Chapter 31

Stealth and diversionary tactics had become staples in her life for the last week. Not because of an exciting mission or some dangerous espionage. No, she was avoiding people, two men in particular.

As she sipped her tea by the fire, her feet tangled in her favorite afghan, she knew that she couldn't keep it up forever. Even without her best friend telling her so.

Luna sat opposite her on the couch, her feet raised up beside Ginny's and her toes curling in the soft blanket. Ginny sighed quietly as Luna explained to her how Harry had shown up at her work asking about Ginny, and how miserable he looked.

Ginny knew she should talk to him, but she just hadn't gotten up the nerve yet. How could you explain what happened in Paris with another man, to your boyfriend? She threw her head back against the cushions, her eyes turning towards the cat that sat above her, purring loudly. She absentmindedly raised an arm to pet him while she became lost in her thoughts.

Harry had been easy to avoid last week, just turn off the Floo and don't answer any owls. Simple. When she had seen him walking through the Ministry asking for her, she had just turned the other way and hurried off.

Draco had not been as easy. She saw him every day at work, but she had realized that if she rushed through her paperwork, she could beat him and leave early. She arrived early every morning so that she would have a head start, and left every afternoon before he could say anything.

For his part, Draco seemed to accept his partner's neurotic behavior and just nodded at her as she left. Somehow, though, she still felt uneasy. It was something in the way he looked at her, a strange and suffocating promise in his eyes that said that they would talk later.

"Gin, just tell me what happened. I'm your friend, I won't judge you..." Luna said, and her eyes were so clear and light blue; almost grey like his…

Ginny hung her head, staring at the swirling liquid in her cup and blowing at the gentle puffs of steam, "I've really cocked it up this time," she whispered.

Luna waited patiently, and it was her silence, stifling and heavy, that made her begin to speak more than anything else.

"I don't deserve him. He waits and waits without asking for anything in return, and I just go and screw everything up!" she wailed pitifully.

"Draco or Harry?" the blond asked after a minute, and Ginny looked at her incredulously.

"Harry!" she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Luna nodded, and the silence came again, rolling like a cloud over them.

"I cheated on him. We didn't go all of the way, but I wanted to. Oh Gods did I want to… It just happened. Draco and I were… and we… Sometimes he's so kind, you know? And other times, he's him:the Ferret faced bully from Hogwarts, looking to pick a fight or cut me down."

"You can't find anything if it wasn't there all along," Luna said cryptically.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean -maybe he has always been kind, deep down. It has always been a part of him."

Ginny looked at her friend owlishly for a moment before turning back to her tea, taking another sip and swallowing harshly as the warm liquid burned her throat. "Maybe," she admitted after a moment.

"You can't avoid them forever."

There it was. Those were the words that she had been waiting for. She knew it was true, and she had said the very same words to herself, over and over again, but still she was scared.

"You need to talk to Harry; he deserves that much. You've been back for a week and haven't contacted him once."

"I…" 'Can't' she wanted to say, but the word stuck in her throat.

"You don't have to tell him anything," Luna reassured. "Not yet, but he loves you, Ginny. I know that you're confused, but sooner or later you're going to have to choose. You know what you have with Harry. What would you have with Draco?"

"I don't know. Passion?"

"Is passion enough?"

"Is love?" she countered, and Luna smiled gently at her.

Ginny smiled back, and soon they were laughing. Full, cleansing giggles that lightened the atmosphere and pushed away any clouds that would even think to head their way.

They finished their tea and shared a conversation that was less serious and that helped to fill the room with laughter. Afterwards, they headed towards the kitchen to raid the fridge and wash their dishes. Ginny was elbow deep in bubbles when there was a hurried rap on the front door.

"Hey, Lu…"

"Got it," Luna called as she walked towards the door.

Ginny returned to her work, but stopped suddenly as she heard Luna's footsteps running towards her, from down the hall. Acting on instincts, Ginny removed her hands from the water and wiped them down her shirt before grabbing her wand and rushing to the kitchen door.

"What is it?" Ginny asked gruffly as Luna approached.

Luna stopped in front of her, her pale eyes opened wide, "It's Harry."

"Now?"

Luna nodded and Ginny panicked. "Oh gods. Well, you can't be here. He'll know something's up if I've seen you and not him." Her voice raised an octave, and she could hear Harry calling her name through the door now. "Shit."

She looked around the room and grabbed her friend's shoes, pressing them into her open arms. "Floo," she mouthed, and Luna nodded. Ginny quickly took her wards off of the fireplace and pressed the bag of Floo powder into Luna's hands.

As she ran to the door she heard the familiar 'woosh' of someone Flooing out. Her hand rested on the knob for a moment, and before she could have any second thoughts, she flung the door open.

"Harry!"

There he stood, his black hair mussed and his green eyes sparkling as he saw her, "Merlin, I've missed you!" he exclaimed before gathering her in a tight embrace and swinging her around.

She squealed loudly, hating the feeling of not being in control of her own body. Finally, her feet were placed gently on the floor and some -now crushed- roses were shoved into her face. She laughed lightly and took the flowers from him, sniffing them before shutting the door behind Harry, as he stepped through the threshold. They were lovely, she thought as she made her way to the kitchen to find a vase to place them in. It really was too bad that she didn't much care for roses.

They way she saw it; roses had become too commercialized, taking the attention away from other worthy-of-praise blooms, like her personal favorite, the moon daisy. It was a flower that she had always grown up around as it flourished in the fields near the burrow.

She grabbed a powder blue vase from under the sink and filled it half way with water before magically cutting the ends of the roses' stems at an angle and placing them in the vases' mouth. When she was done, Ginny carried the flowers, complete with vase, to her dining room table. She was arranging the flowers lightly when she felt a strong arm curve around her waist.

Smiling over her shoulder at Harry, she gently stepped away from his arms. "I'll put some tea on."

His eyes followed her around the kitchen as she prepared their cups, and when she had two steaming hot mugs in her hands, he took them from her and placed them on the coffee table in front of the couch.

Ginny took her seat quietly and eyed her tea warily, afraid she might get sick if she drank any more this evening.

"How was your trip?" he asked politely, as he blew cooling breath over his steaming tea.

"Good. It was…work," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Harry laughed at her comment, his free hand coming to lie on her thigh, squeezing the flesh there affectionately. "I've been trying to get a hold of you all week, Gin."

"I know. Work has been crazy lately. I feel as though I'm a walking corpse, going through the motions, but too exhausted to really feel anything."

That part was true. The case was starting to take its toll on her. She was up most nights into the early morning hours, trying to figure out their next move. It was infuriating to be so close to the answers, but still so far away.

She sipped her tea gingerly, changing her position subtly so that Harry's hand fell from her lap. The couch dipped near her, and she looked up to see that Harry had scooted close, his tea now resting on the coffee table.

"I've really have missed you," he admitted, and she balked slightly at the honesty she saw in his eyes along with something else… lust.

"I was only gone a few days, Har," she muttered, trying to sink into the couch and away from his advances.

"I know," he whispered, his mouth only centimeters from hers as he spoke. With an almost imperceptible tilt of his head, he leant forward, dipping for a kiss.

Her eyes widened slightly as his lips brushed hers. They had kissed thousands of times before. Why did it feel so awkward now? Why did she feel guilty for kissing her own boyfriend? Her brows drew together in confusion as he deepened the kiss, and finally, she forced her eyes to flutter closed.

Harry's hand landed on her thigh again, and she reached up, her hands coming to rest around his neck, her fingers playing with his hair. She pointedly ignored the voice that told her that his hair should be longer, and his body longer; that his touch should be passionate and scorching instead of dull.

Her body had just begun to relax and her muscles loosen when three hard raps on her door startled her and she pushed Harry away from her as she jumped to a stand. "I should get that," she said, flustered and confused by her own thoughts and more than eager for a distraction.

'It's probably Luna. She must have forgotten something.'

Without much preamble, she opened the door and looked up into intense grey eyes and a steely stare that most definitely did not belong to Luna. Her partner stepped over the threshold as if it was his right, his home.

She was sure that her body was in a state of shock as she leaned numbly against the door, her back closing it with a click. The two men that she had been avoiding like the plague for the last week were in her apartment.

"You've been avoiding me, Weasel," Draco accused as he wound a strand of her long hair around his forefinger, less than a foot between their bodies.

She looked into his eyes and suddenly her pulse skyrocketed, her body humming from his nearness. "Draco…" she warned half-heartedly.

"Who was it?" Harry asked innocently as he entered the room, freezing mid-step as he saw his girlfriend leaning against the door to her home, her partner caging her with his arm.

Draco reacted first, and Ginny was glad for it. She didn't think that she could do much more than gape like a fish for the next hour.

"Ah, Potty. Wonderful to see you," he drawled, holding a hand out to offer a handshake.

Harry just stared at Draco's outstretched hand as if it were poisonous, and Draco soon let the offending appendage fall back to his side.

"I just came by to speak to Weasley about work," he said at last, his countenance so calm and care-free that Ginny wondered if he felt the awkwardness of the moment at all.

"Hm." Harry grunted as he studied the other man.

Finally, Ginny snapped out of her shock, just enough to put a reassuring hand on her boyfriend's arm. "Go have a seat, Harry. I'll just be a moment."

Harry nodded slightly, before pressing a possessive kiss to her lips, a kiss that Ginny knew was more for Draco's benefit than for her own.

Draco watched the dark-haired man walk deeper into the apartment, and Ginny could feel the chilliness of his gaze as Harry walked out of their line of sight. The red-head closed her eyes, pulling a deep breath through her nose as she attempted to gain some control over the situation. "What did you need to talk about?" she asked her partner, and she cringed when his icy gaze turned to her.

"Nothing, it's not important. I can speak with you about it tomorrow, when you don't have… company," he answered coldly, and Ginny was amazed at how different he could be from one moment to the next.

She looked up at him, her mind in turmoil, as he opened her door, preparing to exit. He stepped out into the hallway, and without a second thought, Ginny followed him outside. She stood there, feeling hopeless and wondering when it was exactly that her life had spun so completely out of control. "I…" she stuttered, and Draco watched her flounder, smirking at her as her skin flushed in embarrassment.

With two small steps, he had her trapped again, her back now against the opposite side of her door. He raised a long fingered hand up to her cheek, watching as her expression softened. He trailed his fingers down the side of her face and to her jaw, and she trembled at his gentleness.

"Don't worry, Weasel," he whispered against her skin, "I'm not giving up." He rubbed his thumb across her chin, just under her bottom lip. "I know what I want, and I'm not giving up until I have it." Without another word, he turned away from her, making his way down the hall and to the stairs.

With shaking hands, Ginny reentered her apartment, only to see Harry standing on the other side of the door, waiting for her. "Harry…"

"I'm sorry, Gin. I have to get going. Something's come up," he said, pecking her lips with his. "Dinner tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"It's a date," he whispered, and with another soft kiss, he left, leaving her alone in her apartment, her pulse still throbbing in her ears.

She made her way to her couch and flopped down upon it. She sat there numbly for a few minutes before Jasper joined her, jumping onto her lap. Ginny pulled him close, his presence comforting. "Mummy's losing her marbles, Jasper…" she whispered with a bittersweet laugh.

Draco stood, his body half hidden in the shadows of the street corner as he waited. He knew that Potter would come for him; he didn't expect any less of the goody Gryffindor. He would come for a fight, and Draco was ready. He would fight for her if he had to. He would let his intentions be known.

He had realized long ago that there was something different about Ginevra Weasley and the way that he acted around her. He was no longer naïve enough to think that he was just after her for a new notch in his bedpost, but she was a conquest. And he would conquer her, even if it took all of the romantic dinners and sappy words in the word. She would be his.

He had tried to push her away, tried to stop thinking about her, but his desire for her had only grown stronger and so had his… feelings. Whatever they were. He had never gone through so much trouble for a woman before, but he couldn't stop now, now that he was so close to his goal.

The loud click-clack of hurried footsteps brought him out of his reverie and he looked up just in time to meet the other man's green-eyed gaze from across the street. Draco stood his ground as the dark-haired man jogged over to him, his body tense and his posture poised for violence.

Harry rushed forward, pushing a strong pointer finger into the other man's chest as he all but growled. "I don't know what kind of game you're trying to play, Malfoy. But it won't work. She's smarter than that."

Draco stepped back slightly, his head bobbing in agreement. "Yes, she is. She's very smart." His eyes locked onto Harry's green ones. "Too smart to fall into your arms after five years, isn't she?

Harry bristled at his words, all but hissing as he responded. "I'm the one she's dating."

Draco smirked at him. "Yes, but I'm the one she turns to for her more… carnal needs."

"You're lying!"

Draco could see that Harry was almost at his breaking point, and he pressed on. "Ginny is a very complicated woman. She might be 'seeing' you and showing you affection, but that doesn't mean that you've captured her heart."

Confidence flickered back in Harry's eyes and he laughed sardonically. "And you have? It must kill you to know that she would never be with a rat like you."

"She will," Draco vowed, his tone threatening. "I will take her from you."

With a roar, Harry drew his wand, brandishing it angrily at the man in front of him. The curse wasn't even half way out of his mouth when he was thrown to the ground, his wand flying out of his grasp.

He watched in shock as it landed in Draco's hand.

"Non-verbal spells, Potter. It seems that you're out of practice," he taunted. "Get up," he commanded, pointing Harry's own wand at him as he stood.

Harry stood before him, his shoulders squared and his eyes fixed in a glare. "I won't give her up."

"You won't have to. She'll come willingly," Draco said at last. Without another word, he tossed Harry's wand into the distance and Disapparated before the other man could react.

For the third time that night, there was a knock at Ginny Weasley's door. She opened the door with a flourish, ready for anything else that wanted to come her way. The night certainly couldn't get any worse.

When her eyes met her boyfriend's green-eyed stare, she stepped back, waving him inside. They stood there in silence for several moments, studying each other. With a small sigh, Ginny gestured to the living room beyond the hallway. "Would you like another cup of---"

"Did you sleep with him?" He cut her off, his hands slipping into his pockets as he spoke.

"No. No. Harry…" Her brows knit together in confusion. She didn't know what to say. Or even how to begin.

"Do you love him?" He cut her off abruptly.

Her arms flailed in the air for a moment in frustration. She hated that question. It was a question that she asked herself far too often. "Harry, what are you talking about?" she sputtered, trying not to show how uncomfortable she was with their current conversation.

"I saw him, outside."

Her breath caught. "What did he say?"

"That he wants you," he said simply, his eyes boring into hers.

Her mouth turned up at one end as she scoffed. "Harry," she murmured, her hands coming up to rest lightly on his chest. "Draco Malfoy is a prat. He only wants what he can't have…" she explained, attempting to comfort him as she laid her head on his collar bone.

Harry wrapped his arms around her back, rocking her slightly. "I love you." He breathed as the woman in his arms stiffened.

Not for the first time that night, Ginny was speechless. She had waited years to hear those words from his lips. "What?" she asked, lifting her head up from his shoulder.

"I love you," he affirmed, nudging her nose with his softly, before taking her lips in a deep kiss.

She sighed into his mouth, draping her arms around his neck. This time, his kiss didn't feel strange to her. It felt warm and caring. This was Harry, the man that loved her, and that had always been enough.

It would have to be enough.

o.o.o

Ginny was silent the next morning at work as she looked over her papers.

"We may have to stay an extra hour tonight to finish this up," Draco interjected, breaking the silence.

"I can't stay late tonight. Harry's taking me to dinner," she explained, missing the look that flitted over her partner's face.

"…We need to get this done. Kingsley wants in on his desk by morning," he pressed, and Ginny sighed.

"It'll be done."

Ever since their return from France, they had been studying the evidence that they had found in Avery's home. They had spent hours agonizing over the names of the victims, trying to decipher how many victims there were in total. Their new list even indicated the names of future victims, names that they had to match to an area, a place, a house... a time of attack. Ideally, they wanted to put a stop to the crimes before anyone else was hurt. Even now, as they sat hunched at their desks, Avery was being interrogated by Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, himself.

Avery had already been charged by the courts, and they both knew that Kingsley would use this fact to his advantage as he pried for information. When faced with the choice of helping the Aurors and receiving a lesser sentence, or living out their full sentence, people were often inclined to choose the former.

Ginny looked up from her writing, studying her partner's bent head for a moment, considering her words carefully. "Harry said that you two talked last night."

"We did," he admitted, folding his fingers beneath his chin.

"What did you tell him?"

With a sigh, he set his quill down, stretching his arms high above his head before sitting back and focusing on his partner. "I told him that I would fight for you if I had to."

"Damn it, I am not some trophy to be won! I can make my own decisions!" she shouted as she stood from her seat, her hands slamming down against his desk.

"Yes, and you've done a bang-up job of it so far," Draco barked, pushing his chair back as he stood, as well.

"You bastard," she spat, her anger boiling as a smirk spread across his lips.

"Just admit that you want me, Ginny," he replied as he leant towards her.

She spun away from him with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest as she faced him. "Draco, there is nothing between us." She gestured between them. "And there will never be anything between us. I'm wi—"

Faster than she could even blink, he grabbed her shoulders and yanked her forward, his lips meeting hers in a bruising kiss. After a moment he let up on the pressure and just let his lips slide over hers, urging her to open her mouth for him.

Her body tingled at his touch, and she shivered as his fingers ghosted over the nape of her neck. She gasped, her lips parting just the littlest bit. He saw his opportunity and he took it, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, making her think of other warm parts touching, thrusting. Parts that seemed all too eager for those thoughts to become reality.

It had been a week since she had kissed him. Surely his touch couldn't have intensified this much in a week. She groaned despite herself as he pulled away slightly. "—with Harry. This was a mistake," she whispered against his lips, her actions belying her words, as she tugged him closer by the collar of his shirt.

Long arms surrounded her, holding her close and molding their bodies together as his mouth claimed hers; the intensity burning her skin until she was panting from the heat. "Does he kiss you like I do? Does he know how to touch you?" He breathed against her lips, his forehead resting lightly on hers. His words punctuated by brief, electrifying, kisses.

"Please…" The word fell from her lips with a throaty moan. She hated hearing the sound of her own weakness.

"'Please'…?" he repeated, his mouth falling to her throat.

She didn't know. Her mind was consumed with chaos and her body was buzzing; quivering under the force of his storm.

A soft 'pop' echoed through the room and Ginny was thrust back into consciousness. The small elf stared up at them with wide, shining eyes, her fingers kneading in the cloth of her fluffy pink dress. "Head Aurors Tonks and Kingzee is wanting to see Aurors Malfie and Wheezy," she announced. She watched them for a moment, to make sure that they had heard her, and then she was gone, Apparating away once more.

Ginny stood there numbly. Her heart was beating frantically against her chest and her head was spinning wildly. She was distantly aware of warm, open mouthed kisses being peppered along the column of her neck and a nose bumping the lobe of her right ear.

"'Please' what, Ginny?" Draco taunted, whispering into the shell of her ear and jerking her attention back to him as he pulled away from her slightly.

She looked up only to see his smug face smirking down at her. With a groan of disgust she shoved him away from her, her eyes shooting daggers, "I hate you," she growled as she left their office, heading down to hall.

"No, you don't." He grinned, following after her.

Head Auror Shacklebolt's office was silent as they stepped inside, closing the heavy door behind them. They took their seats in front of Kingsley's desk, sitting between two of their other superiors: Auror Tonks and the head of the Surveillance and Location department, Auror Douglas. Auror Douglas' presence meant that Avery had talked, and that they had a new lead. As Kingsley began speaking, this became increasingly apparent.

Draco smiled smugly and fixed his eyes upon the large dark man sitting behind the desk. He could feel Ginny fidgeting in her chair, her excitement flowing out of her in waves. It took all of his will power not to look at her, to bask in her expression. He was playing with fire and he knew it all too well. They were partners. They worked together, and if anyone ever found out about desperate kisses behind office doors, or passion outside the locker rooms, they would both be out of a job. It was a bloody good thing that Ministry elves were famous for their discretion.

"He finally cracked and has implicated…." Kingsley's smooth baritone filled Draco's senses as he came back to the conversation.

"Who?" Ginny asked eagerly, practically on the edge of her seat.

Draco allowed his eyes to trail to her as she spoke, taking in her profile. The small pixie nose and large brown eyes, her parted full lips and overly-freckled, milky white skin. Who needs a job anyway? He thought with a smirk. He had a feeling that life with Ginny would be enough excitement for even the most seasoned Aurors. And she will be mine soon enough.

"Antonin Dolohov," Auror Tonks said after a moment, finishing her superior's sentence and bringing Draco snapping back to attention once more.

"Mr. X is Dolohov?" Ginny asked, pulling herself back into her seat as she considered this new information.

"Apparently," Kingsley agreed with a nod over steepled fingertips. "And we know where to find him. Is that correct, Auror Douglas?"

"Yes, sir, it is," the balding man answered. "Mr. Dolohov has been a resident of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for the past year and half after his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity at his trial for crimes committed by him during the war," he explained, and the room fell silent.

"Then he…" Draco started, his brow furrowed in frustration and confusion.

"…Can not possibly be Mr. X," Tonks finished for him, flopping back into her chair with a sigh and almost tipping it over completely in the process.

"But there must be information there. Dolohov may know something," Ginny stammered, her face flushed an angry tomato red.

"Precisely. That is why you and Auror Malfoy will be taking a trip to the hospital's asylum today to pay him a visit. His head healer will be expecting you. We want him questioned, and we will need a sample of his handwriting to see if it matches up with the letters you found at Avery's home."

With a short nod and without waiting to be dismissed, Ginny stormed from the room.

A few minutes later, Draco met her in their office; she already had her jacket on and was packing her bag with necessities. Her face was still flushed and she looked furious.

He moved over to her, grabbing her elbow in a fierce grip as she made her way towards the door.

"What?" she seethed as Draco searched her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, fingering one of her long curls. His sincerity seemed to get through to her and she closed her eyes, pulling herself together before speaking.

When she opened them again she was calmer but the fire remained in her eyes. She sucked on her teeth a moment before speaking. "Dolohov killed my uncles. He was there that night; he helped to kill Fabian and Gideon Prewett, and then he escaped Azkaban. I fought him in my fourth year at the Department of Mysteries. Then the bastard gets off by pleading insanity? If he is Mr. X, Draco- So help me…"

"Shh," He whispered, pulling her to him and into his arms.

"How are we going to get all of this done? We have to go to St. Mungo's and have that paperwork on Kingsley's desk tomorrow morning and…"

"It will all get done," he reassured her, lifting her chin up so that he could look into her eyes.

She smiled up at him gently, and he took the opportunity to lean forward, his lips aiming for hers. With a grunt of disgust, she pushed his face to the side roughly and pulled herself from his grasp before hurrying out the door. "I still hate you," she called behind her.

"No, you don't!" he reminded, jogging to keep up with her.