Chapter 5
"Malfoy, what the hell are you doing here?" Harry asked standing up with his wand in his hand.
"Calm down, Potter. He's here with me." Snape said closing the door behind himself and Draco.
"He's a Death Eater! In the Order's headquarters! How can I calm down?" Harry yelled angrily. Ginny stood up, her shock finally wearing off. She placed her hand on Harry's arm and put it down at his side.
"Just listen to him, Harry. There has to be a logical reason for this." She said quietly.
"Exactly, listen to Miss Weasley and come to the kitchen with me while we wait for the rest of the Order." Snape replied walking away from Draco and into the kitchen. Harry followed, still fuming. Ginny turned and faced Draco her mouth still open in surprise.
"What are you doing here?" She whispered walking up to him and hugging him. Draco returned it and kissed her forehead gently.
"Let's just go into the kitchen. Alright? Everything will be explained soon enough." He said putting his hand on the small of her back and guiding her into the room where the other two men were. Harry was sitting at the table watching Snape make himself a pot of tea.
When Dumbledore was sure that his life was in fact, in danger, he enlisted Snape to help him. When the time came Snape would kill Dumbledore in the name of the Death Eaters and stay "loyal" to their side. While in reality, he was still an avid and dedicated member of the Order. Harry was not privy to this plan and put up quite a fight when Snape showed up at Headquarters a week later. But after much convincing by Lupin and the Weasleys he accepted the fact that Snape was not evil. But that didn't mean he had to be best friends with guy or even respect him for that matter. But he did have to be civil.
"Where is everyone?" Harry asked looking over to see Ginny take the seat next to him and Draco next to her. He could see the uneasy look on Ginny's face at seeing her ex boyfriend here.
"Arthur and Molly will be here in mere moments. And Remus will be here in about 15 minutes." Snape replied taking the seat at the head of the table across from Harry. A heavy silence settled in the room, tension rising. Harry cleared his throat loudly and glanced at the people sitting next to him. Ginny was looking uncomfortably down at her hand and Draco had his eyes on her. His eyes lifted and met Harry's, causing both of them to look away quickly.
"What's going on Severus?" Arthur asked as he bustled into the kitchen with Molly, Hermione, and Ron behind him. Just then the teakettle whistled causing almost everyone in the kitchen to jump. Snape stood quickly and moved it off the burner to prepare himself a cup of tea.
"What's going on here, Dad?" Ron asked, speaking for the first time since he and Hermione had entered the kitchen. They both sat down across from the other teenagers.
"Draco has found himself a suitable apartment, Arthur. We will need you to go and check it out and make sure everything is alright. And of course Remus will be going later to put the necessary wards around it. We don't want the Death Eaters to know where this is." Snape said cutting in before Arthur could answer his son. He sat down at the table, his tea in hand.
"But won't they get suspicious Severus when they don't know where he lives?" Molly asked pouring herself some tea, before sitting down at the table.
"They will not be too concerned. But Lucius will be. Therefore we need to think of a way to appease the boy's parents in a way that will not give up Draco's location."
"Mother and Father will want to see the apartment and that's it. The one I found today is simple to say the least. My mother will go on about how the apartment isn't suitable for her darling son and my father will probably insist that I come visit them at home, so they don't have to come back." Draco said, quickly glancing at Ron's confused face. And before any of the adults could respond, Harry cut in.
"What is going on here?" He asked trying to remain calm since Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were present. "Why is Malfoy here and what does his apartment have to do with anything?" Severus sighed heavily and motioned for Arthur to tell the teens what was going on.
"Harry, since you are now a part of the Order, we feel you have the right to know what is going on." He paused and thought about the best way to approach the subject. He figured bluntness would work well, since Harry had never appreciated anyone beating around the bush. "Draco is working for us and for the Death Eaters. He's a double agent." Draco found Ginny's hand under the table and took it, lacing his fingers with hers and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Ginny looked at his emotionless face and then at Harry's. He was shaking his head, as if what Arthur said was completely untruthful.
"How… When… What?" Harry asked staring at Arthur.
"He came to my office, the day he broke up with Ginny, telling me that he wanted to help the Order and not… He Who Must Not Be Named. And so I told him all the dangers of being a double agent and what would happen to him if he was ever discovered. And he accepted it knowing full well that he could die from this." When he said the part about death, Draco felt Ginny's entire body tense up. "Severus and I and the rest of the Order talked about it and decided that having Draco in there as well would be a plus, seeing as none of the Death Eaters would expect Lucius' son to be anything but one of them. So we have been working on securing him an apartment, so he was out of his parent's house where he would have some privacy." Arthur took a deep breath and thought for a moment. "I think that brings you up to speed, Harry."
"How come we weren't privy to this information, Dad? Harry, Hermione, and I are part of the Order as well." Ron said, his anger clear in his voice.
"We didn't want your feelings toward Draco to complicate the decisions of the Order. Everyone knows that you three don't exactly like him, and if it wasn't for Ginny sticking up for him, none of you would even have any civil feelings towards him at all." Molly said sitting down next to her son and putting her hand on his shoulder, willing him to calm down. Harry opened his mouth to respond, but before he could Remus came walking into the kitchen, looking thoroughly agitated.
"How nice of you to join us, Remus." Severus said waving his hand in his general direction.
"What is this all about? I had just dropped Nymphadora off at her apartment, and was about to say goodnight when, that damn coin started burning in my pocket." He stood by the stove and poured himself a cup of tea before sitting down in the seat next to Molly.
"So sorry to ruin your evening with important Order business." Severus retorted snidely.
"At least I have someone to spend my evenings shag-"
"Enough, you two. You are bickering like school boys." Molly reprimanded cutting the remark off.
"What's going on?" Remus asked changing the subject.
"Draco has secured himself an apartment and will begin moving in tomorrow. We will need you to stop by with Arthur and place the necessary wards around it, tonight." Severus answered, tucking away his ill emotions for the evening.
"Please don't tell me that you called me all the way here just for that?"
"Well, there is a more pressing matter that we all need to discuss." He started. "Draco will be meeting with the Dark Lord tomorrow evening."
"Oh, Severus, why didn't you tell us sooner?" Molly asked.
"I wanted to wait until we had some more Order members here for this. Kingsley will be arriving shortly, along with Alastor and Minerva. I have already briefed him on what he can expect, but I'm sure we need to work more on what exactly he needs to do."
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The rest of the Order arrived shortly and with that Ginny was told to leave. Draco let go of her hand reluctantly and whispered for her to wait for him in the living room. So here she was 2 hours later, lying on the couch asleep, still waiting for Draco. A soft tap on her shoulder brought her out of her slumber and she opened her eyes slowly to see Draco sitting on the coffee table in front of her.
"Hey." She said softly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. She sat up and motioned for him to sit next to her.
"Hey, sorry it took so long." He replied sitting next to her.
"No problem." She leaned into him and felt his arm go around her shoulders. "Did everyone else leave?"
"Your father and Lupin went to my apartment to get everything set up. And your mother and the Trio are upstairs."
"Do they know you are still here?" She asked sitting up, giving him a suspicious look.
"Yes. Your father wants me to stay here until he and Lupin come back." He paused and pulled her back down into his embrace. "And plus he said it would give you and I some time to talk about what happened in the kitchen." He tipped her chin up, so he could look in her eyes. There was an unasked question lurking in their depths and he sighed, knowing what she was going to ask. "Ask whatever it is. I can see in your eyes you want to know something."
"Why didn't you tell me, Draco?" She spoke, dejectedly. The disappointment in her voice caused his stomach to plummet. He knew she would be upset that he kept it from her, but he hoped on some level she would understand.
"Gin, I didn't want to worry you. It's really dangerous what I am doing." He paused and ran a hand over his face.
"What's wrong?" She asked, suddenly worried. She sat up and looked him straight in the eye. He locked his with hers and she could see that he was hiding something more than just the double agent business. She raised her eyebrows, in an attempt to reiterate her question.
"I made a deal with your father that day."
"What kind of deal?"
"I promised your father that I would in no way, shape, or form, pursue a relationship with you during the war. He said it would be dangerous for you being linked to me, which he is right."
"That's not fair. He can't tell me who I can and cannot date." Ginny began, her fiery attitude appearing out of nowhere. "I decide who…" Draco placed a finger on her lips, causing her to stop mid sentence.
"Your father has a point and we both know it. For you to be connected to me would be really unsafe."
"But…"
"Stop. And listen to me." He started shaking his head at her. "As far as your father and everyone else is concerned we are no longer together. But as fair as you and I are concerned, we are very much together. I'm not even going to try to say otherwise, because I am sure you will bite my head off…again."
"Damn right." She mumbled softly. He smirked at her comment and kissed her forehead. She smiled softly, remembering something. "You said you made a deal with my father. So what exactly do you get in return?"
"Ah, well I can't tell you that. It's a surprise."
"You've never been able to keep stuff like that from me, Draco. You might as well tell me now" She said sitting up and bending her legs under her. "Remember my Christmas present? For weeks, you told me that I wouldn't get it until after break. And 3 days before break, you end up blurting out exactly what you got me."
"Now, I remember something completely different. I remember someone using her hands in a very inappropriate way, begging me to tell her what she was getting. I had no choice but to give in." She laughed at the memory. That had indeed been an interesting evening.
"Well, you broke like a toothpick." She teased poking him in the ribs softly.
"It wouldn't take much for any man to break from what you were doing." He responded placing both of his hands on her hips and bringing her closer to him. "This next few weeks are going to be really difficult." He added his eyes turning serious.
"I know, Draco. But we can make it through. I know we can." She whispered, wrapping her arms around her neck. "Will you tell me about what happened in the kitchen after I was kicked out?"
"I don't know if you really need to know all that. The specifics will only make it harder."
"Don't protect me. You know I can take it."
"Oh I know you can take it." He said chuckling. " You are a big girl, Gin. I'm not going to walk on eggshells around you. I'm not like the Trio." He rolled his eyes.
"So just tell me." She replied, pushing against his chest, to look deeper into his eyes.
"Well, I am going to the Dark Lord tomorrow night, as you know. And he will provide me with a task. And depending on whether or not I complete the task will decide whether or not I will become a Death Eater."
"What kind of task are we talking about?"
"Something to prove my loyalty. To prove that the whole Dumbledore thing was just a fluke and that I am not really weak."
"Do you think you'll have to…" She trailed off, not capable of saying what she was thinking, that he might in fact have to kill someone.
"It's a possibility, unfortunately." He looked up at her. Her brown eyes swimming with the same worry that was going through his head. "As far as I know, Gin, my father has no idea we were dating. So, no I don't think they will ask me to…" Now it was his turn to trail off. He couldn't say those words to her. " You know what I mean." He finally whispered a few seconds later. She nodded, her eyes darting away from his to rest on the empty fireplace. Grimmauld was abnormally hot and so there had been no fire in the grate today.
"But I dated Harry." She said finally, her eyes still not looking at him. She knew that the moment their eyes met she would see what he was really thinking. And that was that he knew there was a chance he could be enlisted to kill her. If not for their relationship, then for her relationship with Harry and his still lingering feelings for her.
"I know." He shifted so he was facing her, eye level and put his hands on her thighs, rubbing gently. " If it came to that. I would tell them no. No doubt about it."
"I
know you wouldn't let anything happen to me, Draco. But…"
"Stop.
Let's not talk about this anymore. It's far too depressing." He
said cutting her off. "I can't see why your name would even come
up. So I don't think we should worry." His eyes pleaded for her
to put this off for a while.
"We won't worry then." She smiled half-heartedly.
"Liar." He pulled her flush against him and captured her lips in an intense kiss. For a few moments she was too shocked by his actions to respond, but when his tongue gently traced against her bottom lip, her body responded. She opened her mouth for him and was rewarded when their tongue intertwined in an urgent, searing kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled them both backwards, so that she was lying on top of him, her hands running through his short hair. Eventually, they shifted onto their sides, so their hands could roam easier over each other's bodies. Draco's hand slowly found its way under her shirt and was trying to pull it off, when a noise in the foyer came to their ears. Ginny jumped up and scrambled to the other end of the couch, just in time to see her father walk into the living room.
"Draco, the wards are in place and the apartment is completely prepared for you." He said stopping behind the couch and glancing at the two teenagers. Draco was sitting at one end and Ginny at the other, but something was off. His daughter's hair was disheveled and her lips looked swollen. Almost as if she and Draco were kissing. Arthur chuckled and shook his head. Ginny and Draco shared a questioning glace before Draco finally answered.
"Thank you, sir. So I can assume that tomorrow I can begin the moving in process?"
"Yes, that is what we have decided, Draco. Of course for tonight and tomorrow night, I would expect you to stay at Malfoy Manor, so that your father isn't suspicious. But after that, you can do as you please." Arthur moved his eyes from Draco and looked at his daughter. "Alright sweetheart? You looked a little flushed."
"Fine, Dad. It's just a tad hot in here." She replied giving what she hoped was an innocent smile.
"Goodnight, Gin." He said kissing the top of her head. Ginny relaxed visibly when her father didn't press her for any more answers. He shook Draco's hand and said goodnight to him as well.
"Professor Snape will be here in a few moments to make sure you make it home safe, without a problem." Arthur retreated from the living room and up the stairs to bed. Draco let out a breath when the eldest Weasley left.
"That was close, Gin." He said reaching out and taking her hand.
"Probably not the best idea we have ever had." She replied, smiling weakly. He moved closer and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before pulling away. "What was that for?"
"I figured I should be able to get at least one last kiss in before Snape arrives." He stood up and brought her up with him.
"When do you think I will be able to see you again?" She asked.
"Probably the day after tomorrow. I'm sure the Order will want to hear what happened with the Dark Lord." He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, making small circles. He was trying his hardest to keep her from worrying or getting overly distressed. "And then I will have my apartment and you can come visit and we can spend a couple of days together…in bed. No interruptions."
"Sounds like a plan." She whispered, walking closer to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Just before Draco could lower his lips to her's, the front door to Headquarters closed and footsteps could be heard in the foyer. Draco pressed a light kiss to her lips before she dropped her arms and stepped away from him.
"Get a move on, Draco. Your father will start getting suspicious, if you aren't home soon." Snape said, motioning for Draco to follow him out.
"Bye Ginny." He said. He stepped close to her and whispered in her ear. "I love you."
"Me too." She replied out loud before watching him follow Professor Snape out of the room.
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Harry
gently tugged on Ginny's robes, pulling them off of her slim frame.
Ginny looked into his green eyes and saw the storm of passion brewing
in them. And she could feel that her eyes looked the same way. It had
been 2 months since their last encounter and she could feel her body
responding to every touch he made. She leaned into him and kissed him
softly on the lips, feeling his arms go around her waist and pull her
into him. Their bodies crashed together seconds before they crashed
onto the bed.
The room was big and luxurious, obviously costing a lot of money. She wasn't sure how she felt about him spending his money- correction, his father's money- on a room they would only be in for a few more hours, but she knew there was no use in arguing. Harry had wanted this day to be perfect and so far it was.
A tug on her bottom lip and her shirt brought her back to the task at hand. She opened her mouth and urged his tongue forth feeling him finally pull her button down shirt off her back. She dragged her nails down his chest and bringing it to the bottom of his t-shirt before slowly pulling it off of him. Their kiss broke and his shirt was thrown to the floor on top of hers.
"I've missed you." He said his eyes searching hers. She smiled seductively and kissed his lips in response before getting to work, kissing her way down his chest. His moans of satisfaction hummed through his body and into hers, as she gently flicked her tongue over his nipples. She smiled and finished traveling down the rest of the way to the top of his jeans. She unbuttoned, unzipped, and pulled them off his surprisingly muscular legs before adding them to the small pile of clothes on the floor. She leaned down and kissed him urgently, sliding her tongue into his mouth. He took this chance to wrap his arms around her waist and flipped them both over. His hands unclasped her bra in the back and took it off her. Now it was his turn to pleasure her in the same way she had done him.
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Ginny's eyes opened abruptly upon feeling someone rapping on her shoulder. She looked around her small room to see that Hermione had already left and the sun was barely shining over the horizon. Finally, her eyes focused on the source of the interruption. Those green eyes, that she saw every night when she slept were looking back at her, shining with the same passion she had gotten so used to seeing, but only in her dreams. And here he was, sitting on the edge of her bed looking at her like any minute he would jump her. Her stomach lurched uncomfortably.
"What are you doing here, Harry?" She asked sleepily, sitting up. She tugged the bed sheet up higher on her body to cover the tank top she was sleeping in. She pushed down the odd feeling in the pit of her stomach and managed to smile curiously at him.
"Your Mum wanted me to tell you that breakfast is ready." He said softly. His eyes were looking over her head now at a spot on the wall. She could tell he was leaving something out.
"Something else?" She questioned, keeping her gaze locked on his eyes. He sighed and finally looked back at her.
"I just wanted to see how you are doing with the whole Malfoy being a spy for the Order thing." He patted where he figured her knee was under the sheet. "You seemed pretty uncomfortable last night."
"Well, that would be an understatement." She replied crossing her legs, Indian- style, so Harry could sit back on the bed more. "He broke up with me, went to my father to become a double agent, didn't tell me, and then still said we couldn't be together."
"It's a lot to take in all at once, which is why I waited until today to talk to you about it. I figured your brain would still be on overload last night." He scooted back until he was sitting across from her, face to face. "How do you feel?"
"Well I feel betrayed by him for keeping this from me and for lying to me, saying that he couldn't and I quote "Ever work for that blasted Order". But I am worried about him too, because what he is doing is about as risky as it can get. He'll be dead the second he slips up." Ginny looked at her lap. She hadn't thought of it all that much really. And ironically she wasn't even lying to Harry with everything that she was saying. She felt all of these things.
"He had a good reason for not telling you, I'm sure. You talked to him afterwards. What did he say?" Harry probed.
"That he didn't want me to worry about him. Which is bull and he knows it since I was as worried if not more worried when he was just going to be a Death Eater. And now that he is caught in the middle of everything, it's worse."
"Malfoy
knows what he is doing. Snape and the rest of the Order will make
sure he does what he is supposed to do so as to not rouse suspicion.
And they will protect him, just like they do you or I." He picked
up her hand in his and rubbed small circles on the palm, very much
like Draco had done the night before. Only this time, it felt much
less reassuring.
"I know and that does little to make me feel
better. None of them have that much of an emotional attachment to
him. If it came down to him or anyone else in the Order they would
sooner let him be killed." Her voice came out a lot bitterer than
she expected. She took her hand out of his and folded them in her
lap.
"That's not true, Gin." He paused and looked at her watching her hands in her lap. "Yes, Draco isn't particularly liked by Ron, Hermione, and I. But your parents and the rest of the Order recognize that he isn't like his father. He wouldn't be here if he was. And he is very valuable to us. We won't let anything happen to him."
"So just because he is able to get in there and snoop around for you guys, you'll keep him around. That's a great reason to keep someone alive, Harry." Her voice was rising steadily as her anger became more apparent. "I'm not doing anything for the Order or anything important for the cause, so maybe you should just send me to the Death Eaters and let me get killed. It wouldn't be a loss." She stared into his eyes and could see the shock of her words clearly.
"How can you even say or think that? You are important to your family and your friends and the rest of the Order." She opened her mouth to speak and Harry cut her off. " I didn't mean that the only reason we keep Draco is around is because he can get us inside information on Voldemort. I just meant that we aren't going to let anything happen to him. It doesn't matter who his father is or what his last name is, we will do everything we can to make sure he isn't found out and harmed." Ginny looked out the window next to her and saw the sun had taken its place in the sky. She knew Harry was trying to make her feel better, but it wasn't. Nothing could make her feel better when Draco was in danger. But letting it go for now would make Harry happy and would keep the questions at bay.
"I know Harry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking this out on you. I'm just…" She blew out a breath and brought her knees up to her chin. "I'm mad at Draco and I'm mad at the situation in general. Our lives have never been that easy, ya know?"
"Don't I know it, Ginny. But once this final battle with Voldemort is over then everything will be normal again." He took her hand again and she squeezed his fingers lightly.
"Are you scared?" She whispered, unsure whether this conversation would be a good one or not.
"Sometimes." He took her other hand as well and started again. "Every once in a while I feel worried that I won't be ready or I will screw up. And sometimes I get scared that I wont make it out alive." She laced her fingers with his and squeezed them in a way that she hoped was reassuring. "But then I think about all the people behind me and the ones I am fighting for and I feel confident that I can do it."
"I'm scared for you, Harry." She allowed him to pull her into a hug and continued. "Maybe even more than I am scared for Draco. I mean at least as long as he isn't found out, he will be somewhat safe. But with you, you have a full group of people and one powerful wizard after you."
"Well thanks for the reassurance, Gin." He replied sarcastically pulling away from her and grinning. She laughed slightly before hugging him one more time. She began to pull away but Harry held her at arm's length, his arms still around her waist. His eyes were searching her's, in a way that reminded her of the times he would kiss her when they were dating. Her brain wasn't processing what was happening until his lips almost touched hers.
"Ginny, what is taking you so long? Your Mum says if you don't come down to breakfast soon, she is going to…" Hermione stepped into the room, her eyes wide with shock. There were Harry and Ginny sitting on Ginny's bed looking as if they were about to kiss. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." She said, her face turning a bright red that would have rivaled even the Weasley blush.
"You weren't interrupting anything. I was just hugging Harry for being such a good friend." Ginny replied pushing the sheet off her body and standing up, revealing her dressed in just a blue tank top and light blue cotton shorts. Harry stood up after her and reflexively smoothed his hair on his head. "Tell Mum that I am going to take a quick shower and then I will be down for breakfast."
"Um…yeah, I can do that." She replied before leaving and shutting the door behind her. Ginny turned to Harry.
"You better get down there before she comes looking for you too." Ginny smiled softly.
"True. I'll see you in 15, yeah?"
"Yep." She replied standing on her tiptoes and kissing his cheek gently. "Thanks for talking to me, I feel a lot better."
"And thank you for letting me spill my secret fears about Voldemort. I don't really like talking about it since I am supposed to be The Boy Who Lived, fearless in the path of Voldemort. I don't want to worry everyone." He grinned feebly and hugged her one last time.
"You don't have to be fearless. Everyone knows you aren't." He nodded his head in response and leaned down to attempt to kiss her for the second time that morning. This time it wasn't Hermione who interrupted, but Ron.
"Mate, come on. Mum said if you don't come down here now she will personally come up here and drag you down. And that won't be pretty." Ron walked across the room, grabbed Harry's arm, and dragged him out the door. " Oh and Ginny, Mum wants you down there in 10." He closed the door behind himself and Harry, leaving Ginny alone.
(A/N: I hope everyone liked this chapter. As always review!!!! I love reading your reviews! Til next time, hugs and kisses!)