Hello all! Sorry I haven't updated for ages. I really did want to but I had so much stuff to do at home and every time I tried to write something I'd get about a line written and then have to get up to do something else. This has resulted in very patchy chapter which I've tried to re-write about 4 times! There's not really a lot happening in it either but the next one will have some action!
I know you guys probably all hate excuses but I really got myself all worked up about getting back into things and kept failing miserably!
I have started reading the new book but only last night. I already had the story all mapped out anyway so I'm not going to change anything (I think, unless there's a really cool idea that would work with the story but it's very unlikely that I'll be able to believably work much from the Deathly Hallows in to mine!) if there are any similarities then it is purely coincidence (unless I say I've nabbed that bit!)
Anyway, I hope you haven't forgotten me but I understand that I've left it a long time before updating so once again I grovel profusely!!!
Ginny felt sure she saw a familiar black haired figure creep into the clearing and remove something from the dead wizard's body.
Ginny sucked in a deep breath and tried to stop herself form shaking, she knew that this was totally different from the diary but she couldn't get the memory of Tom's face out of her head. Dark memories came back to haunt her but she forced herself to dismiss them. That wasn't me doing those things she thought.
Draco looked at her, holding onto her elbow to steady her. "Are you ok?" he asked, she looked worried and weak to him. He was used to her being fiery and strong, seeing such a look of frailty on her face scared him a little.
"I'm fine… Just a little confused and... Well, I'm a little worried. Last time I went into a memory was Tom's Diary and you're well aware of how that ended."
Draco held her shoulders in his strong hands. "First off, Dumbledore isn't likely to possess you, even if he were alive to do so. Secondly… I won't let any harm come to you."
When Ginny looked up into his eyes she could see a fierce protectiveness she never thought would come from a Malfoy. She nodded and tiptoed to brush her lips gently against his.
"Thank you Draco. You're right and I'm probably being silly - but I'd feel better if you just kept an eye on me... He was there, in that memory."
Draco looked slightly confused for a moment, and then said in an almost toneless voice, "Riddle?"
Ginny took a deep breath before continuing, her voice steadier than she felt at that moment. "The dark haired man in the woods was Tom, so there's always a possibility he might have some power there… To this day I still don't know how he took over my body; I just can't remember the exact moment, what it felt like… if he came out of the diary or was just suddenly there, inside my head. One minute I can remember pouring all my secrets in the diary and the next I would wake up aching all over having just vague memories of doing those horrific things."
Draco embraced her tightly as he felt a shiver of horror go through her small body. He'd never felt this protective over someone before. Not knowing what to say that might comfort her he simply held her, gently stroking her hair and gradually feeling her relax until they were both taking deep, slow breaths at the same time. He kissed her tenderly on the top of her head and she looked up giving him a small smile.
Draco gazed down at her, with her eyes half closed he could see the way her dark auburn lashes contrasted with her creamy skin, making her look as though someone had scored lines of shimmering fire on her cheeks. Draco couldn't resist any longer, he bent his head down and kissed her gently, not wanting to take advantage of her. To Draco's surprise Ginny pushed him roughly onto one of the chairs and followed him down so she was straddling him. Draco pulled back slightly with a raised eyebrow.
"Virgin doesn't have to mean completely inexperienced you know." Ginny murmured huskily in his ear before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and leaning in for another kiss.
Draco grabbed her tiny waist, and pulled her closer. He teased her by giving the smallest of kisses and just quickly flicked his tongue across her lip before kissing down her jaw line. He could tell that she was desperate for him to kiss her more deeply by the encouraging moans she kept giving every time his lips were on hers.
Ginny decided that if Draco could be a tease then so could she; she rocked her hips forwards and backwards, pressing herself hard against him and was satisfied when Draco moaned in her ear and pulled her down even closer against him.
Draco started kissing her more passionately than Ginny had ever been kissed before. She felt as though all of the nervous energy from the fear that she had felt earlier was now being replaced with a burning ardour and she put her all into the kiss.
One of Draco's hands was tracing the outline of her bra beneath her vest top and the other was stroking slow circles on the outside of her thigh under her skirt. Draco started kissing her neck and shoulders and Ginny gulped in great breaths of air. She caught sight of the boxes and piles of books and felt a strange wave of guilt at feeling so alive in a room so full of dead memories.
Suddenly felt like she should stop things before they got to a point where she wouldn't be able to stop herself, let alone a hormone-driven, teenage 'sex god'... "Draco…" she said as a gentle warning.
"What?" he asked innocently. "Are you worried I'm going to suddenly strip you of all your clothes?"
Ginny blushed. "A little!" she confessed. "It's my fault, I got a little carried away, but it was all so amazing I couldn't help myself! I just don't think I could have stopped if it had gone on any further and this isn't exactly the most romantic of settings… Not that I'm expecting you to be all romantic or anything." She stopped as she realised she was very close to gabbling out a load of nonsense.
Draco growled and lifted her upwards and off his lap before standing himself. Ginny was amazed that he could pick her up so effortlessly, but blushed even more furiously when she looked at him properly; the evidence of how much he'd been enjoying the kissing was still extremely obvious.
Draco followed her widened eyes down and smirked smugly, he was not the sort of person to feel embarrassed about such a display. "You're lucky I have so much self control you know, I don't know many other blokes who'd take this sort of appalling behaviour." He drawled. Ginny was worried until she saw the slightly amused look on his face. She poked her tongue out at him.
Draco pulled a face of mock distress. "And now you're flaunting what I can't have… I don't know; you walk about parading yourself before me. It's quite deplorable you know!" Amazed at his ability to keep a straight face, Ginny resorted to measures normally only used against her brothers; she threw a cushion at his face. Admittedly she felt that it was a lot less satisfying that he caught it. "You just love winding people up don't you?" She asked.
Draco laughed finally. "Well at least I didn't say 'woe is me'. I could have thrown my arm dramatically over my brow but I felt that would be over-doing it somewhat… Come on then you scarlet woman, lets get back to work seeing as there's nothing better to do. I'm going to see if I can find out someway to control what memories you can see in that overgrown birdbath."
Draco was surprisingly calm about the whole experience. He had resigned himself to waiting as long as Ginny needed; after all if it wasn't for her he would probably have been rotting away in some dark corner of the forest and wouldn't be able to manage any lustful thoughts at all. Although it didn't help matters that she made him feel so alive; when they kissed he had felt like nothing else mattered, all he wanted was to be there in that moment.
He sighed quietly without realising but Ginny didn't notice either, at his mention of researching how to find memories her thoughts had suddenly shot back to Tom. She pushed a stray lock of her cherry red hair behind her ear and looked lost in thought. Finally she spoke.
"Draco?" Ginny waited until Draco had turned to face her before continuing. "If something did happen to me, I mean if I started acting differently… I'd need you to stop me, save me from myself if thinking that makes it easier for you to do… However much force you need to use. I don't want to hurt people again."
She paused staring at the floor, after a while Draco went to move closer but at his movement she looked up and gave him a half smile.
"Anyway, I was thinking, if I'm counting on you then I really think you should have a wand. Not wanting to sound rude but if Tom suddenly finds a way back in here-" she tapped her head at that point. "Then you'll need as much protection as you can get."
Draco nodded. "Remus suggested getting me a wand when we were discussing my training." His pale features suddenly turned sly. "You forgot to ask me by the way, about our deal – you agreed to tell me what was wrong with you if I explained about being a better leglimens! You shouldn't forget bargains like that Ginny, you'll miss out!"
He picked up a quill from the table and twirled it expertly between his agile fingers, waiting until Ginny eventually gave into her curiosity with a big huff of breath and asked what he meant. With a satisfied smirk he explained.
"When you were away for that week all the people you left behind just couldn't get enough of me, I can totally understand that I'm a fascinating person to be around. Tonks even cut my hair for me, which by the way you haven't complimented me on!"
He ran his hands through his silvery-blond hair as if to demonstrate the point. Ginny smiled at his egotistical nature, it was quite endearing really and it wasn't as if he was bragging falsely. "It's lovely, I noticed at the wedding; now do get on with it please?"
Draco scoffed but continued. "Fine! Anyway, Remus was bugging me a lot about the whole deal with me saving you without a wand and we got to chatting about what I was capable of in the different areas. He offered to give me a few lessons on different things that I would have learned in these final years at school. He wanted to teach me better leglimency but he also wants to see if he can help me control my wandless magic. He's not too sure if he can help with that as it's not something many wizards can do once they're adults. Anyway, he also explained a very little about the corporeal patronuses. I was fascinated after seeing everyone cast one at Bill's wedding and that spell that Dumbledore cast in the memory looked peculiarly similar - so hopefully Remus can tell me more about that… Unless you want to indulge my curiosity?"
Ginny couldn't help but grin. "It will probably be easier if I just show you once you have a wand. How did Remus suggest getting you one?"
Draco shrugged lazily with one shoulder; he managed to carry off even such a graceless gesture with aplomb. "Something very boring which involved talking with certain people at the ministry and then sending off for a selection of wands from abroad. I wasn't really listening."
Ginny suddenly looked very shifty, which piqued Draco's interest immensely. "What?" he asked.
She shuffled her feet a little before looking up at him with a very mischievous glint in her eye. "How do you feel about a little breaking and entering?"