everything?"

"I never said I was an expert on everything! I'm just worried about you. I want you to be making decisions for yourself, never mind him or what he thinks. Just look at today! This can't be what you really want Ginny. To waste your Hogsmeade trip in a ratty room, doing whatever he wants."

Ginny could only stare at Hermione. Was that really what Hermione thought of her? That she was just some weak, stupid girl that was letting herself be used and manipulated? How could she think that? Did Hermione know her at all? All of the times she felt left out and overlooked by her brother and his friends came roaring back. All the times she had been pushed to the side because she was too young, too weak, too vulnerable. She wasn't. She was strong. She had always been strong. They just could never see her that way. See that she was perfectly capable of handling herself. Draco had never tried to use her. He didn't see her as weak.

"The only time I've wasted today is listening to you talk about a relationship you know nothing about. And if you think I would ever let myself be used again after what I went through with Tom, then I have nothing left to say to you." And with that, Ginny conjured a variation of the shield charm, leaving her enveloped in a translucent bubble that blocked sound.

Turning her eyes away from Hermione, she looked at the wall and waited for the carriage to arrive back at Hogwarts so she could make her escape. She was not going to let Hermione ruin today. Today had been the best day she had had in a long time. Ratty room. It had been a perfectly decent room. And if Hermione wanted to join their classmates in calling her a prostitute or whatever, then bully for her. Ginny didn't need Hermione's support. She wasn't going to live her life for anyone but herself.