The way the week started, it was no surprise that it kept going downhill. Monday the next door neighbor dropped off her 3 year old because she had an emergency and Ginny would be home soon- not. Apparently three-year olds had issues with new people and after an hour of incessant screaming they finally agreed to a truce. He would provide cookies and milk and she would do whatever she pleased
By the time Ginny returned home from work, after a very trying shift at work, her house looked like a tornado had hit it. She hadn't seen damage this bad since living with Forge and Gred. Granted the blond sleeping on the couch with the toddler was adorable. Ok, it was beyond adorable. That Train of thought would have to stop, it was Malfoy, demeanor of Weasleys everywhere. Besides it was not like he'd ever find someone like her even remotely attractive.
Tuesday had him standing in the snow in negative temperatures as his car was refusing to start. With his lovely, yes, she was lovely even if she was a Weasley, sleeping soundly at home. After a long involved bus ride and a quarter mile hike home while in a severely underdressed state he was almost ready to call it quits. He knew he should have spent the rest of the week in bed.
Which is why getting hit by the car on Wednesday really shouldn't have been that big of a surprise, waking up in the Muggle hospital surely was. It was, as his flat mate assured him, not very serious all in all. And he had been lucky enough to come in on her shift so she could just bring him home. Now even someone had spent most of his life believing in the superiority of wizards had to admit muggles had some damn fine pain killers – he felt wonderful and apparently, he had no recollection of it, was had been telling everyone how amazing he felt. He could remember several blush worthy moments talking to Ginny about how she was an angel in green then proceeded to wax poetic about her hair. It must have been something because she was still eyeing him rather suspiciously.
Friday was really the topper though. He was feeling better or at least well enough. He had spent Thursday with his own personal physician fussing over him and between the potions and the pain killers, he had a pretty tame day of laying glazed over in front of the TV. He had to admit that it was nice being fussed over by someone who didn't have to do it. Pansy, for all her fussing glory was only acting along. Ginny had to actually give a damn about him- if she didn't she could have just left him alone. Ginny had headed back to work for a few hours for rounds and to pick up some take out. He knew even as his feet were heading towards the door, that he shouldn't open it.
Well damn, it was the boy who lived.
Who looked rather like a goldfish.
"Shite" was about the only thing he could think of to say. Granted boy wonder looked pretty speechless as well, so maybe it would be all right. Thankfully he heard Gin's car rounding the corner onto their street, otherwise who knew what could happen.
"Malfoy, what the fuck are you doing here—Jesus fucking Christ—Of all the places…" At this point the boy who lived began to babble and the red head he lived with walked rather gingerly up the steps.
"So, Harry, How are you?" Ginny had to wince as Harry turned a set of incredulous wide green eyes on to her. Ok, so maybe the casual approach hadn't been the best solution. "You remember Draco?" Definitely not the best solution. She did notice Draco beating a hasty retreat indoors; good to know medications hadn't dulled his common sense.
Draco had headed directly back to the safety of his room. He had never heard his seen his roommate as pissed off as Potter had managed to get her in just minutes. Potter sounded like he might just boil over. When he woke up the next morning Potter was still there, but then again he was still there as well.
"Malfoy, you may be living with Gin, but I don't have to like it. I won't rat you out—even to Ron. But if you hurt her I will make sure that every Death Eater knows where you are."
"I won't hurt her." Draco took a deep breath; maybe this wasn't the time for a patented Malfoy snarky remark. "She's one of the few people who have given me a chance and if I hurt her I would disappoint the only others."
Harry looked at the blond boy, he may not like him much, but he knew now what kind of pressure Draco had been put under in sixth year. Of course he also knew now that Draco had never been given a dark mark and had never been able to kill anyone, hell, he hadn't been able to hurt anyone without sobbing in the bathroom. It didn't make this any easier.
Ginny had always been his safety net, even now that they were no longer together; he didn't want her hurt for anything. Once they had started seeing each other for themselves, the relationship had been over for good. He couldn't be her hero forever and she had no desire to turn into her mother. Truthfully, at least for him, one of the things he found so attractive about Ginny was her family. What he wouldn't give to be part of it. It had become clear, last time he was at the Burrow, that no matter what his status with Ginny hew would always be a part of the family—no matter what.
Draco watched his former nemesis through steely gray eyes. Potter having a problem with him being here could cause some major problems to his life. He really enjoyed living with Ginny; he could move out- it wouldn't be a huge problem. He had a job and transportation, he could do it on his own But dammit, he liked coming home to someone. He liked comparing days at over a bottle of wine. He even liked it when she came home after an absolutely awful day, near tears and covered in stuff he really didn't want to identify; he would get to play the nice guy and comfort her. They would snuggle on the couch and he got to be the person someone else turned to for help. That was an amazing feeling.
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The day after Potter left was a day for rude awakenings. They went out to dinner. Nothing unusual, but they had a marvelous time. Talking about bad dates, bad kisses and bad 'times'. He had managed to make it this far without picturing his flat mate naked, but damn, now he couldn't stop. He knew she lad long legs, but now he could see her walking without picturing those legs wrapped around him. He now had visions of long red hair falling around him like a curtain. So not good.
Ginny, for her part, was having issues; he was pretty cute, not handsome in the conventional sense, but not bad on the eyes at all. Seeing him sleeping curled up with the toddler had been a nail in the coffin. This evening was the final straw. She knew he was funny and smart, she had started to enjoy herself with him ages ago. It had amazed her the first time she had come home after losing a patient to have him just hold her until she felt better. Too bad he wasn't like this at Hogwarts; she would have been all over him. It was more of a date then she'd had in ages—apparently she did need to get out more often because she was beginning to fantasize about work roughened hands running all over her body.
